Tag Archives: seafood

Recipes

Cajun Crab And Quinoa Cakes

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 thyme sprig
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup chopped sweet pickles
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 8 ounces lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg white
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preparation

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes or until mushy. Discard thyme. Drain, pressing to remove excess water. Cool slightly.

2. Combine black pepper, paprika, and red pepper. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, pickles, and mustard.

3. Place crab in a medium bowl; mash slightly. Add quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon spice mixture, half of yogurt mixture, bell pepper, and next 4 ingredients (through egg white); stir gently. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions; gently pat into a 3-inch-wide patty. Place on a parchment-lined plate. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

4. Preheat broiler to high.

5. Brush a jelly-roll pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange chilled cakes on pan; brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with half of remaining pepper mixture. Broil 5 minutes or until browned. Turn cakes over. Brush with oil from pan; sprinkle with remaining spice mixture. Broil 5 minutes or until browned. Serve cakes with remaining sauce.

Link to original recipe

Recipes

Panko Crusted Fish Sticks

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 pound halibut fillets, cut into 20 (1-inch) strips
  • 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • Store-bought tarter sauce, or:

If making tartar sauce from scratch:

  • 1/4 cup light sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles
  • 2 teaspoons minced capers

Preparation

1. Combine milk and eggs in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add fish, and toss gently to coat. Place panko, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add fish to panko mixture; seal bag. Shake bag gently to coat fish.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of fish; cook 4 minutes or until done, turning occasionally to brown all sides. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining fish.

3. If making tartar sauce, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, pickles, capers, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Serve sauce with fish.

Link to original recipe

Recipes

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

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Ingredients

  • Sauce:
    • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
    • 1 cup thinly sliced white onion (optional)
  • Rub:
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced
  • 4 lime wedges

Preparation

  • 1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine jalapeño sauce and onion in a small bowl.
  • 2. Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through ground red pepper); sprinkle evenly over fish. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.
  • 3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish, onion mixture, and avocado evenly among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.

Link to original recipe.

Recipes

Shrimp Etouffee

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Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning [you can use Emerill’s essence, another store-bought brand, or the recipe below]
  • 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 3/4 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 1/2 Cups Shrimp Stock [recipe below]
  • 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
  • I bundle of Fresh Thyme
  • 2 tsp Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tsp Hot Sauce (recommended Louisiana brands: Crystal or Louisiana Gold)
  • 1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
  • 2 lb Good Quality Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined, Save shells for the stock
  • 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
  • 1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice [recipe below]

Directions

Season the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning.

Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery, saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining Creole Seasoning. Add a small amount of the shrimp stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, Thyme, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, black pepper, and Cayenne. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add the shrimp, green onions, and parsley, simmer for 10 minutes more or until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the 3 Tbsp butter, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Serve over Creole Boiled Rice. Serves 4 as an Appetizer, or 2 as a Large Entree.

Creole Seasoning

  • 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
  • 1/3 Cup Paprika
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Garlic
  • 4 Tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1/3 Cup Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 3 Tbsp White Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Dried Thyme
  • 2 Tbsp Dried Basil
  • 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano

Mix all ingredients together.

Shrimp Stock Recipe

  • The Shells and tails from 2 lb. of Shrimp
  • 1/2 Cup chopped Onion
  • 1/4 Cup chopped Celery
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 Lemon sliced
  • 2 Fresh Bay Leaves
  • 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • 1 tsp. Black Peppercorns

Add all ingredients to a 2 qt. saucepan. Cover this with cold water (about 6-8 Cups Cups). Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Strain.

Creole Boiled Rice

  • 1 quart of Boiling Water
  • 1 Cup Basmati or Jasmine Rice
  • 2 Fresh Bay Leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter

Bring the water to a boil with the Bay leaves. Add the salt. Add the rice, stir to make sure the rice doesn’t stick! Do Not Stir again! If you agitate the rice too much, it gets sticky! So give it a good stir, when it comes back to a boil, partially cover it. Cook for about 11 minutes, but taste it, don’t trust me! It should have some bite, but a crunch is bad, Call it Al Dente, like I said, think Pasta. When it’s tender, drain it, pluck out the bay leaves, and if desired, place it into a 400 degree oven with the butter patted on top for about 15 minutes; this helps dry the rice out.

Link to original recipe

Recipes

Seafood Risotto

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 c. Arborio rice
  • 4 c. vegetable or fish broth
  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 lb. fresh calamari – cleaned, tentacles and bodies separated, bodies sliced into thin rings
  • 1 tbsp. olive (not virgin) oil
  • 1/4 c. freshly chopped Italian parsley
  • 1/4 to 1/3 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 lb. fresh bay scallops
  • 2 large shallots – peeled and minced
  • 1/2 lb. fresh shrimp – peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 1/2 c. dry white wine

Directions

  • Put the broth and clam juice in a saucepan and heat to a gentle simmer on the stove.
  • Heat half the butter and the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the rice and stir to coat the grains well with the butter and oil. Cook for another minute while stirring gently.
  • Set your kitchen timer to 14 minutes.
  • Add the wine, stir and let it cook until the wine is almost completely absorbed by the rice. Add 1/4 c. broth and stir frequently until it is almost completely absorbed.
  • Continue adding the broth, 1/4 c. at a time, until it is gone. When the timer goes off, add the calamari rings and tentacles, scallops and shrimp.
  • Continue adding the broth and stirring for another 4 minutes.
  • Taste the rice. It should be tender yet firm to the bite, rather like al dente pasta. If it’s too hard, keep adding broth or water until it’s done.
  • With the last addition of broth, also stir in the remaining butter, salt, pepper and parsley.
  • If you run out of broth before the timer sounds, add more broth or water until you hear the timer.

Link to original recipe.

Recipes

Singapore-Style Noodles

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Ingredients

  • 5 ounces uncooked rice vermicelli
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 whole clove
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (can substitute 1 teaspoon spicy-hot Madras curry powder for previous 5 ingredients if desired)
  • 1 cup (1-inch) pieces green onions
  • 5 teaspoons canola oil, divided
  • 5 bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound large tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger, divided
  • 1 cup (1 1/2-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper

Preparation

1. Soak noodles in warm water 2 minutes. Drain well. Combine cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, and clove in a spice or coffee grinder; pulse until finely ground. Stir in red pepper.

2. Preheat broiler.

3. Combine green onions, 2 teaspoons oil, and bacon. Place onion mixture on a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes. Add shrimp to mixture; toss. Arrange shrimp in a single layer. Broil 5 minutes or until shrimp and bacon are done. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Stir in black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

4. Combine cumin mixture, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, chili garlic sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger; sauté 45 seconds. Add to shrimp mixture.

5. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add soy sauce mixture and noodles; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, tossing to coat. Place about 3/4 cup noodles on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 1 cup shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.

Original recipe

Recipes

Asian Seared Tuna

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Ingredients

  • Leaves from 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 jalapenos, sliced
  • 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 4 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 (6 ounce) blocks sushi-quality tuna
  • 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated. If prepared ahead of time, marinate the Tuna in about a third of the marinade for an hour before grilling.

Place a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (oil can be omitted if you marinated the tuna). Season the tuna pieces generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 2-3 minutes to form a slight crust; flip and sear the other side 2 minutes. Pour half of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Transfer the seared tuna to plates and serve with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate. Serve over salad greens to make a salad, using the reserved marinade as a dressing. Or serve with roasted vegetables or rice (or both!).

Based on a recipe by Tyler Florence

Recipes

Spicy Tomato Sauce Shrimp Apetizer

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A great appetizer that can be prepared quickly if the tomato sauce is made ahead of time.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1/3 cupfinely chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced and then chopped
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons smoked sweet paprika (El Rey De La Vera is a good brand)
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or a dried red chile pepper such as Spanish guindilla or guajillo
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
  • 2 pinches sugar
  • 1 pound shrimp with shells and tails removed
  • A baguette, sliced into 1/2″ thick rounds (cut on a diagonal for a better presentation)

Instructions

  1. Add half the oil to a skillet or saucepan heated over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute
  2. Add the flour and paprika to the onion and garlic mixture. Stir until well combined
  3. Add the tomato sauce, wine, chicken broth, chile pepper, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. (note that you can do everything up to this point ahead of time)
  4. Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then add the remaining oil. Add the shrimp and stir fry quickly, about a minute on each side or until fully pink on the outside. (you can also cook the shrimp on a barbeque)
  5. Add the shrimp to the tomato mixture (heated to simmering if you prepared it ahead of time), and stir to coat. Cook over low heat for about five minutes or until the shrimp is fully cooked.
  6. To serve, spoon a single shrimp onto a toasted baguette slice, then add a bit more tomato sauce if desired. You can also arrange toast slices around a bowl of the tomato sauce and allow guests to spoon the shrimp onto the toast themselves.

Based on an appetizer at Pasta Pomodoro and a recipe by Penelope Casas

Recipes

Mojo Shrimp

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mojo shrimp mealFor a great Cuban-themed meal, serve these shrimp with Cuban black beans (Trader Joe’s has a great canned version), rice, and Plantains.

Mojo Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil (you can get away with much less if you prefer)
  • 2 Tbs. sliced fresh garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 3 Tbs. orange juice
    • (Note: if you can find sour orange juice, you should use 2/3 cup of that instead of the above two citrus juices)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (add more to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

To make the mojo sauce, heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium to medium-high heat. When the olive oil reaches frying temperature (tip: add one slice of garlic and watch to see when it starts bubbling), add the garlic slices and cook until they are golden brown (be careful that they don’t burn). Add the rest of the ingredients aside from the cilantro and bring to a boil, stirring to make sure the ingredients mix. Check the seasoning, then remove from heat. Let it return to room temperature, then stir in cilantro and transfer to a jar or other container.

Due to the high oil content, the mixture will separate if it sits for too long. I’d recommend adding it to a jar with a screw-top lid (like an old salsa or tomato sauce container), since you’ll want to vigorously shake the sauce up like a salad dressing before you add it to anything.

shrimp cookingClean and dry 1 lbs. of shelled, tail-on shrimp, and add to a plastic zip lock bag. Add enough marinade to cover the shrimp, press out any air in the bag and seal it up, and let sit in the fridge for about an hour.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade (but don’t shake too much off!), and cook the shrimp for about 2 minute on each side in a grill pan, under the broiler, or even skewered on a barbecue grill. If cooking in a grill pan, be sure to scrape the shrimp around to pick up any cooked sauce and garlic slices as you remove them from the pan.

Serve with cuban black beans, rice, and plantains, liberally dousing everything with some of the remaining mojo sauce.

Recipes

Steve’s Sole Special

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Special guest recipe from my brother Steve…

steve’s soleOkay, this is essentially a 5-part recipe: the fish, the sauce, the capers, the vegetables, and the rice. I am going to list them in the order in which they should be prepared based on how long each takes; in other words, they are listed in the order of longest to shortest preparation + cooking time (the time indicated is for both).

1) Vegetables (about 50 minutes)

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Get one of those glass cake dishes that measure about 8” by 15” and grease it up with a little Pam. Get some of your favorite (raw) vegetables. I love to put in the following: brussel sprouts (cut in half), carrots (cut into about 1” pieces), onion (either ½ or a whole red, yellow, or white), bell pepper (usually 1), broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, and asparagus. Obviously, you don’t have to do this much. What I love to do is go to Trader Joe’s and get those bags of vegetables: there’s one with brussel sprouts, one with broccoli, and many others.

Season the vegetables with some salt, pepper, and any other herbs you want. Drizzle some olive oil over it. I also like to drizzle a light Italian dressing over it.

Cook for about 40-45 minutes (maybe less on your guys’ ovens). About 2/3 of the way through, mix it up and check to see if it’s seasoned enough, adding more dressing or spices if necessary.

2) Rice (about 25 minutes – on the stove)

I like white, but I bet wild would be awesome.

3) Sauce (about 20 minutes)

This is a great non-dairy picata cream sauce that I’m still perfecting, though it’s getting there. In a big sauce pan, start melting some butter (I like using Smart Balance), and add about a clove of minced garlic. Meanwhile, soften (nearly melt) some butter in a bowl, and mix it very well with about a table spoon of flour. You want it mixed really well and pretty fluid when you add it to the sauce pan so that lumps don’t form. Next, add about 2-3 tablespoons of both lemon juice and white wine (note: if you ever have white wine that’s gone bad, keep it in the fridge, because you can still use it for something like this… I think the heat evaporates whatever’s gone “bad” and the flavor is still there). Keep stirring this so that it doesn’t crust over. Add a little non-dairy (or dairy) milk (soy, rice, Lactaid, or regular). Note: the flour is meant to provide the thickening that heavy cream usually takes care of, so, if you want to use that, you can by-pass the flour. Throw in some salt and dill and add lemon juice and wine to taste (or butter if it needs to be thicker). But, keep in mind that a thin sauce is still good; I just like it thick. Cook this slowly on low heat. Keep it on the lowest setting, checking it every once in awhile. But in the meantime, turn to the capers and fish…

4) Capers (10 minutes)

These are what inspired the recipe in the first place. I went to a restaurant (Max’s, down by Union Square) and got Petrale Sole and they served it with these fried capers that were just incredible. I haven’t completely perfected them, but just a few pointers…

Use extra big capers and rinse them off before you use them (otherwise they will be too salty): soak them for awhile and/or put them in a colander and run cold water through them.

Heat a good amount of olive oil in a pan. Here’s the scary part: it needs to be pretty hot, but not TOO hot. The last time I put them in there was a mini explosion of oil. It’s mainly just a pain in the ass to clean up. So, heat the only on medium-high or so, and make sure it’s not smoking. Gently dump the rinsed capers in while keeping your face (and any clothing that you value) out of harm’s way. Good luck!

They’re gonna cook fast – maybe 3 minutes. You want them pretty crispy, though definitely not burned. When they’re done, remove from heat and dump them back in the colander (probably should use a mettle one), and leave them in the sink to drain.

5) The Sole (10 minutes)

You kinda do this and the capers concurrently. I recommend the sole you can get frozen from TJ’s – only about $5 for about 7-8 fillets! Defrost it: leave it in the fridge for about a day, or leave it on the counter for about 6 hours. Remove and place on some paper towels so as to dry off the thawed fish water (eeeewe). Season both sides: you can just do salt and pepper, but I like doing pepper, dill, and a LITTLE bit of celery seed (not too much as this is a bitter spice, but it adds a nice complexity to the flavor).

Heat some olive oil on medium to medium-high heat (keep in mind that I have an electric stove – lame). After the oil heats up, gently place the fillets in. You want them to just get slightly golden on each side – usually about 3 minutes per side (a little shorter for the second side). It sticks very easily to the pan, and is an extremely fragile fish, so use your best non-stick pan. But, even if it breaks, it still tastes the same – it’s just a little less cool looking.

When the fish is done, place a couple fillets on a plate. Throw some capers on top. Dish out some rice and vegetables next to it, and pour some sauce over the fish and rice (if you want). Enjoy!!