Seafood

Scallops in a Lemongrass-Coconut Broth

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I love lemongrass. Recently, I found Lemongrass Mint Vanilla Water (with no calories) and am still over the moon…I am also drinking one right now.  Yesterday, around lunchtime, I managed to find time to get to Whole foods for my weekly shopping trip. I was dying for scallops and new that I wanted to make a lemongrass sauce for them. Alas, WF was out of lemongrass and my frozen supply was out as well. However, I am happy to say that I feel back into my old supermarket addiction yesterday because when I went back for something lemongrass had been stocked! With my previous disappointment assuaged, I went home hoping that D would not mind that Piccata would no longer be on the menu. He went with it and I got my lemongrass infused sauce. My apologies for the lack of picture, I was too hungry and tired to clean the dishes and arrange the food and photograph it. Similarly, I was also too tired to actually cut the fresh herbs to top this – though I did have the fresh basil, cilantro and green onions out. If you add them, it will certainly heighten the flavor (even though I still licked my plate).  I suggest serving this in a bowl – rice on bottom, protein on top, sauce poured over to make an sort of semi-soup.  You can use any kind of protein you want. A nice, thick white fish, scallops or mussels work best. D had a Thai-crusted chicken breast (that I completely burned on one side…oops).

Lemongrass – Coconut Broth

One cup shallot or onion, diced
Three garlic cloves, minced
Two inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced into large discs
Six lemon grass stalks (bottom 4 or 5 inches only), Bruised
One can of Lite Coconut Milk, separated (1/2 cup for rice and rest for sauce)
One cup White Wine
One cup Chicken Broth
One tablespoon red curry paste
One teaspoon Saffron, toasted
Squeeze of a half-lime (or you can use Kaffir Lime leaves frozen or fresh)
Sriracha to taste

Heat some oil in a large skillet. Combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, and chiles (is using) and allow to sweat for a few minutes. Add in white wine and chicken broth and reduce slightly to cook out the alcohol. Add curry paste and coconut milk and let simmer for a few minutes. Check for seasoning and then season according to taste. Finally, add Sriracha to taste and the juice of the lime. Strain and reserve sauce.

Scallops (for two)

Four U-10 Scallops (U-10 indicating how many per pound)
Salt and Pepper

Dry scallops thoroughly, but gently to prevent breaking. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. In a small fry pan heat a good amount of oil over a medium high heat. Once hot, place the scallops gently into the pan and allow to cook, without moving, for two minutes on each side to achieve a nice sear. Remove from pan, pat dry and serve on top of Coconut Rice made with one part water, one part coconut milk.  Pour reserved sauce over both components and then garnish with your choice of fried shallots, cilantro, basil, green onions, or mint.

Butternut Squash Penne with Shrimp and Greens

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So Wendy Davis screwed up my summer (not to mention screwed Texas) with a filibuster so when the leg adjourned Sine Die and announced they would be back the next day, I was less than thrilled. D wanted to know what I wanted to do, which really was curl in a ball and cry whilst simultaneously working out and getting a massage. You see, when you are sitting in an uncomfortable chair for 18 hours a day for about two weeks (straight) your body aches like you have the flu. Not to mention my derriere is now competing for Kim Kardashian status (except not as toned) and I need vegetables like regular people need water. So instead of crawling in bed and catching up on desperately needed sleep (only after I cried myself to exhaustion of course), I poured an ice cold beer and decided I very badly wanted to see my Sarah, hang out with D, go to the grocery store for a proper shopping trip, and cook a homemade meal – veggies inclusive. Being that I was not in any sort of mental state to be decisive about what I wanted to make, I made a small list of seemingly healthy dishes (since the special session will keep me out of the gym, and full of crap food from a box, meaning the pounds will keep adding up) that would provide flavor and nutrition. Once at the store I decided that I would make one of two things and got ingredients for both in the hopes that if I double prep, maybe tomorrow I can throw together whichever I do not make tonight. On the menu: Penne with a Butternut Squash sauce and Shrimpies and Greens, Sauteed Kale with Mushrooms, and Steamed Beets and Carrots. Dinner was awesome. Veggies were awesome. The mess I made was awesome. Standing up was awesome. Hanging out with Sarah, D and Reagan (he made a surprise appearance) was awesome! Then I passed out – which was also awesome.

Butternut Squash Penne with Shrimp and Greens

One three-pound butternut squash
Half pound to three quarters of Penne Pasta
A few good handfuls spinach
A few good handfuls of Arugula
About 3/4 cup of shredded smoked provolone and shredded Pecorino Romano
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 cup half and half, plus 1/8 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup basil, chopped
six garlic cloves, minced
4 large shallots, mined or sliced
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup white wine
couple of pinches salt
3 tablespoons herbs de provence
Cayenne to taste
Two tablespoons ricotta cheese

For butternut Squash

Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash (peeled) into half-inch dice and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil (flavoured if you like), and toss with salt, pepper, cayenne and herbs de provence. Add 3 tablespoons shallots and 2 tablespoons garlic to pan and mix well. Bake on 400 for about 25 minutes until squash is soft.

For the Sauce

Once the butternut squash is done, spoon the contents of the baking sheet into a food processor. Add half and half, almond milk, and ricotta cheese and blend well (if you would like a thinner sauce add a little bit of broth reserved from cooking the pasta as well).

For the dish

Cook pasta in boiling broth until al dente.

In a pan, heat a bit of olive oil and add remaining shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook until just glassy and add white wine. Add shrimp, searing on each side then transfer the squash sauce to the pan and stir well. Add arugula and spinach to sauce and allow to wilt, add any desired seasoning (i.e. black pepper or salt). Add pasta to the sauce (add pasta broth according to sauce consistency desires) and stir well. Add cheese to pan, stir well to incorporate. Once cheese has melted, top with basil and serve.

* This can also be made with chicken, just like the portion that I made for D because of his seafood aversion. Pancetta could also be crisped and added to this dish. Additionally, if you have dairy aversion – or are vegan – feel free to omit the half and half and use almond or rice milk instead.

Salmon with Avocado-Mango Relish

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A simple, healthy, quick meal that was just perfect for a Thursday night. Relish can be made a day or so ahead and would also be great as a dip or topping for chicken or beef.

Relish, Serves 1-2

1/2 Mango, diced
1/2 Avocado, diced
1/2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
Juice from one Lime
1/2 cup of Green Onions, chopped
2-3 tbsp Ginger People Ginger Lime Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Salmon

Cayenne to taste
Turmeric to Taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
One 3 oz Wild-caught, Coho Salmon Fillet

Sprinkle seasonings as desired on de-boned salmon fillet. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet and saute Salmon for about 2 minutes on each side (more for more well done, less for more rare fish).

Top fish with relish and serve with rice. Drizzle with Eel sauce if desired.

Coconut Shrimp and Chicken Tacos

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Friday we were heading to the lake to celebrate D’s momma’s birthday. I knew I wanted to cook but, as with most nights, had a short list of at least seven dishes. We narrowed it down to fish tacos and spinach pasta with veggies. D lobbied for spinach pasta (naturally as he averse to fish) and I let him. This concession was made largely because I was forming a plan to make fish or shrimp tacos the next night at my parent’s house (for mother’s day). Normally, as you can tell from my previous fish taco post, I crust the fish in question in chile-corn crust. I did not have time to the desire to go to Central market to get this, so I decided I would make my own crust (it is fairly easier to make Chile-Corn Crust, but I really just was not in the mood for some reason). Flash forward and I devised a plan for a chile-coconut-panko crust. And then comes the second concession of the weekend, I prepared both chicken and shrimp so that everyone could have something they enjoyed. One note – I did not have an egg for the shrimpies (well, in reality there was an egg in the fridge – I just could not find it until I had already crusted the shrimpies so the chicken got it but not the fish – one of many Jessica Simpson moments I experienced that day) and so they were not quite as brown and crispy. I also baked them for health reasons – feel free to pan fry them if you like as they will become extra crispy! Oh, and for the record, yes you did just read “shrimpies.” This is what my mom has called shrimp since I was born, ergo, shrimpies are shrimp. I also say grape-ies, but that is another story….

For the Marinade

One can coconut milk (lite or regular)
Two Limes
One pound Shrimp
2 chicken breasts, cut into tenders then halved
4 tablespoons Sriracha
2 tablespoons Tempura Sauce
2 teaspoons Curry Powder
2 ziplock bags

In one Ziplock, combine half of the coconut milk, half Sriracha, half tempura, half curry powder, and juice from one lime. Add peeled shrimp to this and refrigerate for about at least 2 hours. Repeat process with chicken and second ziplock bag. Adjust curry and Sriracha use to preference.

Crust (divide all ingredients between two plates – if only doing chicken or shrimp then use half of what I call for)

3 cups Panko
2 tablespoons Cayenne
A couple pinches of red Chile flakes
3 cups shredded coconut *
Salt
Pepper
Add other seasoning as desired – I added just a pinch of adobo
Two eggs, beaten in separate bowls or dishes for dredging

If baking, grease a slatted cookie sheet and preheat oven to 400. Once shrimpies are crusted, place on the baking sheet until all are crusted. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Squeeze extra lime juice over the baked shrimp if desired. Same process for chicken.

If frying, fill a fry-pan with an inch of oil. Heat to appropriate heat (check by dropping a bit of crust into hot oil – when it sizzles on impact it is ready). Add shrimp or chicken one at a time with a slotted spoon or tongs (preferably the latter). Fry until golden brown. Remove to a drying rack or plate with a napkin on it and salt just a touch. Squeeze with lemon if desired.


*If using unsweetened coconut, add a bit of honey to the marinade. If sweetened coconut, omit honey.

Taco Bar

Half head shredded red cabbage or radicchio
Shredded Cheese (suggestions: Cheddar and Jack mixture or Queso Fresco or Cojita Cheese)
Chipotle Aioli
Black Bean-Mango Salsa
Sliced Avocado
Fresh Lime Juice
Chopped Cilantro
Corn and Flour Tortillas, Warmed

Build your taco as desired!

Nairagi Tartar with Mango and Zucchini

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I know, I know….you are probably getting sick of seeing this variation of my favorite dish, but what can I say – I love it! So simple, so satisfying, so not bad for you, such a better bargain than restaurant tartar, so amazing and addictive! Sorry, groan all you want but I eat a variation of Tuna/Salmon/Nairagi tartar EVERY week. Here is this weeks!

Tartar

  • 1/3 pound of fresh Nairagi, cut with a Sushi Knife into small dice
  • 1/2 Large Avocado – diced
  • 1 cup Green onions – large dice
  • Sesame seeds – black or white – to taste (I use about two tablespoons)
  • Sriracha – to taste – I use about a tablespoon and a half
  • Soy sauce – to taste about a 1/2 tablespoon
  • One Lime, Juiced
  • Eel sauce, 1 tbsp
  • Ginger Lime marinade/sauce, 1.5 tbsp
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 Mango, diced
  • 1Small Zucchini, cut into small dice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, adjusting flavors as desired.

Coconut Rice

  • One cup Coconut Milk
  • Two Tablespoons Ginger People Minced Ginger
  • One tsp salt
  • Half cup of Basmati Rice

Bring milk, ginger and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice, cover, reduce to simmer. Cook for ten minutes and fluff.

To Assemble:

Pack Rice into a small, round ramekin. Turn upside down in the middle of the plate, then remove ramekin leaving a small mound of rice. Top with the tartar, drizzle with additional eel sauce – or place a small dot in various spots on the plate. Feel free to top with fried shallots if desired. Alternately, you can Julienne the zucchini and arrange the zucchini below, above, or around rice, then top with tartar and shallots if desired. I went for the all-in-one combo to make life simple.

Salmon with veggies and Ginger-Lime brown Rice

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This is a version of a take out favorite of mine from a Japanese place. One day I just figured…hey I can make that myself! I am willing to bet mine is healthier, plus I get more for the money and the satisfaction of cooking it. You could add veggies to this if you would like – I have used edamame before with success. Crispy shallots (as a garnish) are a great addition for texture. Remember when making this that brown rice can take a while to cook – between 45 minutes and an hour. Just an FYI so you can plan accordingly.

  • Serves 2 plus leftovers
  • One cup Brown Rice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 5 large mushrooms (white, cremini or baby bellas – or a mixtures) sliced
  • One small white onion or two large shallots, sliced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger or 1 tablespoon of minced ginger by The Ginger People
  • Half bunch of green onion, cut into one inch pieces
  • One to two broccoli stems
  • about a half pound salmon (this is 4 oz per person)
  • Sriracha to taste
  • Ginger Lime Sauce – The Ginger People – to taste
  • Sesame or Peanut Oil
  • Sesame Seeds – Optional
  • Crispy Shallots

Cook brown rice in chicken broth. Steam Broccoli.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and onion and saute (properly season). Add mushrooms after about 3 minutes and continue cooking until mushrooms are brown but not overcooked. Add green onions and saute about 2 minutes. Add Salmon (that has been properly seasoned – I like to use salt, pepper, and turmeric) and sear until desired doneness. Add several tablespoons of ginger lime marinade mixed with Sriracha and stir in broccoli and rice. Mix well and top with crispy shallots and sesame seeds and serve.

Scallop-Pesto Pasta

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Maybe this deserves a better name, but ever since I have started making it this, it’s been called Scallop-Pesto Pasta. It is pretty straight forward and makes me happy when I say it. I dare say this is one of my signatures…it is wonderful and incredibly easy for a weeknight. This can also be a cupboard meal fairly easily. I buy scallops by the pound when they are on sale and throw them in the freezer. Pesto can be bought up to a week in advance and everything else is pretty much in my pantry or fridge at all times. Ergo, as long as you take the scallops out of the freezer you can whip this up without going to the store! FYI, in case you are budget shopping, Whole foods (even though I don’t love their fish) has scallops that are cheaper than Central Market’s. They should be $7.99 per pound at WF and Central Market is at least $9.99 (the price changes with the type of scallops being offered at that time).

This should serve four with leftovers adjust amounts to taste or quantity needed.

Approx. a cup of Central Market Basil Pesto
One pound bay scallops
one pound mushrooms
3-4 garlic cloves
3 medium shallots
about a tablespoon of cream or half and half (full fat or fat free) mixed with about a tablespoon of regular milk (if you do not care about fat content feel free to double up on the cream) – if you would like a thinner sauce feel free to add more cream or milk
Pepper/Salt
Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese (grated) to taste
One package linguine or fettuccine (whole wheat, regular, fresh or dried – go crazy)

Scallops can be fairly watery if they are frozen – to reduce this I put mine in between paper towels for about 20 minutes before I cook them and throw them in a strainer after I sear them.

Boil pasta water, cook about ten minutes (to package instructions – if using fresh pasta cook 3-6 minutes).

Whilst waiting for the pasta water to boil, saute shallots and garlic – in oil or butter – (with pinch of salt) until glassy. Add mushrooms and saute until brown (if the pan gets dry feel free to add a cap full of white wine). Remove mushroom mixture to a strainer. Heat a bit of oil in the same pan and once hot, sear scallops (about three minutes) and remove to same strainer as mushrooms. Return the pan to the stove and heat the pesto and cream together, salt and pepper to taste. Add mushroom mix and scallops to the warm pesto and simmer. Strain pasta and return to pan. Combine Scallop Pesto with Pasta, fresh ground black pepper and cheese and proceed to eat entirely too much (expect to sneak to the fridge for a midnight snack)!

Ahi Poke with Coconut Ginger Rice and Crispy Shallots

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This came about on a night that I really wanted Tuna Tartar but did not want to pay and arm and a leg for it. Central Market (where I buy my fish almost exclusively because I like it better than Whole Paycheck) had some gorgeous tuna so I got a little bit and smiled at the price tag. A big, whole hunk of tuna all for me and all for under the normal $13 price tag. I mixed it pretty much with stuff I had at home with the addition of avocado and green onion for the poke. I love coconut-ginger rice (like I will eat it with eel sauce and call it breakfast), so I usually make extra – it is great if you have a stomach ache as well (ginger ale/ginger …get it?)

Add everything to taste and enjoy! Oh also, when I say eel sauce, Sometimes I mean actual eel sauce and sometimes I mean something with a Japanese name that I buy at Asahi (I purchase both at my Japanese store). I am not sure of the name but it is like a thick soy/eel sauce. Also great to marinate beef in if you can find it! The beauty of this is plentiful…It is a way to get tuna for much cheaper than in a restaurant, you can customize it to exactly how you want it by adding ingredients or taking them away, it takes about ten minutes, it is relatively low calorie, easy clean up, and YUMMY!

Ahi Poke with Coconut Ginger Rice (for one)


Quarter pound of fresh blue/yellow/big eye tuna from Central Market (alternate fish Nairagi)
Avocado – diced
Green onions – large dice
Sesame seeds – black or white – to taste (I use about two tablespoons)
Sesame seed oil (can sub hot chili oil or olive oil if preferred)
Sriracha – to taste – I use about a tablespoon and a half
Soy sauce – to taste about a tablespoon
Fresh Lime juice – to taste – I normally use half a lime
Eel sauce – optional but if not using you may need more soy
Ginger Lime marinade/sauce – to taste
Salt and pepper
One Coconut-Ginger Rice recipe

Cook the rice in half water/half coconut milk – once nearly done add in minced ginger (I use about three tablespoon but do it to taste)

Using a very sharp knife cut the tuna into dice. Dice avocado and green onion. Combine all ingredients in a bowl with sesame seeds. Begin adding additional ingredients to taste, testing and adding as desired.

On a small plate or bowl place rice down on bottom and top with poke. Top with crispy shallots (store bought or homemade) or Just Onions (dried onion brand from Central Market/whole foods).

Variations – Some people like mango with their tuna – go for it if you like. You can also top with cucumber for crunch. You can leave the rice out if you like or add wasabi into the rice or sear the tuna with a wasabi crust, place over the rice and then top with a similar sauce as would have gone into the poke. You could also make rice mixed with wasabi butter (wasabi paste, butter, lime juice and shallot sautéed until mellow) or pour wasabi butter over the top.