Mexican Baked Fish

Today is our first wedding anniversary, Matt and I have been together for 3 1/2 years, I can't imagine not being with him. We are so happy, and I love being his wife. I still love cooking for him and I think most people if they thought of cooking as feeding their loved ones would love it too. We are going to Cozumel later this month to celebrate and spend time with my family, I was thinking of all the delicious fish at the resort. Most people think of Mexican food as taco, enchiladas and burritos, while those are amazing, the Mexican seafood is wonderful. Here is a simple fish that you can bake for the one you love.

1/3 cup sour cream (go for low fat not fat free)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chipolte chili powder (I love Penzey's)

1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 pound orange roughy, red snapper, cod or grouper fillets (any mild white fish)
1 1/4 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 tablespoons butter

Combine sour cream, lime juice, cumin and chipolte chili powder. Dip fillets in this mixture and dredge in tortilla chips, coating well. Place fillets in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with rice, beans and a salad. You could make a chipolte aioli if you like. And now a wine pairing from our friend Jason:

Darn, to bad I didn't know ahead of time I could have sent you a bottle to celebrate. From Trader Joe's I would have to recommend the Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc. If you can find it I think this Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc would be a great match as well. A lot tangier than the Geyser Peak. Enjoy!

Fried Clams Rhode Island Style

According to my Mom, who is from Massachusetts, the only way to eat fried clams is with the bellies. When we were in Newport we ate lunch the Barkin' Crab. Since I could not decide what fried seafood I was going to eat, I made Megan split the fried fisherman's platter with me, which had fried: shrimp, scallops, clams, haddock and french fries. The clams were great and I thought it would be fun if I made some for my mom, I asked the kitchen and this is how it's done in Newport!

40 medium-sized hard shell clams

1 egg

1 cup evaporated milk

2 cups cracker crumbs

1/2 cup flour

Salt and pepper
Steam open the clams, wipe them thoroughly. (Okay this part, I am not getting, I would order these prepared clams) Beat together the egg and cream. Mix together the cracker crumbs, flour, salt and pepper. Dip the clams in the egg mixture, then in the crumbs and place in the wire basket of a deep-fat fryer and fry at 375 degrees until brown. Serve with tartar sauce. Or cocktail sauce if you are Jessie and have allergies!

Lobster Bake

Matt and I are in Newport, Rhode Island for our friend's Megan and Alex's wedding. We are staying in a lovely bed and breakfast, enjoying great company and best of all going to a lobster bake! (just kidding Meg, the best part is you and Alex making it official!) Me being the foodie that I am had to read all about lobster bakes the second we got our invitation in the mail. Megan being an author on this blog, also loves food, so I know this is going to be good! I did find a recipe from my celebrity food crush, Michael Chiarello, to create your own lobster bake if you are so inclined!

15 pounds of seaweed (your fish person can get you some)
16 (1 1/2 pound) lobsters*
16 ears corn, shucked
5 pounds red potatoes, parboiled halfway in salted water
10 pounds large clams
1 (750 ml) bottle white wine
2 yards wet burlap

Special equipment: #3 galvanized washtub (easy to find at a local hardware store)

Start the fire 1 hour in advance, making sure the coals are white hot before you begin cooking.

Spread 1/2 of the seaweed on the bottom of the tub to protect the lobsters from burning. Place lobsters on top of seaweed. Place the corn on top of the lobster, and the potatoes on top of the corn. Arrange the raw clams on top of the vegetables and top with the remaining seaweed. Pour the wine into the tub. Place the wet burlap over the food and tuck the edges into the tub to retain the steam inside.

Place the tub on top of the coals. Every 15 minutes, moisten the burlap with water. Cook for about 45 minutes.

Serve the lobster bake strewn out on newspapers, with melted butter, piles of coarse sea salt, and favorite spices as condiments.

Lobster Rolls

Matt and I are leaving tomorrow for a wedding in Rhode Island. We have never been to Rhode Island before, I know that JFK and Jackie Kennedy were married there and that they have lobster rolls! We are really excited for our trip and I am definitely in search of lobster. Here is a recipe I found to make them if you want to try it at home!

Lobster Salad:
1/2 pound fully cooked lobster meat or 1 (2 1/2 pound) live lobster
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup bottled mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon
2 small scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 to 3 New England-style hot dog buns
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Pickles and potato chips as accompaniment

Prepare the lobster salad.
If using live lobsters, steam or boil them. Let cool at room temperature. Use a cleaver to crack and remove the meat from the claws, knuckles and tails. Remove the cartilage from the claws and the intestines from the tails of the cooked meat. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch dice. You may pick all the meat from the carcass and add it to the meat or freeze the carcass for soup or broth.
Place the cucumber in a colander for at least 5 minutes to drain the excess liquid. Combine the lobster, cucumber mayonnaise, and tarragon. Add the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat a large heavy skillet (12 to 14-inches) over medium-low heat (a black cast-iron pan is perfect). Lightly butter both sides of each bun. Place them in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Turn the buns over and toast the other side. Or toast the buns under a broiler instead. When the buns are ready, stuff them with the chilled lobster salad.

How to Sear Scallops

One of my girlfriends bought some scallops to make at home & she said that they didn't turn out. With scallops that can be tough because they are pricey. I think the toughest part about them is there is so much water in them that they can get liquidy in the pan. To avoid this dry them first on a paper towel & get your pan really hot.

1 pound sea scallops
1 Tablespoon oil or butter
salt and pepper
Dry the scallops with paper towels. Salt and pepper both sides.
Heat a large regular (not non-stick) pan for 2-3 minutes so it is quite hot. Add the oil or butter, and then the scallops. Don't let them touch each other. If your pan isn't big enough to do them all at once, keep the first batch under a piece of foil and do two batches.
Cook the scallops about 1½ minutes each side. They should have a golden crust on both ends, and the center should still look translucent. Turn with tongs.
Serve immediately. Serve with greens sauteed in garlic with a squeeze of lemon, with mushrooms in garlic and wine. (like they do at Olive & Ivy in Scottsdale)

Uncle Mike's Salmon

This looks like it is shaping up to be a Johnson week, now I just need something from Kristin & Kaitlin!

All of the Minch's like seafood, and even though Uncle Mike isn't technically a Minch he is married to one. Uncle Mike is a fantastic Barbequer, this salmon is sure to be a treat! Cooking on a cedar plank helps to keep grilled foods from drying up.

*The picture is of my dad & my grandpa with their catch in the Bahamas, it was taken in 1985 so no making fun of their shorts!

2 7-oz. filets of Wild Alaskan Salmon

Cedar Plank wood (non-treated), about 5”x3” if you use 2 pieces, or larger if you want to do both filets on 1 piece
Chorizo Topping

4 oz. Chorizo Sausage

1/4 cup Brown seasoned bread Crumbs

1 small Lemon
Lemon Butter Sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp heavy cream

4 tbsp chilled unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar
Preparing Chorizo Topping:

Place Chorizo sausage on a fire burning grill and cook to well done. Place cooked sausage in refrigerator for 1-2 hours to cool After sausage has cooled, pulse in a food blender. Take ground sausage out of blender and pour into a stainless mixing bowl. Mix in 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Add the zest of 1 lemon and mix well.
Lemon Butter Sauce:

Simmer white wine and lemon juice in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Slowly add cream and cook until slightly thick. Turn flame down very low and slowly add chilled butter to emulsify. Stir in other ingredients and store in a warm place.
Preparing the Cedar Plank & Salmon for Grilling:

Soak non-treated Cedar Plank wood in water for a minimum of 3 hours. Place Wild Alaskan Salmon (skin side down) on the saturated Cedar Plank. Place approximately 2 ounces of the Chorizo breadcrumb mixture on top of each Salmon fillet, spreading it out and slightly pressing it into the Salmon. Place on fire burning grill and cover with a medal lid and cook for 15 minutes or until Salmon is medium well. The wood should be well saturated and thus not ignite. It will smoke and burn, but not catch flame. Slide wood and salmon on to a plate and drizzle with the Lemon Butter sauce. Yields 2 servings.

Saucy Shrimp & Scallops

Who says Mondays are no fun, we have another recipe from Uncle Mike & this one sounds AMAZING! Uncle Mike shares one of my addictions, feta cheese. While this recipe would most certainly give you bad breath, I think it sounds like a perfect meal to have an at home date with your love. (Maybe that is because I am married & Matt always has gum) Most people drink white wine with seafood but the combination of the feta & the sun dried tomatoes would be delicious with a Spanish Red like the bottle we drank over the weekend: 2003 Vilosell, it was a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet, Garnacha and Merlot.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2 oz Butter

1 tbsp Garlic, minced

1 Green Onion, chopped

10 Kalamata Olives, ½ pieces

2 tbsp Sundried Tomatoes, julienne

3 oz Shrimp (small count)

3 oz Bay Scallops

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

¼ cup Clam Juice

3 tbsp Feta Cheese, crumbles

2 tbsp Chopped Parsley

Salt & Pepper
Method of Preparation:
Heat butter in a sauté pan. Add garlic and green onions and sauté until the aroma fills the air.
Add Kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes – cook for 30 seconds.
Add shrimp and scallops, salt & pepper and sauté until firm – do not overcook.
Add lemon juice, clam juice and feta cheese – bring to a simmer.
Pour into heated serving dish.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread.

Crab Cakes

I always forget how much I love crab cakes until I notice them on a menu. They are excellent as a main course or a hors d'oeuvre. While they are simple to prepare your guests will feel like they are in a great restaurant! I would prepare then as a companion to a filet for dinner.

1 pound Jumbo Lump crab meat

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon crushed dried tarragon

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

6 saltine crackers, crushed fine

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

Toss crab meat with the lemon juice, refrigerate. Saute onion with butter and olive oil over medium heat until barely limp, about one minute. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. Mix together Old Bay, garlic, tarragon, cayenne pepper, mayonnaise, crackers, and beaten egg. Add the onions and mix well. Fold gently into the crab meat. Divide into 6 portions. Butter a baking dish that will fit your broiler. Roll the crab into 6 large balls, put on buttered dish 2" apart. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flatten each ball a little. Sprinkle each one first with the cheese and then the paprika. Broil to toast the cheese a bit. Serve hot.

Baked Scallops au Gratin

When I find scallops on sale I like to get them as a treat for Matt. This is a great recipe to try if you are a beginner with scallops. You can serve as a hors d'oeuvres or a main dish. Remember to buy the larger size, the small scallops are great for pastas.

1/2 pound sea scallops
1/3 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (you could use olive oil but I prefer butter with seafood)
1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon Cavenders

Place scallops in a lightly greased 1-quart baking dish.Combine breadcrumbs and remaining ingredients, and sprinkle over scallops.Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until scallops are opaque and topping is golden.

Capelinni de Mar

Capelinni de Mar is a dish that I adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Small Plates. (I highly recommend that you get it!) This is a great dish for a romantic dinner, it is fragrant & looks very elegant. Serve with a glass of Pinot Grios. We like Cavit or Ecco Domani in our house.

Ingredients:
4T. olive oil

2 large shallots
1 medium zucchini, sliced thin or julienned
2 carrots, peeled sliced thin or julienned
1 cup fat free half & half
2 cups chicken broth
3 T tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp pepper
½ lb. raw shrimp peeled, chopped
½ lb. lobster meat
¾ cup chopped chives
½ chopped basil

1 box of Capelinni or Angel Hair pasta

In medium sauce pan, heat butter. Add shallots, carrots, zucchini, sauté 3 minutes.
Add half & half, broth, tomato paste, salt & pepper.
Simmer 3 minutes to thicken. Add lobster & shrimp.
Cook 2 minutes until shrimp are pink.
Add ¼ cup of basil & chives.
Serve over Capelinni & sprinkle remaining herbs over sauce.