These are so easy they're hardly a recipe. Which makes them extra awesome. I got the idea here: A Food Centric Life. I think I got a roasted tomato recipe from this site, too, so you foodies might want to browse a bit.
Step 1: Get some nice scallops and let them sit on your counter until they're room temperature. I live in the mountains, so I thawed some ridiculously expensive frozen scallops and they worked fine. I'm hoping you folks near the coasts can do better than that, though.
Step 2: Pour some hoisin sauce into a bowl. If hoisin by itself is too sweet for you, add a little soy sauce. We used Kikkoman hoisin* with a little Kikkoman soy sauce thrown in. Heat a large saucepan on medium heat and add some vegetable oil.
Step 3: Pat your scallops dry with a paper towel (it helps them brown) and put them in the pan. Cook them a couple minutes, until you can see them browning up on the edges.
Step 4: Turn the scallops over and brush/pour some hoisin on top of them. Cook them another minute or two until they look done. (They should be kind of but not super firm when you poke them with a spatula.)
Pow! Done! Great with stir-fried veggies and rice. You're welcome.
The first time I did scallops for the kids, I just cooked them in butter, and everyone thought they were too sweet. This time, the sweet scallops and salty sauce balanced pretty well and everyone was into the scallops.
*This isn't our favorite hoisin--I can't remember the name of our favorite but I know it when I see it. Kikkoman is easy to find here, though, and not crazy sweet. Kikkoman soy sauce is our favorite, though.
Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Fish Sunday: Part 1
So . . . we've decided to make Sunday "fish day" and we've been systematically trying whatever varieties can be had in the Rocky Mountains. So far tilapia and cod haven't been hits, but everyone approves of flounder, salmon, shrimp, and swordfish. It's pretty much all poached so far 'cause it's so foolproof, but one of these days I'll branch out. I promise.
This has gone on long enough that I feel the need to record the experiments so I can remember what worked and what didn't, and what better place than the family food blog? So here's what we did this week:
This week's fish was flounder, poached in olive oil with a little Caribbean Calypso seasoning. It worked great--the seasoning has kind of a lemony flavor that (of course) makes it a natural for fish.
On the side we had Artichoke Orzo Pilaf. I made it like the link says, except that I sauteed the leeks and orzo in browned butter instead of oil. Yum! The artichokes were great--they really brightened up the dish. The leeks were fine but not special in this one, so next time I'd probably use regular onion or shallots because they're cheaper out here.
We also roasted some cauliflower in the toaster oven--it was fine, but I didn't do any sauce or special seasonings, so it was kinda boring. But good for us, I guess. ;)
If you're following along, all this adds up to a dinner of white food.* We usually have more color, but this felt like comfort food. Also, I managed to time things so that everything was pretty much done at the right time so everything was at it's best. Go me!
*Except for the olives--the kids wanted to do olive fingers.
This has gone on long enough that I feel the need to record the experiments so I can remember what worked and what didn't, and what better place than the family food blog? So here's what we did this week:
This week's fish was flounder, poached in olive oil with a little Caribbean Calypso seasoning. It worked great--the seasoning has kind of a lemony flavor that (of course) makes it a natural for fish.
On the side we had Artichoke Orzo Pilaf. I made it like the link says, except that I sauteed the leeks and orzo in browned butter instead of oil. Yum! The artichokes were great--they really brightened up the dish. The leeks were fine but not special in this one, so next time I'd probably use regular onion or shallots because they're cheaper out here.
We also roasted some cauliflower in the toaster oven--it was fine, but I didn't do any sauce or special seasonings, so it was kinda boring. But good for us, I guess. ;)
If you're following along, all this adds up to a dinner of white food.* We usually have more color, but this felt like comfort food. Also, I managed to time things so that everything was pretty much done at the right time so everything was at it's best. Go me!
*Except for the olives--the kids wanted to do olive fingers.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Shrimp and Cilantro
We made Moroccan shrimps. We put them over millet and that part wasn't that great, but the shrimps were great. Next time we'll just have them with salad or something. They're not spicy, but they have a nice bright flavor. One pound of shrimp is maybe 40 regular sized ones, so think of how many shrimp you want and judge your servings from that.
1 pound medium shrimp, deveined and peeled, tail on
16 cilantro sprigs
5 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon (I cheated and just squirted in some lemon juice)
Sea salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Food process everything but the shrimp until it looks saucy, then put it in a large-ish bowl with your shrimps. Toss them together, then spread them out on a large baking sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Even after peeling my own easy-peel frozen shrimp it was a pretty quick dish to make. We totally bought our shrimp frozen because we don't live in shrimp country, but those of you near oceans can probably do better than that. ;)
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Poached Fish
I'm learning how to oil poach fish because I've lost all meat-cooking talent I ever had and poaching sounded very forgiving. I pretty much did this but with dried thyme--fresh would have worked way better, I think. We couldn't really taste the herbs.
But the poaching part was easy and the fish turned out really moist. And even though it was totally cooked in oil it didn't feel too greasy. And it's so low temp it doesn't heat up the kitchen much at all, so it's a great summer cooking method. We shall definitely experiment further. We're thinking rosemary would be an interesting flavor to try. The kids weren't sold on tilapia but they love salmon and shrimp so I think I can get them sold on poached something . . .
Thoughts and feelings on poaching, anyone? Flavor ideas? Side dish suggestions?
But the poaching part was easy and the fish turned out really moist. And even though it was totally cooked in oil it didn't feel too greasy. And it's so low temp it doesn't heat up the kitchen much at all, so it's a great summer cooking method. We shall definitely experiment further. We're thinking rosemary would be an interesting flavor to try. The kids weren't sold on tilapia but they love salmon and shrimp so I think I can get them sold on poached something . . .
Thoughts and feelings on poaching, anyone? Flavor ideas? Side dish suggestions?
 |
| Not our fish. Stole the picture from the NY Times. |
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Clam Chowder
A slow cooker clam chowder recipe, slightly modified from this one, and annotated.
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
2 medium white onions
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup flour
3 6.5 ounce cans chopped clams
2.5 cups white wine for cooking
3 medium-large white potatoes
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 cups half and half
1 cup cream
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks (half inch to one inch cubes). Set aside.
2. Chop onions. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Mince the garlic or squeeze it through a garlic press. Open the cans of clams, drain clam juice into a measuring cup, set clams aside (refrigerate).
3. In a wok or large skillet fry the bacon until it greases the pan. Add onion, sautee until onion is soft. Add garlic, sautee until the garlic smells nice.
4. Reduce heat to medium or so and slowly stir in the flour. Fry until everything is coated.
5. Pour in clam juice and wine. Stir until everything is blended.
6. Pour all this into the slow cooker. Add the potatoes, chicken bouillon, marjoram, celery seed, and pepper. Stir.
7. Cook on low for 7 hours.
8. Add clams, half and half, and cream.
9. Cook on high for another 30 minutes.
Most slow cooker clam chowder recipes I've seen call for cream of mushroom soup. The Boston snob in me is shocked. This tastes more like what we remember. The wine especially adds a wonderful tang to the taste. This went perfectly with oyster crackers (natch) and a crusty sourdough bread.
Notes: Of course fresh clams would probably taste better than canned; in that case you'd want to buy bottled clam juice to use, and I unfortunately don't know how much because I forgot to notice how much juice was in 3 cans of clams. Also, a fourth can of clams wouldn't go amiss. As for the wine, the cooking wine we used had salt added; if you're using a normal white wine (i.e., made for drinking) you'll want to add salt to the recipe to compensate. Finally, next time we might try reducing the liquid to make the broth just a little thicker - but what to cut back on? Clam juice? Wine? Half and half?
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
2 medium white onions
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup flour
3 6.5 ounce cans chopped clams
2.5 cups white wine for cooking
3 medium-large white potatoes
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 cups half and half
1 cup cream
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks (half inch to one inch cubes). Set aside.
2. Chop onions. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Mince the garlic or squeeze it through a garlic press. Open the cans of clams, drain clam juice into a measuring cup, set clams aside (refrigerate).
3. In a wok or large skillet fry the bacon until it greases the pan. Add onion, sautee until onion is soft. Add garlic, sautee until the garlic smells nice.
4. Reduce heat to medium or so and slowly stir in the flour. Fry until everything is coated.
5. Pour in clam juice and wine. Stir until everything is blended.
6. Pour all this into the slow cooker. Add the potatoes, chicken bouillon, marjoram, celery seed, and pepper. Stir.
7. Cook on low for 7 hours.
8. Add clams, half and half, and cream.
9. Cook on high for another 30 minutes.
Most slow cooker clam chowder recipes I've seen call for cream of mushroom soup. The Boston snob in me is shocked. This tastes more like what we remember. The wine especially adds a wonderful tang to the taste. This went perfectly with oyster crackers (natch) and a crusty sourdough bread.
Notes: Of course fresh clams would probably taste better than canned; in that case you'd want to buy bottled clam juice to use, and I unfortunately don't know how much because I forgot to notice how much juice was in 3 cans of clams. Also, a fourth can of clams wouldn't go amiss. As for the wine, the cooking wine we used had salt added; if you're using a normal white wine (i.e., made for drinking) you'll want to add salt to the recipe to compensate. Finally, next time we might try reducing the liquid to make the broth just a little thicker - but what to cut back on? Clam juice? Wine? Half and half?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Jambalaya
This one's from our exciting new book, 175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics, by Judith Finlayson.
1 lb mild Italian sausage, removed from casings
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup barley, any kind, rinsed under cold water
8 oz medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined
1 roasted red pepper, chopped fine
1 long red chile or jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1. In skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker. Drain all but 1 Tbs fat from pan.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, Cajun seasoning, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to boil.
3. Pour mixture into slow cooker. Add barley and stir well. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours (or on high 3 to 4), until barley is tender.
4. About 20 minutes before serving, turn slow cooker to high and add shrimp, roasted pepper, and chile. Cover and cook until shrimp is heated through.
Without the chile, this turned out medium spicy--depends how spicy your sausage is, I think. I'd recommend tasting before adding a chle at the end, or just skipping the chili and adding hot sauce to your bowl if you want an extra kick.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Salmon & Texas Caviar
First of all, the salmon was my addition. I bought some and thought it would go well with this recipe, so I did so! The 'caviar' is supposed to be served with tortilla chips, salsa style.
I made two versions of the caviar- a Cherilyn safe version, and a Dena version. The Cherilyn version is as the recipe came, except I substituted powered garlic due to her allergy. My version had the addition of an habanero pepper and I used roasted minced garlic.
Salmon:
I use my Asian stir fry oil for fish, as I have learned the sesame/peanut/olive oil blend does better at the hotter temps used in pan frying or grilling than olive oil does. I've actually been told not to try to use EEOO for frying, as it breaks down too easily.
Thus my salmon fillet was pan friend with my stir fry oil and grated lemon peel, thyme, and a bit of rosemary. Once one side was browned, I flipped it and browned the other side. This allowed me to easily peal the skin off and serve it in a more diner friendly manner.
I flaked the salmon and served it alongside the caviar and chips.
Texas Caviar (according to the back of the Market Pantry bag of black eyed peas)
1/2lb black eyed peas, soaked, rinsed and drained
1/2 C Italian salad dressing (I used Fat Free Zesty Italian)
2 Tomatoes, diced
1/2 C bell pepper, diced (I used an orange one, great color)
1/2 C diced onion (I used white to try to minimize it for Cherilyn)
2-3 jalapeños, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
tortilla chips
Combine all ingredients except tortilla chips, refrigerate until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.
Note to reduce negative side effects of bean consumption:
1) Do the full 6-8 hour soak and change the water mid-soak, rinsing the beans when you swap the water.
2) Add a small amount of vinegar tot he soak water.
3) Rinse the beans thoroughly after the final soak.
It may not prevent the problem all together, but it should prevent the malodorous aspect of it!
I made two versions of the caviar- a Cherilyn safe version, and a Dena version. The Cherilyn version is as the recipe came, except I substituted powered garlic due to her allergy. My version had the addition of an habanero pepper and I used roasted minced garlic.
Salmon:
I use my Asian stir fry oil for fish, as I have learned the sesame/peanut/olive oil blend does better at the hotter temps used in pan frying or grilling than olive oil does. I've actually been told not to try to use EEOO for frying, as it breaks down too easily.
Thus my salmon fillet was pan friend with my stir fry oil and grated lemon peel, thyme, and a bit of rosemary. Once one side was browned, I flipped it and browned the other side. This allowed me to easily peal the skin off and serve it in a more diner friendly manner.
I flaked the salmon and served it alongside the caviar and chips.
Texas Caviar (according to the back of the Market Pantry bag of black eyed peas)
1/2lb black eyed peas, soaked, rinsed and drained
1/2 C Italian salad dressing (I used Fat Free Zesty Italian)
2 Tomatoes, diced
1/2 C bell pepper, diced (I used an orange one, great color)
1/2 C diced onion (I used white to try to minimize it for Cherilyn)
2-3 jalapeños, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
tortilla chips
Combine all ingredients except tortilla chips, refrigerate until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.
Note to reduce negative side effects of bean consumption:
1) Do the full 6-8 hour soak and change the water mid-soak, rinsing the beans when you swap the water.
2) Add a small amount of vinegar tot he soak water.
3) Rinse the beans thoroughly after the final soak.
It may not prevent the problem all together, but it should prevent the malodorous aspect of it!
Monday, October 31, 2011
New Foods! Yay!
I've taken to shopping on Saturday, which is free sample day at both Target and Harmon's, so we've actually eaten some new foods lately. Good for us!
First, Mission artisan tortillas: they only come in little soft taco size, in our store at least, but that's okay. We tried Ancient Grains, which had a nice multigrain flavor, and Flaxseed and Blue Corn, which were pretty sweet for a tortilla and had a smoother texture than tortillas made of just corn.
Eggo Pumpkin Spice Waffles: I don't buy a lot of frozen waffles because I can get Eric to make them from scratch, but these were really good. They were tasty for breakfast, but I bet they'd be good for dessert, too, maybe with vanilla ice cream and some fruit.
We also tried Sea Cuisine frozen coconut crusted tilapia and hated it. One bit is awesome, with just a hint of sweetness. More than one bite and the sweetness takes over, and not in a good way. We also had the mediterranean crusted salmon and it was okay but we probably won't eat it again soon.
First, Mission artisan tortillas: they only come in little soft taco size, in our store at least, but that's okay. We tried Ancient Grains, which had a nice multigrain flavor, and Flaxseed and Blue Corn, which were pretty sweet for a tortilla and had a smoother texture than tortillas made of just corn.
Eggo Pumpkin Spice Waffles: I don't buy a lot of frozen waffles because I can get Eric to make them from scratch, but these were really good. They were tasty for breakfast, but I bet they'd be good for dessert, too, maybe with vanilla ice cream and some fruit.
We also tried Sea Cuisine frozen coconut crusted tilapia and hated it. One bit is awesome, with just a hint of sweetness. More than one bite and the sweetness takes over, and not in a good way. We also had the mediterranean crusted salmon and it was okay but we probably won't eat it again soon.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Salmon 2: Electric Boogaloo
I didn't ruin the salmon. Yay! I'm pretty sure this is the first fish I've ever cooked from a real fish counter instead of a box, and it went pretty well for a first try.
I used this grilled salmon marinade from allrecipes.com:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
garlic powder to taste
lemon pepper to taste
The recipe said this was the right amount for 1 1/2 pounds of fish and that's more or less what I had. I was supposed to marinate for 2 hours and then grill, but instead I marinated for about 1/2 an hour ('cause I found the recipe right before dinner--way to be prepared) and then wrapped the fish in foils with some marinade poured around them. One piece of salmon (I think it was a salmon steak? I don't know) per foil, baked at 425F for about 15 minutes.
And it tasted pretty good. The kids asked for more, so that's a bonus. I realized as I was eating that if I was cooking the fish in foil I probably didn't need that much oil in the marinade, but it still didn't feel greasy.
I used this grilled salmon marinade from allrecipes.com:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
garlic powder to taste
lemon pepper to taste
The recipe said this was the right amount for 1 1/2 pounds of fish and that's more or less what I had. I was supposed to marinate for 2 hours and then grill, but instead I marinated for about 1/2 an hour ('cause I found the recipe right before dinner--way to be prepared) and then wrapped the fish in foils with some marinade poured around them. One piece of salmon (I think it was a salmon steak? I don't know) per foil, baked at 425F for about 15 minutes.
And it tasted pretty good. The kids asked for more, so that's a bonus. I realized as I was eating that if I was cooking the fish in foil I probably didn't need that much oil in the marinade, but it still didn't feel greasy.
Salmon
Just to prove I haven't totally forgotten our awesome food blog even though I haven't cooked anything worth sharing in a while, we're cooking salmon tonight and I'm telling you about it. That's right, I'm learning to cook fish. I've been rethinking a lot of stuff lately and how there are some things that I do more because I've been doing them a long time than because I actually care about them deeply. And I decided to go flexitarian, I guess. I still like all the vegetarian food I make and it's a great way to be healthy, but it really is nice to order a regular hamburger at a restaurant or not be confined to side dishes at potlucks and such.
But that means I have to get my meat cookin' skills back, and today it's gonna be salmon. I haven't googled recipes or seasoning ideas yet, but I'll let y'all know how it goes and whether I ruin a nice piece of fish or not. :)
But that means I have to get my meat cookin' skills back, and today it's gonna be salmon. I haven't googled recipes or seasoning ideas yet, but I'll let y'all know how it goes and whether I ruin a nice piece of fish or not. :)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Seafood subs
I feel guilty not having posted here in so long: been too busy with work to be very creative or attentive about cooking, is my excuse. This recipe isn't complicated enough to make up for it, but it's a start at least.
Seafood subs. Simple and common to the point of cliché, but I was still pretty thrilled when I learned how to make them at home.
Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches):
Imitation crab (our local supermarket sells it "fresh," whatever that means in this context; you can also get it frozen), maybe 1/2 pound
Mayonnaise (the real stuff)
Dried chives
Old Bay
Chopped black olives
Hoagie rolls
1. Cut up the imitation crab. Put it in a bowl.
2. Add mayo until it looks like you have enough. I didn't measure. It's not important.
3. Add chives and olives to taste. Mix with a fork.
4. Add Old Bay to taste.
5. Toast the rolls and fill with the above mix.
That's it. Hardly a recipe. But goodness gracious it's tasty.
Seafood subs. Simple and common to the point of cliché, but I was still pretty thrilled when I learned how to make them at home.
Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches):
Imitation crab (our local supermarket sells it "fresh," whatever that means in this context; you can also get it frozen), maybe 1/2 pound
Mayonnaise (the real stuff)
Dried chives
Old Bay
Chopped black olives
Hoagie rolls
1. Cut up the imitation crab. Put it in a bowl.
2. Add mayo until it looks like you have enough. I didn't measure. It's not important.
3. Add chives and olives to taste. Mix with a fork.
4. Add Old Bay to taste.
5. Toast the rolls and fill with the above mix.
That's it. Hardly a recipe. But goodness gracious it's tasty.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Cry for Help--Fish Edition
So we had a Jesus dinner for Christmas Eve and the kids got their hearts set on fish. They were still set on it even after I said it would be real fish, not fish sticks, so I got some frozen tilapia and Eric grilled it with some lemon pepper. And the kids actually ate some and Emmy was really into it.
But here's my (Eric's) problem. We have several more fish fillets and pretty much zero fish recipes because of that thing where I do all the cooking and I don't eat fish. So I'm hoping you guys will have some nice ideas for sauces or spices to go with fish so Eric (and maybe the kids) can eat them up without getting bored. Thanks. :)
But here's my (Eric's) problem. We have several more fish fillets and pretty much zero fish recipes because of that thing where I do all the cooking and I don't eat fish. So I'm hoping you guys will have some nice ideas for sauces or spices to go with fish so Eric (and maybe the kids) can eat them up without getting bored. Thanks. :)
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