Beach Shrimp

I braved my first blizzard here in Chicago! It was actually a ton of fun, and absolutely amazing. I got over two feet of snow where I live and it drifted to the top of cars in front of my house. I was up until about 3am watching the weather, we even had thunder and lightening during the storm, so strange! There were gusts up to 50 mph as well, so it was definitely a doozy of a storm ;)

No onto the food...this is another easy and delicious recipe from my friend Doug. We made this one night and then sat in the living room and watched a few movies and literally pigged out until we couldn't eat any more shrimp! This would also be great for parties as an appetizer, or even served over rice for a light dinner. We decided to make it easy and used bread as our side dish, which we dipped into the yummy sauce.

Beach Shrimp

4 lbs large raw shrimp (frozen actually works best but fresh is fine)
1 16 oz bottle zesty Italian dressing
1/2-1 t freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, halved
1/4 C chopped parsley
1/2 C butter, cut into small cubes

Place shrimp, dressing, pepper and garlic in 9x13 baking dish.
Juice 4 lemon halves over ingredients and stir.
Add lemon halves, sprinkle with parsley and dot with butter.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes (for frozen shrimp) or 20-25 minutes (for fresh shrimp, stirring halfway through.

Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Dungeness Crab

Do you ever have those weeks that turn into months and then you wonder where your time has gone? I feel that I was in a work coma for the last few months and I suddenly found myself at home tonight missing my food blog and wondering why I haven't posted in so long?
I immediately fired up the laptop and scanned through my pictures knowing that I had TONS of exciting dishes that I hadn't written up recipes for yet, and what do you know? I had one...the lonely little Dungeness crab you see above!
I have been cooking, just neglecting my camera in lieu of eating as soon as the food was ready not worrying about my presentation or writing down my ingredients as I go. Oh well, at least I'm back and excited about food again! I have a couple of good friends coming over for dinner tomorrow, a perfect excuse to try some new recipes and warm up the camera again. I also re-painted my kitchen, and put in a tile back splash today, so I have nothing to hold me back! Ok, now for the crab...I picked some up when I was at the coast last. They are so easy to prepare, and so delicious. I also get a sick kick out of cracking the shell with the mallet, its a very stress releaving dinner!

Dungeness Crab & Sorts

Dungeness Crab
White or Red Potatoes
Corn
Cheap Beer
Old Bay Seasoning
Butter
Lemon Juice

In a large pot, place a steam basket in the bottom and pour in 1 inch of beer. Turn heat on high and bring to a boil. Next add the potatoes and corn, sprinkle generously with the Old Bay, cover turn the heat down to medium and steam until potatoes are almost soft. Next add the crab, continue steaming to heat crab through, about 5-10 minutes or so. Plate everything and sprinkle with Old Bay, and a bit of course salt. I like to dip my crab in melted butter mixed with a bit of fresh lemon juice, but you can do as you like. Enjoy!

Baked Scallops & Asparagus

I had some scallops hanging out in my freezer and thought I would finally rescue them and make a really easy and quick dinner. Do you ever have those days where you just don’t feel like cooking but can’t stand the thought of take-out? If so, this is the meal for you, as it only takes a few minutes. I baked the scallops at the same time as my asparagus and had dinner within about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Baked Scallops & Asparagus

12 Ounces Scallops
1 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Bunch Asparagus
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Pull out a large baking sheet, and place asparagus on one side of it. Drizzle a little olive oil over the asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Drizzle the scallops with a little olive oil and then roll around in the breading to coat, place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler and continue baking for just a couple minutes until the scallops become golden and crisp. Serve immediately.
Serves 2

Cioppino

I had never heard of Cioppino until a couple of years ago when I had it at my friend Nan’s house on Christmas Eve. I was a little skeptical about a fish stew, but was pleasantly surprised by the amazing flavor of this dish. It wasn’t fishy at all and the combination of the fennel, white wine, and fish with an underlying tomato flavor was to die for. This was my first time making this and I over-cooked the salmon and halibut a bit, but it was otherwise very yummy. I think I will add some scallops next time too.

Cioppino

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

3 large shallots, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 cup oyster stock
4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 pounds manila clams, scrubbed

1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, oyster and chicken stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Remove bay leaf. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Recipe from FoodNetwork.Com

Wendy's Crab Cakes

My room-mate Wendy made these for Christmas breakfast and they were absolutely amazing. I love that the main feature in these was crab, not mayo and tons of other fillers. They are very indulgent and definitely worth the cost of the crab. You have to try this recipe, you will fall in love.

Wendy's Crab Cakes

2 Teaspoons Butter
½ Red and Yellow Bell Pepper, Chopped
2 Scallions, chopped
1 Pound Crab Meat, ½ pound jumbo lump & ½ pound black fin or claw meat
3 Dashes Tobasco Sauce (or asian harissa sauce)
¼ Teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
¼ Cup Japanese Panko Crumbs, plus more for coating
Olive Oil for frying

Sauté peppers and scallions with butter until soft, set aside to cool. In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, and mix until combined. Form into 3 inch patties and coat with panko crumbs. Heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil in pan over medium heat and sauté crab cakes until well browned and heated through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with Tabasco or cocktail sauce.

Clam Chowder

I was a little nervous making clam chowder for Christmas, as I have never made it before, but it turned out really yummy. I pretty much made my potato leek soup, and doctored it up a bit and added some clams, and voila, it was perfect. I would have used fresh clams, but they were extremely expensive, so I opted for the canned version. I don't like how a roux makes soups pasty, so I pureed 1/3 of the soup to make it thick, and a little yellow because there were carrots in there. If you want a true white clam chowder, I would add a roux, or some corn starch mixed with a bit of milk.

Clam Chowder

½ Stick Butter
3 Leeks (white and light green parts), cleaned and chopped
6 Stalks Celery, chopped
6 Carrots, Peeled, cleaned and diced
8 Medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Teaspoons fresh Thyme Leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Jar Clam Juice, 8 ounce
1 Quart Chicken Stock, 4 cups
4 Cans Chopped Clams, 6 ounces
3 Cups half & half

Melt butter in large stock pot. Add leeks and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and sauté for 10 more minutes. Add the clam juice and chicken stock, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Puree 1/3 of the mixture with an immersion blender, or food processor and add back to the pot. Add the clams, with juice, and half &half and heat gently. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, serve with fresh thyme.

Gumbo

I love gumbo and this version captures all those yummy southern flavors. This would be a perfect dish to serve for a dinner party or on a cold winter night. This is a pretty time consuming recipe, it took about 3 hours, so make sure to plan ahead when serving this dish. I like gumbo served on its own, but you could always serve it over rice, which is the most popular way to serve this dish. This makes about 6 quarts of gumbo, so please use a large enough dutch oven!

Gumbo

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1/2 cup flour

6 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic minced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 stalks celery chopped

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped leaves for garnish 4 cups beef stock

1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice

2 cups frozen sliced okra

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.
Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes, the roux will become quite thick, add more butter if necessary. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add beef stock, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving add the shrimp, cook until shrimp just turn pink and are cooked through, garnish with chopped parsley.

Seafood Paella

I don’t make this dish often but should because it is so delicious! I love all the different flavors and the mixture of all the different meats that you put in. It is a little expensive to buy all the ingredients, but well worth it. This would also be a great dish to make for holidays as an alternative to ham or turkey. This recipe serves 6, but you can add more rice if you want to stretch it out a bit more.

Seafood Paella

1 pound shrimp
2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound chorizo or spicy sausage sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
1 pound mussels
1 pound clams
1 teaspoon saffron (combined with 2 Tablespoons boiling water)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
4 bay leaves
3 roma tomatoes, minced
1 pound frozen peas
3 cups medium grained rice
6-8 cups chicken stock

1 Bunch Parsley, chopped

1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In 16” paella pan (I use my Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart briaser pan) heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat, add shrimp and cook until just pink, remove from pan. Add 2 more tablespoons vegetable oil, add chicken and cook until lightly browned and cooked through (no pink in the middle), remove from pan. Add chorizo to pan and cook until golden brown, do not drain grease. Add onion, garlic and bay leaves, and cook until translucent and slightly golden, then add peas. Next, add tomatoes and cook until soft, add rice and cook until all oil/liquid is absorbed. Turn heat down to medium, add 4 cups chicken stock, and saffron mixture, cook while stirring occasionally until all liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock at a time and cook until rice is al dente. (this should take about 20 minutes and mixture should never boil rapidly, but instead simmer slightly, or your liquids will evaporate too quickly). Turn off heat and stir in shrimp and chicken. Next add mussels and clams hinge side down and place in oven. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes until mussels and clams open and cooked through (discard any that do not open). Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley and a lemon wedge.

Smoked Salmon Frittata

This is an amazing recipe and very full of flavor. This would be a show stopper at brunch! Also this would be delicious served room temperature at a picnic. Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Frittata

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

12 extra-large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

4 ounces fresh goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled

1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the onion and butter in a 10-inch oven-proof omelet pan over medium-low heat until golden and carmelized, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the heavy cream, goat cheese, smoked salmon, chives, dill, salt, and pepper and combine. Pour the mixture over the onions and place the omelet pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata for about 50 minutes, until it puffs and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot directly from the pan.

Recipe by: Ina Garten, from the Food Network

Thai Noodles with Shrimp

I love how easy this dish is to make. You can really add any vegetables you like to make it your own recipe. I must say that the first time I heard of oyster sauce it freaked me out a little bit, what the heck is in oyster sauce, and what does it taste like? Then I got over my apprehension and was pleasantly surprised by a rich, non-fishy, almost teriyaki type of flavor. It’s now a staple ingredient in all my stir fry recipes.

Thai Noodles with Shrimp

8 Ounces Rice Noodles
1 Pound Shrimp, cleaned, shelled, and deveined
1 Carrot, julienned
1 Small Green Zucchini, julienned
6 Scallions, chopped (divided)
Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 -3/4 Cups Oyster Sauce

Bring 6-8 cups water to boil in large pot, remove from heat add rice noodles and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat, add one teaspoon sesame oil and sauté shrimp until cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add another teaspoon sesame oil to pan along with carrot, zucchini and 4 of the scallions, sauté for about 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.
Add sugar, soy sauce, ½ cup oyster sauce, rice noodles, and shrimp. Sauté for 2 minutes stirring to coat the noodles completely with sauce. Add more oyster sauce if necessary. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and serve.

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

1 ½ Pounds Tilapia, or other white fish
1 White Onion, skin removed and quartered
3 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Bunch Cilantro, cleaned and stems removed
4 Limes, juiced
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
12 Corn Tortillas
8 Ounces Cheese (I like to use Cojita, or a shredded Mexican Blend)
Sour Cream
Lime Wedges
Mango Salsa*

Clean fish and remove all bones, place in large bowl.
In bowl of food processor, add onion, peppers, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, and salt. Process until thick puree forms. Pour over fish and let marinate at room temperature 2 hours.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large sauté pan, add half the tilapia and cook until browned 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown, move to platter. Repeat with remaining fish, adding more olive oil as necessary. Lightly separate fish into small pieces.
Heat tortillas in oven, or fry in oil, until warm and flexible.
Spread teaspoon sour cream on tortilla, add fish, cheese, mango salsa, and squeeze juice of lime wedge over the top.

*Mango Salsa recipe is on its own blog page.

Salmon With Dill Sauce

Salmon With Dill Sauce

Salmon Fillet, bones removed
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 ¾ Cups Vegetable Oil
8 Ounces Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Dried Dill, or 4 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, minced

Dill Sauce:

In food processor with blade attachment combine mustard, salt, pepper, egg, and lemon juice, process until combined. With processor running slowly add oil in a steady stream, process until combined. Now you have homemade mayo. In medium sized mixing bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream and dill, until combined and keep refrigerated up to 5 days.

Salmon:
Wrap salmon tightly in aluminum foil and seal the edges by rolling them together. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Place salmon on serving tray (the skin will stick to the foil, but the meat is really easy to move to the serving tray) and spread generously with dill sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.