Tag: Seafood/Fish
Sauteed Shrimp with Indian Pickling Spices
This is a great dish for a main meal or an appetizer…it’s yummy!!
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon onion seeds (nigella seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 serrano chili, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of half a lime
Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the cumin, fennel, mustard, onion and fenugreek seeds. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the onion and serrano and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato puree and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and cilantro. Add lime juice. Serve warm.
Shrimp Cake Sandwich with Chili Lime Sauce
Great recipe for the warm days coming our way…
- 12 medium shrimp, deveined and cleaned with tails off
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ½ yellow pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
- Juice of one lime
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
Transfer the shrimp to a food processor and process for 10 seconds. Add the green onions, pepper, chives, lime juice, egg and 2 teaspoons salt. Process till smooth for about 45 seconds. Add ½ cup panko and process for another 15 seconds. Take out and form into 4 patties and roll into the remaining 1 cup panko. Place the patties on a parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat a non-stick with the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Cook the shrimp patties for 4 minutes on each side or till cooked through.
Chili Lime Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of one lime
Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Serve the shrimp cakes in ciabatta rolls with the lime sauce.
Pan Seared Scallops with Salsa Verde
This is a fantastic recipe to entertain with. I made it through the week as my daughter was complaining about missing scallops. I simply seared the scallops in a non-stick pan till golden brown. I also made a delicious sauce with basil, pistachios and capers. The sauce can be used with other meats as well as pasta…
Salsa Verde
- 1 cup fresh basil, leaves only
- ½ cup fresh mint, leaves only
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- ¼ cup pistachios, toasted
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
- 2 anchovies
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Process all the ingredients together in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let sit for an hour or two before serving.
- 1 to 2 pounds scallops, cleaned
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat some oil to a frying pan on medium high heat. Sear the scallops on high heat for a couple minutes on each side- careful not to over cook. Serve the scallops with the salsa verde and sautéed green beans.
Kerala Fry Shrimp
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
Dry Rub
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
Add the spices into a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Sprinkle the spice rub all over the shrimp and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
Take the shrimp out of fridge and sprinkle with corn flour.
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 8 to 9 curry leaves, sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a wok like pan with the coconut and olive oil. Saute the shrimp in a few batches making sure not to over crowd the pan. Saute for about a minute or two and take out onto a platter. Reheat the pan on a simmer and add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Saute on a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté for another few minutes on high heat until shrimp is done. Garnish with cilantro and add salt if necessary. Serve warm.
Sole Filet with Balsamic Glaze and Tomatoes
If you are trying to incorporate more fish into your diet- this is a great dish to make. I usually buy my fish from a local store in our town. I love the freshness and variety they have. I sometimes buy the frozen variety from Trader Joes. It is cheaper and as long as I pick the wild caught kind, I am happy with my choice.
I bought a pack of frozen sole from there. I had never cooked with it before and thought it looked really good. My family prefers mild, white fish and this seemed to fit the bill.
I brought it home and decided to cook it in a very simple way. I wanted to make a balsamic glaze and pair it with tomatoes to top the fish. Balsamic glaze is super simple to make- all you have to do is cook down some balsamic vinegar with garlic, salt and pepper. The trick is to stay close to the stove while the vinegar is cooking down as it tends to get super thick almost instantly.
I paired the delicious fish with simple broccoli and roasted potatoes. To keep the carbs down, I had just a few of the potato pieces. Honestly, the fish was so yummy, I really didn’t miss the carbs…
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India- Day One in Cochin
It my first time here in the south western part of India in Kerala. We are in Cochin right by the Arabian sea. I have been looking forward to this trip as I have never been south of Mumbai. The culture, language and food are completely different down here. In fact the common language is English. We reached here yesterday afternoon after a 4 hour flight and an hour long drive to our small, boutique hotel nestled by the ocean. I can see the boats and ferries passing by from our room- it is quite beautiful. We arrived exhausted from our journey and as we walked to our room, I noticed they had a massage center. Perfect.. I booked a massage and went down for a snack of fried fish pieces sauteed in curry leaves and a big pot of South Indian coffee. The coffee here is delicious- very different from the coffee I have back home. It is nuttier and not as complex as some of the other coffees. I love it- it is served with the milk cooked right into the hot beverage. I was happy and looking forward to my massage.
In the evening we headed into the town and walked around looking at all the stores filled with spices and lots of silk handicrafts. I can’t wait to go back and buy some peppercorns and cardamom. We found a local seafood restaurant called Oceanos restaurant. Most local restaurants don’t serve beer or wine- so we had a delicious ginger lime soda. They brought a glass with a bit of lime and ginger concentrate with a bottle of club soda and a little container of simple syrup.
From the menu we ordered a green mango shrimp curry, a Kerala chicken curry, lemon rice and an appam (local bread). The mango shrimp curry was amazing- great combination of savory and sour. We asked for the curries to be medium spicy as my husband doesn’t do spicy. I asked for a pickle on the side to make it spicier for me- the pickle was amazing. The food was really good and so was the dessert- it was panna cotta with honey figs- absolutely delicious. Somehow I was not expecting to eat a panna cotta in South India. The South Indian coffee was amazing- as usual. As we finished, the chef came out and asked how everything was. We complemented him and asked about the mango pickle. He promptly went into the kitchen and filled a jar of it and refused to take any money for it.
The people are amazingly friendly and super nice. There is a large Portuguese influence down here. Lots of seafood and beef as well- which is different than the rest of the country. Stay tuned for tomorrows adventure…
Broccoli Rabe and Spinach Pesto with Pan Seared Flounder
Our favorite local restaurant is Arturos. We go there at least once a week if not more. My daughter loves their mushroom and olive pizza; mushroom ravioli and the boar ragu. The food is delicious and best of all it’s a byo- and we sure do bring our own wine! Arturos has a tasting menu every Saturday which is very good but a little pricey. Usually on Fridays Dan, the owner has some of the components ready for the next day- and if you are lucky- you get to taste some of them.
We got lucky one Friday when it was not too crowded (which is a rare occurrence now) and Dan was there. We asked him if he had anything special for us to eat in addition to the menu items. He brought us a few delicious things, one of which was a pasta covered with broccoli rabe pesto. When I heard the description, I was immediately excited since broccoli rabe is one of my favorite vegetables- I love the bitter taste and the earthiness of it. Once I tasted the pasta, I was in heaven- it was out of this world. It had a delicate taste of the broccoli rabe with a dash of cheese and salt (I asked for the ingredients).
I knew I had to make this soon at home- and I did. I bought a fresh bunch of broccoli rabe and I also had some baby spinach at home. I decided to use both and experiment with a pesto similar to what I had at Arturos. I was going to serve with a whole-wheat pasta and some pan seared flounder.
I processed the broccoli rabe and spinach leaves with olive oil and salt. I cooked it gently with some pine nuts and finished it off with a dusting of pecorino romano- okay it was more than a dusting- and it was unbelievably delicious. I simply pan seared the fish and the dinner was done. My husband and daughter loved it but couldn’t understand why I was so excited about it. I am not sure either- I guess great food made simple makes me really really happy!
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