SHRIMP PO' BOY

Oh no I didn't!  Fry shrimp at lunch?  On a Tuesday???  All I can say is that when I have a craving, I have a craving and nothing can stop me.  Quick and easy and golden.

SHRIMP PO'BOY
2 people

1 dozen shrimp, peeled, devained and tail removed.
about 3 cups canola oil
Panko crumbs
1 egg, gently beaten
Your favorite Creole-style seasoning (I just used garlic salt)

2 rustic french mini loaves
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 head bibb lettuce, shredded
red onion, thinly sliced
good mayo
Louisiana Hot Sauce

Start by breading the shrimp.  Place shrimp in egg first, then into Panko crumbs.  ( I add seasoning to the Panko crumbs). Set aside and get the oil up to temperature.
Heat oil in a heavy, deep pot.  Temp should be around 375.  Test heat by dropping a few Panko crumbs in, when they drop to the bottom and immediately rise to the top and start cooking rapidly, the oil is ready.  keep in mind, the temperature will drop rapidly once you start adding shrimp, so slowly cook a few shrimp at a time to ensure frying oil temp stay consistent.  Fry each shrimp about 3-4 minutes, until golden.  Remove from oil, place on paper towel (or brown paper grocery bag), and season with seasoning and some Hot Sauce.

Once all shrimp are cooked, lightly toast bread halves.  (I dug out the bread from the bottom half and made a "boat" for the shrimp to be set in).

Arrange sandwich with mayo, lettuce, onion and tomato and another good douse of Hot Sauce.
Enjoy immediately.

Greek Style Mahimahi

Lucky me, I have this week off, which is more like lucky husband - because now I can focus my leisure time in our own kitchen.  Before I left for the market today, I glossed over a few of my newest cooking mags and this recipe jumped out at me since I had 2 things on my mind: easy and easier.  It comes from this month's issue (June), of Gourmet, and I tell you, it's good. Often I find that recreating something from a magazine can be disappointing, but this was as promising as it looked.  It calls for mahimahi, but I bet that any firm white fish, such as halibut, sea bass or cod, would work just fine.  The feta and herbs are lovely with the fish and the heirloom tomatoes were all just right.  Served along a simple green salad, this is a great one for a hot summer night.

 

From Gourmet, June 2009.

Serves 4

Greek - Style Mahi Mahi

3 medium tomatoes, cut into large wedges

2 TBLS + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 TBLS red wine vinegar

4 (6 oz) pieces of mahi mahi, skin attached

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crumbled feta

3 TBLS chopped fresh mint

2 TBLS chopped fresh dill

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

8 very thin lemon slices

Preheat broiler.

Toss tomatoes with 2 TBLS oil, vinegar and salt.

Line a broiler pan with parchment paper.

Place fish skin side down on pan and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together mayonnaise, feta, herbs and lemon juice and spread over fish.

Place slices of lemon wedges, overlapping, on pieces of fish.

Drizzle with remaining olive oil. (2 tsp).

Broil fish 8 inches from heat until cooked through.  About 15 minutes.  If topping browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.  Serve with tomatoes.

Wild Salmon Salad with Tzaziki

Wild salmon has reappeared in the seafood markets and this makes me really happy. Best to avoid the farmed stuff as it wreaks havoc among the natural fish population, and the salmon itself, is far less nutritious than it's wild counterpart. Here is a very simple and adaptable salad which features poached wild salmon. Everything else can be adjusted to your liking. I am writing this recipe loosely - all you need to do is poach the salmon, make the sauce and throw together a simple salad. I guess you could say it's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3 ....

To poach salmon, place fish (with skin side down) in a deep saute pan (at least 2") and add enough water, plus a about 1 cup of dry white wine in a large sauce pan, covering fish about 3/4. Add a bay leaf, salt and a few peppercorns. Bring water to a slow simmer, then cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. (Fish cooks at about 8 minutes per inch of thickness - so adjust your cooking time accordingly). I turn heat off and leave covered for another few minutes. The salmon will flake when it is cooked all the way through. Place salmon in fridge to cool completely - should take about an hour. ( The meat will easily pull away from the skin, discard it. Or give it to your doggie, he will be very excited).

While salmon cools, make tzaziki sauce:

Tzaziki Sauce (Yogurt/Cucumber Sauce)

1 cup Greek yogurt, plain

1/2 hot house seeded cucumber, diced

1 small shallot, diced

1 TBLS chopped fresh dill or mint

squeeze of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate.

To assemble the salad, I like to have a mixture of lettuces, (I am in love with this combo: butter, mache and watercress at the moment). Add fresh dill sprigs and thinly sliced cucumber, radish and celery. Top with crumbled salmon and tzaziki. Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of a lemon.

I think I'm in love!

Chilean Sea Bass en Papillote with fresh herbs

Please, whatever you do, make this meal as soon as possible! It might seem like a complicated and time-consuming process, but I assure you that an en papillote dish couldn't be easier. Basically, en papillote is a cooking method in which an item is sealed in parchment and cooked in the oven. The trapped steam cooks the food, while its juices and flavour are retained within the parchment. Your guests will be most impressed as they tear open the packets of steaming goodness. I haven't done anything en papillote since culinary school and I wasn't sure I remembered the technique. I vaguely recalled that I needed to cut the parchment paper into a large heart-shape, (I channeled those valentine cards I made in grade school), place the fish to one side of the crease and seal it back up. That's the jist of the work that goes into this kind of fish preparation. Believe me, it is a wonderful and dramatic way to present your fish and it has an added bonus of easy clean-up. Prep ahead of time and put on a sheet pan in the fridge and enjoy a simple meal when you're ready - pop in the oven for less than 20 minutes.

I originally planned to use halibut, but Whole Foods had Chilean Sea Bass and I really love cooking with this fish. It's slightly sweet with a meaty texture that will hold together with all cooking techniques. You can use any fish, however I like Chilean Sea Bass because it's hard to goof.

Serves 4 - 6
1 1/2 lbs. centre cut Chilean Seas Bass, cut into 4- 6 filets.
A few sprigs of fresh herbs: tarragon, chive, oregano work nicely.
4 TBLS butter - (I like Plugra©)
4 TBLS dry white wine
salt and pepper
parchment paper
scissors

Step 1:
Rinse and pat fish dry. Set aside.
Set oven to 400.

Step 2:
Prepare parchment. Tear off as many pieces of parchment paper as you have filets.
Each piece should be about 15 inches long. Fold each piece in half and cut a half heart, but don't make the curve too sharp. Think of an oblong heart. Set aside.

































Step 3:
Place one filet to one side of the crease in the parchment. Add 1 TBLS each of wine and butter top with a few of each herb. Season with salt and pepper.


Step 4:
Seal the paper by folding heart over trying to get the sides to meet. Start at the pointy end of the heart and begin to fold inward the top and bottom, working up the curve. It will hold its shape. It doesn't have to be completely sealed, but the less steam that can escape, the better. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 17 minutes - serve immediately.








Serve with wild rice or oven-roasted potatoes and a simple herb salad.

Yvette Roman Photography, © 2008.

Seared Scallops with Scarlet-Runners and Asparagus

The idea for this meal all started when I saw some heirloom Scarlet Runner beans at the store. They are so interesting, about the size of a lima, the skin is freckled, like a quail egg. I had never used them before, so I was curious to see how they would do in place of a white bean as a puree. I soaked the beans over night and cooked them the next day with some celery and onion. The flavor was great, however, I wasn't thrilled with the color, especially after I pureed them. Since I believe we eat with our eyes first - this choice was disappointing - I suggest substituting the beans for pureed celeriac, mashed potatoes or soft polenta.

Although the beans were a disappointment, everything else on the plate was fantastic. New to the Farmers' Market this week were asparagus and after seeing them, I had the whole meal realized. Scallops are always a great way to add some pizazz to a meal. They couldn't be any simpler to prepare.

Seared Scallops:

1 dozen scallops, rinsed and pat dry
salt and pepper
1 TBLS butter
1 TBLS extra virgin olive oil

Season scallops with salt and pepper.
In a large pan, heat oil and butter on medium high heat, almost to smoking point.
Add scallops and sear for 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Turn and repeat.

Serve over bed of pureed celeriac, mashed potatoes or soft polenta.

Sauteed Asparagus:
(This works best with fresh, pencil-thin asparagus.)

1-2 bunches thin asparagus
1 TBLS extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add asparagus, and season with salt and pepper. Keep moving asparagus around to get an even saute. Allow asparagus to soften slightly and develop a slight char. Serve immediately.Yvette Roman Photography©, 2008.