Category Archives: Seafood
Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Ale-infused Raisins and Funyon-crusted Shrimp
I’m participating in a internet version of the cooking show “Chopped” in a food group I am involved in. The first round mystery ingredients were shrimp, raisins, beer, and Funyons. A soup, salad or an appetizer had to be made. How do you like my submission for round one?
Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Ale-infused Raisins and Funyon-crusted Shrimp
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
dash cayenne
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 can of organic pumpkin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup lite cream or half and half
1/2 cup pumpkin ale (1 tbsp separated)
2 tbsp golden raisins
2 tbsp peanut oil for frying shrimp
8 large or jumbo shrimp (I only had medium so I’ll use an extra shrimp or 2)
5 large funyons, finely crushed
Sprig of dill & some broken Funyons for garnish
First crush the 5 large Funyons in a mortor & pestle or whatever your method is. Add the chili powder and paprika and mix well. Then sprinkle shrimp with the mixture and discard any extra.
Heat oil on medium high heat and brown shrimp on both sides until golden and set aside.
Bring the ale to boil, then put the raisins in, remove from heat and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes in the ale, then drain (reserving 1 tbsp of ale) and set on paper towel.
Chop the onions and gently brown with butter in a pan. Add the pumpkin with onions to the pan.
Add the salt, sugar, nutmeg, pepper and raisins and the one tbsp of reserved ale. Slowly add chicken broth and cream; heat thoroughly, but do not boil.Serve and garnish with 3-4 shrimp, broken Funyons, pinch of chili pepper and sprig of dill. Enjoy!
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Spiced Shrimp with Mango and Cashews
After a ton of requests for this recipe, I decided to add it. Be sure to get over to see episode #3 of the Internet cooking show Neighborhood Chefs to see me cook a meat version of this dish. This picture was also featured on www.FoodPornDaily.com
You will need:
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup salted cashews
1 1/2pound large or jumbo shrimp
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of Bacardi gold, or any dark rum (Bacardi Gold gives the dish hints of vanilla)
1 large (15-ounce) mango, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (or use 2 small mangoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves.
1. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cashews and sugar-spice mixture to the skillet; cook, stirring, until nuts are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape nuts into a bowl.
2. Wipe out skillet. Season shrimp all over with salt and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add scallions and half of the cilantro; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add garlic and Shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is done and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Pour in the rum and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the rum evaporates, about 1 minute.
3. Remove pan from heat and add nuts, mango, vinegar and other half of the cilantro leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
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I Can’t Believe It’s Not Lobster!
Monkfish
One day while in the market I picked up some wild caught Monkfish, often referred to as “The poor man’s lobster” because the taste and texture are very similar to that of the popular shellfish. It is also referred to as Goosefish, Anglerfish, and Ankoh, but I just call it delicious! The warty brown skin of the Monkfish hides tasty fillets of white meat, and Monkfish liver is considered a delicacy in Japan and Europe and is often used in sushi. I live about 6 blocks from the Atlantic ocean in south Brooklyn, and I often catch another fish similar in appearance to Monkfish called “Sea Robin”.
Sea Robin
Now while I can’t compare these two fish in taste, they look almost identical to each other, except the Monkfish is bigger in size.They both have a hard plate for a head, and wide strong jaws. The only edible portions of the Monkfish are its muscular tail and its liver. The tail meat of the Monkfish is delicious, dense, sweet, and very similar to lobster.
Pan Roasted Monkfish with Scallop Mushroom Sauce
This bottom-dwelling fish was at one time discarded the same way that Sea Robins are discarded when caught accidentally. As other fish populations declined due to overfishing, monkfish began to be marketed as gourmet fare, costing as much as lobster and sometimes even more! I wonder if eventually this will happen with Sea Robins? Local fisherman tell me all the time that Sea Robins are the new “Chicken of the Sea”.
Some years ago when sea robins were plentiful in NYC.
After tasting sea robin, I must say it is not bad, but it is not as tasty as monkfish. I have seen monkfish as high as $22 lb, but my local market had it on discount $14 lb so I decided to grab up a couple of filets. I also picked up some bay scallops, heavy cream, and portabello mushrooms for a rich sauce, and enjoyed a simply splendid dish. Since then, it has become one of my go-to dishes for clients and dinner parties for friends, I have also tried it multiple ways. So if I were you I would get to my local market and find some monkfish ASAP. Bon Appetit!
Pan-Roasted Monkfish w/Saffron Beurre Blanc, Klondike Rose Potatoes, and Sauteed Spinach.
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Fish, Which Is My Favorite Dish…….
Seafood … just the thought of it makes my mouth water. I love all kinds of fish and seafood, except scallops which I will only eat if I prepare them myself, weird but true. But I am also an adventurous person, and one of the things I love to do is go fishing. Whether it’s fishing on the boat or offshore it’s just relaxing, period. And since there are so many different types of fish to choose from, it could only mean a ton of recipe choices. While in the fish section of the market I noticed a fish called Artic char. What caught my eye was the beautiful color of the fish, and the fact that it resembled salmon. So I decided to learn a little more about this fish before it ended up on the menu.
Like salmon, Arctic char is packed with heart-healthy oils and melt-in -your-mouth flavor, and it is similar in taste to its cousins trout and salmon. It is both a freshwater and saltwater fish and it belongs to the salmon family. But I was thinking, “Why is it so damn expensive?” ($21 a Lb). Well according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Artic char is becoming a fish of choice in restaurants as of late. So with that said, I felt I had to try this fish that resembles salmon so much. I must say it was very flavorful but mild, and just as advertised it was a cross between trout and salmon. To accompany the delicate flavor I made a simple lemon and caper butter sauce, and served it all up with parmesan roasted asparagus and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Overall, it was delicious and I enjoyed it. I will most likely add Artic char to my seafood diet in the near future. Bon Appetit!
Wonderfully colored fish
For the fish:
4 Artic char filets(6 ounces each)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Set a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When a drop of water skitters on the surface, after about 3 minutes, add the oil. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly and heat until the oil is almost smoking, about 30 seconds. Season the char with the salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side up. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn the char, lower the heat to moderate and sear until just cooked, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
For the lemon caper sauce:
2 tsp capers, drained and rinsed
4 Tbs butter
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
In a small skillet, melt butter then add garlic, lemon juice, zest, and capers. Simmer over low heat for about 30 seconds. Stir in parsley. Remove from heat. Drizzle over fish and enjoy!
Artic Char with Lemon Caper Sauce
Orange-Honey Black Sea Bass Topped With Herb Lump Crab
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Fiery Cajun Shrimp & Steak Rigatoni
We seen a lot of gator hunting during our swamp tour
Fats Domino’s house Post -Katrina
New Orleans superdome from the highway, post- Katrina
After Hurricane Irene passed through NYC, I’ve been thinking about hurricanes. A few years ago we took a trip to New Orleans. It was my first trip down there and I thought all we’d do was drink, drink, drink. But as soon as we arrived I realized how great the cuisine was in this “party” city. We visited two years after Katrina and the city was still reeling from the disaster. We purchased a self-guided Katrina tour CD from the car rental location (proceeds donated to rebuilding the city) and drove through the still devastated areas of the lower 9th ward. It was an overwhelming and humbling experience as the damage was still extensive and the infrastructure of the city was not yet very functional. We even grabbed a picture of Fats Domino’s house, which is in the lower 9th ward from which he was evacuated from after the storm, and we drove up to those famous breached levees. But up on Bourbon Street, which was not damaged too badly by the storm, it was a different city. Live music and food was abundant; you had the feeling that this city was on the verge of rebounding from the storm. We visited the Praline Connection off Bourbon Street (542 Frenchmen St) where I had some alligator sausage to die for, and my girlfriend, Emily, had the jambalaya, which was deelish as well. Acme Oyster House yielded fresh oysters but no clams, which we were told were more expensive because they had to be imported from up north. It didn’t matter, though, because the cajun/creole cuisine was top notch. I was thinking about that trip when I decided to cook this dish, a cajun-spiced riff on pasta, shrimp and steak. Recipe Coming Soon
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Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Tacos w/Lime-Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce & Steamed Lobster Claws
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground chipotle chile powder
32 peeled and deveined large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 (6-inch) white corn tortillas
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 chopped tomato
1 chopped jalepeno pepper
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 16 slices Steamed lobster claws (optional)
Directions:
1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add shrimp, tossing to coat. 2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp mixture to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat. 3. Heat tortillas in microwave according to package directions. Place 2 tortillas on each plate; arrange 4-5 shrimp on each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup lettuce,diced tomato,a couple of jalepeno slices, 2 avocado slices, and 1 1/2 tablespoons lime/cilatro cream sauce. Garnish with lobster claws (optional)
Lime/Cilantro sour cream sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 TBS minced fresh cilantro
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 TBS fresh lime juice
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to use.
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Shrimp with Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce
What can I say about French food? It exudes romance and sexiness. But when most of us hear the name of a french dish we think it’s difficult to cook. First of all, I love shrimp, and I love Cognac so the thought of combining the two had me very excited. Then I threw in the creamy Beurre Blanc sauce in all of its buttery goodness, and i had myself a very good dish. When i was gathering up the ingredients for this dish first thing i thought was “wow, a lot of butter is need for this dish!” But once I added it to the sauteed shallots, cream, white wine and lemon juice and with the constant whisking it became a yummy creamy sauce. When i poured it over the shrimp, it was pure heaven. I’m looking forward to experimenting with more french dishes in the future and bring them to you for you to try at home. Bon Appetit!
You will need:
- 1 shallot, chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 12 tablespoons cold butter(unsalted is optional)
- 1/16 teaspoon white pepper
- 5 tablespoons butter
- ¾ lb medium shrimp, rinsed and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons Cognac
To make Beurre Blanc:
Simmer the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add the cream and bring to just under a simmer. When the first few bubbles rise, turn the heat down very slightly and add the 12 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Be sure to allow one pat of butter to melt completely before adding the next. Once the butter is fully incorporated, season the beurre blanc sauce with white pepper and set aside.
In a skillet over high heat, melt 5 tablespoons of butter, and then sauté shrimp, turning a few times until cooked through – about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and season the shrimp with salt. Carefully add the Cognac(it may flame) and stir thoroughly. Spoon the warm beurre blanc sauce over the hot shrimp and serve with side dish of your choice. Enjoy!
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Shrimp & Octopus In a Bourbon And Black Pepper Sauce. Yummy!!!
Shrimp & Octopus in black pepper bourbon sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb large shrimp shelled & deviened, and patted dry (leave tails if you wish)
1 can of prepared octopus drained I used fresh octopus, but canned is easier and faster for most home cooks (octopus recipe coming soon)
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup bourbon whiskey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and whiskey. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Mix in the ground black pepper, salt, ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, and add shrimp and simmer for 10 minutes, then add canned octopus and simmer 10-15 additional minutes. Remove shrimp and octopus with a slotted spoon and arrange 0n plates. Run sauce through a strainer if you prefer a smoother sauce and drizzle over the shrimp and octopus and garnish with lemon slices. Serve with a refreshing salad or side dish of your choice. Bon Appetit!
Gourmet De-Constructed 