Seafood

Chinese Inspiration: Shanghai Steamed Black Cod with Summer Vegetables

by liz · Aug 5, 2016

Written by Liz –

Eating out is probably my very favorite thing to do. I love to pick out a new restaurant, then go check out its neighborhood and decor, imagining myself living nearby and becoming a regular, noting coffee shops on the corner I might frequent in the morning and places to find new wines after work. I always ask the server what the chef recommends – after all, he is the expert. She is the one who knows what’s fresh, what’s done best in her kitchen.

I especially love small, family owned, neighborhood Chinese joints, where you can find dishes so authentic you could only dream of recreating them at home. On a recent visit to one such place, I promptly asked “What should I eat?” Chef sent several dishes: all traditional Chinese slightly tweaked to accommodate local ingredients and Chef’s recent culinary obsessions. My favorites were the Szechuan Lamb Loin in Traditional Orange Peel Sauce and the Braised Fresh Black Cod with Szechuan Chili Sauce. Chef gallantly shared his black cod recipe with me, which was 3 pages long and included ingredients I couldn’t pronounce! I immediately set about making a simpler version that’s also easy to cook (based on Chris’ fish packets recipe).

I love Szechuan cooking: really spicy but also a sweet or cooling element to balance it. In this recipe, you can adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to get just the right level of spice that you will love. Gourmet Chinese food at home! Also a great fish recipe if you’re eating fish on Friday.

Shanghai Steamed Black Cod with Summer Vegetables

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Grated peel and juice from 1 Mandarin orange or tangerine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup MAGGI Seasoning Sauce
1/4 cup sake or dry white wine
1 bunch green onions, half bunch sliced thinly lengthwise and other half diced for garnish
4 quarter-sized slices fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 to 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 (4 to 5 ounces each) about 1-inch-thick Alaskan or Black Cod fish fillets (can use other white fish such as wild halibut, red snapper, orange roughy or talapia)
1 bunch thin asparagus spears, cut on diagonal into 2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups total)
2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch circles (about 1 1/2 cups total)
Heavy-duty foil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 450° F.

HEAT 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes or until brown.

COMBINE remaining 3 tablespoons sesame oil, browned garlic, orange juice and grated peel, chicken stock, seasoning sauce, sake, thinly sliced green onions, ginger, brown sugar, chili flakes and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well, as shown above.

ARRANGE four 12 x 13-inch pieces of foil on work surface. Divide asparagus and zucchini evenly down center of each foil sheet. Place one fish fillet over vegetables.

FOLD up foil sides to create small foil bowl. Pour about one-quarter cup of the sauce over fish and vegetables for each packet. Double fold top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place on 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet.

BAKE for 17 to 20 minutes or until fish is just opaque in center and vegetables are crisp-tender. Carefully open packets, allowing steam to escape away from you and let cool briefly. Using a spatula, gently push the fish and vegetables onto plate. Top with sauce, diced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. (This is also great served over rice.)

Cook’s Tip:

Fish packets are also great on the grill! Preheat grill to medium. Place packets on grill; cover and cook over indirect heat for 20 minutes or until fish is opaque in center and vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from grill and open carefully.

Links:

More fish recipes:

No Mess Summer Fish Packets with Pesto

Lemon-Dill Salmon recipe

Summer Meals: Grilled Vegetables, Smoked Salmon Pops & Lemon Cupcakes

by liz · Aug 4, 2016

The best summer meals are inspired not only by the seasonal produce freshly picked from the fields, but also the smells and tastes of long, hot days and vacations. Lazy sunny days at the shore and thirst-quenching fruit and citrus and herb gardens baking in the sun all influence what we’re eating. As these dishes start popping up in restaurants and backyards across the country, all you have to do is find the right wine, then sit down and dig in.

I love this grilled Mediterranean vegetable plate above from Trattoria Uliveto in Orcutt, California. A great vegetarian summer meal.

The taste of the sea, perfect for a summer meal: mussels + clams from Trattoria Uliveto.

I ♥ tomatoes: cherry tomatoes with olive oil + cured pork plate above from Trattoria Uliveto.

Food pops are everywhere! These are salmon pops above, also known as smoked salmon lollipops.

Smoked Salmon Lollipop Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz sour cream
lollipop sticks
smoked salmon, cut into medium slices
caviar (or black sea salt)
chives, chopped

Whip cream cheese and sour cream (or crème fraîche) together, form into little balls and push the stick in. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, wrap each one in smoked salmon, dip in caviar and top with chopped chives. If you can’t find caviar, you could try black sea salt to get the same look and level of saltiness.

Smoked Salmon Pops

Author: Liz Dodder

Recipe type: Appetiser

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Food pops are everywhere! These are salmon pops above, also known as smoked salmon lollipops.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz sour cream
lollipop sticks
smoked salmon, cut into medium slices
caviar (or black sea salt)
chives, chopped

Instructions

Whip cream cheese and sour cream (or crème fraîche) together, form into little balls and push the stick in. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, wrap each one in smoked salmon, dip in caviar and top with chopped chives. If you can't find caviar, try black sea salt to get the same look and level of saltiness.

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Summer meals: Lemon Rosemary cupcakes from Central City Market

Lemon goes well with herbs in summer desserts: Lemon Rosemary cupcakes from Central City Market.

Don’t forget the rosé to perfectly complement your summer meal and enjoy those hot days, late sunlight and great vacations!

Eating Fish on Fridays? Two Easy Fish Recipes

by liz · Feb 26, 2013

Written by Liz –

Eating Fish on Friday? Here are two very easy fish recipes to take advantage of during Lent or anytime of the year!

Fish Baked In Creamy Milk Sauce with Onions & Herbs

Tender fish fillets seasoned with herbs are topped with sautéed onions and baked in a light, velvety creamy milk sauce in this classic dish from Colombia’s Pacific coast. Thyme, basil and anise give the sauce excellent flavor and will be a recipe you’ll want to try again and again.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, sliced into thick rings
1 lb. white fish of choice, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup water

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 325° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

HEAT 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until tender and golden brown. Remove from skillet; set aside.

SEASON fish with salt and pepper. Add remaining oil to same skillet and cook fish until browned on both sides. Remove from heat. Place fish in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with thyme, basil and anise. Top with reserved onion rings. Combine milk and water in small glass measure; pour over fish. If desired, season with additional salt and pepper.

BAKE for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole

Convenient comfort food at its very best. This Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole is a comforting option for any weeknight or weekend meals.

Ingredients for 8 servings:

6 cups (about 8 oz.) dry medium egg noodles, prepared according to package directions
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (9 oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked
2 cans (10 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
2/3 cup crushed potato chips

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

MELT butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in noodles, tuna, soup and evaporated milk; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with potato chips.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until chips are golden brown.
Links:

More oven-steamed fish recipes:


Steamed Shanghai Black Cod with Summer Vegetables	No Mess Summer Fish Packets with Pesto

Michel Guerard: Heaven’s Delight for One More Night

by liz · Jun 4, 2011

As the pleasure of the Baker’s company had already begun its slow, steady decline, the town of Eugénie-les-Bains, in France’s southwest corner, just outside the French Basque region, came just in the nick of time.

This town has long been celebrated for its healing spring waters and tranquil valley setting, and as we coasted into town on a winding road lit golden by the late afternoon sun, I could see why thousands of people have been relaxing, easing their pains, and “taking the water” here for years.

Acclaimed chef Michel Guerard gives folks another reason to make the trek here to improve their health: cuisine minceur, a form of healthy cooking that Guerard invented. It’s basically cooking in a traditional French method, but with lower-calorie or higher-nutrition substitutions. Think fish steamed in a concentrated, fragrant spring vegetable broth instead of pan-fried in bread crumbs with butter. Fresh, light, satisfying and French are the defining words for Guerard’s unique, form-enhancing cuisine.

The town was simply beautiful, with one quiet road leading through the small valley floor. Small rock and sandy paths led off each side of the road into gardens and trees and old stone churches and houses. Water fountains, flowers, lawns of grass and pastel-painted shutters on the windows surrounded us as we pulled into La Maison Rose, the most affordable of Michel’s three lodgings in town, Les Pres d’Eugenie (which, with his two restaurants, seemed to take up one entire side of town).

I felt such relaxation and peace here that I began to drink in long, slow, deep breaths of the fresh spring air, and to feel slightly better about us. Hope was peeking through the French countryside, and we would dine well tonight!

The main house held the gourmet restaurant, while a simple restored farmhouse held Guerard’s rustic restaurant, La Ferme aux Grives — built to look like his childhood home, with food cooked over a fire in a big hearth in the main room like his mother used to cook. We chose the gourmet menu in the white and beige-colored dining room. It was the most beautiful and peaceful dinner setting I had ever seen! I could barely see any other diners for the nooks of tables and gorgeous flowers everywhere, and the waiters excelled in hushed voices and silent steps. Michel himself was also here, with a constant smile and a warm handshake.

The sun was setting and a warm breeze wafted in. I felt positively serene and agreeable to any story to come from the Baker’s mouth tonight. The wine certainly helped. And the first course was a mushroom soup, with a “cloud” and truffles on top, see above. Sigh.

Then steamed lobster with butter and herbs, plus duck breast and foie gras with a trio of citrus sauces. So delicious! And so light!

And, of course, his signature local fish with fresh spring vegetables and a fresh, savory consommé.

And the cheese course: gooey French cheeses are the best antidote to anything that ails you, including affairs of the heart.

The desserts were the best: this was a lemon soufflé with a brûlée top. Gorgeous on the plate and heaven in the mouth.

I love rhubarb (reminds me of both my Kansan grandmothers) and our menu happened to have a Festival of Rhubarb listed! What luck, to enjoy a plate of rhubarb tarts and pastries along with a baked bread pudding with rich, creamy rhubarb ice cream. It was a dream.

I was thankful and full and resigned. This elegant dinner would be our last real pleasure — our last act of kindness and love — and I would always remember it with a smile and a long, deep breath.

The Best Meal I Ever Ate: Etxebarri, the Grill Master & the Baker

by liz · Jun 1, 2011

I’d heard and read so much about Etxebarri from Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations (he also said it was the best meal of his life) to Chez Pim’s journey there, it was a must on my recent eating/drinking tour of northern Spain. Like Pim, I was grateful to get to eat at various starry restaurants on this trip, but this place doesn’t even have 1 star – quite possibly because the folks at the Michelen guide couldn’t find it.

Etxebarri is notoriously hard to find. The Baker and I had explicit directions in our guide book, which were as good as any, but didn’t show any distances or what the “turns” actually looked like. We also had a British GPS, but Jane/Gayle was a little crazy (as we drove on the freeway, going the correct way, she would suddenly direct us to take off onto the Spanish fields alongside). And, we had Pim’s post open on our laptop as well. And it actually took all 3 devices to get us to the tiny town of Axpe, right on time, after allowing double the driving time to allow for the Baker’s slow driving, and for getting lost.

Although the town was only 15 minutes from a bustling suburban area near San Sebastian, it felt as remote as Heidi’s mountains. A small cluster of stone buildings, sheep grazing in the mountain fields full of wildflowers, and mama sheep with babes in front of every small farm along the way had us wondering if we were in the right place.

And then we saw it! The typical Basque facade shown above looked over a tiny village square, awaiting our arrival, to fill our bellies with chef Victor Arguinzoniz’s grilled masterpieces until late in the afternoon. He is known for cooking with fire (like the Baker), over coals and wood, and for pairing different foods with the correct type of coal or wood that suits it best. He even makes his own coal to get the best pairing! This was going to be good.

First things first, we ordered a bottle of white wine called Txakolina to go with the seafood we would eat first on the tasting menu.

Then the amuse bouche arrived: Arguinzoniz’s famous house-made chorizo shown above and fire-baked bread.

The first course was handmade goat butter on grilled bread, topped with setas, spring mushrooms from the local hills, and charcoal salt.

Second course shown above was goose barnacles, something I’d never eaten before. We had to peel off a gray layer of interlocking fibers resembling fabric, which squirted orange ocean-flavored juice onto our table and eyeglasses, exposing the delicious neck of the crustacean.

Next up was grilled Palamós prawns, the best-tasting and largest prawns in the area. And the most beautiful I might add.

The next course was again something I’d never eaten: sea cucumber, shown above. These sea animals are related to sea urchin and starfish, but look a bit more like a slug. It tasted, however, more like a scallop, but meatier and tastier. This one was grilled and served with baby fava beans and a fava flower.

I was unprepared for the next dish to be the best of the day, grilled baby octopus served on a bed of onion confit and charcoal paste. Sweet and smoky and tender and so pretty too.

A classic Spanish dish, grilled anchovy, was next. This was perfectly cooked, barely seasoned and served with an arugula salad, shown above.

Next was grilled fresh chorizo on a polenta cake. This was seared; not cooked! It was really really good. We also ordered a Rioja Crianza to go with this and the next meat dish.

And finally, a glorious piece of grilled beef on the bone shown above. For a girl from Oklahoma, this was a fitting climax to the meal and also perfectly cooked.

The first of two desserts came next: fresh sheep’s cheese ice cream with a wild fruit infusion. This ice cream tasted like the strongest, sharpest sheep cheese..you know, the one that smells a bit like the Zoo? It was stinky and heavenly, and the wild fruit infusion played the perfect complement. I got to eat two portions since the pungency was too much for the Baker (he can dish it out, but can’t take it).

The last course was a Basque cake, torrija de pan y nuez (a cross between French toast and tres leches cake, if you can imagine that) served with smoked milk ice cream, shown above. This ice cream tasted like a vanilla, creamy campfire!

As the late afternoon started to wink at us through the trees, our happy bellies wanted nothing more than to take a long nap into the night. So, coffee was in order for the Baker and me, along with lovely muffin pastries, to make it to our next bedding destination after this four-hour indulgence in the Spanish mountains.

A perfect meal for a perfect day in Spain by the world’s Master of the Grill, Victor Arguinzoniz. Can’t wait to come back!

Jamón, Octopus & Garlic Fish: Cantabria Restaurant

by liz · Apr 4, 2011

Staying in Cantabria, Spain has its benefits: it’s a 30-minute drive to the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, it has luscious green countryside dotted with caves containing early human paintings, and it’s unspoilt by foreign tourists – meaning it still has some really great, secret Cantabria restaurants.

One of them is La Lonja in the fishing/port town of Santoña. It’s right on the edge of the port and you can’t miss it – the whole building looks like a ship. The bar and restaurant are on the ground floor, overlooking the waters from whence your dinner came…and mere hours before!

Since this is a seafood restaurant right on the fishing pier, I am committed to having octopus and fresh fish, but not before I start with some jamón ibérico, or pata negra. One of my missions on this trip had suddenly become eating jamón ibérico at every meal, or at the very least, every day. I was not disappointed by this cured meat made from the black Iberian pig indigenous to Spain, partido a cuchillo, or hand-cut by knife the artisinal way. No slicers here.

The Pulpo a la brasa, octopus from the grill, was perfectly cooked and served with chili oil, potatoes and peppers. It had such a soft texture, with a lovely fire-grill taste on the outside.

Next was besugo (sea bream or snapper) from the grill, cooked with olive oil, white wine and garlic. Filleted at the table and served simply on its own.

All washed down with a crisp white Ribera del Asón from the local province, Voto. This simple non-appellation blend of Albariño and Chardonnay was a perfect complement to a perfect starry night at the unspoilt, and yes perfect, edge of Spain.