In the traditional Greek dish called shrimp saganaki, sweet, briny shrimp are covered with a garlic- and herb-accented tomato sauce and topped with crumbles of creamy, salty feta cheese.
Restaurant versions, however, can be a gamble. The shrimp can be tough and rubbery, the tomato sauce can turn out dull or overwhelming, and the feta is often lackluster. We set out to develop a fool-proof recipe for home cooks.
Canned diced tomatoes, along with sauteed onion and garlic, provided the base for the sauce. Dry white wine added acidity, and ouzo, the slightly sweet anise-flavored Greek liqueur, added welcome complexity.
While the shrimp are typically layered with the tomato sauce and feta and baked, we were after a quick and easy dish. We opted to cook the shrimp right in the sauce; adding the shrimp raw to the sauce helped infuse them with the sauce's bright flavor.
And for even more flavor, we first marinated the shrimp with olive oil, ouzo, garlic, and lemon zest while we made the sauce. A generous sprinkling of feta and chopped fresh dill over the sauced shrimp finished our recipe.
The cooking time is for extra-large shrimp (about 21 to 25 per pound). If using smaller or larger shrimp, be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed. If you don't have ouzo, you can substitute an equal amount of Pernod or 1 tablespoon vodka plus 1/8 teaspoon anise seeds.
GREEK-STYLE SHRIMP WITH TOMATOES AND FETA
Servings: 4-6
Start to finish: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons ouzo
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained with 1/3 cup juice reserved
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
DIRECTIONS:
Toss shrimp in bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon ouzo, 1 teaspoon garlic, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, bell pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables release their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in tomatoes and reserved juice, wine, and remaining 2 tablespoons ouzo. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and sauce is slightly thickened (sauce should not be completely dry), 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add shrimp along with any accumulated juices; stir to coat and distribute evenly. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are opaque throughout, 6 to 9 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain bare simmer. Off heat, sprinkle with feta and dill and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 330 calories; 150 calories from fat; 17 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 168 mg cholesterol; 1298 mg sodium; 16 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 21 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit americastestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Greek-Style Shrimp in "Complete Mediterranean ."
We wanted to bring home a true New England-style lobster roll, complete with tender meat coated in a light dressing and tucked into a buttery toasted bun, but first we had to deal with the lobster.
To make things easier, we sedated the lobster by placing it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Boiling was the easiest way to cook it, and removing it from the water when the tail registered 175 F ensured it was perfectly tender.
For the lobster roll, we adhered mostly to tradition, tossing our lobster with just a bit of mayonnaise and adding a hint of crunch with lettuce leaves and a small amount of minced celery. Onion and shallot were overpowering, but minced chives offered bright herb flavor.
Lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne provided a nice counterpoint to the rich lobster and mayo.
New England lobster roll
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS:
To boil lobster:
4 (1 1/4-pound) live lobsters (yields 1 pound of meat)
1/3 cup salt
Lobster roll filling:
1 pound lobster meat, tail meat cut into 1/2-inch pieces and claw meat cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced celery
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
Salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 New England-style hot dog buns
6 leaves Boston lettuce
DIRECTIONS:
Place lobsters in large bowl and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 gallons water to boil in large pot over high heat. To cook four lobsters at once, you will need a pot with a capacity of at least 3 gallons. If your pot is smaller, boil the lobsters in batches. Start timing the lobsters from the moment they go into the pot.
Add lobsters and salt to pot, arranging with tongs so that all lobsters are submerged. Cover pot, leaving lid slightly ajar, and adjust heat to maintain gentle boil. Cook for 12 minutes, until thickest part of tail registers 175 F (insert thermometer into underside of tail to take temperature). If temperature registers lower than 175 F, return lobster to pot for 2 minutes, until tail registers 175 F, using tongs to transfer lobster in and out of pot.
Transfer lobsters to rimmed baking sheet and set aside until cool enough to remove meat, about 10 minutes. Cut tail meat into 1/2-inch pieces and claw meat into 1-inch pieces. (Lobster meat can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)
Whisk mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, chives, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and cayenne together in large bowl. Add lobster and gently toss to combine.
Place 12-inch nonstick skillet over low heat. Butter both sides of hot dog buns and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place buns in skillet, with 1 buttered side down; increase heat to medium-low; and cook until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook second side until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer buns to large platter. Line each bun with lettuce leaf. Spoon lobster salad into buns and serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving: 265 calories; 83 calories from fat; 9 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 65 mg cholesterol; 824 mg sodium; 27 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 20 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com . Find more recipes like Best New England Lobster Rolls in "America's Test Kitchen Best Summer Recipes ."
You may be used to pan-searing thick-cut white fish fillets any time you take them home from the market and want a quick dinner, but it's worth it to try a different technique.
Braising is a great way to add flavor to mild-tasting fish, it's a mess-free alternative to cooking in oil in a skillet, and it doesn't take much longer to execute with fish.
Using cherry tomatoes and making a white wine sauce in the pan made the dish fresh and bright — perfect for pristine white fish. Cooking the fillets among sauteed leeks imparted a subtle sweet flavor to the fish. To ensure the fish cooked through gently and evenly, we turned down the heat and covered the skillet so the fish both simmered and steamed.
A pat of butter swirled into the resulting sauce contributed richness. Haddock, snapper, tilapia, bluefish, monkfish, and sea bass fillets are good substitutes for the cod.
BRAISED COD WITH LEEKS AND CHERRY TOMATOES
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin and washed thoroughly
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
Four 6- to 8-ounce skinless cod fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
DIRECTIONS:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, wine, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to simmer.
Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Nestle cod into skillet and spoon some vegetables and sauce over top. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 F, 10 to 12 minutes.
Carefully transfer cod to platter. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon butter into vegetables, season with salt and pepper to taste, and spoon vegetables and sauce over cod. Serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 372 calories; 95 calories from fat; 11 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 120 mg cholesterol; 443 mg sodium; 20 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 43 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit americastestkitchen.com . Find more recipes like Braised Cod with Leeks and Cherry Tomatoes in "How to Braise Everything ."
Perfectly grilled tuna steaks should combine a hot, smoky, charred exterior with a cool, rare center. For a home cook, this ideal can be an elusive goal.
For grilled tuna steaks with an intense smoky char and a tender interior, we started with a hot grill. We moistened the tuna steaks' flesh with a vinaigrette to promote browning and allow the oil to penetrate the meat of the tuna steaks. And instead of using sugar in our vinaigrette, we used honey.
Both promote browning, but honey does it faster, which was important with the quick cooking times for tuna on the grill. It's easy to add complementary flavors to this dish by mixing up the seasoning in the vinaigrette.
GRILLED TUNA STEAKS WITH VINAIGRETTE
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 25 minutes
We prefer our tuna served rare or medium-rare. If you like your tuna cooked medium, observe the timing for medium-rare, then tent the steaks with foil for 5 minutes before serving.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
6 (8-ounce) tuna steaks, 1 inch thick
DIRECTIONS:
For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, thyme, mustard, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper together in large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle oil into vinegar mixture until lightly thickened and emulsified. Measure out 3/4 cup vinaigrette and set aside for cooking tuna. Reserve remaining vinaigrette for serving.
Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times.
Pat tuna dry with paper towels. Generously brush both sides of tuna with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Place tuna on grill (on hotter side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas) until grill marks form and bottom surface is opaque, 1 to 3 minutes.
Flip tuna and cook until opaque at perimeter and translucent red at center when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 110 F (for rare), about 1 1/2 minutes, or until opaque at perimeter and reddish pink at center when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 125 F (for medium-rare), about 3 minutes. Serve, passing reserved vinaigrette.
Nutrition information per serving: 560 calories; 333 calories from fat; 37 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 81 mg cholesterol; 398 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 50 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com . Find more recipes like Grilled Tuna Steaks in "Master of the Grill ."
What to do with your sweetheart on Valentine's Day?
Three years ago, it was the day we moved into our present home. Although it has proved to be the right move for us, scheduling his and hers root canals may have been a more romantic way to spend that Valentine's Day. The roses I bought shriveled and died from neglect as we tried to make sense of the chaos all around us over the ensuing days.
Obviously, my suggestion is to not do anything like we did three years ago, but to use the KISS method instead. I mean, of course, the acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid. If you keep it simple and elegant, there can be nothing more relaxed, appreciated and romantic than staying home, preparing a special meal for you and your sweetheart, followed by a favorite movie on Netflix.
Almost 20 years ago, when my daughter was in her first job after graduating with her degree, she'd periodically call asking me for instructions on food preparation. She'd never taken much interest in cooking while she'd been home; it was when she was on her own, making her own meals that she began to wonder how to make the food she'd been used to growing up.
One evening, she called to tell her mother and me she'd invited a special man for dinner. Her mother's first questions were about the man and how they'd met. Being who I am, my first question was what she planned to serve. Her answer came in the form of a question, "Dad, how do you do that salmon you make?" That was plainly the primary reason she called.
I knew which salmon dish she meant because it was a favorite of hers at the time. In French, the preparation is Saumon et Moules au Vin Blanc; translated to Salmon and Mussels with a White Wine Cream Sauce. I gave her instructions over the phone for the version I'd make at home and wished her the best. Later, she reported the dinner turned out really well and they'd had a wonderful time. That man is now her husband; proof once again, at least in my mind, a well-prepared meal warms the heart.
Valentine's Day menu
The featured dish, Salmon and Mussels with a White Wine Cream Sauce, sounds much more imposing to prepare than it is. Once you have all your ingredients prepared, cooking utensils and table service ready and organized (the all-important mise en place), the preparation is really quite simple.
The first thing to consider is where to purchase your seafood. It's important to make your purchase from a knowledgeable fishmonger selling the freshest fish, preferably the day of, but no earlier than two days before you'll be serving it. I've found the best quality and most readily available salmon this time of year is farm-raised from the Faroe Islands. Ask for salmon as close to the center as possible.
When purchasing the mussels, they should be closed or nearly closed. When storing, don't seal them in a closed container or plastic bag as they will suffocate. I always purchase a few more than I need and cover them with cold water for a few minutes before cooking to both clean them and make sure they all close underwater. Discard any that don't close and remove any "beard" appearing between the shells of the mussels.
Secondly, let's consider what you're going to serve with this dish. A fresh chevre, served at room temperature, sweetened with a drizzle of honey, garnished with dried sour cherries and served with a warm baguette makes a nice, simple pairing. Pressing the cheese into a heart-shaped cookie cutter is totally unnecessary, but could be worth the extra points. For wine, a Macon-Villages Chardonnay, a usually affordable unoaked wine from France's Burgundy region, is an elegant, clean and fresh complement for both the chevre and the main seafood course.
As you move on to the main course, steamed asparagus definitely falls within the KISS method and makes for a nice complimentary vegetable. Move the baguette to the table as you'll want to sop up the delicious sauce.
What better way to finish than with some special chocolates as you settle in on the sofa for your movie? Totally unnecessary again, but a sparkling rose wine is wonderful and festive with chocolate.
Finally, once again following the KISS method, it's vitally important in a successful Valentine's meal to include actual kisses.
SALMON AND MUSSELS WITH A WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Faroe Island salmon, cut into 2 pieces
12 mussels
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided in half and softened
2 medium plum tomatoes
1 branch of basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 large asparagus spears or 12 thin ones
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel the 2 plum tomatoes by using a thin sharp paring knife. Starting at the bottom end, peel around in one piece to make a tomato rose by re-wrapping the skin into the shape of a rose. Alternatively, cut an X on the bottom end and plunge into boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the skin begins to loosen. Remove to an ice bath and peel the loosened skin. Cut out the stem end, cut the peeled tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into a fine dice. If making tomato roses, pinch off 4 basil leaves to serve as rose leaves. Tightly roll approximately 4 large basil leaves together and cut into fine strips (chiffonade).
Butter the bottom of an oven-safe saute pan (preferably with a cover) large enough to hold the salmon and the mussels with 2 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the sliced shallots. Lightly salt and pepper the salmon portions and place them in the buttered pan with the mussels and 1/2 cup wine. Cover and place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
Take the pan from the oven and remove the salmon and mussels to a warmed plate and cover with foil. Strain the liquid and shallots from the pan into a 2-cup liquid measure or a pitcher. Pour the strained liquid with the diced tomato back into the pan over medium-high heat and boil until approximately half remains.
In the meantime, remove 1 of the shells from each of the 6 best-looking mussels and steam the asparagus.
Add the heavy cream to the liquid and continue boiling until large bubbles form and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Quickly whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remove from the heat. Adjust the seasoning of the sauce, plate the salmon and mussels, spoon the sauce over all, plate the steamed asparagus and garnish the salmon with the chiffonade of basil and the tomato rose (if using) on the side.
I love our local sweet corn, but it comes with a complicated history. The season now lasts from mid-July until past the middle of September. I find the best corn is generally found from the end of July until the first week of September. It's during this period our local corn fully develops its savory flavor, becoming more nuanced while maintaining its characteristic sweetness and tenderness. Later in the season, the sugars convert to starch and the kernels become tougher.
Corn or maize, as it's known below our southern border, was first cultivated by indigenous people in southern Mexico as early as 10,000 years ago from a grass called teosinte. The earliest ears of maize were just inches long and bore little resemblance to our sweet corn of today. Maize's cultivation spread first south into South America and the Andes about 6,000 years ago, before beginning to spread significantly northward about 4,500 years ago.
Corn cultivation didn't reach New England until about 1,000 years ago as Native Americans slowly developed strains that could mature in the shorter northern growing seasons. The development of corn cultivation, and the ability of corn to be dried and stored, was a major driving force for many of our Native American tribes to eschew a transient lifestyle following food sources with the seasons and begin adopting a less nomadic lifestyle, eventually forming permanent settlements. As cultivation became more prevalent, corn became a staple of many of our Native American peoples. Corn was dried before the winter and was either reconstituted into hominy or ground into corn meal for any number of uses. Dried corn was essential for planting the following spring.
By the time the Pilgrims landed almost 400 years ago in November 1620 as the first Europeans to arrive in New England, the cultivation of corn had become well established among the Native American peoples of the area. Cultivation of corn played a major role in the survival of the Pilgrims of Plimouth Plantation; however, discovery by the Pilgrims of dried corn on Cape Cod was their first aggressive act committed against Native American peoples.
Native Americans had learned to store a winter cache of dried corn underground in corn husk baskets lined with grass to prevent mold and mildew. It took less than four days after the Pilgrims' first landed in Provincetown harbor after 66 days at sea for the Pilgrims to discover and pilfer a buried cache of dried corn while exploring the shores of Cape Cod. That cache on Corn Hill in Truro belonged to the Pamet tribe of the Wampanoag nation. The Pilgrims quickly moved on from the area, so there's no accurate record of how the Pamet tribe fared that winter without the stolen corn; however, we do know the Pilgrims used some of that corn to plant their first crop the following spring.
Today, there are several unresolved debates regarding sweet corn. The first debate is how to eat it off the cob. This is, of course, an extremely serious question that can reveal enormous amounts of information regarding your personality. Are you a neat freak and eat the corn in rows, moving along the cob as an old-fashioned manual typewriter? Are you an artistic right-brainer and eat around the cob circularly turning it like a rolling pin? Maybe you belong in the rabid squirrel category and take random bites off the cob? Finally, do you dispense with the whole eating off the cob thing and strip the cob of its kernels before eating?
My method is to eat it in rows, which probably has a lot to do with when my brother and I were kids watching Looney Tunes. One of those early exaggerated cartoon characters would wildly chomp to the end of each row of corn and a ding from a manual typewriter would sound as he joyously flailed through each row of corn. My brother and I thought it was hilarious and would mimic that character as we ate our corn, dinging as we finished each row. I'm sure our parents were not quite so thrilled.
The next debate is how to cook corn on the cob or whether to even cook it all. People swear by whatever method they use and will stick their chins out defiantly if challenged. The cooking methods include boiling, steaming, poaching, grilling or roasting — with or without the husk — and microwaving. Once again, there are pluses and minuses to each method and may have a lot more to do with what you're serving it with, how many ears you're cooking, the recipe you may be using and personal taste.
Whatever method you use, the most important considerations are to make sure the corn is as local and fresh as possible and that it's not overcooked. Once corn has been picked, it begins a slow steady process of having its natural sugars convert to starch. I say slow, because it was once believed to enjoy sweet corn a pot needed to be put on to boil before picking the corn. Hybridization has significantly slowed the sugar conversion process, but as fresh and local as possible still stands. The other thing that stands is to eat as much corn as possible during its six- to seven-week peak. Once it's over, it's over.
As far as I'm concerned, nothing beats slathering the corn with a quality butter and a good sprinkling of salt, but I encourage you to use a specific salt. If you've never used Maldon salt, start using it on corn on the cob. From England, it is flaked, crunchy, mild and not at all bitter with a distinctive purity.
Lastly, what to do with leftover corn on the cob? If you're like me and buy ears of corn by the half dozen for the two of us, you'll probably have corn left over. Here's a recipe I've been making for years. One tip I will add about stripping leftover corn on the cob of its kernels is it's far less messy to strip them when the ears are cold.
CURRIED CORN AND SHRIMP SALAD
The basic method for this corn salad, mixing cold corn from the cob with a bit of oil, something acidic and other vegetables and herbs, has countless permutations. Try experimenting with tomato, black beans, avocado and lime. Corn with summer vegetables and basil with lemon yogurt dressing is another. For right now, if you enjoy curried dishes as much as I do, this recipe works for me.
INGREDIENTS:
For the shrimp:
8 cups water
2 tablespoons Patak's Mild Curry Paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon
1 pound 31-40 EZ peel raw shrimp
For the salad:
1 cup julienned red bell pepper
2 cups corn off the cob
1 tablespoon vegetable or grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup Patek's Mild Curry Paste
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
For the shrimp: Mix 2 tablespoons curry paste, salt and lemon with the water and bring to a boil. Have a bowl with ice water ready for the cooked shrimp. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Drain shrimp and plunge the shrimp into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Peel and dry the shrimp once they are thoroughly chilled.
For the salad: Combine the shrimp with the salad ingredients and blend thoroughly. Serve chilled.
It's summertime and my thoughts turn to lobster more than any other time of year.
When eating lobster from the shell, I find it virtually impossible not to create a shambles at the table. For that reason, I find it much safer to enjoy lobster on the deck, as I get in far less trouble with the lovely Lois. I inevitably spray lobster juice as I crack lobster shells and as I savor the precious meat dipped in sweet clarified butter, I just as inevitably drip it everywhere. There's a reason why restaurants provide bibs to adults with boiled lobster dinners.
Then, there is one of life's most pleasing food pairings of boiled lobster with the all-too-briefly-available New England sweet corn on the cob. There's something so satisfyingly basic about eating boiled lobster and corn on the cob as you have little choice but to dig in with both hands with a minimum use of utensils. The table, my clothes (I refuse to wear a bib) and close environs have the potential of becoming collateral damage, as I happily gorge myself on two of the most inelegant, but pleasurable foods on this planet.
I have to admit to a mixed relationship with the species, however. I spent close to 15 years as a chef on Cape Cod, during which I killed a lot of lobsters. I've always felt there would have to be a resultant day of reckoning. A symptom of my restaurant PTSD is I've had this recurring nightmare of being sent down to lobster hell. In this nightmare, I'm forced to run a gauntlet of lobsters snapping and pinching at me as I pass. At the end of the gauntlet is a cauldron of boiling water into which I'm pitched by my ghosts of slaughtered lobsters' past. Before they yank me out of the boiling cauldron, they dance around the cauldron singing a variation of the boys' chant in "Lord of the Flies." Their chorus is, "Kill the chef, boil `em up, do it again!" It being lobster hell, this nightmare repeats for eternity.
My most memorable restaurant experience with lobster was on an evening in the 1980s when I was the chef/owner of my family's restaurant, The Captain Linnell House in Orleans on Cape Cod. It was on a Saturday evening in the latter part of September, when business was less predictable, and we had fewer staff than during the summer months. The evening in question, following Murphy's Law, turned out to be considerably busier than expected. My sous chef, Gene the Dream, and I were cooking to order some involved dishes requiring all our concentration for what turned out to be 170 customers that evening.
We were in the middle of one of the busiest times of the evening and just on the cusp of being "in the weeds" (a restaurant term meaning being overwhelmed, but before your hair catches fire). It was at that point we got an order from a table of nine celebrating the birthday of the future lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Thomas P. "Tom" O'Neill III. His father, the legendary Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives at the time and was celebrating his son's birthday with him.
Speaker O'Neill decided to order a lobster salad that evening. His choice presented me with a conundrum of sorts. Lobster salad wasn't on my menu, I didn't have cooked lobster meat in my cooler, and I was distracted by my hair beginning to catch fire. I was not, however, comfortable with denying a dinner order from the man third in line to the presidency of the United States, who was celebrating the birthday of his son in my restaurant.
Somehow, I cooked the lobster, chilled it in an ice bath, removed the meat from the shell and put together the best lobster salad I could under the circumstances, while still manning my station for the continuing onslaught of customer orders. I'm not describing this scene to boast about my abilities as a chef so many years ago. I'm describing circumstances, which are not atypical in restaurant kitchens everywhere. So many chefs have faced similar situations and somehow found an extra gear to overcome the adversity of the moment. It comes with the territory. This story just happens to involve a former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Memorable doesn't fully describe the experience still seared into my brain some 30-plus years later.
My family sold the restaurant 31 years ago to the Conways, who still own it following my family's 10-year stewardship. In writing this article, I became curious to see what the menu looked like after all these years. As I read the online menu, there were a few preparations described exactly as ones from my menus 31 years ago. I'm sure each of those preparations has evolved over the years, just as my cooking style has evolved. One of those dishes was bourbon lobster bisque. I've included the recipe, as I prepared it recently.
BOURBON LOBSTER BISQUE
I prepared this recipe specifically for extending our lobster experience after having bought the store's limit of four 1 1/2-pound lobsters on sale at a local market. We tend to be greedy with our lobsters and we kept them all to ourselves; however, this recipe can serve four. My plan was for lobsters three ways: boiled, on a roll and as bisque. We each had one of the boiled lobsters for dinner, after which I removed the meat from the remaining two lobsters, reserving all the shells for a stock. After making four lobster rolls for another meal, I reserved half of a tail from one of the lobsters to add to the bisque. This recipe can be done in advance up until adding the cr me fraiche and reserved lobster meat before serving. Served with bagels, cream cheese with smoked salmon and a glass of white Burgundy makes for a decadent summer brunch.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
Enough lobster shells to make more than 6 cups of concentrated lobster stock
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 celery stalk, chopped (about cup)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup jasmine rice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 8-ounce container cr me fraiche
Finely chopped reserved lobster meat
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped chives for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Make the lobster stock by covering the lobster shells by about 1 inch with water in a large stock pot. Bring the stock to the boil over medium high heat. Turn the stock down to simmer and simmer for about an hour. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve, discard the shells and reduce the stock over high heat until something over 6 cups remain.
Melt butter in a medium large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally to avoid browning until very soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes until brick red. Add bourbon and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, herbs, cayenne, 6 cups of the lobster stock and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the rice is very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and remove and discard the bay leaf.
When the soup is cool enough, puree the soup until smooth (very small grains of rice may remain).
Reheat the soup after adding the container of cr me fraiche and reserved lobster meat. If necessary, add additional stock until the bisque achieves proper consistency. Add salt, pepper and additional lemon juice (if necessary) to taste. Garnish with fresh chives and serve hot.
As New England wrestles the last throes of winter, things in New Orleans are heating up with the final days of Mardi Gras, which traditionally begins on Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) and ends on Fat Tuesday Eve (the night before Ash Wednesday).
Because the point of Mardi Gras is to enjoy life's excesses before the fasting and simple, reflective life of Lent begins, Creole and Cajun dishes — such as jambalaya, gumbo, dirty rice, and red beans and rice — are a major part of the celebration. And let's not forget the King Cake, an oval pastry with a sugary icing in Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. Each cake contains a small plastic baby, and the person who finds the baby must buy the next King Cake.
These easy, hearty versions of Cajun classics feed a crowd on any cold night. A slow-cooker version of jambalaya gives you the same flavor of a long, slow boil on the stove, but with half the work. And, it's ready for you when you walk in the door after a long day. Skinless chicken breasts and turkey kielbasa keep this recipe on the light side, and long-grain brown rice can just as easily be substituted for a healthy grain option. Or, our stove-top dirty rice can be a delicious way to celebrate on a weeknight with a little planning. Just be sure to keep an eye on your rice as it's cooking in the stock so as not to burn any on the bottom of the pan.
If you don't have Cajun seasoning, simply mix up your own. Combine 3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons fine kosher salt, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon ground white pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon cayenne, 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme. You can store this in a sealed container for up to 1 year, or, at least, until next Mardi Gras season.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN AND SHRIMP JAMBALAYA
(From "Cooking Light Chicken Delight!")
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (optional)
Two 4 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes with onion and green peppers, undrained
One 14-ounce can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
Two 3 1/2-ounce-bags boil-in-bag long-grain rice
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Fresh parsley leaves (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place chicken in an electric slow cooker.
Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to pan; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add onion mixture, turkey kielbasa, and next 5 ingredients (through chicken broth) to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.
Cook rice according to package directions. Add cooked rice and remaining ingredients except parsley garnish to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until shrimp are done. Garnish with parsley leaves, if desired.
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DIRTY RICE WITH SMOKED SAUSAGE
(Courtesy of the Neelys/Food Network)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups long-grain white rice
5 cups chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound smoked pork sausage, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Make the rice, in a medium saucepan combine the rice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until all the stock is absorbed into the rice, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage. Once browned, add the garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup chicken stock and cayenne. Cook until the stock has reduced a little. Add the cooked rice and parsley and stir thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Optional: Hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot, added to taste.
A surfside treat, California fish tacos feature battered and fried crispy white fish and sprightly pickled vegetables. When done right, they are light and fresh, with a lively mix of textures and flavors.
This recipe may look involved, but the components come together quickly, so invite your friends to help. The frying uses a mere 3/4-inch layer of oil (no splattering vats).
We made an ultrathin batter by adding two sources of carbonation, beer and baking powder; they provided lift and their slight acidity limited gluten development. Frying in batches helped maintain the oil's temperature.
For toppings, we quick-pickled onion and jalape os and then used the brine to brighten shredded cabbage. Slice fish on the bias if your fillets are not 4 inches wide. Serve with green salsa if desired.
CALIFORNIA-STYLE FISH TACOS
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS:
Pickled onion and cabbage:
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed and sliced into thin rings
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper
3 cups shredded green cabbage
Tacos:
2 pounds skinless white fish fillets, such as cod,
haddock, or halibut
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup beer
1 quart peanut or vegetable oil
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup crema
DIRECTIONS:
For the pickled onion and cabbage: Combine onion and jalape os in medium bowl. Bring vinegar, lime juice, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in small saucepan. Pour vinegar mixture over onion mixture and let sit for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Transfer 1/4 cup pickling liquid to second medium bowl, add cabbage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to combine.
For the tacos: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 F. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Cut fish crosswise into 4 by 1-inch strips. Pat dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add beer and whisk until smooth. Add fish and toss to coat evenly.
Add oil to large Dutch oven until 3?4 inch deep. Heat over medium-high heat to 350 F.
Remove 5 or 6 pieces of fish from batter, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, and add to hot oil, briefly dragging fish along surface of oil to prevent sticking. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 F and 350 F. Fry fish, stirring gently to prevent pieces from sticking together and turning as needed, until golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes.
Using slotted spoon or spider skimmer, transfer fish to prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm. Return oil to 350 F and repeat with remaining fish. Serve fish and pickled onions and cabbage with tortillas, cilantro, and crema.
Nutrition information per serving: 699 calories; 307 calories from fat; 35 g fat ( 5 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 65 mg cholesterol; 530 mg sodium; 59 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 33 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com . Find more recipes like California-Style Fish Tacos in "New Essentials ."
Shrimp can turn from moist and juicy to rubbery and dry in the blink of an eye over the heat of a grill.
While grilling shrimp in their shells can shield them from the coals' scorching heat, any seasonings you add are stripped off along with the shells when it's time to eat. For juicy, boldly seasoned shrimp we decided to go with peeled shrimp and find a way to prevent them from drying out.
We seasoned the shrimp with salt, pepper, and sugar (to encourage browning) and set them over the hot side of a half-grill fire. This worked well with jumbo shrimp, but smaller shrimp overcooked before charring.
However, since jumbo shrimp cost as much as $25 per pound, we wanted a less expensive solution, so we created faux jumbo shrimp by cramming a skewer with several normal-size shrimp pressed tightly together.
The final step was to take the shrimp off the fire before they were completely cooked and finish cooking them in a heated sauce waiting on the cooler side of the grill; this final simmer infused them with bold flavor. The flavors of the sauce can easily be changed to taste; one variation is included here.
Grilled shrimp with spicy lemon-garlic sauce
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 45 minutes
To fit all the shrimp on the cooking grate at once, you will need three 14-inch metal skewers. Serve with grilled bread.
INGREDIENTS:
Lemon-garlic sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (10-inch) disposable aluminum pie pan
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
Shrimp:
1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Lemon wedges
DIRECTIONS:
For the lemon-garlic sauce, combine butter, lemon juice, garlic, pepper flakes, and salt in disposable pan.
For the shrimp, pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread shrimp tightly onto three 14-inch metal skewers, alternating direction of heads and tails. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 side of each skewer evenly with sugar.
For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-low.
Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Place disposable pan with sauce ingredients on hotter side of grill and cook until hot, 1 to 3 minutes; slide pan to cooler side of grill.
Place shrimp skewers, sugared side down, on hotter side of grill; use tongs to push shrimp together on skewers if they have separated. Cook shrimp until lightly charred on first side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip skewers and cook until second side is pink and slightly translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
Using potholder, carefully lift each skewer from grill and use tongs to slide shrimp off skewers and into pan with sauce. Toss shrimp and sauce to combine. Slide pan to hotter side of grill and cook, stirring, until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 30 seconds.
Stir in parsley. Transfer shrimp to platter and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition information per serving: 243 calories; 131 calories from fat; 15 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 235 mg cholesterol; 1258 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 24 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com . Find more recipes like Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Lemon-Garlic Sauce in "Master Of The Grill ."
Cooked hard-shell clams are an unbeatable two-for-the price-of-one delight. You get the clams themselves and the clam liquid they give off as they cook, which creates an instant sauce with astonishing depth of flavor. And it's simple. You just combine the clams with some liquid (and aromatics, if you want — here I've added scallions, garlic and tomatoes), cover them and let them steam until the shells open.
The only tricky part is that all clams don't cook at the same pace. The first specimen might open after just 5 minutes while the last one luxuriates for three times as long. If you allow that first clam to hang out until the last clam opens, it'll end up rubbery. Accordingly, it takes a tough cook to make a tender clam. Check the steaming clams frequently and pull each one out of the pot the second its shell opens.
This very same recipe also works using a different kind of bivalve mollusk, namely mussels. You'll need about 4 pounds of these critters. Method-wise, proceed as with the clams, removing each mussel as it opens.
Clam or mussel, this sea creature must be well-cleaned before it's steamed. Start by filling a large bowl with cold water. Add the mollusks and swirl them around, then lift them out of the bowl. Dump out the sand on the bottom of the bowl, refill the bowl with clean water and repeat the procedure until the bathed clams leave no sand.
Canadian bacon adds some meat and smoke to the finished dish. (Also, it's leaner than traditional bacon.) Of course, the pescatarians among us are welcome to leave out the bacon. Likewise, folks who aren't into alcohol can substitute water for the wine. Finally, those who dislike basil can use cilantro instead.
But please don't skip the garlic bread. It's easy to make and key to the recipe. And there's no better way to sop up all that luscious clam broth.
Clam tomato and bacon stew with grilled garlic bread
Start to finish: 1 hour
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped Canadian bacon
1 cup sliced white part of scallions and 1/2 cup sliced green part of scallions
1 cup medium chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups medium chopped ripe tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
4 dozen cherrystone clams, cleaned well
1/2 cup packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 recipe Grilled Garlic Bread (recipe below)
DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven large enough to hold all the clams, heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the bacon, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon starts to brown around the edges. Add the sliced white part of scallions and the bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and the clams, cover the pot and steam, transferring the clams as they open to a bowl. Discard any clams that do not open.
Remove all the clams from their shells and return them to the pot with the tomato mixture. Reheat over medium-low heat until just hot. Stir in the basil and scallion greens.
To serve: Put 2 pieces of the grilled bread into each of 6 soup plates and spoon one-sixth of the clam mixture on top.
Grilled garlic bread
6 (1/2-inch thick) slices country bread
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing the bread
1 garlic clove, halved
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Brush both sides of the bread slices with the oil. Add the bread to the preheated grill and grill until it's nicely marked and crispy on both sides (about 2 minutes a side). Remove the bread from the grill and while it's still hot, rub one side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic.
Nutrition information per serving: 393 calories; 145 calories from fat; 16 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 75 mg cholesterol; 1,020 mg sodium; 33 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 21 g protein.
Sara Moulton is host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including "Cooking Live." Her latest cookbook is "HomeCooking 101."
The health benefits of eating fish two or three times a week are well-documented. So, as a mom of four kiddos, I'm always looking for creative ways to add fish into our weekly menu.
I love Alaskan cod especially this time of year because it's in season, it's loaded with omegas and lean protein, and my girls all love the mild flavor. But any mild white fish will work for today's recipe, Cod with Pomegranate and Zucchini en Papillote. My kids love the pretty color play between the bright green lime and rich-ruby pomegranate, while I love the fact that I can make a fantastic dinner that isn't loaded down with extra fat or empty calories.
I use the papillote method, which is simply loading up a sheet of parchment with fish, aromatics and some quick-cooking veggies and sealing them up into a pouch and baking. Cooking in the cozy, moist heat of the parchment pouch means the fish stays tender as it baths gently in the steam created by the vegetables and a tiny splash of wine, like a flavorful spa.
The result is fish that is almost impossible to overcook, giving a busy weeknight cook a forgiving window of time for serving dinner. Cooking in a papillote also means you can cook with no additional fat, making fish-en-papillote a super strategy for anyone watching their caloric intake.
If you feel like living it up a little, add a drizzle of olive oil or a tiny pat of butter — you'll be amazed by how even a tiny bit of fat can make the rest of the ingredients sing. Make a large papillote to eat family-style, or make smaller, individual papillotes for a dinner party — either way, you'll feel like dinner is a tiny bit special.
Cod with pomegranate and zucchini en papillote
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds cod, or other mild white fish, cut into 4 portions, or kept in one large portion
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini, about two small zucchini
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced, seeds removed
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
salt and pepper
Special equipment: parchment paper
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly salt and pepper the cod fillet and set aside. Cut a sheet of parchment paper that is a couple of inches longer than the length of the fish, and a little more than twice the width. Use one large piece of parchment if fillet is whole; or four individual pieces of parchment if you've cut the fish into individual portions. Place the sliced shallots along the middle of the parchment paper, and layer the zucchini on top of the shallots - this is the bed where you'll place the cod. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Place the fish on top of the zucchini. Top the fish with the sliced lime, white wine, pomegranate arils, and a little salt and pepper. Close the parchment paper by folding the paper in half over the fish. Create a closed pouch by starting at one corner, and folding the paper into small triangles, tightly pinching them closed as you go around the edges. The result will be a semi-circle shaped sealed pouch.
Place the pouch on a baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or a few minutes less if fish is thin. Remove from the oven, carefully cut open the pouch and serve.
Chef's note: Recipe can also be made in a baking dish: simply layer, cover and bake.
Nutrition information per serving: 201 calories; 15 calories from fat; 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 73 mg cholesterol; 687 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 33 g protein.
Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, "Supermarket Healthy." Online: http://www.melissadarabian.net
Grilled fish is the official dish of summer around our house. There is nothing I love to eat more in warm weather than a piece of fresh seasonal fish cooked on the grill - the slightly sweet flesh offset by a tiny bit of char.
You can use some fish from your freezer stash in a pinch, but ask at the fish counter what is seasonal and freshest, and you won't regret the few extra dollars you'll pay. I used Alaskan halibut for today's recipe, but any firm white-fleshed fish will work great. (Skip the flaky thin fish like Dover sole for indoor cooking, or use a special fine-meshed metal grate.)
Halibut is mild, tender and sweet, and it's a fantastic lean source of protein. A 4-ounce serving has 24 grams of protein, a little over 2 grams of fat, and offers a nice showing of B vitamins and minerals, all for 120 calories.
My go-to strategy for grilling mild white fish is to keep it super simple on the actual grill, and then top it with a quick sauce made from a few ingredients. Pat the fish dry gently, and toss on the grill with just a little salt, pepper and olive oil.
Once the fish is cooked, I top it straight from the grill with the sauce. While the fish is cooking, whip up a sauce with a little acid (like lemon or vinegar), aromatics (like minced garlic, shallot or green onion), herbs, and a tiny touch of fat (like olive oil or butter). Pouring it on while the fish is hot makes the simple flavors come alive like Hugh Jackman playing P.T. Barnum.
Grilled halibut with butter caper herb sauce is an excellent starting point for mastering this easy fish-grilling blueprint that you'll use both on weekends and busy weeknight meals. In under 20 minutes, you can have summer on the plate.
Grilled halibut with butter caper herb sauce
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 pounds of fresh Alaskan halibut fillet (or other firm white-flesh fish), checked for bones
1/2 lemon, for squeezing
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers, plus a little of the juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A handful of chopped tender herbs, like basil, parsley, or cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium high. Scrub the grill grates with a wire brush or tongs and ball of foil to clean off burnt food debris, and lightly oil the grates. Squeeze a little lemon juice on the halibut and let it sit a few minutes before blotting it dry gently with a paper towel.
Season the fish with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over both sides of the fish, and use your fingers to coat the whole fillet lightly with oil. Once the grill is hot, place the fish flesh side down on the grill. Allow to cook about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Use a metal spatula to flip the fish to cook the second side, until cooked through but not dry, about 3-4 more minutes. (To help keep the fish from sticking, don't flip it too soon, and flip the fish with a purposeful, quick motion.)
Meanwhile, heat the butter and garlic in a small sauce pan on the stove at medium heat until the garlic is aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the capers with a little caper liquid and the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Remove from heat, stir the herbs into the sauce and then pour over the fish just as it comes off the grill. Serve.
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Nutrition information per serving: 198 calories; 76 calories from fat; 9 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 104 mg cholesterol; 625 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 28 g protein.
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Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, "Supermarket Healthy."
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Online: http://www.melissadarabian.net
I pulled out an easy recipe that uses pantry ingredients that I keep on hand. One of my favorite items to keep in the freezer is frozen shrimp.
I keep both cooked and uncooked versions. Raw shrimp cook up in minutes and have more flavor, so I use them for pasta dishes and easy sheet-pan suppers. But cooked shrimp have their place on my menu, too. I love how quickly they thaw for salads and appetizers, and other cold preparations.
The downside to pre-cooked shrimp is the texture is a notch softer. My solution is to buy the large shrimp and then cut it in half. I know this may be counter-shrimp culture, so feel free to leave them large, but the solution works for us.
A super easy go-to recipe for shrimp for us is my Shrimp Pineapple Brochettes, which uses easy pantry ingredients — you can even use canned pineapple — to create something that still feels high-end.
It's healthy and versatile, working as either a meal when paired with some greens, a first course, or even an appetizer for parties. Shrimp brings protein and elegance, while pineapple balances out with both sweetness and acid. I use prepared pesto for some fat and flavor, and I highly recommend keeping a jar of prepared pesto in the freezer to scoop out for recipes. But, if you don't have any, just substitute a bunch of chopped herbs, olive oil and lemon juice for an easy, tasty version. And with skewers, I think it goes without saying that you can swap in whatever fruit you have in your kitchen — grapes, grapefruit, orange segments and even canned mango all work beautifully.
Shrimp and pineapple brochettes
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound large cooked shrimp, cleaned, thawed if frozen
1 cup pineapple cubes, about 1/2-inch each, drained and halved if using typical large canned chunks (grapefruit or orange may be used)
1 tablespoon prepared pesto sauce
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
A pinch (1/8 teaspoon) kosher salt
Chopped fresh mint, parsley or basil, optional
12 small or 8 large skewers, or 24 toothpicks if making appetizer bites
DIRECTIONS:
Cut shrimp into halves or thirds, depending on size of shrimp. Thread the skewers with alternating shrimp and fruit. Lay the skewers on a platter.
In a small bowl, add the lemon juice to the pesto sauce to thin it and stir. Drizzle the pesto mixture over the skewers, aiming mostly for the shrimp. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil onto the skewers. Top with freshly ground black pepper, the kosher salt and chopped herbs, if desired. Serve as a first course, an appetizer, or with a green salad for a light meal.
Nutrition information per serving: 130; 35 calories from fat; 4 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 145 mg cholesterol; 720 mg sodium; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 16 g protein.
Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, "Supermarket Healthy." Online: http://www.melissadarabian.net.
PITTSFIELD — The days are getting longer, the sun seems a bit warmer, spring is on its way and Easter is right around the corner.
A week from today, Christians will observe Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, an observance lasting 40 days, not counting Sundays, and ending just before Easter Sunday.
"Lent is spiritual; it's an intense time of preparation and observing the Passion of Christ. Easter is celebrating His resurrection," said the Rev. Matthew Guidi of Assumption Parish, which includes St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Cheshire and North American Martyrs Chapel in Lanesborough.
Among the Lenten rituals are "giving up" certain things as an act of penitence and not eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays in Lent.
The practice of going meatless dates back to the early Christians, who made Friday a special day because Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday.
"The church instituted the practice of not eating meat on Fridays," Guidi said.
According to the Roman Catholic church's 1983 Code of Canon Law, which is still current, Guidi said, no meat should be consumed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the other Fridays in Lent. In addition, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are fasting days, allowing for one full meatless meal, and two smaller meatless meals, if they are needed for a person to sustain strength.
"Fish is allowed because it does not have the same status as consuming the flesh of mammals, to honor Christ who sacrificed his flesh," Guidi said. "Meat was more of a celebratory dish than fish in the early days of the church. It was also a rich man's dish, fish was for the poor."
So, what does he eat during Lent? When it comes to his favorite Lenten meals, Guidi was quick to respond his all-time favorite was mac and cheese, adding "I do like to eat!" He also said he likes baked scrod, cheese pizza, tuna noodle casserole and eggplant Parmesan; all which he makes for himself.
Owner/chef Shari Peltier of Thrive diner on Wahconah Street, which specializes in plant-based cuisine, suggested one way to go meatless during Lent was to create a loaded baked potato bar.
"I like to use russet potatoes, but sweet potatoes are fun, too," she said. "You could top them with vegan burger or sausage and the other usual toppings — cheese, sour cream ... You might like it and never go back to using meat."
Peltier also suggested creating a Buddha bowl. "Take a big bowl, I use a 32-ounce one, and on one side put quinoa or rice, on the other greens and veggies. Top it with beans, soup, a meatless chili or a vegan coconut curry soup," she said.
Peltier said that most of your favorite casseroles and dishes can be turned into meatless versions by using plant-based proteins like tofu, a soy milk bean curd, or tempeh, fermented soy beans. She added that tempeh should be marinated before using it to impart some flavor into it.
"When substituting plant-based proteins, remember there is no fat or grease in them like there is in meat, so you don't need as much in a recipe as you do with meat," she said, recommending using 3/4 of a pound of plant-based protein in place of a pound of meat in a recipe.
Members of the features department at the Berkshire Eagle dug through their recipe boxes for some of their favorite tried-and-true meatless recipes. And let's not forget Father Guidi's recipe for stovetop mac and cheese ...
VEGGIE TUNA BURGERS
These burgers are a great way to get some veggies and protein in your dinner, without any meat. You can prepare the chopped vegetables ahead of time and make the "burger patties" right before frying them up for dinner. Unlike other tuna burgers I've tried, these are super moist and flavorful. You won't even miss the meat!
(Lindsey Hollenbaugh, managing editor of features)
Yield: Six tuna burgers
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup each of shredded zucchini, yellow squash and carrots
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups of whole wheat bread crumbs
1 can water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon butter
DIRECTIONS:
In a large, non-stick skillet, saute onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add shredded zucchini, squash and carrots. Saute until tender. Drain and cool mixture to room temperature. In a large bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, tuna, salt and pepper. Add vegetable mixture. Shape mixture by hand into six patties. The mixture should be wet, but still hold together. Coat a skillet with cooking spray and cook the patties in butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side on medium heat until lightly brown. Serve on buns with a slice of cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. A tarter sauce, or homemade garlic aioli also goes great with these.
MEATLESS QUICHE
This has been my go-to quiche recipe for literally decades. The original recipe calls for 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled, but for Lent, I add meaty shiitake mushrooms in their place, although you could add any cooked veggie you have on hand. It claims to serve 8, but with my family it feed three — with no leftovers!
(Margaret Button, associate features editor)
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup margarine
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For the quiche filling:
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, diced
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups light cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in ice water until mixture forms a ball. Roll dough out on a floured board to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Transfer to pie plate and flute edge.
Saut onion in 1 tablespoon margarine until tender. Set aside to cool. Line bottom of crust with sauteed mushrooms and diced Swiss cheese. Combine eggs, cream, remaining salt, spices and cooled cooked onion and pour into crust.
Bake at 375 F for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the quiche comes out clean. Serve hot.
STOVETOP MAC & CHEESE
(Courtesy the Rev. Matthew Guidi, from Yummies4Dummies.com. Guidi said he adds a 16-ounce box of Velvetta 2 percent Milk Cheese to the recipe.)
Estimated Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups dry elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups cold whole milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the package, then drain; set aside.
In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine, then cook for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture is a light golden color.
Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Add the cheese, a handful at a time, whisking well after each addition and not adding more until the previous handful is fully melted and incorporated. Season to taste with garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to combine, breaking up any clumps of macaroni. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
From taco trucks to Mexican restaurants, tacos are just about everywhere these days. And why not? A taco is exactly as handy, versatile and filling as a sandwich, and crunchy to boot. Lots of folks dream of making these fried corn tortillas at home, but some pull up short at the prospect of having to deep-fry them. The solution? Don't fry them. Baking will bring tacos to crispy perfection and allow you to shape them into shells in the process.
That said, I discovered while developing this recipe for crispy shrimp tacos with cole slaw and chipotle cream that not all corn tortillas are created equal. Some are thick-ish and some are thin-ish. Some are drier and some are moister. Given that there's no way of predicting these qualities in the brands you buy at the store, you just need to pay attention to the tortillas as they bake and adjust accordingly. Some brands will require more time than others to become crispy.
Before being baked, the tortillas need to be steamed a bit so they don't crack when you shape them. Then you brush them very lightly on both sides with oil (or with vegetable oil spray, if you prefer), drape them directly over a bar of the oven rack and bake them until crispy. (See recipe for details.)
I recommend baking them in two batches of four tortillas each because when you open the oven to shape them, the oven temperature drops. If you're shaping all eight at once, the temperature will drop a lot and the tortillas will take forever to crisp.
The shells can be made ahead and parked in a bowl at room temperature. Then you can turn to the preparation of whichever fillings you want. (Here I propose coleslaw, grilled shrimp and chipotle cream.) When the dinner bell chimes, just set out all the fixings and let people dig in for themselves.
Crispy shrimp tacos with cole slaw and chipotle cream
Start to finish: 1 hour
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing the tortillas
1/4 cup mayonnaise (low-fat if you prefer)
1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
1 cup thin strips red bell pepper (about 1-inch long)
1 pound medium shrimp (31/35), peeled and deveined
1 firm ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wrap 4 tortillas in foil and heat them on the middle shelf of the oven until they are pliable, about 5 minutes (or wrap them in a moist towel and microwave them for 30 seconds). Remove them from the foil, brush them lightly on both sides with the oil and carefully (so as not to burn yourself) drape each tortilla over a metal bar on the middle rack of the oven so that the sides of the tortillas are hanging down and bake them for 5 minutes. Open the oven, and using tongs, lift up the tortillas, spread them open a bit by pulling the two sides apart (they will still be pliable), and bake them on the rack for another 3 to 5 minutes or until they are crispy all over. Prep and bake the remaining 4 tortillas following the same procedure.
Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, chipotle, adobo sauce and 1 teaspoon of the lime juice and stir well. Add salt to taste and about 1 tablespoon water or enough to make the sauce pourable.
In a medium bowl combine the cabbage, carrots, red pepper, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and salt to taste and toss well.
Preheat the grill to medium. In a medium bowl toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and salt. Thread the shrimp onto skewers (preferably double skewers) and grill them, turning them once for 2 to 3 minutes total or until just cooked through. Transfer to a serving bowl.
To serve: Put all of the components of the tacos — the shrimp, coleslaw, avocado, chipotle cream and cilantro — onto a serving platter and let your guests build their own tacos.
Nutrition information per serving: 486 calories; 249 calories from fat; 28 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 150 mg cholesterol; 861 mg sodium; 39 g carbohydrate; 11 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 21 g protein.
Sara Moulton is host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including "Cooking Live." Her latest cookbook is "HomeCooking 101."
The long Fourth of July weekend is looming and many a barbecue or picnic to celebrate our nation's birth are planned. Although we're technically not even at the halfway point in the summer, serving more hamburgers and hot dogs may not be quite as appealing as it was for Memorial Day. Why not mix it up a little and grill some fish or shellfish instead?
Charleston Santos, manager and seafood buyer for Mazzeo's Meat and Seafood at Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Pittsfield, Mass., said that although all fish can be cooked on the grill, he recommends using a sushi-grade, white, firm fish — halibut, swordfish, red snapper or grouper. He added that tuna and salmon also work well.
"Halibut is my favorite," he said, adding he grills at home almost every day, year-round. "It's a rich-flavored fish and you don't have to do much with it. It's so rich you don't need to add flavor to it. Keep it as simple as you can."
When Santos grills halibut, he coats it with olive oil and sprinkles it with some salt and pepper before placing it flesh-down on a hot grill. He cooks it for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. "When you put the flesh side down first, it sears in the juices and they stay inside," he said.
He uses the same technique for tuna; grilling a 1 1/2-inch tuna steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side. "It will still be pink in the middle," he said.
When it comes to grilling swordfish, Santos prefers to sprinkle the swordfish steak with salt and pepper and then cover it with mayonnaise. He then grills it for 3 minutes on each side and then flips it over once again for another minute. "The mayonnaise forms a crust and keeps the fish moist," he said.
If you're looking to grill a whole fish, Santos recommends branzini, a Greek fish that weighs about a pound each. He stuffs the fish with fresh herbs — thyme, cilantro and rosemary, and slices of fresh lemon. The whole fish is coated with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. It is then cooked on a medium-high grill for 15 minutes, flipping it over several times. When done, Santos said it will be very soft and almost falling apart.
Soft-shell clams and oysters are also good — and quick — for grilling, Santos said. When cooking shellfish, the grill should be medium hot. "When the they open up, they're done," he said, adding that steamers take about 3 minutes.
He said the idea is to grill shellfish plain and then dress them up by brushing a sauce over the open, grilled clams or oysters. For 4 to 5 pounds of clams or oysters, he mixes 1/4 cup white wine, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon cumin and the juice of one lemon.
Shrimp is the easiest shellfish to cook, according to Santos. He mixes 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, a clove of garlic, minced, with a pound of 13-15 already shelled and deveined shrimp. Once on the grill, they are cooked for a total of 5 minutes, being flipped after 2 1/2 minutes.
Santos said it was also possible to grill lobster. Split them in half lengthwise and, because the flesh is so delicate, place shell-side down on a medium hot grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turn over for 2 minutes. While grilling the lobster shell-side down, brush it with a marinade of 1 tablespoon honey, 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. (This recipe is good for 2 lobsters; it can be adjusted for a more.)
For a "wow!" Fourth of July celebration, try a traditional New England clambake. For 10 to 12 pounds of clams, start by digging a hole in your backyard 12 inches deep and a foot across and add a layer of charcoal to the bottom of the hole, Santos said. When the coals are glowing red and there are no flames, push some to the side and add a layer of wet seaweed to the coals in the center. On top of the seaweed, add the clams and cover with another layer of seaweed. Cover with the hot coals from the side and cook for 15 minutes. The corn and potatoes can be cooked separately, he said.
The all-grilled salad has become a staple in our house over the years — it's versatile, easy, has minimal cleanup, and of course, it's right up our healthy-eating alley.
A hot grill coaxes out the sweetness from anything we toss on it, and that tiny bit of char flavor is like a kiss of summer. So, even if I don't "have" to cook something — such as cabbage in a slaw — if the fire is roaring, I'll let the ingredient enjoy a few minutes of grill time, just for flavor. Super healthy foods become craveable with the arrival of the backyard barbecue season.
To make a tasty all-grilled salad, follow a few simple tips. First, invest a few bucks in an oil mister, which allows you to coat veggies and fish with just enough fat to keep it from sticking or drying out. With an oil mister, you can turn almost any combination of veggies and protein you have on hand into an all-grilled salad.
Second, grill the veggies in somewhat larger pieces and chop them down to salad-size later. This will keep the veggies from falling through the slats and keep the integrity of the vegetable intact, resulting in a true salad, not just floppy grilled garnish for your meat.
Third, make a simple vinaigrette for the salad, and in it, use some form of fruit juice — lime, orange, pineapple juice. The little bit of sweetness plays up the sweetness in the lightly charred veggies.
Finally, don't hesitate to serve the salad whole! Layer the veggies and meat on a large white tray and pour vinaigrette over, and serve with crusty baguette slices for an alfresco meal that will delight.
Grilled shrimp and vegetable salad with asian dressing
Start to Finish: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Sriracha, or other hot sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon neutral oil, like grapeseed oil
For the salad:
1 pound large shrimp, deveined and shelled
2 red bell peppers
3 small Japanese eggplants, stem end removed, halved lengthwise
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 pound large white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1/2 head of purple cabbage cut into 3 wedges, core intact to hold the wedges together
4 green onions
1 pint large grape tomatoes
Vegetable or grapeseed oil, for misting
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (or other seed/nut)
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Salt and pepper
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, ginger, Sriracha, and sesame oil. Whisk in the grapeseed oil slowly, creating a thin emulsion. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the dressing onto the shrimp, toss to coat and reserve the rest. Heat the grill on high. Spray the vegetables with vegetable oil using a mister, coating on all sides, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill peppers and eggplant until tender (10-15 minutes), carrots, mushrooms, and cabbage for 5-10 minutes, green onions, tomatoes and shrimp about 5 minutes. Times may vary depending on the grill — vegetables should have some char, but still be relatively firm. Remove the grilled items and chop the vegetables into larger bite-sized pieces (remove seeds of bell pepper). Toss the salad with dressing and cilantro. Serve topped with shrimp and sesame seeds.
Note: Salad can also be served deconstructed — instead of chopping, lay the vegetables out decoratively on a platter and top with shrimp and dressing.
Nutrition information per serving: 391 calories; 90 calories from fat; 10 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 trans fats); 143 mg cholesterol; 1349 mg sodium; 50 g carbohydrate; 16 g fiber; 27 g sugar; 26 g protein
Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, "Supermarket Healthy."