Caramelized Scallops

I thought about not blogging this particular recipe.  It was probably my least successful scallop recipe I've ever cooked.  However, I think my problems were entirely due to my ridiculous stovetop and not the recipe, so I'm going to go ahead and blog about it in the hopes that some of my readers actually have stoves that have gradiation (you know, like turn dials)  instead of the ever-so-ancient electric push button style I've got.  My stove just doesn't get hot enough, even when I've got my "number 3" hottest setting, to caramelize the scallops nor cook down the sauce fast enough.  The scallops pictured here were not the rich golden color I prefer, the sauce was a little runny, and the absolute worst was the fact that the scallops got a little rubbery while I waited for the sauce to thicken up.  Bummer, since the most important tip to delicious scallops is to err on the side of undercooking.  Scallops are expensive, too, so I would have loved for this recipe to have turned out.  But, again, I do believe all my issues had to do with my poor stovetop, which really suffers from lack of subtlety in temperature.  Hopefully, someday soon, I will finally be able to leave my (adult) lifetime of apartment living behind and will move into a condo with a better stove (fingers crossed for 2012!), but until then, I probably can't afford scallops anyway!

 

Caramelized Scallops (from Annie's Eats)

12 large sea scallops
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup white sugar, spread on a flat plate
½ cup dry white wine
Juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp. finely chopped flat parsley
8 chives
1 tbsp. lemon zest

Rinse and dry the scallops well. Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet on medium-high for 2 minutes. Add the butter and swirl to coat the pan. When the butter begins to foam, prepare the scallops quickly. Working efficiently, coat one side of each scallop in sugar, grasping the sides and using a gentle twisting motion to help the sugar adhere. Place the scallops sugar side down in the skillet and sauté for 2½ minutes. If the sugar starts to brown too quickly, reduce the heat. Flip the scallops over and cook for 1 minute more. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan and reduce by half, about 1½ minutes. Transfer the scallops to a platter or serving dishes. Pour the pan juices over the top and garnish with chopped parsley, chives and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

Maturing a Childhood Favorite: Fishsticks

Like many of my fellow Americans, I grew up with my Macaroni and Cheese coming out of a blue box with flourescent orange cheese product that I could count on. Macaroni and cheese went together with fish sticks in my family about nine times out of ten, and to this day, I get nostalgic for the combination. Of course, my palate has matured a bit and I no longer feel all that great after preparing a meal of all that processed "wholesome goodness" that is advertised. I had heard good things about Alton Brown's stovetop macaroni and cheese, and knew I needed to try that, but it was really when I saw Elly make these Panko Crusted Fishsticks that I knew it was time to recreate the childhood meal. The macaroni and cheese was a bit of a bust, but I think I know what I did wrong, so I'll make it again and blog it when it is worthy. The fish sticks were fantastic. This is the first new recipe I've made in a while that we both knew, while eating, that it would become a part of our meal rotation for sure. They came together relatively quickly, were crunchy, yet still tasted very much like real fish. I loved the addition of the spices to the panko for added flavor. Kudos to Elly for coming up with such a great idea!

Panko Crusted Fish Sticks (from Elly Says Opa)

2 tilapia, cod, or other white fish fillets (about 3/4 lb.)

1 egg, beaten

1.25 cups panko

heaping 1/4 tsp. onion powder

heaping 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

heaping 1/4 tsp. paprika

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

Preheat the oven to 450. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking oil/spray. Cut the fish into strips. Beat the egg in one shallow bowl and use another shallow bowl or plate to mix together the panko, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper, and canola oil. Dip the fish strips into the egg and the into the panko mixture, coating on all sides. Place each strip on the prepared baking rack and bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, or until fish is flaky.

Scallops and Asparagus with Sake

Yay, another scallops dish! I had a pretty crummy day on the day I made this (I bruised my knee so bad I could barely walk, simply because I'm a clutz!), and scallops make everything better! I found this recipe in one of my weight watchers recipe books that I hadn't even really looked at since buying it (bad me). This came out so well, it really surprised me. Lots of crisp veggies, the scallops kept their color nicely, and the sauce complemented it all very nicely without overpowering the dish or making it too sweet, like some Asian sauces can. I've also been trying lately to cook more clean (ie: cutting out processed foods, keeping the ingredients simple) and this recipe fit into that plan quite well. I will definitely make this one again, and might try it with chicken next time.

Scallops and Asparagus with Sake (from Weight Watchers "Take Out Tonight" cookbook)

2 tsp canola oil

1 lb sea scallops, muscle removed

2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound asparagus, cut diagonally into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

2 Tbs sake

1 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce (I used Tamari)

1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar

4 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally (I omitted)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Swirl in 1 tsp oil. Add scallops. Cook, turning, until golden brown and just opaque in the center, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Return the pan to the heat. Swirl in remaining oil, then add ginger & garlic. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about a minute. Add asparagus, peppers and carrot. Cook, stirring until veggies are crisp tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sake, soy and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat, stirring, until flavors are blended. Return scallops to pan, stir in scallions. Cook until just heated through. Serve immediately with rice.

Scallops Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

I had a bag of Bay Scallops from Trader Joes, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with them. I just knew that I wanted to do a pasta dish. After searching a little online, I found this recipe and blended it a little with what I pictured in my head. This was delicious. I would order this at a restaurant, it was perfect for my tastes. Bay scallops are a little bit sweeter than Sea Scallops, and they are smaller, so they cook faster (and are even easier to overcook, so be careful!). I'm really excited that I've been able to try cooking scallops at home. They are a nice alternative to the usual protein choices that I make. For those of you who don't like seafood, I would imagine this recipe would taste pretty good with chicken as well.



Scallops Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
1 small bag Bay Scallops, thawed and drained
1 Tbs Butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 large shallot, diced (about 2 Tbs)
1 clove garlic
1 cup heavy cream (I used nonfat 1/2 & 1/2)
1 small can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil (I used 2 Trader Joes basil cubes)
1/2 lb whole wheat linguine pasta
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse and pat the scallops dry. Heat the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the scallops and saute for one minute. Add garlic, shallots and wine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until scallops are done. Remove scallops from pan with slotted spoon, reserving liquids. Add tomato, cream and pepper flakes and reduce by half. Add basil and scallops and toss with hot pasta. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Trader Joe's-Like Homemade Tartar Sauce

We don't eat fish all that often, but when we do, we LOVE Trader Joe's Jalapeno Tartar Sauce. I knew I was going to be stopping by the fresh fish market this weekend, but I also knew we had no tartar sauce and there was NO WAY I was heading into Trader Joe's on the day before Valentine's Day. I've done it before and I just can't take the crowds. After doing a little research, I found that homemade tartar sauce is ridiculously easy and there really is no reason for me to buy store-made anyway. I mixed this up based on what I thought would work for our tastes and was pleasantly surprised at how perfect this was. The spiciness was right on par for our liking, and it ended up a little spicier than the Trader Joe's version, which was great. It is also a little lighter than the Trader Joe's version, since I used low fat mayo. It is almost too easy to blog about, and the picture is pretty bad, but here is my recipe:

Homemade Jalapeno Tartar Sauce (my creation)

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1 heaping Tbs. sweet pickle relish

1 tsp sliced jarred pickled jalapenos, finely chopped

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp onion powder

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Cover and refridgerate, allowing flavors to marry for at least one hour. Serve alongside favorite fish.

Sea Scallops with Lemon Beurre Blanc

I know that sea scallops aren't for everyone. I myself hadn't even tried a bite of them until my boss' wedding 5 years ago, when I felt I had to at least taste all the dishes out of respect for my boss and his wife (who I love). I thought, at the time "This might be something I could like someday, but I can't picture ordering this." Since then, I have had several opportunities to sample scallops and have always thought: "I should eat these more often." Well, last night I took the plunge! I purchased 8 sea scallops from Whole Foods and researched quite a bit on how to cook them (even the guy next to me at the seafood counter had some tips, as he was picking up scallops as well!). I learned that you needed the pan screaming hot, you should be very careful not to overcook, they need to be super dry before cooking, and you should keep the seasoning simple. For the scallops themselves, I simply followed all the advice. But I knew I would want some kind of sauce, and I researched this one on allrecipes that I thought would work nicely with some alterations. This dish was truly fantastic. What a great way to start out my new year of blogging (this was the first dish I cooked after my blogiversary!)! I was so proud of myself for cooking something that I really haven't even eaten out very much, and one that could be intimidating. I loved how the sweetness of the scallops played with the tang of the sauce. We will definitely be eating this dish again! I would imagine the sauce would go well on any kind of fish. On a side note, I have always gotten scallops, shallots and scallions mixed up, so it is kind of funny that this dish uses two of the three!

Seared Sea Scallops with Lemon Beurre Blanc

8 large fresh sea scallops

Salt & Pepper to taste

3 Tbs flour for dredging

1 Tbs Olive Oil

2 shallots, diced very fine

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/8 cup dry white wine

1 Tbs unsalted butter

Heat oil over high heat in a heavy bottomed skillet. Dry scallops very well with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge each side of all scallops very lightly in flour (this is really just to ensure they are dry, it shouldn't be a breading). Place scallops into nearly smoking hot pan. Cook just until browned, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to plate and keep warm. Lower heat. Add diced shallots to pan and cook until soft, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock to deglaze pan, then add lemon juice and white wine. Stir well and allow to boil until reduced by almost 1/2. Add in butter in small pieces. Sauce will get rich and creamy (if you desire a thicker sauce, sprinkle in some of the leftover flour and stir well). Serve over scallops. Makes 2 servings.

Seared Ahi with Sauteed Tomatoes

I was on my own for dinner for this meal, and I was thinking about going to a restaurant that my husband doesn't like much to get my favorite seared ahi over mixed greens salad. Instead, I decided to sear some ahi on my own. I went to our local seafood market and picked up some sashimi grade ahi (I would NEVER eat this dish so rare unless eating the highest quality sashimi ahi). I was tempted to just slice this up and eat with some rice, sashimi style, but I continued with this recipe I found on allrecipes. Before I seared the tuna, I threw some grape tomatoes into the hot oil and stirred until they just started to blister and split. I think next time, I will get my pan a little hotter before cooking, as the tuna would have been even better with a little more color on the outside, but other than that, this was an excellent, healthy meal.

Sesame Seared Ahi

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
4 (6 ounce) tuna steaks
1/2 cup sesame seeds
wasabi paste (I omitted)
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, mirin, honey and sesame oil. Divide into two equal parts. Stir the rice vinegar into one part and set aside as a dipping sauce. Spread the sesame seeds out on a plate. Coat the tuna steaks with the remaining soy sauce mixture, then press into the sesame seeds to coat. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Place steaks in the pan, and sear for about 30 seconds on each side. Serve with the dipping sauce and wasabi paste.

Book #34 and a meal to go with it - Moloka'i

I'm jumping way ahead in the book reviews to talk about my 34th book of the year, Moloka'i. One of the challenges for the Spring Book Challenge on the Nest is to read a book and then cook a meal inspired by the book. I chose the book "Moloka'i" and made a Hawaiian inspired meal to go with it. The book, written by Alan Brennert, is fantastic, and deals with two periods of American History that have always fascinated me because there is so little attention paid: The banishment of Hanson's Disease/Leprosy patients to Moloka'i in Hawaii, and a part of WWII history that is rarely talked about (I'm not going to spoil this part for anyone who wants to read this). This was one of the more effective historical fiction novels I've read, combining a heart breaking story with accurate history in a way that more people can be educated on our past. The characters were very real and the author, though not a Hawaii resident, seemed to honor Hawaii's history with respect. Very well done.

For the meal that went along with this book, I made Ahi Poke as an appetizer, mirroring the Ahi Poke that we had on our 5 year anniversary trip to Hawaii in November. I seriously dream about that dish, and I think I did it honor by buying very high quality ahi and marinating in a prepared Poke marinade. If I didn't have the marinade, I would have made my own using soy, ginger and sesame oil, but the prepared marinade was tasty and I think I presented it well in martini glasses:

For the main course, I made macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi. I have tried making this before and couldn't quite get the nuts crushed enough, plus I didn't know to mix the nuts with other breading. With the help of my Magic Bullet and some panko bread crumbs, I think I got it just right this time:

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

2 6 oz Mahi Mahi filets

2 oz Roasted Macadamia nuts, chopped in a processor until chopped very fine

3 oz plain panko bread crumbs, added to processer and pulsed until mixed with nuts
1 Tbs olive oil or butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place nut and crumb mixture on a shallow dish. Press fish into crumbs and pat until both sides are well coated with crumbs. Heat oil in an oven safe pan. Add fish and brown the outsides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to oven and cook until fish is flaky and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

Fire Drill Food Day 2 - Cajun Grilled Fish

As I said in the last post, I had to make quick stovetop meals last week due to the heat, threat of lost electricity and need to be plastered to the TV for news on the Jesusita fire. One of my favorite easy meals as a kid was fish sticks and macaroni & cheese (the blue box, baby!). I decided to make grilled fish and the blue box to achieve a slightly more mature level to the dinner. Because I didn't have time to go to my usual fresh fish market, I ended up getting orange roughy from the regular store, which is really tasty, but unfortunately, not a sustainable fish. I really try and eat sustainable fish most of the time (fish that is caught in ways that do not deplete the seafood supply), but this was a special circumstance. I coated the fish in cajun seasoning and grilled it up. The fish was very good. Oddly enough, the Kraft Mac & Cheese tasted a little off. Maybe that was the world's way of telling me that I need to be making that from scratch these days, I have the skills and shouldn't be using the shortcut. Maybe next time when it isn't so hot! This is another one that doesn't have nutrition info. Just use a light textured white fish coated in cajun spices and grill until fish is done.

Grilled Mahi Mahi in Poke Marinade

I was in the mood for fish this weekend and decided to stop by Lazy Acres, Santa Barbara's local answer to Whole Foods (although I can't wait until we get our own Whole Foods in December!). Lazy Acres has pretty good fish, and I love going in, looking at the case, and just pointing to what looks good. Mahi Mahi fit the bill, and right above the seafood case was a "Hawaiian Poke Marinade" by Santa Monica Seafood that I had to buy as an impulse buy. One of the main reasons I love Hawaii as much as I do is the food, and I still have dreams of our Ahi Poke from Mama's Fish House on our November Maui trip. So even though I had just picked out Mahi Mahi, not Ahi, I ran with it. The fish grilled up wonderfully and tasted like steak, I loved the thick, meaty texture. The marinade was okay. I thought it was fine, but the husband really didn't like it and pulled out some soy sauce to try and mask the marinade flavors. Too much sesame oil for his tastes, I think. But now we know that Mahi Mahi is great on the grill, and next time, I will marinate with my favorite island style marinade, Soy Vay Island Teriyaki. There isn't much of a recipe for this one, and I don't have nutrition info, so I'll just post the pretty picture and you guys can consider this a product review for the marinade.

Valentine's Day 2009

For about 2 years of our relationship, my husband and I have done the whole "going out somewhere special" for Valentine's day. The remaining 10 Valentine's Days have been me cooking for him, usually something comparable to what we would order if we were going out. Tonight, I made the same Sauteed Halibut as I did last year because it was just so good. I also made whole wheat couscous with sauteed vegetables, which was new to my husband, and I made it with all red veggies in honor of the holiday. Finally, I found some adorable baby artichokes to serve as my veggie. My parents used to get these for my family in bags when they went up to the Monterey bay area, and we would eat them almost daily. They are so easy to eat in comparison to regular artichokes, and I have been raised to love artichokes since I was very young. Even better, my husband doesn't like the heart part, so I get to eat extra hearts! He is my perfect match! On a separate note, my husband had a seriously horrible day on Valentine's Day (busy at work and a completely broken down car) and almost missed dinner entirely, so it was really neat for him to come home to a relaxing candle-lit dinner and a bottle of wine. That is how we do Valentine's day, it is enjoyable time together with no pressure on either of us to come up with the perfect gift, reservation, etc.

Recipe for Sauteed Halibut is here.

Whole Wheat Couscous with Carmelized Veggies

1 cup Whole Wheat Couscous

1 cup Chicken Stock (or Broth) - Sub Veggie Stock for Vegetarian Meal

3 Large Shallots, sliced into very thin rings

1 Bell Pepper, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 Tbs Chopped fresh Basil or Parsley

2 tsp. Olive Oil

Bring Stock to a boil with Basil mixed in. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat. Add Shallots. Cook until carmelized (when they start to get really golden brown). Add Bell Peppers, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add Tomatoes, cook & stir for 1 minute. If Stock is at a full boil, add Couscous and veggies. Stir, cover and remove from heat. Allow couscous to steam for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve immediately.Makes 6 1 cup servings.

Nutrition Info for 1 serving: Calories: 161.8, Fat: 2.6g (.3 Sat, .2 Poly, 1.3 Mono), Carbs: 28.6g, Fiber: 4.2g

Sauteed Grouper + Roasted Broccoli

I was in the neighborhood of my favorite fresh fish market here in Santa Barbara (yet another reason why I love it here), and decided to stop in and pickup some of the yummiest fish ever, the local halibut. Well, they were out, so I asked for my next favorite, Petrale Sole. They were out of that as well (the fish dude said it was late in the day and they are always swamped when the weather is nice, which it was, 79 degrees for the high!). I asked for the next best available whitefish and was given Mexican Grouper. Note to self: Always chat with fish dude more when cooking a new type of fish. The fish was of supreme quality and was very good, but my normal recipe for sauteed whitefish (like halibut, sole, tilapia) just didn't seem like the best preparation for this type of fish. I think next time I will try this marinated and grilled instead. The broccoli is based on this recipe from allrecipes for cauliflower, but I'd heard it works well for broccoli as well, and it is now one of our favorite ways of enjoying broccoli.

Sauteed Grouper (my recipe)

2 5 oz Grouper Filets (or lighter whitefish like halibut, sole or tilapia)

2 Tbs Butter

2 Cloves Garlic

Seafood Seasoning

Fresh Chopped Parsley (optional)

Coat fish filets in seafood seasoning. Melt butter over low heat and add minced garlic. Cook over low heat. Butter shouldn't bubble much, the idea is to get the butter infused with garlic, see picture. Increase heat to medium high and add fish. Saute until cooked through (no longer opaque or pink). Top with butter from pan and (if available), fresh chopped parsley

Roasted Broccoli
8 oz Fresh Broccoli florets (try to have medium sized pieces, too big or too small doesn't turn out as well)

2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Garlic Cloves

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix Oil and Garlic in a gallon zipper storage bag. Add broccoli and mix very well (all the florets should have a little glisten to them from the oil). Pour into a shallow roasting pan and spread out evenly. Roast at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until broccoli reaches desired consistency and is just starting to brown.

Nutrition Info. for Fish: Calories: 304.6, Fat: 15.7g (7.8g Sat, 1.8g Poly, 4.7g Mono), Carbs: 1, Fiber: .1

Nutrition Info for Broccoli: Calories: 155.6, Fat: 13.9g (1.9g Sat, 1.3g Poly, 10g Mono), Carbs: 6.9g, Fiber: 3.5g

Broiled Halibut (adapted from WW recipe)

This is a good standby for any type of light textured whitefish (tilapia, halibut, sole) that you would like to cook in a way that doesn't include a ton of butter (my favorite fish preparation is guilty of pretty much boiling fish in butter, not so healthy). So, for my first blog of the year and my first home cooked meal of the year, I tried this with halibut from Costco. Unfortunately, it has been a while since I cooked this recipe and forgot it needed lemon juice. I added white wine instead and the pyro in me was highly entertained by watching the alcohol go up in flames in the toaster/broiler. I served this with wheat pilaf from a box (like couscous but I have a tendency of eating an entire box of couscous when I'm not thinking straight, and this stuff is way too filling for that) and some steamed broccoli. Good healthy start to the year, though I do recommend the lemon juice over the wine.

Broiled Halibut

2 Halibut filets, about 5 oz each

1 spray cooking spray (I prefer butter flavored)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs lemon juice (I used wine, but lemon juice is better. Don't use OJ, the sugar will burn)

2 tsp garlic herb seasoning (or lemon pepper, or your preference)

Preheat broiler. Coat shallow baking dish or broiler pan with cooking spray. Season both sides of fish with salt & pepper. Transfer to broiler pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and top with seasoning. Broil until fish is fork tender (about 5 minutes for thin fish pieces, the size shown here took about 10 minutes).

Nutrition info per serving of fish: 199 calories, 4.2 g fat (.6 Sat, 1.3 Poly, 1.4 Mono), 37.8 g protein, .5 g Carbs, 0 g fiber.