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7/7/11 – Seafood Delights

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER!!!!

 

Today our food topics are:

 

Getting Tipsy – Seafood Tips – Seafood Storage:

 

Store fresh seafood in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the lowest shelf at the back or in the meat keeper).

 

Don't suffocate live lobsters, oysters, clams or mussels by sealing them in a plastic bag. They need to breathe, so store them covered with a clean damp cloth. Before cooking, check that lobsters are still moving. Make sure clams and mussels are still alive by tapping open shells. Discard any that do not close.

 

Keep raw and cooked seafood separate to prevent bacterial cross-contamination. After handling raw seafood, thoroughly wash knives, cutting surfaces, sponges and your hands with hot soapy water.

 

Seafood Handling Tips - Thaw frozen seafood in the refrigerator, under cold running water. Never thaw seafood on the counter at room temperature.

 

Allow one day to defrost frozen seafood in the refrigerator. If pressed for time, place the seafood in a re-sealable plastic storage bag and immerse it in a pan of cold water in the refrigerator for one to two hours per pound of seafood.  A similar technique is to put the original pack age in a plastic bag, place it in a pan and run cold water on it in the sink until thawed.

 

Always wash hands thoroughly with hot soapy water before and after handling raw seafood or other raw protein foods.

 

Before cooking, rinse seafood under cold water to remove surface bacteria.

 

Always marinate fish and shellfish in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. Discard the marinade after use. Make sure that juices from raw seafood don't drip onto cooked foods; this leads to cross-contamination.

 

History – Seafood History

 

Seafood refers to any sea animal or plant that is served as food and eaten by humans. Seafoods include seawater animals, such as fish and shellfish (including molluscs and crustaceans). By extension, in North America although not generally in the United Kingdom, the term seafood is also applied to similar animals from fresh water and all edible aquatic animals are collectively referred to as seafood.

 

Edible seaweeds are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia. See the category of sea vegetables.

The harvesting of wild seafood is known as fishing and the cultivation and farming of seafood is known as aquaculture, mariculture, or in the case of fish, fish farming. Seafood is often distinguished from meat, although it is still animal and is excluded in a strict vegetarian diet. Seafood is an important source of protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas.

Fish is a highly perishable product. The fishy smell of dead fish is due to the breakdown of amino acids into biogenic amines and ammonia.

 

Seafood is consumed all over the world; it provides the world's prime source of high-quality protein: 14–16% of the animal protein consumed world-wide; over one billion people rely on seafood as their primary source of animal protein. Iceland, Japan, and Portugal are the greatest consumers of seafood per capita in the world.

 

Appetizer – Crab Dip

 

Ingredients:

1 - 8 oz Cream Cheese

1 heaping Tbsp. horseradish

1 Tbsp. Milk

1 ½ Tsp. Fresh Grated Onion

1 Can Crab Meat (drained)

3 Tbsp. Cocktail Sauce

Assortment of Crackers

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix cream cheese, horseradish, milk and onion together.  Then, gently stir in crab meat and bake in 6x4 dish for ½ an hour and top with cocktail sauce.

 

Salad – Seafood Salad

Ingredients For the seafood:

8 cups water

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (25 to 30 shrimp), peeled and deveined

1 pound sea scallops (10 to 12)

3 pounds fresh mussels in the shell, scrubbed and beards removed

 

Ingredients For the sauce:

1 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon whole fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

2 lemons, zested

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

To assemble:

3/4 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Thinly sliced lemon, for garnish

 

Directions:

To cook the seafood, combine 8 cups of water with the white wine vinegar and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes only. Remove with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the scallops for 4 to 5 minutes, until cooked through. Drain but save ½ cup.

 

Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in the same saucepan and toss in the mussels. Return to a boil, cover, and steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until they're all opened. (Discard any that remain unopened after 5 minutes.) Drain. Remove the mussels from the shells and discard the shells. Drain all the cooked seafood and place it in a large bowl.

 

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. Cook over low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour the hot vinaigrette over the seafood.

Add the celery and parsley and toss well. This salad can be served immediately, but it is best when allowed to sit, refrigerated, for 1 to 2 hours. Sprinkle with salt and toss with sliced lemon.

 

Put it on the Side - Twice Baked Potato

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes

8 slices bacon

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

8 green onions, sliced, divided

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

 

When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon. Bake for another 15 minutes.

 

Main Course – Poached Salmon with Herb and Caper Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 lemons

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves, stems reserved

2 small shallots, minced (about 4 tablespoons)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup water

1 skinless salmon fillet (1 3/4 to 2 pounds), about 1 1/2 inches at thickest part, white membrane removed, fillet cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces (see note)

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

 

Directions:

1. Cut top and bottom off 1 lemon; cut into 8 to ten 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut remaining lemon into 8 wedges and set aside. Arrange lemon slices in single layer across bottom of 12-inch skillet. Scatter herb stems and 2 tablespoons minced shallots evenly over lemon slices. Add wine and water.

 

2. Place salmon fillets in skillet, skinned-side down, on top of lemon slices. Set pan over high heat and bring liquid to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until sides are opaque but center of thickest part is still translucent (or until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 125 degrees), 11 to 16 minutes. Remove pan from heat and, using spatula, carefully transfer salmon and lemon slices to paper towel-lined plate and tent loosely with foil.

 

3. Return pan to high heat and simmer cooking liquid until slightly thickened and reduced to 2 tablespoons, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tablespoons shallots, chopped herbs, capers, honey, and olive oil in medium bowl. Strain reduced cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into bowl with herb-caper mixture, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Whisk to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

4. Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Using spatula, carefully lift and tilt salmon fillets to remove lemon slices. Place salmon on serving platter or individual plates and spoon vinaigrette over top. Serve, passing reserved lemon wedges separately.

 

Dessert – Crème Brulee

Ingredients:

1 quart heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 cup vanilla sugar, divided

6 large egg yolks

2 quarts hot water

6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan.

 

Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the crème brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

 

Remove the crème brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the crème brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

 

Lighten UP!!!  Thai Crab Cakes Mayo Clinic

Dietitian's tip: To make a tasty sauce, combine 1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh mint and basil, and a pinch each of salt and sugar in a food processor; process until smooth. Serve with the crab cakes.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

5 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shell fragments

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon canola oil

Fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) sprigs for garnish

 

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the rice, water and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and bring to a boil; stir once. Reduce the heat to low, re-cover and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Set aside.

 

In a small frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

 

In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat, onion mixture, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, cilantro and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss gently with a fork to combine. Stir in the cooked rice and toss gently to combine. Stir in the egg and mix until well blended.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs on a sheet of waxed paper or parchment (baking) paper. Divide the crab mixture into 4 portions and form each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty — or make 8 patties for appetizer portions. Dredge each patty in the bread crumbs.

In a large frying pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the patties to the pan and fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes on each side. Top each with a cilantro sprig and serve immediately. Nutritional Analysis Per Serving.

 

Serving size: 1 crab cake
Calories	211	Monounsaturated fat	3 g
Protein	13 g	Cholesterol	80 mg
Carbohydrate	25 g	Sodium	678 mg
Total fat	7 g	Fiber	2 g
Saturated fat	1 g

 

 

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