Shrimp & Corn Chowder

This is REALLY good, you guys.  And pretty easy, too.  It was also a learning experience for me, because I didn’t know what the heck Old Bay Seasoning was, I just thought it was bay – glad I checked before putting a tablespoon of bay into the chowder!

What you need:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
• 2 jalapenos, diced, save the seeds and add them as well, if you want a bit of spice.
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (so I didn’t have this, so I just did a mix of the following, but it totaled to probably 2 tablespoons: a lot of Ground bay leaves, at least a teaspoon of celery salt, two pinches of paprika, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt, pepper)
• 2 cups reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 3 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears corn)
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

What to do:

1. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and jalapenos (seeds, too) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the flour and Old Bay Seasoning and cook, stirring, until the flour is lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
3. Add the milk, chicken stock and the rice. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the corn and shrimp.  Cook until the shrimp curl and turn opaque, about 3 minutes.
5. Season the chowder with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and top with the scallion greens.

Read Full Post »

Baked Shrimp & Chickpeas

I have had a giant can of chickpeas sitting in the cupboard for at least 6 months since I went crazy in the canned food section of Smart & Final.  It worked out because I also have been meaning to try out this recipe from Food Network Magazine!  This is a really simple one to crank out for a weeknight dinner.  If you happen to have frozen shrimp (which defrost super quick), you probably have everything on hand to make it, too.

What you need:

• 2 normal (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, or one gigantor (29 oz) can
• 1 to 1.5 pounds of shrimp, raw & peeled
• as much garlic as you can stand, for me this was about 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 2 lemon’s worth of zest
• 1 lemon’s worth of juice
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like things
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
• 1/2 or so of breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Olive oil
• lemon wedges for serving

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.  Add to a large baking dish (I used a 9×13 pyrex) and spray/drizzle with olive oil and a bit of salt.  Make sure they are arranged in a thin layer.  Bake for 20 – 25 mins.
3. While the chickpeas are baking, marinate the shrimp in the lemon juice and zest, red peppers, the garlic and a tablespoon or two of olive oil.
4. When the chickpeas are done, add a layer of the shrimp and any extra marinade on top.  Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.  Bake for another 7 – 8 minutes.
5. When it’s done baking, take it out of the oven and top with the parsley.  Serve with lemon wedges for more juice to taste.

Read Full Post »

Grilled Shrimp & Baked Gold

I am sitting here eating my smushed and bruised banana, wishing I could be eating dinner last night again.  It was nothing special and I hadn’t planned to write about it (so no pics, sad face), but it was SO good and SO simple, I thought maybe I ought to share.

What you need:
yukon gold potatoes (1 per person)
shrimp (1/2 lb per person)
butter
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 juicy lemon

(I also served it with a simple green salad)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place a square of aluminum foil down, with a clean potato in the middle, spray (or drizzle) with olive oil and throw some salt on
3. Wrap completely in foil and bake for at least an hour
4. Clean and peel shrimpies and place in a bowl
5. Drizzle olive oil on top, along with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Squeeze the crap out a lemon over it to get all the juice out (trick: roll your lemon on the counter or cutting board while pushing forcefully on it – this is get you more juice).
6. Grill the shrimp on any type of grill you have; propane, charcoal, stove top, for a few minutes… not more than 5!
7. Put the shrimpies and potato (with BUTTAH) on your plate, eat, enjoy then dream about it tomorrow morning.

Read Full Post »

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Grits w/ Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Last night I made this meal from a Food Network Magazine recipe (low-cal!) and from a recipe I got from my friend’s food blog.  It was all delicious, and will both definitely be new regulars.  I also bought and prepared (instant) grits for the first time ever.  I have only eaten grits a handful of times, always at restaurants.  I have always liked them, and don’t understand why they seem to get a bad rap… or maybe that’s my misconception?

Here is the recipe for shrimp & grits:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/lemon-garlic-shrimp-and-grits-recipe/index.html

I pretty much followed it, with a few exceptions.  I only used a pound of shrimp (cooking for two, not four).  I used a bit more parsley, and about triple the garlic.  Also, I probably used as much as 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne, if not more.  SO GOOD.

And for the delicious Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce!

http://www.foodcrossing.com/2011/03/roasted-broccoli-and-cauliflower-with-shallot-cheese-sauce/

Definitely add the red pepper flakes.  And I didn’t measure the goat cheese, but I needed a lot of milk (2%), so maybe I used too much… although it seemed like an appropriate amount for the veggies.  They weren’t swimming in it, but each piece maybe half covered.  I probably ended up using at least 1/2 cup of milk.

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Pan fried grey sole

I picked up some fresh grey sole fillets from Whole Foods the other day in an effort to introduce more seafood into my diet (I don’t really eat seafood unless I order it from a restaurant.. I am NOT good at cooking it). This recipe is easy (but a bit unhealthy) and delicious.

Batter:

• 1 egg white (or 2, depending on how many fillets you’re cooking)
• cornstarch or flour

Mix the two until the consistency is similar to heavy cream; add water if necessary.

Coat:

• Flour
• Cayenne pepper
• Garlic salt
• Lemon pepper

Make sure to shake off excess batter from the fillet and then coat each side with the flour mixture. Only do this if you’re cooking the fish immediately.

Cook each side about 3-4 minutes, depending on its thickness. A good way to tell is when the sides of the fish are translucent. Make sure to pat them dry with paper towels when they’re finished cooking.

Mayo sauce:

• Mayo
• Cayenne
• Worchestire sauce
• Dijon mustard

Mix the following for your basic mayo sauce (big thanks to Rachel and Julie for a combination of their ingredients that resulted in this wonderfully delicious and fattening sauce–try it with steamed artichoke.. SO GOOD). You can add lemon juice and some herbs (which would be really delicious with the fish). I added some herbes de provence to the mixture.

I served this with steamed white rice and asparagus (which I first blanched and then sauteed with shallots and garlic), with a dollop of the mayo sauce on the fish. Delicious!!!!

$ breakdown:

• ~$6 for 1/2 lb of grey sole (they were $9.99 a lb at WF)

Read Full Post »

Ginger and Scallion Lobster

This is a staple at Chinese restaurants and it’s incredibly easy (and much cheaper) to make at home.

• Diced ginger
• Diced scallions
• Minced garlic
• Seafood broth (I used chicken broth)
• Salt & pepper

So technically, you’re supposed to coat the lobster with flour and fry it a bit in some oil. I forgot to do this. PLUS, I was dealing with 3 live lobsters..

Anyway, sautee the garlic, ginger and scallions in some evoo and then add about 1/3 to 1/2 C of broth. BTW, this was all in a shallow frying pan. I am without a stockpot (Santa, add this to my list please! Thanks! XO) so I divided the garlic/ginger/scallion broth into a pan and a pot.

I wasn’t too sure how to go about cooking the lobster. Should I steam it? Drop it in boiling water? Maybe bake it? I ended up pan-frying-slash-steaming them. OH GOD, IT WAS HORRIBLE. I screamed each time they died 😦

I pan fried the lobsters first and then stuck them in the pot and covered the pot with foil to garner enough steam. The flour & pan-frying didn’t really work but the lobsters were definitely cooked. Maybe it’s for the best the pan-frying didn’t work because at the end, we had this delicious broth to pour on top over our rice to accompany the lobster.

$ breakdown:

• 3 lobsters for $19 (YES, $19 TOTAL!!!)

Read Full Post »

Mussels in red sauce

I was at Whole Foods a while ago and I had absolutely no idea what to cook for dinner. Lo and behold–a bag of mussels for $6! In addition to that, I picked up a can of diced tomatoes, some fresh parsley and a baguette.

Red sauce:

• Can of diced tomatoes
• Chicken broth
• White wine
• Diced garlic
• Brown sugar
• Picada (I still have some leftover!)
• Butter
• Parsley

Of course, this all went into the slow cooker to cook for a few hours. Just be sure to set it on low. Put the mussels in the last 5-10 minutes.

Serve with baguette slices.

The brown sugar helps to reduce the acidity from the tomato sauce. Although I basically used the same base for my seafood stew, the sweetness definitely set this dish apart.

Read Full Post »

Scallops in white sauce with pasta

Note – you can keep the roux thick & add less milk/cream & stock to make this into a chowder but I opted for a pasta sauce instead.  I love my carbs!

Roux:

• Flour
• Butter

Be sure not to burn the flour!!! FYI – a roux is a thickening agent. You should be using equal amounts of both.

White sauce:

• Roux
• Seafood stock (I used what I had leftover–about 1/2 to 3/4 cups)
• 1/4 c white wine
• Milk (heavy cream works too) — I used enough to thin out the roux just a bit.. the whole sauce was still thick
• Minced garlic
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Lemon juice to taste
• Chopped parsley
• Chopped basil
• More butter
• Sliced mushrooms
• Diced shallots
• Diced onions
• Green onions
• Halved grape tomatoes (to top)

Stir, stir, stir! Let this cook for a while so the flavors blend. Meanwhile, you can pan sear the scallops. Most IMPORTANT thing about scallops (after you tear out that hard piece of muscle) — be absolutely sure to pat them dry before you cook them. Wet scallops will not sear the way you want!

However, because I was using tiny scallops, I didn’t pan sear them. I would’ve preferred large scallops but I’m on a budget here. So anyway, I s&p’d the scallops and then cooked them in olive oil and butter for 1 minute. I didn’t cook them all the way through because I wanted them to get warm in the sauce.

Serve with noodles. Or rice.. rice in this sauce would make an excellent stew. MMM, I might do that for lunch today with my leftovers. 🙂

$ breakdown:

• ~$3 for <1 lb of scallops

Read Full Post »

Fish Tacos

Taco seasoning:

• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Salt & pepper
• Cumin

I marinated cubed white fish in the taco seasoning about 1/2 hour before I started cooking. I also squeezed a LITTLE bit of fresh lemon juice into this mixture. Be sure not to add too much–you don’t want tartare! Just pan-fry this in some olive oil until the fish flakes with a fork. If desired, you can sprinkle cornstarch or flour onto the fish to make it kinda crispy.

Fish taco white sauce (this is what makes it fattening.. and delicious):

• Mayo
• Sour cream
• Cilantro
• Salt & pepper
• Lemon juice

Mix it all together and refrigerate.

Pico de gallo (I had to make my own since Gristedes doesn’t carry ready-made stuff):

• Tomato (I like mine firm)
• Cilantro
• Diced red onion
• Minced garlic
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper

Also, *important*, before I started, I pre-heated the oven to 250 degrees, wrapped a stack of tortillas in foil and popped them into the oven.

We used guacamole (ready-made but I could’ve made it SO much better) and some coleslaw (from a bag) in this, too. We layered it like so: tortilla, white sauce, coleslaw, guacamole, pico de gallo & fish. Well, that’s how I did it.

$ breakdown:

• $5 for 2 lbs of whitefish
• $2 bag of coleslaw
• $2 sour cream
• <$1 tomato
• <$1 red onion
• $3 flour tortillas

Read Full Post »

Catalan-style Seafood Stew

My friend and I had an AMAZING seafood stew when we were in Barcelona and I wanted to make something similar for him when he came to visit in NYC. This dish sounds fancy and all but it’s SO simple. I put it all in my slow cooker, too! Bonus points for convenience!

The thing that makes this a Catalan style stew is the picada. Picada is kind of like a pesto. It’s basically blended breadcrumbs, herbs & garlic. Some picada recipes will call for other things (like anchovies) and they’re mostly specific to the Catalan dish you are preparing. Anyway, picada brings everything together; it adds texture and flavor without adding so many calories (like creams). The MOST important thing is that you MUST add this in last into your dish. If you add it too early, your sauce will break (thanks for the tip Chef Julie!).

Picada recipe:

• Garlic
• Fresh parsley
• Bread crumbs (I actually pan-toasted baguette slices in olive oil and sliced them in cubes)
• Olive oil
• Roasted hazelnuts
• Almonds (they should be blanched but I just left them raw)

Place all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor (it might be best to first make your breadcrumbs). Add olive oil and some water until it’s like a thick paste.. like pesto! The great thing about this is that you can make it ahead of time and make a LOT of it. I think picada would be good as a spread, also..

Stew base recipe:

• 1 can of diced tomatoes in its juices
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• Garlic, minced
• Onions, diced
• Shallots, diced
• Fresh thyme (I put a couple sticks in)
• Fresh parsley, diced
• White wine
• Seafood stock
• 1 bell pepper (I used a green one), diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Salt & pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Olive oil & butter

Place everything in the slow cooker on low and let it cook for 8+ hours. You can make this as thick/thin as you’d like. I made it more soup-like because I added a lot of stock.

Seafood ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of scallops
• 1/2 lb of crawfish
• 1/2 lb of shrimp (they should be headed & deveined but I left it as is because that’s how the Spaniards did it!)
• 1/2 lb of mussels

Be sure to put these into the slow cooker on high 5-10 minutes before you serve dinner! Remember, it doesn’t take long for seafood to cook.. be wary of overcooking it! White fish is good in this stew as well (and we had it in our stew in Barcelona). And the picada!!! Put the picada in (to taste) before you put in the seafood.

I served this with sliced baguettes so we could dip it into the soup. It was pretty good but it was actually better a couple days later. OMG it was so much better.

This was definitely a lighter version of the original. I feel like they added some kind of cream into the broth and it tasted a lot more buttery. Additionally, I believe their stew was placed under the broiler for a little while. OH GOD it was so good. It was more stew-like in that it was a lot thicker. Does this mean I should revise my title to indicate that I had actually made a soup, not a stew?

Here’s a photo of the original, the inspiration for this meal (which cost ~20 euros):

$ breakdown:

• $3 for the baguettes
• $14 for ALL THE SEAFOOD!!! And it’s fresh, too! I bought a pound of each and only used half for the recipe. I love Chinatown!
• <$3 for the canned goods
• ~$1 for the bell pepper
• ~$1 for the jalapeno pepper

Read Full Post »