recipephile

Broiled Tile Fish With Brown Sugar and Old Bay

For the last week I have been vacationing with my family in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Each and every day has been spent relaxing on the beach, riding bikes and catching up with my cousins. 

In our usual form we talk and plan and discuss all of our meals in the mornings and then everyone pitches in on the preparation and clean up.  We have this dance we do in the kitchen and while one is busy chopping and slicing another is working diligently at the stove.  It all comes together seamlessly and is always delicious. 

On Wednesday a team of people headed out to go deep sea fishing.  They caught quite a bit of fish, about 30 altogether.  Many of these were tilefish. Tilefish is a flaky whitefish with delicious flavor.  They are good fried, pan-seared, broiled or grilled. With all of the fish we had we decided to prepare them a number of way. 

My absolute favorite was the broiled variety with brown sugar and Old Bay, the classic seafood seasoning.  The fish was broiled under very high heat and the brown sugar and Old Bay ended up being  a delicious combination of sweet and spicy.

This recipe would work well with just about any delicious whitefish.  It would also taste good with salmon.

- 1 large tilefish filet (our was about 2 pounds)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Old Bay
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- A few shakes of freshly ground black pepper

Clean the filet and pat it dry. Rub it with the extra virgin olive oil. Mix the brown sugar, Old Bay, salt and pepper in a small bowl and then rub the side of the filet that will be under the broiler with the mixture. Place into a Pyrex dish, turn the broiler on high and set the fish underneath about 2 inches away.

Do not let the oven close all of the way and watch the fish as it cooks.  It should take about 8-10 minutes to cook the fish.  Make sure you watch as it cooks.  The sugar will caramelize and brown forming a nice crust on the top of the fish.  You can take it out while it is cooking and cut into the thickest part to check the doneness.  Note that the fish will continue to cook when you take it out of the oven, so let it rest for 5 minutes or so when it comes out.

Enjoy your fish with a delicious selection of white wine.

Delicious Brined Salmon With Spice Hunter's Grill Shakers Seafood Spices

Last week I spent time in Fire Island with my friends, cooking up a storm and serving lots of delicious food.  It is always customary for everyone to participate in the cooking process and one particular evening I was in charge of the salmon. 

Thinking back on a recent posting I did on brined shrimp I decided to try brining the salmon before cooking it on the grill. The process is quite simple and really adds amazing flavor.  In the past I only use sugar and salt in the brining mixture, but this time I decided to step it up with Spice Hunter's Grill Shakers Seafood spices to add some additional flavor to the brine.  The result was a delicately moist and flavorful piece of fish.

- 1 large salmon filet (ours was about 2 lbs.)
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp Spice Hunter's Grill Shakers Seafood Spices
- Water

About 1/2 hour before you grill the fish combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl and cover the fish with water.  Place in refrigerator for 1/2 hour, remove, grill to your liking and serve.

We had a wonderful Pinot Noir from Graton Ridge with our salmon.

 

Seafood Stew With Halibut, Shrimp and Clams Over Rice

This weekend my friends and I spent time on Fire Island cooking lots of delicious food.  On Sunday morning we were watching TV and I saw a commercial with a seafood stew.  I knew immediately what we would be making for dinner. 

After feasting on a delicious tri-tip steak lunch prepared by Derek and Eric, I grabbed Christian and we headed to the grocery with one idea in mind: seafood stew. We selected our ingredients based on what was available at the store.  We got some shrimp, halibut and clams and decided on a tomato base. It was a great way to celebrate Ryan's birthday.

- 4 poblano peppers
- 2 large sweet onions
- 10 cloves of roasted garlic
- 20 baby clams
- 2 lbs of halibut
- 1 lb large shrimp, uncooked with tails on
- 1/4 cup Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 large cans (6 cups total) of Progresso Diced Tomatoes
- 1 cup of chopped green onion stems (do not use the white part)
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350.  Wash the poblano peppers and place onto a cookie sheet.  Slice the onions into thick rounds (about 1/2 inch).  Place the onions onto the cookie sheet with the peppers and roast both for about 35-40 minutes. Remove, let cool, cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds using the back of a knife.  You can keep the seeds in, but the sauce will be more spicy.

In a sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the roasted garlic and diced green onions.  Saute for about 2-3 minutes, chop the peppers and onions and add to the sauce pan then add the tomatoes.  Let cook down for about a 1/2 hour over medium heat.

As the sauce cooks down brine your shrimp and fish. Chop the halibut into bite size pieces and place the shrimp and fish into a large bowl and cover with water. Add the 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar and mix well.  Let rest in the refrigerator for no more than 30 minutes.  Remove from the brine and drain well. Place onto a cookie sheet and pat with paper towels to remove the excess liquid from the fish.

Add the clams to the pan and cover to cook about 5 to 7 minutes.

Heat the broiler on high and broil the fish and shrimp for 4-5 minutes.  Add the broiled fish to the stew and let the stew cook for a few more minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper as necessary.

Make your cilantro gremolata.  Combine the garlic, lemon zest and cilantro in a small bowl.

Serve the stew over rice and top with a sprinkling of the gremolata.

Enjoy with a fruity Sauvignon Blanc.

Basa Firm White Fish With Spicy Lemon Mayo Sauce

While strolling the fish department in Safeway yesterday I came across a type of fish that I have never tried before.  It is called basa.  According to Wikipedia the basa fish, Pangasius bocourti, is a type of catfish in the family Pangasiidae. Basa are native to the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and Chao Phraya basin in Thailand.

My plan was a simple one.  Pan fry the fish with a little bit of olive oil and end the cooking process with a mixture of mayo, lemon and serachi spicy chili sauce. Serve with a simple salad of greens, feta, red onion and olive oil and rice vinegar dressing.  Also serve with brown rice cooked in chicken broth and seasoned with minced garlic.

The salad and rice are easy.  To prepare the fish saute two large filets in olive oil for about 2-3
minutes on each side.  Prepare the sauce by mixing the juice of 1 lemon, two tbsps of low fat mayo, 1 tsp of serachi and then mix well.  After the fish has cooked for a couple of minutes on each side top with the sauce while still in the pan and let cook down for about a minute.

Serve over rice with the salad.

Brined Shrimp With Roasted Peppers

Last weekend my very good friend John and I decided to surprise my parents and pay them a visit on Hutchinson Island in Stuart Florida. The two of us schemed and planned with my parent's friends Bob and Elsa to host a dinner party at their new home.  We enlisted others to help pull off the surprise including Stan and Beryl, Jim and Lindale and Laird and Pat.

We flew in on Thursday and spent Friday morning and afternoon cooking up a storm.  Prior to our arrival John and I planned out the menu and with the help of John and his goal of taking food to the next level we pulled off an incredible meal.  Over the next few weeks I will be featuring recipes that were prepared that evening.

The theme of the party that evening was the Duquesne Club, an establishment located in Pittsburgh that is known for its incredible food and culinary expertise.  Our selections were adaptations of of various recipes from the famed Duquesne Club Cookbook, which offers a collection of the Club's most famous recipes.

One of my favorite dishes is the traditional shrimp cocktail served with Remoulade sauce. We took this one to the next level by brining and roasting the shrimp and also serving it with roasted red peppers and a remoulade sauce that we purchased from the New England Fish Market in Jensen Beach.

You can make your own Remoulade sauce and will find multiple recipes here. This site offers so many variations I suggest you review the many styles and choose what suits your flavor profile best.

Here is what you need to do to prepare this dish.

For the peppers:

- 8 yellow, red or orange peppers or a mixture of all three
- Large Ziploc bag

Turn your broiler on high and let the coils preheat.  Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and the white inards.  Press down each half and flatten as much as possible.  Place onto a cookie sheet and into the oven.  Keep the oven cracked open and monitor the roasting of the peppers.  It is okay if the skin gets very black, this is what you want.  Depending on the amount of heat that your broiler gives off it can take anywhere from 8-15 minutes to get the skins to where you want them to be.  I often shuffle them on the cookie sheet every 5 minutes to ensure even roasting.

Once ready and completely black remove from the oven and place into a Ziploc bag.  Seal the bag and let sit to steam the peppers for about 30-40 minutes.  Remove from the bag and while running under cold water remove the skins.  They should literally slide off, but may require some coaxing.

Set aside.

For the Shrimp:

- 2 lbs of jumbo (16-20 count) shrimp
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of salt
- Water

Shell and devein the shrimp and place into a large bowl.  Add the salt and sugar and cover with water. Stir well and let rest in the refirgerator for about 30 minutes. Remove from the brine and dry the shrimp well.

When the shrimp are done brining, turn on the broiler and place a cookie sheet underneath.  Heat the sheet for about 2 minutes.  Remove and immediately place the shrimp under the broiler for 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes flip the shrimp and broil for another minute. Remove from the broiler and let rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Arrange the peppers on a platter along with the shrimp.  Place a bowl of the Remoulade next to the platter and serve.

Pepper Crusted Salmon With Honey Chardonnay Glaze

My friend Courtney joined me and a few friends for dinner last night. All of us meat eaters ended up feasting on a turkey casserole that I made using the leftovers from a Thanksgiving style meal that we prepared a few days ago.  Courtney does not eat meat, only fish, and so we had to come up with a main dish for her to eat with her snap peas and creamy Italian dressing salad.

Earlier in the day Tim and I were visiting with our friend Erika whose father always comes to visit with fresh caught (and then frozen) fish.  She would not let me have a piece of the abalone so I opted for some salmon.

Courtney LOVES pepper and honey so I decided to prepare her a Pepper Crusted Salmon With Honey Chardonnay Glaze.

- 1.5 - 2lbs of salmon fillet with skin removed
- 5 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup of chardonnay
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt

Liberally coat all sides of the fish with pepper.  Grind more if you need it.  On medium heat melt the 2 tbsp. of butter in a frying pan. Add the salmon and cook on both sides for about 3 minutes each.  Add the garlic and a 1/2 cup of the wine.  Add the flour to the other 1/2 cup of wine and mix well ensuring that there are no lumps.  Add this to the frying pan along with the garlic and honey and cook over medium heat until the mixture has thickened.  Ad the 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt and serve.

Much Ado About Oysters - Part Deux

Last weekend my friends and I did something totally awesome.  We rented out one of my favorite inns in the Bay Area and hosted a day long event.   The Pelican Inn was the location for the event, which included an afternoon oyster shucking party with copious amounts of Champagne, delicious appetizers and dinner for 18 of us at a beautiful farm house table.  The inn is pretty fascinating and resembles an old English cottage.  Each of the rooms are styled with gorgeous antiques and overstuffed, comfy beds. We had the pleasure of working with Andrea the inn's party planner on the day and she was an incredible resource from start to finish.

Courtney, Chris, Scotty, Jason, John and I all got up early on Saturday morning and headed north to pick up 5 dozen oysters for the shucking fest.  We stopped at The Marshall Store, which is the best place to get Oysters in Tomales Bay.  They were so fresh and delicious so I emailed them to find out exactly what kind of oysters they are. 

We initially thought they were Miyagis, but Heidi from The Marshall Store got back to me and told me that they are Pacific Oysters.  I emailed her back and told her that we thought they were Miyagis and she told us that they are in the Miyagi family.

So I sent the email to Chris and this started a conversation between the two of us.  Chris did some research and this is what he learned...  This is cut and paste from Chris' email to me:

------------------------------
They are Pacific Oysters first and foremost.

Some people have named different varieties of Pacific Oysters by different names including Marin Miyagi, Tomales Bay Oysters, Drakes Bay Oysters, and Hog Island Sweetwater Oysters--but they are all Pacific Oysters (which were introduced to the region from Japan around 1930.)

The oysters will have a variety of sizes, shapes, flavors, and textures depending on where they are grown and how they are grown. For instance, oysters from the warmer, shallow water of Tomales Bay near Pt. Reyes Station may actually look and taste different than those grown in deeper, colder water closer to the mouth of the bay at Dillon Beach. Hence different "local" names for these oysters--even though they are all the same species of Pacific Oyster. They way in which the oysters are cultivated can also influence the taste, texture, and size/shape. Oyster farmers use different types of structures to support the beds and some even experiment by regulating the water flow past the reef.

Interestingly, the Hog Island Company is actually cultivating two other species of oyster along with manila clams in their northern territory of Tomales Bay. The two other major species of Oyster are Eastern and Kumamoto. Eastern Oysters, like Pacific Oysters, are often known by a variety of names depending on the region where they are grown (Blue Point, Apalachicola, etc...) but Kumamoto Oysters are only known as Kumamotos.

I think a lot of the oyster naming business is based on marketing--much like Mondavi's successful Fume Blanc among the typical grassy California Sauvignon Blancs of the time... In fact, wine is probably the best analogy to use when discussing oysters. Think of the three major varieties of oysters as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Vigonier. Three different grapes make these distinctly different white wines, yet each type of wine can vary greatly depending on the growing conditions. A label that reads "Fume Blanc - Sonoma County" and another that reads "Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough" will differ greatly, even though they are both Sauvignon Blancs. This principal can be equated to oysters in the sense that Tomales Bay Co.'s "Marin Miyagi" is a different oyster than Hog Island's "Sweetwater," though they are both Pacific Oysters. Following the analogy, Eastern Oysters would be the Chardonnay and Kumamotos the Vigonier (slightly more exotic than the other varieties.)

Hope this helps. I did a lot of oyster research over the past couple of days...

Turmeric and Wasabi Crusted Red Snapper Served With Shitake Mushrooms, Bok Choy and Brown Rice

The other day I was perusing a cooking magazine and came across a beautiful picture of a piece of fish lightly resting on a bed of polenta and topped with sauteed shitake mushrooms.  The picture stuck in my head and when planning a meal for my friend Darin the other night I recalled that image once again and devised a little recipe plan in my head. 

My feet took me to the Gucci of grocery stores, Bristol Farms, in the Westfield Center in downtown San Francisco.  I call it the Gucci of grocery stores, because it is the cleanest, most beautiful and ridiculously expensive place I have ever visited to buy food. They also have a little bit of an attitude, which I hate, but still go back because their selection is absolutely incredible (and it is conveniently located right near my gym).

When I arrived at the store I immediately strolled up to the fish department and picked up about a ponud of red snapper fillets.  Then I got myself some bok choy, shitake mushrooms and brown rice. My vision, crust the fish with wasabi and turmeric and lay atop brown rice and bok choy seasoned with white wine and dijon.  Then top the pan fried fish with the shitake mushrooms. 

The result was amazing and I highly suggest giving this a try.

The Brown Rice
Follow the directions on the back of the bag for cooking the rice (each brand is a little different). Instead of using water use chicken or vegetable broth. When it is finished cooking add 1 tbsp of ground ginger, 2 tbsp of chopped chives and 1 tbsp of chopped garlic.  Set the rice aside and keep warm.

The Shitake Mushrooms
- 12 shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- Freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan over medium heat.  Sautee garlic until the scent fills the room being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the mushrooms and sautee until almost cooked through.  Remove, place into a bowl and set aside.  You may want to set your oven to the lowest temperature and place the mushrooms inside to keep warm.

The Bok Choy
- 3-4 stalks of baby bok choy
- 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp of dijon mustard
- 1 cup of dry white wine

Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan over medium heat. Add the bok choy and sautee for about one minute. Mix the dijon and white wine together and add to the pan. Place a lid on top and let steam for a few minutes until the bok choy has wilted. Set aside.

The Fish:
- 1 lb of red snapper filets cut into 4 pieces
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp wasabi powder
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 3-4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Mix the flour, pepper, salt, wasabi and turmeric together. Place onto a plate and liberally -- very liberally - dredge the pieces of fish in the flour.

Heat the olive oil in the sautee pan and sautee the dredged pieces of fish until cooked through and golden brown (and yellow from the turmeric).

To serve the dish plave a scoop of brown rice at the bottom of a bowl, add a little bit of the bok choy and then place a piece of fish over the greens.  Then top with the mushrooms.  You can really spice it up by mixing together 2-3 tbsps of wasabi with a 1/2 cup of lemon juice.  Spoon a little bit of this mixture over the top and serve.

Steamed Thai Tilapia

Last night I had a few friends over for dinner. Two of my friends are headed to Thailand in a few weeks and so I decided to make them some Thai food. For an appetizer I served Larb Gai and for dinner I made Steamed Thai Tilapia.  The recipe was adapted from a red snapper dish that I found online.

My original goal was to prepare red snapper, but when I went to the grocery store, ALAS, there was no snapper to be found. So I scanned the piles of fish filets and the best looking was the tilapia. The fish man wrapped it up for me and I was on my way.

When I was in Thailand I had dinner at this amazing restaurant --- cannot remember the name --- most of the fish that I ate there was steamed, topped with a delicious sauce and served over rice. So I made it my goal to try and recreate the fish and the sauce, which made the dish.  The following was my attempt and I must say it turned out pretty good.

For the sauce:

2 tbsp hot garlic chili sauce
1/2 Jalapeño pepper sliced - remove seeds
1 cup green onion tops - chopped
1 cup red pepper - chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 cup of dry vermouth and 5 or 6 basil leaves chopped

I placed everything in a wok and cooked on medium heat until the liquid had thickened a little bit, but was still saucy. Then I set this aside and steamed the fish.

I used the Lloyd Pans Wok Steamer to cook the sauce and then steam the fish and it worked very well. You can learn more about the company and their cookware here.

To steam the fish (I cooked 4 pieces) place some vermouth into the wok portion of the steamer (or the liquid area of your steamer) and place the steaming tray on top.  Put your fish in the tray and steam the fish for about 5-6 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch.

Serve over rice and dress with the sauce.

I also served mine with Tina's Cucumber Salad.

Enjoy with some crispy white wine. I have a new favorite called Scarpetta Pinto Grigot 2007.

Red Snapper Baked in Salt

This recipe goes way back to when my sister was living in Chicago and my father and I had this dish at a restaurant called Lino's on Ontario. It is actually baked in salt, which forms a hard crust and literally steams the fish inside.  I have made this several times and as I was standing at Peter's Meat Market in Fire Island a Red Snapper sat before me. I contemplated on whether to get it or not, but was compelled to prepare the dish for friends on the island. 

It is a little involved, but absolutely amazing.  I suggest everyone try it at least once.

- Whole Red Snapper 3-5 lbs, with head and all, but cleaned
- large cookie sheet - hold the fish over the cookie sheet to see if it will fit and if not you may need to remove part of the tail
- 2 large boxes of Kosher Salt
- 1 lemon sliced
- Handfuls of parsley and oregano
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp of flour mixed with one cup of water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stuff the inner cavity of the fish with the lemons, parsley and oregano as well as the garlic.  Cover the bottom of the cookie sheet with a layer of Kosher salt, place the fish on top of the first layer and then cover the entire fish with a thick layer of kosher salt.  Drizzle the flour and water combination over the top of the fish being sure not to wash away the salt.  If you do, just replace it with more dry kosher salt. Place the fish in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes.  Remove and let sit for 5 minutes.

The salt will form a crust on top and all around the fish.  Carefully remove the crust by lightly tapping it with the tip of a knife.  Once you have an opening you will be able to remove large chunks of the salt crust until the fish is entirely exposed.  Try to remove most if not all of the salt from the cookie sheet.   

With two spatulas, remove the fish from the cookie sheet and place onto a large cutting board.  Grab the end of the fish tail and start to pull carefully upward to the left until you can place the two halves of the fish facing one another.  You may need to support the fish with a spatula on the opposite side.  The two halves of the fish lips will be touching and you will have a whole fillet.

Now pull the fish tail to the right and the bones will lift easily off of the other fillet.   Now you have two fillets, but be careful and tell your guests that there still may be bones.

This is a fun dish that really is a crowd pleaser.  Serve it with a crispy and dry white wine and some rice and veggies.