Sea Scallops with Sauce Meuniere

Now that I've been able how to sear scallops well, I'm always on the hunt for new and interesting scallop recipes. This one is great, and Stacy said it smells and tastes like a restaurant dish.--Mark

Ingredients

1 lb sea scallops

6 tablespoons butter, divided

4 tablespoons chopped green onions

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 dash cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

1 fresh lemon, halved

Instructions

Rinse scallops in cold water; pat dry with paper towels.

In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons butter on high heat until sizzling; add scallops.

Immediately reduce heat to medium, and cook scallops 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly browned, turning once.

Melt the rest of the butter in with the scallops then add the chopped green onions and the garlic, tossing to coat and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the wine and cook for 1 minute more.

Remove from heat and season with salt and cayenne; sprinkle with the snipped parsley.

Serve hot with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon.

Sriracha Glazed Seared Scallops

 Scallops any way are awesome, but this is a great variation. I've finally gotten to where I'm not scared to barely sear them so they don't get tough and chewy. You HAVE to barely sear them if you want the restaurant quality. And we want that restaurant quality! --Mark

Ingredients

1/2 lb sea scallops (fresh or thawed if frozen)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp avocado oil or olive oil

1-2 tsp unsalted butter

a splash of white wine or dry sherry

Sriracha to taste

parsley to garnish

Instructions

Rinse scallops with cold water and remove any of the side muscles (the little extra flap found on the side of the scallops) that are present. Pat scallops dry. Season scallops with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a cast iron skillet or sauté pan to high heat with 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp butter. Once your pan is hot and ready, gently add the scallops, spaced and uncrowded.

Sear uninterrupted for about 1.5 to 2 minutes on each side (flip gently using tongs) until a golden crust forms on each end.

Overcooking will be your worst enemy here so keep an eye on them. Smaller scallops will cook faster while extra large scallops may need extra time on each side. Once done, plate the scallops.

Next deglaze the pan to make your sauce.

Add a splash of white wine (I had a yummy chardonnay on hand) or dry sherry and a generous dollop of sriracha and whisk the orange bubbly amazingness until all the little golden bits of scallop have released from your pan. Add extra Sriracha and butter to the sauce as desired.

Remove from heat, pour over scallops, and sprinkle with parsley for a pop of green.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Pasteis de Bacalhau

Kate has always loved these, and we ate some fantastic pasteis in Belem, Portugal. She really wanted these for her birthday so I decided to learn how to make them. It was a success!  --Mark

Ingredients

10 ounces salted cod, preferably thick pieces
14 ounces russet potatoes, unpeeled
1 small onion, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 large eggs
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Instructions

Rinse the cod well to wash away some of the surface salt. Place it in a roomy bowl, cover it with cold water, and set aside, changing the water 4 to 5 times for a total of 12 hours (for very thin cuts) to 24 hours (for thicker cuts). Before cooking, taste a few strands to make sure it’s not overly salty, although it should retain some saltiness or the resulting cod cakes will be bland.

Boil the potatoes (preferably in their skins, so the potatoes don’t absorb water). Peel the potatoes and mash or sieve them. Set aside.

Meantime, simmer the cod in enough boiling water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the cod, discard the skin and bones, and flake the fish as much as you can with your fingers or a fork to reduce it to threads. (The proper way of doing this is to place the flaked cod inside a clean cloth, fold it and squeeze and pound the contents of the cloth with your fists. In this way you will have mashed cod.)

Mix the cod with the mashed potatoes and add the eggs, 1 by 1, and then the onion and parsley. Taste and, if desired, season with salt. You may not need to add any, as the cod itself retains quite a lot of saltiness, in spite of being soaked and boiled. The mixture should be quite stiff, enabling a spoon to stand up in it. If you find it excessively dry, add one or two tablespoons of milk. Allow this to cool completely before deep frying.

With two tablespoons, shape the fishcakes like large eggs and place in the hot oil (370°F/190°C), turning them three or four times to get nicely browned all over. When cooked, lift them with a big fork or slotted spoon and place them on kitchen paper, to absorb excess fat. Go on molding and frying until you use up the mixture.

Notes:

https://leitesculinaria.com/7586/recipes-portuguese-salt-cod-fritters.html

This is another recipe that does really well in the deep fryer.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

On a dreary, rainy day we decided to make this recipe. Stacy informs me that it is the best tuna casserole we've ever made. So, this recipe is the one. --Mark

Ingredients

6 oz pasta

1 8-oz package of mushrooms

2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 1/2 C frozen peas, thawed

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 quart vegetable broth
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
3 T flour
2 5-oz cans of tuna, drained and flaked
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Topping:
1 C panko bread crums
1 T butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine topping ingredients and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add olive oil to a 7-quart stock pot, and saute mushrooms, celery, onions and garlic powder for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce and thyme sprig and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese and noodles, stirring until creamy and smooth. Sprinkle flour over top of mixture. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in tuna and peas. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into a 3-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle on Cheddar cheese and topping mixture. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.

Notes

We omitted the mushrooms, used gluten free pasta, and added a third can of tuna. We also prepared it in a rectangular Pyrex dish, and it was great.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/239901/no-yolks-tuna-noodle-casserole/

Salmon Roasted in Butter

One day Stacy thinks, "Hey, you know what would be good? Salmon with a bunch of butter on it." A Google search later reveals this delightful dish. Quick. Easy. Oh so delicious! --Mark

Ingredients:

4 T butter
4 T minced chervil, dill, or parsley
1 salmon filet (1 1/2 to 2 lb)
salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the butter and half the herb in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon and place it in the oven. Heat about 5 minutes, until the butter melts and the herb begins to sizzle.

2. Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up. Roast 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, then peel the skin off. (If the skin does not lift right off, cook 2 minutes longer.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn the fillet over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again.

3. Roast 3 to 5 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fillet and the degree of doneness you prefer. Cut into serving portions, spoon a little of the butter over each and garnish with the remaining herb. Serve with lemon wedges.

New England Baked Fish

This is a super easy meal to throw together and it really doesn't take long at all to make. Even our pickier seafood eaters like this one. --Mark

Ingredients:

Flaky white fish (Whiting works well)

butter

bread crumbs

Italian seasonings

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish and layer the fish in a single layer.

Melt butter in a sauce pan and add a generous amount of bread crumbs. Heat slightly. Add Italian seasoning to taste. Cover the fish with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Notes:

You can substitute any seasonings you'd like. Sometimes we just use salt and pepper. Be careful not to burn the crumbs. Serve with lemon juice and cocktail sauce if you'd like.

Seared Tuna with Wasabi-Butter Sauce

I previously said a different tuna recipe is Maxim's favorite, but THIS is the one he loves. The sauce makes the meal. --Mark


Ingredients:

2 T white wine vinegar
10 oz white wine
1/4 C minced shallots
1 T wasabi paste
1 T soy sauce
1 C unsalted butter, cut in cubes
salt and black pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
1 C chopped cilantro
6-6 oz tuna steaks

Instructions:

Combine the white wine vinegar, white wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain out shallot and discard, return liquid to the pan. Stir the wasabi and soy sauce into the reduction in the pan.

Over low heat, gradually whisk in butter one cube at a time allowing the mixture to emulsify. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. When all of the butter has been incorporated, stir in cilantro, and remove from heat. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet, and sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook, this fish should be served still a little pink in the center. Serve with sauce.


Notes:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/seared-tuna-with-wasabi-butter-sauce/

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

This is a great summer grill recipe. The longer you marinate the shrimp the more flavorful the shrimp get. We served ours over angel hair pasta and it was great. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

Instructions:

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.

Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marinated-Grilled-Shrimp/Detail.aspx

Halibut with Rice Wine

Halibut has one of those great fish flavors you hate to mess with too much, and this recipe is perfect. The flavors are strong, but don't overpower the natural flavor of the fish. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T black bean sauce
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
1 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
6 (4 ounce) fillets halibut, skin removed
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Heat oil in non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic gently until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in black bean sauce, rice wine, and soy sauce. Bring to boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar; set aside.

Pat fish dry. Rub with sesame oil and sprinkle with pepper. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil grate.

Grill fish for about 5 minutes per side, or just until cooked through. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with sauce poured over top.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Halibut-with-Rice-Wine/Detail.aspx

Fish in Foil

Too much trout? Make a bunch of this. This recipe is super easy and so delicious. We make ours on the grill, any time of the year, any weather. It is very moist and has a very interesting blend of flavors. Add a little dill for a very fresh flavor. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 rainbow trout fillets
1 T olive oil
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced
1 lemon, sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse fish, and pat dry.

Rub fillets with olive oil, and season with garlic salt and black pepper. Place each fillet on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Top with jalapeno slices, and squeeze the juice from the ends of the lemons over the fish. Arrange lemon slices on top of fillets. Carefully seal all edges of the foil to form enclosed packets. Place packets on baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of fish. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fish-in-Foil/Detail.aspx

Oven-Roasted Trout with Lemon-Dill Stuffing

When Stacy gets in a fish mood, she goes on Allrecipes, searches for recipes, and comes up with about a hundred recipes to try. Then she saves them in her recipe box and tells me all about each one. We then make 2 or 3 in one night, and then make a few more later in the week. They are usually really good, and then we end up with a lot of great recipes. This one is great. It's a fancy take on a regular ol' river fish. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 sweet onion, minced
2 T chopped fresh dill
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
4 trout, cleaned and head removed

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Toss bread crumbs with onion, dill, lemon zest, garlic, and half of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Press stuffing into the trout, then brush the trout with the remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place trout onto prepared baking sheet.

Roast in the preheated oven until the skin of the fish begins to brown, and the flesh flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Notes:

Add a splash of white wine and make MUCH more of the stuffing!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oven-Roasted-Trout-with-Lemon-Dill-Stuffing/Detail.aspx

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

Tilapia is such a great fish to make. There really isn't a bad way to do it. And how could you not love lemon and garlic? Fish is easy to work with and the payoff is huge. --Mark

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 T butter, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper.

Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 30 minutes.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Garlic-Tilapia/Detail.aspx

Wasabi-Encrusted Tuna Steaks

This is one of those very fancy but very easy recipes to make. This is one of Maxim's favorite ways to eat fish, and he's not really a fish person. It seems like something you'd get at a nice restaurant. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 T five-spice powder
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 T sake
2 T rice vinegar
2 T tamari
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 pounds ahi tuna steaks, each about 1 inch thick
1 pound wasabi peas, crushed
2 T light brown sugar

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the five-spice powder, ginger, sake, rice vinegar, tamari, and sesame oil. Add the tuna steaks and turn to coat; allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Combine the crushed wasabi peas and brown sugar. Remove the tuna steaks from the marinade, and press into the pea mixture to coat. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, sear the tuna in a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to desired doneness. Pour sauce over tuna to serve.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wasabi-Encrusted-Tuna-Steaks/Detail.aspx

Shrimp Mozambique

This is one of our go-to appetizers. It is quick and easy to make and is incredibly delicious. Like most of our Portuguese recipes, it has that "inexact" feel, but it makes it that much easier to modify to your liking. Make a lot and enjoy! -Mark

Ingredients:

3 T butter

minced garlic

crushed red pepper

3 T olive oil

salt

2 lb shrimp

Directions:

Melt butter in a large frying pain or pot. Saute garlic and crushed red pepper. Add olive oil and continue to heat. Mix in shrimp and cook until done. Salt to taste.

Notes:

Don't forget the bread to sop up all the wonderful and delicious juice. The large (not jumbo) shrimp work the best, but medium shrimp aren't bad. You can use the precooked shrimp, but the overall flavor may not be quite as good. We recently tried this over pasta and it was wonderful.

Stuffed Mackerel

Stacy's mom can get mackerel by the bucket in New England and she made this for us one trip up there. We had to come home and make it almost immediately. The recipe I'm transcribing is on a 2 inch by 2 inch post it note with arrows and circles all over it. It's a wonder I can decipher it at all. It would work in any oily, whole fish. --Mark

Ingredients:

mackerel

onion, chopped

garlic, minced

crushed red pepper

olive oil

3 T tomato sauce, baby clams

bread crumbs or stale bread

parsley

Instructions:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add red pepper and heat through. Add baby clams (drained) but save the liquid on the side. Once the clams are heated, add the tomato sauce and heat.

Moisten bread crumbs or bred with clam juice and water as necessary. Mix with mixture from above. Stuff fish.

Place fish in an oiled baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 3o minutes until flaky.

Trout with Cream Sauce

When most restaurants serve ocean fish, it's easy to forget how great trout is. This is a gourmet type of recipe for a pretty simple and common fish. It's great! But not for your cholesterol. --Mark

Ingredients:

Trout

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 sprigs fresh parsley

pepper

2-3 T salt

one stick butter

1 T flour

1 pint heavy cream

Instructions:

Boil trout for 20 minutes with 1 part wine and 3 parts water. Boil with carrots, potatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

For the sauce, melt the butter and mix in flour. Stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add heavy cream. Heat through and pour over fish.

Stuffed Squid

This is oh so good. You need to get a hold of whole, good quality squid for this one. Even if you don't think you like squid, give this a try. It's so worth it. --Mark

Ingredients:

Squid, cleaned

tomato sauce

parsley

onion, chopped

olive oil

Instructions:

Cut up tentacles and mix with parsley, onions, oil, and tomato sauce. It should make a thick mixture. Stuff the squid with the mixture and close with a toothpick. Grill until done.

Seafood Salad

This salad is definitely hearty enough to be a meal by itself. It's sort of a cross between a potato and crab salad. It's best served cold. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 package imitation crab meat

6 large potatoes, boiled and cut into cubes

4 eggs, boiled and sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

olives (optional)

Instructions:

Toss all together. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. Garnish with olives if desired.

Tuna Casserole

The word "casserole" doesn't always inspire confidence when it comes to the kitchen, but in some cases it is just good. This is a nice dish that uses whatever you have on hand and is great for lunch or dinner. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 cans tuna

1 tsp salt

frozen veggie, thawed

cooked pasta

sauce

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients and turn into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Notes:

For the sauce, some options are:

one can cream of mushroom plus one cup of milk

1 can cream of chicken plus 1 1/4 cup milk

1 can (16 oz.) seasoned stewed tomatoes

This is a recipe where anything truly goes.

Clams with Rice

Stacy's aunt Noemia makes this dish for EVERY family gathering. Every one. It's almost a joke, until you taste it and think "you can cook this for me every day." I tried getting the recipe from her and it was worse than getting it from Stacy's mother--ingredients all over the place, directions out of order, a lot of "you remember when you added the onion? Before that . . ." at the end of it all, we got a great recipe, though. --Mark

Ingredients:

large can of clams
1 onion

2 cups rice

2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 1 Knorr)

parsley

1 packet Goya seasoning with saffron

olive oil

butter (optional)

Instructions:

Cook rice in water and clam juice, reserving some clam juice on the side.

Chop clams. Saute in olive oil with bouillon and some clam juice. Add Goya seasoning and onions, cooking through. Add parsley.

Add cooked rice to clams and mix. Add butter if desired.