SALMON TACOS

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

I’ve always twisted my nose at seafood tacos, considering them an abnormality of the gastronomic world. But, life has its own way of teaching important lessons and during our stay in Los Angeles, we sampled some fish tacos that made me reconsider my opinions. What can I say? I loved them, as well as the particularly incredible array of tasty salsas that place has to offer.

Since we came back, I wanted to make some type of fish tacos at home, and this recipe that I adapted from Food and Wine magazine was a perfect starting point.
CHIPOTLE-RUBBED SALMON TACOS
(adapted from Food and Wine)

2 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound skinless wild Alaskan salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 corn tortillas
Salt
1 Hass avocado, mashed with a squeeze of lime juice
salt and pepper
1 cup finelly shredded cabbage

for salsa:
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 English cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ripe tomato, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced (optional)
1 + 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 + ½ teaspoons sugar
salt to taste

Prepare the salsa by mixing in a bowl the apple, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and onion (if using). Add the vinegar and sugar, season with salt, and reserve. It can be prepared hours in advance to intensify the flavors.

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the lime juice, season with salt and pepper and reserve. In another small bowl, combine the chipotle powder with the orange zest and sugar. Rub each piece of salmon with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and then with the chipotle–orange zest mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat the tortillas either in a low oven, wrapped in foil, or on top of a flame (my method of choice), until they are softened and heated through.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan. Season the salmon with salt and grill over high heat until nicely browned and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Gently break each piece of salmon in half. Spread the mashed avocado on the warm tortillas and top with the salmon, Apple-Cucumber Salsa and the cabbage. Drizzle each taco with the lime yogurt and serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This simple recipe is like a symphony of flavors – the salsa has it all: spicy, hot, sweet, the green apple is the key ingredient. As to the cabbage, I’ve got a tip for you. If you love it in its raw state but the crunch factor seems a bit excessive, put the shredded/julienned cabbage in a small bowl, add very hot or boiling water to cover, count to 5 seconds and quickly drain it, rinsing it with plenty of cold water. This simple step softens it just enough, but won’t cook it. Perfect texture to top your tacos.

This type of meal is a favorite of ours: all the ingredients spread on the kitchen island, and we can enjoy them whichever way we like, very relaxed, very Summerish!
I sometimes go for a tortilla-less version, lighter but just as flavorful….

….but it’s nice to go for the full treatment with a bit of rice to round the meal

Whatever your preference, this meal is a winner! If you are not sold on the idea of a fish taco, please, try this one, you will be very pleasantly surprised.

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21May2011

SLOW-BAKED SALMON

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

Let’s suppose that you find the flavor of salmon a bit strong, as I used to feel about anchovies and related items of a fishy persuasion. This recipe might just change your mind and begin a new gastronomic love affair. With salmon, slow-baking until the meat is barely cooked gives the fish an almost mousse-like consistency, and flavor as mild as “salmon-ly” possible. Plus, the lemon zest and thyme seasoning add a delicious counterpoint! From the latest issue of Bon Appetit, this one goes into my favorites folder.

SLOW-BAKED SALMON WITH LEMON AND THYME
(adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2011)

1 + 1/2 Tbs olive oil, divided
4 salmon filets or 1 large piece, skin on
2 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, chopped
zest of 1 large lemon + juice
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 275 F. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil, coat it lightly with 1/2 Tbs of olive oil, and place the salmon filet over it, skin side down.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the thyme and lemon zest. Rub this mixture all over the salmon, season with salt and pepper and squeeze a little lemon juice over it. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then place it in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the fish is just cooked.

Serve with lemon wedges, and…

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We eat salmon on a weekly basis, but almost always grilled. Phil, the expert, makes it exactly the way I love, with the center still moist, never over-cooked. The high heat of the grill, however, doesn’t mellow the salmon character at all, quite the contrary. We both love it, but it’s nice to have a change of pace.

This method can be adapted to all sorts of seasonings. In fact, when we move back home next month I’ll grab my Jacques Pepin‘s “Fast Food My Way“, and re-visit one of my favorite recipes in that book, a salmon filet cooked at an even lower temperature, for about 40 minutes. If I remember correctly, he coats the filet with breadcrumbs and ground hazelnuts. It is outstanding, like so many of Pepin’s recipes.

Stay tuned! 😉

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7May2011

GAMBERETTI CON RUCOLA E POMODORI

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

Nope, this recipe didn’t come from an Italian cookbook. I hope Martha Stewart won’t mind that I took some liberties with the title for her creation, but it just sounds too lovely in the language of Dante: “… Gamberetti… Rucola… Pomodori,” …just beautiful!

This year I insist on “quick and easy dinners,” because life is awfully busy for us here in LA. It’s now our final month at UCLA, so this type of recipe is a life-saver. Cook some pasta (we used cappellini, that’s ready in five minutes), grab some lettuce for a simple salad, and all of a sudden you’ll have a meal from a trattoria by the Mediterranean Sea.

SAUTEED SHRIMP WITH ARUGULA AND TOMATOES
(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, June 2010)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 garlic clove, lightly smashed
1 pound large shrimp
4 cups baby arugula leaves
salt and pepper
juice of half a lemon

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and sautee for a couple of minutes in gentle heat, until it gets fragrant and starts to develop some color. Remove the garlic and discard it. Add the tomatoes, season with a little salt and pepper, increase the heat, and cook, stirring often, until they blister and release some liquid.

Add the shrimp and cook until opaque, not more than 4 minutes. Add the arugula leaves, a little more salt, and toss until wilted. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pan, and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, and serve over pasta or white rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: My preference for arugula or spinach is always changing. Sometimes I settle on spinach, for its mellowness and delicate taste. Then, my mood switches and I grab bag after bag of arugula at the store and bring it home. Its leaves are sturdier, it wilts with dignity. 😉 And the peppery bite, no spinach can match it. As you might guess, I’m going through the arugula phase right now.

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9Apr2011

MAHI-MAHI

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

I fall in love with words quite easily. Mahi-mahi…. is just one of the many beautiful Hawaiian words. When we visited Oahu I found it fascinating to read the street names, which for the most part were quite hard for a foreigner to remember: Kamehameha, Mamalahoa, Kealakehe, Hualalai. They all seemed so…. musical!

It turns out that the Hawaiian alphabet lacks a few consonants: C, J, Q, and X. It also makes no distinction between K and T. When the complexity of a language decreases at one level, it often compensates on another. The fewer consonants probably explains why so many Hawaiian words have duplicated syllables, giving the spoken language a playful component that’s quite pleasing. But, I digress… mahi-mahi (by the way, “mahi” means “strong”) is one of my favorite fish, at the top with striped sea bass. It has a mild, but definitely not bland flavor, and a meaty texture that’s perfect for grilling, as this recipe (another gem I got from my friend Heather) will convince you.

GRILLED MAHI-MAHI WITH CITRUS MARINADE
(from Heather’s kitchen)

2 filets of mahi-mahi (may substitute other firm-fleshed fish)

for the marinade:
2 T fresh lime juice

3 T rice vinegar

1 T finely chopped ginger

1 T finely chopped scallions

3 T mild vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)

1 T soy sayce

1/2 t Asian chili sauce (optional)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prepare a marinade by whisking all ingredients together. Marinate the fish for 30 minutes to 2 hours in the fridge. Grill until cooked through.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was one of the tastiest dinners in the past few weeks. A fish like mahi-mahi is delicious on its own, so the less you mess with it, the better it is. This preparation was perfect: a hint of lemon, a little heat, and nothing else. No elaborate toppings, crusts, or sauces. A simple, delicious meal, as healthy as it gets.

We loved it with roasted asparagus, and with a mixture of white rice and wheat berries that, all modesty aside, was a spur of the moment inspiration that had me patting myself on the back. I spotted some white rice in the fridge and some cooked wheat berries that I was saving for a salad. I just mixed them and warmed them in the microwave. It was an absolutely delicious combination that will be a regular production in the Bewitching Kitchen.

ONE YEAR AGO: Memories of Pasteis

25Jan2011

SHRIMP AND FENNEL CASSEROLE

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

Cooking shrimp in the oven has its problems. It is easy to end up with the delicate meat all tight and dried up from the excessive heat, so I always use recipes that protect the shrimp with enough sauce and/or topping. This simple casserole is one of my favorites, adapted from a recipe by Molly Stevens published in a Fine Cooking issue years ago. Fennel, tomato and orange offer a nice base to cook the shrimp, and the layer of bread crumbs on top makes them simply irresistible. Trust me!

SHRIMP AND FENNEL CASSEROLE
(adapted from Molly Steven’s recipe)

4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (divided, 2 Tbs + 2 Tbs)
1 medium size fennel bulb, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/8 cup Triple Sec (or 1/4 cup dry, white wine)
zest of 1 medium orange
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juices
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
3 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 + 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel and sauté until slightly softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the Triple Sec and orange zest and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and their juices, season with salt and pepper, and stir to heat through. Spread the tomato mixture in a baking dish that will hold the shrimp in a single layer.

Prepare the topping by mixing in a small bowl the breadcrumbs, parsley, remaining 2 Tbs olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the shrimp on the tomato mixture, and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through – 12 to 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you want to make this recipe even easier for a weeknight, prepare the tomato/fennel base in advance and simply re-heat it before placing in the oven. It is important that the sauce is already warm when it goes in the oven, that helps coaching the shrimp into cooking evenly and remaining tender and juicy. While you heat the oven, make the topping, and dinner will be ready in less than 20 minutes. A side dish of pasta, rice, or just a hearty piece of bread with a salad will complement it perfectly.

I was hoping for leftovers to take to work the following day, but something went terribly right with this dinner. 😉

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