Article by Christine Budd
Seared Tuna with Chimichurri Sauce & Greens
Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 small red onion, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Four 6-ounce tuna steaks
8 packed cups mesclun (5 ounces)
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the olive oil with the parsley, red onion, vinegar, basil, cilantro, garlic, crushed red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme. Season this chimichurri sauce with salt and pepper.
Season the tuna steaks with salt, pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme. Heat 2 large skillets. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil to each skillet; when it shimmers, add 2 tuna steaks to each pan. Cook over high heat until browned but rare in the center, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
In a large bowl, toss the mesclun with half of the chimichurri sauce and mound it on plates. Thinly slice the tuna steaks and set on the plates. Pass the remaining chimichurri sauce at the table to dress the tuna.
Easy Shrimp Gumbo
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 ½ cups frozen sliced okra
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Directions:
In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.
Reduce heat to low; add butter and remaining 4 tablespoons vegetable oil to the Dutch oven, stirring until butter has melted, about 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in flour until dark brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Increase heat to medium; add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Stir in chicken stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in sausage, tomatoes, Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until reduced and flavors have blended, about 2 hours.
Stir in okra until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Stir in shrimp; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat; discard bay leaves and stir in parsley.
Serve immediately with rice and hot sauce, if desired.
Blackened Tautog
Ingredients:
1 tautog fillet (8 oz)
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of cumin
1teaspoon thyme or oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 lemon
Directions:
Rinse blackfish fillet in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Mix spices in a small bowl and cover the fish entirely.
Heat butter on the skillet (it has to be very hot) and place fish in it. Cook for 4 minutes on one side and than for another 3 minutes on another side.
Move to the plate, squeeze some lemon on top and serve.
Notes:
- Do not move fish during cooking otherwise it may stick to the skillet.
- You can check the internal temperature my sticking meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fish. It should read 145 degrees Fahrenheit when fully cooked.
- Top fish with chopped green onions, lemon slices, chopped cilantro or parsley.
- If you want to slice the fish, move it to the cutting board and slice into equal pieces using a sharp knife.
Swordfish Spiedini
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds swordfish steaks (at least 1-inch thick), trimmed
12 short, thick wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
12 thin slices pancetta (about 3 ounces), unrolled so that you have a strip
6 lemon wedges
Directions:
Whisk the oil, Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Cut the swordfish steaks into 36 (1-inch) cubes and toss in the oil mixture to coat. Thread the swordfish cubes onto wooden skewers, 3 per skewer. Wrap a slice of pancetta around and between the swordfish cubes on each skewer. Arrange the swordfish skewers on a small baking sheet and brush with the remaining oil mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, turning occasionally in the oil mixture.
Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the swordfish skewers until the swordfish is just opaque in the center and the pancetta is crisp, turning often, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the skewers to plates and serve with lemon wedges.
Easy Baked Oysters
Ingredients:
24 shucked oysters
Creole seasoning
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
On a large rimmed baking sheet, place a large crinkled up piece of foil. It should fill the whole pan and will hold the oysters in place.
Place the shucked oysters in the prepared baking sheet.
Sprinkle each oyster with a pinch of creole seasoning and 1 teaspoon of each of the cheeses.
Bake the oysters for about 15 minutes. The cheese should be melted and golden brown.
Remove the oysters from the oven and sprinkle with the fresh parsley.
Venison Bourguignon
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
8 ounces chopped bacon
3 pounds deer roast meat chopped into large 2-inch chunks
2 pounds carrots chopped into large chunks
2 onions roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic smashed
1 pound crimini mushrooms halved
1/2 cup brandy
750 ml dry red wine
2 cups venison stock or beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bouquet garni (a small fresh herb bouquet with thyme, rosemary and a bay leaf – tied together)
4 tablespoons butter softened
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper
3 pounds baby golden potatoes
Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauce pot. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Next pat the venison chunks dry with a paper towel and salt and pepper to taste. Brown the deer meat on all sides. Then remove with a slotted spoon.
Add the onions, garlic, and carrots to the pot. Cook and stir for several minutes until the onions have softened, then add the mushrooms and cook another 5-10 minutes.
Add all meat back to the pot, followed by: brandy, wine, stock, and tomato paste. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and stir well. Then add the bouquet garni and cover.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for approximately 3 hours until the venison is very tender.
In the last hour of simmering, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the mini potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper.
Roast for 35-45 minutes until tender, tossing once in the middle.
Once the venison is tender, mix half a stick of softened butter with 1/4 cup of flour. Use a fork to press into a paste.
Slowly stir the butter mixture into the stew until the desired thickness in reached. Salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Crispy Pan Fried Rockfish
Ingredients:
1¼ cups panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons parsley
1 egg
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1½ pounds fresh or frozen rockfish fillets
Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
Combine the panko, parmesan and parsley in a wide bowl or a pie dish.
In a separate bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper.
Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel.
Optional Step: Cut the fillets into smaller sections about 3 inches long.
Add the fillets to the egg mixture and gently stir to coat the fish.
Pick up the fillet pieces one at a time and place in the breadcrumb mixture. Coat both sides of the fish with the breadcrumbs and gently press down on the fillets to get the breadcrumbs to adhere. Repeat with all the fish fillets.
Add enough oil to a 12-inch skillet to get it about 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot use tongs to gently add the fish fillets to the pan and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until golden brown. Carefully flip the fish fillets over and cook the other side for another 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
When the rockfish fillets are golden brown, lay them on a cooling rack or some paper towels while you finish frying the rest of the fish.
Serve with tartar sauce or garlic lemon butter sauce.
Best Ever Baked Salmon
Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each, skin on
1 ½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
Directions:
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper (or foil) for easy clean up.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard and minced garlic.
Place salmon, skin side down, in the prepared baking dish. Reserve ½ of the sauce in a clean dish and brush/spoon the remaining ½ of the sauce over the salmon.
Bake for 12 minutes and then brush on the remaining sauce. Bake 2-8 more minutes, or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. When it’s done, the salmon should flake easily with a fork. Thicker salmon fillets will take longer to cook through than thinner salmon fillets. §
