ALL ABOUT SEAFOOD
Seafood is more popular in summer, perhaps because it evokes visions of sunny days and sparkling water, more probably because it’s lighter and more digestible in the heat than the fortifying stews and roasts of winter. However, for me, growing up in a seashore resort, with fresh seafood always available, we enjoyed it all year, not seasonally.
Not until I went away to school did I realize how many people refused it, were suspicious of it and were generally un or mis informed about that whole category of foods. After I began to travel, I was surprised to learn that Americans consume far less seafood than those in other countries, one-fifth the amount per capita than the Spanish for example.
Interestingly, after fifty years of focus on nutrition, diet and health, with the benefits of eating fish being praised, statistics haven’t changed much. Modern freezing and transportation facilities have made globally resourced seafood available to even the most inland towns in the U.S. There are now over 66 varieties of fish alone sold. However, though consumption in restaurants has markedly increased, OTC purchases are only slightly higher, with the bulk remaining in the traditional categories of locally resourced items.
This indicates that Americans are willing to eat more seafood and try new offerings, but lack the knowledge to be confident in buying and preparing it. All About Seafood clears the confusion by defining the main sections within the category, fish, shellfish, mollusks, canned fish, describing the items in each section and how to use them. It gives detailed directions on how to choose and how much to buy per serving (including a shrimp chart), how to store (safe handling for fresh and frozen), prepare, including skinning fillets, and serve them with recipe examples. It explains the differences between salt and fresh water fish and separates fish species into specific types for nutritional and serving purposes.
Below is a selection of recipes from the book. If you want more suggestions for serving seafood this blog is filled with them. I always write a post for Lent and usually a few over the summer. Simply check the Archives, using the drop menu in the right margin of any blog page to go to the article, or scroll the panorama on the Home Page and click the ‘Read More’ button on any post which interests you. I would especially recommend June 15, 2013, Sept. 25, 2013, April 23, 2014, April 15, 2015, March 16, 2017, July 6, 2017, July 13, 2017, Feb. 8, 2018, Feb. 15, 2018, June 14, 2018, March 23, 2019, Feb. 21, 2020.
RECIPES
Avocado Bisque; 4 Servings
2 avocados cut into chunks
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. chives
(4) skinless salmon filets @ 4-5 oz. each
Salt and pepper to taste
Step 1-Puree avocado and broth in a blender until smooth and creamy adding 1/2 cup sour cream. Chill
at least 2 hours and up to 8 to thicken. Stir well.
Step 2 – Bring 2 in. of water to a simmer in a sauté pan. Poach salmon 8 min. per inch of width until light
pink and flakes. Allow to cool.
Step 3 – Divide soup among 4 soup plates. Place one salmon fillet in the center of each and top with a
dollop of remaining sour cream and garnish with chopped chives. Serve cold.
Alternate Variation: Replace avocados with 2 large English cucumbers peeled and sliced OR 3 large farm stand cucumbers peeled, seeded and sliced. Simmer cucumbers in broth until soft-about 10 to 15 min.
Proceed with blender as directed above.
Gravalax—This is for 1 ¼ lb. Make adjustments for larger or smaller amounts.
1 ¼ lb. salmon fillet – with skin
2 Tbs. sugar
¾ cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbs. Kosher salt
1tsp. fresh ground pepper
Mix all the dry ingredients. Pat the fish dry and rub all over with the seasonings. Wrap in plastic place on a flat surface, cover with a plate or pan and weigh down with cans or a brick. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, draining liquid daily, replacing wrapping each time. Before serving, scrape off seasonings. Cut in very thin slices on a 30 deg. angle with a sharp knife, lifting them off the skin as you go. Serve in any recipe that calls for smoked salmon—generally serves 4
Coconut Crusted Tilapia: Serves 4
4 Tilapia filets – about 1lb
1 cup plain Panko
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes – toasted
½ cup + mayonnaise
Lemon pepper
Step I- Preheat oven to 350 deg. Toast coconut on a piece of foil until golden, about 4 min. watching that edges don’t burn. When cool mix with Panko.
Step 2 – Place fish on a lightly oiled cooking surface, a pan or baking sheet. Completely cover the tops with a thin sheet of mayonnaise, more like a veneer. Dust lightly with lemon pepper.
Step 3 – Sprinkle with Panko-coconut mix, and bake 8 min. per 1 inch width of filet, until top is golden, fish puffs slightly and edges bubble. Serve at once
NOTE: I put the breading mix in an empty herb bottle with a shaker top. It’s easy to apply, and any extra can simply be stored in the bottle.
Salad Nicoise: Serves 6 – 8
1 lb. fresh whole or cut green beans – frozen is fine
6-8 small new potatoes – halved if larger – keep size uniform-canned will do – drained
(2) 6 oz. cans solid white tuna in water – drained*
(1) 5 ¾ oz. can pitted black olives
4 hard-boiled eggs – quartered
4 Roma or small tomatoes – quartered- OR 1 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes
Bibb lettuce or Romaine
Optional add-ons – (1) 15 oz. can of pickled beets and/or 6-8 anchovy fillets
Cook the beans, and potatoes if raw, until crisp tender. A special flavor is added if they are marinated in a little white wine for a few hours.
Line a large platter with the lettuce leaves. Gently fork separate the tuna chunks and mound them at 6 O’clock on the plate. Mound the potatoes at 12 and decoratively distribute the other ingredients separately in mounds evenly around the plate, except the anchovies. If using, they should be laid across the tuna. The mounds can be pie shaped wedges, pointing to the center, or the center can be filled with fresh herbs or chopped lettuce pieces. If using the beets, the black olives can be piled in the center. The point is to arrange the plate as decoratively as possible but have it appear as a miniature buffet, with each of the ingredients presented individually for ease of self-serving.
Serve with the dressing created for this salad, below.
NOTE: This can also be served with (1) 4 to 5 oz. grilled or broiled tuna steak per serving.
Nicoise Dressing: Serves 6- 8
4Tbs. minced shallots – or mild onions
2 Tbs. dry mustard – 4 of Dijon can be used
5 drops of hot sauce
5Tbs red wine vinegar
3Tbs fresh lemon juice – 2 tsp. of concentrated will do
2 ½ cups salad oil.
Mix the ingredients well and allow to meld for several hours. Drizzle a little over the Tuna, and serve the rest on the side
Shrimp Creole: Serves 4
1 lb. medium shrimp—raw, cleaned
½ cup onion in large dice
½ cup celery in ½ inch slices
1 small green pepper in large dice
4 cloves garlic – sliced- or 1 Tbs. jarred
2 Tbs. oil
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. can whole tomatoes with juice
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in
2 Tbs. water
Salt and pepper
2 cups long grain rice or 4 servings of precooked rice
1 envelope chicken bouillon granules
Red pepper flakes to taste
Sauté vegetables and garlic in oil until crisp tender. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, hot and Worcestershire sauces. Cover and slow simmer 20 min. add cornstarch mixed in water and stir to incorporate. Add red pepper flakes to taste. . Pile shrimp on top, cover and simmer 15 min. more. If making rice from scratch, add bouillon to water, if using precooked, stir in granules and heat through. Serve shrimp over rice.
Creamy Tuna Mold: Serves 8-10
3 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin – divided
1 cup water – divided into two half cups
1 ½ cups small curd cottage cheese
¼ cup finely diced green bell pepper
2 Tbs. finely diced or grated onion
Salt and pepper
(2) 5 ½ oz. cans chunk white tuna – drained
½ cup finely diced celery
2 Tbs. lemon juice
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 quart solid mold
LAYER I
Soak 1 ½ envelope of gelatin with 2 Tbs. cold water until it expands, then dissolve in remainder of ½ cup water boiling. Mix with the cheese, peppers, onion salt and pepper. Pout into the bottom of the mold and chill.
LAYER II
Repeat the above process with the remainder of the gelatin and water. Mix with celery, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and tuna. Pour into the mold on top of layer I. Chill until firm, several hours or overnight. Unmold be dipping in hot water to the count of 10 and inverting onto a serving plate. Chill again to firm. Cut in slices to serve.
Bowtie Pasta with Salmon in Vodka Dill Sauce: Serves 8
1 box bowtie pasta
16 oz. jar Vodka Sauce
16 oz. can salmon – cleaned and drained
2 Tbs. Dried dill weed
2 drops hot sauce – optional
Warm the sauce over low heat adds the hot sauce. Cook the pasta to desired doneness and drain. Have the salmon cleaned and drained. Toss the pasta with just enough sauce to coat. Add the salmon and dill and toss gently to incorporate. Serve hot.
The above recipe is an easy, quick version of a classic. For those who want to try it in the classic form, the recipe is below, or perhaps just to make the sauce instead of using jarred.
Smoked Salmon in Pasta with Vodka Sauce: Serves 4
(1) 20 oz. can crushed tomatoes OR 11/2 lbs. fresh Plum tomatoes skinned, seeded finely chopped
1 cloves garlic – mashed
1 medium onion – diced
1 Tbs. oil or butter
½ cup Vodka
½ cup heavy cream
(1) 8oz package sliced, smoked Salmon
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 lb. of a shaped pasta – bowties are traditional
Dash of red pepper – optional
Slice salmon in 1 inch pieces. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion in the oil or butter for 2 min., add the garlic and cook 1 min more. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat. and simmer about 10 min., to reduce slightly and mash a bit, Add the vodka and simmer 5 min more. Add the cream, stir to incorporate well and simmer another 5 min. Gently add the salmon and heat through, stirring very little to avoid tearing the meat, about 15 sec. Cook the pasta al dente while the tomatoes are simmering. Drain and, while still hot, gently pour into the skillet, then turn the contents of the skillet onto a platter, and apportion on 4 plates, gently guiding it with a wooden spoon. The object is to have the pasta fully coated with the sauce, while leaving the meat pieces intact. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley, and serve.
