**Steve-o.....this blog post is especially for you (and anyone else interested in a couple of "go-to" seafood recipes!)**
So I get a text from my son, SC, about all of the cooking he is doing lately....must be staying indoors with all that freezing cold weather in his neck of the woods. Anyway, we have a few chitty chats about recipes and I find out that he is now interested in preparing seafood dishes. Of course, it would be from FROZEN because he lives in an area that couldn't be further from an ocean...Pacific, Atlantic, or Gulf. But he wants some recipes from home so I told him I would post a couple. They are some of our favorites....and feel free to improvise with the seasonings a little. After all, that's how I cook. A pinch of this or a splash of that.
So here goes. First up is Shrimp Scampi....
Shrimp Scampi
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c butter
1/4 c white wine (optional)
6-7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot OR 1/2 med white onion, minced
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
- Place olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium high heat; add shallot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium then add garlic, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes...DO NOT brown garlic. Add butter and melt then add wine and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice from one half of the lemon (discard seeds) then return shrimp to pan. Remove oan from heat and add parsley and toss to mix; adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice or pasta.
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The next recipe is a classic West Coast fav...San Francisco Cioppino. The seafood can be adjusted to whatever is available, but should include crab, especially when it is dungeness crab season. In a pinch you can use canned (gasp!) or refridgerated, but never substitute imitation crab
San Francisco Cioppino
Assorted seafood-1 lb each type; suggested seafood large shrimp, fish such as sea bass, halibut, cod,
red snapper, etc, clams, mussels, crab, and/or scallops. >see "note" below.
1 28oz can tomato puree
1 medium onion, finely diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme
3 sprigs fresh oregano OR 1 tsp dried oregano
1 c dry white wine (chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)
1Tbsp Pernod, or anise flavored liqueur
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
-Clean all fish and shellfish; scrub shells of the clams or mussels, shell and devein shrimp, crack crab legs and claws, cut fish into 2 inch pieces. Pat seafood dry, cover with damp towel and place in refridgerator until needed for soup.
Place olive oil in dutch oven and heat over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until transluscent. Add garlic, stirring constantly...do not brown...for one minute. Pour in wine, tomato puree, thyme and oregano sprigs, anise liqueur, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once sauce base has thickened, add clam juice, fish, clams, mussels, and crab, and increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cover pot and cook about 10 minutes or until clams and mussels
have opened. Add the shrimp, and scallops, and continue to cook until shrimp are pink, about 4-5
minutes. Stir gently to mix seafood then sprinkle with parsley. Serve with french bread.
>note: Do not eat any clams or mussels that have not opened; throw out before serving.
Enjoy!!!!
