Offerings from the water….3 apps and 1 entree idea!

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APPS:   1.  Smoked Salmon with Water Cress

              2.  Shrimp ‘Scampi’ with Meyer Lemon and Basil

              3.  Pancetta wrapped Scallops

ENTREE:   Halibut with Caviar and Carmelized Brussels Sprouts

OMG!   Here’s what you’ll need….

Smoked Salmon Appetizer:

Great salad option, especially prior to a heavier entree.  Smoked salmon is inherently salty, so it is a great palate starter before a rich, slightly sweeter main dish (such as an entree with a tomato sauce or perhaps a Madeira sauce).

Ingredients:

• Smoked Salmon (thinly sliced and vacuum packed at local grocer)
• Fresh Water Cress
• Capers
• Shallot
• Lemon
• White Balsamic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Super easy execution:

Lay 2-3 oz. (per person) of thinly sliced smoked salmon on your plate, and lightly rub it with olive oil.  Then in a bowl, add a generous handful of water cress (preferably ripping it from it’s root at this time), juice from 1/2 a lemon, tsp of white balsamic vinegar, tsp of EVOO, tsp of capers, and 1/4 shallot sliced (all per person).  Toss the contents of the bowl together and place over the top of the salmon (leave the excess ‘dressing’ in the bowl…this should NOT be a wet salad…just nicely dressed).

Crack black pepper to taste and for goodness’ sake, pour yourself a glass of Prosecco already!  🙂

Enjoy!

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Shrimp ‘Scampi’ with Meyer Lemon and Basil Appetizer:

For the best results on this dish, use large shrimp (U-15’s {which means 15 or less shrimp per pound} or larger).

Ingredients:

• 3 – 5 large shrimp per person
• Juice of Meyer Lemon
• Chopped Basil Leaves
• Diced Shallot
• Minced Garlic (Fresh!  NEVER from a jar)
• Dry Vermouth (or any white wine will work!)
• EVOO
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

Execution:

Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, until the oil begins to ripple (this occurs BEFORE the oil smokes…don’t burn your oil…you’ll see the ‘rippling’ in the light).  At this point, add your shrimp to the pan and season evenly with salt and pepper.  Move the shrimp around the oil to avoid any burning/sticking to the pan.  Once the shrimp has turned light pink on all sides (so it is not fully cooked yet but getting there), add 1 tbs of shallot per person quantity and allow those to sweat, continually moving the ingredients around (30 seconds or so).   Add 1 tsp of minced garlic per person and quickly stir into the mixture.  Now splash your pan with vermouth (4 tbs per person) and add your meyer lemon juice (juice of 1/4 lemon per person).  Allow the mixture to reduce down and finish cooking the shrimp…probably about 3-5 minutes.  Once you plate your shrimp, garnish over the top with fresh chopped basil and cracked pepper to taste.

Yum!

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Pancetta Wrapped Scallops Appetizer:

For best results on this dish, use large fresh sea scallops (U-10 is best – meaning 10 or less per pound) and extremely thin slices of pancetta.  Also a fish spatula is highly recommended.

Ingredients:

• 2 – 3 large scallops per person
• Very thin slices of Pancetta (1 per scallop)
• Diced Shallots
• Grana Padano
• Lemon
• White Wine
• Chicken Stock

Execution:

Heat olive oil (about 1 tbs per 2 scallops) in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil ripples, quickly add your scallops (one flat side down) into the oil and wiggle quickly to avoid ‘sticking’ to the pan.  By doing this, you will begin the ‘searing’ process, which will allow the scallops to caramelize beautifully, adding a naturally sweet flavor.   Once you’ve ‘wiggled it’…just a little bit (ha!), evenly season your scallops with sea salt and cracked black pepper and leave the scallops to sear for about 5 minutes.

At this point, carefully scrape underneath the scallops with your fish spatula in order to flip them over.  The scallops have developed a caramelized ‘crust’ on the side they have been cooking on, which is FULL of flavor…so you do not want to lose that!  Once you have them all flipped over, add your diced shallots (1 tsp per 2 scallops) and allow them to ‘sweat’ for 30 seconds.  While they’re sweating, freshly grate Grana Padano over the scallops’ carmelized tops and then hit the pan with white wine (1 tbs per 2 scallops).  Allow this to reduce for a minute or so and move your scallops to the plate.  Splash 1 tbs per 2 scallops of chicken stock to the shallot / wine sauce in the pan and let that reduce to sauce consistency.   Lightly spoon the sauce over the scallops.

Ummmm….did someone say Chablis?  Yep.  It was me.  I said it.  ;P

Enjoy!

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“AND NOW….The MAIN Event!”

Halibut with Caviar and Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Don’t let the word ‘Caviar’ intimidate you.  Yes, there are insanely expensive versions of it.  Depending on your pocketbook, you can make the decision on what suits you best, however for cooking, we are more interested in the texture and salty quality of this ingredient.  Therefore, the much less expensive versions of Tobiko or Lumpfish Caviar work just beautifully here (and pack a pretty great punch for dinner conversation with your guests!)

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. filet (about 1 inch thick) of Halibut (preferably fresh and many really prefer Alaskan wild when available)
• Lemon
• Diced Shallot
• White Wine
• Caviar (Lumpfish or Tobiko)
• Brussels Sprouts (smaller the better…halved)
• EVOO
• Salt & Pepper
• Freshly Chopped Basil

Execution:

In a large skillet over medium heat, thinly coat the pan’s surface with extra virgin olive oil (we will only be using 1 pan for this entire entree, so you need enough EVOO to cook both the fish and the Brussels sprouts).  Once the oil begins to ripple, add your halibut and wiggle it a bit to avoid ‘sticking’ to the pan’s surface.  Once it is moving freely, it is ‘seared’ and can now be left to further caramelize on that side.

Add your halved Brussels sprouts, sliced side down, into the oil around the fish.  Turn heat down slightly (low to medium setting) and allow to cook for 5 minutes.  Check your fish (using a fish spatula, be careful not to remove the caramel crust from the bottom of the fish…scrape between it and the pan so it stays on the fish)…if it, as well as the Brussels sprouts are a beautiful caramel color, turn your fish over into the pan.  Then loosen the Brussels sprouts and add your diced shallots (1 tbs per person) to the pan.  Allow the shallots to sweat for 30 seconds and splash the pan with 2 tbs of white wine (per person).  Now add the juice of 1/2 lemon (per 1 – 2 pieces of fish) and 1 tsp of minced garlic.  Wiggle the pan so that all ingredients dispurse evenly and cover for 1 minute.  Remove the fish and Brussels sprouts 1 minute later and plate.  Continue to heat the sauce (uncovered now) over the burner until it is reduced significantly (this is not going to be a ‘saucy’ dish at all…the fish is the superstar here!).  At that point, lightly spoon the pan sauce over the top of the fish and then spoon the Caviar over the center of the fish (as pictured).  Lastly garnish with freshly chopped basil.

A nice glass of Chablis or White Burgundy will really make this dish sing!  And with enough of either of those wines, and a good Karaoke bar…perhaps you too..?

Hmmm….   Anyhow, Bon Appetit!