Category Archives: Seafood

Pan-seared salmon w/ sauteed leeks and orange-miso reduction

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Try saying that 3 times fast! :) So anyway, I’ve been having mega cravings for salmon this week and finally decided to buckle down and whip something up tonight. The weather has been super hot here in Seattle, so I wanted to keep the kitchen labor to a minimum and the meal relatively light.

The result: pan-seared salmon served over sauteed leeks and topped with an orange-miso reduction sauce. Light. Refreshing. Flavorful. Beautiful. Oh, and super EASY! An Amateur Gourmand-approved meal, indeed!

I don’t have an exact recipe down quite yet — I just went free-style because my grumbling tummy was in no mood to calculate exact measurements tonight. When I do get a final recipe together, I’ll be sure to update this post with a Foodista widget. 10/6 update: Widget w/ exact recipe is below – enjoy! In the meantime, here’s a summary of how this all went down:

For the orange-miso reduction: sauteed minced garlic and grated ginger in olive oil. Added chicken stock, mirin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and fresh squeezed OJ –  brought everything to a boil. Lowered heat and whisked in miso paste and honey until fully dissolved. Then I just let it simmer until the mixture reduced by half and had a syrup-like consistency. And, no, there isn’t a photo of the sauce-in-the-making — this would be because every one of the 20+ shots I took looked like crap…literally. Moving on…

Seasoned some salmon fillets with salt and pepper, and pan-seared them in some olive oil. Easy!

Cleaned and chopped some leeks, and sauteed them in some olive oil. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Easy!

When it came time to plate (and eat!), I created a layer of leeks on the bottom, topped with a piece of salmon and then drizzled the orange-miso reduction over the top. Holla! :)

 

Pan-Seared Salmon With Orange-Miso Reduction

Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Grilled fish tacos w/ spicy tequila-lime guacamole

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I’ve always wanted to make my own fish tacos, but just never got around to it.  So I figured with Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, it would be the perfect opportunity to create a simple, delicious and festive fish taco recipe.

While I normally wouldn’t argue against fried food, I much prefer fish baked or grilled (I also wanted this recipe to be somewhat figure-friendly). I also like to keep my taco fixins’ pretty straightforward: some lettuce, tomatoes and guac….mmmmmmm guac. In my opinion, your basic guac is already perfection, but I wanted to add a little kick with two of my favorite ingredients: jalapenos and…TEQUILA! OK, I guess tequila isn’t a favorite ingredient per se since I’ve never actually cooked with it, but the Amateur Gourmand does love herself some good tequila (none of that gag-inducing cheap crap). My go-to tequila is Sauza Tres Generaciones Plata ($35-40), which I used in this recipe.

So anyway, what’s everyone doing for Cinco de Mayo (besides making these yummy fish tacos :P )? You can find me at Trophy Cupcakes during my lunch break – gonna try their margarita cupcakes w/ tequila-lime buttercream, holla! And later in the evening, I’ll be partaking in Tacos Guaymas’ block party in Greenlake, double holla! Jalapeno-eating contest anyone? :)

Grilled Fish Tacos w/ Spicy Tequila-Lime Guacamole

Serves 4 (2 tacos per person)

Guacamole recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Tacos

  • 2 lbs white flaky fish (halibut, cod, etc.)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 soft taco flour tortillas
  • Shredded lettuce, for topping
  • Chopped tomatoes, for topping

Guacamole

  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and scooped from skin
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely minced (use more or less based on personal preference)
  • 2 Tbsp onion, finely diced
  • ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp lime zest
  • 1 Tbsp clear tequila
  • 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Using a fork or potato masher, mash avocado in a bowl. Add yogurt, lime juice, lime zest and tequila; mix well. Add jalapeno, onion, salt/pepper and cilantro; stir until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Adjust seasonings if desired. Pour finished guacamole into serving bowl; set aside.

Preheat a grill pan to med-high heat. Drizzle fish on each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill fish on each side until opaque, about 4 mins. Remove fish from grill and flake into large chunks with a fork.

Heat tortillas on the grill pan until blisters form. To assemble tacos, spread a dollop of guacamole onto tortilla, add fish, and top with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes (or whatever toppings you prefer). Optional: squeeze additional lime juice over the fish.

Enjoy with a Mexican beer or tasty margarita! :) Note: if you have any leftover guacamole, serve it as a dip with tortilla chips!

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Grilled Fish Tacos W/ Spicy Tequila-Lime Guacamole

Fave Recipe Friday: Seared scallops w/ carrot-parsnip puree

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Greetings from the cold tile floor of the N-gate area of Sea-Tac Airport! Since I have over an hour until my flight boards, I figure what better way to pass time than to post a Fave Recipe Friday entry before jet-setting to Korea (jealous, much? :P ).

So you know the food that you just absolutely love but will only eat at a restaurant because you don’t trust yourself to cook it properly? Well for me, that food is scallops. I had heard the horror stories many times before — ya know, blink for even a nano-second and the scallops are overcooked, etc. But last week I decided to face my fear and try cooking scallops at home. With these helpful tips from some of my smart foodie friends, I managed not to screw it up:

  • When buying scallops, try to get the dry-packed kind — these haven’t been soaked with any additional liquids and therefore don’t need to be rinsed before cooking. If you can’t find dry-packed scallops, just remember to rinse them under cold water, drain and pat dry with towels before seasoning.
  • Use a screaming-hot non-stick pan.
  • Don’t overcrowd the scallops or they will end up steaming vs searing
  • Remove the scallops from the heat while they still have a bit of a “spring” when you press down on them. No spring = overcooked #FAIL
  • Scallops are best served immediately — if you wait too long, they turn rubbery (bleeeehhh!)

I had a bunch of parsnips and carrots from my monthly CSA box that I had to use up before heading to Korea — so I ended up making this sweet and creamy carrot-parsnip puree to go with the scallops. And for a little freshness, I added a simple Spring salad of baby spinach, strawberries, feta and balsamic vinaigrette. Nom nom nom!

Seared scallops w/ carrot-parsnip puree

Serves 4

Puree recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living (Nov 1997)

Scallops

  • 12 large sea scallops
  • 2-3 tsp unsalted butter
  • 2-3 tsp olive oil
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Add the butter and olive oil to a large nonstick pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the butter/oil begins to smoke slightly, add the scallops (remember, don’t let them touch each other!). Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Puree

  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp EVOO
  • 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1/2 bunch carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (Note: Carrots are harder and take longer to cook than parsnips so they need to be cut smaller)
  • 1/4 small onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup vegetable stock
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Blend butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup water; cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a food processor or blender, and puree. Spoon onto dish and serve seared scallops on top. Optional: lightly drizzle black truffle oil on top of finished plate.

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