Whole Red Snapper with Grilled Vegetables

Happy New Years!  Gerry and I are in Port Arthur, Texas and decided to cook a whole red snapper for dinner tonight which we picked up at the local supermarket.  It was a Bobby Flay recipe so it was packed with flavor and spices.  We loved this dish and we are looking forward to making this again.

Whole Red Snapper with Charred Jalapeno-Basil Vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper
3 tablespoons diced red onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons basil chiffonade
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the fish:
1 whole red snapper (about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds) cleaned and scaled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive Oil

For the grilled vegetables:
1 red onion, sliced thick
1 eggplant, sliced thick
1 fennel, cut into 6 pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 4 pieces
1 yellow pepper, cut into 4 pieces
Olive oil, to coat
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Charred Jalapeno-Basil Vinaigrette:  heat oil in a small saute pan until smoking.  Add the jalapeno and cook until charred on all sides.  Let the pepper cool and slice thinly.  Place the pepper and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until blended.

For the fish:  heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat.  Season the cavity of the fish with salt and pepper.  Brush the fish with oil on both sides and season with more salt and pepper.  Saute for 4-5 minutes.  Turn the heat down to medium, carefully flip the fish and cook for another 6 to 7 minutes, covered.  Remove to a platter and immediately drizzle with the vinaigrette.

For the vegetables:
Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill until tender.

Adapted from Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay

Our rating:

Sriracha Shrimp Skewers

Two of my favorite ingredients are in the title of this post.  I love the heat from Sriracha and I have been eating the best of the Gulf shrimp since we have been on the gulf coast.  These are the freshest shrimp I have had, so therefore the best. 

I spent the afternoon exploring the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge which was great.  This refuge is about 90,000 acres and the best part was the 15 mile Bayside Drive Tour.  The tour has many spots where you can pull off and learn facts about the wildlife in the area or just enjoy spectacular views.  In my wanderings, I saw an ocelot, a snowy egret grabbing a fish out of the ocean and flying away with it, and a full grown deer with a huge rack of antlers.  All in all, it was a great afternoon.  On my way back to the RV park, I stopped at a little fish market and bought these extra-large shrimp. 

The shrimp were brushed with a sauce made with Sriracha, honey, fresh lime juice, minced garlic and fresh cilantro.  They were then seasoned with salt and pepper before being grilled for a few minutes.  These were stupendous.  I served them over a creamy polenta to help offset the heat a little from the Sriracha and with a side of sauteed green beans.

This dinner was quick, flavorful and packed a punch of heat.  This recipe is spicy, so if you like a little less spice, cut back the Sriracha to 1 1/2 tablespoons or just 1 tablespoon.

Sriracha Shrimp Skewers
Makes 3 to 4 servings

2 tablespoons Sriracha (less, if desired)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 pound extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine Sriracha, honey, lime juice, garlic, and cilantro.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat.

Thread shrimp evenly among grilling skewers.  If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak the skewers in water for at least 1 hour before grilling.  Brush shrimp all over with Sriracha mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Grill shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the shrimp are firm and opaque in the center.

Recipe from Handle the Heat

Our rating:

Taco Soup

Doesn't everyone have that one recipe that they are almost (but not quite) embarrassed to share?  Well this is mine since it's much less a recipe than the successful combining of already prepared ingredients.  You can pull this recipe together in about 10 minutes and then simply let it simmer for about 30 minutes and dinner is ready.  You just can't beat the ease of preparation.  If you ever have a night where you are pressed for time or energy, give this soup a try.

Taco Soup
Makes 8 servings

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey to lighten it up)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes, original or spicy
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans pinto beans with jalapenos, undrained
2 cans shoepeg corn, undrained
1 package taco seasoning mix (I used homemade - recipe below)
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing mix
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired
Grated Cheddar Cheese for serving (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)

Brown ground beef  (or turkey) and onions.  When meat is almost done, add garlic and stir frequently to prevent browning the garlic.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Stir well and taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper if desired.  Since I used my homemade seasoning mix, I found I needed a little salt and pepper.  Cook on medium to low heat for 30 minutes.  Add a small amount (1/2 cup) water if needed.


Home Taco Seasoning
4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well to blend.  Store in an airtight container until ready to use.  Use 2 heaping tablespoons in place of a packet of seasoning mix.

Our rating:
+

Huli Huli Pork

Since we have been in South Padre Island, we have been surrounded by palm trees.  The weather has not exactly cooperated to create the island tropical feel with the high today being only 60 degrees with gray skies and wind gusts making it feel much colder than the thermometer.   Even so, I turned to a Hawaiian-inspired meal which included grilled red pepper and pineapple on the plate with some rice and a perfectly grilled pork tenderloin which was marinated and then brushed during grilling with a flavor packed sauce.  Some of the sauce was reserved and reheated in a sauce pan just before serving to be drizzled over the finished dish.  This dinner packed a punch with the sauce and was enhanced by the red pepper strips and pineapple.  Looking forward to having this many more times.

Huli Huli Pork
Makes 4 servings

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon sweet Mirin cooking wine
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced in half
olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 fresh pineapple slices, 1/2-inch thick
Rice for serving

Place pork in a large, heavy self-sealing plastic bag set in a shallow dish; set aside.

For marinade, in a small bowl combine the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, wine, lime juice, ginger, and garlic.  Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture to a small bowl; cover and chill until needed.  Pour remaining mixture over pork; seal bag.  Marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Drain pork, reserving marinade.  For a charcoal grill arrange hot coals around a drip pan.  Test for medium-high heat above the pan.  Place pork on grill rack over pan.  Cover and grill 20 minutes.  Brush with drained marinade.  Cover and grill 15 to 20 minutes.  Brush with drained marinade.  Cover and grill 15 to 20 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the meat.  (For a gas grill, preheat grill.  Reduce heat to medium-high.  Adjust for indirect cooking. Grill as above.)  Remove pork from grill.  Cover pork with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  (The meat's temperature will rise 5 degrees during standing.) 

Drizzle the red pepper halves with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill about 5 minutes total, turning about halfway through.  Grill the pineapple slices the same amount of time as the red pepper halves.  Slice the grilled red pepper halves into slices when done and cut pineapple slices in half.

Meanwhile, place reserved sauce mixture in a small saucepan; heat through.  Pass sauce with pork.  Serve pork over rice with grilled red pepper slices and pineapple slices.

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden. com

Our rating:

Magic in the Middle Cookies

We traveled from Port Aransas to South Padre Island on Sunday.  We explored the area briefly yesterday afternoon since it was beautiful out (mid 80's in the afternoon) and then made some steak fajitas for dinner.  The weather took a dramatic change with a cold front coming in with a storm this morning and the temperatures stayed pretty much at 58 degrees all afternoon.  I decided it was the perfect day to bake some cookies and these are what I chose.

These are a sugar coated chocolate cookie with a peanut butter filling.  The filling is just simply peanut butter combined with confectioners sugar.  The chocolate cookie part was made with cocoa, peanut butter and chocolate chips.  The filling was rolled into balls made from 1 teaspoon of the dough and the chocolate cookie dough was wrapped around the filling.  The cookies were then dredged in granulated sugar and flattened before being baked.  These reminded a little of eating a cookie version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Gerry's comment on them was "these need to go on the Christmas cookie platter"....high praise for a cookie from him.

Magic in the Middle Cookies
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

For the Dough
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for dredging
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

For the Filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

For the Dough
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand-held mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Fold in the chocolate.

For the Filling
In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.

Scoop the chocolate dough into 26 tablespoon portions, make an indentation in the center of the dough with a finger and place one of the peanut butter balls in the indentation.  Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together to cover the center.  Roll the cookie in the palm of your hands to smooth it out.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Place extra sugar in a shallow bowl.  Roll each cookie in the sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.  Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.  Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until they have set (and you can smell chocolate). Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Bake the remaining cookies on a cooled baking sheet.  Enjoy!

Note:  These cookies are better once cooled (Gerry will attest to this)

Recipe slightly adapted from The Galley Gourmet

Our rating:
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Tempura

I love tempura but have never tried to make it at home until this week.  The latest issue of Saveur magazine had a great article on making a wonderfully light tempura and I couldn't resist the temptation.  I used some of the black drum fish we had bought and a few shrimp.  I also battered some sweet potato slices, some zucchini slices and a few mushrooms.  It all came out great with the batter being very light and crispy.  I will definitely make this again.

Tempura
Makes 2 Servings

2 1/2 cups cake flour, divided
2 egg yolks
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup ice cubes
1/2 pound fish, cut into 1-inch cubes
4-6 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
4-6 mushrooms
Canola Oil
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

Fill a deep cast-iron skillet with enough canola oil to a depth of at least one inch.  Heat the oil over medium heat to 360 degrees, checking it with a deep-fry thermometer placed in the skillet.  Maintaining a consistent temperature is important to creating the perfect color and crispness of the batter.

While the oil is heating, place one-half cup of the cake flour on a plate for dredging and line a sheet pan with paper towels for draining; set both aside.  Place the two egg yolks in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Mix the yolks with two cups of cold water.  Add 1/4 cup of ice cubes.  (Keeping the liquid ice cold will reduce gluten development in the batter.)

Add 2 cups of cake flour.  Grasping four chopsticks, their tips pointed down, stab at the flour to combine it with the liquid until a loose, lumpy batter forms, about thirty seconds.  Do not whisk, and do not use a fork; you want the batter to be barely mixed, so as not to activate the glutens.  Pockets of dry flour should be visible in the liquid, which should have the consistency of heavy cream.  (Mix the batter just before cooking, so the flour particles have limited time to absorb moisture.) 

To cook, start with the fish and then the shrimp.  Lightly dredge them in the flour  This will help the batter adhere.

Dip them quickly into the batter.  If the batter appears watery, sprinkle a little flour on top, but do not mix it in; dipping the ingredients in the batter will be enough to combine the flour with the liquid.

Just before frying, add the toasted sesame oil to the frying oil.  If the oil temperature lowers, allow it to rise back to 360.  Quickly lay the fish in the oil; separate them from one another with chopsticks.  Cook the fish until the bubbles around them grow larger and less intense, and the batter turns golden brown, about three minutes.  Remove the fish from the oil, and place them on the paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle with a little salt if desired while warm.  Follow the same procedure for the shrimp.

To maintain consistent oil temperature, cook the rest of the ingredients in small batches.  Cook vegetables at 350 degrees about 2 1/2 minutes for most.

Serve the tempura immediately, with a dipping sauce or seasoned salt.

Slightly adapted from Saveur, December 2012

My rating:

Crab, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

The inspiration for tonight's dinner was the 1 pound container of Jumbo Lump Crab meat that I purchased from my local fish guy today.  I used half of it in the in today's featured recipe for Crab salad and I used the other half in my favorite crab cakes which recipe I have previously posted.  The crab meat was perfectly fresh and that is always the basis to a great recipe.  Start with the freshest ingredients possible to get the best possible results.  It was a thoroughly crabby evening!

Crab, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
Makes 2 Servings

1/2 Ruby Red grapefruit
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked through for shells and cartilage
1 1-inch piece of a seedless cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4-ince dice
1/4 red or orange bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 scallion, white and light green parts, only, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced
1/2 small jalapeno, very finely minced (optional)
1/2 avocado, diced, sprinkled with a little reserved grapefruit juice and seasoned with salt and pepper
About 3/4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco
Fresh lemon juice

Cut the grapefruit crosswise in half and carefully cut out the half-segments, slicing along the membranes to release the fruit.  Squeeze the juice from the hollowed-out half and keep it covered in the refrigerator (discard the rind).  Put a double layer of paper towels on a plate or cutting board and arrange the grapefruit segments on the paper.  Cover with another double layer of towels and pat the segments lightly.  Discard the paper towels, arrange the fruit on a new layer of towels, and cover again.  Let the segments sit for at least 2 hous, or for as long as 5 hours, if the towels are very wet, change them again.

When you're ready to make the salad, drain the crabmeat if necessary, turn it out onto a double thickness of paper towels, and pat it dry.  Put it in a bowl and add the cucumber, bell pepper, scallion, and jalapeno (if you're using it).

Cut the grapefruit segments into very small pieces, add them to the bowl, and using a fork (or your fingers), gently toss the ingredients together.  Don't overdo it - you want the crab to stay in largish pieces if possible.  Add  tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the reserved grapefruit juice and season with salt and pepper and, if you'd like, a couple of shakes of Tabasco.  Add the cubed avocado seasoned with grapefruit juice and salt and pepper.  Taste the salad and decide what you'd like to add, if anything.  I usually add a squirt or two of lemon juice for extra pop, or you may need a little more oil.  Just pay attention to the amount of liquid you add - you don't want the salad to be wet.  When you've got it just the way you want it, stir in the mint and serve.

Recipe from Around my French Table

Our rating:

1/2