Mahi Mahi with Orange Beurre Blanc Sauce

I saw this recipe by Robert Irvine on the Food Network's website and decided it tweak it to my preferences, and availability. And it was REALLY tasty.

And actually rather easy.

Step one: marinate your fish. You could use just about any firm-fleshed fish (but not tuna) in this dish.  As so often happens, I was using what was on special that week.

I squeezed the juice of one lemon, mixed with about 2-3 TBSP of tequila (silver), and poured that over my 2 portions of fish with a pinch of salt.

You don't want them to marinate too long or the acids will start to cook the fish itself, so I would do this right as you start to make your beurre blanc.

Beurre blanc is a decadent butter sauce that can be made any number of ways, but the base needs to be acidic for the emulsification to work. You can use vinegar, wine, a citrus juice, or a combination thereof. I used 3/4 cup of orange juice with 3/4 cup white wine for my base, as I thought both white wine and orange would go nicely with the fish..

Bring this to boil and allow to reduce by half.

If you like, add some finely chopped shallot while reducing. They will retain much of their onion-y flavor without being too powerful.

Once the liquids have reduced by half, remove the pot from the heat and start adding cubes of butter, whisking them each in one at a time. Occasionally put back over the heat for a moment to keep things warm.

(When making this for 2 people, I used about half a stick of butter. More will make a really rich sauce. Too rich for me. But go with what makes your dish happy.)

The finished product should be glossy and moderately thick.

Once the sauce is finished allow it to sit and thicken up a bit while you cook your fish.

In a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the other half of your (optional) shallot and place your fish filets skin-side down.

Flip after 2-4 minutes, once the skin is crisp.

Cook another 4-5 minutes, or until firm and opaque.

Transfer your fish to a plate and pour the rich beurre blanc sauce over the top.

I served this simply with a side of peas as it was a light dinner (well... except for the half stick of butter...) but this would also go nicely with a bed of pasta or couscous as well.

Voila! A fancy-sounding dinner in under 30 minutes. 

Ginger Sesame Tuna Steak

So tasty and so fast. Fresh ginger gives it zing and a touch of toasted sesame oil makes it a pungent and pleasing meal.

That's about one inch of fresh ginger I grated into a bowl. 

Season your tuna steaks with salt and let a pan get nice and hot with TBSP of grapeseed oil (or olive oil) and a splash (maybe 1/2 tsp) of sesame oil.

Add your tuna in, seasoned-side down, and cook about 2 minutes per side depending on thickness. Remember you want it to finish still pink inside before you take it off the heat.

Once I had flipped the tuna I added the grated ginger to the pan so it could infuse the oil in the pan and get into the tuna.

Finish by sprinkling with sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds) and drizzle with the ginger-sesame oil.

In the background is some leftover avocado purée, as tuna & avocado are a fabulous pairing, but if you had a regular avocado, just slicing it and giving it a spritz of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt would make a nice creamy accompaniment.

This was a definitely a successful dinner to keep in mind the next time tuna steaks go on sale!

Linguine with Clams, Leeks, & Bacon

This is a nice twist to wake up the same old linguine and clams.

Yes. There are two leeks shown there.

Just use one to feed two people.

Live and learn.

Remove the root end and the darkest green part, split in half and rinse the dirt from between the layers of the leek. If your leek appears REALLY dirty as you are prepping it, slice it into half-moons and soak it in a cold water bath so the dirt falls to the bottom of the bowl.

Bacon.

Yes please.

That's about 2 slices split, but figure one to two slices per person.

(More if you know you're going to snack on it while cooking...)

Once the bacon has rendered its fat and become crispy, place it on a paper towel to drain and keep the fat in the pan.

Add the washed (and dried) chopped leeks to the bacon fat and allow to soften over medium heat, 5-7 minutes. Use only a pinch of salt to season as the bacon fat is salty.

Half way thru cooking, grate (or mince) two cloves of garlic into the mix.

If you want to let the leeks go a little farther into caramelizing, that would also be delicious with this combination of flavors. 

I was just in a hurry to eat, so mine only got to wilt.

After scrubbing your clams and letting them sit in cold salted water for 30 minutes to discharge their grit:

Cook the clams in a covered sauce pan with white wine and one bay leaf over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes, or until all the clams opened.

Give the pan a shake to make sure they have room to open.

Discard any unopened clams, as well as the bay leaf.

I remove the shells when I make this so eating it is easier, but if you want to keep them for presentation's sake, go for it.

Put your linguine, cooked 1 minute shy of the directions on the box, into the remaining white wine and clams and add in the cooked leeks and garlic mixture. Add a bit of chopped parsley or basil and a tablespoon of butter (or 2) and stir to combine.

Check your seasoning after a minute and then plate.

I top the dish with the cooked bacon as I hate soggy bacon, but really the bacon drippings make this dish as they impart all their smokey, porky goodness into the cooking leeks.

Without it you'd just be eating very onion-y pasta.

But I'd call this one a hit!

Linguine a la Cioppino

This is an alternate use, or use for any leftover Cioppino base that you may have on hand.

Lately I have been devouring cioppino, a.k.a. Italian fish stew. I just love it as a light dinner of fish poached in a light but flavorful tomato base with a hunk of bread to sop up the remains.

Also, once you have made the base and have it in your fridge, dinner only takes 10 minutes.

And as previously stated, in the summer, having any source of heat at a minimum is best.

This time around I only had enough for one, so I decided that just using it as a base for pasta and clams might be good.

And it was.

Above you see the sand and grit that was expelled from the clams when I put them in a bowl of cold salted water for half an hour. 

Do not skip this step, as you definitely do not want all of that crud in your food!

With the pasta already dropped into boiling salted water, I brought the leftover cioppino stew base up to a simmer and added the cleaned clams.

Put the lid on the pot and let it bubble for 6-7 minutes, or until all the clams have opened.

Give the pot a jiggle every few minutes if the clams are cramped for space to open.

I prefer to remove the shells before serving so there's less mess while eating.

Discard any clams that do not open.

Add the cooked pasta to the cioppino sauce for the last minute of cooking.

This really could have served two people in the end, so I'll remember that for next time.

But it turned out quite nicely, kind of like a cross between red clam sauce and marinara, but with the undertone of fennel.

Nice change-up from the usual fish stew.

Scallops on White Bean Purée

As per my current norm, I had these delicious Garlic White Beans made and in my fridge for snacking and side-dish purposes. 

Then, there was a special on diver scallops, which are always good for a meal since they cook in under 5 minutes.

You can see where I'm going with this...

Hot pan with a bit of olive oil, add lightly seasoned scallops.

(Do not rush the pan. Wait until it has gotten fully hot, or you will not get a nice crust on your scallops!)

2-3 minutes on the first side, and flip.

About a minute into cooking the second side, add a pat of butter to the hot pan.

Swirl/spoon the melted butter over and around the scallops for another minute.

Done.

Place on a plate with puréed garlic white beans, drizzle the now browned butter from the pan on top, and call it an appetizer.

Of course, the dish above has WAY more bean purée than you would normally serve with 3 scallops, but as this comprised the entirety of my lunch, I needed more beans to round out the meal.

But throw in a nice crisp baby-greens salad with a lemony vinaigrette and you might have a lovely light dinner for a hot night.

Pineapple-Mango Pollock

It is currently "99º feels like 112º" at noon in NYC.

Cooking is at a minimum.

I made this delicious pineapple-mango salsa again and used it over some very quick-cooking pollock.

(Or tilapia, flounder, turbot... whatever has a good price.)

Minimal stove time is a plus right now.

That said, it was nice, but maybe missing a little something.

I have an excellent idea for the next time I make this.

Which if this heatwave continues much longer, may be in just a few days.

Stay tuned... and cool if you can.

Clams + Ramps + Prosciutto = Delicious

Yes, I made this once before last Spring, but when you make something delicious, it bears repeating.

Also, better photography this time around.

Cook clams in a covered pot with stock and white wine and a pinch of dried oregano, 5-6 minutes or until the clams open.

Strain the liquid VERY well if you want to use it as a sauce, as there will be small amounts of grit that the clams have released when they opened.

In a separate pan, sauté some pancetta or prosciutto in a bit of olive oil.

Add the sliced whites and necks of the ramps and cook on medium-low heat until fragrant. Mere moments really.

Add the (washed and dried) sliced greens of the ramps, and cook until they just wilt.

Remember, you want the ramps to be the star of this dish, complemented by the clams, prosciutto and pasta.

I went with angel hair this time as it made it easier to pick up all the small bits of the dish, but also because I could cook it IN the (well strained) liquid from cooking the clams in just 2-3 minutes, making it super flavorful pasta.

Combine everything in a hot pan, stir, and serve.

I absolutely love this dish. It's ready in minutes and packed with flavor.

Too bad it's only available for a few weeks in Spring.

Scallops with Marsala Shiitake Mushrooms & Peas

Decadence.

Indulgence.

Super freakin' easy.

Minced 1/4 shallot

Mike was away visiting his family for a few days so I had a minor shellfish festival for one.

I could have eaten this every day, but sadly, scallops can get pricy fast.

As do shiitake mushrooms.

But both are totally worth it.

After you clean your mushrooms with a damp cloth or paper towel and slice them to your desired size, sauté them in a bit of olive oil and butter on medium. (Maybe 1TBSP olive oil and 1 Tsp butter.)

Once they are browned, season with salt, stir, and then set them aside for later.

Do not wipe down the pan.

Add a new TBSP of butter to the pan, and once it melts place your scallops in it. Cook roughly 3 minutes per side.

Once you flip the scallops, add some frozen baby peas to the other side of the pan, as they only need about 3 minutes to heat through, but they can lower the temperature in the pan, so keep them on the opposite side as the scallops.

I also added about 1/4 of a shallot that I had chopped finely in with the peas.

Once the scallops are seared on both sides (but still tender and slightly uncooked at their middle) I remove the scallops, add a splash (1/4 cup) of marsala wine to the pan, add the mushrooms back in, and stir to combine while the wine reduces down to just a small drizzle

Plate it up and drizzle the remaining marsala-butter sauce over the scallops.

Devour.

Shrimp & Chorizo Quinoa

This was a quick lunch I made using a few leftovers, a few pantry staples, and some fresh herbs.

Ingredients: cooked quinoa, broccoli, chorizo, shrimp, and fresh mint.

Set your (well-rinsed) quinoa to cook before starting on the rest.

I start by cooking up some broccoli florets.

I add a bit of olive oil to the pan, add the broccoli, a splash of water, a pinch of salt, and cook lid-on on medium-high heat until starting to steam (about 3-4 minutes or to your preferred degree of tenderness.)

Then remove the lid and cook off remaining water.

Next I add more olive oil to the pan and sauté the Spanish chorizo, allowing the seasoning and fat to mingle with the olive oil in the pan.

When it's time to flip the chorizo to the second side I add a few defrosted raw shrimp into the mix, and add another pinch of salt (largely on the shrimp). Cook the shrimp about 2-3 minutes per side until opaque and firm.

(Odd shapes are the stem of the broccoli with the tough outer layer peeled off and then sliced.)

Season the cooked quinoa with olive oil and salt to taste and place in the bottom of your dish.

Add fresh mint to the pan, stir, and serve on top of the quinoa.

The whole meal takes about 15 minutes to make and is packed with protein and flavor.

If you have leftover quinoa already in your fridge, it takes about 10 minutes.

It travels quite well and the flavors will meld if you choose to make it ahead and bring it to work.

Try it out!

Pasta "with Pink Sauce"

Or at least that's how we always referred to it growing up.

As with so many recipes that are passed along, the next generation tweaks something here or there to make it more appealing to their style. In the case of this pasta dish, I use diced zucchini instead of eggplant (and garlic, of course). But I used to request this meal from my mother whenever I was coming home from college and was preparing for a home-cooking-fest.

Other ingredients: 1 medium onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp anchovy paste,1 Tbsp tomato paste, 24 oz can crushed tomatoes, Old Bay seasoning to taste (1-3 tsp), splash of cream, shrimp, salt for seasoning, and about 1/2 cup fresh basil.

Start by dicing and sautéing the onions in  about 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat. When they become translucent add the garlic and zucchini, season with salt, and cook until tender.

Add tomato paste and anchovy paste and allow to cook out for about a minute.

Add canned tomatoes, half the fresh basil, and Old Bay seasoning and cook down for about 20-30 minutes, lid on.

Now that your flavors have deepened and combined, add as much cream as makes you happy. A splash if you just want a hint of richness, or a 1/3 cup if you want it very creamy and pink.

Check your seasoning and add more Old Bay if there isn't enough kick.

Add the rest of the fresh basil now as well, reserving a pinch for garnish.

You have options for the shrimp. You can sear them with a bit of Old Bay in a separate frying pan and add them to the finished pasta dish, or you can put them in the sauce and cook them with the lid on, about 4 minutes depending on how large the shrimp are.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and allow to combine another minute.

Traditionally my family eats this meal with capellini, but this time around I felt like a tubular pasta that would catch more of the sauce. Either type works well.

Enjoy!