Entree – Seafood

Shrimp Dijon

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This is a favorite when you’re entertaining and have a crowd to feed.  If feeding a crowd, offer Slug-a-Bed Stew and/or KOA Chicken with Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes to satisfy dietary variations.  They all go over rice. Have not tried using plant based beef/chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb peeled, deveined shrimp
  • 1/4 c butter or margarine
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 c flour
  • 1 1/2 c milk
  • 2 tTab Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1 6-oz package cream cheese, softened, cut in cubes.

Directions:

  1. Melt butter or margarine in a frying pan.
  2. Add shrimp and onions.
  3. Saute for three minutes. Do not brown.
  4. Sprinkle flour into the mixture.
  5. Stir.
  6. Thin the mixture with the milk a little at a time to avoid lumping.
  7. Add mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  8. Cook for three to five minutes.
  9. Stir in cream cheese until blended and warmed through, but do not boil.
  10. Serve over rice.

Serves:  4-6

Source: Heloise

Brazilian Drunken Angry Shrimp

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This can also be served over rice as an entree.

Ingredients:

  • 3 ½ lbs shelled de-veined uncooked large shrimp ( 16-20 count)
  • 1 c chopped cilantro ( divided)
  • 10 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 Tab lime juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (divided)
  • 5 oz good tequila
  • 1 tsp ground fresh chili paste (sambal oelek), found in Asian section)
  • 4 Tab olive oil
  • 3 c jicama ( sliced matchsticks, may substitute water chestnuts)
  • 1 c scallion, sliced

Directions:

  1. Combine shrimp, 3/4 c cilantro, garlic, lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and tequila in a glass bowl.
  2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet until medium hot.
  4. Cook jicama and green onions 3 minutes.
  5. Add shrimp with marinade, cook 3 minutes or until shrimps just turn pink (do not overcook), stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Stir in remaining cilantro, salt and ground chili paste.
  8. Serve warm.

Suggest serving in individual Asian-style soup spoons with a little of the sauce.

Serves:  15 – 20 as appetizer, 4 as dinner

Source:  Obrigado Brazil! – VPWL November 2014

Ginger Citrus Shrimp Skewers

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In Australia they serve shrimp for breakfast, lunch and dinner — and they are good!

Ingredients:

  • 150 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined (tails intact.)
  • 3 1/8 cups butter
  • 12 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 1⁄2 sherry wine
  • 1/4 cup orange zest
  • 25 scallions, tops and white, minced
  • 1⁄4 cup teaspoons ginger root, freshly grated

Directions:

  1. Soak long 6 or 8” wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
  2. Push skewers through shrimp lengthwise from top to tail, 2 shrimp per skewer.
  3. Combine all other ingredients in saucepan.
  4. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring, until butter is completely melted.
  5. Dip skewered shrimp in orange sauce and position on oiled grill rack about 4 inches above the coals.
  6. Baste liberally with sauce.
  7. Grill for 2 minutes.
  8. Turn shrimp over and baste again, cooking for another 2 minutes.
  9. Smaller shrimp will be done at this point, but continue basting and turning larger shrimp until they are pink and cooked through.
  10. Remove from heat immediately when done, as they will get tough if overcooked.
  11. Use any remaining sauce for a dip for shrimp.

Serves: 50

Source:  Taste of Australia VPWL December 2014

 

Cioppino

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The Villa Park Women’s League Dinners come with tested recipes. This is from January 2015, A Taste of San Francisco.

Compliments of Jerry Stefani. Jerry recommends substituting a slice of store bought Sourdough Bread in place of the traditional pasta. Place a slice in individual bowls and cover with the finished Cioppino.
Sauce (can be made in advance):

Chippino Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped sweet basil
  • Crushed red pepper, to taste
  • Dash cinnamon
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Finishing ingredients

Chippino Sauce Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
  3. Add the garlic, bay leaves, parsley and basil .
  4. Cook, stirring, just to warm the garlic—do not let it brown.
  5. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, water, clam base, brown sugar, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce,black and red peppers, cinnamon and salt to taste.
  6. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Finishing the Cioppino—At the hostess’ home

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 pound Little Neck clams
  • 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed
  • 2 quarts Cioppino Sauce, recipe follows
  • 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
  • Pinch saffron
  • 2 1/2 pound Dungeness crab, cooked, cleaned and cracked, (or 1 pound cooked crab meat (preferably Dungeness)
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, shell on
  • 1/2 pound firm-fleshed white fish fillets cut in 2-inch cubes

Directions:

  1. Put the olive oil, butter, and garlic in a wide, deep pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, but not brown.
  2. Add the wine.
  3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and steam until the clams start to open, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the mussels, cover and steam until the just start to open, about 2 minutes.
  5. N ow stir in the cioppino sauce, the Worcestershire sauce and saffron and bring to a simmer.
  6. Add the cracked crabs, if using, and the shrimp, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
  7. Then gently stir in the fish and simmer until they are all just cooked through, about 5 minutes. (If using cooked crab meat, stir it in very gently the last minute or so of cooking time.

Serves: 10-12

Source:  Villa Park Women’s League Gourmet

Skye Prawns Sauce

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This sauce is really called Japanese Steakhouse Mayo Sauce from The Way To His Heart with some slight changes based on the list of ingredients I had.  Great as a dip for shrimp, fries, spread on hamburger etc.  Skye Prawns are not to be confused with Sky Prawns which are locusts!

Ingredients:

  • 1 c mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c cream/water
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 Tab melted butter
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 dash cayenne pepper or Tabasco

Directions:

  1. Whisk all of the ingredients together until the sauce is creamy. Do not add all of the cream/water at once. Add a little at a time, until you get the consistency you want.
  2. Refrigerate over night for best results.

Serves: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Source: Unknown

Rice, Artichoke and Shrimp Salad

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This can be served cold as a salad or heated as a casserole  – a twofer!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb small or medium cooked shrimp (or crab)
  • 3 to 4 chopped green onions, white and green parts
  • 6 sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 c mayonnaise (if kept over night, you might need a little more)
  • 1 (6 oz) jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (save the marinade)
  • 1 1/2 c cooked rice (could be instant, Basmati, brown, etc.)

Directions:

  1. Drain the artichoke hearts and reserve the marinade.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the marinade and the mayonnaise to combine.
  3. Add the green  onions, olives, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and mix together.
  4. Add the artichoke mixture to the rice.
  5. Gently stir in the cooked shrimp.
  6. If serving as a salad, chill until ready to serve. If serving as a casserole, preheat oven to 350 °. Place in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes, until heated through.

Serves: 4 – 6

Source:  Memory of someone’s salad at a pot luck.  Can be made without the shrimp.

Authentic Chinese Steamed Fish

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Steamed whole fish is a classic dish in Chinese home cooking. It uses very few ingredients to bring out the great flavor of fresh fish. The fresh ginger and green onion help eliminate any fishiness. The seasoned soy sauce adds a bit of sweet and savory umami to the dish. The fish is cooked with a steamer for the shortest amount of time, so that the finished meat is tender, silky and moist.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb fresh, head-on sea bass (tilapia, flounder, or other small, thin fish with white flesh) scaled, gutted. (Select very fresh fish. If the fish is fresh, it will have clear eyes and metallic scales. It shouldn’t have a fishy or stinky smell.}
  • 1 and 1/2 pieces thumb sized ginger, 1 thumb sliced, 1/2 thumb julienned
  • 1 c chopped green onion 2.5 inches in length
  • 2 Tab Shaoxing (rice) wine (or pale dry sherry)
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tab peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 dried chili peppers
  • 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
  • 2 Tab seasoned soy sauce for seafood (you can use one part of regular soy sauce plus one part oyster sauce instead.)

Directions:

  1. Before cooking, make sure you have a plate and a skillet (or a wok) that are large enough to hold the fish. If not, you should cut the fish in two such that each piece is half the original length, so it can fit into the skillet.
  2. Wash the fish and  dry the fish thoroughly.
  3. Place a quarter of the green onions on the plate. The green onions will hold the fish so it won’t stick to the plate when cooked.
  4. Stuff ginger slices and a quarter of the green onions (white part) into the cavity of the fish.
  5. Rub both sides of the fish with sesame oil.
  6. Cover the fish with another quarter of the green onions.
  7. Pour Shaoxing wine over the fish.
  8. In a large, deep skillet (or steamer or wok), add half an inch of water and place a steaming basket (or flat bottomed strainer) upside down in the middle. If you don’t have steaming basket, place a pair of wooden chopstick, 4 inches apart, onto the bottom of a skillet as “feet” to hold the plate. You only need something to hold the plate off the bottom of the skillet and to make sure the water won’t spill onto the plate when steaming the fish.
  9. Cover and bring water to a boil over high heat.  Keep the heat as high as possible, so the fish will be cooked in the shortest amount of time.
  10. Carefully place the plate holding the fish onto the steaming basket.
  11. Cover and steam over high heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until you can easily pull the flesh from the bone with a pair of chopsticks or a fork.  Check the doneness of the fish after 5 minutes.
  12. Stop heat immediately when fish is done.
  13. Carefully use a spatula to transfer the fish to another large plate.
  14. Use chopsticks to remove the ginger and green onion from inside and above the fish, and discard the used ginger and onion.
  15. Spread the remaining ginger strips and green onions on top of the fish and set aside.
  16. While fish is steaming prepare hot oil and seasoned soy sauce.
  17. In a wok or small skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.
  18. When the oil is warm, break chili peppers and add them, with the Sichuan peppercorns, into the oil.
  19. Stir with a spatula until fragrant, about 40 seconds.
  20. Turn to lowest heat, carefully scoop out the chili pepper and peppercorn, and discard them.
  21. Immediately drizzle the hot oil over the fish. You should hear the sizzling of the oil when it touches the fish.
  22. Immediately pour the seasoned soy sauce onto the fish.
  23. Serve warm. The fish won’t hold sauce very well, so make sure you dip the fish meat into the sauce from the plate when eating.

Serves:  2

Source:  Omnivore’s Cookbook

 

Shrimp salad-stuffed tomatoes

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This classic salad can be served as an entree or an appetizer or a salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound peeled cooked shrimp, (21-25 per pound; thawed if frozen), tails removed, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely diced
  • 1/4 c minced fresh basil
  • 10 Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 2 Tab mayonnaise
  • 1 Tab white-wine vinegar
  • Pinch of freshly ground pepper
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes, cored

Directions:

  1. Combine shrimp, celery, basil, olives, shallot, mayonnaise, vinegar and pepper in a medium bowl.
  2. Stir to combine.
  3. Carefully hollow out the inside of each tomato using a melon baller or small spoon; reserve the scooped tomato for another use .
  4. Place tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain.
  5. Refrigerate filling and tomatoes until ready to serve.
  6. To serve, fill each tomato with a generous 1/2 cup of the shrimp salad.

Serves:  4

Source:  Fitness

Villa Park Women’s League – GOURMET – March 15, 2014

Simply Shrimp – TMI

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Shrimp, butter, garlic, lemon.  That is it! Saute in a pan, skewer and broil or BBQ.  Too easy!

.4 oz. is a standard serving size for protein-based foods.  However, think about who you are serving (football team vrs book club) and what else is being served (potatoes vs salad)  The guidelines become more about number/size than weight.

The grade of the shrimp( X/X ) is the number of shrimp per pound.  Depending on the size grade of your shrimp, this translates to the following approximate shrimp serving sizes:  (notice the larger the number, the smaller the shrimp). It would appear that the cooked, peeled (tail on/off) are graded on their raw weight.

The list below refers to unpeeled raw shrimp without their heads.  Peeled shrimp weigh about half as much as shrimp with shells,  No one will tell you about the ones peeled but with tails on!

Extra Colossal (Under/10 count per pound) 3 per serving

Colossal (Under/12 count per pound) 3 shrimp

Extra Jumbo (16/20 count per pound) 7 shrimp

Jumbo (21/25 count per pound) 5-6 shrimp.

Extra Large (26/30 count per pound) 7 shrimp

Large (31/35 count per pound): 8-9 shrimp.

Medium Large (36/40 count per pound)  10 shrimp

Medium (41/50 count per pound): 12 shrimp.

Small (51/60 Count per pound)  14 shrimp

Extra Small (61/70 count per pound)  16 shrimp

Tiny (over 70 count per pound) stop counting! just use “enough”

Fresh or Frozen

Not everyone has the luxury of buying really fresh or live (off the boat – and most shrimp are instantly frozen on the boat) shrimp. If fresh is not available to you, buy frozen as most “fresh” shrimp in the grocery stores is thawed-out frozen shrimp. Thawed shrimp has a shelf-life of only a couple of days versus frozen shrimp which retains their quality for several weeks.  Defrost shrimp in the refrigerator or in cold water. Shrimp cooks very quickly so defrosting in the sink or microwave is a big no-no.

 

Julia Child’s Poached Salmon

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According to Julia Child “Fish is done when the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque and, rather than feeling squashy to the touch like raw fish, it feels lightly springy. It should still be juicy. Fish that is resistant and flaky is overdone – too bad!”  This can be served with a variety of sauces.  For this Fish Course we used a small dab of Moutarde de Meaux (Mustard from Meaux although I am sure a little Dijon would be adequate.)

Ingredients:  

  • Salt
  • Red or white wine vinegar
  • 1¼ pounds salmon filet
  • (white wine)

Directions:

  1. Measure 3 inches of water into a wide-rimmed pan.  (I like to use 1/2 wine-1/2 water)
  2. Add 1½ teaspoons salt and 3 tablespoons wine vinegar for every quart of water.  (There are those who would add onion and carrot and celery – not necessary!)
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Add the salmon.
  5. Bring to just below a simmer and cook for about 6 minutes until done.
  6. Remove the salmon with a slotted spatula and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the extra water.

Depending on your wishes, you can do this ahead and serve the salmon at room temperature or cold.

Serves: 4 – 6 as entree.  Cut the pieces smaller for a Fish Course at a larger dinner.
Source:   Adapted from Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook”