Entree – Seafood

Wine-Tea Brine

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Great summer brine works with chicken, pork or seafood. Helps keep meat moist when BBQ.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c water – hot
  • 1 c white wine
  • 2 Tab Kosher salt
  • 1 Tab brown sugar
  • 3 Tab blackberry syrup – or other fruit syrup/puree
  • 2 tea bags
  • 1/2 c ice cubes

Directions:

  1. Place salt, sugar, tea, in 1 gallon zip-lock bag.
  2. Pour in hot water, seal and slosh to dissolve sugar and salt.
  3. Add remaining ingredients.
  4. Add additional ice cubes if mixture is still warm.
  5. Add protein to bag and marinate in refrigerator.  See Brine Time Guide in Miscellaneous Information.

Serves: 2-3 pounds of meat

Source:  MLK

Slab O’Salmon

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The beauty of this salmon is you can grill it early (freeze if more that 2 days) and finish it in the oven the day of the event.  Serve it hot or cold, entree or appetizer.  

Ingredients:

  • Salmon fillet (skinless from Costco) 5-6 lbs
  • 1/4 lb butter – melted
  • juice of 1 – 2 lemons
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Place salmon on the grill (“good” side down).
  2. Grill until marks show on salmon – about 5 minutes.
  3. Turn over.
  4. Grill until marks show on salmon another 5 minutes.
  5. Remove from grill – no, it is not completely cooked.
  6. When ready to serve, place in 350° oven for 10 minutes (until barely done – still almost raw in the center of the thickest part).
  7. Finish under the broiler if needed to make it nicely brown.

Serves:  8-10 for dinner, 20 or so for a party.

Source:  Trial and error.

Tropical Salmon

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Salmon is sooo good and sooo easy!  Just don’t cook it too long.  Remember, it still cooks a little after you take it of the grill.

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole salmon filet – skin off or on (Costco 5 – 7 lbs)
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
  • Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Coat your grill or a grill pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat.
  2. Combine coriander, brown sugar and lemon pepper.
  3. Place salmon on grill, top side down.
  4. Grill only long enough to get grill marks – 4 – 5 minutes.
  5. Flip onto cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  6. Rub brown sugar mix onto cooked side of the salmon.
  7. Finish under the broiler in the oven or, if camping, back on the grill, on the cookie sheet. 5 – 6 minutes should do it.  Tent with foil to finish cooking.
  8. Serve with a fruity salsa.

Serves:  Plan on 6 oz per serving

Source:   Cathy Painter/Allison Cozza

 

Foil Dinner aka Pocket Stew

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People love “participatory” foods – make it exactly the way you like it!  Here is a basic guide for making delectable packet meals. These are only suggestions. Once you get the idea, get creative!  The internet is full of great combinations.  The classic Girl Scout recipe is: a thick slice of onion, ground beef patty, 1/4 c frozen vegetables, 1/4 tsp onion soup mix, 2 Tab water.

Ingredients:

  • One  1/4 – 1/2 inch slice of onion for each dinner

Meats:

  • hamburger, ground bison, ground lamb
  • fillet of fish or beef, with even thickness not too thick, about 1/2 inch
  • chicken breast cutlet, again- thin ( or chicken tenders)
  • chopped (3/4 inch cube or so) meat – chicken, beef, pork, bison, lamb
  • sliced sausages (1/2 inch) – kielbasa, brats, any cooked sausage
  • shrimp, scallops, firm fleshed fish (salmon, swordfish, etc.)

Veggies:

  • any frozen vegetable
  • zucchini or summer squash, sliced
  • peppers
  • canned corn
  • mushrooms
  • fresh spinach
  • snow peas
  • chopped, canned, or cherry tomatoes
  • diced onion
  • asparagus

Starch:

  • thin sliced or frozen or canned potatoes
  • instant rice, grains
  • fresh (not dried) pasta
  • tater-tots

Seasonings:

  • anything that goes with what you are making

Flavorful liquid:

  • wine
  • stock
  • citrus juice
  • soy sauce
  • fish sauce
  • marinara sauce
  • sweet and sour sauce
  • any bottled/canned sauce
  • a bit of melted butter or oil, if desired
  • any other sauce or marinade you love

You only need 2 to 3 tablespoons of liquid to create the steaming effect and to infuse the other ingredients with flavor.

Directions:

  1. Preheat grill to 350°.  Or use  charcoal.  Cook 10-20 min directly on coals or 20-30 on grill. Requires a medium hot fire. The number of seconds you can keep your hand over the coals will tell you how hot they are. Two or three seconds is a hot fire, four or five seconds is medium hot.
  2. For each serving, assemble an individual portion of ingredients in a large piece of heavy duty foil (or two layers of regular foil) and seal.  (See below.)
  3. Label each packet carefully with marking pen or nail polish.
  4. Using tongs, place packets over indirect heat on a well-oiled grill – onion side down.
  5. Let the packets cook (essentially steam) for about 20 – 30 minutes, depending on your ingredients, turning once towards the end to ensure top products cooked but not burned.
  6. You may need more time, or you may need a little less.  Be patient.
  7. Using tongs, remove the packets and let cool slightly before serving.
  8. If you are careful, the foil covers the plate and there is no cleanup!

SECRET – don’t tell- you can cook them in the oven!

How to Make a Foil Pouch – Important!

  1. Make sure you have a flat surface to work on.
  2. Pull out a sheet of heavy foil at least 12 inches long. Minimum length to make a proper foil pouch – 12 inches. The key to making a good foil pouch is to have lots of extra foil. First off, you need it to properly construct the foil pouch. Secondly, there needs to be extra room around the contents of the pouch so heat can build up inside the pouch creating a mini-oven condition. The worst thing that can happen is the foil pouch is too tight or overfilled and it falls open as you are handling it. Don’t be responsible for ruining dinner!
  3. Place a slice of onion in the center of the foil. (It will keep meat from burning – girls are not required to eat it!)
  4. Place your food directly on the onion in the center of the foil pouch.
  5. Add other ingredients and oil and and seasonings at this point.
  6. Hold the two long edges of foil and bring together in the center above the food. If there is no apparent long edge and your piece of foil is more like a square – choose the side that is facing you to keep things simple.
  7. Fold edges down creating a small lip – about 1/2 inch along the entire length of the foil. Pinch tight to seal well.  Make to sure there is room between the food and the foil so heat can build up inside the packet.
  8. Fold lip over once more so it lays flat on top of the foil pouch. The top of the foil pouch should be nicely sealed now leaving two open “short” edges.
  9. Press one of the short edges together and fold over once to create another 1/2 inch lip.
  10. Fold again to Make sure there is plenty of extra room from the edge of the foil to the contents of the foil packet (1 ½ to 2 inches).
  11. Repeat with the other short edge.

Your foil packet should be tightly sealed on all sides and stay closed when you handle it.

Source:  Many, many Girl Scout camp outs.

Tempura

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In California, the fourth grade does a unit on Japan.  The Japanese mothers who volunteered to prepare a meal for the kids did not bother with the recipe below – they all said they only use the box mixes!  Tempura Sauce also comes in a bottle. However, if you must be authentic – here is the recipe.

This works best in small groups 4 – 6 for each wok.  One of those big metal scopper/strainer works best for removing the items from the oil.

Ingredients:

  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 c ice-cold water
  • 1 c flour
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Foods we liked – almost anything works.  Close to bite size pieces works best.  Be sure to cook raw meat and chicken completely.

  • shrimp – raw
  • fish (salmon, halibut, etc)
  • chicken breast – raw, cubed
  • mushrooms
  • green beans
  • parsley
  • onion rings – thin sliced
  • broccoli
  • sweet potatoes – peeled, sliced raw
  • snow peas
  • carrots – cut in small match sticks
  • asparagus
  • green peppers

Directions:

  1. Stir eggs to combine white with yolk, Do not whip. (use chopsticks)
  2. Blend in water.
  3. Stir in flour quickly.  Do not over-mix.
  4. Dip thin sliced vegetables and meat into batter.
  5. Deep fry in oil.

Serve immediately with Dipping Sauce.

Serve with rice.  I like extra soy sauce on my rice.

Tempura Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 c water
  • 1/4 c dry Sherry
  • 1/4 c soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp chicken broth granules

Directions:

  1. Combine.
  2. Heat until boiling.

Serves:  4?  Here’s the problem – there is always too much food because there are so many items and everyone might want everything and you cannot buy half a green pepper etc.  A basic rule of thumb is 1/3 pound protein per person.

Source:   International Dining with Spice Islands

Note:   A pinch of baking powder doesn’t hurt the batter.

Swedish Shrimp Salad – Joppes Rakssallad

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A traditional salad on a smorgasbord.  Nice for summer luncheons or barbecues. No mayonnaise to give you food poisoning if left out too long.

Ingredients:

  • 1# shrimp – (I used bay shrimp)
  • 2 ½ c sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 cup peas, cooked (I used frozen, defrosted)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dill
  • 2 eggs, hard cooked, cut in wedges

Directions:

  1. Arrange shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes and cold peas in salad bowl.
  2. Combine oil, vinegar, salt, dill,
  3. Pour over salad mixture.
  4. Garnish with egg wedges.

Serves:  4

Source:   The Swedish relatives.

 

 

 

Alaska Salmon Spread

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Friends brought this from Alaska – and they do know salmon in Alaska!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb salmon
  • 1 c water
  • 1 c wine
  • 4 oz soft cream cheese
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp dill weed
  • dash of green Tabasco
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat wine and water over medium high heat in a large non-stick skillet for 5 minutes.
  2. Slide salmon pieces into poaching liquid.
  3. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to medium and poach until salmon flesh is firm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Drain salmon and cool.
  5. Mix cream cheese and sour cream.
  6. Add lemon juice,onion, dill, Tomaso, salt, pepper
  7. Add crumbled salmon.
  8. Mix with a mixer until smooth.
  9. Adjust salt and pepper.
  10. Place in bowl or shape into log on a platter.  (You know, the one that looks like a fish!)
  11. Refrigerate.
  12. Serve with crackers.

Serves:  Plenty, about 2 cups.

Source:  Chuck Jackson, Vi Highlands Ranch

Note:   To serve as an entre, do steps 1 – 4. In a bowl mix cream cheese and everything else.  Serve over warm salmon.

Halibut Ceviche

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Great do-ahead dish for a party.  Serve it with tortilla chips or, even better, fritos.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs halibut, cubed
  • 2 c lemon juice
  • 2 c chopped onion
  • 2 firm tomatoes, seeded, chopped
  • 1 Tab canned green chiles, chopped (mild)
  • 16 green olives with pimento, sliced
  • 2 Tabs cilantro (or parsley) chopped
  • 1 c tomato sauce
  • 1 Tab Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp green tabasco

Directions:

  1. Marinate cubes of fish in lemon juice for 6 hours in the refrigerator
  2. Combine remaining ingredients.
  3. Pour off 1 cup lemon juice from the fish.
  4. Add mixture.
  5. Adjust tartness with juice if needed.
  6. Mix.
  7. Refrigerate overnight.

Serves:  A lot!  About 4 cups.

Source:  Joan and Chuck Jackson, Vi Residents