The Seasoned Noob Rotating Header Image

Seafood

Homemade Cioppino – Pseudo Cookoff!

May 6th, 2009
by dave.
1 comment

Phil's Fish Market

So since I got back from San Francisco, the roommate and I have been on a huge Cioppino kick, so hooked that we cooked it on successive weekends! The first picture is of Phil’s Cioppino (Phil’s Fish Market), our inspiration. We weren’t able to replicate Phil’s Cioppino, both times our sauce ended up too runny (not necessarily a bad thing), but we were trying to get the thick sauce that Phil’s had.

The first attempt was made using seafood from New Deal Fish Market in Cambridge. Upon walking in, the first thing I noticed was a sign for “dry” sea scallops. Well, the scallops looked wet enough to me, and super fresh to boot. Seeing my confused look, the lady stocking the display case explained it cheerfully, and without as much as a single sideways glance! Scallops sometimes end up soaked in a solution that causes them to puff up and weigh more, these are called “wet” scallops. As a result, these scallops will release the solution into a pan when cooked and will be difficult to sear (One ends up steaming them in the solution essentially). “Dry” packed scallops are not soaked in the solution and are much, much better for pan searing (Or use in general).

We ended up asking the same lady for a little advice for our experiment and she was more than happy to oblige. We ended up with some monkfish (firm, so that it doesn’t fall apart when cooked), mussels, clams, and shrimp. She added in a couple extra monkfish bones on the side to help add flavor to the broth. After hastily getting back later in the afternoon (New Deal was the last stop after Russo’s, Formaggio BBQ for a Pearl in a baguette, Dave’s Fresh Pasta, and the Tea Zone), the roommate whipped up the dish in about 2 and a half hours.

The next week, I figured I’d give it a shot too. Changed up a few things with the ingredients though. Whole Foods had a sale on Halibut steaks and bay scallops so I figured I’d at least start with those. Rounding out the seafood was a bag of mussels, some littleneck clams, and some fresh squid. I used tomato puree this time (last week we just blended some tomatoes, forgot the can of puree) to see if the broth would end up a little thicker and sure enough it did, but still not quite to the level of Phil’s Cioppino.

All in all a great experiment, will have to try this one again sometime! As for the recipe, you can find it on the back of one of Phil’s Fish Market t-shirts =P

Cioppino
The roommate’s Cioppino
Dave's Cioppino
My Cioppino

Shrimp, tofu, and mixed veggie stir fry

Apr 22nd, 2009
by dave.
1 comment

Tofu, shrimp, veggie, stir fry

Short post today…been at a workshop all week and as good and interesting as it’s been, it’s been mentally draining. It’s also north of town, in an area where I don’t frequent too often, so I’ve been spending a little time exploring (and eating at New Jang Su BBQ, yum!).

Anyway, this is something I whipped up a couple weeks ago. I had this at a friend’s birthday pot luck and really REALLY liked it (and it’s healthy!) and figured I’d try to make it. So, being terrible at “figuring out” what goes into a dish, I went for my trusty cookbooks and sure enough, found a recipe in Grace Young’s Breath of a Wok. I can’t put into words how much this book (and a couple others) but it’s really helped me understand some of the techniques that’re used as well as to appreciate all of the different ingredients and tastes a dish may have. And some of the dishes are extremely simple too, just the way I like it!

One thing I really liked about this dish in particular was the use of lotus roots. Sometimes I’d end up getting them in one of the Chinese clay pot dishes, but that’s usually something I can’t manage at home (well, especially lacking a clay pot). And after finding them at Russo’s (among many other uncommon ingredients), I set off to my task, and it turned out alright!

Shrimp, tofu, and mixed vegetable stir fry

Serves 4 with rice
Time : 45 minutes

Ingredients:
- 1 large lotus root (4-6 oz)
- 2 tbsp veggie broth
- 2 tsp Shao Hsing rice wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- Dash of white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp Ketjap Manis, dark sweet soy sauce
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 1 container fried tofu, ends up being about 10-12 pieces
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 2-3 pieces ginger, sliced
- 4 scallions, sliced

Method:
1. Prepare the vegetables. Peel and slice lotus root and carrot. Remove strings from snap peas, slice zucchini. Peel and devein shrimp, slice tofu. Combine broth, rice wine, sugar, soy sauce, ½ tsp salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Bring 1-2 quarts of water to boil over high heat, add the remaining ½ tsp salt. Add lotus root, boil for 30 seconds. Add sugar snaps, boil another 30 seconds. Add carrots, boil another 30 seconds. Add zucchini, boil 30 more seconds. Drain vegetables in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add oil, garlic, and ginger, let sizzle. Add the shrimp in, stir fry until about halfway cooked through. Add the scallions and tofu, toss well for a few seconds. Add the vegetables, stir fry for another minute. Add in the sauce mixture, stir fry for another minute or so.
4. Serve over rice.

Glazed Salmon with Dijon Mustard Sauce

Nov 30th, 2008
by dave.
No comments yet

Glazed Salmon with Dijon Mustard Sauce

Most of my recipes are not actually my own inspiration (I’m not that creative!). But tons of other bloggers are (and cookbooks :P ) so with a little bit of adjusting to my tastes, I try my best to recreate their dishes. This one was inspired both by my desire to have fish at least once a week and by a local Boston blogger, Beyond Salmon.

I’ve been trying to eat a bit healthier lately and fish was one of the first things I thought about. In addition to having all kinds of variety, fish is easy (a plus for me!) to cook and doesn’t require a whole lot of seasoning to taste good.

Glazed Salmon with Dijon Mustard Sauce

Serves 4
Time : 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:
- 4 salmon fillets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp honey
- salt and pepper

Sauce:
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp hellmann’s real mayo
- 2 tbsp parsley flakes
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp whisky, cognac, or white wine (less if you prefer)
- salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Wrap broiler pan with foil
2. Rub salmon with oil, salt, and pepper on both sides
3. Place salmon, skin down, on pan. Drizzle honey on top
4. Put salmon under broiler for 4-6 minutes, check every 2 minutes. As soon as the top browns, turn broiler off, move salmon to the middle of the oven from the top shelf, and keep in the heat for another few minutes. Depending on how rare you like the fish, you could change this. I broiled for 6 minutes and that was about it.
5. Mix sauce together, spoon over top of the salmon.

Stir Fried Scallops with Snow Peas and Peppers

Jul 20th, 2008
by dave.
No comments yet


One of my favorite types of dishes during the summer is fresh seafood. Whether it’s some form of sushi or a nicely cooked fish fillet with a tasty glaze, it’s no matter, I’ll eat it all! And as much as people say that too much shellfish is bad for you, I absolutely love having scallops. I even add it to macaroni and cheese :)

So when I was at Whole Foods a couple weeks ago, imagine my delight when the big sea scallops were on their “weekly buys!” So I had to buy a pound of it and cook it up. Normally, I’ll cook this dish but I decided that I needed to experiment this time. So out came Grace Young’s Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen and lo and behold, I found a recipe! Enjoy :P

Stir-Fried Scallops w/ Snow Peas and Peppers

Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal

Ingredients
4-6 ounces snow peas
1 pound fresh sea scallops
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp cornstarch (separate)
1 tsp + 1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp ShaoHsing rice wine
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil (I like the chili sesame oil :D )
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup Chicken Broth
2 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp canola oil
4-6 slices of ginger
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into small squares (about an inch)
2 scallions, ends removed, sliced

Method
1. String the snow peas, rinse, set aside.
2. Wash the scallops in cold water, drain well and slice into quarters.
3. Mix together 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice wine, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp sugar, and the scallops. Stir to coat well.
4. Combine the chicken broth, oyster sauce, salt, and remaining 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice wine, 1 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp sugar. Stir well.
5. Add 1 tbsp canola oil to the scallop mixture. Heat a wok under high heat until hot (when a droplet of water sizzles away in a couple seconds). Add 1 tbsp canola oil and the scallops. Cook for a couple minutes without disturbing the scallops, and then use a spatula to stir fry for another couple minutes. Remove and set aside.
6. Add remaining 1 tbsp canola oil, ginger, and garlic. Let the ginger and garlic sizzle, and then add the snow peas, red pepper, and scallions. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, add the sauce mixture and stir well. Add the scallops back in and stir fry another 1-2 minutes. Serve with rice

Cantonese Style Stir-fried Seafood

Jun 26th, 2008
by dave.
No comments yet


Now for the real post, I was a little tired yesterday so threw up the cannoli post real quick.

Every so often, Whole Foods has Mexican Bay Scallops on sale as one of their weekly buys. Being a scallop fan, I always pick up some for one of my favorite seafood dishes, a Cantonese stir fry with some oyster sauce. I also like to toss in shrimp and some fish (a fish that stays together well when stir fried) but I only bought additional shrimp for this meal.

One thing about Chinese cooking is that the actual cooking takes about 10-15 minutes usually. However, the preparation time can be long! I’ve spent over an hour chopping things just for fried rice! And fried rice takes 5 minutes to cook!

Anyway, this is one of the quicker recipes I’ve tried, after marinating the seafood, everything else gets thrown in quickly :)

I’ve listed the mushrooms as optional, they’re mentioned in the recipe but I’m not a huge fan of them, so I don’t use them :)

Cantonese Style Stir-fried Seafood

Serves 4-6 with rice
Ingredients:
1 lb bay scallops
1/2 lb medium shrimp (heads removed, deveined, chopped)
5 tbsp canola oil
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 to 1 inch piece of ginger, grated (Or: slice about 6 pieces of ginger and peel)
4 scallions, chopped and separated
4-6 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 lb snow peas, ends removed
2 tbsp Shaohsing wine or sherry
1 tsp sesame oil

Marinade:
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
2 egg white, lightly beaten (save the yolks)

Sauce:
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp water
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp oyster sauce

Optional:
Chinese mushrooms

Method
1. Wash the scallops and shrimp. Slice each shrimp into 3-4 pieces, the bay scallops are small enough they don’t need to be sliced. Mix the marinade with the seafood. Set aside for 10 minutes. Slice the veggies in the meanwhile
2. Prepare the sauce and set aside.
3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 1/2 tbsp oil and swirl.
4. Add half the garlic, half the ginger, and half the white scallions, let sizzle.
5. Add the seafood and use a spatula to turn and toss the seafood for about a minute. Splash 1 tbsp of the Shaohsing wine around the seafood. You want the seafood lightly cooked on either side.
6. Remove the seafood, set aside. Add the rest of the oil with the garlic, ginger, and white scallions to the wok. Add the rest of the wine or sherry as well as the celery and snow peas. Toss for a minute.
7. Add the seafood back in along with the sauce (I also add the two egg yolks as well), toss for another minute or so to continue cooking the seafood.
8. Add the green scallions, give another few tosses with the spatula and remove from the heat. Add some sesame oil to enhance the flavor.

Newer Posts →