Category Archives: Seafood

April 7, 2013 · 8:23 pm

Cajun Shrimp Poboys with Remoulade and Vinegar Slaw

Shrimp Po Boy

Don’t you wish you didn’t have to worry about the social acceptability of table manners? You know you want to be the one to scoop up that last bit of hummus with your finger after the pita supply has waned. And furthermore, don’t tell me you’ve never been tempted to lick that fancy plate you’ve been daintily forking and knifing. My 4 year old nephew, Romen, isn’t bound by such arbitrary niceties. After eating hot dog slices swimming in the bowl of ketchup and mustard he politely requested, Romen did what every grown-up wishes he or she could do. He tilted his head back and began to drink the leftover ketchup and mustard, tapping the bottom of the plastic bowl for good measure. Now, for the sake of my argument (just in case ketchup and mustard soup doesn’t appeal to you), just pretend you were sitting in front of a the bowl filled with your favorite sauce. Chocolate fondue, anyone?

Shredded Slaw Ingredients

Vinegar Slaw

At such a young age, Romen already knows that the sauce is the best part of the meal. I can’t wait to show him the wonders of Sriracha, cilantro chutney, and all sorts of other things to drizzle, douse, and dip. I know this is a Po boy recipe, so excuse me for being hyper-focused on the sauce, but I can’t help it. I. Love. Remoulade. What’s not to like about a socially acceptable way to enjoy all sorts of condiments, herbs, pickles, and whatever else you fancy, mixed together into a single sauce. I like to think of it as a decked out, up-scale tartar sauce or aioli. Purists might insist that there’s one way to do a traditional remoulade, but I think that the beauty of it is that it can be endlessly improvised upon according to your tastes, and what you have on hand.

Coating the Shrimp

Crispy Fried Shrimp

Good Po boys can’t rely on remoulade alone, which is why these ones are filled with hot, crunchy cornmeal-crusted shrimp, seasoned with cajun spices and smoked paprika. I like to stuff the shrimp into toasted baguettes filled with crisp vinegar slaw, and of course, a generous slathering of remoulade. Leave your grown-up table manners at the door. This could get messy.

Tasty Shrimp Po Boy

Cajun Shrimp Poboys with Spicy Remoulade and Vinegar Slaw

Makes 4-6 sandwiches, with extra slaw

For the shrimp:

  • 1/2 cup cornmeal 
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 pound medium shrimp (26-30 count), deveined and peeled, tails removed
  • canola or peanut oil for frying

For the remoulade:

  •  3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1  1/2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • a few dashes hot sauce to taste
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickles
  • 1/2 small red onion
  • 1 small clove garlic, finely grated or pressed
  • 2 tablespoons minced  fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the slaw:

  • 1 small head red or green cabbage (or a mix of both), thinly sliced
  • 1 medium carrot, julienned or grated
  • 1/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 1  1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

For the sandwiches:

  • Four to six  6 inch baguette portions, from 2 baguettes

1) Make the slaw:  Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, dijon mustard and olive oil in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the vinegar mixture.  Season to taste with additional salt, sugar, and/or vinegar if needed.

2) Make the remoulade:  Stir together all remoulade ingredients in a small bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Bread and fry the shrimp:  Heat one inch canola oil in a large cast iron skillet, dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed pan to 360˚ F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (cornmeal through black pepper).  Working in small batches, lightly coat the shrimp with the egg white mixture, and then press each side of the shrimp  into the cornmeal mixture.  Fry the shrimp in the hot oil until curled and golden brown, about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side.  Place the shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

4) Cut the baguette pieces in half lengthwise.  Toast the baguette under a broiler.  Spread on the remoulade on the cut sides of the bread, and arrange the shrimp on one side of the bread.  Spread the slaw on top of the shrimp and top with the other piece of baguette.

2 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes, Sandwiches and Burgers, Seafood

Tagged as , , , ,

February 9, 2011 · 9:58 pm

Garlicky White Wine Mussels on an Unsuspecting Tuesday

This past Tuesday, the weather gods shined upon Denver with frigidly cold negative temperatures.  We’re talking below zero here.  School status:  cancelled.  Mood status:  Above average.  After all, who’s not a fan of a stolen day every now and then?

I brainstormed day off possibilities, and arranged them into a priority list, with “cook, eat, and take photos” at the top, and “clean the house” in the “if school is also cancelled tomorrow” category.  When I’m not at work, I’m thinking blog, and this was a perfect opportunity to start thinking about a post for Valentines Day.

I spent the first part of the morning curled up with my new cookbook obsession, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark. If you’ve been around this blog for any time at all, you probably know that I quite fervently oppose being cold.  It may puzzle you as to why, on a day with a high of -3˚, I stopped reading my cookbook about halfway through the seafood chapter and left the house in search of a lemon and one and a half pounds of mussels.

Hunger called, and I needed sufficient brain fuel to start thinking about whoopie pies, heart-shaped cookies, and pink cupcakes.  I had already tried to make Valentines pancakes the previous weekend (looked great, tasted sub par).  Then, it dawned on me.  Pink frosting isn’t really my thing, but mussels are exactly the type of dish the mister and I would eat on February 14th.

Valentines Day is the opposite of a stolen day.  Everything is orchestrated, from the jewelry commercials, to the ruffly boxes of filled chocolates.  Just like most other parts of Valentines Day, restaurant food is mass-produced, marked-up, and not quite up to the same standard as other ordinary days of the year.

That being said, the mister and I still celebrate Valentines Day together–in our own way.  We’ve eschewed the need to go out and spend a lot on a prix fixe meal and the requisite molten lava cakes. Instead, we spend a fraction of the cost of going out to buy good ingredients and cook exactly what we want to eat.

On Tuesday, the mister and I enjoyed a “stolen” lunch together. I started with some olive oil, heated until shimmering in the bottom of a saucepan.  The fresh thyme, garlic (of course), and shallots made a satisfying “ksshhh” as I scattered them across the oil.  Next, I poured in the wine and lemon slices, enjoying the heady aroma as it steamed out of the pan.  I threw in the mussels, covered, and 5 minutes later, they had hinged open, revealing their perfect bite-sized morsels.

I whisked butter, parsley, and some dijon mustard into the sauce.  We ate the mussels atop a tangled nest of baked parmesan and parsley pomme “frite”, to soak up all the lemony, garlicky sauce.  I felt privileged to be eating a meal so fitting for a regal occasion on such an unsuspecting Tuesday.

Garlicky White Wine Mussels

Serves 2

Adapted from Melissa Clark’s Ale-Steamed Mussels with Garlic and Mustard

Cooking mussels is not difficult, but you will need to know a few rules in order to prepare them safely.  You can find a helpful tutorial here .

  • 1 1/2 pounds mussels
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large shallots, finely chopped
  • 1/2 large lemon, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. If your mussels are farmed, all you’ll need to do is rinse them under cold running water.  If your mussels are wild, you’ll need to scrub their shells and de-beard them.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the thyme, garlic, shallots, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic and shallots are softened, but not browned.

3. Pour in the wine and lemon slices, and heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, add the mussels, and cover the saucepan.  Steam the mussels for 5-10 minutes, or until all the mussels are open.

4. Transfer the mussels from the pan to serving bowls using a slotted spoon, discarding any mussels that don’t open.

5. Remove the lemon slices from the pan, squeezing the juice back into the broth.  With the heat still on medium-high, whisk the butter, parsley and mustard into the pan juices.  Season with salt and pepper, then pour over the mussels.

Parmesan-Parsley Baked Pomme “Frite”

Adapted from Ellie Krieger‘s Garlic Fries

  • 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 medium), cut into 1/4 inch sticks
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • a splash of champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar (about 2 teaspoons)

1.  Preheat the oven to 450˚F.

2. Heat the garlic in the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  The garlic will sizzle, but shouldn’t turn golden.  Strain the garlic from the oil with a fine mesh strainer.  Set both the garlic and oil aside.

3. Toss the potatoes with the oil and salt in a medium bowl.  Spray a nonstick baking sheet with additional oil.

4. Spread the potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

5. Toss the potatoes with the reserved garlic, parsley, parmesan, a splash of champagne vinegar, and additional kosher salt to taste if needed.  Serve while hot.

10 Comments

Filed under Appetizers, Main Dishes, Seafood

Tagged as , , ,

June 27, 2010 · 8:46 pm

Red Curry Coconut Marinated Shrimp with Grilled Pineapple and Sweet Onion over Cilantro-Coconut Rice

Deconstruction is trendy.  Trendy like a hipster wearing a t-shirt, a tight vest and rectangular sunglasses riding a Vespa.  The culinary world is all about deconstruction–separating the elements of a dish and putting a new spin on a favorite.  On Tastespotting (one of my favorite visual indulgences),  there are 43 recipes for deconstructed something or others.  Deconstructed fried rice, anyone?  Top Chef devotes a segment to deconstruction every season.  How about Deconstructed Caesar Salad with Chicken Wing, Parmesan Gel and Brioche?

I don’t wear sunglasses like Paris Hilton or read Cosmo to keep up with the latest “dos and don’ts.”  My closet doesn’t house any Greek goddess-inspired sandals or skinny jeans, but I do buy into some trends, sometimes, especially when it comes to tinkering with food.  Putting the word “deconstructed” in a recipe title makes it sound fancy.  I’m not going to lie…sometimes I like to sound fancy.

My friends are made up of two different categories of people.  Those who love to eat, and those who love to cook and eat.  One such friend from the second category introduced me to pineapple chicken curry; thinly sliced chicken, onion and pineapple bathed in a steaming bath of coconut milk and red curry.  This was my gateway meal to Thai cooking.  I was instantly hooked and had to have the recipe.

This afternoon, Luca lies on her belly in the kitchen, frog-dog style, trying to cool off.  Not even the squeaky lobster can lure her off of the floor.  I am coveting the KitchenAid ice cream maker on Amazon, daydreaming about berry sorbet and pistachio ice cream.  It’s 4:00 pm, and I’m already thinking about dinner.

Thai is on my mind.  I crave the addictive balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet.  Saute and simmer are not on my agenda today; steaming bath not in my vocabulary.  I was thinking more along the lines of marinate and grill.  This is begging for a deconstruction.

We’ll marinate shrimp instead of chicken, in red curry flecked coconut milk, spiked with lime juice and a confetti of lime zest, red onion and cilantro.  Kabobs just scream summer, so we’ll skewer those bad boys along with fresh pineapple and sweet onion, and grill instead of simmer.  Just for good measure, we’ll serve it over coconut cilantro rice, which is where my “no-simmer” agenda kind of falls apart.  At least we won’t have to stand over the stove while it cooks.

Maybe someday, when the days grow shorter, we’ll re-construct this deconstruction.  For now, we’ll sit on the patio, skewers in hand, and watch the sun dip behind the mountains as we plan our next culinary adventure.

Red Curry Coconut Marinated Shrimp With Grilled Pineapple and Sweet Onion

Marinade and Shrimp:

  • 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons lime zest, grated from two limes
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, squeezed from one lime
  • 2 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons red curry paste (to taste)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
  • 2 pounds large shrimp, shells removed (tail left intact) and deveined
  • bamboo skewers, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
  • oil, for brushing grill grates

Pineapple and Onion:

  • 1 pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 large sweet onions, halved, peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • salt to taste

Coconut Curry Dipping Sauce:

  • reserved marinade from shrimp, jalapeño slices removed
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon thai sweet chile sauce

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high

Make the marinade and thread the skewers:

Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add shrimp and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.  Thread the shrimp onto the skewers, and reserve the marinade in a small saucepan.

Thread the pineapple and onion on separate skewers.  Sprinkle kosher salt on the onion skewers to taste.

Make the dipping sauce:

Bring the reserved marinade to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.  Whisk in the vinegar and sweet chile sauce.

Grill the skewers:

Brush the grill grates with oil.  Place the onion and pineapple skewers on the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until grill marks appear.

After flipping the pineapple and onion, grill the shrimp 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they turn pink and are lightly charred on each side.

Cilantro-Coconut Jasmine Rice

Inspired by a tip from my friend Amy, who likes to use coconut milk when making jasmine rice.   The result is a sticky, slightly sweet rice with a coconut aroma.  This rice can be made on the stove or in a rice cooker.  For a variation, add one or more of the following: chopped jalapeños, cilantro, diced mango, thai basil, toasted coconut, or whatever your heart desires.

On the stove:

  • 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed well and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Place the rinsed rice in a large saucepan.  Add coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar to the saucepan.  Stir, and bring to a boil.  Immediately stir again, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is dissolved.  Fluff the rice with a fork and toss in the chopped cilantro.

In the rice cooker:

Combine all of the ingredients from above in the bowl of the rice cooker, increasing the coconut milk to one 13.5 oz can.  Cook according to rice maker instructions.  Fluff the rice with a fork and toss in the chopped cilantro.


2 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes, Seafood