Category: Seafood

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Sweet scallops meet savory, smoky bacon. This is a dish that I would typically make on the Big Green Egg, but Bella is out of commission this week pending the completion of our new deck so i had to resort to using the broiler.

1 pound medium-ish sea scallops (about 18 to 20 scallops)
10 strips of bacon
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1-2 teaspoons barbecue rub (I used Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin on this batch)
4 bamboo skewers (these flat skewers rock)

Soak the skewers in water for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the scallops and the teriyaki sauce in a shallow bowl and marinate for about 15 minutes.

Place the bacon strips on a broiler pan and bake until they just start to get brown around the edges, but are still very pliable, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

When the bacon is cool, slice each strip in half. Wrap each scallop with half a strip of bacon and thread onto a skewer.  Get about 5 or 6 scallops on each skewer.

Set the oven’s broiler on low.

Arrange the bacon-wrapped scallops on a broiler pan. Sprinkle each side with barbecue rub.  Broil 8 to 10 minutes per side, until the bacon is crispy and the scallops turn opaque.

Spicy Mango Shrimp

My dear wife said, “Honey, we have a ripe mango and some shrimp. And the cilantro needs to be used up. What do you want to make for dinner?

Google to the rescue. This 30-minute meal was a real winner – spicy but slightly sweet and the coconut adds an unexpected nuttiness. Adapted from Sunset.

Ingredients

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 medium mango, cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

Preparation

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the garlic and onion until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mango, chile flakes, soy sauce, lime juice, and shrimp. Cook just until shrimp turn pink, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove pan from heat.

Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and serve with steamed rice.

Spicy Planked Salmon

Yeah, more salmon.

We’re not yet getting the coveted Copper River salmon in yet, but we are getting some very nice Pacific wild-caught. This particular fillet was the nicest one we’ve had all year. For this meal I wanted to spice things up a bit, but not overwhelm the salmon.

Use a food-grade plank that’s been soaked in water for at least an hour. Set your grill up for direct cooking at medium-high heat (about 450°F).

Oil the skin side of the salmon and season both sides with a little kosher salt and a grind or two of black pepper. Brush the salmon with a tablespoon or so of either Tiger Sauce or a 50/50 mix of  Mae Ploy Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sriracha. Dust with a little of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Tsunami Spin in this case).

Put the plank on the grill by itself with the lid up for about 5 minutes, or until you see just a little smoke coming from the board. Flip the plank over and put the salmon on skin side down on the hot side of the plank.

Close the lid on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes. I like salmon best when it’s medium rare, so take the fillet off when it jut starts to flake, but is still a little translucent red inside – about 130°F internal. The fish will continue to cook a little once it’s off the heat, so take it off when it’s slightly underdone.

It really pays to look for a uniformly shaped fillet. This one cooked very evenly and stayed wonderfully moist – except for those crispy bits at the very edge where the salmon barely fit on the board, but even those where tasty.

Steak and Shrimp

The Steaks

I seasoned the t-bones up with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper, then set the Big Green Egg up for a direct cook at 700+°F.  When everything was good and hot, I tossed the steaks on for 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. Then I rotated the steaks 90 degrees and gave them another 30 seconds on that side. I flipped the meat and repeated the process on the other side.

The folks who were over for dinner liked their steaks a little more medium than rare, so I flipped the steaks again and checked the internal temp. When it hit 135°F internal (about another 30 seconds), I pulled them off the grill and onto a warm plate and covered it with another plate, and let them rest while I grilled the shrimp.

The Shrimp

These are (pretty much) Mark Bittman’s Spicy Grilled Shrimp via AZRP on the EGGhead Forum. They’ve got a great flavor to them and make excellent appetizers as well. I made up the marinade in advance and poured it over the shrimp right before I put the steaks on.

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

I put the salt and garlic in a food processor and pulsed until the garlic was minced. I added the remaining ingredients, except the shrimp, and gave them a whirl until everything was  well-combined.

I put the shrimp in a zip-top bag, covered them with the marinade, then squeezed the air out of the bag and sealed it. I put the bag in the fridge and let them marinate for about 10 minutes – don’t let them go for much more than this as the marinade will start to cook the shrimp.

I grilled them direct at 500°F or so for about 2 minutes a side – just until the shrimp started to curl up and turn pink.

Talk about my carnivorous habits – the only veggie on the plate was a lonely sweet potato, and it was just there to keep the pat of butter warm.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Salmon

Planking is one of my favorite ways to cook salmon. The smoke from the plank adds to the rich, nutty flavor of the fish. The prosciutto adds a layer of salty sweet porkiness of while keeping the salmon from drying out.

Use a food-grade plank that’s been soaked in water for at least an hour. Cedar or alder are traditional, but maple is nice too. Set your grill up for direct cooking at medium-high heat (about 450°F).

Oil the skin side of the salmon and season both sides with a little kosher salt and a grind or two of black pepper. Brush the salmon with a tablespoon or so of pure maple syrup. Apply 3 or 4 pieces of  prosciutto, covering the fillet in a single layer. Brush the prosciutto with more maple syrup.

Put the plank on the grill by itself for about 5 minutes, or until you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the board. Flip the plank over and put the salmon on skin side down on the hot side of the plank.

I try to use the planks more than once, but this one was overdue for replacement.

Close the lid on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes. I like salmon when it’s a juicy medium rare, so take the fillet off when it starts to flake, but is still a little translucent red inside – about 130°F internal. Remember that the fish will continue to cook a little once it’s off the heat, so you want it to be slightly underdone when you take it off.

I served it hot off the grill with a side of broccoli and delicata squash.

Tiger Sauce Shrimp

Grilled shrimp are one of my favorite appetizers. I marinated these in Tiger Sauce – a sweet and spicy cayenne pepper sauce.

The Cook

1 1/2 pounds large (21/25 count) prawns or shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup TryMe Original Tiger Sauce
6-8 bamboo skewers

Place skewers in water to soak.

Toss shrimp in sauce to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Set your grill up for a direct cook over high heat (about 500°F).

Skewer the shrimp – run one skewer through the head end and then another through the tail.

Grill 2-3 minutes per side, or until shrimp turn pink. Don’t over cook.

Serve with more sauce on the side.

These were very tasty,with a good combination of sweet and spicy. If you can’t find Tiger Sauce,  try a  50/50 mix of  Mae Ploy Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sriracha.

Herb-Infused Tuna

Tuna is one of those great, simple dishes on the grill. The key to this recipe was the infused olive oil I marinated the tuna steaks in. It gave them a great, deep flavor and kept the meat moist without overwhelming the tuna.

Loin steaks like this taste better to me if you treat them like beef steaks – hot, fast, and no more than medium-rare.

2 8-12 ounce tuna steaks
4 tablespoons infused olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Lay the tuna flat in a small container. Liberally coat all sides of the tuna with the olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the steaks from the fridge about an hour before you plan to cook them.

Get your grill hot – 600+°F. Brush a little oil on the grate and preheat it. You want everything on the grill to be sizzling hot.

Grill the steaks for 30 seconds to a minute per side. Rare tuna will be quite soft, with just a little resistance at the surface; medium-rare tuna will be gently yielding; and medium tuna will be firm. Anything past medium is going to start to dry out, so it’s best to pull the steaks off the heat just before they are done to your liking and let the carryover heat finish the job.

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

This hearty chowder is adapted from a recipe in the February, 2010 edition of  Real Simple. Add a green salad and this makes a great weeknight dinner.

6 slices bacon
2 leeks,(white and green parts), chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 T. all-purpose flour (in our kitchen, we used Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix to make it gluten-free)
1-8 oz. bottle clam juice or Penzey’s seafood stock
3 cups whole milk
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Louisiana-style hot sauce
Kosher salt and black pepper

Cook bacon slices in a large saucepan until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Use the pan drippings to cook the leeks and fennel. Season with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the flour and add the clam juice, milk, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes.

Chop the bacon and add to the pot. Stir in the shrimp and corn and cook until the potatoes are tender and the shrimp and corn are heated through, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

We served this with quesadillas for scooping up the broth.

Salmon with Horseradish Mustard Sauce

We try to do salmon at least once a week. This is just a simple oven-roasted version.  I originally made the sauce to go with corned beef and cabbage, but its tangy richness also goes very well with salmon.

Roasted Salmon

2  (6 ounce) salmon fillets with skin, wild caught is best
1 teaspoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh-ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub salmon with olive oil and lay skin side down on the paper. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Lift the meat from the skin with a thin metal spatula and transfer to a plate.  Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of the sauce.

Horseradish Mustard Sauce

1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Dash kosher salt

Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, and salt in a small bowl. Let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors all get to know each other.

Early Valentine’s Day – Steak & Crab

Arlo & Janis

We’re going to be busy getting ready for a trip next week, so we took advantage of a deal on crab legs and had an early Valentine’s Day dinner.

About an hour out, my dear wife set the oven at 350°F and put the foil-wrapped potatoes in to bake. I took the steaks out of the fridge and set the Big Green Egg up for a direct cook at nuclear temperature – 700°F plus.

I seasoned the steaks on both sides with a generous amount of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. When the grill was ready, I put the crab in the oven and the steaks on the grate over the hottest part of the fire.  I closed the lid and gave them a good 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. Then I flipped them, closed the lid and gave them another 90 seconds.

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These New York strips were so thick that I flipped the steaks up onto one edge, closed the lid, and let them go for another 90 seconds. Then flipped them onto their other edge and did the same thing.

I like steak medium-rare, which is just about exactly what these were when I pulled them off and put them on a warm plate and covered them with another plate, and let them rest for 15 minutes while the crab finished cooking and I grilled the romaine.

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Just about a minute on each side with the lid open to give them a little char, then rough chopped with some tomatoes and into the salad.

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Steak, crab, baked potato, and salad with home-made Caesar dressing.

Life is good!

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