Seafood – Page 9 – Fun Foodie Family

Seared Scallops with Garlic Brown Butter on Angel Hair

Epic cooking night, ya’ll. I love scallops. I mean, I really love them. Whenever we go to a restaurant that has a scallop dish, I usually order it. They usually serve you like 3 huge sea scallops and the dish is at least $20. I went to Whole Foods today and got 10 scallops for about $19. That may seem like a steep price, and it is, but much cheaper than eating out at a fancy restaurant.

It may seem scary to cook seafood at home. People who I have talked to about it are scared. It is not hard, I promise! I have cooked a lot of seafood on this blog; salmon, tilapia, shrimp, mussels… I think it is about time for more. I present to you my Seared Scallops with Garlic Brown Butter on Angel Hair.

Seared Scallops with Garlic Brown Butter on Angel Hair (serves 2)

Ingredients

1 shallot, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 container of cavatelli (angel hair)
1/2 cup of white wine (I used a lovely Chardonnay)

Directions
Boil water with lots of salt.
Heat pan to EXTREME HEAT!!!!
Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper.
Put in pasta.
Brown 1/2 stick of butter.
Put in scallops on first side for 2 minutes. Stir pasta.
Turn scallops over and cook for 2 more minute. They should be perfectly seared on both sides. Take them out and put them on a plate.
Add shallots and garlic. Add wine. Mix well and cook down for a minute or so. Add the pasta. Mix well. Plate and add scallops on top. Serve with a side veggie.
Enjoy!

Tilapia with Pesto and Cauliflower Gratin

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, grains, potatoes, Seafood, Side dishes...veggies

I have heard some people say they don’t like cooking fish because they think it will stink up the house. They think it is hard to make. Well, I am here to prove them wrong. It couldn’t be easier and the house smells amazing. I also made a spinach and basil pesto to go with the fish. It matched perfectly. There were no leftovers…

Pan fried Tilapia

Ingredients
2-3 filets of tilapia cut in half
2 cups of flour
salt and pepper to taste
a couple tablespoons of oil AND butter

Directions
Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper; coat in flour. In large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat; fry fish in batches, turning once, until golden and fish flakes easily when tested, 4 to 5 minutes.

Spinach Basil Pesto

Directions- Mix the following ingredients in a food processor and stream in olive oil to make smooth and creamy;
1/2 container of pine nuts
1 handful of both spinach and basil
1/2 container of parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Sea Salt and Pepper
3 tbl butter
2 tbl flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 cups of shredded cheese- I used mild cheddar and colby jack

Directions

Place cauliflower on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Generously salt and pepper your veggies. Toss and cover well all pieces with olive oil or cooking spray. Place in preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn to broil for the last 5 minutes to get the pieces golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add in the flour, stirring to make a paste. Continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in heavy cream stirring and blending. Do the same with the milk. Reduce heat to low and add the cheeses a little bit at a time, stirring and allowing it all to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place roasted cauliflower in a large mixing bowl. Add creamy cheese mixture and blend well. Pour into a cast iron skillet and add more shredded cheese to the top. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven or until the top is golden brown.

Oh, and we had a side of couscous. That is always a hit. =) Hope you have a great week!

Mussels with White Wine and Lemon Aioli

Seafood

So last night, I had a nice quiet house to myself. I dropped the girls off at my parents and went directly to the Whole Foods near their house. They were having a great deal on mussels, so I bout a pound for under $5. I also got 6 chicken quarters for under $6, but that is for another post.

My husband was also out for the evening, so I found myself with a bag of mussels, white wine, and a loaf of crusty bread. I researched a few recipes and came up with this recipe. It was divine. I at standing up dipping mussels in sauce, then aioli, then on bread etc. all the while licking my fingers and forgetting all the manners I ever learned or taught to my girls. I will cherish that night in my memory until the next time. Everytime I get stressed, I will think back to the time I stood at my counter and demolished a pound of mussels, a half a loaf of bread, and an entire bowl of aioli all washed down with lots of white wine =) Happy momma!

Mussels with White Wine and Lemon Aioli

Lemon Aioli

1 large egg yolk (or 2 small)
1 clove of garlic (minced if you are whisking by hand)
Juice of a lemon plus a bit of lemon zest from the lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I blended it all together in my blender on the lowest setting. You could whisk if you felt like it, but this is much easier.
cover and chill (this can be made 1 day ahead)

Mussels

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot finely chopped
1 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1-2 pounds of mussels

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add your onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, then add and cook your garlic, stirring for about 2 minute. Stir in your tomato paste for another 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced. This will just take a couple of minutes. Add mussels and 1/4 cup of water to the pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Discard any mussels that did not open. They are unsafe to eat.

Ladle mussels and broth in to shallow serving bowls and serve with bread and aioli.

Trick to eating mussels. Once you get one mussel out with a fork, you can use that mussel shell like chop sticks to eat the rest of the mussels.

Four Course Meal: Crab Cakes, Vegetable Gratin, Poached Salmon with Pesto, and Chocolate

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Seafood, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

Tonight I had a date night with myself. My husband went to hockey, and I made the girls Sloppy Joe’s at 5:00. I wasn’t ready to eat yet, so I just made their food and prepped my food while they ate. I made myself a 4 course meal… 1- Crab Cake with a smear of my pistachio arugula avocado pesto 2- Veggie Gratin 3- Poached Salmon with more of my pesto 4- Chocolate

1- Crab cakes- I got one of those already assembled in the seafood case. I knew it was just me eating, and I only wanted one. I cooked it on both sides for about 3 minutes. Then I added my pesto… Swoon!!!!

Normally pesto is made with basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil. Instead, I used arugula, garlic, pistachios, and olive oil. DIVINE!!!! I actually saw Alton Brown make a pesto today with pistachios, but he kept the basil. I wanted to try the arugula, and I am glad I did. So delicious! Don’t be afraid to experiment! I have plenty of leftovers for later!!!

2- Veggie Gratin
I had a yellow squash, a zucchini, a container of mushrooms, and 2 small tomatoes. I sliced them pretty thin, covered with olive oil, parm./romano mix, mozzarella, and italian breadcrumbs. So very tasty!

3- Salmon poached in Seafood Stock, Lemons, and Dill
If you read my blog last night, you know I made seafood stock. https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/01/19/seafood-stock-2/

I used it tonight to poach my beautiful salmon. I added some lemon and dill for freshness and acidity. YUM!!!! I cooked each side about 5-6 minutes. I put it on a bed of arugula and topped with my pesto. You could add a side of some healthy grain like orzo, risotto, or quinoa. This would be amazing. But since I already ate the crab cake and veggie gratin, a grain would be overkill. Even though salmon is a healthy light meal, it is very rich and fatty (good fats). Same for the pesto. A little bit goes a long way.

4- As for the chocolate- It was a square of dark chocolate, and it was glorious!

Seafood Stock

Seafood, Soups

I have been kind of obsessed with making my own stock lately. Mostly it has been chicken stock. Tons of chicken carcases have make their way into my stock pot with loads of fresh and almost goner veggies and herbs. I have also made lots of pork stock…bones from chops, butts, ribs, etc. I have also been squirreling away seafood shells; Lobster shells, clamshells, mussel shells, and shrimp shells, but have not made a seafood stock until tonight. I brought the clamshells home from dinner a while back; the waitress was somewhat mystified and intrigued why I needed a take out container for just leftover shells. When I explained it to her, she had this look on her face and almost did a facepalm like, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

I saw an episode of Top Chef the other night and got inspired to make my own seafood stock. I saw some salmon today at the store, so I decided I was going to poach it in some seafood stock, white while, and lemon juice with dill. Tonight I made the stock. Tomorrow I will make the salmon and report back.

Seafood Stock- Use whatever leftover seafood and shells that you have or can buy/get. I also used 2 onions, 3 stalks celery, 3 carrots, 1/2 head of garlic, leftover broccoli stalks, mushrooms, leftover parmesan cheese rind, 1 cup white wine, 2 bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Feel free to add whatever leftover veggies or herbs that you have in the fridge.

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