Oyster Po Boys Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

American and Cajun and Seafood olga 9:25 pm

INGREDIENTS:

For chipotle mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For fried oysters
6 cups vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/4 cup whole milk
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shucked oysters, drained (about 36)

For assembling sandwich
1 (12- to 14-inch-long) loaf soft-crusted bread
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Accompaniment: lemon wedges
Special equipment: a deep-fat thermometer

DIRECTIONS:

Make chipotle mayonnaise:
Whisk together mayonnaise, chipotle, and lemon juice and chill mixture, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

Fry oysters:
Heat oil in a deep heavy pot (preferably a cast-iron Dutch oven) over high heat until it registers 375°F on deep-fat thermometer, about 12 minutes.

While oil is heating, whisk together egg, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Shake cornmeal, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper in a plastic or paper bag until combined well. Working in batches, add oysters to egg mixture, then lift out, letting excess drip off, and transfer to cornmeal in bag, shaking to coat well.

Carefully transfer to oil, knocking off excess coating, and fry, turning occasionally, until golden and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry remaining oysters in same manner, returning oil to 375°F for each batch.

Assemble sandwich:
Halve loaf crosswise and horizontally, cutting all the way through, and spread one cut side of each piece with mayonnaise. Sandwich oysters and lettuce between bread, pressing gently.

 

Halibut with Balsamic Glaze Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Italian and Seafood olga 9:03 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons honey, depending how sweet you want it
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
Nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk the vinegar, honey, oil, and garlic in a bowl. Arrange halibuts in an 8-inch square baking dish. Pour marinade over the fish, coating it completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Preheat the broiler. Line the bottom and sides of a baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Remove fish from marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange the fillets atop the baking sheet. Pour the marinade into a heavy small saucepan. Broil the fillets until they are just cooked through and caramelized on top, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile bring the marinade to a boil and simmer until it thickens slightly and becomes syrupy, whisking often, about 15 minutes. Spoon off any excess oil from the sauce, if desired.

Transfer the fillets to plates. Spoon the sauce over and around the fillets, and serve.

 

Fried Calamari Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Appetizer and Seafood , olga 6:56 pm

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pound clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1 cup simple tomato sauce, recipe follows or jarred marinara sauce, warmed

DIRECTIONS:

Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches.

Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Working in small batches, toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch.

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate.

Sprinkle with salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.

 

Mussels with tomatoes, wine, and anise Thursday, Jun 12 2008 

Seafood , olga 8:17 pm

ABOUT:

The Greek spin on cooking mussels, From Bon Appetite Magazine

SERVINGS:

Makes 4 first-course servings

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 tablespoons anise-flavored liqueur (such as Pernod, pastis, or ouzo)
1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add mussels, 2 tablespoons parsley, anchovies, and garlic, then liqueur; stir to blend. Boil 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and wine. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 6 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open). Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Divide mussels and sauce among 4 shallow bowls. Drizzle mussels with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley.

 

Caviar Tart Saturday, Apr 26 2008 

Appetizer and Seafood , olga 3:06 pm

ABOUT:

From Gourmet Magazine

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup sour cream
8 hard-boiled large eggs, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
7 oz black lumpfish caviar

DIRECTIONS:

Put 1/2 cup sour cream in a paper-towel-lined sieve set over a bowl, then let drain, covered with plastic wrap and chilled, 3 hours.

Stir together remaining 1/4 cup sour cream, eggs, onion, butter, dill, zest, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon chives until combined well.

Invert bottom of springform pan (so that turned-up edge is underneath for easy removal of tart) and close side of pan around bottom. Spread egg mixture evenly in pan with offset spatula, smoothing top. Cover surface with plastic wrap, pressing gently, and chill until firm, at least 3 hours.

Spread drained sour cream evenly over egg mixture with offset spatula.

Gently spread half of caviar on several sheets of paper towels to absorb excess cuttlefish ink. Carefully lift caviar from paper towels and spread on top of egg mixture (be careful not to smash caviar). Repeat method with remaining caviar. Serve cut into wedges and sprinkled with remaining chives, if desired.

 

Fish in Salt Crust Thursday, Apr 17 2008 

Seafood olga 6:16 pm

ABOUT:

One of my favorite and the best ways to cook fish. No matter which type of fish you make with this method it comes our perfect and moist then ever.

SERVINGS:

Serves 4 people

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds coarse salt
1 cup water
2-pound whole red snapper, salmon, etc, cleaned, leaving head and tail intact
1 lemon
fine-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450°F.
In a bowl stir together salt and water until combined well. On a large baking sheet spread half of salt mixture in a rectangle just larger than the red snapper and set fish on top. Halve lemon crosswise and cut 3 slices from 1 half, reserving remaining half. Insert slices into cavity of fish. Pat remaining salt mixture over fish to cover completely and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes.
Wrap all around edge of salt crust with the back of a large spoon to loosen and lift top off. Squeeze juice from reserved lemon half over fish and drizzle with oil.