Seafood with Saffron Citrus Vinaigrette →

Given its aroma and delicate flavor, saffron has been used in cuisine, medicine, and religion for thousands of years and is the world’s most expensive spice. Cultivated in Iran and parts of the greater Mediterranean region, saffron is made from the bright crimson stigma and styles of the Crocus sativus flower. There about three stigmas per flower and it takes approximately 200-500 stigmas to make a gram of saffron, or 250,000 purple crocus flowers to produce one kilogram of saffron. Harvesting saffron is extremely labor intensive. The flowers only bloom for two or three weeks a year and the threads must be hand picked carefully early in the morning to avoid damage from the hot sun. This recipe uses a small amount of the precious spice to produce an exquisite sauce to pair with seafood. I like to serve it with sauteed shrimp, calamari, or scallops alongside a Melon Avocado Salsa as a starter for a special meal. Treat your friends and family and enjoy!

Sauteed Seafood with Citrus  Saffron Vinaigrette

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette
· 1 cup fresh orange juice
·  1 tablespoon minced shallot
·  1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
·  2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar (or White Balsamic)
·  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
·  Kosher salt or sea salt to taste.

Preparation
1. Toast the saffron to release the essential oils and aromas and intensify the flavor. See *Note below.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, shallot, and saffron. Bring to a simmer and cook over moderate heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 25 minutes. Strain into a small bowl (optional) and let cool to room temperature.
3. Whisk in the vinegar and oil and season with salt to taste.

*Note: fold a piece of tin foil into a small rectangle. Turn up the edges so you have a small container you can easily remove from the hot frying pan. Place the foil parcel in a frying pan over medium heat and preheat for 30 seconds to a minute. Add the saffron threads for about 30 seconds.  Alternatively, place the saffron threads on a medium-hot skillet over medium heat for less than a minute shaking the pan constantly to prevent burning the very expensive saffron threads.

As a light starter
Ingredients
· Make the Melon Avocado Salsa
· Make the Citrus Saffron Vinaigrette
· Two or three large (21-30 count) shrimp, or one or two air-chilled sea scallops, or one small calamari tube with tentacles, tube cut into ½ inch rings. Or a combination of the three.
· 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
1. Sautee the seafood on a hot cast iron pan or other heavy bottom pan: two minutes per side for scallops; one minute per side for large shrimp; one-two minutes for calamari. If you cook too long the seafood becomes rubbery.
2. Spoon the salsa onto a small plate. Spoon a pool of vinaigrette onto the plate next to the salsa. Place the seafood atop the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Enjoy! 

Wine pairing: white wines like Albariño, White Cotes du Rhone, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Vermentino, Verdejo. Chablis

Chile Lime Shrimp →

Chile Lime Shrimp… This dish is inspired by traditional Peruvian Chile Lime Shrimp. Less well known in the U.S. than Mexican and Caribbean cuisines, but with its own sophisticated gastronomy and more than its share of world-class chefs, Peruvian cuisine (comida criolla) is a rich mixture of indigenous Andean, African, Asian, and Spanish/European culinary traditions that reflect the history and diverse ethnic composition of the Peruvian population. Serve this dish with a refreshing, colorful Mango Avocado Salad for a light meal that will engage all five taste senses. Alternatively, gift your guests a taste of Peru and serve a plate of these shrimp with lime wedges as hors-d’oeuvres. I hope this simple sample of comida criolla entices you to explore Peruvian cuisine the way it has me. Buen provecho!

Chile Lime Shrimp
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined (I use 16-20 count large shrimp)

• ½ cup lime juice

• Zest of 1 lime finely grated

• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon chile powder

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 Makrut lime leaves, center spine removed, very thinly sliced (optional)

• 4 teaspoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons finely minced or grated ginger root

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

• kick it up a notch with a few drops of your favorite hot sauce

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, chile powder, cumin, cilantro, soy sauce, paprika, and ginger. Add the shrimp to the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Alternatively, my preferred method is to grill the shrimp over direct heat for 1-2 minutes per side depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove from the heat and garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Wine pairing: a dry Riesling, a demi-sec Vouvray, or a Viognier will compliment this spicy dish.

Blackened Scallops with Cilantro Lime Sauce →

Super easy to make, this dish is adapted from a recipe by Marcela Vallodolid featured in Food and Wine Magazine in 2014. I kick it up a notch by blackening the scallops and serving the spicy scallops atop the fresh, tangy cilantro and lime sauce. A garnish of a simple avocado and tomato relish, or sweet Peppadew pepper provides color to your presentation and complementary flavors to the dish. Enjoy!

Blackened Scallops with Cilantro Sauce
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
·   12 large sea scallops
·   Blackening spice  
·   Sea salt
·   Black pepper
·   4 tablespoons butter
·   1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
·   1/4 cup chopped cilantro
·   2 garlic cloves, minced
·   2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
·   1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
·   1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
·   Avocado-tomato relish- *Optional see below 

Preparation:
Preheat your cast iron skillet(s) over high heat (use your grill to avoid filling your house with smoke when blackening the scallops)

1.  Add the olive oil and cilantro along with the garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper to a blender (or Magic Bullet) and process until smooth.
2. Melt the butter and dip each scallop in the butter first then into the blackening spice.
3.  Lightly oil the very hot skillet and gently place 6 scallops on the skillet. Don’t move the scallops for two minutes, then gently turn over each scallop for another 2 minutes. Repeat with the other 6 scallops if you don’t have two skillets to work with.
4.  Sauce 4 plates and place three scallops atop along with your garnish of choice. 

*Optional: serve the scallops alongside a tablespoon of chopped avocado and tomato relish dressed with a squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Note: If you don’t want to blacken the scallops, toss the scallops in the sauce and sear them on a hot cast-iron skillet for two minutes per side basting with a drizzle of the sauce.

Adapted from: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cilantro-scallops

Lobster with Fried Gnocchi, Tomatoes, and Pea Purée →

The dining ritual of eating a lobster roll while in Maine or on Cape Cod is deeply ingrained in the tourist industry of New England. When vacationing on the coast of New England, you don’t have to pay $30. for a lobster roll you can make at home by toasting a hot dog roll and adding a couple of spoonfuls of fresh lobster meat tossed with a quick tarragon aioli. Easy peasy! Having spent much of my childhood growing up on the New England coast, when I go to a restaurant, I prefer to order a dish that I don’t usually make at home. This recipe was inspired by a dish I had at Mac’s Shack seafood restaurant in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. I was so impressed with the original dish, I had to recreate my version of it at home. I hope you like it!

Lobster with Fried Gnocchi and Pea Purée
Serves 2
Ingredients:

• 2 lobster tails

• 6-8 boiled gnocchi per person (homemade or from the market)

• 1 cup of frozen peas

• 1 smallish shallot chopped

• 1-2 cloves of garlic chopped

• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

• zest from half a lemon (optional)

• 1 cup bottled clam juice, fish stock, or chicken stock

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon

• 1 heaping tablespoon of fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 4 cherry tomatoes

• pinch of white pepper and salt to taste

• pea sprouts for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Make the Pea Purée:

Photo; c. foodblogchef 2021

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and shallot over medium heat until just translucent (not browned).

2. Add the red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds.

3. Add the stock and white wine and bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the peas and white pepper and boil for a minute and remove from heat

5. Strain the peas reserving the liquid.

6. Using a blender or Magic Bullet, add the tarragon and parsley, half the liquid, and the pea mixture and purée until smooth. Add more reserved liquid if necessary to achieve the sauce consistency you want.

7. Taste and adjust the salt to taste.

Sauté the lobster and tomatoes:

Photo: c. foodblogchef

1. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and sauté the lobster tails covered over medium heat for about 5 minutes adding a ¼ cup of water to create steam.

2. Remove the lobster tails and cut them lengthwise to gently remove the flesh from the shell and set aside.

3. To the same skillet, add a bit more oil if needed, and sauté the tomatoes cut face down for a minute or two to your desired doneness. Remove from heat and set aside.

Boil and fry the gnocchi:

1. Boil the gnocchi according to package directions, or if you’re using fresh homemade gnocchi, add the gnocchi to well-salted boiling water. Wait for them to rise to the surface and continue cooking for a minute. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon to drain the water.

2. To the same skillet, you cooked the lobster in, over medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of butter and fry the boiled gnocchi until golden brown on two sides.

Plate the dish:

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

1. Spread the pea purée equally on two plates and top with 4 half tomatoes on each plate. Distribute the fried gnocchi and top with chopped lobster meat. Garnish with pea sprouts.

Wine pairing: dry white wines like Chablis, Chardonnay, Albariño, Vermentino.

Iberian Garlic Shrimp and Calamari (Camarón y Calamar Ajoso) →

Iberian Garlic Shrimp and Calamari (Camarón y Calamar Ajoso) is inspired by one of my favorite Spanish tapas. Serve as an hors d’oeuvre or first course for a larger meal, or pair with sauteed bitter greens or baby spinach and pine nuts as a delicious light meal you can have on the table in less than a half-hour. Add a thin pasta like Capellini, tossed with the sumptuous garlicky-sherry-olive oil sauce, topped with the shrimp and calamari with sauteed greens on the side for a more substantial meal. Don’t forget the crusty bread to dip in the rich spicy sauce. Vamos a tapear! y Buen provecho! 

Iberian Garlic Shrimp and Squid
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 16 large shrimp (21-25 count), peeled.

• 1/3 pound of squid; tubes cut into ½ inch rounds

• 2 teaspoons Red Pepper Paste (or one small dried chile pepper of your choice)

• 1 tablespoon dry sherry or white wine

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley

• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Sauté the garlic cloves until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and stir for a minute; add the squid and stir; add the red pepper paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes. (Don’t overcook or the shrimp and squid will be rubbery.)
4. Add the sherry and lemon juice and cook for another minute.
5. Season to taste with salt, sprinkle with parsley and serve with a crusty bread to dip in the delicious sauce.

Portuguese Mussels with Linguiça and Fried Potatoes →

Here’s a riff on one of my favorite dishes, the classic Portuguese dish “Porco Alentejana”. I first tasted this dish with pork, clams, and fried potatoes over 40 years ago at the “12345 Club” the Cabana Carioca at 123 West 45th St. in Manhattan. Since then I try it every time I eat at a Brazilian or Portuguese restaurant. The secret to the dish is the complex traditional Portuguese red pepper paste condiment that provides a distinctive flavor to the broth. For this recipe, I substitute sustainably farmed mussels for small hard-shelled clams and smokey fried Portuguese linguiça for the pork shoulder. Super flavorful and satisfying, the briny-plump-tender mussels, crisp-smokey sausage, and roasted slices of potato provide you with a dish from culinary heaven. If you want to lower the carbs omit the potatoes, but don’t forget the crusty bread to dip in the sumptuous broth! Bom proveito!

Portuguese Mussels with Linguiça and Fried Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of fresh mussels washed and picked over discarding any that are open and don’t close when tapped.

• ½ pound linguiça thinly sliced

• ¼ cup red pepper paste

• 1 ¾ cups dry white wine

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

• 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4” thick or cut into 1-inch cubes
  (See *Note)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.

1. In a large bowl, toss the potato slices/cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, season lightly with salt and plenty of pepper, and scatter in one layer on a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet. Roast, flipping them once or twice, until fork tender and golden brown about 30-40 minutes.

2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the linguiça until it is brown and crispy.

3. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and cook stirring until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the red pepper paste and stir for a couple of minutes before adding the wine and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, cover and remove from the heat until the potatoes are out of the oven.

5. Once the potatoes are done, raise the heat under the pot to high, bring to a boil and stir in the mussels. Cover and cook until they begin to open (2-3 minutes) stirring occasionally and picking out the mussels as they fully open. (Note: cooking mussels this way ensures perfectly cooked large, plump, tender mussels that are not overcooked, shriveled, and tiny.) Discard any mussels that don’t open.

6. To serve, line the bottom of the serving bowls with the potato slices or cubes, top with the linguiça, mussels, and broth, and sprinkle with the cilantro. (See *Note)

7. Serve with crusty bread for dipping. Have a large bowl ready for the shells.

   *Note: if you want to lower the carbs in this dish omit the potatoes.

Adapted from: https://leitesculinaria.com/7675/recipes-portuguese-pork-with-clams.html

Wine pairing: the traditional wine to serve with this meal is “vinho verde” a light, crisp white wine from Portugal. Other options would be Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, Albariño, or Verdejo. You could also try a Rosé or light Beaujolais. Avoid wines that have heavy tannins.