it's more fun with shrimp..

Shrimp is one of my favorite seafood recipes, and this is why I would like to share more of my recipes for shrimp (or prawn). These may be too simple for some but for those beginners who wanted to have a sumptuous meal in no time, I would recommend these two very simple shrimp recipes.

The first one is actually a menu from the Cohen diet. I was so happy to find this because dieting has never been fun with foods like this.

SPICY SAUTEED SHRIMP

1lb. Shrimp meat, cleaned and deveined ( I actually used tiger prawns)
3 green finger chilies, sliced into small diagonal pieces
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat cooking oil in pan and place garlic and chilies. Cook for 3 minutes. 

Add prawns and cook till they turn pink in color

Add salt and pepper and cook for another 8 minutes

Place in small platter and top with chopped red chilies for presentation. Serve hot and enjoy! 

This second recipe is inspired from one of the cooking shows I am watching on TLC Channel, specifically from Bobby Chinn's, World Cafe Asia.

PRAWN TEMPURA

1lb. Prawns meat, cleaned and deveined, shelled, leaving the tail

Salt and pepper

1 1/2  cups flour, sifted

1 egg beaten

3/4 cup cold beer

Panko bread crumbs

Season prawns with salt and pepper, set aside. Combine 1 cup flour, egg and beer. Mix well until smooth and free from lumps.

Dip prawns first on the remaining flour. Dip in the beer-egg -flour mixture and finally dip in Panko bread crumbs. Deep fry in a very hot oil for about 3 minutes. 

Serve hot on a platter and enjoy with tempura sauce!

happy eating! J

Shellfish me…

Crawfish

During my childhood days, my family were not so lucky to eat some “luxurious” foods like steak, lobsters and shrimps or prawns. Me and my sisters would see these foods on TV and in the restaurants but those are not usually part of our order. I guess that is why when my dad had the shrimp exporting business with his Korean friends, we were so excited to see a lot of prawns being brought to our house and packed for export.

This was also the time when my mom started to try out different  recipes for prawns and she was successful . On our constant trip to the market, she showed me different types of seafood and later on, I have learned they are categorically known as “shellfish”.  I got interested in studying different types of shellfish and in some of my dining experiences, I encountered the most common types of shellfish; and discovered that they are one of the most expensive cuisines anywhere you go.

Shellfish are aquatic animals protected by some sort of shell. Based on skeletal structure they are categorized distinctively as: 

UNIVALVES  or the single-shelled mollusks like:

Abalone

Conch

Snail or Escargot

BIVALVES or mollusks with two shells joined together by a hinge like:

Clam

Mussel

Oyster

Scallops

CEPHALOPODS or those with tentacles attached directly to the head like:

 

Octopus

Squid

CRUSTACEANS or mollusks with joined exterior skeletons or shell like:

Crab

Lobster

Shrimp

 I also learned that when buying shellfish, we should always look for signs of movement. While lobsters and crabs should move about, clams, mussels and oysters should be tightly closed, or close when touched. As they age, they will begin to open. Any shells that do not snap shut when tapped should be discarded; this means that the fish is dead.

Below is one of mom’s shrimp specialties, Prawns in Garlic and Sweet Chili Sauce. Learning it from her is like learning it from  a pro. 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh prawns

4-5 cloves garlic , chopped (more if you want )

1 red onion, chopped

2 tbsp. Oyster sauce

1 tbps. Hot sauce

2 tbsp. Tomato catsup

2 tbsp. Oyster sauce

1 tsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

Clean and devein prawns. Place in a pan with ¼ cup water and add 1 pinch of salt. Cook until prawns turn pink. Remove from heat and set aside.  Heat a tbsp cooking oil and butter. Sauté garlic and onion for about 2 minutes, and add in the cooked prawns. 

Mix in the oyster sauce, hot sauce and tomato sauce. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Place on platter and serve while still hot. Enjoy!

Happy eating J

fish be with you.. :)

One of my favorite places to go to during my free time is the market place. I love the sight of fresh meat and poultry as well as those fresh fish where you can still see them jumping up and down from the pail. And of course, I am saving the best for last, the colorful sight of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Nowadays, I have not been much out on markets because you may notice that if you go to a grocery, or the supermarket as me and my sisters would term it, they have all these items on sale as well. They are now a one shop store where you can find anything you need, from your fresh meat to the vegetables, to the canned goods and even ready to wear clothes and hardware items. You don't need to go anywhere else.

With my trips to the grocery store an the market place, there is one major difference that I have discovered. The grocery store may always have the meat, poultry and seafood available anytime, but they have already been frozen and you may notice some of them have already been turned to flavored cuts, like barbecue, shanghai mix and some are even breaded already. The market place on the other hand sells REAL fresh items, meats fresh from the slaughter house and seafood fresh from the sea. This is where the excitement is, seeing them fresh, clean and odor free.

I first wanted to talk about the some of the types of fish I noticed on my trips. The theoretical knowledge I've learned from school and the culinary books I'm reading gave a clearer understanding that although fish looks the same, they are categorized according to how they look.

Fish are also categorized by their activity level: low, medium or high. The more the fish swims, the darker its flesh will be. Darker fleshed fish have a higher oil content and have stronger flavor. Always consider the oil content of fish when choosing the best cooking technique. Low and high-activity fish have limited cooking methods, while medium-activity fish are quite versatile.

I have taken a picture of these types on one of the famous culinary books ever out in the market, tagged by Paul Bocuse as the "the bible of all chefs", the The Professional Chef 8th Edition. 


The Flat Fish - The characteristics of flat fish includes the following: one pigmented and one non-pigmented side, either right or left eye

1. Halibut                                 5. Black-back flounder (right-eyed),
2. Turbot                                 6. Fluke (left-eyed flounder)
3. Petrale sole ,                        7.Gray sole
4. Lemon sole                          8. Dover sole

Low Activity Round Fish - The characteristics of round fish includes the following: eyes on both sides of head; swim in upright position; firm grill plate

1. Wolf fish                                   4. Cod
2. Haddock                                  5. White Hake
3. Pollock

Medium-Activity Round Fish 

1. Walleyed pike                                    6. Silk snapper

2. Tilefish                                               7. Hybrid striped bass

3. Grouper                                             8. Black sea bass

4. Yellowtail snapper                              9. Wild striped bass

5. Vermillion snapper

High-Activity Round Fish

1. Mahi-mahi (head-off)                                   6. Spanish Mackerel

2. Farm raised King Salmon (Pacific Salmon)   7. Atlantic Mackerel

3. Atlantic Salmon                                            8. Pompano

4. Arctic Char                                                  9. Yellowfin Tuna (loin)

5. Rainbow Trout

Nonbony Fish

1. Sturgeon (head-off)                                3. Skate Wings

2. Swordfish Wheel                                   4. Monkfish

Other types of fish are: 

Eel

Catfish

Anchovy

Sardine Fish

Tilapia

John Dory

I have not really looked into the details of the difference in terms of fish structures but one thing is for sure, they do have almost the same external and internal parts:

INTERNAL ANATOMY

I have learned to love fish these days and one of my family's favorite is "Steamed Fish Fillet in Soy and Garlic Sauce", as always, recipe follows below.. enjoy!

Ingredients:

white fish fillet (I use cream dory)

salt and pepper

slices of ginger

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)

green onions, chopped

fried garlic chopped

Season fish fillet with salt and pepper and place slices of ginger on top of each fillet. Steam for 10 minutes and set aside. Combine light soy sauce, water, brown sugar, grated ginger, sesame oil, oyster sauce and simmer. Place steamed fish in a shallow bowl and pour over sauce. Top with chopped spring onions and browned fried garlic.

happy eating! J

let's cook something

It has been our devotion to abstain from our favorite foods during Lenten season and this year, as I have always been doing, I abstain from eating red and white meat, beef, pork and chicken. That is why I am always on the look out for some seafood and vegetable recipes. Aside from the ones that I have always been cooking, I found some recipes for pasta sauces and also shrimp and seafood. Last Friday, I started to make some new discoveries and they were a blast!

I wanted to share some of them with you so to make this as simple as it can be, I have provided the recipes below and I hope you can enjoy it as much as we did. Today is Friday again so I will be making a new set of dish after this.

PASTA WITH SHRIMP AND SUN DRIED TOMATOES

1 pack spaghetti
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp crushed fresh garlic
1 lb cleaned shrimp
1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
2 tbsp dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp fried rosemary
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain well and return to pot. Add olive oil, toss and set aside. In a skillet, spray some cooking oil and add garlic, shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, wine, broth, rosemary and pepper to the skillet and stir to mix. Cover and cook over medium heat for three minutes or until the shrimps turn pink and the tomatoes plump. Reduce to low heat. Add pasta to the shrimp mixture, tossing gently, cooking for a minute or two or until the mixture is heated thoroughly. Toss in the parsley and serve immediately.

BAKED FISH IN GARLIC WHITE WINE SAUCE

4 Tilapia fish fillet
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tsp dried parsley or 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Lay fish fillet in baking pans (grease if needed). Cover season with salt and pepper, garlic and wine. Combine butter, bread crumbs and parsley. Crumble over fish. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until fish is flaky. Serve hot.

Time to do the next set of menu..

happy eating! J