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Creamy Seafood Chowder

Creamy Seafood Chowder

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Yield: about 3 Quarts

Heavily adapted from Larsen’s Fish Market, Martha’s Vineyard

My version of New England–style seafood chowder. Deeply flavored, yet light. Sure to please.

Shrimp stock:

  • shells from 1 to 2 lb of shrimp
  • 6cups water

Aromatics:

  • 6TBS unsalted butter, divided
  • 1large onion, finely chopped
  • 2celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1TBS Old Bay seasoning
  • 1tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more
  • 1TBS mirin or Shaoxing cooking wine
  • 2cups clam juice, divided

Vegetables:

  • 1-2lb potatoes (any kind), peeled, cut into ½-inch pieces

Seafood:

  • 1lb white fish (cod, haddock or other)
  • 12oz shrimp, peeled and deveined and cut in half
  • 8-12oz scallops, cut into half or quarters (depending on size)

Chowder:

  • 4TBS butter
  • 4TBS AP flour
  • 16oz half-and-half

Shrimp stock: Add shells from 1 to 2 lb shrimp to a 2-3 quart sauce pan over medium high heat. Saute for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Cook aromatics: Melt 1 TBS butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onion and celery, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Mix in Old Bay and 1 tsp pepper and mirin and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup clam juice, bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft, about 5 minutes.

Cook vegetables: Add shrimp stock and remaining clam juice and bring to a boil. Add potatoes (and optional carrots). Simmer, uncovered, adjusting heat as needed, until just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Cook fish and shellfish: Add fish and shellfish and cook, stirring gently, just until mixture returns to a simmer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Half-and-half mixture: While the potatoes are simmering, melt 3 TBS butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, until light blond in color, about 2 minutes. Whisk in half-and-half and 1 cup chowder broth (skimmed off the top) and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook, still whisking, until thickened and creamy.

Chowder: Stir half-and-half mixture into chowder and return to medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring gently. Remove from heat, season with salt and more pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with oyster crackers and/or toasted Boule.

Cioppino

Cioppino

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Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis / Food Network

Broth:

  • 3TBS olive oil
  • 1large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 1onion, chopped
  • 3large shallots, chopped
  • 2tsp salt
  • 4large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¾tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  • ¼cup tomato paste
  • 1(28-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1½cups dry white wine
  • 5cups fish stock
  • 1bay leaf

Seafood:

  • 1lb manila clams, scrubbed
  • 1lb mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded
  • 1lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  • 1½lb assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • ½lb calamari, cleaned
  • ½lb sea scallops, abductor removed

Broth: Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat.

Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and ¾ tsp of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Seafood: Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes.

Add the calamari, scallops, shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Tuscan Fish – w/o Packets

Tuscan Fish – w/o Packets

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from Taste of Home & others

This makes a wonderful, flavorful dish. It was a variation of ‘fish en papillote’, (fish in paper). It has morphed into a baked Tuscan Fish dish.

I found the “original” recipe in three different places by three different authors, all exactly the same with the same introduction: “I was given this recipe by a professional chef, but have adapted it…”. The original source is suspect.

I have made some changes as well, such as adding parchment. Wine and lemon don’t play well with aluminum foil and can cause an off flavor.

Well, the newest version eliminates the packet. It’s a waste of foil and parchment.

  • 1-2cans (15 oz) white beans, like great northern, cannelloni or navy, drained and rinsed
  • 3-4plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 1small zucchini, quartered & sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 1medium onion, chopped or 6 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1garlic clove, minced
  • ¼cup white wine
  • ¾tsp salt, divided
  • ¼tsp pepper, divided
  • 46 oz white fish fillets, such as cod or haddock
  • 1medium lemon, cut into 8 thin slices

Optional:

  • 12peeled and deveined shrimp or 12 scallops (or 6 of each)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the chopped onion in a small bowl and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, otherwise it is too crisp.

In a large bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, wine, microwaved onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoons pepper.

Rinse fish and pat dry. Place the fillets in a wide shallow baking dish.

Optional: Add 3 shrimp or scallops on top of each fillet.

Season fish with remaining salt and pepper. Spoon bean mixture over fish; top with lemon slices. Cover the baking dish and transfer to a baking sheet.

Note: Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until it is time to bake.

Bake until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork and vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.

There is delicious juice in the baking dish that would love to be soaked up in a dense bread like a plain, multigrain or sourdough boule.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

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Yield: 4 servings
Scott Nowell

I love a nice Piccata. Chicken, pork, veal, turkey, it doesn’t really matter. Use some thin fish fillets and it’s basically a Fish Meuniere.

  • lemon, juiced to obtain 1 TBS juice
  • 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ to 2 lb)
  • ½cup all-purpose flour
  • 4TBS vegetable oil
  • 1small shallot, minced (about 2 TBS) or 1 small garlic clove, minced (about 1 tsp)
  • 1cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2TBS small capers, rinsed and drained
  • 4TBS unsalted butter, softened
  • 2TBS minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Heat oven to 200°F.

Slice chicken breast horizontally and pound to ¼ inch. Season both sides of cutlets with salt and pepper. Measure flour into shallow baking dish. Working one cutlet at a time, coat with flour, and shake to remove excess.

Heat heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 minutes; add 2 TBS oil and swirl pan to coat. Lay half of chicken pieces in skillet. Sauté cutlets, without moving them, until lightly browned on first side, 2 to 2½ minutes. Turn cutlets and cook until second side is lightly browned, 2 to 2½ minutes longer. Remove pan from heat and transfer cutlets to plate in oven. Add remaining 2 TBS oil to now-empty skillet and heat until shimmering. Add remaining chicken pieces and repeat.

Add shallot or garlic to now-empty skillet and return skillet to medium heat. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds for shallot or 10 seconds for garlic. Add stock and lemon juice, increase heat to high, and scrape skillet bottom with wooden spoon or spatula to loosen browned bits. Simmer until liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Add capers and simmer until sauce reduces again to 1/3 cup, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter until butter melts and thickens sauce; swirl in parsley. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Serve with:
Starch: Mashed Potatoes, Rice, Polenta or Pasta.
Veg: Asparagus, Green Beans, Roasted Veg Medley

Salmon en Papillote

Salmon en Papillote

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Yield: 2 Servings
Scott Nowell

Circa 1993: I don’t make this often, but I’ve been doing it for a long time. This is a delicious fish and vegetable dish and you can vary the veg for new versions. I have included a simple dish of Sliced Potatoes with Chives below. Both recipes double or triple easily. You’ll get extra practice crimping parchment.  I will get some photos together soon showing the crimping process.

  • 26-8 oz boneless skinless salmon fillets
  • 1leek
  • 2carrots
  • 1medium zucchini
  • ½lb snow pea pods
  • dry white wine
  • vegetable oil
  • salt & black pepper
  • Parchment (baking paper)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.

Cut the base from the leeks and cut the leeks in the green white area. Discard the dark green leaves or save for stock. The remaining leeks should be about four inches long. Cut the leeks vertically in half. Separate the leaves and wash under running water to remove any grit or dirt. Re-stack the leaves and cut in half to make stacks two inches long. Julienne the leaks to form slender match sticks. All the vegetables should be cut to the same size.

Peel the carrots and cut into two inch lengths. Cut lengthwise and julienne to form match sticks the same size as the leeks.

Slice 1/8 to 1/4 inch planks from zucchini lengthwise. Julienne on the diagonal.

Remove the vein from the spine of the pea pods and trim the ends. Julienne the pea pods on a diagonal to the same width as the carrots and leaks.

Cut about a ten inch square of parchment and fold in half to make a 5 by 10 inch rectangle. Fold the open sides over to make about a half inch seam. Open the parchment again and brush a light coating of oil around the edges. This will help seal in the steam when the packages cook. For a fancier presentation, cut the paper into a ten by twenty inch rectangle, fold over to form a 10 by 10 square and cut into a heart shape. Be sure to leave one edge uncut.

In the center of one side of the parchment make a bed of the vegetables, using one quarter of each per package. Place one of the salmon portions on top of each vegetable bed. Pour a tablespoon of white wine over the salmon. Close the other side of the paper over the salmon and re-fold the packages. Fold the paper a couple of times and crimp the edges well to insure a tight seal.

Place the completed papillotes in a shallow sided baking sheet and bake for approximately fifteen minutes.

The papillotes will be very hot when taken from the over. They can be placed on individual plates and opened at the tables or opened in the kitchen and the contents placed on the plates. In either case, you might want to cut a small slit in the edge of each papillote and tip the package to let the excess liquid drain before serving.

Serve with Sliced Potatoes with Chives and a white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

Sliced Potatoes with Chives

Yield: 4 Servings
  • 4medium potatoes
  • water
  • 1tsp salt
  • 2TBS butter
  • 1TBS minced chives

Peel and slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place in 1 1/2 quart sauce pan. Rinse a couple of times to remove excess starch, then add enough water to the pan to cover by 1/2 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt to pan.

Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to strong simmer. Cook until tender, approximately 12 minutes.

Drain potatoes but keep in sauce pan. Add butter and chives to pan and cover for a few minutes. Carefully stir or swirl to coat and place in serving dish.

Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil

Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil

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Yield: 4 Servings
Cafedelites

Summer 2016: This is similar in concept to “en Papillote” preparations, but the foil is a little easier for most people to use. The honey adds a nice sweetness to complement the garlic. You could use this recipe on the grill or on a campfire.

  • ¼cup butter
  • ⅓cup honey
  • 4large cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2TBS fresh lemon juice (juice of ½ a lemon)
  • 1-2½lb salmon or whole filet (reduce other ingredients by half for 1 lb.)
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Cracked pepper, to taste (optional)
  • Lemon slices (to serve)
  • 2TBS fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking tray / sheet with a large piece of foil, big enough to fold over and seal to create a packet (or 2 long pieces of foil over lapping each other lengthways to create your salmon packet, depending on the width of you fillet).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the honey, garlic and lemon, and whisk until the honey has melted through the butter and the mixture is well combined.

Place the salmon onto lined baking tray | sheet. Pour the butter/honey mixture over the salmon, and using a pastry brush or spoon, spread evenly over the salmon. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt (about 2 teaspoons) and cracked pepper. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon to cover and completely seal the packet closed so the butter does not leak.

Bake until cooked through (about 15-18 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish and your preference of doneness). Open the foil, being careful of any escaping steam, and grill / broil under the grill / broiler for 2-3 minutes on medium heat to caramelize the top. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with lemon slices.

Braised Halibut with Leeks and Mustard

Braised Halibut with Leeks and Mustard

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from ATK

Spring 2017: This was featured on an episode of America’s Test Kitchen. It looked so tasty I made the next week. I think they went for 135°F, but I prefer fish more cooked through. I’m sure I hit at least 140°F. It makes a flavorful dish.

  • 46 oz boneless, skinless halibut
  • 6TBS Butter
  • 1lb cleaned sliced Leeks, white and pale green part only, about 3 cups
  • 1tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½tsp salt
  • ¾cup dry white wine
  • 1tsp lemon juice
  • 1TBS chopped parsley
  • Fish spatula/ turner is very useful to get fish out of pan


Prep:
Remove the root end of the leeks. Cut the tops of the leeks where they start to turn dark green. Save the top for stock. Split the white and pale green part of the leeks in half and slice thinly. Rinse in cold water very well.

Cook:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add fish, skin side up and cook 3 minutes. Remove fish to plate.

Add leeks to butter with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Sauté leeks for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add wine.

Bake:

Return fish to top of leeks, skin side down. Cover and cook for 10-14 minutes until fish is 135-140°F.

Remove fish and leeks to platter, cover.

Reduce sauce 3-4 minutes, add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over fish and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Salmon With Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Salmon With Anchovy-Garlic Butter

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Yield: 2 Servings
Adapted from NY Times http://nyti.ms/1GpVTTn

July 2016: Anchovies? No, never! This recipe convinced me that anchovies add a nice umami complexity to not just this dish, but many others. I have expanded the directions here because the original ones burn the heck out of the garlic. The extra anchovies keep just about forever if embedded in oil in the refrigerator.

  • 3TBS plus 2 TBS unsalted butter, softened
  • 4anchovy fillets, minced
  • 1fat garlic clove, minced (or 2 small ones)
  • ½tsp coarse kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2(6-8 oz) skin-on salmon fillets
  • 2TBS drained capers, patted dry
  • ½lemon
  • Fresh chopped parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, mash together the 3 tablespoons of butter, anchovies, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat to brown the skin, spooning some pan drippings over the top of the fish as it cooks. Add half the anchovy butter mixture and the capers to the pan and transfer to the oven. Roast until fish is just cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on your version of cooked through.

Remove pan from oven and add remaining anchovy butter to pan to melt. Place salmon on plates and spoon buttery pan sauce over the top. Squeeze the lemon half over the salmon and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.

Fish Meuniere

Fish Meuniere

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Yield: 2 Servings
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated & others

Try to purchase fillets that are of similar size, and avoid those that weigh less than 5 oz because they will cook too quickly. A nonstick skillet ensures that the fillets will release from the pan, but for the sauce a traditional skillet is preferable because its light-colored surface will allow you to monitor the color of the butter as it browns.

Fish:

  • 2sole, flounder or small cod fillets, each 5 to 6 oz and 3/8 inch thick
  • ¼cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1TBS unsalted butter

Browned Butter:

  • 2TBS unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
  • 1½tsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2tsp lemon juice from 1 lemon
  • ½lemon, cut in wedges for serving
  • 1TBS vegetable oil


For the fish:

Pat fish dry. Place flour in large baking dish. Season both sides of each fillet generously with salt and pepper; let stand until fillets are glistening with moisture, about 5 minutes. Coat both sides of fillets with flour, shake off excess, and place in single layer on baking sheet.

Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering, then butter and swirl to coat pan bottom; when foaming subsides, carefully place fillets in skillet, bone-side down. Immediately reduce heat to medium-high and cook, without moving fish, until edges of fillets are opaque and bottom is golden brown, about 2½ to 3 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, gently flip fillets and cook on second side until thickest part of fillet easily separates into flakes when toothpick is inserted, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer fillets, one to each heated dinner plate, keeping bone- side up, and return plates to oven.

For the browned butter:

Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts, 1 to 1½ minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 1½ minutes; remove skillet from heat. Remove plates from oven and sprinkle fillets with parsley. Add lemon juice to browned butter and season to taste with salt; spoon sauce over fish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Connie’s Baked Haddock

Connie’s Baked Haddock

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Yield: 4 servings
Constance Ann Lafayette Nowell

My Mom and Aunt Joan made this.  It was my child-hood favorite.

Use other white fish if you have to, but there’s really no substitute for haddock. I use cod now, haddock isn’t available in San Diego or Colorado.  Use two hands for dipping and breading fish, a dry hand and a wet hand. This will keep the mess down a little. Use regular or Panko breadcrumbs as desired.

  • 1½lb boneless haddock fillets
  • salt & freshly ground pepper
  • 1egg
  • 1TBS milk
  • ¼cup flour
  • 1cup bread crumbs
  • butter
  • paprika (optional)


Prep:

Preheat oven to 500 – 525°F. While hotter is better, you can reduce the temperature to as little as 425°F, but it will take longer. We do this to bake fries in the same pan.

Cut fish into serving portions.

To prepare pan in the original way, put it in the oven for 5 minutes to get it hot. Remove and drop a small chunk of butter on the pan and swirl it around to coat pan. You can use a little cooking spray if you’d prefer, but you sacrifice some flavor.

Set up a standard breading station or use plastic bags for the dry ingredients.

Place flour in another shallow bowl or bag. Season with ¼ tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix.

In a shallow bowl, beat egg and milk lightly. Season with pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of pepper.

Place breadcrumbs in another bowl or bag and mix with ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste.

Dip or shake fish in flour on both sides. Shake off excess.

Place floured fish in egg mixture with dry hand. Turn to coat with the wet hand. Lift and drain excess.

Place or shake fish in breadcrumb mixture and coat well on both sides with dry hand. Put coated fish on prepared sheet pan. Thin tail pieces may be folded to make them the same thickness as other pieces.

When all fish is on pan, dot fish with small pieces of butter (optional: sprinkle with paprika for color).

Bake on the top rack of oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of fish and how well you want it cooked.

Serve with:
Two schools of thought on this.  I prefer mashed potatoes and green beans.  Gayle prefers fries and coleslaw, so we usually have fries and coleslaw.  Either works, but the mash and beans is better, IMHO 🙂