The Valentine’s Day Massacre

 

 

On Valentine’s Day, most couples will make reservations, eat at a fancy restaurant with a pricey pre-fixe menu, exchange a few gifts, and eat some chocolates.

But Jeremy and I are not most couples. 

This Valentine’s Day, we were assassins.

Lobster assassins that is!

Every year for Valentine’s Day, Jeremy and I opt to stay in and cook dinner together.  We plan to cook something special that we wouldn’t normally eat.  In past years, we’ve made steaks, another year it was shrimp scampi and chocolate-covered strawberries. This year, I wanted to do something a little different. As I’ve mentioned before, I am was afraid of cooking live lobster, but wanted to one day get over my fear and try it.  And what better activity to do with your significant other on Valentine’s Day?

After all, nothing says “I love you” like murdering a crustacean together. 

We actually cooked two lobsters.  I bought two lobsters, in case one did not work out, we would have a spare.  And if it turned out to be success for both, I anticipated I would not be inclined to have to share a lobster. 

So after work last Friday, I stopped at a Shop-Rite by my office to purchase said crustaceans. When the clerk pulled the first one out of the tank, it didn’t move much, which made me a little worried, but he assured me  that it was alive and plopped it on the scale.  I watched it crawl around on the scale, which confirmed to me it was still alive.  The second one put up a fight coming out of the tank, which gave me a good feeling that it would be nice and tasty.  (I read that according to lobstermen, the feisty ones are tastier).

Now, Jeremy and I had both thoroughly researched did a google search on the preparation and cooking process of lobsters.  We had some disagreements on how to kill them.  He wanted to kill them just before dropping them in the pot of boiling water – supposedly this is more humane and reduces the chance of getting splashed with boiling hot water.  But the idea of stabbing a lobster in the head with a knife skeeved me out a little.  So we opted for steaming instead because it only involves boiling an inch or two of water, and less likely to splash.  But we both agreed that we should put them in the freezer for 20 minutes before cooking them because that will cause their body temperature to drop, and they will essentially go to sleep and be easier to handle before dropping them in the pot.

So into the freezer they went.  Jeremy also had prepared a wet cloth that was soaked in salt water to use to handle the lobsters for when we took them out of the freezer. 

While the lobsters were taking their last nap, we took our biggest pot and filled it with about two inches of water, added a generous amount of sea salt, and set it to boil. 

After about 20 minutes, we took out the first lobster from the freezer. 

Hello, my pretty.

The lobster was pretty sluggish (I think this was the first lobster that came out of the tank, which was more docile to begin with).  So Jeremy held it down with the wet cloth while I snipped off the rubber bands from the claws with scissors.  I was expecting the lobster to fight back, but it actually didn’t really move much.

So into the pot it went. And 8-10 minutes later, it was done!

Once it was done, we put it on ice to stop the cooking process.

While the first lobster was cooking, we moved the second lobster into the fridge.  I was worried that, if we kept the second one in the freezer for too long, it would die in the freezer.  In retrospect, this was probably unnecessary, and only meant that the lobster had a chance to thaw before we put it into the pot, and this was the feisty one!

For the second lobster, I added to the cooking water a few sprigs of fresh thyme, two bay leaves, juice from half a lemon, and the lemon rind. We also cooked this one for about a minute less.  The second one turned out to be the tastier of the two. I think the herbs and lemon helped, as well as the shorter cooking time.  (The first one was a little overcooked).  Also, if what they say is true, the feistier ones really do taste better.

The feisty lobster is ready for its close up… and to be eaten!

For the sauce, I melted a stick of unsalted butter, with some sea salt, a few sprigs of thyme and juice from about half a lemon.  It went well with the lobster, but next time I would add less lemon since it was a bit overpowering.  We also had a lot of sauce leftover, so the entire stick of butter was probably too much.

On the side, we had steamed broccoli, which I stirred in some of the lemon butter sauce.

Overall, this was a fun couples cooking adventure to do on Valentine’s Day! We both admitted that it is a little weird to see something moving, and then later cook it and eat it.  I imagine fishers and hunters must be used to that, but it was a first for both of us.  On the plus side, the lobsters were about a pound a half each, and ended up costing about $16 each.  I recognize that they would be much cheaper in the summer time, but still $16 per person for a lobster dinner + plus sharing a fun cooking adventure = one great Valentine’s Day!

Mahi Mahi with Corn and Black Bean Salsa

 

This was a completely improvised, but healthy and delicious meal I made tonight! When I came home tonight, I already had frozen mahi mahi filets defrosting in the fridge, but I wanted to do something a little different with it.  We also had half a can of black soy beans in the fridge, so I rummaged around the fridge and freezer to see what else I could do with this.  I had seen restaurants serve fish with corn and beans before (like at Chandler’s Crabhouse during our trip Seattle), so I whipped together this mild salsa with odds and ends I had in the fridge and steamed some broccoli to go on the side. The result is what you see here, a colorful, tasty dish!

Ingredients

For the fish:

• 4 mahi mahi filets
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the salsa:

• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup corn (I used frozen which I defrosted in the microwave, but if it’s in season, fresh would be best)
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
• handful of grape tomatoes, chopped (or a whole plum tomato would work nicely here too)
• 1 Tbs grated onion
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 Tbs parsley, finely chopped
• seasoning salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• dash of cayenne pepper
• juice from half a lime (or more to taste)

Variations

• Substitute parsley with cilantro, if you are not cilantro-averse like me
• Substitute bell pepper with a finely chopped jalapeno for a spicy kick
• Some cubed avocado would be an excellent addition, but my avocado was not ripe yet

Method:

Preheat oven at 450 degrees

Prepare the fish: lightly oil a roasting pan with olive oil.  Place filets in pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle a little more olive oil on the fish.  Roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

While the fish is cooking, prepare the salsa by combining ingredients into a bowl.  Set aside.

When fish is cooked, plate it and top with salsa, and an extra drizzle of lime juice.

Brooklyn Ale Fish and Chips in the New York Times

 

Okay, so I made this not so much for the “health” factor, but rather for the “new to me” factor in that I’ve never made fish and chips before.  In fact, I’ve always been intimidated by deep frying.  Before attempting this recipe by Alton Brown, I used to have visions of horrendous oil fires and 3rd degree burns if I were to try deep frying.   But it actually turned out quite well, no flash fires or singed eyebrows,  and now I can cross off deep frying off my cooking bucket list. I also learned a little trick on how to tell if oil has reached 350 degrees without a deep fry thermometer.  Put in a single kernel of popcorn in the oil while it is heating. When it reaches 350-360 degrees, the kernel will pop. Thank you, Cooks Illustrated!

We added a “New York” twist to this British favorite by using Brooklyn Brown Ale in the batter, and wrapping it up in the New York Times.  And to make up for the deep fried battered fish, I opted to make oven “chips” as opposed to frying them in oil, using the recipe below.  Overall everything came out quite tasty.  Perhaps next time we’ll stay true to our roots use New Jersey Beer Company beer and wrap it up in the Jersey Journal?

 

Fish and Chips

I followed Alton Brown’s recipe for the fish.  And then healthified the chips by making them in the oven like this:

Oven “Chips” for fish and chips

Ingredients

• 3 medium sized russet potatoes, scrubbed (leave the skins on if you like)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh oregano or other herb (Optional)

Preheat oven at 425 degrees.  Slice potatoes lengthwise into 8 wedges each.  Place in roasting pan in a single layer.  Drizzle oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and toss potatoes to coat.  Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, flipping potatoes once halfway through the cooking time. 

Lobster Rolls from a Naked Lobster

 

Earlier readers may remember my Quest for the Best Lobster Roll in Maine a couple years ago.  Since then, I’ve been meaning to recreate my own lobster roll at home.  But the idea of buying and cooking a live lobster still freaks me out.  Then J. sent me this article about a company that has special equipment that can shell lobsters, while keeping the body of the lobster intact! They call it the “naked” lobster.  (The article has a picture of the naked lobster – it’s a little disturbing and intriguing at the same time).  The company uses steam pressure to extract the meat without breaking the meat.  This makes it so it is cheaper to freeze and transport Maine lobster.

Coincidentally, the day after J. sent me the article, we went shopping at BJ’s, and found this intriguing product.

It cost about $20 at BJ’s and since we were intrigued to try it out, we bought a box to try to recreate Maine lobster rolls.

Inside the box, there were two plastic packages of lobster meat.  These were cut up into pieces and not whole as described in the article. (They do sell the “naked” lobster, though).

But you can see that there are two claws, legs and knuckles

To make the lobster rolls, I made sure to keep it simple – I chopped up the meat into bite size pieces, mixed it up with some mayo and a squeeze of lemon juice in a bowl.

I toasted hot dog buns and slathered the mixture into the buns.  I served them here with a salad.

The lobster meat still isn’t quite the same as a fresh lobster.  It was a bit fishier and not quite as firm as a freshly cooked lobster.  But I really liked the convenience of not having to cook the lobster myself.  Yes, I know you can ask your seafood department at many supermarkets to steam cook the lobster for you, but I liked being able to just pull these out of the freezer, defrost, and eat. And by my estimation, one $20 box of lobster makes about 4 lobster rolls, plus hot dog buns, and mayo = about $5.25 for a lobster roll! Not a bad price. 

Incidentally, J. and I will be going to Maine in about two weeks, so we’ll be able to have some fresh lobster rolls soon!

Note: I was not compensated for this review.  I just really like lobster.

Maine Lobster Rolls

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 package Shucks Maine Lobster meat (or about 3.5 ounces of cooked lobster), defrosted and chopped into small pieces
• 1 Tbs mayonnaise
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 hot dog buns

Method:

Mix mayonnaise, lobster meat, and lemon juice in a bowl.  Lightly toast hot dog buns in a toaster oven.  Spoon lobster mixture into buns. 

Spicy Tuna Melt with Avocado

This post is part of the Healthy Living series, which appears here on Food Judicata on Monday evenings.  Click here for other Healthy Living posts.

I ran the Newport 10k last weekend and made a new PR! My goal was to break my last 10k race time (my first!) of 1:08.12.19.  I shattered it last weekend by finishing in 1.03.53.64! I remember when I first starting running in the summer of 2011. Before that I had never run more than a mile, and that was in high school gym class. So it was a big leap for me when I registered for my first 5K, the World Trade Center Run to Remember on Governor's Island in September 2011, and started training.  My goal back then was to simply to finish the race without stopping.  I ran a 12:00 min mile pace for 3.1 miles.  And that was really hard!  Now I can run 10:17 minute mile pace for 6.2 miles!  I have to admit losing weight helped in my vast time improvement.  As J. always says, imagine running 6.2 miles with a 30 lb backpack.  That was what I was running with before.

In the spirit of healthy living and exercise, (and to make up for all the almond butter ice cream, and the leftover birthday cake I had for breakfast), here is a light and healthy twist on the classic tuna melt, which makes a quick and easy lunch.  I made this a few weeks ago after I did a trial kickboxing class at CKO.  It was a hard workout! And left me starving! So this lunch really hit the spot, without completely undoing the effects of the workout!

Spicy Tuna Melt with Avocado
(Serves 1)

1/2 can Albacore tuna, packed in water, drained (I used Trader Joe's no-salt added)
1-2 tsp mayonnaise (to taste)
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon juice
chopped pickled jalapenos, to taste (I used 3-4 slices and chopped them)
1 slice of cheddar cheese
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/4 avocado, sliced
Dash of cayenne pepper

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl.  Toast bread and cheese in the toaster oven until the cheese is melted.  Top with the tuna mixture, sliced avocado, and dash of cayenne.

Shrimp and Vegetables in Sherry Sauce

I love shrimp.  Not only are they tasty, they are a low-calorie protein, and inexpensive too.  On top of that, they don't require planning ahead in that you don't have to defrost them the night before.  Just run cold water over the shrimp in a colander for five minutes. (Shake the colander around so that the shrimp defrost evenly).

Plus, adding shrimp makes any meal look fancy, when really you hardly spent any time on it, and didn't even plan ahead!  What's not to love? (That is of course, so long as you are not allergic to them)

And doesn't this dish look fancy? In reality, though, it was really simple to make, and I used ingredients I usually have on hand. I often cook shrimp with vegetables this way, but this time, I threw in a shot of sherry on a whim because I love how sherry tastes with seafood.  It turned out to really make the sauce for this dish.

Shrimp and Vegetables in Sherry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, dished
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup (a handful) grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped
1 shot dry sherry
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Method:
Heat olive oil with a dash of red pepper flakes.  When the oil is hot, beginning cooking onions.  When the onions start to soften, stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Add zucchini, bell pepper, and yellow squash. Add a pinch of salt to taste  Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until soft. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, creating a "well" for the shrimp.  Add shrimp to the "well" and cook for about a minute on each side, or until pink.  Add sherry.  Let it reduce for about a minute.  Add grape tomatoes, and cook for about another two minutes, until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with quinoa, pasta, or rice.  (Earlier this week, I made a big batch of quinoa pilaf with a slightly modified version of this recipe, which is what is pictured here.)

Feast of the Seven Fishes

This year, J. and I stayed in the New Jersey for Christmas.  Since J. is part Sicilian, it was his idea to prepare a Feast of the Seven Fishes.  I had my reservations about it, since seven seems like a lot of fishes.  But it turned out to be a lot of fun.  I got to cook some fishes that I had never made before, like lobster, and clams, and calamari. This may become our own little tradition.


















Here's a rundown of last night's menu:

1) Steamed Lobster Tails

This was by far was the best item on the the menu, and the easiest to cook! I have my trepidations about cooking  live lobster.  Something about dropping a live moving creature into a boiling bath of water freaks me out. And what if it tries to fight back?  One day, I will get over this fear, but until then, I am sticking to lobster tails.  Which were delicious steamed and dipped in lemon butter.

2) Shrimp and Scallop Scampi
To make my life easier, I combined two of the fishes and used this recipe.  Tried and true, scampi is always a crowd pleaser. I used fresh scallops purchased the same day from Whole Foods and frozen shrimp that we had in the freezer from Trader Joes.  Next time, I will make it with fresh shrimp as well.

3) Baked Stuffed Clams from Simply Recipes
This was the first time I had ever cooked clams (which are also live, so I realize that should negate my fear of cooking live lobsters... but clams do not move and do not have claws).  I used local cherrystone clams from Whole Foods, which worked quite well.  And it was kinda neat to see the clams open up.  Though, one note about the recipe, it calls for traditional breadcrumbs, and I used panko crumbs because I had run out of traditional.  The panko bread crumbs made the stuffing a bit crumbly, so I would stick to the traditional.

4) Salmon Cakes
I got to use my own recipe here!  This time, I made them into mini salmon cakes, so they would be more cocktail appetizer size.

5) Crispy Baked Calamari by Robyn Miller
This was also a new item for me, since I have never cooked calamari before.  I bought the cleaned calamari from Whole Foods, which I had to cut into rings.  A few notes about the recipe - I chose it because it was healthier than traditional fried calamari. I liked the idea of using ground up tortilla chips in the breading.  I used Xochitl brand, which is my favorite brand, because it is low in sodium.  But in this recipe, it didn't work so well because it made the breading bland, since I omitted the ranch dressing seasoning.  (Robyn Miller says you can omit the ranch dressing seasoning, I suggest if you are going to do that, either use a saltier tortilla chip, or add some additional salt to the crumb mixture). The recipe also calls for buttermilk, which I couldn't find in the store, but substituting a cup of milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar works fine. And we used regular jarred marinara sauce.

6) Seared Ahi Tuna from Simply Recipes
I chose this recipe since I wanted at least one item to have an Asian flair to it, as a nod to my own heritage. I made this before and really enjoyed it when I made it as the main course for a meal.  But since I used frozen ahi tuna steaks, this time, it seemed a bit lackluster compared to the crisp and bright flavors of fresh seafood.  Next time, I will use fresh fish.

A few notes on methodology and timing:

This took a bit of planning ahead. I started by making the marinade for the tuna and letting it marinate in the fridge. Then I made the stuffed clams, and once those were in the oven, I made the salmon cakes.  Once the clams and the salmon cakes were done, I set them aside, loosely covered with foil to keep warm.  I then made the calamari.  (J. helped with dredging them in buttermilk and breading, and putting them in the oven).  While he was doing that, I started boiling water for the pasta and prepping the shrimp and scallop scampi.  Once that was done. I lowered the oven to 200 degrees to reheat the clams and salmon cakes for a few minutes while I seared the tuna and steamed the lobster tails.  The whole process took about three hours, and only involved two trips for J. to run out and buy more lemons and milk.

Seattle: Food Highlights

The day of the Chocolate Tour was actually the first day of my vacation.  The following day, J. and I boarded a plane to Seattle.  A  friend was getting married there on July 3, so we decided to make it a vacation of it and stayed for six days.  We were quite fortunate with the characteristically dismal rainy weather in Seattle and enjoyed about three days of beautiful sunny Seattle.  The weather was a cool 60 to 70 degrees out, which was a huge relief from the 90-100 degree heat wave that was going on in New Jersey. 

We took advantage of the abundance of fresh seafood in Seattle.  One of the things I love about Seattle is that Seattle residents (Seattle-ites?) take care to get fresh ingredients that are local and sustainable.  

But no trip to Seattle is complete without coffee.  

Okay, I cheated, this is actually hot chocolate, but the foam art was so pretty that I had to take a picture of it. 

The best meal we had was at Etta's, which was behind the Pike Place Market.

Grilled Octopus 

Etta's specialty - "Rub With Love" wild king salmon with sauteed greens, cornbread pudding and shiitake relish 

Chocolate malted milk cake with rice crispies 

The wedding was lovely, but most notably (food-wise, at least) was in lieu of a wedding cake, the happy couple served cupcakes from Cupcake Royale.  (Which, in my opinion, is the best idea ever!)

For breakfast, we went to Portage Bay Cafe twice, because it was next to our hotel, and the food was delicious.  Most notably, they serve pancakes that includes an all-you-can-eat toppings bar, with fresh fruit, freshly whipped cream, and other goodies. 

On to more seafood...

In case you can't tell, that is an oyster on the button, which I tried for the first time at Elliot's Oyster House.  I actually quite enjoyed my oysters,which were salty, sweet, and briny and didn't have too much of a fishy aftertaste.  Not sure what took me so long to try them. 

The weather was so nice, we were able to sit in the back deck at Ivar's Salmon House, where we had this gorgeous view of the Seattle waterfront.

From left to right, seafood cocktail, smoked salmon, and fried clams and chips.  (And, yes,  that is J. wearing a Charlie the Tuna T-shirt 

For our last dinner in Seattle, we went to Chandler's Crabhouse. Once again, we were lucky enough to be able to sit outside. 

King Crab Legs with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus

Grilled salmon with rainbow quinoa pilaf

You may have noticed the lack of mention of Seattle' famous Pike Place Market, which we did go to.  I had been there before on previous trips to Seattle, so I didn't feel the need to take any pictures.  Even if we hadn't gone, I'd say we had a lovely trip with plenty of fresh, delectable eats. 

Note: I was not compensated by any of the above establishments for this review.

New England Clam Chowder

Aside from gorging on lobster rolls, while we were in Maine, we also tasted different versions of New England Clam Chowder. As a kid, I never cared much for clam chowder because my only experience I had with it was from a can. Until I traveled through New England, I had no idea the pride New Englanders have for their chowder. (And their disdain for Manhattan-clam chowder that it is illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder). Boyfriend, being from New England, is partial to thick and creamy clam chowder. The kind you can stick a spoon and it stands up like this:

This is a chowder we had in Agawam, Massachusetts.

But as we found out in our travels, not everywhere in New England makes chowder quite as thick and creamy. Some were thin and runny, some were somewhere in between. So I wanted to re-create thick and creamy chowder at home. What you see in the lead picture here was my first attempt using Dave Lieberman's recipe. As you can see, its not quite as thick (I tried the spoon trick - it fell right in). But the taste was spot on, better than the stuff in the can.

So it looks like I will have to try again to make the perfect thick and creamy chowder. But until then, I will be perfectly happy finishing off this batch.

The Quest for the Best Lobster Roll

About two years ago, I went to Maine for the first time. And it completely changed how I eat lobster. Maine lobster is really like no other. It's sweeter, firmer, and juicier than any other lobster I've ever had. And lobster rolls, well, lobster is by far the best thing to ever be put in a hot dog bun. The last time I went to Maine, we were in New Harbor for a wedding of a good friend of Boyfriend's. I had my first lobster roll at a casual dinner the night before the wedding (I still don't know where it came from), and I have been dreaming about it since.

So when Boyfriend told me that another friend of his was having a wedding in New England, I immediately suggested if we could make a vacation of it and drive up to Maine. And so we made the trip to Portland, Maine, so I could enjoy the fall foliage find the best lobster roll. And I was determined to find it, cholesterol and high blood pressure, be damned.

But little did I realize how much variation there was in lobster rolls. Mixed with mayo, mixed with butter, bun toasted, with lettuce, you name it. The perfect lobster roll from my memory had the lobster mixed with just a little mayo, nestled in a bun grilled in butter. Lettuce optional.

Here is the first lobster roll we had on our first night in Maine at the Portland Lobster Company, which boasts that it has the best lobster roll in Portland. Now don't get me wrong, the lobster meat was tasty, sweet, and juicy and the bun was nice and toasty. But this lobster had mixed with drawn butter, which left something to be desired.

After a morning of hiking at Bradbury Mountain State Park, we tried our second lobster roll at the Lobster Cooker in Freeport, Maine. (And yes, we stop at the L.L. Bean flagship store while we were in Freeport). As you can see from the picture, this roll did not contain butter or mayo. Just lobster and lettuce. Once again, while very good lobster, it did not quite recreate the memory I had.

Here is the third lobster roll we had at the Thirsty Pig in Portland. This time we specifically asked the waitress for mayo. Unfortunately, the mayo came slathered on the bun, rather than mixed with lobster meat. Just not the same. (Though they did make a pretty mean sausage at this place).

So after my third lobster roll on this trip, none of them quite bringing the joy that I had of my very first lobster roll, I was beginning to feel disillusioned. Had I built up the memory of the lobster roll so much, that no lobster roll of the present could meet up to it? Would I have to end this trip, with my dream unrealized?

Just when I began to lose all hope, we drove to Gardiner, a small town about one hour away from Portland, in search of fall foliage. (All the rain from this summer meant that peak fall foliage was about two weeks late this year). At a service area, a nice woman at the information booth suggested that we go to Dennis's Pizza. They made lobster rolls with mayo, without mayo, any way you want it, she assured.

Dennis's Pizza turned out to be a hole in the wall pizza place that also served lobster rolls and deli sandwiches. Now, I had gone to college in Philadelphia, where I had some of the best cheesesteaks in hole-in-the-wall pizzarias, so I was not discouraged.

Turns out hole-in-the wall was the way to go. This was the best lobster roll of the trip, exactly how I wanted it - lobster mixed with mayo and the bun perfectly toasted with butter. And it didn't need any sides like french fries or coleslaw to complicate its simplicity.

So now that I am back home, I will be dreaming of this lobster roll. That is, until I make my next trip to Maine.

Note: I was not compensated by any of these establishments. 

Salmon Cakes (with Sweet Chili Mayo)

You may notice that this picture is devoid of any garnishes. That's because I made this up as I went along, and took the picture before I even knew what condiments I wanted to add. And the food was getting cold.

This was my improvised lunch for today. Now sometimes when I improvise, it doesn't turn out so well. But this one actually worked out quite well. After a google search of various salmon cake recipes, I decided to just throw together whatever I had and hope for the best for the cakes.

Now the sauce was completely experimental and ended up really making the salmon cakes. After frying the cakes lightly in olive oil, I wasn't sure what condiment would be best to accompany it. So I set out mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sour cream on the table. I ended up nixing the sour cream because it just seemed weird. I first tried a bite of the salmon cakes with the sweet chili sauce, but it didn't quite do it justice. Then I tried a bite with the mayo, which was an improvement, but something was still missing. Then I thought, how about if I mix both mayo and sweet chili sauce together? I put a bit of each in a little bowl and mixed them together. I then squeezed some lime juice in for good measure. This turned out to be the perfect combination of sweet and tangy from the chili sauce and creamy from the mayo. By the end I was using the last bit of salmon to wipe up the last of the sauce.


Salmon Cakes

For the cakes:

1 6 oz can of salmon

1/2 a small onion, grated

1 garlic clove, grated

1 egg, beaten

About 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

A pinch of cayenne pepper

Limes for garnish (thought of this after I took the picture)

Olive oil for cooking

For the sweet chili mayo:

About 1 Tbs mayo

About 1 Tbs sweet chili sauce (found in Asian grocery stores and in Asian aisle of supermarkets)

a squeeze of lime juice

Makes two patties about the size of the palm of your hand

Method:

Combine all ingredients to make the salmon cakes in a bowl until mixed evenly. Divide in half and pat into two patties about the size of your palm. Heat some olive oil in a pan. Cook the cakes for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

To make the sauce, stir mayo, chili sauce, and lime juice until combined. Don't worry if it's a little lumpy, it will taste fine.

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and a Stuffed Pepper

This is another old photo from the Philadelphia apartment. (You might recognize my roommate's lovely placemats.) The shrimp is another Rachael Ray inspiration. The pepper, however, was my own invention. It actually was a throw-in so that I have a vegetable in my meal. When I was little, my mom had to fight tooth and nail to get me to eat my vegetables. And even now, I sometimes I have to be creative with my vegetables to inspire myself to eat them. Here, I think I happen to just have an old pepper in the fridge. And I was planning on eating the shrimp with white rice because I eat rice with everything. So I thought to myself, what if I put the rice in the pepper and have a stuffed pepper? A little bit of butter, salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika and I had myself a fake version of stuffed pepper. This picture is probably at least two or three years old, but I still remember that pepper!


Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Rachael actually also used scallops in this recipe, but I didn't have any. And I actually used turkey bacon instead of pork bacon and frozen shrimp. In this picture, I used Trader Joe's brand turkey bacon, which did not come out as crispy as I would have liked.

12 jumbo raw peeled deveined shrimp,
1 lime, juiced and zested
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon grill seasoning or coarse salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
12 slices center cut or applewood smoked bacon, cut in 1/2 Toothpicks
3 scallions, very thinly sliced on an angle

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place shrimp in a shallow dish or bowl. Dress seafood with lime juice and zest, a generous drizzle of sesame oil, grill seasoning and hot pepper flakes. Wrap each shrimp with a half slice of bacon. Wrap each shrimp working from head to tail, pulling bacon snuggly around the shrimp. Fasten bacon in place as necessary with picks.

Arrange the shrimp on a slotted baking pan, such as a broiler pan, to allow draining while bacon crisps. Bake shrimp 10 to 14 minutes, until shrimp is pink and curled and bacon is crisp.
Arrange cooked seafood on platter and sprinkle with chopped scallions.

Flounder Francese and Lemon Spaghetti

This is an old photo I found from when I was still living in Philadelphia. As you will learn, Rachael Ray has been an inspiration for a lot of my cooking, as these two recipes are from her TV show. Specifically, they are from the Rachael Ray's 30- Minute Meals - Episode "Sea Note"

Links for recipes:
Lemon Spaghetti
Flounder Francese with Lemon and Capers

Note: In this picture, I actually used tilapia filets instead of flounder and it still came out well. So I guess this should really be "Tilapia Francese" but it just didn't sound as cool. Rachael also had Toasted Almonds in her original recipe. But I didn't have any, so I omitted them