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Section 2                   

Seafood
sBacalao in Tomato Sauce
sSizzling Garlic Shrimp
sHalibut T-bone
sPasta -Lobster & Chorizo
sBaked Bluefish
sSpanish Pasta with Seafood
sScallop-Halibut Ceviche
sSpring morel + turnip stew
sSpiced Crumbed Mackerel
sWild Salmon with Morels
sTuna with Sesame Crust

 

Bacalao (Salt Cod) in Tomato Sauce      (4 servings)

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, lightly mashed

   Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 anchovies, or to taste

1 28-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons capers

½ cup pitted green or black olives

    Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1 pound boneless salt cod, soaked

    overnight, drained and poached 15

    minutes

    Chopped parsley leaves for garnish

 

1. Combine oil and garlic in a large skillet, and turn heat to medium.  Add anchovies, and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly golden and anchovies are broken up, less than 5 minutes.  Raise heat to medium high, and add tomatoes, along with a little salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes liquefy.  
2. Add capers, olives, pepper flakes, and cod.  Cook about 10 minutes, stirring infrequently and gently, until cod is hot.   Taste, and adjust seasoning.  Garnish, and serve.

 

 

Sizzling Shrimp with Garlic___________(4 Servings)

 

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon dry sherry

   Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

   Fresh baguette for serving

 

1. Position a rack 3 to 4 inches under the broiler and preheat.  Place two 6 ½-inch tapas pans under the broiler and preheat up to 5 minutes.  
2. In a bowl, toss together the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, paprika, shrimp, lemon juice, sherry, salt, and pepper.
3. Open the broiler and pull out the rack far enough to expose the pans fully.  Immediately and carefully divide the shrimp mixture between the preheated pans and quickly return the rack to the heat source.  Broil until the shrimp are lightly golden, pink, and opaque throughout, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Serve at once with slices of baguette.  Alternatively, the sizzling shrimp and sauce can be tossed with freshly prepared al dente capellini.  

 

 

Halibut T-bone with Shrimp, Home Fries, and Bordelaise      (4 servings)

 

For the Bordelaise:

1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3   shallots, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

   Shrimp shells from 16 large shrimp (reserve meat for home fries)

2 cups red wine

½ cup canned diced tomatoes and their juice

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 cup demi-glace (or 2 tablespoons concentrated demi-glace paste)

    Salt to taste

For the home fries:

¼ cup canola oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and sliced

   into ¼-inch pieces

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 small red onion, sliced

1 small red pepper, thinly sliced

1 small yellow pepper, thinly sliced

16 peeled, deveined large shrimp, chopped into bite-size pieces

½ cup chopped scallion greens

½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

For the fish:

4 bone-in, skin-on halibut steaks, about 1-ince thick

  Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

1. Heat oven to 350°.  
2. To make the Bordelaise, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic, and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add shrimp shells and stir.  When shells become pink, add wine, tomatoes, peppercorns, and thyme.  Increase heat, and boil until liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.  Lower heat to medium, add demi-glace and simmer another 15 minutes (less if using concentrated demi-glace).  While sauce is reducing, prepare the home fries.
3. To make home fries, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and potatoes, and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.  While fries are cooking, season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium, add butter, onion, and peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables’ edges are crisp and potatoes are soft in center, another 10 to 15 minutes.  Add shrimp and sauté.  As soon as shrimp turn white, lower heat to warm.
4. To finish Bordelaise:  Strain sauce through fine-meshed strainer into bowl, mashing shrimp shells with the back of a spoon.  Discard shells.  Return sauce to pan and place over medium heat.  When sauce simmers, whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Lower heat to warm.
5. For fish:  Season one side of the steaks with salt and lots of pepper.  Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Sear the steaks, seasoned-side down, until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.  Flip fillets and transfer pan to the oven to cook another 6 minutes (less if steak is thinner than 1 inch).  Remove fish from oven.
6. Turn off heat from under fries and sauce, and adjust seasonings on both.  Toss fries with scallions and parsley, transfer to the center of four plates and top with fish.  Drizzle Bordelaise over fish and around the plate.  Garnish with tomato-onion marmalade (recipe for this appears in Section 1 of Rick's Recipes) and serve immediately.

 

Pasta with lobster, chorizo and peas      (2 small or 4 large servings)

 

   Salt

½ cup coarsely chopped chorizo

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chunked cooked lobster meat

1 cup peas, defrosted if frozen

½ pound fettuccine or other long pasta

  Crushes red pepper flakes, to taste

  Coarse salt, to taste

 

1. Bring a large pot of water for pasta to a boil, and salt it.  Combine chorizo and 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet; when it begins to brown, add lobster and peas.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until hot, then keep warm while pasta is being prepared.
2. Cook pasta until tender, al dente; drain.  Toss with chorizo lobster mixture, remaining olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt.  Serve immediately, with Duvel (Belgian) beer.

 

 

Baked bluefish                                                   (4 servings)

 

 2 medium ripe tomatoes

   Salt

4 bulb onions or 8 scallions

2½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced thin

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

½ cup loosely packed basil leaves

½ cup loosely packed flat parsley leaves

1 cup clam juice

¼ cup dry white wine

1 3-pound bluefish, filleted and cut into 4 portions, or 4 bluefish fillets, with skin,

   each about 6 ounces

  Freshly ground black pepper

 

1. Core tomatoes and slice ¼-inch thick.  Place on rack over baking sheet and salt generously on both sides.  Set aside 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 350°.  If using bulb onions, trim roots and leave about 4 inches of stem.  Cut each in half lengthwise.  If using scallions, trim roots and leave whole.  Brush onions or scallions with1/2 tablespoon oil.  Place on baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.  Set aside.
3. Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in small skillet, add garlic, sauté over low heat until barely golden, remove pan from heat and set aside.
4. Place crumbs, basil and parsley in food processor or blender and process until well blended.  In pan, bring clam juice and wine to a simmer and remove from heat.  Increase oven heat to 500°.
5. Using remaining oil, lightly oil baking dish that will hold bluefish in a single layer.  Place bluefish fillets in dish skin side up.  Place onions or scallions around fish.  Place 2-3 slices of tomato, slightly overlapping, on each fillet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover fish, tomatoes, and onions generously with bread crumbs.  Pour clam stock around fish and drizzle with garlic oil, with or without slices of garlic, on top.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly browned.  Serve at once.

 

 

Spanish pasta with seafood (Fideua) *                                       (4  servings)

 

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound fideo or other very thin pasta, in 2-inch lengths or shorter

   Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon saffron threads

1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 pound cockles or small clams, well washed

1 pound mussels, well washed

½ cup stock

12 large shrimp, shells on

 8 sea scallops, cut in half through their equators

½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

   Lemon wedges

 

1. Put oil in a skillet at least 12 inches across, and turn heat to medium-high.  A minute later add noodles; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring almost constantly, until they darken.  Try to avoid letting more than a few blacken. 
2. Add saffron, paprika, and garlic, and stir for a minute more.  Add clams and mussels and about ½ cup stock, and continue to cook, stirring.    Depending on how much liquid the clams and mussels release, a little more liquid may have to be added.  Continue to cook and stir until the pasta is nearly tender, about 10 minutes. 
3. Add shrimp and scallops and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.  Stir in parsley, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve with lemon wedges.

*Note:  The mix of seafood here is a suggestion.  Many recipes include monkfish or other sturdy white-fleshed fish, or pieces of crab or lobster.  Tomato is common (it provides moisture and flavor), as are red bell peppers, peas, and capers.  Whatever one might do with paella can be done with fideua (pronounced FID-a-wah), a dish also associated with Valencia.  The only trick is achieving the proper level of moisture, as the end result should neither be soupy nor contain mushy pasta.

 

 

Scallop and halibut ceviche salad                                           (8 servings)

 

1¼ pounds fresh sea scallops, sliced in half through their equators, and then quartered

1¼ pounds fresh skinless halibut fillet, cut into ½-inch cubes

   Sea salt to taste

2 cups lime juice (from about 16-20 limes)

4 to 6 Serrano or jalapeño peppers, halved, seeded, and finely chopped

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for sprinkling

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

8 leaves Boston or butter lettuce

2 grapefruits (one ruby, one white), peeled and segmented

2 avocados, peeled and thinly sliced 

 

1. Place the scallops and halibut in separate, non-reactive bowls.  Season each generously with salt.  Add ¾ cup lime juice to each bowl, toss, cover, and refrigerate.  After 45 minutes, drain the halibut, discarding the lime juice, and return halibut to the bowl.  Fifteen minutes later, repeat with the scallops.
2. Combine the peppers, shallots, cilantro leaves, and remaining ½ cup lime juice in a non-reactive bowl, cover and refrigerate.
3. Fifteen minutes before serving, whisk olive oil into shallot mixture.  Pour half over the scallops and half over the halibut.  Toss and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. Line each of eight plates with a lettuce leaf.  Top with a layer of grapefruit and a layer of avocado.  Adjust seasoning of scallops and halibut.  Place a handful of each over the avocado slices and sprinkle with cilantro.

 

 

 

Spring morel and turnip stew                                           (4 servings)

 

1 bunch small white turnips with stems and greens (about ¾ pound)

1 bunch breakfast or round red radishes (about ½ pound)

1 tablespoon butter

3 ounces thick sliced bacon (preferably ¼-inch thick)

2 whole baby onions, halved and sliced ¼-inch thick

½ cup white wine

¼ pound morel or other wild mushrooms (hedgehogs, bluefoots or creminis),

            whole or sliced to bite size

   Whole leaves of 2 small tarragon sprigs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound striped bass fillets, cut into 8 rectangular pieces

   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

   Chive blossoms, stems removed

 

1. Clean turnips, snipping greens about 1 ½ inches above bulb.  Discard yellow or rotten leaves.  Soak greens and bubs in a bowl of cold water, then remove bulbs, scrub well, and rinse.  Cut bulbs into small, uniform wedges, leaving stems intact.  Reserve greens.
2. Clean radishes, snipping their greens at base of bulb.  Scrub radishes, and rinse, then slice into thin disks.  Soak in a bowl of cold water.
3. In a large, wide saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter in 2 tablespoons of water.  Add bacon, and begin to render, being careful not to brown the meat.  When bacon is translucent, add onions, stir quickly, and cover.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes, and add drained turnips, radishes, and wine.  Cover, and cook 3 to 4  minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons water, morels and tarragon.  Remove from heat, add a small handful of reserved turnip greens, and replace cover.
4. Place a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  When oil is hot but not smoking, sear bass fillets skin side down until skin is crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Flip fish, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until done.
5. Stir stew, and adjust salt, pepper and tarragon.  To serve, divide among four shallow bowls, topping each with two fillets, skin side up.  Sprinkle with chive blossoms, and serve.

 

 

 

Spiced crumbed mackerel with smoked paprika                                (4 servings)

 

5 tablespoons olive oil plus more for oiling baking dish

4 mackerel fillets, pin bones removed

   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, thinly sliced into rings

½ cup chopped parsley

3 small garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika

1¼ cups fresh bread crumbs

1 lemon, halved 

 

1. Preheat over the 350°.  Lightly oil a baking dish larger enough to hold the fillets in a single layer.  Rinse and dry the mackerel, then lay skin-side down in the baking dish.  Season lightly with salt and pepper. 
2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add the onion and sauté until softened.  Remove from heat and add the parsley, garlic, and paprika.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons olive oil. 
3. Spoon the spiced bread crumbs evenly over the fillets.  Bake until the bread crumbs are golden and the fish is opaque and tender, about 20 minutes.  Squeeze lemon juice over each fillet, and serve.

 

 

 

Wild salmon stewed with morels and red wine                           (4 servings)

 

14 ounces morels

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish

3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

½ cup dry red wine

½ cup red port

2 large bay leaves

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 fingerling potatoes, boiled until tender and cut in half lengthwise

4 6-ounce pieces skinless wild salmon 

 

1. Snip ends off morels and wash morels three times in warm water in a large bowl, changing the water each time.  Drain and set aside.
2. In a deep pan wide enough to hold salmon and potatoes in a single layer, warm oil over medium heat.  Add shallots, cover and cook until they are transparent, about 2 minutes.  Add morels, cover and cook 10 minutes.  Add red wine, port, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and salmon, and poach (about 5 minutes for medium-rare).  To serve, place equal portions of salmon and potatoes in four warm serving bowls.  Top with poaching liquid, adjust seasonings to taste and drizzle each serving with a touch of olive oil.  Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Tuna with sesame crust and balsamic glaze                                (4 servings)

 

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 scallions (white and light green part), finely chopped

2 tablespoons coarsely grated ginger

1½ pounds thick tuna steak

4 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon oil 

 

1. Mix vinegar and 2 tablespoons water with scallion and ginger in a bowl.  Place tuna in mixture, and marinate about an hour. 
2. To cook, remove tuna from marinade; set marinade aside.  Press sesame seeds into both sides of tuna.  Heat non-stick pan to medium, and add oil.  Quickly sear tuna on both sides, just a couple of minutes — seeds brown quickly.  Remove tuna from pan, pour in reserved marinade, and bring to a boil.  Pour over tuna, and serve. 

 

Note:  Tuna will be very rare.  For medium, cook tuna without sesame seeds and sprinkle them over fish after cooking.