This truly fantastic casserole warms a family on a cold winter's night.
Fisherman’s Fantasy
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, including 1-inch of green stalks
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 boiling potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped oil-cured black olives
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 pounds fish fillets (cod, bass or halibut), cut into 6 portions with thinner tail sections folded under for even thickness
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound bay scallops
fresh lemon juice
salt and ground white pepper to taste
1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
In large skillet, cook leeks, garlic and potatoes in oil over moderate heat, turning frequently, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Stir in olives, wine, parsley, tomatoes and basil. Spoon mixture into a shallow baking dish large enough to hold fish in one layer. Arrange fish in single layer over the mixture and add shrimp and scallops, slightly pressing them down between the fish fillets. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and white pepper.
In small bowl combine bread crumbs and Gruyere cheese. Sprinkle mixture over seafood, and drizzle seafood with the butter. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and fish flakes easily.
Serves 4
Reprinted with permission from the Junior League of Denver, Crème de Colorado Cookbook, ©1987
preparing leeks,
slicing vegetables,
peeling garlic,
mincing vegetables,
peeling carrots and potatoes,
quartering potatoes,
measuring liquid ingredients,
pitting olives,
chopping vegetables,
measuring dry ingredients,
washing produce,
peeling tomatoes,
peeling and deveining shrimp,
juicing citrus fruits,
salt and pepper to taste,
making bread crumbs,
shredding cheese,
measuring butter/margarine,
sautéing vegetables,
combining ingredients,
layering casseroles,
calibrating the oven,
setting the timer,
I have chosen lobster and clams here, but you can use any shellfish...the fresher the better.
The Great Catch
24 steamer clams
4 large lobster tails
4 chicken quarters
2 ears fresh corn, halved
2 large potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each with skins on
2 onions, quartered
1 teaspoon salt divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper divided
1/2 cup water, divided
1/2 cup white wine, divided
2 sticks clarified butter
lemon wedges
Scrub clams to remove all sand, rinse well and set in a colander to drain. Line 2 36-inch x 18-inch pieces of aluminum foil with cheesecloth. In the center of each piece, place one half of all the above solid ingredients. Mix water, wine, salt and pepper. Pour over the solid ingredients. Gather up cheesecloth and tie with string or kitchen twine. Pinch edges of foil to form an air-tight package. The water/wine will create a steam. Place packages over medium-hot coals on a grill. Cook 40-50 minutes or until chicken is done. Transfer to warm serving dishes. Serve hot with lemon wedges and butter in set a place easy to reach for all. Dampen wash cloths with water and lemon juice and microwave on high for one minute. Each person gets a personal wash.
Serves 4 very hungry people
This is an incredibly messy dish to eat, so I always have plenty of bibs and towels to pass around. It also makes sense to have large empty bowls, ready to catch shells and shucks.
scrubbing shellfish,
shucking corn,
washing produce,
quartering potatoes,
peeling an onion,
measuring dry ingredients,
liquid ingredients,
clarifying butter,
grilling,
setting the timer,
juicing citrus fruits,
using the microwave,
The first time I saw this made was on the Caribean beach over an open fire. The fellow made a fish basket from green sticks and put the ingredients between layers of brown paper. Too tasty for words.
Huachinango a la Veracruzana
3-pound whole red snapper, head and tail on
salt to taste
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 fairly large tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon oregano
12 stuffed green olives, halved
2 tablespoons capers
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pierce the fish on both sides with a small knife, rub in the salt and lime juice, and set it aside in a self-sealing plastic bag for 2 hours. Heat the oil (reserving 2 tablespoons for later) and sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until the sauce is well seasoned and balanced, about 15 minutes. Place the fish in an oven-proof glass casserole and pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil over the sauce and bake the fish uncovered for about 50 minutes, turning once and basting frequently.
Serves 4-6
Another of the many versions of huachinango is a baked casserole with sauce ingredients and thrown together.
salt and pepper to taste,
juicing citrus fruits,
measuring liquid ingredients,
peeling an onion,
slicing vegetables,
peeling garlic,
mincing vegetables,
peeling tomatoes,
chopping vegetables
measuring dry ingredients,
coring and seeding peppers,
calibrating the oven,
setting the timer,
sautéing ingredients,
basting meats,
The gentle cooking aroma takes me back to a lazy afternoon in Costa Rica. However, I think they had borrowed the dish from their Mexican friends to the north.
Margarita Prawns
1 1/2 pound medium shrimp, pealed and deveined
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
1’4 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
lime wedges for garnish
Pat shrimp completely dry. Be sure they are completely free of any excess water. Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat, add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add shrimp and cook 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in tequila, lime juice, salt, chili pepper and oregano. Cook 2 more minutes. Add cilantro and cook about 15 seconds. Remove to a warm plate and garnish with lime wedges.
Serves 4
You won’t need much more than a tossed salad, hot rice, and crusty bread to complete the meal.
peeling and deveining shrimp,
measuring butter/margarine,
measuring liquid ingredients,
peeling garlic,
mincing vegetables,
juicing citrus fruits,
measuring dry ingredients.
washing produce,
chopping vegetables,
sautéing ingredients,
setting the timer,
If you are looking for quick and simple, gut elegant, it doesn't get much easier than this. Serve in a table bowl as a starter for a meal or in a punch bowl as an appetizer at a buffet.
Peel-and-eat Shrimp
6 shrimp per person
2 cups water
2 tablespoons white wine
ice
bottled cocktail sauces of varying flavors
Place water and wine in the bottom of the pot that holds your vegetable steamer. Stack shrimp in steamer so that a minimum of parts are touching. Steam as you would for vegetables for 10-15 minutes or until shrimp are just opaque. Remove to a bowl filled with ice. Arrange fish atop ice so that each is touching the ice. Serve as soon as chilled with bowls of sauces.
Serves as few or as many as you like
steaming vegetables,
setting the timer,
making ice
Perfect summer fare...casual, but dramatic. Serve with wine and crusty fresh bread.
Seafood and Pasta with Basil Dressing
1 pound bay scallops, rinsed
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound fusilli, cooked al dente and drained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
Prepare Basil Dressing (page ). Simmer scallops in wine until opaque; drain well. Toss fusilli with garlic powder. Add scallops and shrimp; toss again. Add peas, red pepper and onion. Pour Basil Dressing over salad and toss thoroughly. Serve or refrigerate. If made ahead, salad will need extra dressing, so double the dressing ingredients. Scatter olives around salad before serving.
Serves 8-10
The salad will be fresher and less fat if made just before serving.
Reprinted with permission from the Junior League of Denver, Crème de Colorado Cookbook, ©1987
measuring liquid ingredients,
cooking pasta,
measuring dry ingredients,
peeling and deveining shrimp,
coring and seeding peppers,
chopping vegetables,
peeling an onion,
dicing vegetables,
pitting olives,
slicing vegetables,
simmering ingredients,
draining ingredients,
tossing ingredients,
Serpentine Swordfish Strips
Marinated fish
16 8-inch-long wooden barbecue skewers
1/2 cup sour cream or sour half-and-half
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
3 pounds swordfish fillets, cut 3/4 inch thick and as long as possible
Sauce
2 cups sour cream or sour half-and-half
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
few grinds black pepper
Soak the skewers in cold water for 1 hour.
Make the marinade: Mix the marinade ingredients together, pour into a large plastic bag, and set the bag in a bowl. Cut the swordfish steaks into strips, a scant 1 inch wide, each as long as possible. Add the strips to the marinade in the bag and secure with a twister seal. Turn the bag several times to make certain all the surfaces of the fish touch the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Make the sauce: Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan and set aside. Remove the swordfish strips from the marinade and remove the skewers from the water. Thread the swordfish strips onto the skewers by weaving the strips over and under the skewers at 3-inch intervals.
Grill the fish: Place the skewered swordfish on the prepared grill and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until the swordfish is completely cooked through and has lost its opacity. While the fish cooks, heat the sour cream sauce slowly over low heat. When the sauce is warmed, transfer it to a serving bowl and bring it to the table. When the swordfish is cooked, transfer the skewers to a serving platter and bring the platter to the table. Present the skewers topped with the sour cream sauce.
Makes 8 servings
Serving suggestions: tart green salad, Sweet potato and pineapple kabobs cook alongside the fish.
Reprinted from FISH ON THE GRILL by Phyllis Magida and Barbara Grunes, ©1986. Used with permission of Contemporary Books, Inc., Chicago.
measuring liquid ingredients,
juicing citrus fruits,
measuring dry ingredients,
grinding pepper,
slicing meats,
marinating meats,
grilling,
simmering ingredients,
warming plates,
The first time I tasted étouffée, my father took me as a guest to a gracious Cajun home on a bayou in south Louisiana. Even though I had the immature taste buds of a ten-year old, I knew I was being treated to a marvelous experience. On that occasion, the étouffée was studded with crawfish. They are very difficult for most of us to get, so I substitute shrimp.
Shrimp Etouffée
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
3 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cups chopped green onions
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 16-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
4 to 5 sprigs parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
2 bay leaves
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Make a roux with the oil and flour. Add garlic and onions and stir a few times. Cook over very low heat until a light tan. Add remaining ingredients. Cover pot and cook over very low heat 30 to 40 minutes or until there is sufficient sauce and the shrimp are done. Stir occasionally. Since little water is added, this dish must be cooked slowly to avoid sticking. Serve over hot rice.
Serves 8
Etouffée only gets better the next day. I was surprised that it freezes so well.
measuring liquid ingredients,
measuring dry ingredients,
peeling garlic,
mincing vegetables,
peeling an onion,
chopping vegetables,
peeling and deveining shrimp,
coring and seeding peppers
chopping vegetables,
washing produce,
peeling tomatoes,
opening cans,
salt and pepper to taste,
making a roux,
simmering ingredients,
finding the spoon in the pot,
setting the timer,
This very healthy, attractive dish has layers of bright vegetables and fish which steam together and can be removed directly to a platter at table. Steamed rice completes the meal.
Steamed Orange Roughie
2 1/2 pounds orange roughie fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 16-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon basil
1 bay leaf
Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until soft, but not brown, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Drain the tomatoes and combine them with the basil and bay in a small bowl. Gather the vegetables into the center of the pan with a spatula. Spread to about the size and shape of the fish. Place the fish on top of the vegetables. Spread the tomato mixture over the fish, cover and steam for 20 minutes. Tilt the skillet slightly and slide the entire contents intact onto a warmed platter.
Serves 4
measuring liquid ingredients,
peeling an onion,
slicing vegetables,
peeling garlic,
mincing vegetables,
sautéing vegetables,
opening cans,
draining liquids,
measuring dry ingredients,
combining ingredients,
setting the timer,