This rich chowder combines pieces of tender monkfish with celery, onions, bell peppers, and corn. If you want to make this chowder dairy-free then use soymilk instead of regular whole milk.
Unlike typical egg rolls with their mishmash of filling, these keep the ingredients more distinct, similar to spring or summer rolls. Pan frying leaves them crisp without the mess of deep frying.
Grilled Lobster Tails
If you want to go all out this weekend then grill lobster tail. It’s easy and delicious. Always grill lobster in its shell to protect the delicate meat from overcooking. Plus, once grilled, the meat is easier to remove.
INGREDIENTS
4 Fresh Lobster Tails (American or Rock Lobster)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Finely Shredded Lemon Peel (Set Aside)
4 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Teaspoon Fresh Snipped Dill
Lemon Wedges
Using kitchen shears, cut lobster tails in half lengthwise through centers of hard top shells, meat, and bottoms of shells. Set aside. In a small-size bowl stir together olive oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, garlic, and chili powder. Brush onto exposed lobster meat, reserving extra juice mixture. For a charcoal grill, grill lobster tails, cut sides down, on a rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 10 to 12 minutes or until meat is opaque, turning once and brushing with remaining juice mixture halfway through grilling. Do NOT overcook. For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place lobster tails, cut sides down, on rack over heat. Cover and grill for 10 to 12 minutes or until meat is opaque. Meanwhile, for dipping sauce, stir together mayonnaise, dill, lemon peel, and remaining lemon juice. Serve lobster with dipping sauce and lemon wedges. Serves 4
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Pan Seared Trout With Browned Butter & Lime Sauce
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
2 Limes
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Trout:
4 Boneless Rainbow Trout Fillets (5 to 6 Ounces Each)
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Thinly Sliced Limes
Olive Oil
To make the sauce: Place butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat. Continue to boil, stirring often, until nutty smelling and amber colored. Remove from heat. Using a vegetable peeler, remove lime zest. Add lime zest to browned butter. Juice limes and add lime juice, kosher salt and pepper to browned butter sauce. Cover sauce to keep warm while preparing trout. Just before serving, remove lime zest and throw away.
To make trout: Rinse trout fillets, and pat dry between paper towels, skin side up. Season trout with kosher salt and pepper. Place two slices of lime on top of each trout. Heat a large-size skillet over a medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with olive oil. Place 2 pieces of trout on skillet, flesh side up. Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully turn over with lime slices coming in direct contact with skillet. Cook 2 more minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you prepare the remaining trout fillets. Drizzle each serving with browned butter and lime sauce. Serves 4
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Baked Tilapia Tacos With Avocado Cream
Every once in awhile I get in a Mexican food mood. These tacos are light and won’t make you feel weighed down. Besides fish tacos are delicious!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Tilapia Fillets
Vegetable Cooking Spray
1/2 Teaspoon Grated Lime Zest
2 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
12 Hard Taco Shells
1 1/2 Cups Fresh Salsa
2 Cups Lettuce
1 Medium Diced Avocado
1 Cup Sour Cream
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8×11 glass-baking dish with cooking spray. In a small-size bowl mix lime peel, lime juice, garlic, red pepper sauce, pepper, and kosher salt. Put fish in prepared dish in a single layer. Spread sauce over fish. Place in oven, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes until fish is opaque and flakes easily. While fish is baking combine avocado and sour cream in a food processor or blender until smooth. Remove tilapia from oven and pull fish apart until all fillets are shredded. To assemble tacos place a layer of fish, salsa, and lettuce into taco shell. Drizzle with avocado cream. Serves 4 to 6
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Mussels With Wine And Herbs
You can serve this dish over pasta as a main course. If you use fresh herbs, double the quantities called for in the recipe. The beards are the dark, seaweed like matter that hands out of the shell. They should always be removed. Pieces of shell or other foreign matter can end up in the broth, so you should strain it through cheesecloth or a very fine strainer.
INGREDIENTS
3 Peeled & Minced Shallots
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
5 Tablespoons Butter
1/8 Teaspoon Dried Thyme or 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Savory or 3/4 Teaspoon Fresh Savory
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
24 Scrubbed Mussels (Beards Removed)
In a pan large enough to hold all of the mussels add shallots, white wine, butter, thyme, savory, bay leave, and pepper to a boil over a high heat. Add mussels and lower heat to medium-low until mixture just simmers. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until mussels open. Remove mussels and then strain broth. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve mussels together with strained liquid. Serves 4
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Cajun Jambalaya
Can’t make it to the French Quarter on Fat Tuesday? Celebrate Mardi Gras with New Orleans favorites and have your own party (ok dinner for husband and the kids). My recipe calls for shrimp, but I’m allergic to shrimp so I left it out of my dish.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Peeled & Deveined Shrimp (Fresh or Frozen)
1 Medium Chopped Onion
1 Stalk Chopped Celery
1 Chopped Green Bell Pepper
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Chicken Broth
One 14 1/2 Ounce Can Undrained Diced Tomatoes
8 Ounces Andouille Sausages (Cut Into 1/2 Inch Slices)
3/4 Cup Uncooked Long Grain Rice
1 Teaspoon Crushed Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon Crushed Dried Basil
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Cubed Cooked Ham
If using frozen shrimp make sure it is thawed. Rinse shrimp and set aside. In a large-size skillet add oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes until tender. Stir in chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, sausages, rice, thyme, basil, cayenne pepper, bay leaf and pepper. Bring to boiling and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in shrimp. Return to boiling. Reduce heat again to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes more or until shrimp turns opaque and rice is tender. Stir in ham and heat through. Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. Throw away bay leaf. Serve hot. Serves 4
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Lemon & Herb Crusted Barramundi
Barramundi is a mild fish with a buttery flavor and delicate, flaky texture and is a good substitute for red snapper or Chilean sea bass. Barramundi boasts high levels of omega 3s and scores extra points for sustainability and affordability.
INGREDIENTS
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves
2 Tablespoons Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
12 Ounces Barramundi Fillets
Season barramundi fish with lemon zest, chili powder thyme, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes. Add olive oil to large sauté pan and heat over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Remove fish from fridge and season both sides with kosher salt and pepper. Place fish in pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn fish over, lower heat to medium-low, and cook until fish is no longer translucent and flakes with a fork. Be sure not to overcook. Serves 2
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Scallops With Herbed Brown Butter
When you go to your fishmonger make sure to ask for “dry” scallops. Dry scallops are free of preservatives and release only a small amount of liquid while cooking, which is the key to getting a good crusty sear.
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Pound Sea Scallops (Side Muscle Removed)
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Cut Into Small Pieces)
4 Tarragon Sprigs
2 Teaspoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
In a large-size sauté pan heat olive oil over a medium-high heat for 1 minute. Season scallops with kosher salt and pepper. Place scallops in sauté pan and cook for 3 minutes on one side (until golden brown). Turn scallops and add butter and tarragon. Continue to cook. Spoon butter over scallops for 3 minutes longer or until scallops are cooked through and butter is brown and has a nutty aroma. Add lemon juice. Remove pan from heat and transfer to serving plate. Serve with brown butter pan sauce. Serves 4
Shrimp & Broccoli Stir-Fry
Anyone can make this super easy stir-fry dish. You may need to plan ahead a bit to purchase any of the ingredients that you may not have in your pantry. For plump shrimp and crisp broccoli, however, you should stir-fry them at a high heat very quickly.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Broccoli Stalk (Separated and Trimmed)
1 Minced Green Onion
2 Tablespoons Minced Ginger
1/4 Cup Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Sake
1 Teaspoon Potato Starch
5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Sake
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
2 Tablespoons Water
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Potato Starch
In a small-size bowl mix 1 teaspoon sake with 1 teaspoon potato starch. Shell and devein shrimp and coat with sake and potato starch mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large-size sauté pan or wok over a high heat. Add broccoli, kosher salt and 1/4 cup hot water. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl. Set aside. In the same pan add the remaining vegetable oil. Add ginger and green onion and cook on high for 1 minute until they release their aroma. Add shrimp and 1 tablespoon sake (over the shrimp). Stir-fry until shrimp turns red. In a small-size bowl combine oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, to teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon potato starch. Add broccoli and pour oyster sauce mixture over it. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes on high heat. Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. Serves 4
