Category Archives: seafood

Halibut with Chimichurri ( marinade/green sauce)

Posted on August 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Joel always asks me to cook halibut, now you have to understand that he doesn’t really like fish, so this request is a bit odd right from the start. He says he likes halibut and I usually make salmon. He loves shrimp but that doesn’t count, I know he’s an ex-seafood guy but shrimp was really his thing not fish. So today I decided to honor his request and make halibut. It has never really appealed to me , it seems like such a bland white fish. I really spiced it up with this chimichurri , it was delicious. Chimichurri sounds so intimidating but it is just a green marinade. It is  usually made up of chopped fresh parsley, garlic, pepper and herbs bound with oil. I however decided to make it with cilantro not parsley. Obviously if you like cilantro do it this way, if not just use parsley. It was pretty easy and very tasty. I served it over rice pilaf and we had a side of tomatoes with balsamic syrup. You can also moderate the use of the crushed red pepper, since we like it spicy I used 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper, but use less or omit it all together. This was really pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice ( 1 large lemon or 2 small)

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon minced garlic ( not sure how many cloves, I lost track as I put them in mini processor)

1 tablespoon minced shallot ( about 1/2 of a large shallot) also used the mini processor for this as well

3/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes / crushed red pepper * obviously you can moderate this flavor by using less or omitting

3/4 cup chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley ( we love cilantro so I use that for a very different spin on this chimichurri

4  6 – 8 oz. fillets of halibut ( about 3/4 to 1 inch thick is the usual)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, put lemon juice, water, garlic, shallot, red-pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil slowly, then add the cilantro/parsley . Let chimichurri stand for a minimum of 20 minutes, I usually make at least an hour ahead. You can make the chimichurri a day ahead and leave in the fridge till you need. Just take it out and get it to room temperature before using.

I used my outdoor grill for this but you can use an indoor grill pan or your oven. ( in oven I would probably cook at 400 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes)

Pat fish dry with some paper towels, brush the vegetable oil on the fish ( skin side down) and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I placed fish on aluminum foil and put on grill ( high ) for 10 minutes.

I then poured some chimichurri on each piece and served it with rice pilaf. See pictures of finished product.

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Smoking Hot Salmon ( on grill or in oven) and a quick Corn Salad from leftover grilled corn

Posted on July 17, 2012 | 1 comment

Grilled Leftover Corn for salad

Always on the prowl for new recipes for Salmon. I usually cook it on the grill in the summer but this could easily be cooked indoors if no grill available. I actually cook this on a piece of aluminum foil on the grill, it really is like an outdoor oven. You can use a basket but I always find it makes such a mess. Whatever works for you, when I have placed fish right on grill it’s just a disaster, so I’ve taken to doing it this way. I played with these ingredients for the marinade and you know I took liberties with the cayenne pepper, so just put a sprinkle if you don’t like it too spicy. The marinade thickened up and it was perfectly delicious with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro. Cilantro can be eliminated but we love it, so it stays on in this house. I had some leftover ears of Grilled Corn so I threw together a very impromptu Corn Salad which is listed below as well.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Salmon Filets ( I used 1 1lb. piece for the 2 of us) This time out I got Copper River Salmon and it was just delicious. I use Wild Salmon usually. Use whatever you like best

For Marinade:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium shallot – chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Cayenne Pepper to taste ( I was generous with it, but it packs a lot of heat)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger ( if you can’t use fresh ginger, use powder ginger , I wouldn’t omit this spice)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the shallots and saute until softened. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro. Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the cilantro.

Baste the salmon filet with a bit of the sauce and preheat your grill to a medium high heat. I placed the salmon on a piece of aluminum foil. I just cooked it for about 15 – 20 minutes till the salmon was flaky, and the center was just cooked. You don’t want to over cook it. If you’re placing right on the grill it will cook much quicker. When you finish cooking, remove from grill and serve with some of the remaining marinade as additional sauce. This is delicious with rice and a vegetable. I served with a side of some leftover grilled corn which I turned into a lovely side dish.

Corn Salad from leftover grilled corn

I used 4 ears of corn, you can use 4 cups of any kind of corn . I just happened to have had some corn leftover from a barbque.

1 cup red pepper- diced

1 medium red onion – diced

2 – 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped

Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice from about 1 small lime

* 1 Jalapeno pepper – seeded and minced ( make sure to remove all seeds if you don’t like spicy) you can omit all together if you don’t like the flavor . I love it.

I just added a little olive oil to taste ,  I would say 1 tablespoon

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

This was really a throw together, but it came out so good!!!!!  Allow the ingredients to blend for a few before serving. Enjoy!

leftover grilled corn

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Spicy Stir-Fried Asparagus with or without chicken/shrimp

Posted on June 1, 2012 | 1 comment

This recipe caught my eye in the NY Times cooking section . The spicy part was what intrigued me the most. I usually make stir fry with a variety of ingredients and use sesame oil. This recipe calls for vegetable oil, and I  just used 2  tablespoons.  You may need to add a little more oil, so add as needed. I made this with just asparagus and brown rice, and chicken. It would be great with shrimp as well. I highly recommend it both ways, and now that the asparagus is so sweet it’s the best time. I have to admit I used a lot of seeds from the jalapeno and it was kick ass, you can remove most of the seeds of the jalapeno and just chop up the pepper, or any other fresh hot chile ( serrano). If you don’t like it spicy , omit the pepper all together and add whatever other ingredients you would like. This meal came together very quickly. We both enjoyed, although Joel didn’t touch the asparagus . I also sprinkled chopped fresh cilantro in mine, I love cilantro. The flavors of the ginger , garlic, jalapeno and cilantro were divine.

*if you want to keep it vegetarian ( vegan) omit the chicken and you’ll only need 1 tablespoon of oil

Ingredients:

1 lb. of asparagus (medium asparagus is fine), cut into pieces . I cut each piece into thirds. About 2 inches long.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided (one for asparagus and one for chicken should be sufficient)

1 lb. chicken breasts (appr
ox. 2 pieces and I cut them up into small pieces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic minced

1 Serrano or other fresh hot chile, finely chopped. (Rule of thumb with peppers: the less seeds the less hot, so remove the seeds if you don’t like spicy or you can also just omit the pepper altogether. If you do that, use rubber gloves when handling peppers, and don’t touch your eyes or nose or anything until you wash your hands, and or remove gloves.) I used jalapeno, easy to get a hold of but any hot fresh pepper will do.

*if you’d like you can add fresh chopped cilantro, basil. I used cilantro because I love it. This is totally discretionary. I love cilantro

Directions:

Snap off and discard the tough bottoms of each asparagus spear. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch lengths. (Do that after you’ve sliced asparagus in half lengthwise.) After you cut up the chicken, place in a bowl or on a plate, salt liberally, then add pepper to your taste.

Next, in a wok or cast iron skillet (or any skillet you have on hand), heat one tablespoon of oil until very hot, add the chicken and cook until chicken browns up nicely (should be about 5 minutes total). I then remove the chicken, place in a clean bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Make sure you have enough oil, if need be, add more. Then add the asparagus, season generously with salt and pepper and stir well. (Make sure your vent is on or your smoke detector will go off.) Make sure the asparagus is well coated and glistening with oil. Cook over high heat for about 1 minute. You want the asparagus bright green. Add the garlic, ginger, chile and chicken and stir fry to heat the chicken thoroughly (probably about a minute or two).

* If you’re adding shrimp, cook it first (like the chicken), then just follow the same directions. Shrimp will probably take a little longer depending on the size of the shrimp.

If you want to add herbs, add them right before serving. Place over rice or just plate it up. Very tasty for sure.

*this will serve 2 – 3

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Springtime in a Bowl – Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Pasta

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 1 comment

It is really Springtime now and it just makes you want to lighten up the menu a bit, and my mind immediately goes to asparagus!  This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out , I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl!  There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me tonite and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish. I used the shrimp.  I also used linguine in this , it just seems to hold on to the flavors nicely. Happy Spring and Enjoy. This recipe was inspired by Giada de Laurentis .

Ingredients:

1 lb. box linguine ( I used Fini Linguine , it was lighter than regular linguine and was just perfect)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 containers of little grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato ( app. 20 oz. of tomatoes)  I cut tomatoes in 1/2.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

* crushed red pepper ( we like the heat) use your own discretion depending on how you like it, totally optional

3 large cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use whatever I have open)

1 lb. Asparagus , trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into app. 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

fresh basil chopped ( app. 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to box directions.( Fini Linguine cooks in 6 minutes perfectly)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, app.  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft , it takes about 5 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook for another few minutes ( don’t burn the garlic)keep on low heat and stir around. Add the wine and the asparagus. Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes . Taste for Salt and Pepper, if it needs more this is when I would add it, and I did. I added a bit more salt here, pepper was fine. You need to use your own discretion about the salt .

Sprinkle shrimp in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shrimp needs to be firm to the touch, and opaque if cut into. Stir in the chopped basil and the oregano.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well to combine.  You can always add more crushed red pepper when finished.

This was really delicious and light. Joel of course picked out every piece of asparagus, and put them in my bowl. That was fine with me because I love asparagus.

*this dish will easily serve 4, if you like you can always add another 1/2 lb. of shrimp for 4 people.

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Family Visit and what we’re Cooking with Candi

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 3 comments

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Our kids and grandkids are out for a visit,  and we are enjoying it so very much. I don’t want to go on and on about having grandkids, but it really is an unparalled joy . We cooked up some Shrimp Scampi and Pasta. Thanks to Joel we’ve been able to obtain the most awesome Mexican White Shrimp ( recipe is on blog, posted on 12/26/11) and it was such a lovely evening. Even Brody enjoyed the Shrimp. Joel and Brian cleaned the shrimp, and Jenn made the boys dinner and I cooked our dinner.  We had a delicious sald with the Honey Lime Vinaigrette ( recipe is on blog , posted on 11/16/11 . This recipe is really scrumptious and loved by the whole Kolen/Turoff clan. ( OK not so much Riley) . Uploaded a few pics for all to see. Of course we had that delicious Applesauce/Raisin Bundt Cake. I had to freeze the rest of it after I ate it for Breakfast today, so yummy!

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Salmon Done Simply in Foil

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 4 comments

Again, I need to thank my friend Drew for finding this recipe. It is so good, it’s restaurant worthy. The oregano, lemon and tomatoes give it a mediterranean flavor. It is healthful, simple and very delicious. Joel decided to try to eat more healthfully in 2012 (incorporate more fish, etc.) Usually he doesn’t like to eat fish and if I make it he is disappointed.  But for this, he gave me the green light and the next night I made it. Drew had also tried it, after he came across the recipe from Giada de Laurentis. Really easy and really yummy, this one’s a keeper.  Thanks Drew and thanks Giada!

Ingredients: 

4 (approx. 5 oz. each) salmon fillets (I used 3 6 oz. for the two of us and we finished it all.)

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus another 2 tablespoons

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tomatoes, chopped (I used about 2/3 of the container of the small plum tomatoes; it’s not an exact count but you can eyeball it.)

2 shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a little salt and pepper. In a bowl, stir together the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to blend.

Place each salmon fillet on a piece of aluminum foil (make it large enough to wrap ends and tent.)  Spoon the tomato mixture over salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely, then seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a baking sheet. (Do whatever works for you, I sort of spiraled the ends, and then folded up the top. As long as aluminum foil piece is large enough to cover it won’t be a problem.) Repeat this step with each piece . Place each individual piece on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. (That was the perfect amount of time for each piece for me. If your pieces are on the thinner side, you may want to remove before 25 minutes.) At the store, ask for salmon filets from the center; this will be the right size. Using a metal spatula, place the salmon on plate, and make sure to get all the sauce. Delicious! I served with rice pilaf and string beans. Of course, Joel ate the salmon and rice, not the string beans, but that’s okay as it was a very healthy meal.

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After the Scampi

Posted on December 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Cold Shrimp after Scampi

Salad with Cold Shrimp Sherry Lemon Vinaigrette

The day after the Scampi, Joel and I went skiing. After ski, I wasn’t in the mood to go out so we stayed in . We had actually cooked up some of the remainder of the 5 lbs. of shrimp we had taken out to cook the scampi. It was in the fridge cold. Joel was happy eating that with cocktail sauce, and I was happy eating that cold shrimp in a salad. I used the Sherry Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing that I already had made. It was delicious, light, and just what we were in the mood for, no fuss no muss, and sometimes you just need to eat lightly, forgo some of those calories. Even with working out all the time, skiing, and hiking the amount of calories can be daunting , it just helps us to indulge a little more frequently.  The thing with cold shrimp is you can’t keep it for too long in the fridge, so we had to eat it within 2 – 3 days of cooking it.

Here is my cocktail sauce, which I’m sure you know by now that we like it with a lot of kick. Just alter ingredients to your liking.

Heinz Chili Sauce ( available next to Heinz Ketchup)

White Horseradish

Heinz Ketchup

Just mix up about a cup of Heinz Chili Sauce, a cup of Ketchup and put in by the tablespoon the white horseradish till you get the consistency you like, and the flavor you like, I know by now how it should look, but you’ll have to taste. Be careful with the horseradish, but you can always add more ketchup to tone it down. These are just the 3 ingredients I use, Use as much or as little as you’ll need. It beats those store bought brands by a mile.

Cold Shrimp the next day

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Shrimp Scampi and Pasta

Posted on December 26, 2011 | 4 comments
It is Christmas Eve, and so many restaurants are closed for the night. We had some amazing shrimp that Joel was able to procure. *Beautiful Mexican White Shrimp under 10! So what else would you do? Shrimp Scampi,
*under 10 refers to 10 and under to a pound, these can cost a pretty penny so you can definitley substitute a smaller shrimp (under 15, under 20 ) etc. Both Joel and I were raised around shrimp our whole lives and have very particular taste where shrimp is concerned.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. shrimp ( we used under 10’s which are rather large ) you can use smaller ones. Joel prefers Mexican Whites, and you can ask for these ( Ocean Garden is our preferred brand) they come in a 5 lb. box and Joel cleans and deveins for me always. (that’s our deal) He cleans them and I cook them.

5 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup olive oil ( you may want to add more as you go)

3/4 cup dry white wine

*pinch of hot red pepper flakes ( optional) and Susan doesn’t like hot so we added a pinch and put red pepper flakes on the table

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( again use your own discretion)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lb. spaghetti ( we used a thin spaghetti) or angel hair, capelini etc.

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

Directions:

Cook Pasta according to directions. Start boiling water for pasta as you start your sauce.

Heat oil in a heavy 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Saute shrimp, turning until just cooked through, about 3 – 4 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp. These were large and took a bit longer, they will start to curl and turn a pretty pink color. If you’re really not sure you can always cut into one and if it is translucent put it back till it is opaque in the inside, we don’t want to be serving raw shrimp to anyone. When shrimp is done remove with a slotted spoon to another bowl. Set aside.  Add garlic to oil, if you think you need more oil just put a bit in now, add the red pepper flakes now if you’re using them, wine, salt, and pepper and cook over high heat , stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes or so. Add butter to skillet , stirring until melted, and stir in shrimp. Remove skillet from heat. Drain pasta in a colander, and *reserve 1 cup of pasta water.  Toss pasta well with shrimp mixture  and add parsley in a large bowl, add additional reserved pasta water  if necessary to keep it moist.

* Just a little tip,  before the pasta is finished I scoop out some pasta water with a measuring cup, makes it easier than juggling boiling water while you’re draining it.

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Seared Spiced Rubbed Salmon (Mark Bittman, The New York Times)

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

Seared Spiced Rubbed Salmon

This recipe came out of my cooking class with Karen Lee on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was a lovely day spent in her warm inviting kitchen. Karen’s classes always make for a day well-spent. (More information for Karen Lee Cooking Class (foodnow@rcn.com) or cookingwithcandi.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillet, skin removed (organic or wild but the organic king farm-raised is great, when it is available and the wild salmon is best from April through September)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin or 1 tablespoon fennel seed ( we used cumin)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

zest of 1 orange (you can substitute lemon or lime)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice, reduced to 2 – 3 tablespoons *see recipe below

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Dunk salmon in a bowl of cold water for a second. Then let drain on paper towels. Rinse and dry salmon.

Rub down the salmon fillet on both sides with olive oil. 

Mix together the salt and the cayenne pepper and rub onto both sides of the salmon then rub in the fennel seed or ground cumin, rosemary and orange zest. Press mixture onto both sides of the fillet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place in a well seasoned iron skillet or steel fish skillet over high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (you may need a bit more.)

Using a fish spatula, slide the salmon into the skillet. Sear for 2-3 minutes. Place the spatula under the salmon and jiggle to loosen. If it resists, then leave it for another minute or so. Continue to saute until the salmon gets very dark and well-seared. Flip the salmon and sear on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

Place the salmon on a shallow roasting pan and roast in oven for an additional 1-3 minutes. (How long you roast will depend on how thick your fillet is and how you like your salmon cooked.) After fish comes out of oven, using a pastry brush, brush with the reduced orange juice.

(When sauteing the salmon, you may want to lower the heat to avoid burning the spices.)

*to reduce orange juice just put in a small saucepan and boil it down (a slow boil as opposed to a rolling boil,) until orange juice is reduced.

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Lobster Cobb Salad and Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Posted on November 16, 2011 | 1 comment

This is a delicious, tart salad dressing.  The flavors are perfect together and I will be making this delicious salad this Sunday for my Mother’s Day Brunch!  Just the perfect combination of tart and sweet. I served this lobster salad with baby greens, beets, lobster, corn, chopped eggs, tomatoes,  bacon (on the side) and, of course, avocado.  I bought the lobster (already cooked) You can purchase at your local fish store and specialty stores like Graces Marketplace. I cooked and  cut up beets, made some hard-boiled eggs and cut up tomatoes along with other ingredients. When I make it this Sunday I will put all the other ingredients in little bowls and let everyone choose what they like . I set up a make your own salad bar. So those who are vegetarian pick their ingredients and everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (1 small lime)

1/2 cup olive oil

kosher salt (approx. 1/4 teaspoon, maybe a bit more)

freshly ground black pepper

*you may want to double for large crowd. This will make approx. 1/2 cup salad dressing

Directions:

Whisk the vinegar, honey and lime juice together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Salad:

You can feel free to add and subtract ingredients:

I use any type of greens –usually Romaine and a dark green mixture of greens

I used corn, beets, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocados, and bacon. Sometimes I use shredded cheese or blue cheese (even though I really don’t like blue cheese at all) and black or green olives cut up are delicious in here as well. And feel free to substitute chicken for the lobster and add and subtract whatever you’d like.

When I serve for brunch I put all the ingredients in separate little bowls and let everyone choose their favorite ingredients. Dressing on the side–of course.

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