Dollars to Donuts posts Tagged ‘seafood’

Sicilian Pasta with Tuna and Capers

Posted by Dawn Welch

sicilianpasta

Canned tuna is a great value, so why just use it for tuna salad? Paired with pasta and capers, it makes a great, rustic, and flavorful dinner that seems fancy even though it’s pretty bare bones.

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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes with juice (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon + 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 pound spaghetti
2 cans (6 ounces each) olive oil–packed tuna, drained
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1⁄2 lemon

Make the sauce. Pour the oil into a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook gently over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 to 11⁄2 minutes. Add the parsley and capers and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low, add 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt, and simmer gently until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Boil the pasta. While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until it is al dente. Reserve 1⁄4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Add the tuna and serve. Break the tuna into small flakes and add to the sauce along with the pepper. Add the sauce and the butter to the pasta, tossing gently until the butter is completely melted (add a little pasta water if the pasta seems dry). Squeeze the lemon half over the pasta, toss, divide the pasta among 4 bowls, and serve.

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Crispy Salmon Cakes

Posted by Dawn Welch

crispysalmoncakes

When the craving for fish cakes hits, I choose the economical and tasty canned salmon that’s always in my pantry.  Canned salmon is packed with the same big flavors and nutrients that I expect from fresh salmon.  If you haven’t given canned salmon a try, I highly recommend it.

When I serve these to company, everyone wants the recipe. Let me know what you think!

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Ingredients
2 cans (14.75 ounces each) salmon, drained
11⁄2 cups panko bread crumbs
1⁄2 cup tartar sauce or mayonnaise
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced, or 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
1 large egg
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3⁄4 cup canola oil

Make the salmon mixture. Mix together the salmon, 1 cup of the panko, the tartar sauce or mayonnaise, scallions or onion powder, the egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Shape the cakes. Form the mixture into eight 3″ cakes that are about 1″ thick. Place the remaining 1⁄2 cup of panko in a shallow dish and press the cakes into the bread crumbs until all sides are evenly coated.

Fry the salmon cakes. Heat 1⁄2 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, fry the salmon cakes in 2 batches until golden brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, adding the remaining 1⁄4 cup of oil to fry the second batch if necessary. Place the salmon cakes on a paper towel–lined plate to drain, and serve hot.

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Paella with Spicy Sausage and Shrimp

Posted by Dawn Welch

paellawithsausage

This is my go-to party dish because it seems fancy and expensive. Stretch a pound of shrimp by slicing them in half lengthwise, so it looks like there’s a ton of shrimp in the pan. When I serve it to my family we’re all thinking the same thing: leave some for leftovers tomorrow.

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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
12 ounces chorizo or other spicy sausage, sliced 1⁄2″ thick
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
3–31⁄2 cups chicken broth, homemade or store-bought
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 pound (25-30) large peeled and deveined shrimp
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Make the paella base. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until the sausage is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, tomatoes, and wine, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

Cook the rice and seafood. Add 3 cups of the broth, the saffron, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the rice is cooked through but still firm, about 20 minutes, adding the remaining 1⁄2 cup broth if the pan seems dry before the rice is done. Add the shrimp, cover, and cook until the shrimp are pink, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

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Broiled Shrimp with Feta, Orzo and Tomatoes

Posted by Dawn Welch

broiledshrimporzoI’m a crispy kinda girl, so I always pat my shrimp dry with a paper towel before broiling or pan-searing so they brown better. Buy whatever size shrimp is on sale — if using smaller shrimp, just shave the cooking time by a few minutes so you don’t overcook them. And if you don’t have feta, don’t stress it — you can top the shrimp with grated Parmesan or pecorino, or leave them bare.

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1 pound medium IQF shrimp (see D2D tip below) peeled and deveined, thawed
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
21⁄2 teaspoons salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces orzo pasta (about 1 1⁄4 cups)
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 ounces feta cheese (about 3⁄4 cup), crumbled

Marinate the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil, about one-third of the garlic, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt, and a pinch of black pepper in a bowl. Mix in the shrimp and marinate for 10 minutes.

Boil the orzo. Stir 2 teaspoons of the salt into a large pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, then drain. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Broil the shrimp. Adjust an oven rack to the upppermost position (the rack should be about 3″ from the broiler) and heat the broiler to high. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 11⁄2 tablespoons olive oil and add the remaining garlic, the basil or oregano, the red-pepper flakes, the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir to combine, and then spread the mixture out in an even layer. Scatter the shrimp over the tomatoes in a single layer. Broil until the edges of the shrimp are beginning to brown and the shrimp are opaque throughout, 5 to 6 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Divide the orzo among four bowls. Stir the shrimp into the tomatoes and spoon the mixture over each serving of orzo. Sprinkle with feta, drizzle with the remaining 11⁄2 tablespoons olive oil, and serve.

Shop Smart
Most warehouse big-box stores offer 5-pound bulk packs of frozen shrimp. these are often a great value when compared to buying frozen 1-pound bags of shrimp.

D2D
I buy only individually quick frozen (IQF) shrimp packaged in bulk 3- to 5-pound bags. it’s a great value, often costing $3 less per pound than fresh shrimp. Buying shell-on shrimp rather than already cleaned shrimp will save you even more and give you shells to make stock with (see opposite page). IQF shrimp aren’t frozen in giant ice blocks, either, meaning they’re quick to defrost for last-minute meal prep.

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Steamed Mussels with Chorizo and Tomatoes

Posted by Dawn Welch

musselschorizoPrep time: 15 min
Cook time: 14 min

I love Stroud and its small-town values, but when I make a road trip to Oklahoma City, I stock my cooler with lots of ingredients I can’t get so easily at home. Mussels are one of those things. They’re bursting with flavor and so inexpensive, plus they’re glossy black shells are just gorgeous heaped into a bowl. And, they couldn’t be simpler to make!

Paired with chorizo and tomatoes, they take me back to my days as a cruise ship purser sailing the seas and eating exotic foods (at least they were exotic to me back then!) in every port of call.

Why not bring a little exotic into your weeknight routine? I’ll tell you one thing—cooking mussels yourself is a heck of a lot cheaper than booking a cruise to the Mediterranean!

Mussels
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, finely minced
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
One 12-ounce bottle lager-style beer
4 ounces finely diced Spanish-style chorizo sausage
1 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Garlic toasts
1 baguette, cut into ½-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the broiler. Adjust the oven rack to the top position (about 3 inches from the heating element) and heat the broiler to high.

Steam the mussels. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the lager, chorizo, tomatoes, parsley, smoked paprika, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook, stirring two or three times, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size. Toss any mussels that do not open.

Make the garlic toast and serve. While the mussels cook, arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan in a single layer. Combine the butter and garlic in a small bowl and brush the mixture onto the baguette slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil until browned and crisped, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the mussels and broth between the bowls and serve right away with the garlic toasts.

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Coriander Sugar-Rubbed Salmon

Posted by Dawn Welch

coriandersugarsalmonThe way commercial fishermen freeze salmon these days is nothing short of a miracle. If I put 2 cooked fillets in front of you, one that was fresh and one that was frozen, I’d bet you’d have a hard time telling which was which! There is absolutely no crime in buying frozen fish, especially when it’s so convenient to have in the freezer (defrost in a bowl of cool water in about 30 minutes; replenish the cool water every 10 minutes). So good for you, and such a great value.

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Ingredients
11⁄2 tablespoons coriander seeds
11⁄2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each, 1″–11⁄2″ thick)
1 teaspoon canola oil

Make the coriander rub. Toast the coriander, cumin, and peppercorns in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the fennel seeds and continue to toast until fragrant and the cumin seeds brown, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the spices to a rimmed sheet pan or plate to cool, and then place in a coffee grinder along with the sugar and salt and pulverize it to a fine powder. Transfer 2 tablespoons to a wide, shallow dish. (The rest can be stored in an airtight container or jar placed in a cool, dark spot for up to 1 month.)

Prep the salmon. Place the salmon on your work surface and feel for pinbones, using tweezers to remove any you find. Holding the salmon on the skin side, press the top into the spiced sugar, making sure the top is evenly coated, then set it on a large plate. Repeat with the remaining fillets, and then cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.

Roast the salmon. Adjust 1 oven rack to the upper position and 1 to the middle position. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly grease the foil with the oil. Place the salmon skin-side down on the foil and roast on the middle rack until the fillets are cooked on the outside but still quite pink in the middle, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the broiler on, move the salmon to the top rack, and broil until the sugar just starts to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes (watch your salmon carefully, as broiler intensity varies and the sugar can quickly burn). Remove from the oven and transfer the salmon (with or without the skin) to individual plates. Serve immediately.

D2D
There’s a lot to be said for slowing down and being friendly with your butcher or fish counter person. let them know what you like to cook and eat. once they start recognizing you as a regular, they’ll be happy to let you know when good products come in at good values.

D2D
Many fishermen sell their daily catch at remarkable savings. On weekends, make a trip to wherever fishermen hang out—a seaside pier or lakefront dock—to score the freshest fish at the best prices. Make sure they have gutted and scaled the fish if possible, unless you simply love those tasks yourself!

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Tuna Two-fer

Posted by Dawn Welch

Buy oil-packed tuna instead of water-packed tuna. It’s moister, and you can use the tuna-infused olive oil in place of extra oil called for in recipes.

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Saucy Tilapia Pockets

Posted by Dawn Welch

saucytilapiapocketsEveryone should be eating tilapia. It’s almost impossible to overcook, it’s mild, lean, has a nice texture between flakey and steaky, and is great for oven-baking, pan-frying, and steaming. Plus, domestic tilapia is farmed using environmentally sound practices. Did I mention it’s inexpensive, too? Why wouldn’t you try this wonderful white fish?

Ingredients
3 cups homemade garden vegetable sauce or jarred salsa
11⁄2 pounds tilapia (defrosted if frozen), halved lengthwise to yield 6 fillets
Salt
Juice of 1 orange
Finely chopped fresh basil, chives, cilantro, or parsley for serving (optional)

Season the fish. Heat the oven to 375°F. Spread six 12″-square pieces of foil across your work surface. Spoon 1⁄2 cup of sauce just off the center of each square and top with a tilapia fillet. Sprinkle each fillet with a little salt and 2 teaspoons of orange juice.

Fold the packets and bake. Fold the foil over the fish fillet and roll and crimp the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining fillets. Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cut a slit in the top of each pouch to let some of the steam escape (be careful!). Cut or tear open the side of the packet and slide the fish and sauce out. Sprinkle with herbs (if using) and serve hot.

Cook Smart
If your market doesn’t have tilapia, this recipe works just as well with salmon, snapper, flounder, and even halibut.

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