Vacation, All I Ever Wanted and Shrimp Too

While it is true that I have not been AWAY on vacation for the entire month of July, I have been on some form of vacation for just about a month. So, slowly getting back to cooking in my own kitchen has been a blessing!

Trying to get caught up with the daily things around here had me scouring for easy recipes this week. I found many versions of this very simple, one-dish shrimp recipe – all were pretty much the same so I ran with it.

Shrimp is a major staple in our home. Foodie Jr. is a shrimp fanatic and I can always count on it being gobbled up. I always keep it on hand for quick, easy and mostly healthy meals.

This recipe has only four ingredients – how much easier can it get? I was pleasantly surprised that for the little effort I put into it, we got a pretty good pay out – all of us liked it. It is almost reminiscent of a scampi with the lemon and butter flavors. I served it with rice and steamed broccoli and it all went really well together. I will most definitely keep this in the quick and easy meal rotation – especially with the school year starting. It’s definitely worth giving a try.

LEMON BUTTER SHRIMP

Ingredients:

-1 lb. of peeled and deveined shrimp (I left the tails on)
-1 stick of Butter
-2 medium sized Lemons, sliced thin
-1 packet of Italian Dressing dry seasoning (whatever brand you like)

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven 350 Degrees.

2. Melt stick of butter in 9×13 baking dish (I did this while the oven pre-heated.)

3. Place lemon sliced on melted butter in a single layer.

4. Place shrimp on lemon slices in a single layer.

5. Sprinkle dressing packet on top of shrimp evenly.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes. (I turned the shrimp once but I don’t think it’s necessary.)

Foodbuzz Tastemaker: Van de Kamp’s Parchment Bake

The good folks over at Foodbuzz chose me for their Tastemaker program to review the new Van de Kamp’s Parchment Bake product.  The Foodie Family does enjoy fish, from the oldest to the youngest, so I thought this would be a good one to sign up for.

As you probably already know from reading some of the posts on this blog, we are a pretty busy household, especially during the week.  Between our family business and Foodie Jr.’s activities, some days it’s just hectic so a quick meal is definitely much needed.  We try to keep the quick meals as healthy as we can.

I liked the ease of preparation for this product.  And although I prefer fresh seafood when I am making it, this was a good quick meal.  We had the garlic butter flavor and I served it with a lemon veggie rice.  The garlic butter sauce was good and it went well with rice.  The fish was flaky and cooked very well.

Overall, I think this is a good product to have on hand if you have a fish loving audience in a busy household.  If you are interested in trying it out, there is a BOGO coupon here.

Thanks to the Foodbuzz folks for giving me the opportunity!

Cali Roll Salad To Go

Foodie Jr. LOVES California Rolls.  He would eat them all day, every day, if I let him.  He isn’t too fond of salad though.  This was my attempt to compromise with him on a very busy night that had us on the go.  We keep a pretty busy schedule around here and being able to whip these up while he was at school for quick assembly  at dinner time was a big help.  I normally would make these with real crab but I had the surimi on hand the day I made these and no time to get to the store to buy lump crab meat.  (Shrimp would be just fine to use as well.)   Foodie Jr. will eat them either way, so I luck out there.  I do not think this is an earth shattering recipe or anything, but it might be a helpful idea to some, especially busy families.  You could easily replace the crab with tofu or simply load it with more avocado if you do not like seafood.  Mr. Foodie and I enjoy these as well and they make for a great, light meal or a quick appetizer for a gathering.  I generally make a platter of them at a time but it is fun to let your guests make their own as well.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD TO GO

Ingredients:

-Lump Crab Meat (flaked) or Surimi (chopped), lightly tossed with Japanese or regular mayonaise.

-English Cucumbers, peeled, sliced thin and marinated in Mirin (or rice wine vinegar)  and black pepper for a few hours

-Avocado, chopped or slice per your preference

-Nori Komi Furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning)

-Hearts of Romaine, broken in half to form a sort of lettuce cup to hold salad

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients onto romaine lettuce cup, I usually go crab, avocado, cucumber and top with furikake.

Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodles

If you are familiar with Crustaceans or Thanh Long restaurants, you are likely familiar with this dish.  These restaurants, in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles are, are run by the An family and contain a ‘secret kitchen’ that is closed off to all employees except family members.  Many a Foodie has tried to figure out the secret recipe for this dish, the recipe I used is courtesy of RasaMalaysia and can be found HERE.

This recipe was simple and I generally have everything on hand to make it, except for the crab.  If you are a crab and/or noodle lover, of which I am both, you would enjoy this recipe.  I’m not sure if you would say it tastes JUST like the restaurant version but it is very good and extremely rich.   Definitely worth the try!

Happy Eating!

Cream of Crab Soup

The first time I had ever had this soup was on a visit to Arlington, Virginia last year.  I ordered it via room service from our hotel and to this day, I swear it is the best soup I’ve ever had!  Like I do so many dishes that we try while dining out or on our travels, I had to try to create it at home.  Mr. Foodie and I are crab lovers, no doubt about it.  Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, we primarily eat Dungeness crab and do not come across Blue Crab all that much.  I recently found some lump Blue Crab claw meat and decided to make this soup yesterday to warm up in the rainy, cold weather.  With some homemade rolls, it very much hit the spot!  It’s a very rich soup and one nice bowl is more than enough to fill your belly and soul, definitely not a soup we could eat regularly.

I used a basic cream soup recipe base and add the crab and flavors to it.  I find this to be the best and most versatile way to play with the flavors and really get the one I’m wanting.  This recipe made about 4 servings.

CREAM OF CRAB SOUP

Ingredients:

1 Stick of Butter (8 TBS)

Juice of One Large Lemon

2 Tsp Onion, minced very fine

2 1/2 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning

4 TBS All Purpose Flour

4 Cups Half–n-Half Cream

1 1/2 Cups Blue Crab Meat, picked clean of cartilage/shells

1 Tsp Celery Seed

1/2 to 1 Tsp Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Fresh or Dried Parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1.  In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter.  Once all butter is melted, add the onion, lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning.

2.  Add the flour and combine into a roux.

3.  Add half-n-half and whisk frequently until completely combined.

4.  Bring mixture just to a boil, mixture will start to thicken.

5.  Lower heat, add crab meat, salt, and celery seed.  Simmer mixture on low for about 15 minutes.

6.  Garnish with fresh black pepper and parsley if desired.  Serve immediately.

Fusion ‘Tacos’, Two Ways

I love the concept of tacos. I use the term ‘taco’ loosely here, mostly because it is a mainstream way for me to describe a little carb (tortilla, bao, etc…) wrapped around yummy goodness (meat, veggies, etc…) and some type of topping or sauce.  We make tacos at our house out of anything and love to experiment with different flavors, which is how the following recipes came about.

Both of these tacos were wrapped in steamed buns – bao, generically – Momofuku style inspired.  Before you applaud my awesomeness, know that I purchased pre-made folded buns at my local Asian Market.  For the record, I do have the ingredients on hand to make these from scratch and will be attempting that soon.  However, the craving for these was immediate so pre-made was the way to go this time around.  I did steam the buns myself though!

I did not serve either of these to Foodie Jr. fully constructed.  He did eat the filling and buns separately as his meal, but the sauces were a little too spicy for him.  Although he likes spicy food, Mr. Foodie and I like it really spicy so we opted to give him the milder version.  We were all able to eat the same meal, just had to modify for the little one.  I’m no short order cook so I have to do what I have to do to modify sometimes.

STEAMED BUN TACO #1

Korean Style Flank Steak with Cucumber topped with Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

Store bought folded buns, steamed per package directions

2 lb Flank Steak (you can also use skirt steak)

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

2 TBS Black Sesame Seeds

4 TBS Sugar

2 TBS Sesame Oil

3-4 Small Shallots, minced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

6 TBS Mirin

1/2 Large Cucumber, sliced thin on a mini-mandoline – becomes almost relish like

3-4 TBS Mirin

1 TBS Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/8 Cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce

1/8 Cup Sriracha (use less if you don’t like the heat)

Directions:

1.  Combine first 8 ingredients in a large freezer bag and refrigerate overnight, mixing and turning occasionally.

2.  Place cucumbers in a small bowl and cover with mirin, add red pepper flakes and mix.  Set in refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving.

3.  In a small bowl, mix BBQ sauce with Sriracha until well blended.

4.  Heat oil coated grill pan over medium heat.  Cook flank steak equally on both sides, about 8-10 minutes per side, depending on your desired doneness.

5.  Let the meat rest about 10 minutes and then slice thin against the grain.

6.  Assemble by placing a few slices of meat on the bun, top with cucumber and then BBQ sauce mixture.

STEAMED BUN TACO #2

Spicy Shrimp with Mango and Cilantro topped with Sriracha Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Store bought folded buns, steamed per package directions

1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined, boiled and cooled

Juice of 2 limes

3 TBS Patis (fish sauce) – you could probably use less if desired

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1 Large Mango, peeled and chopped

1/2 Cup Mayonaise

1-2 TBS Sriracha, depending on taste

1/8 Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Directions.

1.  Mix shrimp with lime juice, patis and cayenne pepper, refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

2.  In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise with Sriracha until well blended – it will have a light orange color.  (A little goes a long way but Mr. Foodie eats this on everything so I make a bigger batch at a time.)

3.  Assemble by placing a few shrimp on the folded bun, top with a bit of chopped mange, mayonnaise mixture and garnish with cilantro.

Lemon Pepper Butter Shrimp – Ode to the Hawaiian Shrimp Trucks

Food trucks seem to be all the rage in the food community – they even have  a show about them on the Food Network.  Unless you’ve been living under a Foodie rock, you are probably familiar with Nom Nom or Grill ‘Em All at the very least.

Shrimp trucks such as Giovanni’s or Macky’s have been really popular on Oahu’s North Shore for a long time.  On a recent family visit this summer, we visited Macky’s Shrimp Truck in Haleiwa for lunch.  If you’re looking for a wide variety of flavors, the shrimp trucks are not the place for you as their menus are generally pretty limited:  garlic, spicy, lemon…you get the idea.  We paid $12 per plate and were given a good size serving of lemon shrimp, two scoops of white rice, a green salad and some pineapple.  That’s pretty standard island food, if I do say so myself.  The shrimp was fresh and filling and the lemon butter sauce was really good, both on the shrimp and the rice.  Like we do on so many vacations, Mr. Foodie and I made a note that we had to try to re-create it at home.

Below is what we came up with and while it wasn’t exactly like the shrimp truck, it was good.  It was rich and filling, that’s for sure.  I’m sure that this could be served with more sophisticated accompaniments and dressed up for a fancy dinner, but we really liked it island style – over white rice.  I’m certain we didn’t bother with the salad…

LEMON PEPPER BUTTER SHRIMP

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined

3/4 Cup Butter

Juice of 2 Large Lemons

1 Tsp Lemon Zest

1 Tsp Soy Sauce

1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 TBS Fresh Parsley, chopped

1/2 TBS Coarse Black Pepper

2 -3 Cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium heat.

2.  Add all other ingredients, except shrimp.

3.  Bring liquid mixture to a boil and then add shrimp.

4.  Continue to cook shrimp until pink, approximately 5 minutes or so.

5.  Serve immediately over white rice.