Original recipe makes 8 – 1 quart jars
4 Tablespoons old bay seasoning
2 pounds Shrimp Large (26-30 count per pound with tails on)
8 cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
48 green beans
32 small asparagus spears
16 small peeled carrots trim to jar size.
2 green bell peppers, diced
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch of seedless green grapes
1/2 cup salt
Brine
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
If you want them spicy….
1 tsp chili pepper flakes or you can use sliced jalapeno peppers
If you have fresh shrimp, peel and clean leaving the tail on. Boil for 2 minutes with Old Bay Seasoning. Place in ice water to chill.
While you are heating the brine, pack your jars with shrimp, onions, peppers, garlic, stand the green beans, asparagus, carrots upright, top each with a few grapes.
Pour hot brine over your packed jars to 1/4 inch of top.
Place lids on and allow to cool on your counter.
Keep refridgerated. Eat early at 2 days 3 weeks.
Enjoy on toast or over a Caesar Salad. Awesomebites!
Fettuccini with Cilantro Lime Shrimp in Ginger Cream Sauce
16 oz heavy cream serves 4
2 T powdered ginger 30-45 minutes to prepare
2 eggplant – 1 cut in batonetts using the outside aubergine edges.
1 eggplant cut diagonally into ¼ inch diagonal slices (To be used as garnish).
2 zucchini cut in batonettes using the outside peel edges.
4 T Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 pound of fettuccini noodles
1 ½ pounds of shrimp Approximately 24 Shrimp shelled and de-veined, with tails on.
2 T butter
2 T Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped sweet onion
¼ cup cilantro chopped and 10 whole leaves for garnish
1 Can – 12 ounces of Canada Dry Ginger Ale
4 limes – juice 3 and serve the last as garnish on each plate.
Salmon Filet
Salt & Pepper
1 white onion finely diced
1 package Cream Cheese
1 small bottle of capers
Finely chopped dill – Optional
Black olives – Optional
1 Carrot for garnish
Rinse salmon filet and dry. Lay on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Salt and Pepper filet. Optionally, you can sprinkle with dill if you desire.
Preheat oven and broil at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
To serve, slide the salmon onto a platter. Surround with sliced lemons. Serve next to the diced onions and Capers and Cream Cheese. Your guests can serve themselves! Easy.
Drain capers and sprinkle them on top over cream cheese. Now, if you want to have a bit more fun, you can always make cream cheese penguins. This is where the black olives come in. After you roll the cream cheese and capers into small balls, slice the olives and make tuxedos for your penguins. Add a small bit of carrot for the nose. Serve surrounded by finely diced onions. Everyone will smile. Cream Cheese & Caper Penguins
Serve with finely diced white onions and Crackers. I like Kebbler Rectangle Crackers, the buttery ones.
This is a great appetizer. I have served it for a buffet on Mother’s day. Everyone loves it.
A big shout out thanks to sons James and Jon for running out to Santa Cruz Island for a little night diving to bring home some fresh live lobster as the season just opened. To make sure the lobsters cook thoroughly you should make sure you have enough water, if you need a reliable supply of water then contact water delivery service.
I was lucky enough to get 4 of 7 of the bounty caught! I did negotiate to get the shells and bodies of all, but I had to promise bisque.
I made good on my promise three days later. My office reaped the rewards at our Wednesday lunch meeting. Not one drop left!
The best bisque in town locally here in Ventura is at Cafe Fiore’s. The best lobster bisque I have had is made by Jon Minken, my nephew-in-law.
Sorry Jon, mine is pretty good. Okay, enough humble pie, some have called it the best soup they have ever had!
Ingredients
2-4 live lobster
1 pint of heavy cream (more if you are going to use as garnish)
3 sticks of celery
3 chopped carrots
1/3 of a cup of chopped onions
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
3 bayT leaves
1 tsp saffron
1 tsp Smoked paprika
2 tsp of salt
1 of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 -1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp of black pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry
Method
Pour 5 quarts of cold water into a large pot. Once the water has reached a fierce boil, carefully add the live lobster, placing it head first into the boiling water.
Cover the pot with the lid, return to the boil and then start timing. Cook the lobster for 12 minutes on a reduced heat.
Once the lobster shell has turned bright red after the 12 minutes, remove the lobster from the stock and place it in a dish to cool and so that the juices are caught and can be added to the liquid.
Continue to simmer the broth, leaving the pot uncovered.
Once the lobster has cooled, remove the meat from the shell, chop it up into pieces and keep it to one side.
Place the shell and lobster parts (not the meat) into a 400 degree oven and roast for 40 minutes. In a separate roasting pan, add olive oil, chopped onion, celery and carrots for 40 minutes.
After roasting the lobster parts and shells, break up and add to simmering broth.
Simmer for 30 minutes until reduced by 1/3.
Strain the broth to remove the shells.
Pour broth back into the pot and continue to simmer, add roasted vegetables, saffron, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer continuing to reduced by half. Remove bay leaves.
Then, add the tomato sauce and mix together. Cook for another minute.
Use a stick blender until broth is smooth. Reduce the heat.
Add the cayenne pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and mix together and then simmer for a further 10 minutes, making sure that you stir the broth occasionally.
Slowly stir in the heavy cream and slightly turn up the cooking temperature. Add 1/4 cup dry sherry.
Add any extra seasoning if required and then add the reserved chopped lobster meat to the soup. Cook for a further few minutes, then serve hot.
Garnish with warm cream, bits of lobster, smoked paprika.
Serve with fresh french bread, or croutons.
If you want to serve fancy for a small dinner party, prepare the bisque except without the cream the day ahead. The day of the party, finish the bisque, ladle into bowls and top with puff pastry.
Ingredients for 5 servings
– 4 cups Lobster bisque (see above)
– 10 small medallions of lobster
– 9 oz. green asparagus tips
– 250 g (9 oz.) puff pastry
– 1 beaten egg
Pour into ovenproof bowls; place 2 lobster medallions on each serving; divide the asparagus among the bowls;
on a floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry; form 5 discs, each 10 cm (4â€) in diameter, or slightly larger than the diameter of the bowl.
Cover each bowl with a pastry disc; brush with beaten egg yolk and press the pastry onto the side of the bowl; if you wish, you can decorate the top with pastry cut-outs from the trimmings. Dip them into egg yolk first so they will stick to the puff pastry lid.
Place into a preheated 425° F oven for about 12 minutes or until the pastry is nicely golden; serve immediately.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 (5-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 head butter lettuce, cored, cut in 1/2
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Add shrimp and let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, green onions, and water chestnuts; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add shrimp and marinade and cook 3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
Garnish with diced chilled avocado.
For Lettuce Wraps:
Divide lettuce into leaves. Spoon about 1/4 cup mixture down center of 1 lettuce leaf. Fold bottom edge and sides up and over filling. Repeat with remaining lettuce leaves and shrimp filling.
For Salad:
Tear lettuce and top with shrimp. Excellent light lunch. Add diced avocado!
For Appetizers:
Serve along with skewers on a beautiful serving tray.
You know how it is, sometimes you just get a craving for asian food! Perfect to serve over butter lettuce as a meal salad or serve with rice or chow mein for a crowd.
Ingredients
1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
4 egg whites
2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1.Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.
2.Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3.In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.
Mustard Tarragon Butter Sauce
for a lower calorie version read further on.
Serve with Grilled Chicken or Broiled Fish or Asparagus over mixed gourmet greens.
Good for you!
8 oz butter or 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 butter
3 T minced shallots
½ cup dry vermouth
4 T heavy cream
1.5 oz Glace de Poulet Gold (condensed chicken stock)
¼ t Dijon Mustard
½ tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves or 1/2 tsp of chopped sage and I hear fresh thyme is equally delicious. Choose one.
Salt and white pepper
Variations: you can add sauted onions (1 small yellow onion) and you can also add 1 cup sauted mushrooms.
If you want a reduced calorie version, try this:
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half, 1 cup greens, and about 2 tablespoons sauce) only 271 calories per serving according to cooking light.
3 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups gourmet salad greens
Preparation
1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, shallots, and next 6 ingredients (through sugar) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Serve chicken over greens with sauce.
Want a faster and lighter calorie version for a marinade? Try Val Fender’s version from bling.
So good on grilled chicken. Amazingly tasty flavor, but not overpowering. Works well as a marinade and grilling sauce.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cooking time 2 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp leaf dried tarragon
1 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped dried parsley
pinch salt
Instructions
Combine buttermilk and tarragon in small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat just until the buttermilk is warm but not hot. Remove from heat. Add mustard and parsley and whisk to combine. Allow to cool before putting over raw meat. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
A friend from Maryland invited us to a crab boil exlusively from Harbour House Crabs. We spread newspapers out on the table and crack open the crabs with our Old Bay seasoned hands, savoring the tender white morsels from the crab. I have never had so much fun eating crab. Crabcakes offer a more refined way of eating crab, make wonderful appetizers if you make them small, or a nice light dinner served with a salad.
Crab Cakes
Tips on making crabcakes: Costco has great lump crab in one pound tubs.
1) The best crabcakes are mostly crab, so I recommend not using too much bread. You only need enough to help hold everything together. In terms of a ratio, if I had 1 1/2 cups of crabmeat, for example, I would use about 1 1/2 cups of freshly made bread crumbs. I do not use dry breadcrumbs that come in a cardboard container at the grocery store, which are much too finely ground and dusty for this use.
2) Many people add worcheshire sauce, and I do not because it has anchovies in it and makes your crab taste fishy.
3) Use regular mayonnaise, not the squeezable stuff because it is too thin.
4) Mix the mayonnaise and other seasonings together first, so you can taste it and adjust the seasonings before you add the mayonnaise dressing to the crab and breadcrumbs.
5) Use a light hand when mixing the cakes together. You don’t want to break up the crab too much.
6) You can use a mix of shrimp with your crab cakes and even white fish. All are good.
7) You can mix up your crab cakes and shape them, keep covered in the refrigerator until party time and then fry them.
8) You can serve these with tartar, shrimp cocktail, or remoulade sauce, but I like them with just a squirt of lemon or lime juice and I love them with a ceasar salad.
Makes about 24 crabcakes
2 16 oz. cans of jumbo lump crabmeat (you can replace part of the crab with cooked shrimp or cooked white fish)
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from good bread, crust removed. (use a food processor to make crumbs; you may need a little more or a little less)
3 small scallions, finely chopped (the white and the green tops)
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro or parsley chopped
2 T Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise (if you use the squeezable mayo, reduce to 1/2 cup)
3 eggs
2 tsp. dijon mustard
Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice
Optional: Splash of tabasco or you can use finely diced jalapenos (no seeds)
Salt and pepper
In a bowl, mix all the seasonings and mayonnaise. Then add crab being careful not to break it up. Lastly add breadcrumbs until the crab will let you shape it into 1/4 cup balls, form small patties and roll into any remaining breadcrumbs. Place on a non-stick sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for one hour to set. You can make this up to 24 hours in advance.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add a thin film of olive oil into the pan. Add crabcakes to the pan, being careful not to break them. Turn down heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. If you’re cooking in batches, put the finished crabcakes in a 200 degree oven so they stay warm.
Serve on top of herb salad with a lime vinegarette.
2 T Canola oil
2 inch piece of ginger, smashed with back side of knife
1 stalk lemon grass, remove first layer and cut on bias into 2 inch pieces
Lime zest
1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste (gonlongol)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup chicken broth
2 pounds manilla clams, make sure they are all closed, rinse in cold water right before cooking
1 12 ounce can coconut milk
1 generous tablespoon Thai Chili Soya Paste (Look for sugar, tamarind, shrimp paste and fish sauce in the ingredients)
Thai Fish Sauce to taste (Squid brand with shrimp on label or three crabs)
2 Tablespoons each cilantro adn mint, chopped
Cilantro Sprigs for garnish,
In a soup or braising pot over high heat add oil, ginger, grass thai curry paste, and garlic. Fry over high heat until all ingredients have releases their flavor. Please note, curry paste is very hot. Use in a well ventilated area and according to your taste.
Add lime zest and broth. Bring just to a boil. Add clams and give pan a good stir. Cover with tight fitting lid and cook for 5 minutes over high heat. Remove opened clams with slotted spoon.
Add coconut milk, chili paste and fish sauce. Blend well and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Season to taste with 1/8 cup sugar and more Thai Red Curry Sauce.
Divide clams among soup bowls, ladle sauce over clams then garnish with cilantro.
Serve with fresh bread and butter and lemon wedges. You can also serve over noodles.
