Article by Mary Jock
Creamy Garlic
Scallops
2 TBSP olive oil
1 1/4 lbs. scallops
2 TBSP unsalted butter, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Remove the side muscle from the scallops if attached. Thoroughly pat dry scallops with paper towels.
Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot and sizzling.
Add the scallops in a single layer without over crowding the pan (work in batches if needed).
Season with salt and pepper to taste and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on one side (until a golden crust forms underneath)
Flip scallops and and fry again for 2 minutes until crisp, lightly browned and cooked through (opaque).
Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
Melt 2 TBSP of butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits left over from the scallops.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant; about 1 minute.
Pour in wine and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half.
Add cream and allow to simmer until slightly thickened.
Remove pan (skillet) from the heat and stir in lemon juice.
Add the scallops back into the pan to warm through slightly and garnish with parsley.
Serve over rice, pasta, garlic bread or steamed vegetables.
Chilled Crab Dip
2 hard boiled eggs, finely diced
1 lb. fresh backfin crab meat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 tsp. horseradish
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 small onion, finely grated
Remove any shells from crab meat.
Place all ingredients into a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
Serve with corn chips, potato chips or plain crackers.
Keeps for up to two days in refrigerator.
Pan-Seared Mahi-Mahi Tacos
1 1/2 lbs. mahi-mahi fillets
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 TBSP lime juice
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 lime, quartered
12 small corn tortillas, warmed
Romaine or iceberg lettuce, shredded, for garnish
Pico de Gallo salsa, for garnish
1 avocado, pitted and cut into thin slices, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Pat fish dry and combine in a non-reactive bowl with the white wine, lime juice and garlic.
Set aside to marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes.
When fish done marinating, remove it from the marinade, pat dry and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, place fish skin-side down in skillet.
Cook until opaque and firm to the touch, about 3 minutes per side.
Flake the fish, squeeze one of the lime wedges over the top and toss to coat.
To make a taco, stack 2 tortillas on top of each other and fill with fish, lettuce, salsa, a few avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.
Repeat to make 6 tacos.
Cilantro and Lime Yellowfin Tuna
2 TBSP oil
1 lime, juice and zest
2 TBSP cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs. yellowfin tuna fillets
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Puree the oil, lime juice and zest, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic in a food processor until smooth.
Place the tuna on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Pat fillets dry and season with salt and pepper.
Spread on the cilantro and lime mixture and bake until just cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
Serves 4.
Sea Bass with
Citrus Salsa
2 1/2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
1/2 tsp. paprika
4 sea bass fillets
1 small pink grapefruit
1 small navel orange
3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
1 TBSP fresh lime juice
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced white onion
Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 6 to 8-inches from heat.
Combine 1 1/2 tsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper.
Add paprika.
Place fish on a baking sheet and rub with paprika mixture.
Broil fish until it starts to brown and fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
Keep warm.
Peel grapefruit and orange.
Using a small knife, cut fruit into segments and coarsely chop.
Whisk together cilantro, lime juice, garlic, 2 TBSP oil and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper.
Stir in onion and citrus segments.
Spoon salsa over fish and serve.
Serves 4.
Chile-Lime Clams with Tomatoes and Grilled Bread
6 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into pieces, divided
2 large shallots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 cup beer
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz), rinsed
2 TBSP spicy chile sauce
24 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 TBSP fresh lime juice
4 thick slices country
style bread
2 TBSP olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, with tender stems
Lime wedges (for serving)
Prepare a grill for medium, indirect heat.
Place a large cast-iron skillet on the grill over direct heat (move it around to cooler part of grill as you cook if needed).
Melt 4 TBSP butter in skillet.
Add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until paste darkens to a rich brick-red color, about 1 minute.
Add beer and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and cook until beer is reduced nearly by half and no longer smells like alchohol, about 4 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas and spicy chili sauce.
Add clams.
Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until clams have opened; this could take from 5–10 minutes depending on size of clams and the heat level.
Remove from heat and discard any clams that haven’t opened.
Stir in lime juice and remaining 2 TBSP butter.
While the clams are cooking on the grill, drizzle bread with oil and season lightly with salt.
Grill bread until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer toast to plates and spoon clam mixture over slices.
Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
Baked Flounder with Fresh Lemon Pepper
2 TBSP grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 flounder fillets
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425-degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingredients.
Place fillets on sheet pan coated with cooking spray.
Rub garlic mixture evenly over fillets.
Bake for 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Yellowfin Tuna with Smoky Herb Rub
2 TBSP olive oil, divided
1 TBSP smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves
3 TBSP fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 TBSP fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
4 yellowfin tuna steaks
Cooking spray
2 lemons, halved
In a mortar, combine 1 TBSP oil, paprika, fennel seeds and garlic. Grind with a pestle until a smooth paste forms.
Gently stir in parsley, tarragon and 1/2 tsp. salt. Let stand at least 20 minutes.
Lightly rub flesh side of fish with remaining 1 TBSP oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt.
Spoon tarragon mixture over fish and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat charcoal or gas grill to medium heat.
After preheating the grill, turn the left burner off (leave the right burner on), or heap coals to one side of grill to create two temperature zones.
Coat grill rack with cooking spray.
Place lemon halves, cut side down, on heated side of grill.
Place fish, skin side down, on unheated side of grill.
Cover and grill 10 minutes or until lemon is tender and well marked and fish flakes under gentle pressure.
Remove fish from grill; discard skin.
Cut fish into quarters.
Serve lemon halves with fish.
Pan-Fried Striped Bass with Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Dill
8 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded
Kosher salt
3 TBSP safflower oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 TBSP Asian fish sauce
8 striped bass fillets with skin
Freshly ground pepper
20 dill sprigs, tough stems discarded
20 cilantro sprigs
20 large basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 300-degrees.
In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with a large pinch of salt and set aside.
Heat 2 TBSP of oil in a large skillet.
Add the garlic and cook over low heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook.
Add the tomatoes and fish sauce and stir-fry over moderate heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
Heat 1 tsp. of oil in a large non-stick skillet.
Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Add 4 of the fillets to the skillet, skin side down and cook over moderately high heat until the skin is browned and crisp, about 4 minutes.
Turn and cook until the fish is opaque all the way through, about 1 minute.
Transfer the fish, skin side up, to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
Add 1 tsp. of oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining fillets.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tsp. of oil.
Add the dill, cilantro and basil and stir-fry over high heat until barely wilted, about 1 minute.
Mound the tomatoes on plates and set the fish fillets on top.
Garnish with the herbs.
