Archive for category Seafood

Nantucket Bay Scallops and Eastham Turnip-Potato Gratin

I really wanted seafood last night and I am so glad I came across these two recipes because I was NOT disappointed. I also had leftover Gruyere cheese leftover and was longing to use it.  The sweetness of the bay scallops with the cheesy tenderness of the gratin was quite satisfying!  I had never had turnips before (or at least that I can remember) and now I’m turned on to the possibilities of actually incorporating turnips into a semi-regular ingredient for my meals.  Who knew!

For zee scallops:

2 tbsp butter

2 bay leaves

1.5 lbs bay scallops (remember these are sweeter that the bigger sea scallops)

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tsp grated lemon rind

chopped fresh chives

1. Place butter and bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until butter melts.  Remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Skim solids off the top and discard along with bay leaves.

2. Lightly coat scallops with cooking spray.  Heat a large, heavy skillet (I used my cast iron) over high heat.  Cook the scallops in 2 batches for about 1 minute each.  Place in a bowl.  Sprinkle scallops with salt.  Add juice and 1/2 the butter to scallops; toss to coat.

3. Combine panko and remaining butter.  Heat pan over medium-low heat.  Add panko mixture to pan and cook 2 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from pan.

4. Place 1/3 c scallops into a ramekin.  Sprinkle with panko, lemon rind, and chives.  Makes 8 servings.

These smell as delicious as they taste!

Your turnip-potato gratin:

1.25 lbs turnips, peeled, and cut into 1/8 in thick slices (I used a mandoline slicer)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

3/4 lb baking potato, peeled, and cut into 1/8 thick slices

3/4 c Gruyere grated, divided

3/4 c fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1. Place turnips in a medium saucepan; cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove, drain, and pat dry.

2. Preheat oven to 350.

3. Arrange 1/3 turnips in a 2 qt prepped baking dish; sprinkle with 1/3 salt and pepper each.  Arrange half of potato over turnip.  Sprinkle 6 tbsp cheese evenly over the potato.  Arrnage 1/3 turnips and sprinkle again with 1/3 salt and pepper each.  Arrange remaining potato and then turnips last.  Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper and pour broth over the whole dish.  Cover with foil, pressing foil onto turnip slices.  Bake for 1 hr.

4. Preheat broiler.

5. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil for about 8 minutes.  Makes 8 servings.

Let me tell, ya – this meal was fabulous!  At first I was nervous when I dug into the gratin because the bottom was watery.  But it just needed time to sit and soak it all in.  I never really wait till my food cools down to try it so the first bite was excellent.  And don’t worry it is cheesy enough.  I was wondering how 3/4 c cheese would make this an actual “gratin” but the flavor was definitely there.  I know I encourage to make the dishes I post but if you enjoy scallops DO THIS ONE!

Nutritional Information:

Nantucket Bay Scallops:

Calories: 107

Fat: 3.6 g

Protein: 14.6 g

Carbohydrate: 3.4 g

Fiber: 0.1 g

Cholesterol: 36 mg

Sodium: 280 mg

Eastham Turnip-Potato Gratin:

Calories: 96

Fat: 3.4 g

Protein: 4.7 g

Carbohydrate: 12.4 g

Fiber: 1.9 g

Cholesterol: 11 mg

Sodium: 243 mg

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Salmon Cakes with Lemon and Capers/Fettuccine in Tomato Broth

Implementing healthy, low-cal recipes has taken on much more significance for me recently so I am very happy to share those with you that actually taste good and are easy to put together.  These two were a suggested pair and so with the success of the tuna cakes I decided to try these yesterday afternoon.  Big smiles all around for these!

Salmon cakes:

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

2 tsp capers, rinsed and drained

1 tsp black or green peppercorns

1 med garlic cloe, coarsely chopped or 1/2 tsp bottled, chopped or minced

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

whites of 2 lg eggs

1/4 cup fat free, cholesterol-free or light, reduced-calorie mayonnaise dressing

1/4 cup cornmeal

12 oz salmon fillet, skin removed

1. With a mortar and pestle crush and grind together first 5 ingredients.  Transfer to medium bowl.  Add lemon juice and using your mortar make a paste.

2. Stir in egg whites, mayonnaise, and cornmeal.

3. Rinse your fish, pat dry and cut into 1/4 in thick pieces.  They don’t have to be uniform so  don’t feel you have to be really precise.  Stir this into your mixture.

4. Preheat large skillet over medium heat and spray with vegetable oil spray.  Form 4 patties about 3/4 in thick.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, turning only once.  Enjoy!

For Fettuccine:

14.5 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

2 c fat-free low-sodium chicken broth

2 pepperoncini (Tuscan peppers), stemmed, seeded, and minced

2 med garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp bottled minced

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

8-9 oz fresh fettuccine

6-8 oz sliced or coarsed chopped fresh mushrooms

2 large zucchini, grated

3 tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tbsp dried, crumbled

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp shredded/grated Parmesan or Romano

1. Heat large, deep skillet over high heat.  Put in first 7 ingredients and stir.  Bring to a simmer.  Gently stir in pasta, mushrooms and zucchini.  Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-high.  Cook for 2 minutes or until tender.  Stir in basil.  When read to serve sprinkle with cheese if desired.

You may be wondering. . . zucchini?  I was very, very surprised at how creamy the fettuccine came out because of this vegetable.  No heavy creams, butter, or loads of cheese (which we all love) but this had an alfredo consistency with a different flavor.  It was excellent :)

Nutritional Information:

Salmon:

Calories: 160

Total Fat: 3 g

Cholesterol: 44 mg

Sodium: 245 mg

Carbohydrate: 11 g

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 20 g

Fettuccine:

Calories: 217

Total Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 1 mg

Sodium: 430 mg

Carbohydrate: 43 g

Fiber: 4 g

Protein: 10 g

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Apricot Mustard Salmon and Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette

A very busy week, a very stressful week, has kept me out of the kitchen… and I have missed it so.  As I was finishing up hour number 9 of one very tedious task at work I started thinking that I really needed to take care of my cooking fix today.  Really, what better way to start the weekend.  Well, I can think of a few others…. ;-)

I decided that I wanted a good fish dish.  Yes, the baked Mac n Cheese is still in my the back of my head (and I’ll get there at some point) but I wanted to do something creative and the Apricot Mustard Salmon was the answer.

Apricot Mustard Salmon Recipe

3 tbsp olive oil

2 salmon cuts

8 oz of apricot preserves (roughly 1 cup)

4 tbsp of coarse ground mustard

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 sliced peppers jalapeño

1/2 cup white wine

2 rosemary sprigs

Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Turn on the oven, set to 400 and let the oven pre-heat as you prep.

2) Heat olive oil over a medium-low flame in a medium sized pan, add the jalapeño peppers and sautee for roughly 3 minutes (until they begin to soften)

3) Add Garlic, heat for an additional minute

4) De-glaze with white wine

5) Add mustard, stir into the mixture

6) Add Apricot preserves and stir in so all ingredients have blended together.

7) Turn heat to low, simmer for roughly 15 minutes while constantly stirring to avoid burning.  The sauce will begin to thicken when ready.

8 ) Place your salmon on a foiled cookie sheet, salt and pepper to taste, add a sprig of rosemary and cover with the Apricot Mustard sauce.

9) Bake for 16 minutes

Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette Recipe

1 bag of mixed baby greens

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp honey

5 chopped green onions

10 fresh mint  leaves, chopped

A “Handful” of chopped walnuts

A “Handful” of Feta Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Yea, this one is quite simply… mix your red wine vinegar, oils, ginger, and honey. Pour over the baby greens, add walnuts and cheese, green onions and mint.  Toss vigorously and serve.

Apricot Mustard Salmon

Apricot Mustard Salmon

I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out… but hot damn I was happy.  The sauce is on the sweeter side of the spectrum but the peppers and mustard add a nice after bite that one wouldn’t expect.  In order to cut the sweetness simply add a bit more mustard.  As sad as this sounds, as the salmon was baking away I was eating the extra sauce straight from the pan.  Why let a good thing go to waste, I love it!

The salmon and sauce blended so well.  The sweetness of the sauce was countered by the natural flavors in the fish leading to a near perfect balance.

I like throwing together random vinaigrette dressings.  The thought of honey, nuts and feta cheese seemed to compliment the fish (well,  in my mind) and in reality it did.  The nuts really brought out the taste of the honey, and the honey added to the sauce that was over the fish.

Enjoy!

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Seared Tilapia with Lemon-Tarragon Sauce and Spinach Orzo

Although I much prefer “meatier” fish like salmon or mahi-mahi, this was very, very good.  The tilapia is seasoned very well here and so it doesn’t have that “fish” smell and taste to it.  And I love it when I find recipes that have an accompaniment included!

For Tilapia:

1.5 lbs fresh/frozen tilapia or other lean whitefish

1 tsp seasoned salt ( I used more though)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c dry white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp snipped fresh tarragon or 1/4 tsp dried tarragon, crushed

1. Rinse fish, pat dry and sprinkle with seasoned salt.  Prep your skillet with oil and cook fish until it flakes easily (approx 4-5 mins total).  Set aside in dish and keep warm.

2.  For sauce, add wine and lemon juice to skillet making sure to scrape up any crusty bits from the fish.  Whisk in mustard and tarragon and heat through. Serve over fillets.  I yielded 6 servings.  Enjoy!

For Spinach Orzo:

Prep 8 oz dried whole wheat orzo, drain.  Immediately toss orzo with 5-6 oz package of baby spinach, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel and 1/4 tsp salt.  Season to taste with fresh ground pepper.

Mmmm. . .good!

Nutritional Information (for both together):

Calories: 294

Total Fat: 7  g

Cholesterol: 57 mg

Protein: 28 g

Carbohydrate: 28 g

Fiber: 7 g

Sodium: 448 mg

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Tuna Cakes with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

So here’s a recipe I am SO glad to have found!  This was spectacular!

For cucumber yogurt sauce:

1/2 c peeled, seeded, and finely chopped cucumber

1/2 c plain non-fat yogurt

2 tbsp snipped fresh dillweed or 2 tsps dried and crushed

2 tsps fresh lemon juice

1/8 to 1/4 tsp pepper

Stir above ingredients together – cover and refrigerate.

For tuna cakes:

2- 6 oz cans albacore tuna in distilled/spring water, drained and flaked

2 large eggs or you can subsitute

1/3 c crushed fat free no salt added whole wheat crackers ( or you choose)

1/4 c chopped green onion (green and white parts)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp prepared horseradish

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all tuna ingredients and shape into 6 cakes about 2.5 in in diameter.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and prep with vegetable oil.  Cook cakes for 6-8 mins or until golden brown, turning once.  Serve with sauce and sides of choice – Enjoy!

Frying up the tuna cakes. . .

Voila! (And as always I have to have my salad)

***The side is a corn pudding which was actually a great accompaniment.  Here’s the how-to on that one:  Combine 2 c whole kernel corn, 1 1/4 c low fat buttermilk, 2 lg eggs (or substitutes), 1 tbsp melted margarine, 1 tsp salt and white pepper each.  Prep a 6.5 in baking pan and bake for 45 – 50 mins (closer to 50) at 350.

Nutritional Information:

Tuna Cakes (per cake):

Calories: 133

Total fat: 4 g

Cholesterol: 24 mg

Sodium: 416 mg

Carbohydrate: 6 g

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 17 g

Corn Pudding:

Calories: 133

Total Fat: 2.5 g

Cholesterol: 3 mg

Sodium: 313 mg

Carbohydrate: 22 mg

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 8 g

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Spicy Fettucini Alfredo with Crab

With the scallops from last week fresh in mind I wanted to branch out and do something with Crab. After talking with a friend I decided a spicy, Cajun-esque, Fettucini Alfredo was the dish of choice.

Here is the hit list for rather easy dish to make…

1 lb crab meat (lobster tail could also work, I think…)

1 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of Hot Sauce

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

2 cups of heavy cream

½ minced shallot

¼ minced yellow onion

2 finely chopped green onion

¼ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

½ lb of cooked fettucini

Salt and Pepper to taste

Finely chopped dill and parsley for plating

Here ya go…

1) Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the crab meat for roughly 3 minutes over a medium flame

2) Add salt and pepper to taste, add your shallot, green and yellow onions and cook for 2 minutes

3) Stir in hot and Worcestershire sauces, stir and cook for a minute – allowing the flavors to be fused with the contents already in the pan

4) Increase heat to medium-high and add cream and cheese, stir and cook for 6 minutes allowing the cream to thicken

5) Mix your crab and cream sauce with the cooked fettucini and you are done!

If you love Alfredo, you enjoy this dish.

The mix of Hot Sauce and Worcestershire didn’t make sense to me.  I questioned my friend when he made the suggestion but what I realized was the Worcestershire sauce cuts spicy effects of the Hot sauce, leaving a very subtle kick.

The sauce wasn’t overly rich, or so I thought.  If one wanted to create a dish that had thicker sauce I would suggest adding more cheese.

Spicy Fettucini Alfredo with Crab

Enjoy!

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Salmon with Tropical Rice

Here was a dish I was able to whip up quickly. . .and the flavor was spectacular and fresh!

What you’ll need:

1 lb fresh/frozen skinless salmon fillets

1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning

2 c hot cooked brown rice

1 medium mango, seeded, peeled, and chopped

1 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro

1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

1. Preheat oven to 450 and prep your shallow baking dish and place fish in pan.

2. In small bowl stir together coriander, brown sugar, and lemon-pepper seasoning.  Sprinkle evenly over fish and press in slightly.  Bake for 4-6 min per 1/2 in thickness or until fish flakes easily with fork.

3. in a medum bowl stir together cooked rice, mango, cilantro, and lemon peel.  Serve with fillet – Enjoy!

 

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 366

Total Fat: 13 g

Cholesterol: 66 mg

Protein: 26 g
Carbohydrate: 35 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sodium: 155 mg

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Bacon Wrapped Scallops over Barley and Garbanzo beans

The continuation of the “trying new things kick” moves forward and today we bring you Bacon Wrapped Scallops over Barley and Garbanzo beans.  Obviously, how can you go wrong with bacon wrapped anything!

For two servings you’ll need:

2 cups of cooked barley

1 can of garbanzo beans

6 large wild sea scallops

6 pieces of bacon (non-hickory smoked)

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup green beans

2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley

2 tablespoons of finely chopped green onions

1 lemon for zest

Olive Oil

OK, first off… the cooking of barley.  From what I’ve read in a number of locations the best way to cook barley is first soaking the barley overnight, then boiling for 15 minutes when ready to cook.  If you do not have the time for the overnight soak, you can boil your barley for roughly 35 to 45 minutes.

With your two cups of cooked barley ready…

1) Wrap your scallops with bacon using a toothpicks to hold it in place

2) Heat up your desired amount of olive oil in a large skillet over a medium flame, salt and pepper to your typical taste, and place scallops into the pan 3 at a time. Cooking for roughly 3 minutes on each side, follow by one minute – turning constantly – on the bacon. Remove scallops, place on a side plate and repeat.

3) Depending on how much grease the bacon has produced, you may wish to drain off a portion of the excess.

4) Add barley, garbanzo beans, green beans, and green onions over a medium heat for four minutes. Add ¼ cup white wine vinegar, ¼ cup water and parsley, and lemon zest and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.

5) Pad down scallops with paper towel to remove grease and serve over the mixture.

Enjoy!

Bow down to the bacon wrapped scallop goodness!

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Scallops with Anise-Orange Tapenade

I made this for dinner tonight and absolutely fell in love!  I am also a kalamata olive lover so I actually made half more of the tapenade than this recipe calls for.  Once all the ingredients are ready, this dish does not take long at all to complete (that’s one of the great things about seafood).  Lots of flavor!  I will definitely be making this dish again.  Hope you enjoy as well!

What you will need:

12 fresh/frozen sea scallops (about 1 1/4 lbs total)
1/3 c kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel
2 tsp orange juice
1/4 tsp anise seeds, crushed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Thaw scallops, rinse and pat dry

2. For tapenade, in a small bowl combine olives, green onions, orange peel, orange juice, anise seeds, and cayenne pepper

Tapenade

3. Coat unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over med-high heat. Add scallops and cook 3-6 mins or until scallops are opaque, turning once.

4. Serve with tapenade and if desired sprinkle with more orange peel.  Makes 4 servings.  (I served this with a parmesan rice side and a baby herb salad).

Scallops with Anise-Orange Tapenda

 

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 145

Total Fat: 3 g

Cholesterol: 47 mg

Protein: 24 g

Carbohydrate: 5 g

Fiber  1 g

Sodium: 353 mg

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