seafood

Stir Fried Squid, Udon Noodles And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce ( Yakiudon)

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There are few dishes more comforting and satisfying than a bowl of noodles with a rich sauce or in a tasty soup – either by itself or with other “stuff” thrown in, such as any kind of vegetables, mushrooms, eggs and any protein such as pork, chicken, duck or seafood. While for me, any noodle is a good noodle, udon noodles rank on top of my favorite list – the plumper the better.
Lately, I’ve been buying the vacuum packaged “fresh” udon noodles from my neighborhood Asian market, but I also have had good experiences with the frozen type more readily available around here. As for the sauce, I like to prep it as simple as possible – soy sauce, oyster sauce or hoi sin sauce, chili paste, honey or sugar, ginger and garlic, sesame oil, chicken-, vegetable- or pork-stock. For a bit of variation in the sauce, I sometimes add a bit of peanut butter or fermented bean sauce, but that’s it – simple comfort food quickly and easily prepared and always just hitting the right spot 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

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Preparation :
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: for the sauce, mix 1/2 cup oyster sauce, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 cup chicken stock or water, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, i/2 tsp chili paste, i tsp sesame oil

: simmer udon in salted water until cooked but still chewy, drain

: Clean squid tubes, remove “sine” and if you prefer, black skin

: cut in half

: incise half-way through in a criss-cross manner

: cut into bite-size pieces

: season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic

: stir fry squid with peanut oil in VERY hot pan for no more than 30 seconds, remove from pan, reserve

: add blanched bok choy, green peppers and red chilis to pan, stir fry 1 minute

: add sauce mix

: add udon and squid, check / adjust seasoning

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

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Steak Salad “Saigon”

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The foundation of this steak salad is a refreshing rice stick salad, which I usually make at least twice a month. I normally make about four to six portions and eat it as part of a meal, as breakfast or as a late night snack. The noodles keep their texture for a few days without getting mushy, so this is ideal to prep in advance and then serve it when a quick bite is needed, especially on a workday as breakfast or as a snack late at night when I get home and just want to rest and more cooking is as far from my mind as possible. If I have it as part of a meal, I usually combine it with seafood, such as teriyaki- glazed salmon or sautéed shrimp. For breakfast, I usually add a couple of hard-boiled eggs and for a midnight snack some canned seafood. When Maria was still with me, she liked to serve it at bbq -parties, when it was a welcome alternative to the usual suspects of coleslaw and potato salad.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steak Salad “Saigon”

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Preparation :
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: season new york strip with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic, saute or grill to your desired temperature, set steak aside and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing

: cook, shock in icewater and drain rice sticks

: make a dressing of peanut oil, sesame oil, kosher salt, garlic paste, grated ginger, chili paste, fish sauce and rice vinegar

: fresh basil

: sliced basil, red peppers, iceberg lettuce, red onions, shredded carrots (if you plan to keep this for more than a few hours, replace the iceberg with cabbage)

: slice the steak

: mix half of the steak, the noodles and the vegetables with the dressing

: tell your dog to be patient 🙂

: almost……….

: spread some lettuce leaves on a serving dish, drizzle with a bit of the dressing

: top lettuce with the noodle salad

: top with the other half of the steak, sprinkle with toasted garlic

: Steak Salad “Saigon”

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Shrimp Lo Mein ( 撈麵 )

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Of all the Chinese, Asian and Chinese/Asian-inspired dishes I prepare at home, the fast and easy to prepare Lo Mein is the one I cook most often. I usually vary the main ingredients according to what’s in my fridge and/or cupboard, but the basis are always Chinese wheat noodles, seasoned with oyster sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, grated ginger, garlic paste and chili paste. Sometimes I augment the seasoning with hoi sin sauce. As for the other main ingredients, I use vegetables, pork, beef, seafood, poultry or mushrooms, sometimes just one of them, sometimes more than one and sometimes all of them together. In all the years I prepared this dish, I never had one I did not love and I never get tired of it, no matter how often it flies in through my kitchen window 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

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Preparation :
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: for 1 pound of dried pasta, mix 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tblsp chili paste, 2 tblsp oyster sauce, 4 tblsp soy sauce, 4 tblsp water or stock and 2 tblsp hoi sin sauce (optional)

: stir fry 1 tblsp garlic paste and 1 tsp grated ginger in 4 tblsp peanut oil until fragrant

: add baby bok choy, mild chilies, carrot julienne and onion julienne ,stir fry 1 more minute

: add shelled and deveined shrimp, stir fry another minute

: add chinese wheat noodles and sauce mix, stir fry until heated through

: check/adjust seasoning

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

: Shrimp Lo Mein (撈麵)

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Fritto Misto

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It is time for me to confess: I am a food-shopping maniac. My kitchen usually contains enough fresh, dried, frozen and pickled food to feed a family of four for a few weeks. So, every couple of months I give myself the daunting task to empty my cup board, fridge and freezer completely in order to be able to start replenishing all over again. So today, after two weeks of feeding myself and Bella with all the goodies already in the house, I finally achieved my goal: (my iron-will was victorious) – all food is gone and tomorrow morning I will start a new crusade to the butcher, grocery store and farmers-markets to make sure I have again enough food in the house, just in case………. ???? – well, something, you never know.

(My friends who live in the neighborhood will remember that after the last major hurricane left our area for nearly three weeks without electricity, Maria and I hosted daily free lunches in our garden for 20 to 30 people, sometimes a lot more. Tasty food from the grill and fire pit and plenty of beer and even more wine, all nicely cooled in the lake. What a blessing our full freezer and pantry proved to be then ) 🙂

But, let’s get back to the topic at hand.
The remaining few things I had left in the freezer were some squid, a few small shrimp, a piece of cod filet and in the fridge a bit of greens, lemon, scallions, an onion and some grape tomatoes . Perfect !
Some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper for the salad, the seafood marinated with cayenne pepper, kosher salt, granulated garlic and dusted in rice flour, two chilies and the scallions thrown into the mix, then quickly deep-fried and Voilà – Fritto Misto ! Life is Good !
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Buen Apetito ! Viva Italia !
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Fritto Misto

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Preparation :
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: fry in VERY hot oil to ensure crisp and juicy seafood

: remove to absorbent paper, serve at once

: Fritto Misto

: Fritto Misto

: Fritto Misto

: Fritto Misto

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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Soup! – God’s gift to comfort food 🙂
I wonder how many different soups I have eaten in my life and how many different noodle soups in particular. And still, I never get tired of preparing and eating yet another version of this wonderful food category. Soup, to me, never get’s old. To the contrary, I can never get enough of it, be it cream soup, purred soup, clear soup, soup made of meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit or any combination thereof, hot or cold. So without further ado, here is my latest concoction:
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Preparation :
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: cover short ribs with cold water, bring to a boil

: let boil for a few seconds

: drain ribs, rinse, discard liquid. This will ensure a clearer broth

: start ribs again with cold water, bring to a slow simmer, during simmering skim of foam and scum frequently

: after one hour, add kosher salt, chili flakes, cinnamon stick, garlic paste and grated ginger, simmer until ribs are tender but NOT falling apart

: done…

: remove ribs, strain broth through fine mesh or cheese cloth, add a few drops of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: remove and discard bones, cut meat into bite-size cubes

: to serve, place cooked noodles, blanched bok choy, finely sliced cooked shiitake and beef in serving bowl, sprinkle with more chili flakes and fill with beef broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

: Short Ribs, Bok Choy, Shiitake And Noodles In Spicy Ginger/Garlic Broth

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Open Faced Octopus Salad Sandwich

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The question might be, was this a salad or was it a sandwich? I am not so sure, probably it was both, rolled into one blissful lunch. One thing however I am sure of – it was absolutely delicious.
While devouring it I was reminded of the old custom of soaking up the salad dressing with a good, hearty bread. Most folks don’t do this anymore because it’s not very elegant or cool.
However, it is a great custom if you put enjoying good food first and appearances second 🙂
Just make sure that you cut your bread into thick slices and toast it so it will stand up to the moisture of the salad. And if you are not a great fan of octopus, replace it with shrimp or even chicken and you will be just as happy as I was with the octopus version.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Open Faced Octopus Salad Sandwich

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Preparation :
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: Toast THICK CUT sour dough bread

: cut octopus into bite size pieces

: add tomatoes, onions, scallions, cucumbers, garlic paste, raspberry vinegar, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and a spritz of maggi seasoning

: plate bread on serving dish

: top with lettuce

: top with octopus salad

: Open Faced Octopus Salad Sandwich

: Open Faced Octopus Salad Sandwich

: Open Faced Octopus Salad Sandwich

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Seafood Snack

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Your choice:
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$ 3.95 – 1 pack of crappy “Nachos”
$ 4.50 – 1 small tub of crappy “Salsa”
$ 3.50 – 1 small can of crappy “Cheese Dip”

Total: $ 11.95 for a crappy snack 😦
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OR !!!
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$ 11.00 – 1,5 lbs snow crab legs
$ 6.00 – 0.5 lb eat & peel shrimp
$ 1.00 for some Thai sweet & spicy chili sauce
$ 0.50 half a lemon
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Total: 18.50 for a delicious, healthy, beautiful snack 🙂
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You be the judge !

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Bon Appetit ! (Either way) 🙂
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: Seafood Snack

: Seafood Snack

: Seafood Snack

: Seafood Snack

: Bella loves Seafood 🙂

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Pollo En Escabeche (Fried Chicken In Vinegar And White Wine)

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Like so many other “classical / original dishes, there is a million and one ways to prepare “en escabeche”, which in Spanish simply means marinated or pickled.
As usual, I have picked my favorite one to be featured on ChefsOpinion.
Of course you can also do vegetables, seafood, and other proteins “en escabeche”. (For my German-speaking friends, how about “Brathering 🙂
But today we are going to savor one of the goodies which I used to serve many times in our house to my family and friends in times past.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pollo En Escabeche

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Preparation:
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: season chicken parts with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic, dust in flour and fry until internal temperature reaches 165F

: when chicken is fully cooked, remove to absorbent paper

: meanwhile, mix 1/3 water, 1’3 white vinegar and 1/3 white wine, olive oil, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, bay leaves, sliced peppers and onions, bring to a boil, add chicken, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature

: Pollo En Escabeche

: Pollo En Escabeche

: Pollo En Escabeche

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Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

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Pangrattato you ask ? Don’ t worry, we are just talking about sautéed breadcrumbs here, nothing complicated, but oh so good.
Most cuisines which use pasta also use pangrattato in one form or another : bread crumbs sautéed in butter, in olive oil, in schmalz or just dry toasted, seasoned with anything from salt and pepper to garlic, herbs cheese, nutmeg or whatever else is traditional in your area of the woods or whatever tickles your fancy. The main task for the bread crumbs is to add texture to your pasta. And if you can add flavor on top of that, so much the better.
Sometimes, all I want for a great meal is just perfectly cooked pasta with lot’s of tasty pangrattato and a bit of grated cheese on top. Perfection for pasta lovers, right there. But today, I made a dish with even more pizzazz by adding sautéed shrimp and scallops in herb butter to an already sexy dish. Aaahhhh, Life is Good 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Long Live Good Food !
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Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

Penne Rigate With Pangrattato

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Preparation :
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saute chili flakes in butter

add panko bread crumbs, kosher salt, garlic paste

saute until golden, keep warm

melt garlic/herb butter

add scallops and shrimmp, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add white wine and lime juice, check / adjust seasoning

plate freshly cooked, al dente penne rigate

top pasta with a generous amount of pangrattato

top with seafood, sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley

Scallops & Shrimp In Herb and Garlic Butter, With Penne Rigate And Pangrattato

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Roasted Red Snapper

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Many folks have asked me why I don’t feature more fresh fish on my blog, since I live right by the ocean.
Well, maybe you’ll understand when I tell you that the featured snapper below has actually cost $ 24.00, head, tail and guts included! I bought it at my favorite neighborhood Asian market where all seafood is extremely fresh and at the same time much cheaper than anywhere else around here, but still…..
So, there you have it, I love fresh seafood, but with the prices nowadays, I can’t afford it as often as I wish 😦
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Expensive !
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Roasted Red Snapper

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Preparation :
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gut and scale the snapper, season inside and out with lime juice, soy sauce, sriracha and kosher salt, bake at 430F until cooked through but still moist, approximately between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the fish

gut and scale the snapper, cut off fin’s, season inside and out with garlic oil, lime juice, soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, bake at 430F until cooked through but still moist, approximately between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the fish