Article by Christine Budd
Herb Baked Tautog
Ingredients:
For the herb butter:
1 stick (½ cup) butter
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the fish:
4 tautog fillets, about 2 lbs.
¼ cup sliced green onions
Old Bay seasoning
Fresh cracked black pepper
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add remaining herb butter ingredients and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low while preparing fish.
Place fillets in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Pour herb butter over fish fillets. Sprinkle with desired amounts of Old Bay seasoning and pepper. Top with sliced green onions.
Bake (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes, or until fish is fully cooked and flaky.
Grilled Italian Swordfish with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce
Ingredients:
8 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 swordfish steaks, cut 1” thick
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup Italian-seasoned panko crumbs
Garnish: Fresh-cut sprigs of Italian parsley
Garnish: Sliced lemons
For Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce:
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 stick of high quality butter
1/2 cup of heavy cream
Juice of 1 medium-sized lemon
Zest of 1 small lemon
1–1/2 cups minced fresh-cut Italian parsley
4 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons fresh-cut oregano, finely chopped
1/2 small jar of capers (if salted, rinse thoroughly)
Directions:
Drizzle each swordfish steak with olive oil and spread the oil evenly over each steak on all sides.
Using a shallow mid-size bowl, pour in the Italian seasoned bread crumbs and panko crumbs.
Place each oiled swordfish steak onto the bread crumbs and panko crumbs and then turn over, making sure that the steak is covered on all sides.
Get the grill heated.
Prepare the sauce.
While grill is warming up, heat all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan.
Place on a very low simmer to keep the sauce warm while grilling the swordfish steaks.
Grill the steaks on a medium-low heat for 2 minutes on each side until the bread crumb coating is a nice gold-brown color.
The thicker the steak, the longer the time necessary to cook through, keeping in mind that the steaks should not be cooked to the point of being dry, but rather they should be moist and tender inside.
Pour a tablespoon of the creamy lemon caper sauce on top of each steak.
Garnish with sprigs of fresh-cut Italian parsley and slices of lemons.
Pass the remainder of the sauce around to guests.
Lobster Pasta
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
2 1½-lb. live lobsters
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
2 sprigs basil or tarragon
4 cups heavy cream
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. bucatini or spaghetti
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus more for serving
3 Tbsp. chopped chives
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Fill a large pot with a tight-fitting lid with 2” of cold water. Generously season with salt and bring to a boil. Add lobsters to pot, cover, and steam until shells are bright red, about 8 minutes. (Better to slightly undercook the lobsters since you will be reheating the meat before serving.) Transfer lobsters to a large rimmed baking sheet and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Break down those lobsters! (Never picked lobster meat before? That’s what YouTube is for!) Cut or tear off small legs and eat them (they make for a great snack). Remove tail meat, cut tail meat in half lengthwise, and cut each half into bite-size pieces; transfer to a medium bowl. Remove meat from knuckles and claws, doing your best to keep the meat as intact as possible (it’s nice to have a whole claw for each person); add knuckle and claw meat to bowl with tail meat and chill until ready to serve.
With a sturdy knife, hack carapace and shells into 1” pieces and transfer to a large Dutch oven or pot. Add onion, celery, garlic, basil, cream, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until cream is reduced by half, about 45 minutes.
Strain lobster cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on solids to get as much liquid out as possible; discard solids. (If cream isn’t reduced to about 2 cups, don’t sweat it—you can always reduce it a bit more before adding the pasta.)
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. (You don’t want it to be too al dente, as it’s not going to spend that much time in the sauce.) Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, return lobster cream to Dutch oven or a wide deep skillet. Heat over medium and bring to a simmer; taste and season with salt. Add reserved lobster meat and butter to cream sauce and stir to combine.
Add pasta to Dutch oven and toss gently to combine (you don’t want to break up the lobster meat too much), adding 1 cup Parmesan a handful at a time until sauce is thick and cheese is incorporated. If sauce looks too thick, add a splash or two of reserved pasta cooking liquid to loosen it up. Remember: Cream sauces always thicken as they cool, so it’s best to err on the side of loose.
Transfer lobster pasta to a platter. Top with chives and a few cranks of black pepper. Serve with more grated Parmesan alongside.
Do Ahead: Lobster cream sauce can be made 24 hours ahead. Strain and transfer to a resealable container and chill. Gently rewarm sauce in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Lobster meat can be picked 24 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Easy Thai Shrimp Curry
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts, from 4-5 scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2½ tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar
2 pounds large, extra large (26-30 per lb) or jumbo (21-25 per lb) shrimp, peeled and deveined (see note), thawed if frozen
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons), plus more lime wedges for serving
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, Thai basil, or Italian basil (or a combination)
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 minutes. If the onions start to brown, reduce the heat to medium. Add the scallions, garlic, and green curry paste, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes more. Add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with the cilantro (or basil). Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve with jasmine rice.
Note: For the shrimp, I recommend buying frozen shrimp labeled “shell split and deveined.” Most shrimp are cleaned and flash frozen shortly after being caught, so the “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case at the supermarket are typically thawed frozen shrimp. Who knows how long they’ve been sitting there, so you’re better off buying frozen shrimp and defrosting it yourself. Come dinnertime, all you have to do is run the shrimp under water to defrost, and then peel.
Oyster Casserole
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter divided
½ cup onion chopped
½ cup green bell pepper seeded and chopped
½ cup celery chopped
¼ cup scallions sliced, white and green parts
3 cloves garlic minced
2 16 oz containers oysters fresh, drained and rinsed
8 oz mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour heaping
1 cup half and half
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs fresh, chopped from a loaf of bread with the crust mostly removed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter until melted. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook for another minute.
Add oysters and mushrooms and bring to a simmer, stirring often, 5 minutes. Set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth, 1 minute.
Stir in half and half, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, whisking constantly, until very thick and beginning to bubble, about 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted, about 1 more minute.
Using a fine-mesh sieve or colander, strain the oyster mixture, and discard the liquid.
Add oyster mixture to cheese sauce and stir until fully incorporated.
Spread mixture in an 11x7-inch baking dish.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then toss breadcrumbs with melted butter and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the oyster mixture.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and move the rack to the 2nd level under the broiler. Place the casserole under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until the breadcrumb topping is slightly browned. Be sure to watch closely and don’t let it burn, as broilers vary! Remove from oven and serve at once.
Parmesan Breaded Black Sea Bass
Ingredients:
8 ounce black sea bass, cut into 2 fillets
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup panko breadcrumbs {or use regular breadcrumbs}
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Pat each fillet dry with a paper towel.
In a shallow bowl mix the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, thyme, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Set aside. Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil into another shallow bowl.
Dredge the black sea bass in the olive oil and then into the dry ingredients making sure both sides are coated. Place on a clean plate.
Heat a cast iron skillet or a regular skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until a few water droplets sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the skillet. Sear the sea bass, skin side up, until it is well browned and easily releases from pan, about 3- 4 minutes. Flip over and cook until seared, about 1 minute.
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast about 4-5 minutes or cooked to the desired degree of doneness, at least 145 degrees F.
Serve with sautéed spinach and roasted tomatoes.
Notes: You can easily skip the breading and just season the sea bass with salt and pepper. I like to drizzle a bit of olive oil and lemon juice on the fish if I am not doing a breading.
Venison Stew
Ingredients:
1 (3 pound) venison roast cut into 1½ -inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 onions diced
2 celery ribs finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine or chicken broth
2 cups chicken broth
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried (see note 3)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes scrubbed and quartered
4 carrots peeled and sliced
1 cup frozen peas
Directions:
Pat venison pieces dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half the meat and cook in a single layer without moving until browned on one side, about 5 minutes.
Flip each piece of venison and continue cooking until browned on the other side. Transfer to a bowl. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil and repeat with remaining venison. Transfer to the bowl.
Heat the last tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. To the pot, add tomato paste, red wine, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, and browned venison with accumulated juices, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.
Stir in potatoes and carrots. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook 1 hour longer, until venison is tender. Remove bay leaves and any thyme stems. Turn off the heat, stir in peas and cover for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. §
