Saucy Shrimp & Creamy Polenta

Creamy Polenta

4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and pepper, and stir until the butter and cheese melt.


Saucy Shrimp

1 tbsp olive oil
3 slices Canadian bacon, chopped finely
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 pound large (31 to 35) peeled and deveined frozen shrimp, thawed

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add bacon, onion, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. To skillet, add tomatoes (with their juice) and bring to a boil. Add shrimp; cook, stirring, until opaque throughout, 2 to 4 minutes.

Serve shrimp & sauce on top of a puddle of hot polenta with fresh pepper & parmesan as garnish. Enjoy!

Salmon Burgers

This is a recipe I adapted from watching some BBQ chef on the Food Network during the summer. So yummy dressed up on a fresh kaiser or ciabatta bun with a spicy tartar-style sauce* and fresh dill!

- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) boneless, skinless salmon fillet (about half a fish)
- 1 1/2 cups fine breadcrumbs
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 1/2 lb bacon, cooked to crispy & crumbled
- 3/4 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or more, if you like!)
- Zest of 2 lemons

Cut salmon into 1" cubes. In 2 or 3 batches, pulse in food processor until coarsely chopped and transfer to a bowl. Mix salmon with remaining ingredients, and form into 8-10 patties, 3/4-1" thick. Grill over medium heat, 5-6 mins per side. Alternatively, freeze between sheets of waxed paper and cook straight from frozen.

* Spicy tartar-style sauce: Mayo, green relish (dill or sweet) and a splash of chili paste (like sambal oelek). Adjust ingredients to taste.

Salmon Burgers

2 lbs boneless skinless salmon fillet
1 1/2 c fine breadcrumbs
4 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 lb bacon, cooked to crispy & crumbled
3/4 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 Tbsp maple syrup
Zest of 2 lemons

Cut salmon into 1" cubes. Pulse in food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to bowl, and mix salmon with remaining ingredients. Form into 8-10 patties, about 3/4" thick. Grill over medium heat, about 5-6 mins per side. Serve on fresh buns with mayo & dill.

These also freeze very well, and cook well from frozen!

Our favourite condiment on these is a spicy tartar sauce - we mix together mayo, green relish and as much sambal oelek (chile paste) as we can stand.

Fiesta Shrimp

2 pounds cooked shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1 anaheim pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons snipped cilantro or parsley
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a heavy plastic bag set in a medium bowl combine garlic, lime peel, lime juice, olive oil, onion, anaheim pepper, cilantro or parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper; mix well. Place cooked shrimp in the bag; seal bag. Turn bag to coat shrimp with marinade mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

To serve, drain the shrimp, discarding the marinade.

Cold Shrimp Soup

This is a little odd but it is very tasty and a summer favorite around here :)

1 bottle Clamato
Lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce
Celery salt
Fresh ground pepper
Peeled, cooked shrimp
1 pkg cream cheese, cut into small cubes (about 1/2" or so)
2 avocados, cubed

Chill the Clamato and pour into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients (lemon juice, Worcestershire, celery salt, and pepper are all to taste... it's like making a big caesar) and chill until serving (eat within an hour or so.. the shrimp turns red after a while.)

Very yummy with crusty bread!

Smoked Salmon Vodka Cream Pasta

Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smoked-Salmon-Vodka-Cream-Sauce/Detail.aspx

This sauce is delicious and easy to modify depending on what you like!

• 2 servings of pasta. I've used all kinds, but like Whole Wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
• 1/2 cup diced smoked salmon
• 2 fluid ounces vodka
• 1/2 cup whole milk
  
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons capers (We usually add lots more because we love them. Chopped up black olives would be good too)

1. Cook pasta according to package, maybe one minute less, so that when you mix it with the sauce the pasta sucks some up sauce.
2. In a large saucepan saute butter and shallot with smoked salmon. Once the pan begins to lightly smoke, pull saucepan away from heat source and add the Vodka.
3. When the Vodka has burned off, return the sauce to heat source and mix in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and heavy cream.
4. Season sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chile pepper.
5. Reduce sauce to desired consistency.
6. Stir in capers .
   
7. Stir in drained cooked pasta. Let all the ingredients become friends in the pan for about 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!

Fiesta Shrimp

This is one of my mom's recipes and I have no idea where it came from. It's damn good though!

2 pounds cooked shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons snipped cilantro or parsley
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a heavy plastic bag set in a medium bowl combine garlic, lime peel, lime juice, olive oil, onion, cayenne pepper, cilantro or parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper; mix well. Place cooked shrimp in the bag; seal bag. Turn bag to coat shrimp with marinade mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

To serve, drain the shrimp, discarding the marinade.

Cucur Udang (Prawn Fritters)

Adapted from Seasaltwithfood.

This is a delicious, simple Malaysian fritter recipe that doesn't look like much before it's cooked, but comes out crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and oh so tasty! These are simple to make small for appies, or a little bigger as a side dish with a lovely soup. I got about 12 big (about palm-sized) fritters out of this!

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 cup water (maybe a little more)

1/2 cup green onions, roughly chopped (you could also use chives, or shallots!)

2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed well (really, really well!) and shaken dry

1/4 to 1/3 lb raw prawns, shelled and chopped roughly (or whole, if you prefer!)

Oil for frying

Combine the flour, baking powder, turmeric and salt into a mixing bowl. Add water and mix it with a spoon to make a fairly thick batter. Stir in the chives, bean sprouts and prawns. Add more water if the batter seems too thick - it should be smooth, but not like a chunk of dough. The consistency should be like a really thick pancake batter.

Heat about an inch of oil in a frying pan to about 375 degrees.

Using a large spoon, take a scoop of batter, and gently drop it into the oil. Repeat. Cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown, and flip to cook the other side, another 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Drain fritters on paper towel. Cool for 5-10 minutes, and then dig in! These are excellent served with a seasoned mayonnaise dip - we made ours with mayo, chile paste and a little chopped cilantro. These are also really delicious several hours later at room temperature! Next time I make some, I'm making extras to snack on after dinner!

Salmon Pasta Toss

I kind of came up with this one night when we were having salmon and I was sick of the same old thing, so some of the measurements are approximates (i.e. the oil, the Parmesan)

-2 frozen or fresh salmon fillets
-1/2 each red and green pepper, julienned
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
-spice mix of 2 tsp Mrs Dash, 1 tsp lemon pepper and 1/2 tsp rosemary
-pasta, such as rotini or penne, enough for two people

1. Sprinkle spice mix over both sides of the fish. If it is frozen, brush with a little olive oil so it will stick.
2. Bake fish in 450 F oven for 10 mins (fresh) 20 mins (frozen)
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta.
4. Saute peppers in a small amount of olive oil along with garlic until soft.
5. When salmon is done, remove from oven and break apart into small pieces.
6. Toss salmon, peppers, pasta, parmesan and olive oil until well combined/coated.

Quick and Easy Tilapia

This is my adaption of a tilapia recipe I found on Recipezaar, I made it because I had no other ingredients. It turned out better than many of the 'fancy' recipes I've tried!

1 1/2lbs tilapia fillets (about 6)
1 c flour
garlic powder
old bay seasoning
salt & pepper
2tb butter
lemon juice

Melt butter in large skillet. Dredge fillets in flour, place in pan. Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder, old bay seasoning and salt and pepper. Fry about 2min, flip fillets (be careful, they may want to fall apart). Season again. Fry until done (another few minutes).

Pasta with smoked salmon vodka sauce

I don't really measure for this recipe, feel free to adjust the ingredients. My family really likes capers, so I usually use more. Next time I make this I plan to add minced garlic with the shallots. Black olives would probably be good too. This makes about 4 servings.

• One box of whole wheat pasta
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• Half of the large pack of Coho salmon from Costco, about 1/4 lb maybe, chopped.
• A shot of vodka
• 2 cups pureed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup whipping cream or half and half, or even whole milk.
• salt, pepper
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tsp minced parsley

1. Cook pasta as per directions and drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large pan (that will hold all your sauce and pasta) sautee shallots in butter until they soften.
3. Add salmon and cook a minute or so more, stirring, until it lightens in color
4. Carefully add vodka. It's a good idea to take it off the flame while you do this.
5. Add pureed tomatoes and stir, cook for 2 minutes. If the sauce seems to runny, let it simmer for a few minutes until it's thicker.
6. Add cream and stir, cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add capers and parsley and salt and pepper. Stir, cook for a few minutes more.
8. Add drained pasta and stir it up. Taste and add seasonings.
   
9. Enjoy! Drizzle some olive oil on top of pasta on your individual plates for extra goodness.
   

Grilled Salmon with Feta & Cream Dressing

Being from the east coast, I figured there would be no better receipe for a first post than this one. A favourite in my home, it is usually made a least twice a month, if not more.

Feta and Cream Dressing:
1/3 cup (80 mL) Canadian Feta cheese
3/4 cup (180 mL) cucumbers, crudely chopped
2 tbsp (30mL) green shallots, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt
1/3 cup (80 mL) whipping cream (35 %)
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
Pepper to taste

Dill and Lemon Butter:
5 tbsp (75 mL) salted butter
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh dill, chopped

Salmon:
6 salmon steaks, 6 oz (170 g) each
6 cups (1.5 L) mixed salad greens
1 cup (250 mL) minced radishes
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 green shallots, minced
1/2 cucumber (minced) and a few sprigs of fresh dill (to decorate)

Preparation:

*Feta and Cream Dressing: Puree cucumber and shallot in an electric mixer. Add yogurt, Canadian Feta cheese, cream and a few drops of lemon juice. Season with pepper.

*Dill and Lemon Butter: Blend together butter, dill and lemon juice. Season with pepper.

Brush salmon steaks with dill and lemon butter. Place steaks on preheated barbecue grill and cook for about 3 minutes. Brush steaks again, then turn them over and cook until done. In a bowl, thoroughly toss salad greens, radishes, tomatoes and shallots with Feta and Cream Dressing. Arrange salad on plates and place steaks beside it. Decorate with dill sprigs and minced cucumber, then drizzle with Feta and Cream Dressing.

Nutritional information:
For 1 serving:
Energy: 549 Cal / 2306 kJ Proteins: 40 gCarbohydrates: 13 gFat: 38 gCalcium: 192 mg (17 % Recommended Daily Intake)Total dietary fibre: 2.5 g Sodium: 390 mg

Dad's Seafood Chowder

DAD'S SEAFOOD CHOWDER

2 LBS FISH

4 TBS. BUTER

2 ONIONS

1 CUP CELERY

2 CUPS POTATOES

1 CUP CARROTS

4 CUPS STOCK

1 TSP. SALT AND THYME

PEPPER

SAUTE ONION AND CELERY IN BUTTER.

ADD STOCK.

ADD POTATOES, CARROTS, SALT, THYME AND PEPPER - COOK UNTIL TENDER.

ADD FISH AND COOK.

ADD MILK AND CREAM.

HEAT BUT DO NOT BOIL