Baked Branzino

My husband is picky with seafood.  I might have mentioned that before.  He is more picky than our 3 year old daughter who when asked what food she likes proudly responds, "fish and rice!"  But finally, for the record, I got dear husband to eat fish off a baked whole branzino that I cooked.  What I mean is usually he would only eat filleted fish.  For some reason he cannot stomach the sight of a whole fish with head, bones and tail served on the table  However on one of our dinner dates at Angelini Osteria I was intrigued when he said he would want to try their branzino dish one day, a whole branzino baked in a crust of salt.  His comment gave me hope. I thought perhaps I could entice him with grilled whole fish in the form of branzino.  I had a feeling he would be more open to trying branzino because he saw it prepared in a fancy restaurant and also because it sounded Italian.  Silly, I know.  But I do think he is racist when it comes to fish.  No kidding.  He dislikes tilapia which he usually sees swimming inside fish tanks at the Asian market.

I brought up the suggestion one day, mentioning that I saw some fresh looking branzino at Whole Foods. However I had to promise him that if I cook it whole I would debone the fish first before plating his. He agreed.  I was smiling from ear to ear, the guy have no idea how delicious the meat is near the bones (which is going to be all mine).

So I went to Whole Foods to get the branzino.  I think it has become a regular on their iced cases.  The price was right, $11.99 a pound, and the fish had gleaming clear eyes which means they are fresh.  Each branzino ran about 1 to 1.5 lbs each.  I bought 2 pieces because I  was not confident one would be enough for the three of us considering the 3-year-old could easily eat half a fish.

Whole fish is easy to cook and cooks quickly.  You need only to drizzle some olive oil, salt and some herbs, throw it on the grill or oven and that's it.  I would prefer mine grilled but on this day we ran out of propane to fire the grill so I had to cook it in the oven.

Baked Branzino with Gremolata

1 bunch cilantro (1/2 portion coarsely chopped)

1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated (thinly slice green parts)
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup drained capers
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lime, zested and juiced

1 lime, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil
2 whole branzino, about 1-2 lbs each, have the fishmonger scale and clean the fish
coarse sea salt and black pepper

1. Prepare the gremolata by combining the chopped cilantro, sliced scallions,  jalapeño, capers and garlic in a bowl.  Finely grate the zest of one lime and then squeeze in its juice.  Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Cover and let sit until needed.

2. Cook the fish.  Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat dry each fish with paper towel then drizzle olive oil over each fish to coat.  Season each fish inside the cavity and outside with salt and black pepper.  Divide the lime slices, remaining cilantro sprigs, scallions (white part) between the two fish. Transfer fish to baking sheet and place in the 450° oven.  Cook fish for 15 to 20 minutes or until just opaque and flakes easily when pierced with a fork.

3. Serve fish with gremolata on top.

*A good side for this dish is a mango salsa

Oven-Roasted Dunganess Crab

I wish one day my husband will get over being picky about seafood.  That he will be open to try new kinds of fish besides halibut and sea bass, and also try shellfish and other edible sea creatures.  There is so much to love about seafood-  it's healthy, delicious and so easy to make.  How much easier it would be to plan dinners if I can add grilled whole fish of different kinds in our dinner rotation.  Unfortunately even if it's sea bass or halibut he won't be enticed with the idea of a whole fish on a plate.  Please, help me understand what is so freaky about a cooked whole fish.

I am a person who loves fish, head and all.  If you present me with a whole fish I will eat every morsel of it.  And the head, oh my -- it's my favorite part with all it's wonderful flavor!  Then I also love all the other creatures from the sea; oysters, clams, sea urchins, crabs... I can't name one I do not like.  Crab is on the top of my list.  I eat crabs (or oysters) when I am feeling low.  They just give me comfort.  You know how some people go to a bar for drinks when they are depressed?  I go to a seafood restaurant and have oysters and crab legs.

Anyway, the other day a dunganess crab ended in my shopping bag.  I had no intention of buying crabs  because husband is not into it, but when I had to add something to my purchase to be able to charge it I know it had to be crabs.  If it was just me I'd simply steam it then dip the meat in vinegar with garlic (that's how my Filipino family do it by the way).  But since I am serving it with dinner, with my picky husband, I know I needed to make it a little more gourmet.  In the end my husband did not even try but that's just because he was too lazy to shell.  When it comes to crabs, I think he will only eat crab cakes or something that's off the shell.  Sorry honey, I love you but I have no time to shell it for ya'.  None for my husband means more crabs for me!  My little foodie enjoyed it too although she can only eat a few chunks of it.  There was plenty of left-overs which lasted a couple of days.  I snacked on it after work and it was one of the best treats.  What I loved about the dish is how the orange-buttery flavor complement the sweetness of the crab.  I can say it's a recipe to impress as long as you don't mind a little mess working with your hands.

Oven Roasted Dunganess Crab

Adopted from Bon Appetit (Feb 2005)

ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
2 large Dungeness crabs, cleaned, steamed, and cracked
1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 cup regular orange juice
zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Arrange crab in a heavy bottomed ovenproof skillet (I used a cast iron pan).

In a separate small skillet, melt butter with oil.  Stir in onion and until translucent.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat and drizzle the sauce over the crabs.

Sprinkle thyme and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley over crabs. Toss to combine. 

Place skillet in oven and roast crabs for 7 minutes.  Turn crabs and cook for another 7 minutes or until heated through.  Remove crabs from pan and set aside, leaving the sauce in the pan.

Add orange juice and zest to the skillet and boil until reduced by half.

Spoon sauce over crabs and garnish with remaining parsley.

Seared Tuna with Olive-Tapenade Vinaigrette and Arugula

I love raw seafood.  And when I think of raw seafood I envy the Japanese for having easy access to fresh seafood and their ability to create a simple and flavorful dish out of it.  The way they prepare it is always beautiful, clean, with the perfect ingredients to balance the delicate texture and flavor of the seafood.  

On the other hand this tuna salads does not seem to have any resemblance of a Japanese dish but I was amazed at how wonderful it turned out.  You know there are times when you just get tired of something Asian at the dinner table.  

I never really thought of tuna steak and tapenade combination before.  The combination it turns out is fantastic, a good option from the usual soy-ginger-sesame oil-green onion concoction I usually make for seared tuna steaks.  With the tapenade it is a completely different dish.

Thanks for the recipe Bon Appetit

Seared Tuna with Olive Tapenade Vinaigrette and Arugula

Bon Appetit

May 2010

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup chopped mixed-olive tapenade (the coarse kind)

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing

1/8 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

2 6-ounce ahi tuna steaks (each about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)

2 cups (packed) baby arugula

Mix tapenade, onion, basil, 3 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and lemon peel in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Brush tuna on both sides with oil. Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tuna to same skillet; cook to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Divide arugula among 2 plates. Cut tuna into slices; arrange atop arugula. Spoon tapenade vinaigrette over tuna.

Cilantro Shrimp Scampi

I have a confession to make.   Pasta is not my thing.  But due to limited time and ingredients, and the fact that my bon vivant husband prefers a light meal before his Tuesday boxing workout, I finally made shrimp scampi again after 2 years.

As classic and scrumptious this dish is, I rarely cook it in consideration for my beloved who thinks shrimps  don't provide him enough protein.  On a regular day, he might require a side of chicken or a piece of steak to go with it.  But since it is a "light" dinner, a side of caesar salad was just the perfect pair.

The ingredients are basic and the cooking time is relatively short.  It takes longer to prep actually.  So do all your chopping and assemble your ingredients before you fire up that pan.  And one more thing, this time instead of using the usual parsley, I used cilantro and green onions for a different spin on the traditional shrimp scampi.

Cilantro Shrimp Scampi

ingredients: (serves 2-4)
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and devained (I used frozen raw shrimp.  Defrost it first if you have time)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine, like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons scallions, chopped
juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 lb linguine
salt and pepper to taste
Note: You may substitute 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for the cilantro and scallions for a more classic approach.

preparations :

Boil water and cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.   Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.

When the butter has stopped bubbling and starts to brown, add garlic.  Cook 1 minute.

Add the shrimp and saute until shrimp just turn pink.  Remove shrimp and set aside.

Pour in wine to the pan and boil, scrapping the bottom of the pan.  Add lemon juice and boil for a couple of minutes to reduce the liquid a little bit.

Add back in the shrimps, cilantro and scallion,  then stir in the last tablespoon of butter.  Heat through then turn off heat.

Add cooked pasta and parmesan cheese into the pan and toss to combine.  If it is too dry, add some pasta water.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.

Serve with garlic bread, caesar salad or tomato soup to complete the meal.

Catalan Fish Stew with Pimenton Mayonnaise

It seems like I blinked, and the first two months of 2011 are over and gone.  What has happened in january and February?  I got a haircut. I found out I owe $1,800 in taxes.  The family went to Las Vegas for another boxing match - Donaire vs Montiel fight (Donaire won!).  We stayed at the Mandalay Bay where Sophia and I got complimentary tickets to watch The Lion King .  We stayed for the entire show and totally enjoyed it, Hoo-ray!  Well just that Sophia asked "what happened" about a hundred times during the show.  What else?   I can't recall much.  Time flies.

So March is here and in three weeks daughter and I will be going to the Philippines.  I am excited and nervous at the same time. DH will not be going with us and I miss him already.  Then I am stressed out on what to bring home - I have not even started shopping.  I have not been in the mood to go shopping, I guess because money is tight these days which is the reason DH is not going with us.  I am excited for the trip as Sophia will finally meet my parents.  On the other hand, I feel bad that the growing closeness between her and her Dad is going to be interrupted.  And I have so many other worries... Will she cry and look for her dad?  Can I handle her on my own?  What will my husband do while we are away?  What if she gets sick in the Philippines?  How is she going to handle the long flight?  I don't want to worry about all that... at least not right now.

Well I don't really know how to present this dish, so I'm going to cut right to the chase. Catalan Fish Stew with Pimenton Mayonnaise.  I don't know what is Catalan about it but it was pretty darn good.  My picky seafood eater husband liked it even though he had some sort of a stomach bug that day. He claims he'd have another bowl if not for his stomach problem.  But who knows, he's such a sweetheart he does not want to hurt my feelings by criticizing my cooking.

Catalan Fish Stew with Pimenton Mayonnaise

ingredients
1 1/2 lbs halibut fillets (or other white fish)
1 1/2 pound plum or roma tomatoes, cut in half crosswise
4 ounces sliced serrano ham or prosciutto, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 cup bottled clam juice
1/3 cup pitted green olives, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon sweet Pimenton de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)

preparation

Cut fish into 2 inch chunks.

Next grate the cut sides of the tomatoes using a box grater, stopping when you reach the skin. You should end up with about 2 cups of tomato pulp. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add the onion and half of the garlic and cook on moderate heat, stirring frequently until softened and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add the tomato pulp and cook over high heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.Add the clam juice and boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Add the serrano ham or prosciutto, olives, and fish and simmer over moderate heat. Stir occasionally and cook until fish is cooked through and the stew is thick, about 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, mash the remaining garlic with a pinch of salt in a bowl using the back of a spoon. Whisk in the mayonnaise, pimenton and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (This step can be done upto 2 days ahead).

Sorry for the bad positioning of the teaspoon.

Serve with crusty bread to soak up those delicious juices!

fideua

It was September 2007 on our honeymoon in Barcelona that I first laid eyes on this dish.  Strolling along the famous La Rambla , I could see every restaurant having it on their menu with a photo of the dish right next to the popular paella.  I was intrigued but never had the chance to eat it - to which I regret to this day.  I was travelling with uberly cautious eaters who did not want to diverge far from the American dish.  I mean c'mon, how could you travel to Spain and eat at the Hard Rock Cafe?  There was the fear of the unfamiliar I suppose - which I understand.  Looking back, I should have sneaked out and went on a food adventure by myself.  Spain had so much stuff when it comes to food, and I just drooled past delicious looking seafood paella and fideua while touring the city.  But it was not all bad.  In the last few days when the decision of where to eat was just between me and my husband we took risks and there we found one great restaurant in the heart of Barcelona.  I will have to save the review on that restaurant for another post.
Going back to the fideua, when I saw the recipe on another blog I was immediately inspired to make it.  Afterall, I had a new paella pan to use.  It did not seem difficult to make and the ingredients were easy to find.  The original recipe from Bon Appetit May 1992 did not include shrimp but I added about 1/2 lb to add more to the protein.  I also coarsely chopped the kielbasa for the sake of my little one =)
Traditionally a noodle called fideo is used in the dish (hello, it's called fideua!).  It's a very thin noodle with about  1 to 2 inches in length.  If you can find fideo use that by all means but if not you can use angel hair pasta as a substitute.  Just break them in halves or quarters.

Kielbasa and Mushroom Fideua

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 ounces kielbasa or Spanish chorizo or other garlic sausage, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 pound fideo or angel hair pasta
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat olive oil in heavy deep paella pan skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté 4 minutes. Add paprika and cayenne and stir just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and bell pepper and sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, wine, chorizo. Bring mixture to simmer. Break pasta in half and add to pan. Cook until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Arrange shrimps on top and set pan in oven and bake until all liquid is absorbed and pasta is crusty, about 25 minutes (turn the shrimps half way to being done).  Sprinkle with parsley.

Chimichurri Pan-Grilled Halibut & Shrimp and Charred Vegetable Rice

Chimichurri Pan-Grilled Halibut & Shrimp and Charred Vegetable Rice

Prepare the rice

• Cook 1 cup long-grain white rice according to package directions, using 2 cups chicken stock and 1 tbsp butter. 
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup thawed frozen whole-kernel corn and 1/2 cup chopped zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until vegetables are charred. Stir in 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes and 1/3 cup chopped green onions; sauté 1 minute or until tomatoes almost wilt. Combine vegetable mixture, rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Prepare the Halibut & Shrimp

1 1/2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
1  tablespoon  finely chopped shallots
1 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil
1 1/2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
Cooking spray
2  (6-ounce) halibut fillets
1 lb shrimp, peeled and devained

• Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan lightly with cooking spray. Drizzle a little olive oil to fish then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Transfer to platter.
• Drizzle olive oil to shrimp then sprinkle with salt, pepper and adobo seasoning.  Add shrimp to pan; cook quickly just until the shrimps turn pink.  
• Place fish and shrimp over rice mixture.  Serve with chimichurri sauce.

Fish with tomaoes, olives & capers over liguini

During the holidays I probably gobbled up at least 10 pounds of  meat --from the turkey last Thanksgiving, the prime rib, hams and more turkey on Christmas, the beef borguignon on New Year and all the other roasts and steaks in between.  I am frightened to check the scale to see how much I gained.  The mirror already tells me Santa has not left the house.  After New Year I can almost quiver at the mere thought of meat and hence I am challenging myself to serve mainly seafood at least for the first 2 weeks of January.  I love seafood, on a diet or not, but because husband is a picky eater I tend to cook meat for the most part.  At least for now husband and I are on the same page about eating seafood more often.
I am relieved that after a year I finally found our favorite fish recipe -- there scribbled in one of my old notebooks.  We use to cook this dish a lot, back when fresh seafood was easily available as husband used to live right next to Santa Monica seafood.  After we moved it seemed so much harder to find a good place to buy fish to make the dish.  This dish is good with halibut, petrale sole, red snapper and seabass.  Today, I splurged on a good piece of Chilean seabass.  Well I was forced to because I had no other choice.  I was all set to make the dish and a visit to Whole Foods presented me with only two choices of fish - halibut or Chilean seabass.  Both have the same price tag, a whooping $25 a pound.  That's right, $25/lb.  I took a deep breath and went for it.  I ordered a pound for 2 people.

After dinner I can only say that I was extremely happy how it turned out.  I still think $25/lb is expensive but the fish tasted so good I am happy for the splurge. It was buttery in texture and the flavor was delicate and divine.  Serving it with linguini pasta is the best.

Fish with tomaoes, olives & capers over liguini

1 lb sea bass fillets (or other white fish)

1 1/2 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup white wine like chardonnay

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil

1 cup chopped onions

2 teaspoon garlic, minced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 tablespoons Butter

Capers

1 cup chopped kalamata olives

flour

salt and pepper

Linguini pasta

hot pepper flakes

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat.  Add 3 tablespoons oil then add onions when heated. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add 1 teaspoon garlic; saute for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, basil and wine.  Simmer uncovered until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper then coat with flour.  Slowly add the fish into the pan and submerge into the mixture. Add capers, olives and butter.  Simmer until fish is just opaque in the center. Serve fish immediately over linguini pasta.

For the liguini : Cook linguini according to package directions,  then heat oil in another skillet.  Add 1 teaspoon garlic and pepper flakes.  Cook for 1 minute then add drained linguini .  Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes and serve.

Easy Shrimp Paella

I recently bought a Lodge Dutch Oven and I was excited to use it this weekend. I researched for something uncomplicated as this is the first time I am using this type of cookware. In my research though most of the Dutch oven dishes I found took a long time to make - mostly braised pork or beef. I was just not in the mood for such meat dishes, and also I wanted a one pot meal so I can use my full concentration on it. Then I recalled watching Ina Garten's 'Easy Lobster Paella' recipe and thought I could use it as a basis for my recipe. Lobster is expensive and I shy away paying much for an experiment (...well this is also my first time to cook Paella) so I substitued shrimp instead. I love Seafood Paella and I could throw in some mussels, squid and clams in it if it was only for myself, but I have to make consideration for DH who will be sharing the meal with me. Slowly I am getting him to eat more seafood varieties... it's taking him awhile but his palate for seafood is improving.

One of my frustrations during our honeymoon in Barcelona was that I had to constrain myself from eating their various Paella. For one thing we did not want to fall for tourist trap restaurants and also we were traveling with family who did not care for seafood dishes. Spain is known for the best Paella (ughhh!!) and I was disappointed that I got to try it only twice during our 6 days stay there. I was specially curious to try the Paella Negro (Paella with squid ink sauce) but I was hesitant to order it because my companions might not stomach it. Anyway, in the end we found a really good restaurant that serves awesome Catalan food at a reasonable price so we were happy :)

Ingredients: (makes 6 servings)

3 bacon strips

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound pork kielbasa, cut in medallions 1/4 inch thick

1 organic yellow onion, chopped

2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch strips

2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)

2 cups white basmati rice

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon Spanish saffron threads, crushed

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it a little hot)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup white wine

1 pound uncooked peeled deveined large shrimp (or unpeeled head on whole shrimps)

1 cup frozen peas

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Preparation

Note: If you use whole shrimps, cut the head off and separate. Peel and deveine the flesh and set aside. Simmer the head with the chicken stock, mashing the shrimp heads occasionally with a wooden spoon (this will add the good flavors of the shrimp to the stock).

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

1) Heat the oil in a large ovenproof Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook until brown.

2) Add the kielbasa and saute until brownish then add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Add the bell peppers and cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes.

4) Lower the heat, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute longer.

5) Stir in the chicken stock, rice, saffron, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

6) Cover the pot and place it in the oven.

7) After 15 minutes, stir the rice gently with a wooden spoon, and return it to the oven uncovered.

8) Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.

9) Transfer the Paella back to the stove top and add the wine, shrimp & peas and stir gently.

10) Cover and cook the Paella over low heat for 5 minutes, until the wine is absorbed by the rice and the shrimp turns opaque in the center.

11) Sprinkle with the parsley, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve hot.

Notes:

1) If you want the dish to be more exotic, add shrimps as a whole - heads on and unpeeled.

2) I also incorporated chunks of cooked chicken which I added at the same time with the onions.

3) If you need more heat after it is cooked serve with tabasco sauce.

Reference: Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa @ FoodNetwork)

Scallops with Cilantro Sauce over Asian Slaw

Like many AMericans my husband dislike seafoods that taste like seafood. He grew up eating mainly chicken and beef dishes so I can't blame him for that. I on the other hand grew up eating all sorts of stuff - vegetables, pork, beef, chicken, fish etc. etc. I am not picky with food at all, and like most Filipinos I love eating fish head on and everything. Many fish dishes is cooked best with a whole fish instead of a fillet, it is just much more flavorful. I just hate eating fish that is bland. Anyway, thankfully my husband can eat scallops and shrimps (head off!) and some filleted fish that have mild flavors.

Today I made scallops served over Asian slaw. This dish is very light and clean tasting. Drizzled with the cilantro sauce the dish as a whole have a very nice balance of flavors. I cook scallops alot and so far this one proved to be the best way to serve it. This can be served as an appetizer or can be the main course if you are up for a light dinner.

Makes 6 appetizer servings or 2 main course meals.

For the Asian Slaw

1 large carrot, cut into julienne

1 large cucumber, cut into julienne (daikon or jicama can be substituted)

1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cut into julienne

3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)

1 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon sea salt

- Mix vinegar, honey and salt in a small glass bowl.

- Toss together carrot, cucumber, apple and vinegar mixture in a large bowl. Let stand, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes to soften.

For the Cilantro Sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh serrano chile

1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

-Stir together cilantro, lime juice, chile, fish sauce, olive oil, and honey in a small glass bowl.

For the Scallops

10 t0 12 pieces sea scallops, tough muscle discarded from each

1 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

seasalt and freshly ground black pepper

-Pat scallops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

-Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat and add butter.

- When the butter stops bubbling add the scallops and sear on both sides until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes a side depending on how thick the scallops are.

Drain the slaw and divide into 2 plates. Top with the scallops then drizzle with the cilantro sauce.

Reference: Gourmet (May 2006) @ Epicurious