BBQ Grilled Swordfish And Slaw

Ingredients:
1 pound of Swordfish steaks
4oz. BBQ spice Dry Rub (your own favorite or ours listed below)
sheet of tinfoil large enough to place all the steaks on
1 bag ColeSlaw Mix
16oz Coleslaw DressingMy BBQ Rub
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 tablespoons granulated onion
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons kosher salt
(mix al ingredients together and store for later use)

In a bowl combine the slaw dressing and the slaw mix. Cover it with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator for at least four hours.

Place the tinfoil on your grill grate and preheat it to a medium heat. Heavily season both sides of the swordfish steaks with your dry rub. Once the grill is hot, place the steaks on the tinfoil. Allow them to cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip them over and allow them to cook for another 3-4 minutes. The fish will turn white and opaque and have a uniform color throughout when it is well done.

Remove the fish from the grill and serve it hot on a late next to a pile of your chilled slaw. Absolutely amazing seafood alternative to pork barbecue.

Greek Style Grilled Swordfish And Cucumber Feta Salad

Ingredients:
1 pound of Swordfish steaks
sheet of tinfoil large enough to place all the steaks on
4oz of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (or any Greek seasoning)

Feta Salad
4oz Feta Cheese
1 Large cucumber seeded and diced
2 Roma Tomatoes diced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Place the tinfoil on your grill grate and preheat your grill to medium heat. Season both sides of the swordfish with the Greek seasoning and place on the grill. Allow them to cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip them over and allow them to cook for another 3-4 minutes. The fish will turn white and opaque and have a uniform color throughout when it is well done.

Serve piping hot on a plate next to your Feta salad.

Chilean Sea Bass w/ Mushroom Grits and Spinach

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) center cut fillets Chilean sea bass
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons Olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
2 pints mushrooms
2 cups instant grits
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 pound baby spinach, carefully washed
Season the sea bass with salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the Olive oil and heat the oil over medium heat. Place the sea bass in the pan skin side down for 3/4 of the cooking time about 7 minutes. This will give the fish a beautiful crisp skin and golden color.

In a 2 quart saucepot add 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter begins to brown, add the mushrooms and saute until browned and softened. Add in the grits while stirring, and then add the chicken stock, and reduce to a simmer. When the grits mixture  begins to thicken finish with heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully turn the fish over, to finish the other side. Once it is done, remove it to a plate and tent it by placing either tinfoil or a paper towel over it to keep it warm.

In the same saute pan you cooked the fish, on the same temperature, add the spinach. Once it has wilted finish the spinach with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper.
Serve this in a bowl. adding a scoop of grits into the bottom. spinach over the grits and the fish placed on top.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:
1 pound of Smoked Sausage sliced into small pieces
1 Pound of Raw Shrimp shelled and deveined
1 Pound of Scallops (either small or diced into smaller pieces)
2 Green Peppers seeded and diced
1 Red Onion diced
1 box of Zatarain’s Reduced Sodium Jambalaya Mix
2 tbsp olive oil
(optional) 1 tbsp of Cayenne Pepper for heat

In a large deep pan, over medium heat, add your smoked sausage and brown it on all sides. Remove sausage and in the same pan on the same temperature, add your olive oil and your diced vegetables. Saute them until the are soft.

Following the directions on the back of the Zatarains box, add all other ingredients:  the shrimp, scallops, and sausage back into the pan, along with the contents of the Jambalaya mixture. Add the specified amount of water on the back of the box, and reduce to a simmer. When the water is mostly absorbed and the mixture thickens, remove it from the heat and serve piping hot in a bowl by itself or over more cooked white rice.

Jumbo Seared Scallops w/ Ginger Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:
1 pound Jumbo Sea Scallops (U-10 Dry)
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1 bag of broccoli slaw mix
4 ounces of Makato Ginger Dressing (found in the produce department)

Heat your pan over medium heat. Add butter and allow it to melt and slightly brown. Place your scallops in the pan, seasoning them with salt and pepper. Allow them to sear well for 3-5 minutes, or until the have a brown/golden color. Turn them over to their other side, and allow them to sear for another 3 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the broccoli slaw and ginger dressing well. Keep at room temperature.

Serve the scallops over a mound of the broccoli slaw mixture.

What you need to know

How you should buy seafood-
Always buy fresh seafood when possible. Fresh seafood is where you will find top quality and taste. What do I mean by ‘fresh seafood’? I define fresh seafood as fish that was swimming within the past four-five days. On average, most fish are good for consumption up to ten days after they were caught. Some species may last even longer. Personally though, I recommend that you buy it the day you need it or the day before. Just to be sure that your meal is at the level you expect it to be.

How do you know what you are buying is fresh? Ask. Seafood purveyors are more than happy, usually, to double check and let you know what day the fish came in. If you have any doubts, then ask to smell the fish. The fish should smell clean and like the water it came from. Only certain fish have a distinct smell to them. Ask your fish monger for further details.

When buying fish, unless you are planning on freezing it, be sure to buy an appropriate amount for your dinner plans. If you do not see a portion the size you want, feel free to ask for a smaller or larger portion. If you do end up buying more than you need, then feel free to freeze the remainder at home. ONLY DO THIS WITH FRESH PRODUCT. Previously frozen items should be cooked immediately to avoid spoilage. Never refreeze anything after it has thawed.

No matter the form, avoid seafood that has been in a display case for extended periods, even if it is on ice. If you are unsure ask if there is more in the back. If there isn’t fresh fish available, then buying fish that has been frozen at sea is your next best alternative.

If you buy frozen fish, when possible, purchase vacuum-packed frozen fish. Buy individually Quick Frozen (IQF) not bulk frozen. Avoid any fish that have symptoms of freezer burn, such as brown or dry edges. If the packaging has tears, rips or is ragged looking avoid it. Defrost frozen fish in the refrigerator overnight.

When purchasing shellfish, make sure that you receive no opened shellfish. If they are open and do not close when tapped, that means they are dead, and are not fit for consumption. Any competent seafood purveyor will not sell you opened shellfish. Be sure to ask that they pack the shellfish in ice to maintain a lowered temperature.

When buying seafood in a supermarket, try and make it your last stop. Pick it up last and then immediately check out to keep it as cold as possible. Once you get it home, cook it within 24-36 hours if possible for optimum flavor and quality. If you know in advance that you will need a certain amount of fish on a certain day, feel free to place an order, so that you will receive the freshest possible product on the day you need it.

All in all, when in doubt throw it out, or don’t buy it at all. If you have any doubts about a product at the counter, choose another option. If you find that you have a seafood product at home that you forgot to use, and you question whether it is still good, then get rid of it. It’s not worth saving a few dollars if you end up making yourself and your family ill.

And always remember to ask your fish monger for any information you would like to know. From when it came in, to how to cook it, to when it is in season, they should know.

Frozen, Previously Frozen, Fresh Oh My!

IQF, Bulk Frozen, Previously Frozen, Fresh… what do these terms mean?

When buying fish, I always recommend Fresh, but sometimes that may not be available, or you may need a cheaper alternative. So when you need to buy fish, you should at least know what you are getting.

Fresh- This means that the product has never been frozen and should be at the highest levels of flavor and quality. Ask your fish monger when it came in. Preferably they will tell you the same day or the day before. Anything past that point is questionable.

IQF- Is an acronym for ‘individually quick frozen’. That means that immediately after being filleted or steaked, the product was frozen. This is not a slow freezing process but rather one that very quickly lowers the temperature of the product to freezing. Aside from ‘fresh this is the next best thing. You can ask your fish monger whether an item was IQF if you are unsure.

Bulk Frozen- This indicates a product that was processed all at the same time and then frozen. While it usually doesn’t connote that it is lower quality than IQF, it can in certain situations affect the flavor and especially the texture. The main drawback to bulk frozen or ‘block’ frozen items is the tendancy of the flesh of the fish to be torn or mushy when separated from the entire block.

Previously Frozen- These items are usually displayed in cases for immediate purchase. They are items that were frozen and are in a state of being thawed. Feel free to ask when they were thawed and if you are not going to use them within 24 hours, ask instead for the frozen version which your fish monger should have on hand.

What you need to know about buying shellfish…

The best way to choose a live fish or crab or lobster is to look for, well, life. Is it scampering around in its tank? Swimming happily? Or is it sulking in a corner or hanging motionless and panting? If so, don’t buy it. Lobsters and crabs starve themselves in tanks and often can be almost empty inside when you crack open one that’s been imprisoned in a tank for weeks.

Your best bet is to make friends with the fishmonger and find out when the new shipments arrive. Plan on being there to meet it and buy then. You will be rewarded for your extra effort

Buy only at the finest fish markets. These are the places where turnover is so rapid or their dedication to quality is so high that you can be assured of fresh mussels, clams or oysters. You may still get a dead one, but the ratio will be far lower. If you have any questions about the shellfish origin they should be able to tell you where it came from, and in mussels, clams and oysters they should be able to produce a tag of origin.

What is a dead shellfish? Shellfish are sold alive, so they should react to you. Put them on the countertop and back away for a moment. Then tap the shell: If it opens at all it should close tighter than it was when you tap it. Oysters are a little tough to do this with, but clams and mussels will definitely react. If they are open before cooking and do not respond to tapping, toss them. You can also tell a dead shellfish after you’ve cooked them all. Dead ones do not open after being cooked. Throw them away.

Scallops, a Special Case

Scallops are almost always sold shucked, so what you are looking for are “dry packed” scallops, meaning they are not shipped and stored in brine. Better to buy frozen, vacuum-sealed scallops, which are perfectly good by the way, than an inferior wet-packed scallop.Ask your fish monger about their scallops. If they don’t know the difference between a dry and wet scallop, you should go elsewhere.

Shrimp

This one is easy. Buy them whole and frozen, and if not frozen no more than a day thawed. Whole because the shell protects them from the rigors of being frozen without losing too much moisture, and frozen or recently thawed because shrimp cook – and rot – very rapidly.

Should you be near a shrimping region, or have access to truly magnificent fresh shrimp, by all means buy them. Head on if possible. Why? Because head-on shrimp stay moister. Remember: Nothing says boring like a dry, overcooked shrimp.

Everything I said about shrimp applies to crayfish, too. Unless you can get them live, in which case follow the instructions for lobsters or crabs

Squid or Octopus

These are almost always sold to the wholesaler pre-frozen, so you should buy them frozen. Both squid, commonly known as calamari, and its more richly flavored cousin the octopus freeze exceptionally well.

Again, if you can buy squid and octopus on the coast– not to mention cuttlefish – fresh, do it! They are rare treats even at fine fish markets and should be appreciated as such. Like finfish, you should look first at their eyes, which should be clean and bright.

Mahi-Mahi Tacos

Mahi-Mahi Tacos

I have to admit, when I first heard about fish tacos, I was a bit skeptical. My good friend had vacationed in Alaska during the height of Salmon season, and had brought the idea back with her. After a dinner party where she debuted her simple recipe, I was completely sold and in love with the recipe. I experimented with the fish used finding that while I love the salmon taco, many people find the milder Mahi-Mahi version to be more palatable. As always, I had to find a way to make it full-contact, and the best place I felt was in the sour cream. Sour cream acts as a condiment in the recipe, not as an ingredient, so I wanted to pack as much flavor into it as possible. The cilantro enhances the fresh taste the sour cream naturally brings to the table, while the garlic and chili powder add a spicy kick to compliment the seasoning on the fish. Adding the mayonnaise in the mix adds a layer of richness that is absolutely a must try for everyone. Enjoy!
Fish Tacos
1lbs Mahi-Mahi
1 Taco Seasoning Packet
2/3 cup of Water
6oz Sour Cream
3oz Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Cilantro (Dried)
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 cup Shredded Lettuce
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
3oz Salsa
Taco Shells

Preheat your skillet over medium heat and add a tbsp of olive or vegetable oil. Place the Mahi in the heated skillet. Flip the Mahi to the other side when the meat becomes white and opaque around the edges(approx 4-5 minutes per side). Once it is finished cooking remove the skin and use your spoon to break the meat apart. Turn the heat down to low. Add in your seasoning packet along with the water. Stir constantly to incorporate the seasoning. Turn the burner off. Immediately add in 1/2 a cup of your cheese and stir. Allow the cheese to melt into the dish. This will act as a binding agent to keep the meat from crumbling and falling out of the shell. Remove the skillet from the burner and let rest for 2 minutes. In a bowl mix the sour cream, mayo, cilantro, chili powder, and garlic powder together. Assemble the tacos with the fish mixture, lettuce salsa, sour cream, and cheese.

Teriyaki Salmon and Rice

Teriyaki Salmon and Wild Rice

I absolutely love the combination of teriyaki and salmon. I have found that even people who claim to not like salmon, absolutely love this dish. The teriyaki tends to combine well with salmon’s natural flavors for an amazingly simple yet awesome dish.

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Salmon
• 16oz Teriyaki sauce or marinade
• Instant or uncooked rice
• 1 green bell pepper diced

Heat your non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and place the salmon and peppers in it. Allow it to cook for 4 minutes before flipping it over. Once flipped, remove the skin and add the teriyaki sauce. Cover and allow it to cook for another 5-6 minutes.

Separately, cook the rice according to the instructions on the package.

Once the salmon and peppers are finished cooking, using your fork or spatula break the salmon into smaller pieces. Combine the salmon, peppers and rice and serve hot.