Paella Northwest Style

Seattle Paella

Paella the national rice dish of Spain it has also become a favorite with family and friends. Its a easy one pan meal that can have a endless amount of varition in ingredients along with the rice. We have done it for large parties and guests like watching the cooking process and then being able to eat it. I like the classic paella Valencia that has chicken, sausage and seafood along with a few key vegetables. 

I was in Seattle recently and with its great seafood I had the idea to make a pan. The famous Pike place market is my go to place to get seafood where they have a huge selection at decent prices. 

One my seafood list was one pound each of Pacific Northwest clams and mussels. Half a pound each of U-8 jumbo prawns and scallops. U-8 refers to 8 each per pound. These were some big prawns and scallops! 

Next on the list was to buy bone in chicken thighs, the bones went into making the stock along with the prawn shells. Smoked sausage links. For the vegetables we went to the local farmers market in Ballard North Seattle for fresh peas, garlic, onions and artichokes. The rice we used is Spanish Bomba made just for paella.

The whole thing goes together quickly with ingredients added in the order of how long they cook. Chicken  and sausage first along with the vegetables then rice goes in along with the stock. Halfway through the shellfish goes in because it does not need alot of cooking time. For spices I used only smoked paprika but wished I had the traditional spice of saffron to use but none was available. It still turned out great and it was great to eat all that Northwest seafood.

Pike Seafood Vendor

Shopping the Ballard 

Sunday Farmers Market

Pacific Northwest Style

New Thanksgiving Tradition??

A Rare Flawless Day at Sea

Brendan "All Good"

Cooler Full, Lets Head Home

Simmering Tomato, Fennel and White Wine

Cracked Crab and Mussels Added and Steamed

This years thanksgiving holiday plans changed when my friend Brendan Moylan called with the idea to go crabbing, a perfect weather forecast and the promise of fresh crab was all I needed. A quick morning motor on his fishing boat took us five miles offshore to the Pacific fishing grounds and our six crab pots were quickly baited and soaking. What to do for three hours while we wait? Hint Brendan owns two breweries! We got lucky fishing and were able to bring Dungeness crabs home for our holiday dinners. What to make? well there is two very famous ways to cook San Francisco crabs, one is simply cooked and chilled served cracked with sour dough bread and local white wine and very popular at local crab feeds. Two is the Italian style Cioppino seafood soup with a tomato and garlic based broth. Being a chilly rainy day I chose to make the hot soup. Amazing and perfect.

Cioppino My Way

Stuffed Local California Squid in Tomato Sauce

Fresh Monterey Squid

Making Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Squid Simmering in Tomato Sauce

Braised Stuffed Squid in Heirloom Tomato Sauce

On a recent visit to one of San Francisco's Asian neighborhoods I noticed fresh local squid available in the market, so I bought a few pounds to take home to cook. These little sea creatures come from an area in the United States where they are very plentiful- Monterey Bay, California. Because of their vast numbers it's OK for them to be harvested without hurting their species or the environment. These squid are seen on most restaurant menus everywhere, often served fried with some kind of dipping sauce. Tonight my idea is to stuff the tube-shaped body and slowly cook them till tender in a spicy fresh tomato sauce. It was a little time consuming to clean, stuff and cook them but I was rewarded with a very flavorful dish.

Stuffed Squid in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh squid or pre cleaned tubes and tentacles 
1/2 cup cooked plain rice
1 T fresh herbs, chopped (Parsley, etc)
1 T garlic, chopped
2 cups heirloom or roma tomato, diced
3 T Olive oil
2 cup white wine
Toothpicks

Method:
1. Clean squid by removing tentacles from head and cleaning out tubes really well.
2. Mix some of the herbs and garlic into the rice.
3. loosely stuff the tubes with the rice mixture and secure with toothpick.
4. Make a tomato sauce by sauteing garlic and tomatoes in olive oil.
5. Add white wine and rest of herbs, simmer till saucy.
6. Add all squid and cover pan, cook on low heat for about 20-30 minutes.
7. Remove cover and continue to cook till the liquid reduces to a slightly thick sauce.
8. Remove toothpicks from squid and serve with the sauce.

Note: Great along side Pasta or risotto.

Little Neck Clam Pasta

Little Neck Clams

Simple Clam Pasta

I had the opportunity to buy some beautiful Northwest Little neck clams the other night and I immediately thought of serving them simply in a pasta dish. There are many varieties of clams available but I like these best, they are small and tender with fast opening shells that release their briny liquid into a sauce. The whole cooking process is fast and can be done in the time it takes pasta to cook. The term little neck comes from the name Little Neck Bay in Long Island, New York, many years later the name became used more as a size category regardless of origin. Sadly that bay was closed to harvesting due to a increase in pollution.


Little Neck Clam Pasta

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh little neck clams, cleaned 
1/3 pound Spaghetti or linguine pasta
1 Roma tomato, diced
4 Cloves garlic, diced
3 Strips Smoked Bacon, diced
1 Splash White wine
1 Splash Extra virgin olive oil
A Pinch Chili flakes
Parsley, chopped

Method:
1. Scrub and wash the clams well till water runs clean, discard any open or broken shells.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with kosher salt, add pasta.
3. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, add bacon, garlic and chili flakes.
4. After a minute or two add the tomato saute till soft, add the wine and the clams, cover.
5. Cook the clams till they all open, add parsley.
6. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the clams, toss to mix all the ingredients.

Yield = 2-3
Note: Serve with a extra bowl for the shells and crusty bread for the juices.

Last Chance Dungeness Crab Omelet

Ready-to-fold Crab Omelet

The 2012 Dungeness crab season closed at the start of this month and I really wanted to enjoy fresh local crab one more time this year.  I chose to make a simple omelet for breakfast using a filing of wilted spinach, sauted shallots, diced tomato and lots of fresh-picked local crab meat. The goal was to really keep it simple so I could taste all the flavors and textures.  It was really good with a rich taste of the sea and certainly worth all the time it takes to pick the meat out of the shell.  I can't wait till next year!

Wharf Style Dungeness Cocktail

San Francisco's famous Fisherman's Wharf has many sidewalk seafood vendors along it's crowded streets; many have what are called "walk away" seafood cocktails. Small cups of either crab meat or shrimp with the classic horseradish-infused tomato sauce. I made a more modern version at a dinner the other night using shot glasses made from ice, rubber molds filled with water and frozen to make one ounce glasses (28.34G) The ice cold containers are great for keeping perishable foods cold and can be flavored with citrus juice for more flavor.

Squid in the News and for Dinner

The big news story in Southern California right now are the giant Humboldt squid swimming off the coast of San Diego. Normally these large aggressive squid are found a lot further down on the coast of Mexico and deep in the Sea of Cortez. For what ever reason they are now here for awhile. With the squid on my mind, I knew I had to cook some this week, but the much smaller ones from the Monterey region. With a quick trip to my favorite San Francisco Asian market, I had everything I needed to prepare them. It only took a few minutes to clean the squid and prep the rest of the ingredients, then about an hour of a gentle simmer. Dinner is now ready with slices of bread for all the good juices.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh squid, cleaned

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 large Roma tomato, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup white wine (and one or two for yourself)

Pinch red chili flakes

Pinch saffron (optional)

Dash extra virgin olive oil

1 bay leaf

Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Saute the onion, garlic and tomato in olive oil for a few minutes.

2. Add the Squid and the rest of the ingredients.

3. Cover and simmer slowly for one hour.

4. Remove bay leaf and check seasoning.

Yield = 2-3 Serve with slices of crusty rustic bread

Mediterranean Style Sea Bass

I cooked a simple dinner tonight using Sea Bass and all the Mediterranean flavors that I love, Garlic, Fennel, Olives and Tomatoes. The fish was a locally caught sea bass bought from my fish guy at the market, he is honest with me and will only recommend whats new and fresh. The fish was simply seasoned and sauteed in olive oil. While the fish was cooking I sauteed diced fennel bulb, sliced onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes, I bunch of spinach was added at the end to quickly wilt and then the vegetables were placed in a mound on a preheated plate. I like using condiments with fish and I decided on using a classic black olive tapenade. I love all the different flavors and bright colors of this dish and it was Delicious too.

Tapenade

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted Nicoise Olives

1 Tablespoon Capers (salt packed)

2 each Anchovies (salt packed)

2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of one Lemon

Method

1. Finely chop to a fine paste or pulse all ingredients in a blender.

Note: If using salt packed ingredients, rinse well to remove excess salt.

Saute Garlic Prawns

Its not often that you will find "fresh head" on prawns, most seafood that is sold has been cleaned with there heads removed. I like cooking seafood whole when ever I can, it retains a lot of its natural moisture and is a lot more flavorful. These prawns were simply sauteed in a hot pan using extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, sea salt and fresh chopped parsley.

Farmers Market BBQ Oyster's

I took a trip to the Marin County Sunday farmers market today and being a few days till the big thanksgiving holiday it was packed with people shopping for food. I found some nice Brussel sprouts from a farm in the half moon bay area (I will post a idea and recipe for those) At the market there was a huge tent of local seafood on ice, they had a big gas grill to BBQ oysters. Three large oysters for five dollars sounded like a great deal to me.They were simply cooked till they popped open and then basted with chopped fresh garlic and butter, chopped green onions were sprinkled on top to finish. they were really good with a splash of hot sauce.

Vietnamese Style Grilled Squid

I did a quick road trip to my mom's house nearby where my Brother and his Wife were visiting. It seems everything centers on the evening meal and there is somewhat of a tradition to cook some kind of exotic food in addition to our regular meal. On the way to the house I stopped at a local Asian market and purchased three pounds of fresh squid and some other key ingredients I would need to make this Asian inspired dish. Give it a try, its really good on a hot summer night.

Ingredients:

3 pounds squid, cleaned**

1 big splash fish sauce*

1 small knob peeled ginger

2 cloves garlic

1/4 bunch fresh cilantro

1/4 bunch fresh mint

1 dash soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 tablespoon spicy chili paste*

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar*

1.Blend all ingredients till smooth in a food processor, it should be a balance of sweet and sour, spicy yet cool. Use a little of the sauce to quickly marinate the cleaned squid before cooking.

2. Prepare a hot fire and preheat the grill before adding the squid.

3. The tentacle's are easy to cook when skewered, place skewers on grill, after about a minute flip and do the other side, repeat with the body tubes, do not over cook or they will become tough and rubbery.

4. Toss squid in sauce and serve, garnish with sliced lime, chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Yield= 4-6 small plates

* Available at Asian markets

** To clean squid: Cut the tentacles off just in front of the eyes, next starting at the tip, use the back of a knife to push all the insides and head out of the tube, the tube can be left whole or cut into rings, wash all parts well and they are ready to cook.

BBQ Oysters

One of the great things about living on the coast, is the selection of fresh seafood available. Here there is a small sheltered bay just North of San Francisco called Tomales bay, home of many oyster companies. I often do the quick scenic drive out to the bay to get fresh oysters. There are many companies to choose from including the somewhat expensive and touristy Hog Island oyster company, I go to the tomales bay oyster company, no frills, just good oysters. I get 50 small oysters of the four different sizes available, I end up eating about a dozen with lemon then head home at sun set. I like eating them raw the best but I chose to BBQ some on my boat. Just grill them till they crack open, shuck and top with your favorite BBQ sauce. They are better when only slightly cooked and still soft.

Tomales bay oysters

You can't beat fresh local oyster's on the half shell, they are nature's perfect packaged food. They will put up a fight when you try to get the rough shell off, but its well worth it. A last minute idea over the weekend was to head west to the Marin County coast, it was well worth it. And only a forty five minute drive through the rolling hills and the tall and dark redwood Forrest's. Tomales bay is a long narrow bay that runs parallel to the North Marin coast, it is home to a lot of wildlife as well as lots of oyster farms. I used to go to a oyster farm called Hog Island a few years ago, they have good oysters and clams, but it is now expensive and somewhat touristy, the Johnson oyster farm down the highway is my choice, simply good oysters with a fair price. I was talked in to a deal of 50 small oysters for $40.00 dollars, He twisted my arm so I had to do it. Me and my kids along with another family stopped at a local beach down the road and ate a few dozen, the rest came home. Some people like to barbecue them with BBQ sauce or a vinegar/pepper based dipping sauce, for me its just fresh lemon and hot sauce. Go get them and suck them down.

Fresh Squid, its all good!

I recently had the opportunity to cook a large quantity of fresh Squid over a previous weekend.On the first day I decided to quickly grill the squid and then toss it in a simple lemon vinaigrette with ripe tomatoes and shaved fennel. This little dish would serve as a first course for the grill Swordfish we were having. When working with Squid I prefer to use fresh instead of frozen if possible. Here in the bay area most of our fresh squid comes locally from the Monterey bay, there seems to be a never ending supply of these little tasty guys. Step one after you have bought fresh squid is to clean and prepare them for cooking. Frozen squid will almost always be pre cleaned. To clean them have a cutting board, sharp knife and a bowl set in another bowl of ice to keep them cold while you work. Lay the squid out in front of you and make a cut just in front of the eyes to remove the tentacle's in one piece. Next hold the end tip of the tube down with your finger while using the back of the knife to scrap out the interior of the body, the long tube will have a purplish skin and little wings on the tip which can be easily scraped off if desired. At this point the tubes can be cut into rings, but its much easier to grill when they are left whole. A quick rinse under cold water and they are ready for your recipe.

Grilled Calamari salad
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh cleaned squid
2 Roma tomatoes,rough chop
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, rough chop
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt/fresh pepper

Method:
1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for cooking.
2. When its hot and clean, place pre oiled and seasoned squid tubes and tentacles on grill.
3. Turn over once or twice till done, which depending on hot the grill is only a few minutes, its very important that squid is not overcooked or it will become very tough and rubbery.
4. Cut the tubes into rings and place in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, Check seasonings.

Note: Serve at room temperture on a platter or chilled in martini glasses.

Crab Feed!

Northern California Dungeness crab with chili and garlic
pesto

Around the world people celebrate local foods and here in Northern California there are many seasonal foods that are enjoyed, but when its crab season, watch out, fresh cooked and cracked dungeness crab, sourdough french bread and a great Napa Chardonnay is all you need! Local organizations will hold fund raisers by having all you can eat crab and pasta dinners. I went to a fund raiser for my kids school last night and it was amazing!. San Francisco restaurants donating wines, salads, antipasto, fresh pesto pasta, local crabs done two ways and Italian desserts. It was a food lovers paradise.

Chilled shellfish platter

If you have access to fresh seafood then its real easy to put a big platter together. It just has to very fresh. I go see my local wholesale fish guys at the wharf in San Francisco, half the products have come off boats that morning! You can use cooked peeled prawns, cracked lobster, crab, mussels, clams and local oysters on the half shell. To assemble mound a big bed of crushed ice on a strong platter then arrange the chilled shelfish on top and serve. I like it clean and basic with lemon wedges. You can use other dipping sauces if you like such as the american standard, horseradish cocktail or rice wine vinegar based asian style green onion-ginger, thai chilli pepper and cilantro, hot sauce,etc. Serve before dinner or as the main course with crusty bread and chilled white wine. If you have any thing left it can be made into paella or a seafood soup.