Weeknight Surf and Turf

I cooked a special dinner for my girlfriend this early this week and when I was stumped on what to make I decided to do a popular surf and turf menu, its the best of both worlds. For the sea I chose large dry pack scallops, which were flawless, meaty and sweet without that horrible brine that a lot of scallops are packed in. For the land its got to be lamb loin chop which is very elegant and flavorful. Next question was the accompaniments? for the scallops a sauce of pink grapefruit beurre blanc which is a fine diced shallot and grapefruit reduction with butter whisked in served on a bed of slow braised leeks.  For the lamb, a marinade of red wine and herbs then served on simple potato puree. The lamb is grilled outside while the scallops go into a smoking hot sauté pan to sear and cook till just medium rare. Everything then makes its way to a warmed plates with a chilled flutes of vintage Billecart-Salmon Brut, Ah life is certainly good.

Perfect Scallops ready for the Sauté Pan

Marinated Lamb Grilling

Scallops with Pink Grapefruit Beurre Blanc and
Leeks, Grilled Lamb with Potato Puree

Pan Seared Sea Scallops

Pan Seared Scallops on a bed of Fresh Corn Risotto

Some people prize lobster as the best seafood, but for me it's the scallop.  A sweet and meaty mollusk with a taste of the sea.  Sea scallops are a occasional treat, as they are expensive. When I do cook them the method I use is to just quickly sear in a smoking-hot pan with a dash of a mild olive oil and a hint of butter to finish. Perfectly Caramelized brown on the outside with a just cooked through medium-rare interior.
When buying scallops there are many on the market and you will have to choose carefully to buy only the best.  For me, I always start with what are called "dry packed", not the ones soaked in a liquid that sometimes contains chemicals to plump them up. The later are low-grade scallops and will become a watery mess when cooked and boil in the pan with out the nice brown caramelization that you will want; not good. Another name to look for when buying is "day boat" which means that the boat went out and returned with the newly harvested scallops the same day and they are really fresh!  Another thing to look for is the number or grade of the scallop. For example, U10 means about 10 per pound which is on the bigger side; as the number goes up the size of the scallop goes down. This is also the same size grade for other shellfish like prawns. Go out and buy the best- it will cost more, but you will be treated to some of the best shellfish available.

Prawn Ceviche

In the dead of a cold Winter night I wanted to brighten my mood with some warm weather food, and making fresh prawn ceviche on a home made tortilla was just what I needed.
A ceviche is a classic preparation of fish or seafood that is flavored and cooked using the acid of citrus fruit. A simple rule of thumb when making ceviche is to start with very fresh seafood, and the bigger the piece of fish the longer it will take to cook. The acid transforms it from raw to ready to eat. Maybe a few hours for small cuts or overnight for large. Lime is the common citrus juice and a touch of orange juice can be added for its sweetness. Always use fresh and never that bottled stuff. In this recipe I used the juice of fresh limes from my garden, small diced red onions and Thai green chilis. To serve, I placed the ceviche on a home made warm flour tortilla with sliced avocado and chopped cilantro. To boost the heat I used a few drops of my super hot Habanero sauce.

A Bay Area Tradition on Hold?

While the rest of the country is eating turkey today, we in the San Francisco Bay Area like to do things a little different. That difference is serving local Dungeness crab whenever possible. This has become a holiday tradition for a lot of people, but due to the stubbornness of a few not willing to agree on a fair market price it's just not going to happen. Pete my fish guy at All Seas Seafood says that there is tons of crab off shore up for grabs but the fishermen are holding out for a extra .25 cents per pound and both sides won't budge on it. Everyone loses now and us Dungeness fans might just have to be forced to eat turkey.

Tuesday Night Diver Scallops

Pan Seared Scallops with Thai Curry Sauce

One my favorite things to eat is fresh day boat diver scallops. They are not a everyday occurrence due to thier high cost, but worth every penny. Diver scallops are considered the best because of how they are harvested. Scuba divers hand pick the scallops only when they reach the right size and the boat they are on returns to shore the very same day, insuring optimal freshness. Other lower-grade scallops are harvested by using a form of dredge that is dragged along the bottom of the sea, not only destroying all forms of life in its path, but taking young scallops and damaging their shells too.

Tonight I chose to simply season the scallops with sea salt and black pepper then I pan seared them in a hot pan until nicely caramelized and just cooked through. I served with them a rich coconut curry sauce, steamed black forbidden rice and sauteed baby bok choy. I garnished each scallop with a dollop of finger lime "caviar".

My Favorite Coconut Curry Sauce

Ingredients:
6 oz Coconut Milk
1 T Thai Yellow Curry Paste
1 small knob Ginger, grated
1 clove Garlic, grated
2 Kaffir Lime leaves
1 T Soy Sauce, low sodium
1 T Mirin Rice Wine
Fish Sauce (to taste, salty)
Juice of one lime
1 T Fresh Basil, chopped
1 T Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Method:
1. Saute the ginger, garlic and curry paste in a dash of vegetable oil 'till fragrant.
2. Add the coconut milk, lime leaf, soy sauce, mirin, fish sauce, simmer until reduced to a saucy consistency; remove and discard lime leaf.
3. To finish add the chopped basil, cilantro and lime juice; spoon over the cooked scallops.

Yield = 1 cup
Note: For a more spicy sauce add fresh Jalapeno or Serrano peppers

Pacific North West Oysters

Malsipina Oysters, Vancouver Island, Washington

Ready to eat with a great view

Just back from a nice weekend trip to the Pacific Northwest; we had stayed just West across the sound from Seattle in the area of a small town called Poulsbo. When ever I am up here visiting I just have to have the local shellfish whenever possible as it is simply amazing. At our family gathering with the grill fired up. me and my brother cooked local Malsipina Pacific oysters. So easy to just wash and rinse clean, place flat side up on the hot grill, they are ready to eat when the shell opens slightly, this allows a oyster shucking knife to finish opening them up, a spicy sweet BBQ sauce was spooned on the plump oyster then its time to eat. These big oysters will shrink slightly when cooked but will remain soft and tender and the briny oyster juice mixes with the sweet glaze to make a delicious sauce. I always recommend a local cold beer to go with them.

Dungeness Crab Noodles

I had the good fortune to receive a huge bag of extra cracked Dungeness crab from a local high school crab feed. I removed all the meat from the shells which gave me a yield of about one pound (0.45kg). I had some nice fresh rice noodles from a recent trip to San Francesco's Clement street so I did a stir-fried crab and noodle dish. Simple ingredients were used such as garlic, ginger, scallions, fish sauce, cilantro, rice noodles and crab meat. I didn't use all the crab because I wanted to eat some plain just with a squeeze of lemon.

My First Crab of the Season

My week long wait for the first crabs to hit the market is over, and a large Dungeness crab is in my possession. For my first taste of the season I had the idea of just eating it in its most simple form, boiled and cracked without anything but maybe a squeeze of lemon. Today's wet and cold weather changed my mind and I decided on making a hot Thai style curry, wow was it good. I am definitely looking forward to eating this again.

Thai Coconut Curry Crab

Ingredients:

1 cooked, cleaned and cracked Dungeness crab

1 can coconut milk

1 knob ginger, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 jalapeno, sliced

3 kaffir lime leaves

1 dash fish sauce

1 tablespoon green onions, sliced

1 tablespoon Thai curry paste

1 pinch cilantro, chopped

Method:

1. Saute the curry paste in a dash of vegetable oil.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 'till liquid is thickened.

3. Serve with steamed rice.

The Real San Francisco Treat, Dungeness Crab

Today is the first day of the Dungeness Crab season. The famous fisherman's wharf is filled with crab boats from up and down the coast and the word on the docks is that its going to be a bumper harvest with large dense and meaty crabs. But there is some trouble with the local fisherman wanting to restrict the amount of crab the northern boats haul, it can be up to 75% of the catch. They will then be heading back North when their crab season opens. The fisherman have agreed on a set price of $1.75 a pound and with the retail price mark up its still a good value. Hopefully the crabs should be hitting the stores in a few days, in the mean time I will have thoughts of fresh cracked crab with crusty bread and chilled Napa wine. I will post photos and recipes of these first of the season crabs.

Clams My Way

Chinatown Shellfish

Grilled Bread & Little Neck Clams

I cooked a batch of little neck clams today using the common flavors of smoky bacon, sliced onions, garlic and tomatoes in local Anchor Steam beer, served along side plenty of grilled bread to get all that great cooking liquid. I was able to get these fresh little clams at one of the well stocked seafood shops in San Francisco's Chinatown district.

Iceland Memories

I went to Iceland a few years back and really liked it, I liked being in a part of the world that a lot of people haven't visited yet, lucky for me it was not winter yet and the weather was good. This Nordic country is surrounded by the Icy North Atlantic ocean is famous for its seafood. The thing to eat in Iceland is the famous Icelandic lobster also known as Norway lobster or Langoustine. You will get a huge platter of them and simply prepared is the best way. They are like giant prawns with a sweet lobster flavor. A great restaurant to try is Humarhusid Restaurant, Amtmannsstigur 1, 101 Reykjavik, (+354) 561 3303. So you will have to stop in Reykjavik next time you are crossing the pond.

Dungeness Crab in Thai Coconut Curry

Thai Coconut Crab Curry

Dungeness crab season has arrived to the West coast and in San Francisco its a much welcomed Winter tradition. The common way its enjoyed is simply cooked and cracked with loaves of sourdough bread and local white wine, that's fine for me, but sometimes I like to try something a little different. Today I chose to make a quick Thai style coconut curry which the crab was tossed in and served with steamed rice. Very rich, spicy, fragrant and good.

Thai Style Coconut Crab Curry
Ingredients:

1 whole cooked, cleaned and cracked Dungeness Crab

1 4 inch piece of lemon grass, crushed

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 small knob ginger, chopped fine

1 teaspoon yellow Thai curry paste*

1 5.6 oz can of coconut milk*

1 dash fish sauce*

1/2 jalapeno, sliced thin

dash vegetable oil

3 kaffir lime leaves*

juice of one lime

1 big pinch cilantro, chopped

Method:

1. In a wok or large sauce pan heat the oil.

2. Add all the herbs, paste, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cook for a minute.

3. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice and crab.

4. Toss crab in simmering sauce as it reduces and thickens.

5. Serve with steamed rice and chopped cilantro.

* Available at specialty or Asian Markets

Tomales Bay Road Trip

I had family in town this last weekend and with beautiful weather a trip to the North Coast seemed like a good plan and it turned out to be a great idea. A lack of wind or cool fog and with blue skies made driving the rolling hills toward the coast a stress free trip. We ended up at the Southern end of Tomales bay and immediately headed to my favorite oyster farm, The Tomales Bay Oyster Company. There are a few at the bay and this one is great with reasonable prices on oysters, clams and mussels. Me and my brother bought four dozen small oysters to share and with a bag of pre cut lemons and ice to keep the oysters cold it was a quick drive on highway one to the nearby beach. Warm sun and cold oysters were perfect.