Gourmet Scientist - Seafood

Shrimp Pesto Pasta

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:49:00 -0700

This dish was one of the first dishes that I made after arriving into the US, so it holds somewhat of a special place.

When we first moved in, our kitchen was barren except for the essential appliances. I never realised how many things were required just to stock the basics, not to mention figuring out where to get them. We just happened to have arrived during a cold spell, and all that I wanted was hot water, but we had neither pots/pans nor a kettle. It took three days before we settled on a set of pots/pans, which we used to boil water, until the desired kettle arrived two weeks later. Then came the challenge of finding tableware and cutlery. Can you believe it took us over seven big name stores before we found some simple, plain, yet elegant-looking, tableware??! Everything was either oddly shaped, coloured, patterned, unsubstantial, or too expensive. And the cutlery. What happened to silverware, cutlery that actually felt like metal rather than plastic??! I'm still hunting, even now, for coffee spoons because all the ones I've found thus far can bend, or break, with the slightest of pressure.

One of the pleasures of shopping, though, was finding the new variety of food available to us. Inexpensive fresh shrimp was something that we hadn't seen for many years, and we found them peeled and de-veined for a very good price. Food, especially meat and seafood, that required minimal preparation was key at that time as my knives and other utensils had yet to arrive from abroad. My first dishes with the shrimp were very very simple. Once my kitchen supplies arrived, though, I started to explore old dishes that I'd cooked in France, and this was a spin-off from one of them. The prawns are lightly sautéed with garlic before they are tossed with the cooked pasta and a pesto-like sauce. It's simple, all fresh-made, and the combined smell of seafood, pasta, and cheese can make anyone hungry.

Shrimp Pesto Pasta (Serves 2)

A mortar and pestle can help bring out the flavours of the sauce better, but it is not necessary. The sauce can simply be prepared in a bowl beforehand.

2 sun-dried tomato halves, diced
10g (2 tbsp) ground nut (the standard is pine nuts, but it works with almonds and pistachios, as well)
1g (2 tsp) dried basil
1g (2 tsp) dried parsley
0.5g (1/2 tsp) dried garlic (or 1 clove, finely minced)
10g (1/2 tbsp) maple syrup
10g (1/2 tbsp) olive oil
60g (3/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese

shrimp (I used 454g, or 1 lb)
2 cloves garlic, chopped

pasta (I used 170g, uncooked)

Boil water, add salt, and cook pasta until desired done-ness. Drain pasta and reserve liquid.
Combine pesto sauce ingredients and set aside.
In another pot/pan, heat oil with garlic, then add shrimp. When the shrimp have turned colour but are still translucent, add the drained pasta. Continue cooking until the shrimp are done. Pasta stock can be added if too dry.
Add the pesto sauce ingredients. If the pasta is still a bit soupy, continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. If it is too dry, the pasta stock can be added until the desired consistency.

Oven Grilled/Broiled Red Mullet Filets

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:39:00 -0700

A few months ago, we finally had the chance to return to one of our favourite restaurants in town---a father and son wood-fire grill place. I decided to pick from the seafood/fish selection, and red mullet caught my eye. I remembered the name from some of the cooking shows that I watched in the past, but I'd never tried it before and was curious why cooks seemed to love it. Twenty minutes later, I understood why. The fish yielded under the fish knife like a spoon to a freshly baked custard pudding, and the flesh dissolved almost creamily in the mouth (rather than the stringy fibrousness of many cooked fish). I couldn't resist giving my husband a piece to try, and he was immediately mesmerised, proclaiming that that was the dish he would order the next time we returned. Such a response always tempts me to replicate a dish back home, but I had doubts on this one, as I did not have a wood-fire grill to produce the necessary smoky flavour.

A few weeks later, I ran across fresh red mullets (pre-packaged) in the supermarket. They were not cheap, and I felt that they were too expensive for experimentation. So came the thought of the freezer isle. Freezing fish can sometimes change its texture, but that could be temporarily sacrificed while I tried to deduce the process. It would certainly be a compounding factor in the experiment, but it was worth a try.

The filets were rather small, measuring ~4-5 inches in length. I knew that they would cook quickly, but I had no idea how quickly. First attempt on a sauté pan was a complete failure as I did not have a non-stick pan nor was I willing to use large amounts of oil. What resulted were fragmented overcooked filets: failure! I next turned to grilling/broiling in the oven. I decreased the time, but the fish were still over-cooked. It was another failed attempt before I nailed it at 6 minutes. Feeling them to be slightly undercooked, I gave it an extra minute the following attempt, and it was spot on. My husband ate every filet in complete silence, except for the interjection, "The restaurant has lost business." I didn't understand, for which he responded, "There's no need to go back to the restaurant now!" I was quite excited as I managed to achieve the restaurant's effect (on texture alone) with frozen fish at home as well as satisfy the palate of someone (my husband) who grew up eating mainly fresh fish and seafood!

Oven Grilled/Broiled Red Mullet Filets

I have been serving the fish with plain noodles, so I developed a simple sauce to accompany them; recipe follows.

Red mullet filet (if frozen, make sure completely defrosted*)
Salt

Sauce

2 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2-3 tsp water

Preheat oven to grill/broil (~275°C).
Line the bottom of an oven-proof container with aluminium foil and lightly oil the surface. Pat the filets dry with paper towels before placing them on the surface skin-side up. Season with salt.
Place container as close to heat source as possible (either top or second-to-top rack depending on size of container). Grill/broil for 7 minutes. Immediately remove from oven. (The fish will continue to cook in the container, so make sure to remove them as soon as possible.)
Sauce: Mix the oyster sauce, sugar, and water. Pour over fish and noodles, if serving.

*Note: If the fish is not completely defrosted by the time of cooking, you can place them in a bowl of warm water for 10-30 minutes depending on the level of frozenness. There is not much worry about food safety at this point as the fish will be cooked immediately.

Treacle-Cured Salmon

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:23:00 -0800

Over the winter holiday, my grizzly cat of a husband brought back a special treat from the supermarket fishmonger---a whole salmon (on-sale). He adores---a rather severe understatement---salmon and could certainly not pass up such an offer. What to do? Well, definitely not a morsel should be wasted (except the unedible bones, of course).

Head, back bone, and tail were reserved for a quick browning followed by steaming (we're Chinese...). A small section was removed from each of the two side filets for roasting with my pistou maple syrup cheese crust. The rest (and bulk) of the salmon filets were destined for curing with a treacle (a.k.a. molasses) blend that my husband first tasted in university and forever fell completely head-over-heels for. To his absolute delight, I had found a recipe for it online when we first tried to replicate it a couple years back. It didn't taste the same, but the idea of being able to make one's own treacle-cured salmon satisfied him fully. But unfortunately, I had not developed the taste for salmon (I preferred trout and white-fleshed fish) nor treacle-curing at that time, which made sharing a whole salmon rather difficult. My husband would have been joyfully content polishing off a whole salmon by himself, but it just seemed too much of an indulgence!

Well, this time, either my taste buds have changed or the curing blend turned out better, but I found myself unable to stop eating the treacle-cured salmon after the first bite. It was enticingly salty, caramel-ly and robustly sweet, and palate-cleansing citrus-ly refreshing. Gravlax was similar, but treacle-curing was less herbaceous and more depth-fully sweet. My husband leaped with joy at this discovery. Two meals was all that was needed to polish the 2 large filets. I equally enjoyed cleaning off the backbones while he savoured the head. It certainly seems that we can and will be having whole salmons more often (as long as they're available and affordable, that is). =)

Nigel Haworth's Treacle-Cured Salmon (replicated from The Independent)

We made a few slight changes as we didn't have the exact ingredients. For the fennel seeds, we omitted them for one filet and used cumin instead for the other filet. Both tasted wonderfully, with the cumin seeds adding extra depth to the treacle. For the mustard, we just used mustard grains (à la ancienne), and it worked out wonderfully.

1 salmon fillet, 750g-1kg, skin on, boned and trimmed
1tsp fennel seeds (can be omitted---tastes just as lovely; or replaced with cumin---adds further depth to the treacle)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
50g sea salt
1tbsp English mustard (or mustard grains, which was what we used)
80g black treacle
2tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Put the salmon fillet, skin side down on a sheet of clingfilm. Mix the fennel seeds (if using), lemon zest, salt, mustard, pepper and treacle together and spread evenly over the flesh of the salmon fillet, not the skin. Wrap well in more clingfilm, place on a tray (skin side down) and leave at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 48 hours.
Remove the clingfilm and scrape away any excess liquid and marinade and pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper.

Salmon with Maple Syrup Cheese Crust

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:06:00 -0700

My husband continues to enjoy the salmon with pistou every time I make it, but a change (or variation) seemed to be in order. I attempted a marmalade sauce, but that didn't fare too well. So I steered towards maple syrup, another common pairing with salmon. We actually tasted our first "salmon candy" on our trip to Vancouver where salmon chunks were cured in raw cane sugar or Canadian maple syrup. It was good albeit a bit odd.

For this recipe, the maple syrup was mixed with a few other ingredients to help retain the liquidy maple syrup atop the fish fillet and boost the flavour. Homemade bread crumbs served as the liquid binder as well as providing a gentle crust and textural contrast. The grated cheese added the subtle flavour twist. Finally, the walnut oil, basil, and parsley were remnants from the pistou. The result was another easy way to prepare salmon with thumbs-up from the husband.

Salmon with Maple Syrup Cheese Crust:

1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated cheese
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp walnut oil
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
dash of salt
salmon filet

Preheat the grill/broiler at 275°C.
Mix the breadcrumbs, grated, cheese, maple syrup, walnut oil, basil, parsley, and salt. Spread evenly on the top of the salmon filet.
Grill/broil for ~10 min (depending on the filet size, usually just cooks through the entire filet while retaining moistness).

Note: Homemade bread crumbs are quite easy to make with either fresh or stale bread. Just cut or break them into ~1 inch cubes and dry them in the oven at ~150°C for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the type of bread. Oil or butter can be added to help crisp the bread (I forgot that step). Once cooled, grind the bread chunks into crumbs with a food processor. Can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer (to retain crispness) for at least a month.

Unforgettable BC Salmon

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:07:00 -0700

British Columbia (BC), Canada, is a prolific breeding ground for many species of fish, the most famous of which is salmon. We didn't know about this until we walked through the Granville Island Market and saw salmon in at least 20% of the stalls! It was certainly a change---and a wonderful feast for the eyes---to see such beautifully fresh salmon so readily available. Products included whole uncut gigantic salmons, raw filets, smoked or cured filets, even candied pieces, canned fresh and smoked salmon, salmon roe, and various ready-to-eat salmon products, such as soup and chowder. If only we could bring all this back with us!!

We had the chance to taste BC's fresh fish at Go Fish Ocean Emporium near Granville Island. Situated right at the Fisherman's Wharf, the fast-food style eatery was a collaboration between local fishermen and chef Gord Martin to promote locally-sourced fish in the form of gourmet sandwiches, tacos, fish cakes, and its most popular fish and chips. It was certainly a popular place with an ever-present queue. We forwent the place when we first unknowingly passed by it on a beautiful weekend lunch (that is, we only learned of its fame after this first chanced encounter) and returned with hopes of a shorter wait on a weekday lunch. The queue was indeed shorter, but we still had to wait nearly 30 minutes before we could order with an additional 30 minutes for the order to be made.

There were three choices available for the fish and chips: traditional cod, salmon, and halibut. We tried all three and were very satisfied. Fresh fish didn't get better than this. The best was probably the halibut with its nearly melting juicy texture and gentle but present flavour. The salmon ranked second with its absolutely beautiful smoky salmon flavour, but its texture suffered from the cooking method; I think I preferred my salmon slightly rawer. As for the cod, well, it was simply defeated by the better textured halibut and more distinctly flavoured salmon.

We had yet another opportunity to try raw salmon at an all-you-can-order Japanese restaurant several days later. Our expectations were not high as it was all-you-can-order, but the quality of BC salmon was clearly exemplified in the creamy, smooth, sweet and flavourful salmon sashimi. It was so good that we forwent all the other copious choices for the salmon sashimi alone.

Such fresh and quality salmon so readily available, this was certainly one key asset of Vancouver that we were going to miss and reminisce. I only hope that they are and can remain sustainable!

Provençal Pistou, Genoese Pesto

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:53:00 -0700

You've probably heard of the Italian "pesto". But what about "pistou"? I first came across the word when we had just arrived into Aix, and I ordered a "soup au pistou". What came was a simple bowl of clear soup with courgettes, onions, peppers, maybe a few slices of carrots, and a scattering of herbs. Not surprisingly, the word didn't leave much of an impression.

A few months later, on a visit to Le Comte d'Aix, my husband ordered a main of "ray wing with pistou". Usually, he would indicate if the dish was good or not. But this time, no words were uttered. After several silent bites, he firmly uttered, "You MUST try this". Rather peculiar, I realised it was his message for me to try and replicate the dish at home. So came the attempts.

My suspicions were confirmed when I learned that "pistou" and "pesto" were seemingly related, linked potentially as far back as the Roman times. "Pistou" was Provençal while "pesto" was Genoese. Both referred to the "pestle"--as in "mortar and pestle"--which was originally used to make the sauce. The basic ingredients were basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt; however, "pistou" relied more heavily on garlic while "pesto" included hard cheeses (such as Parmesan, Pecorino, Grana Pandano) and pine nuts.

I learned the hard way that "pesto" simply couldn't replace "pistou". We already had a bottle of "pesto" at home, so I was hoping that I could get away with it. But unfortunately, it didn't work.

A few weeks later, my husband had scallops with pistou, and he swooned over the sauce. The restaurant owner didn't provide much more details beyond what I had already known at the time (pistou = garlic plus various herbs), and my palate wasn't developed enough to differentiate between the various herbs. Clearly, I had to try harder.

I considered buying a bottle of "pistou", but my husband had complained that the bottled "pesto" was more "wet" than what was used on the ray wing, and all the bottled "pistou" were similarly "wet". With a mortar and pestle at home, I decided to try making my own. And guess what??! The results came out excellent.

I didn't follow any recipes; instead, I started with the basics: garlic, basil, and salt. It smelled too grassy/herby, and adding more basil didn't help; so I looked at what other dried herbs I had on hand--just rosemary and parsley. I went with the rosemary as it was used in the "herbes de Provence", but it still didn't smell right. So in went the parsley, and that was the final key. I added some walnut oil (another Provençal specialty) and olive oil, and ended it with a little sugar to satisfy my husband's sweet tooth. I kept the sauce "drier" without adding too much oil. I was certainly swimming with glee as I continuously inhaled the wonderful aroma.

I left the mixture in the fridge to amalgamate for a couple hours before laying it over a cut of salmon. A drizzle of honey, cooked over a preheated hot pan and under the broiler/grill for ~5-7 minutes, and my "salmon au pistou" was ready. Husband was absolutely charmed. Yet another plus for things made at home.

Trout with Woodears and Sun-dried Tomato

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:02:00 -0800

I saw an offer for 4 fillets of trout for £5, and it was just too enticing to pass. I've never cooked trout before and was quite eager to have some. Plus, for our lab Christmas dinner last year, I had a whole trout roasted with a mixture of mushrooms (enoki, oyster, chanterelles??) that tasted extremely delicious!

I didn't hunt for those exact mushrooms but decided to use what I had in my cupboard. Shiitake seemed too light, but I did have woodears which seemed closest to providing a smoky dark flavour. I also thought of using the sun-dried tomatoes. So, with those two ingredients, a little balsamic vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and the water used to reconstitute the dried tomatoes and woodears, I quickly braised the trout and then reduced the liquid to turn it into a sauce. Not the same, but still quite tasty after only ~10 minutes cooking time (was too hungry to attempt anything extensive)! If I have a little more time to cook next time, I may try roasting them together as that may give the fish a slightly harder texture and a more developed flavour.

Salmon Escapade

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:17:29 -0700

Q: How many dishes can you serve with a whole salmon? One day, my friend surprised me with a whole ~1.5 kg wild salmon. If only a camera had captured my expression. One part of me was in complete awe at the possibility of seeing such a large whole fish in England. Another part of me was swooning and caressing the beautiful silvery skin and pink flesh. Then came: what should we do with it? Sashimi came to mind immediately, but as we didn't know how it was prepared after its capture, raw consumption was too risky. Instead, we made the following dishes:

Salmon steamed in scallion, ginger, and white wine

Pan-seared salmon fillet with scallion and ginger

Treacle-cured salmon

Salmon en papillote

Miso soup with salmon head and tail

Pan-fried salmon backbone

Needless to say, we wasted nothing. We probably could have eaten the bones, had we fried them. In any case, we were salmon happy for several days. The only shame is the lack of photos. I guess we were too hungry and excited to bother!

En Papillote

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:06:00 -0700

Note: Those are my brother's hands

Wow! With only a week of pre-holiday preparation stress, a blissful two week trip home, and a week of new school year chaos, a month has already passed since my previous entry. I guess it's about time I posted about a dish I made back home.

For part of my trip home, I visited Pittsburgh, where my brother was studying, for a few days. We'd just arrived that afternoon after a 3.5 hour drive, and I was unexpectedly making dinner for 5 people that night. [*sighs*] What a loving brother have I...

Okay, I'm teasing. I actually offered to cook after going through a list of unfavourable options. And it gave me a chance to try a very "quick and easy" technique called "en papillote."

Working mainly with supplies on hand, I started with a piece of parchment paper and placed a layer of chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes) and dried cranberries (for sweetness). Above came the chicken breast which I'd rubbed with a hodgepodge mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, various herbs, salt, and pepper (I also made slits in the meat and filled them with the mixture for better flavor penetration). I tucked a couple wedges of lemon under the chicken and drizzled a little more olive oil before wrapping and sealing the parchment paper tightly. Twenty minutes at 425°F (218°C), and each of us was peering into a steaming hot package of mouth-watering chicken and vegetables.

Basically, ''en papillote ''is a form of steam cooking and is ideal for leaner cuts of meat (i.e. chicken breast, fish). Any type of vegetable, fruit, or even rice can be mixed in. A key ingredient is oil; with that, you are free to use whatever sauce, herb, or spice you desire. Although parchment paper is preferred, aluminum foil can also be used. It's because of such freedom and relatively short cooking time that makes ''en papillote'' so friendly. Plus, cleaning is easy!

Duck with Seafood

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:43:00 -0700

As part of our summer school with our Japanese counterparts, we had the conference dinner at St. John's College. The 3 course dinner involved a salad with Gressingham duck as the starter, trout fillet with vegetables and potatoes as the main, traditional english water pudding as the dessert, and coffee/tea with chocolate truffles to end the meal.

What enthralled me the most was the starter: three slices of roasted Gressingham duck accompanied by a scallop and some type of seafood (similar to uni???) laid over a bed of boiled/steamed arugula leaves and edamame-type beans. The scallop was seared to absolute perfection--slightly browned on the top and bottom with the inside just barely cooked, giving a texture of set creaminess. The duck was moist, and the strong taste of arugula dampened by the boiling/steaming. All the flavors melded well together. I would never have imagined combining duck with seafood; but somehow, they matched. My naive hypothesis was that all these individual components had a "smelliness" which allowed them to fit well together and resulted in an earthy and hearty flavour.

The dessert was a bit of a puzzle. None of the native English people recognized the name "Traditional English Water Pudding." At first glance, it looked like a pannacotta. However, it was much less creamy. There were two layers. The top, which encompassed 90% of the pudding, was like a watery jello. The bottom was the texture of almond paste with a lemony flavour; the taste and texture were familiar, but I could not put my finger on exactly what it was (lemon curd???). Accompanying the pudding was a small bowl of mixed berry compote. The pudding itself was very light and watery, and the sweet sour berry compote complemented the lemony flavour at the base of the pudding. It was a definitely a nice gentle end to the substantial meal.