April 2014 • Page 2 of 3 • The Traveling Epicurean

Seafood Stuffed Artichokes

March 17, 2019April 16, 2014 by Michel

Seafood Stuffed Artichokes

Artichokes, any way you cook them are simply a treat because they are a seasonal veggie here on the east coast. 100 percent of all artichokes that are commercially grown in the U.S. come from California where you can pretty much buy them year round. My artichoke recipe is a tasty concoction of shrimp, sea scallops, fresh spinach, mushrooms, onion, garlic, Reggiano Parmesan, bread crumbs, red wine, extra dry vermouth and chicken broth. They are a lot of work granted but it’s not like you make these all the time and once you taste them you’ll want to set aside time in the future to plan for these babies!

The Artichoke is actually a relative of the thistle so if you ever see one fully mature they open into this incredibly gorgeous giant purple flower. That’s where the choke comes in because it’s a cluster of immature florets at the center of the artichoke which is not edible. This hairy-like choke in the center MUST be removed when you stuff them. I show you how to prep the artichokes and scrape out that choke in the photos below. This seafood stuffed artichoke recipe is delicious with my sun-dried tomato aioli sauce for dunking the leaf ends and heart and you can make this aioli dip a couple of days ahead. After these stuffed artichokes you may need a sweets recipe that you can make the day before like pavlova with fresh pineapple and berries, or chocolate-avocado mousse.

Ingredients – Serves 4 People at 1 Stuffed Artichoke Each:

1 recipe of sun-dried tomato aioli sauce
4 large artichokes
3 large sea scallops cut into 1/2″ pieces
10 lg shrimp cut into 1/2″ pieces (about 1/2 lb)
3 strips of Boars Head Bacon
6 button mushroom caps sliced thinly and then chopped
6 oz. fresh spinach leaves coarsely chopped (a handful less than a bag)
1/2 large spanish onion or Vidalia onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves put thru the garlic press
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp red wine (1/4 cup to deglaze onion/mushroom mixture and 2 Tbsp in the stuffing and 1/4 in baking dish with vermouth and chicken broth)
3/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tsp salt (1 Tsp for boiling the artichokes)
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with cold water and sliced up lemon
Cut the ends off of the artichokes
Cut 1 1/2 ” off the top
Using your thumbs in the center of the artichoke pull apart as much as you can to loosen the inner layers a little
Insert pointy spoon and begin to dig in to the center removing the purple pointy leaves and keep digging til you reach the hairy choke and then remove all of that too
Rinse the center holes of the artichokes to fully remove any left over choke
Always keep the all the artichokes in the lemon water bowl while working on them (it helps them from not turning too brown)
Pour the whole bowl of lemon water and artichokes into a large pan and add 1 tsp salt
Bring to a boil ( this will take about 15 minutes) and then simmer for 30 minutes
Drain Artichokes and turn them upside down in a baking dish to further drain
Cook up 3 pieces of Boars Head Bacon til crispy, chop and set aside
Sauté the chopped onion, mushrooms caps and garlic cloves put thru press in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/2 Tsp salt til golden about 12-15 minutes
Add in 1/4 cup red wine to de-glaze pan, let reduce for 1 minute
Add in fresh chopped spinach and cover for 2 minutes
Mix spinach with tongs and take sauteed onion/mushroom/spinach mixture off of the stove and put into a fresh bowl to let cool
Wash, dry and chop sea scallops and shrimp to 1/2″ pieces
When onion/mushroom mixture is cooled add in scallops, shrimp, Gruyere, Parmesan, chopped bacon, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp red wine
Mix items gently together
Turn artichoke over in baking dish, drain any water left over at the bottom
Stuff the artichokes with the seafood stuffing making sure to add in to all the layers of leaves going around the artichoke as shown in the photo
When the artichoke is stuffed add in 3/4 cup extra-dry vermouth, 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup red wine to the bottom of the baking dish
Cover the Artichokes with foil and bake for 35 minutes
Take Foil off and bake 5 minutes more
Serve with sun-dried aioli sauce on the side for dipping the leaves and dunking the heart …mangia!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

March 17, 2019April 15, 2014 by Michel

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Wow, these bacon wrapped scallops are a scrumptious hors ‘d oeuvre! They are wonderful by themselves but the sun-dried tomato aioli sauce just bring them to another flavor level. And you can make that sauce a day ahead of the scallops. It’s important to get the largest sea scallops you can find because they make for a perfectly filling appetizer without being over powered by the bacon. Boars Head Bacon is the best bacon to use for this dish because it doesn’t have a smokey or maple flavor that would compete with the taste of scallops. I have you cook the bacon half way thru too so you don’t end up with a piece of rubbery, under cooked bacon at the end. You don’t want to over cook the sea scallops worrying about the bacon being cooked thru. Since scallops are so rich you may want to serve some non-fish hors ‘d oeuvres like the best guacamole ever, zucchini torta, baked asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, baked yukon potato fries with Greek yogurt remoulade, or mango-avocado salsa.

Ingredients – serves 4 people with 2 scallops each or 8 people with 1 scallop each:

1 lb. sea scallops (this will be approx. 8 ex-lg sea scallops)
8 slices of Boars Head Bacon (don’t use other brands because some are too smokey and some are heavy on maple flavor)
2 lg garlic clove put thru garlic press
3 Tbsp of olive oil
sprinkle of salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375º
Cook 8 slices of bacon for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat until they are cooked half way thru and golden on the edges
Drain half cooked bacon on paper towels
Put 3 Tbsp olive oil in a medium size dish with 2 garlic cloves put thru garlic press
Add Sea scallops to garlic and mix, fully coating the scallops with the garlicky oil
Add in the bacon strips and also coat with the garlicky oil
Begin to wrap the scallops with the bacon, the bacon should overlap about 1″ and you will have to cut off the last 1 1/2″ because the bacon will be too long
Fasten a toothpick on an angle as shown in the photo above to hold the bacon in place while it’s cooking
Heat a cast iron pan on high for about 2 minutes
When hot add in bacon wrapped sea scallops and sear for 2 minutes
Then flip them over and immediately put the pan into a pre-heated oven for 12 minutes
Take out and serve with sun-dried aioli sauce

Sun-dried Tomato Aioli Sauce & Asparagus

March 17, 2019April 14, 2014 by Michel

Sun-dried Tomato Aioli Sauce & Asparagus

Sun-dried tomato aioli sauce and asparagus is a tasty and simple appetizer that you make ahead of time. Aioli is a mayonnaise based sauce or dip flavored with garlic and sometimes herbs, and or vegetables. With this sun-dried tomato aioli sauce I cut the mayo in half with one of my favorites, Greek yogurt, like I do with so many of my sauces. It’s just such a “good for you” thing that I love to do, plus I really like yogurt and I added in sun dried tomatoes to the aioli which are packed with an intense flavor.

I have you peel off the skins at the ends of the asparagus because it makes for an elegant presentation when serving as an appetizer like this. You don’t want the asparagus too cold when you serve this. It’s best at room temperature so since you will be probably making this ahead of time and storing it in the frig to keep well you should take the asparagus out first to bring it closer to room temperature before serving. And I want you to use the largest asparagus that you can find because not only does it present well but it tastes great. The larger asparagus are just as tender and earthy in flavor as the tiny ones.

In my baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto appetizer there isn’t any need to peel the ends of the asparagus because they are covered with a cream cheese-grated onion & Parmesan mixture and then wrapped in the prosciutto so you don’t see the ends. Other appetizers that you may want to serve with this sun-dried tomato aioli sauce and asparagus are baked coconut shrimp, sea scallop ceviche, mussels in a lemon grass-fennel sauce, or best ever guacamole.

Ingredients for SUN-DRIED TOMATO AIOLI SAUCE:

SUN-DRIED TOMATO AIOLI SAUCE

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 lg garlic clove put through garlic press
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbps Rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp champagne vinegar
Juice from 1/4 lemon
1/4 Tsp chile paste (OPTIONAL) – you can use a few dashes of Tabasco or Siracha (chile hot sauce sold with Tobasco at the market) if you don’t have the paste

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients for the sun-dried tomato aioli sauce into a blender an purée
You will probably need to stop and stir everything a couple of times to get it going but once it gets going it will be just right…you can always add in another Tbsp of olive oil if you need to loosen it up a little
You can make this ahead of time and keep sauce in a plastic container and refrigerate. It stays nicely for days in frig. Yum!

Ingredients:

ASPARAGUS

24 asparagus – the larger the better
1 Tbsp salt for cooking the asparagus in water

Directions:

Bend asparagus to find the proper “break” point then cut the ends off to even them up
Using a potato peeler, peel off the skins of the asparagus at the bottom – 2″ up from the ends as shown in the photo
Put asparagus in cold salted water and bring to a simmer
Cook til tender but NOT mushy …this will only take a few minutes once it comes to a simmer
Drain and give them ice bath to shock …don’t need to make them ice cold just want to shock to retain vibrant color
Dry off asparagus on a paper towel and place on a serving platter

Succulent King Crab at Captain George’s

March 17, 2019April 12, 2014 by Michel

Succulent King Crab at Captain George’s

They certainly know how to do king crab in South Carolina! Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has an amazing buffet of king crab legs that keeps on coming. Their buffet is pretty extensive so you need to stay focused and remember why you are there! The king crab legs are so big that it is difficult to maneuver the tongs to grab the legs and place them onto your plate. Once you get them piled onto your plate then you need to balance this antler like stack so you don’t drop them all over the floor. Knowing that once you make it back to your table you have this succulent meat to pull out of these crustaceans keeps you walking slow and steady. The king crab legs are really sweet and meaty and when you dunk them into the warm butter it just gets even better!

King crab or stone crab are a super-family of crab-like crustaceans which are generally found in cold seas. Considering king crab goes for over $30.00 a pound at most seafood markets finding a place like Captain George’s where it’s one of their specialties dishes is definitely a good thing. Not only is the crab worth going for but the centerpiece ship display and starry night sky graphics in quite impressive. If you like seafood you may just like to try my Asian shrimp and rice noodle salad, Asian salmon, mussels in a fennel-lemongrass sauce, shrimp and scallop chowder with coconut cream, sea scallop cerviche, or my sea bass with green goddess sauce. On the lighter side you could always go for my fish appetizers consisting of baked coconut shrimp, smoked salmon with a cream cheese-caper spread on crostinis, clam puffs, or sea scallops wrapped in bacon.

Pesto Garlic Bread

March 17, 2019April 10, 2014 by Michel

Pesto Garlic Bread

This is a great alternative to plain ole garlic bread. You do need to make my pesto recipe and the pesto butter log and then it’s a breeze from there. This pesto bread is very aromatic so it’s a good thing to pop into the oven when guests are over…it will drive them crazy. I really like to have this bread with soups, or leafy greens that you can dunk the bread in or top it with like my bok choy and cannellini beans, or a side to mama Maria’s secret manicotti’s, or a slow cooked pasta sauce 101 dish.

Ingredients:

1 sourdough baguette
1 pesto recipe
1 pesto butter log recipe
8 1/4 ” slices of pesto butter log
2 Tbsp grated Reggiano Parmesan
2 Tbsp soften butter
1/2 Tsp Garlic granules

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375º
Slice the the sourdough baguette in half length wise and then half again as shown in photo to better fit on the cookie tray
Slice off 8 1/4″ slices of the pesto butter log
Add 2 Tbsp soften butter to the 8 slices and just soften in microwave (a few seconds) BE CAREFUL not to over cook it you just want the pesto mixture spreadable for the baguette
Add in 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan and mix
Spread onto the sliced baguette halves
Bake for 12-15 minutes til slightly golden on the edges
Take out of oven, slice and mangia!

Bok Choy and Cannellini Beans

March 17, 2019April 9, 2014 by Michel

Bok Choy and Cannellini Beans

Bok choy and cannellini beans are a great duo. Add in sauteed chopped garlic, sweet onion, white wine, chicken broth and Reggiano Parmesano and you have a symphany. This is such a flavorful dish with the freshness of the leafy greens and the creaminess of the cannelini beans. Not to mention, it makes top tier for healthy dishes and goes with everything like grilled Asian salmon, stuffed roulades of chicken, sauteed chicken breasts, sea bass and green goddess sauce, or as a side dish to mama Maria’s secret manicotti, or to a slow cooked pasta sauce 101 dish.

Ingredients- Serves 6 people:

See reicpe for GRILLED ASIAN SALMON (optional)
12 oz. fresh bok choy (I buy my amazing bok choy from Hong Kong Grocery on the corner of Whitney Ave. and Trumbull St. in New Haven)
1 can cannellini beans
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lg spanish onion or Vidalia onion finely chopped
6 lg garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 cup grated Reiggiano Parmesan
1/2 Tsp salt (1/4 Tsp when you are sauteing the onion and garlic and 1/4 Tsp when you add in the bok choy)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Dash of blk pepper

Directions:

Drain and rinse cannellini beans
Cut off the end stems of Bok choy freeing up the leaves
Rinse and spin bok choy in salad spinner, and pat dry with paper towel
Finely chop 1/2 Spanish onion and 6 cloves of garlic
Sauté onion, garlic and pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 Tsp salt in 1 Tbsp olive oil in lg pan on medium/low for about 10 minutes til lightly golden
Splash in 1/2 cup white wine to de-glaze pan turning heat up to medium/high
Bring to simmer 1 minute and add in cannellini beans, simmer 2 minutes more
Add in bok choy, 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 1/4 Tsp salt, dash of pepper and cover for 3 minutes
Uncover and turn bok choy leaves with tongs every minute while sauteing for another 3-5 minutes til tender but not mushy
Turn heat off Add in 1/4 cup Reggiano Parmesan and gently mix through and serve

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Homemade Manicotti

March 18, 2019April 8, 2014 by Michel

Homemade Manicotti

Yes, I am giving up the good’s on this one and I know you will appreciate it because this is one of my very favorite secret family recipes…mama Maria’s homemade manicotti! These are the BEST homemade manicotti I have ever had and I know you will love them too. They are a poured pasta and are light and fluffy even with Liuzzi’s homemade whole milk ricotta and mozzarella inside. I use my tomato-basil pasta sauce or my slow cooked pasta sauce 101 for the homemade manicotti. These are really festive and a special dish to make for the holidays. It’s nice to serve a refreshing salad with pasta like my fennel and citrus with tangerine dressing and sides like zucchini torta, roasted beet salad with mint and feta. A light pavlova dessert with fresh pineapple and berries would make the perfect end for this manicotti dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup water
1/4 Tsp salt
4 extra large eggs
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
3 lbs. Liuzzi whole milk ricotta or your favorite
5 0z. shredded whole milk, 5 oz. park skim and 5 oz. Scamorza mozzarella mixed together ( can also do 8 oz. whole milk and 8 oz. part skim shedded and mixed)
5″ cast iron pan or 5″ non-stick pan
Baking pan approx. 11″ x 16″
Recipe for Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce Recipe or (Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce VIDEO) (This recipe is a 20-30 minute simmer but for manicotti simmer sauce for 1-2 hours if possible)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl whisk 1 cup flour, 1/4 Tsp salt with 1 cup water (approx. 20 whisks)
Add in 1 egg at a time and whisk about 5 whisks per egg
Put cast iron pan on stove on medium/high heat (a 7 out of an 11)
Put a couple of Tbsp of olive oil in a bowl with a paper towel
Rub pan with olive oil-saturated paper towel in between cooking poured pasta batter
Pour in a ladle of batter into hot pan, approx. 1/4 cup ladle
Pick up pan and swirl around 3 times and place back down onto stove
Wait about 25 seconds and flip pasta crepe over, you can use a flexible pastry knife to help you get under it…it will be easy to flip and will not ever be stuck
You never want the pasta crepe to be golden on the edges-that would be over cooking them…they should look like the photo above light in color
Immediately flip over onto floured board and flip a couple of times to cool a little
Repeat dredging saturated paper towel into pan to coat and then pour another 1/4 cup ladle of batter into pan.
Repeat this over and over until you run out of batter…this amount will make 16 manicotti
When you are done lay out a work board to roll manicotti’s on
Put ricotta in a bowl so it’s easy to work with
Pour about 2 cup of tomato sauce into the baking pan
Lay out manicotti crepe and scoop 1/4 cup ricotta going across the center of the circle as shown in the photo
Lay a piece of mozzarella in the center and roll up manicotti
Place rolled manicotti on top of sauce in pan and continue on until all the pasta crepes are done
Pour another 2-2 1/2 cups of sauce on top of roll manicotti’s, sprinkle with parmesan and cover with foil
Place in frig until you are ready to bake
Or cover with saran and then foil and put into the freezer until your event is near and then pull out two nights before and put into the frig to thaw
When you are ready to bake your manicotti put into a 350º oven and bake for 45 minutes
The manicotti will be bubbly when you take it out of the oven and need to rest for 5 minutes before serving

Pasta Sauce 101

October 20, 2022April 7, 2014 by Michel

Pasta Sauce 101

Pasta sauce is such an essential part of any kitchen that I want to share with you my basic pasta sauce that I use for so many things. What I don’t use right away I freeze in small pint-like containers for futures uses. A basic slow cooked pasta sauce can be used for virtually anything from plain pasta’s to lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, vodka sauce, sausage and peppers, curry sauces and the list goes on.

When making an authentic slow cooked pasta sauce it’s important that one of the base layers of flavors come from some kind of meat like sausages, pork chops, meatballs or braciole, thin cut flank steaks rolled and stuffed with herbs and parmesan and then sauteed like the sausages. This method is something my family has been doing for generations. I happen to love the homemade fennel sausages from Liuzzi Cheese, an Italian delicatessen located in North Haven, CT. If you haven’t been there yet you really should check it out especially for their homemade cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, and my favorite scamorza. Scamorza is an Italian cow’s milk cheese similar to mozzarella but dryer and a little saltier with better melting qualities…my kids love it! Liuzzi also has homemade pasta’s and their own delicious line of canned tomatoes and olive oils.

One of the best things about making this sauce is that your kitchen will smell amazing all day long. It would be wise to keep a crusty loaf of Italian or sourdough bread for dunking every now and then…you know, just to check and make sure every thing is going well! An appetizer dish that goes great with pasta and sauce is zucchini torta, baked asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, baked coconut shrimp,wrapped, smoked salmon with cream cheese-caper spread on crostinis, clam puffs, or how about a roasted beet salad with mint and feta, or a refreshing fennel and citrus salad with tangerine dressing. Then there always dessert to plan for like a fresh fruit pavlova, or chocolate-avocado mousse.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fennel sausage (your favorite) my favorite is Liuzzi in North Haven, CT
5 28 oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup red wine
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 lg. garlic cloves (crushed)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
2 Tsp Italian seasonings (ground in spice grinder)
1/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
3 slices pesto butter log or handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Slice up the sausage links into 3″ pieces
Smash the garlic cloves with a large knife to release the cloves from it’s wrapper
Add 3 Tbsp olive oil and 6 smashed garlic cloves to a large pan (this will be your sauce pan)
Put the heat on low and sauté garlic til lightly golden … This will take about 7-10 minutes
When the garlic is slightly golden remove from pan and set aside
Add in sliced sausage links to the same sauce pan and turn heat up to medium/high
Sauté sausage links turning every 5 minutes or so until they become golden on all sides…this will take about 20-30 minutes
Put the 1/2 of the whole peeled tomatoes into a food processor (this will take 2 rounds with this large can) and then add the golden sauteed garlic cloves
Puree for 40 seconds and add to the sautéed sausages
Add the rest of the whole peeled tomatoes and puree for another 40 seconds and again add to the pot of sauce
Add in the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan (no need to purée these) and the cup of red wine
Add in all the spices and turn heat to medium to bring to a simmer
Cover the pan, leaving a little opening at the edge to let condensation escape during the cooking process
Turn down right away to low heat and keep a low simmer for 2 1/2 hours
When you take the pan cover off to check on sauce be sure to NOT let all this condensation drip back into the sauce from the inside of the lid
Stir every 45 minutes or so to make sure bottom isn’t burning
Towards the end oil will accumulate from the sausages on the top layer of the sauce so just skim this off with a spoon
Serve and take off stove to let cool
Put into frig or into container for the freezer

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

April 8, 2014April 4, 2014 by Michel

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

It’s so nice to have a local book store like R.J. Julia’s right in own own town of Madison, CT with a gourmet bistro to boot. R.J. Julia’s café serves freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis. The café also has a full espresso bar and we can’t forget those truly amazing cupcakes that come from from La Rosticceria in Guilford. Recently I was there and had their chicken and apple salad that came with a lovely balsamic-apple vinaigrette that was both tangy and fruity. The chicken was moist and flavorful and I loved the crumbled, sweet and creamy blue cheese. It went so well with the chewy cranberries, sliced chicken breast, and apples . Being a big crouton aficionado I adored their homemade croutons that they sprinkled on top of the salad too.

The atmosphere is very sweet and relaxing inside. It’s probably a good idea to get there somewhat on the early side (before noon) because they definitely have a loyal client base and fill up fast for lunch. You won’t be disappointed that’s for sure. So next time you are strolling down main street you should pop into R.J. Julia’s Bistro for a gourmet nibble. If you are a big salad lover you may want to try my cold Asian shrimp and rice noodle salad, roasted beet salad with mint & feta, fennel and citrus salad, or follow up with my melt in your mouth turkey stuffed peppers or easy crock pot pulled pork tenderloin with BBQ sauce and whiskey.

HAND CRAFTED SALADS
COBB chicken, tomato, avocado, bleu cheese, bacon, egg 11
ROSTI goat cheese, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts 9
CAESAR romaine, chicken, shaved parmesan, caesar dressing, house croutons 10
ARUGULA fresh pear, bleu cheese, spiced walnuts, lemon dressing 9
SCOOPS your choice of one, two or three scoops of our freshly made tuna,
chicken or egg salad over fresh greens with tomato and cucumber 6/8/10
CHICKEN & APPLE chicken, apple slices, dried cranberries, bleu cheese,
red onion, white balsamic apple vinaigrette 10

all salads come with house made croutons
house salad dressings ~ creamy balsamic vinaigrette, white balsamic apple vinaigrette, lemon dressing
we also have ~ asian sesame ginger, honey mustard and caesar

Grilled Asian Salmon

March 18, 2019April 3, 2014 by Michel

Grilled Asian Salmon

Grilled Salmon or pan seared salmon is up there as one of my very favorite fish dishes! In the past I have been spoiled with having very fresh salmon to work with. You may ask how fresh was it…well I’ll tell you, we are talking so fresh it just was caught in the San Francisco Bay minutes before it was in my kitchen. My rule of thumb for fish is if your fish smells and or tastes fishy you shouldn’t cook or eat it. In fact, the marinade I use here is very light and I only soak the fish for a mere 1 hour. I want to taste the luscious meat of the salmon and only want a hint of the Asian flavors which I actually use to help caramelize the edges of the fish.

The Restaurant Depot in Milford, is where I like to buy my salmon. As shown in the photos below, they have a wonderful selection of fish. The local markets like Star Fish Market and Atlantic Seafood have a great selection of salmon. The salmon in this recipe is farm raised from Canada, so not a whole long distance to travel. I have grown to love good farm raised salmon because it is meaty and luscious in flavor and you can’t beat the price. But you need to know that I would only make my gravlax recipe from a wild salmon like a sock eye salmon. Wild Salmon is all flash frozen to -10º for at least 36 hours by regulatory means to assure that if a possibility of parasites exists they will be killed making it safe for such delectable recipes as gravlax. Gravlax is made from raw salmon (flash frozen… unless you are fishing for it yourself!) cured in salt, sugar, dill and eau-di-vie or vodka and is heavily. I have actually had a request for my gravlax recipe so stay tuned for that recipe in the up and coming weeks.

The salmon can be grilled or pan seared the only difference being you finish the salmon off in a 325º oven for 5 minutes instead of a turned off grill. I have given you the mixture for my marinade BUT if you don’t have time you have the convenience of using one of my favorite store bought marinades called Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” with the yellow and blue label which happens to be incredible on chicken, by the way. You can find Soy Vay products at all the markets on the marinade shelf. I like to serve the grilled Asian salmon with my cold asparagus-ginger salad and if you want something a little hardier you can add in my perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion recipe which would all be delicious together.

Ingredients serves 4 people:

1 lb. salmon filet
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 recipe cold asparagus-ginger salad
1 recipe perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion
Marinade #1: 1/2 cup white wine + 1/2 cup pineapple juice + 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy or Tamari soy (a dark soy) + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger + and 2 crushed garlic cloves
Marinade #2: 1 cup Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” marinade + 1 cup white wine + 2 crushed garlic cloves + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger

Directions:

Wash and dry your 1 lb. salmon
Slice into 4 even pieces
Choose marinade #1 or #2 from above
Place the salmon pieces in a large bowl with the marinade, cover with saran and pop into the frig for one hour…NO MORE
Take the salmon out and place onto paper towels to blot completely dry
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the salmon filets
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper
Heat the grill to medium/high
Rub olive oil on grill grates carefully with a brush before you put the filets down
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Close grill top
Cook for 5 minutes
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets and close grill again…you may need to wiggle filets gently on the grill with a thin metal spatula to loosen them …be patient
Cook for another 5 minutes
Turn the grill off and close grill letting them sit for another 5 minutes

For Pan Seared Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325º
Place a large sauté pan on the stove and put on medium/high heat
Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into pan
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Cook for 5 minutes
You don’t need to cover on your pan
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets…they will flip over easily in the pan
Cook for another 5 minutes
Then place pan into the oven for 5 more minutes on 325º uncovered
Take out and serve with asparagus salad, mashed potatoes & red onion and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds