Rick's Favorite Fish

I've written about my desire to "get" Rick to like seafood because it is so good for you. I've been sticking mostly to delicate fishes with consistent textures, and according to Rick, this recipe is quite a success.

1 lb cod or other delicate white fish
2 - 3 T olive oil mayonaise
2-3 t dijon mustard
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Mix the mayo and mustard, and spread over the fish filets. Grate a nice layer of shredded parmesen over the mayo mixture - think of this as your flavored salt layer.

Bake the fish for 15 minutes at 350, or until opaque.

It's quite nice with roasted asparagus as well :)

Enjoy!

Kellari Parea NYC

I wanted to get out of the recent round of the same-o same-o rounds of restaurants we have been making this winter. I went on to Open Table, and found the cute local place not too far from the apartment. Kellari Parea is a very beautiful restaurant at 36 E 20th St. Rustic but romantic, quiet but not desolate.

Our waiter told us of the fresh fishes available, and there is a display case of fresh whole fishes to admire on your way to your table. We were a bit early, but decided to sit at the table for a pre-dinner cocktail. I tried the Ginger Sun, a vodka cocktail with a topping of prosecco. It was nice. Rick ordered a Figs n Kisses cocktail - a vodka cocktail with some sweet midori like liquor - his was a a sweet kiss - I liked it a lot.

Rick was pretty hungry, and wanted to order an app early, so we chose the Saganaki, described as Flamed kefalograviera cheese. It is a definite show stopper - the cheese is fried in the kitchen, and then some kind of liquor is poured over it, and set a light. Very fun! Be sure though, to eat your Saganaki as soon as it comes. It cools quickly, and it's not nearly as nice once it's cold.

I ordered the tzatziki, and it was a nice started - a nice amount of dip with freshly baked flat bread. And our waiter happily brought more fresh flat bread when we needed it.

For dinner, Rick ordered the filet mignon medium rare. Unfortunately it came well done. I ordered Yesterday's Lamb - a specialty of the house I thought. I was expecting a nice braised meat from the description, but it was tough and grey.

Although Kellari Parea offers meat, I think really it's a seafood restaurant, and that was not clear from the website unfortunately. I was hoping to have a few tapas, and share, but Rick was up for dinner. He chalked it up to: "You don't order coffee in a Chinese restaurant." and obviously you do not order meat here.

After dinner the waiter brought some complimentary cookies with the check, and they were nice.

I think I would go back, but I would plan on a seafood extravaganza :)

Suzee's Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

It's not often I make these mushrooms. I came up with the recipe back in college, when I started cooking because I LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat - good food, not yukky food. I used this stuffing for both mushroom and baked stuffed shrimp (which were all the rage back in the day). As a college chick, I could make dinner for 6, with cocktails and wine, for less than the cost of 2 entrees at a reasonable restaurant. And I admit - mine was better! Hehehehe :) Well, I thought so, and that meant I enjoyed cooking for my friends, and they didn't seem to mind eating what I made :)

For these stuffed crabs, you need:

A can of crab, drained and squeezed well - get that juice out of there, and discard (the 6 oz size is good for 2 lbs of mushrooms)

A stick of salted butter

A sleeve of saltines (this time I used stone ground crackers)

2 lbs of mushrooms

Since I was the only one eating these cutie patooties, I only made a few, but these are the proportions.

Mince the garlic.

Melt the butter over low, and add the garlic.

Crush the crackers - not with a rolling pin so they are too fine, but just with your hands. If  you only use your hands, you won't have to worry about crushing them too finely, and they should be very, very small pieces.

Mix the crab, crackers and butter mixture.

Brush the mushrooms so they are free of dirt, and pop the mushroom stems from the mushroom cups. You can save the stems for anything calling for sliced or minced mushrooms, or if you are feeling exeedingly ambitious, make some duxelles and freeze it for later. Its an ingredient that will add richness to almost any meal including beef.

You can, at this point, pre-bake the cups for 20 minutes or so. Some people do this so that the stuffing doesn't easily fall out of the mushroom, but after trying it, I don't think it's really worth the trouble. You can decide for yourself - if you do pre-bake, you can cut the total baking time.

At this point, whether you have pre-baked or not, it's time to stuff the cups. Honestly, I always have extra stuffing left over, so pile it high :)

Snuggle all the mushrooms in a single layer in a baking dish, and bake at 350 until you smell the mushrooms, and then add 0 or 15 minutes more. This will be about 25 minutes or so for pre-baked mushrooms and about 45 for raw.

Now, if you have other things baking at 400 or 325 or whatever, this recipe is very forgiving. Adjust the cooking time and be sure to cook them until the mushrooms are fully cooked. Then enjoy!

Mussels in a White Wine Cream Sauce

My friend Amber was looking for a recipe for mussels that had a nice sauce with it. This is my basic mussel recipe, and many have asked for it.

A pinot grigio you would drink - say Cavit, inexpensive but still tasty 1/2 bottle

2 or 3 tomatoes, chopped

a softball sized onion chopped

3 or 4 fat cloves of garlic minced or grated on a microplane

2 T olive oil

2 T butter

5lbs mussels, cleaned, debearded and checked to be sure they are alive (toss any with open shells)

A splash of cream or 1/2 & 1/2

juice of 1 lemon



Saute the onion in the olive oil and butter until translucent

Add the garlic and sautee for a minute or 2 more

Add the wine, cover and bring to a simmer

Add lemon juice and tomatoes, bring back to a simmer

Add in the cleaned mussels, steam with the top on until they boil over 3x

Take the pot off the heat, stir in the cream, and serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices!!



Divine!

Blue Water Grill, a dream table

The Blue Water Grill has been on my list of restaurants to try since we moved to the city. It's a seafood focused restaurant, but there are a couple of chicken options. I didn't realize it initially, but Blue Water Grill is a part of the B. R. Guest Restaurant conglomerate. I've had good luck with restaurants associated with BRG in the past, but none were as formal as this.

I was lucky when I arrived that around 1:30 there was plenty of space inside and the patio outside was also available. I got a great table outdoors and enjoyed the view of the Union Square Park. I felt like I was celebrating the good interview I had the other day, so I ordered a Yello Bello. It has Ketel One Vodka, Lillet, Crème de Cacoa, Ginger and Lemon. It tasted a lot like a generic lemon lime soda - kind of syrupy and lacking finesse. I would not suggest it, as there are lots of other options. I enjoyed the sunshine and contemplated the menu as I sipped my cocktail.

I decided to start with the Marinated Yellowtail Sashimi  with Avocado, Ruby Red Grapefruit and Spicy Mango Dressing. I would describe this dish as more of a ceviche, as the tuna was heavily marinated in citrus - lemon, lime and perhaps grapefruit. I ordered it because there are a significant number of sushi and sashimi options on the menu, and I thought it would be especially fresh. But the citrus made me think, as it usually does, that perhaps the fish isn't as fresh as it should be. I did enjoy the caviar sprinkled over the top, and the thinly sliced fennel. The gentle little pops of the caviar were fabulous.

My entree was the seared scallops - they were different than the description on the web site - mine were with brussel sprouts, panchetta and carbonara sauce. As you can see from the photo, the sprouts were separated leaves and there was pasta involved as well - quite a nice entree :) I was glad I'd had an appetizer as 3 scallops do not an entree make, but it was delicious :)

Overall, Blue Water Grill would be a place for a business lunch, but not for a foodie extravaganza. It's a pretty expensive option, and frankly I expect much more for the money. I would put the food here on the same par as other B.R. Guest restaurants I've visited, where the bill was about half compared to the bill here.

As I looked over the menu, I couldn't help but think to myself, this is where Jumpin' Jay's Fish Cafe obtained some of it's ideas. More moderately priced, it is one of my favorite places in Portsmouth :) I love how the foodie world finds inspiration everywhere, and that it is shared all over. Very nice.

My all time Favorite - Petey's!!!

Petey's is my favorite place to stop at the beach. Between July 4th and Labor Day you are almost guaranteed to have the deck open where you can smell the salt air, and watch the ocean in a huge screened in porch. It could be that I've had many happy memories here - we used to live less than 3 miles away and had fun stopping by on the motorcycle. Or it could be that when Rick ate here, he noted that they had the best fried chicken sandwich anywhere. He'd order it with lettuce, tomato and mayo. Rick doesn't care for seafood. But as you know, reading my blog, I LOVE SEAFOOD! And this place would cater to everyone in a wonderfully relaxed way that always made me feeli like I was on vacation, even if I was only out for a weeknight nosh. That is truly a gift for a restaurant - in my humble opinion.

Note - soft shell twins were $17.99 at our first trip. With a huge scoop of cole slaw and choice of starch, it was quite a deal! Then, when we went with my family, soft shell twins were $15.99!!  Incredible!!

This last vacation, we stopped in to Petey's on the way to York Beach, and sat at the bar where Rick didn't have to watch me dismember a couple of bugs (aka lobsters). We had a great lunch.

After Water Country, we stopped here as well - just a hop skip to route 1A from there. And the cool thing is that we had just as much fun with my parents and my niece as we did on our own. Because everyone gets what they like here :) Life is good at Petey's!

Pershing Square Outdoor Cafe

 Rick called me Thusday after work to see if I was interested in an apres work cocktail alfresco. He saw that there were tables open at Pershing Square where the street is blocked on the southbound side of Park between 42nd and 41st. It's right across from Grand Central Terminal, with lots of space.

I put my clothes back on since I had already changed in to my cozies, and took a stroll over to find Rick and the table he was saving for us. When I arrived the waiter quickly brought drinks and let us peruse the menus. They have a bar menu and a dinner menu. Lots of great snacks to choose from, Rick decided on the chicken tenders, and I was going to have the shrimpcargo (essentially a scampi minus the pasta I believe), but the waiter sold me on trying the soft-shelled crabs. Now, despite spending many summers on a lobster boat where we caught many blue crabs as well, I'd never had this delicacy. So I figured as a seafood goddess, I should at LEAST try them.

Now, soft shell crabs are crabs which have recently molted. I remember seeing lobsters with paper thin shells, but not any crabs. That doesn't mean there weren't any, just that I didn't see them from my perch in front of the windshield where my parents could be sure that little feet didn't get caught in the ropes and pulled overboard.

My crabs came looking something like this photo. I pulled them apart a bit - the legs stay attached to the body sections that are filled with crab meat, and you just pop the whole thing in your mouth. It was nice - essentially I think the draw to these little buggers is that you can deep fry them. Crab meat is too delicate to fry normally - it would just fall apart. So the papery skin that would eventually be a shell contains the sweet meat so it can be rolled around in egg, flour and/or bread crumbs. People do eat the crabs whole in sandwiches, but frankly I didn't really see the purpose of eating the top shell as mine were sitting on my plate with a small hearts of palm salad next to it (I don't care for hearts of palm). I would have these again sometime, perhaps at a chinese food place as they can have some interesting preparations.

I imagine we will definitely hit the outdoor seating at Pershing Square again too.

Suzee's Tuna Tartine

Tonight was a laid back supper night. Rick's been low-carbing it, so on Sunday I prepped some go-to snacks for us. And, believe it or not, he asked me to make some tuna salad with onion!

Tonight it's cold and wet out, so we probably would have ordered soup or something warm, but we weren't that hungry. I put together these tartines, and Rick decided he wanted some too. He liked the Wasa Crisp Bread cracker base, and the savory flavor of the fresh avacado, and the tomato and cucumber lighted it up.

Here is how I made them
3 Wasa Light Crisp Bread, Multigrain
3 heaping tablespoons of tuna salad
1/2 an avacado sliced
1/2C or so chopped tomato and cucumber

Layer the ingredients as listed, and enjoy.

Suzee's Baked Stuffed Scallops with Fennel

I ordered fresh sea scallops from Fresh Direct because they were on sale, and because Rick once said at a restaurant that he didn't think they were too bad. The arrived today, fresh as a daisy, and I decided to continue my fennel / seafood theme :)

I arranged the scallops so they were touching in the baking dish - I ordered a pound, but Rick wasn't "that hungry" today. I swear I should just order enough for me and just give him a couple :) Actually - he was so cute and proud that he ate 4. They are pretty big, and I don't mind having another 6 for lunch tomorrow :)

I chopped a fennel bulb in a 1/2" dice and sauteed it in a little butter. I crushed about 8 saltines in a bag to make crumbs, and tossed them in the pan with a knob of butter. I mixed it all together and piled it on top of the scallops. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and baked them for 15 minutes in a hot oven.

They were sweet and delicious - quite nice with the fennel crumb and the Babich Marlborough Savignon Blanc. The wine was a little sweet for me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fruity nose. And it did marry well with the scallops.

I figure if Rick will eat it, so will your non-seafood eating loved ones :) Enjoy!

Flounder with Fennel and Garlic

Tonight I made comfort food. I know - who thinks of fish as comfort food? I do!

When I was growing up, my parent's idea of fun was to go deep sea fishing, dig clams, pull oysters, catch lobsters, go smelting and once, even go scalloping. And you know what? It was fun :D

In the warm weather we'd go out on the boat, and sometimes we'd get cod, and once we got big mackerel. Usually we got flounder. So when it comes to fish, I'm used to cooking it the same day you catch it. That's the best :)

I ordered some flounder from Fresh Direct that was delivered today. They advertised it as 4 out of 5 stars in quality. I don't think I've seen anything advertised as 5 star on their site, but I've seen plenty of 3 star, so I figured I'd give it a try. It's guaranteed after all. If it's not good, I just email them for a refund.

Now, to cook it so Rick is not dreading dinner. Unlike me, Rick hated everything to do with deep sea fishing when he was a kid, and he usually fed the fish over the side rather than with a pole and bait. Seafood was not a usual occurance at his house, and overall, he prefers not to eat it. I'll keep trying to get him to like it, though, because it's so gosh darn good for you!! That's how I came up with the shaved fennel. Usually I'd make fish topped with chopped onion sauteed in butter, and he doesn't mind that as much. And get this - he actually let me serve him a second piece and he ate it! Woo!

Here is what I did.

Preheat the oven at 375 or 400. Shave one bulb of fennel with a mandoline, and toss it in a pan to sautee with 1T oil and 1T butter. Peel and chop 2 or 3 fat cloves of garlic, and add them to the pan. Rinse the fish, and lay it in an oven to table dish. When the fennel and garlic have softened and started to color, spread it over the fish. Add another 2T of butter to the pan and let the residual heat melt it. Pour this over the fish. Pop the fish in the oven for 10 minutes. Slice a lemon if you like it, and chop some fresh parsley. When the fish is done, top it with the parsley and serve it with lemon slices on the side.

DELISH! The fennel adds a sweet tarragon flavor, and you know how much I love tarragon ;) Enjoy!