Slow Roasted Alaska Halibut with Fennel & Tomatoes Recipe

When I was growing up we had a second freezer that I swear was packed full of halibut. My father got it somewhere and we ate it for what seemed like years. I remember that it was dry, tough and somewhat stringy. Was it terribly freezer burned? Only recently my mother told me it might not have been halibut. What it actually was will forever remain a mystery. But it was years before I tried halibut again and imagine my surprise to discover that it is a delicate, creamy and luscious fish.

Recently I was in Alaska to learn more about seafood so naturally I went fishing. Our boat caught a tremendous amount of halibut. Halibut can be very big fish and now I've come full circle and am enjoying having a freezer full of it. I believe the secret to cooking halibut is to be extremely gentle. It cooks up wonderfully when roasted slowly and is much harder to overcook at low temperatures. In this recipe you roast vegetables at high heat, give the fish a little rest at room temperature with a  spice rub and then coat the fish with the juicy vegetables to help keep it moist while cooking it ever so slowly.

In 2014 Americans ate over 100 pounds red meat and about 100 pounds of poultry per capita, but only around 14 pounds of fish and seafood That's a shame because seafood is really good and even a small serving can be very satisfying. I find about 4 ounces is plenty.

Some more things to know about Alaska seafood : 

* It's healthy--3 1/2 ounces cooked halibut has 140 calories, 27 grams of protein and 460 mg of Omega 3

* It's easy to cook

* It can be prepared very quickly

Note:  If you don't have cherry or grape tomatoes, just use diced Roma tomatoes instead.

Slow Roasted Alaska Halibut with Fennel & Tomatoes 
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb

2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes 

4 garlic cloves thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 halibut filets, about 4 - 5 ounces each

1/2 teaspoon paprika—any kind is fine, smoked, sweet or hot

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 450°.

Lined a roasting pan or baking dish with foil. Layer on the fennel then garlic and top with the tomatoes Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile combine the paprika, salt, and onion powder. Pat dry the fish and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture. Let the fish rest at room temperature while the vegetables are roasting. 

When vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan. Place the filets in the center of the pan and pile the vegetables on top of the filets. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Alaska Seafood for hosting me on my trip to Alaska. I was not compensated monetarily to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy. 

Alaska Seafood Moqueca Recipe

I'm just back from the incredibly wild and unspoiled state of Alaska. I was on the trip with food writers and chefs as well as a seafood importer. I got a chance to talk with a lot of people involved with Alaska seafood including a biologist, a conservationist, a manager from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the proprietor of an oyster farm and even a senator and commercial fisherman. I was impressed with their efforts to keep the seafood industry sustainable and environmentally friendly.

My itinerary was jam packed. I flew in a sea plane over glaciers, foraged along the seashore and into the forest, fished for salmon and halibut (and caught one of each). I tasted all five species of salmon, and I also got a chance to observe some cooking demonstrations where I picked up some great cooking tips. One recipe I couldn't wait to try at home came from Chef Fernando Corsi, who lives in São Paolo. It was his version of a very traditional Brazilian recipe called moqueca. If you look for recipes online you will find they vary greatly. I think it might be more about technique than anything else. Vegetables, coconut milk and aromatics are layered in a clay pot and topped with seafood. But you can make it any pot you happen to have. 

Americans eat less seafood than other proteins like chicken, pork or beef and that's a shame because seafood is really healthy and delicious. Almost 60% of the seafood in the US comes from Alaska and is wild, natural and sustainable.

Chef Fernando Corsi used local Alaskan fish and shrimp rather than what he would find in Brazil and emphasized how flexible this recipe is. Not only is it a satisfying combination of flavors--tomatoes, onions, peppers and lime, cilantro, garlic and ginger, it's also because it is extremely quick and easy to make. Served with rice it's a terrific one pot meal. Could it help convince you to eat more seafood? I certainly hope so!

Note: One key ingredient in Moqueca is dende oil, but the chef showed us how to use turmeric and any plain oil instead. If you have palm oil feel free to use it.

Moqueca

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons coconut oil, or other vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons turmeric

2 teaspoons grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, red or white, sliced into rings 

2 bell peppers. sliced into rings 

1 small hot chile such as serrano, sliced

2 medium sized tomatoes, sliced into rounds
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 can coconut milk 

Sprigs of cilantro, chopped

3/4 pound shrimp, peeled

3/4 pound firm white fish such as halibut or cod, cut into bite sized pieces

Juice of one lime

Instructions 

Heat the oil in a medium heavy pot. Add the coconut oil and turmeric. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. 

Layer in the onions, tomatoes and peppers then season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes.

Season the seafood with salt and pepper and add to the pot along with the coconut milk. Cook just until the fish is cooked through. Stir in the lime juice then taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Garnish the stew with the chopped cilantro and serve over rice.

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Chef Fernando Corsi for the recipe and to Alaska Seafood for hosting me on this trip. I was not compensated monetarily to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy. 

California Roll Tartine Recipe

After completing some recipes for a client recently I was looking for something to do with leftover fake crab, and it occurred to me that the most common way to use it was in a California Roll. But I gave it a twist making a California Roll Tartine instead, using toasted whole grain bread, topped with sliced avocado, unrolled "crab legs" and thin slices of cucumber. If you like a California Roll, you can be pretty sure you're going to like the sandwich too. 

According to one of my favorite food history resources, The Food Timeline, two different Japanese sushi chefs coming out Los Angeles in the early 1970's are credited for having invented the California Roll, an Americanized sushi that quickly became very popular. The sushi roll sometimes uses real crab but more often uses fake crab, made from surimi. The roll was invented around the same time imitation crab was produced and patented. 

This was the first time I ever bought a package of crab sticks. Call it imitation crab, fake crab, surimi, or whatever you like, it's a product made from the Alaskan fish pollock, and is commonly used in things like sushi, chirashi or salads. It doesn't contain much crab if any at all, and truth be told it doesn't really taste like crab, but it is inexpensive and convenient and I actually like the way it tastes. It comes in sticks, but you can unroll them into thin sheets that can easily go in a sandwich or you can shred them to make a seafood salad. 

The combination of avocado, cucumber and crab or fake crab is so tried and true, I think you could use it other ways as well--piled on crackers, or stacked in appetizer style kabobs, maybe even rolled into rice paper, like a summer roll. If you prefer a more traditional sandwich with two slices of bread, you could make a heartier fake crab salad sandwich filling by shredding the crab sticks and mixing it with mayonnaise. As a tartine or open faced sandwich it makes a nice lunch but would also be a lovely thing to serve for afternoon tea. 

California Roll Tartine

Ingredients

Whole grain peasant bread slices, toasted

Avocado, sliced, about 1/3 per sandwich

Crab sticks, rolled, about 2 per sandwich

English cucumber, thinly sliced, enough to cover the bread 

Instructions 

Layer or spread the avocado evenly on the toasted bread, as thick as you like. Top with the unrolled crab sticks and finish with the cucumber slices. 

Enjoy!

Paiche Recipe and Giveaway

It’s not everyday that you get the chance to try a fish you’ve never even heard of before. Last week I cooked paiche (pie-chay) a fish from the Amazon, also known as arapaima or pirarucu. Freshwater paiche are huge, growing be up to near 500 pounds, and breathe through lungs rather than gills. Considered a prehistoric fish, the flesh is very firm, but also rich and high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Endangered in the wild from overfishing, paiche is now raised commercially in ponds so wild fish remain protected, and free of any antibiotics or mercury. It’s one of the top fish farmed in Peru, and you may find it on restaurant menus or at Whole Foods, the only retailer currently selling it in the US.  It’s easy to cook paiche for a couple of reasons, because it’s dense and firm it won’t easily fall apart and because it’s rich it doesn’t get dry, even if you overcook it. It has a very clean, buttery slightly sweet flavor and is somewhat similar to sea bass or cod in texture.  I prepared the dish simply with a tangy sauce that held up well to the flavor of the fish, and served it with a winter salad of fennel, radishes and lemons with fresh mint.

If you'd like to try paiche, leave a comment telling me how you'd choose to prepare it. I will pick one winner at random who will receive a $50 Whole Foods gift certificate. One entry per person, and you must leave a valid email address (don't worry, only I will see it) and have a US mailing address. I will pick the winner on January 27th, 2014. Whole Foods offers a few recipes to consider such as Lime-Roasted Paiche with Sweet Potatoes and Pan-Seared Paiche with Spicy Avocado Sauce. I think it would be fantastic in this ceviche.

Note: The salad can also be served separately. A tiny pinch of sugar brings out the sweetness in the fennels and lemon. I used California Olive Ranch Limited Reserve olive oil, which is seasonally available only after the harvest. Like the Italian "olio nuovo" it's very fresh and best used while before it mellows. 

Paiche with Miso Butter and Fennel Radish Salad

Serves 4 

Ingredients

4 paiche fillets, about 6 ounces each about 3/4 inch thick 

2 teaspoons oil

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons white miso 

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sugar

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into about 5 pieces 

1/2 fennel bulb

5 radishes

1/2 lemon

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (olio nuovo recommended)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

20 mint leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions

Using a mandolin if you have one, or a very sharp knife, thinly slice the fennel, radishes and half a lemon, removing any seeds.  Toss the slices with olive oil, salt and mint. 

In a small saucepan combine the lemon juice, miso, mustard and sugar with a whisk. Heat very gently over low heat and whisk in the butter, allowing it to melt and emulsify the sauce. 

Sear the fish in a hot non-stick pan coated with a little oil, and cook about 4 minutes on each side. The fish should be cooked through and white, not pink. 

One each plate serve a fillet of fish, topped with a tablespoon of the sauce and with some salad. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Whole Foods for supply a gift card so I could try the fish and also for one lucky reader. 

Sea Urchin Spaghetti Recipe

Sea urchin or uni is rich and creamy. It tastes very briny and yet sweet. Emulsified with some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, it makes a wonderful sauce for pasta. The type of pasta you use is up to you of course, but isn't it gorgeous on squid ink pasta? I love the look and flavor of squid ink pasta. It's such a treat! I got mine from Mattarello, a fresh pasta company run by John Pauley and his wife Anna.

I was a fan of John's pasta back when he was still cooking at Rex Cafe around the corner from my house. Now he sells his pasta at pop ups, generally at either Gourmet and More on Franklin or Biondivino wine shop on Green Street. His squid ink pasta is so good you can enjoy it with just a simple olive oil, garlic and white wine sauce with a little bit of chili flakes or parsley. He also sells lasagna, tortellini and some different shapes and styles of pasta, all made by hand.

This pasta is really a showstopper. I'd recommend serving it for a special occasion or dinner party. I adapted the recipe from one by Sara Jenkins I found in La Cucina Italiana, "spaghetti ai ricci di mare" but I simplified it a bit and didn't use any garlic.

Note: Another option is to make the sauce and top the pasta with another type of seafood instead of just more sea urchin. It's delicious with sautéed scallops or shrimp.

Sea Urchin Spaghetti
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course

Ingredients

About 4 ounces fresh sea urchin, divided
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound fresh pasta preferably squid ink spaghetti
2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine 2 1/2  ounces sea urchin and lemon juice in the blender, purée until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a slow and steady stream until you have a thick emulsified sauce, the texture of mayonnaise. Transfer the sauce and parsley to a large bowl.

Cook pasta until just al dente. Drain and place in the bowl with sauce and parsley, and toss together. Let pasta sit just until it absorbs some of the sauce, about 1 minute, then season with salt to taste. Portion pasta onto serving plates. Top with remaining uni and garnish with chives.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to Whole Foods for providing a sample of sea urchin for this recipe. 

Peach Avocado Lobster Cocktail Recipe

I confess, I only cooked live lobsters once, and I kind of freaked out. I made Lee come and put the lobsters in the pot. That was several years ago, so when the nice folks at LobsterAnywhere offered to send me some fresh lobsters, I figured now was as good a time as any to overcome my phobia.

LobsterAnywhere has been a wholesale purveyor since 1999, and their prices are a bit less than some of their competitors. They pride themselves on providing top quality hard shell lobsters from Maine and indeed, mine were very large and very lively when they arrived! They sent the lobsters with a booklet of very useful information, especially on the timing for boiling or steaming them. I went with steaming. But I didn't just drop the lobsters head first into the pot. I followed the instructions on the Fine Cooking video for How to Kill a Lobster. Many articles and experts say it's more humane to kill the lobsters first and them steam them. So I chilled them down for a few minutes, and sliced through the heads before putting them in the pot. 

LobsterAnywhere also offers desserts and a delicious clam chowder, but the main focus is on fresh live lobsters. I know many people think eating them with butter and lemon is best, but I like creating recipes so that's what I did. I was planning on making a mango and lobster cocktail, but I had some excellent peaches and so I used those instead. But I'm sure it would be good with mango too. After you get over your fear of lobsters, the rest is easy! 



Peach Avocado Lobster Cocktail Recipe
Serves 1

Ingredients

2 ounces lobster
1/3 cup seedless cucumber, diced
1/4 avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 peach, diced
1/4 lime

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1  Tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
Salt and chili pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, vinegar, honey and seasonings to taste. Whisk together thoroughly. Place the lobster in a bowl. Toss it with a bit of the dressing. In a separate bowl combine the cucumber, avocado and peaches and squeeze the lime over the mixture. Then dress the fruits and vegetables lightly with the dressing. Layer the avocado, cucumber and peach with the lobster in a glass. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: LobsterAnywhere provided me with the lobsters used in this recipe. They did not pay me to write this post.