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Q).
Dear Chef,
Does your wife ever cook for you? I would think it very intimidating to
cook for such an accomplished chef. I always worry that my husband won't
like what I cook for him and he doesn't even cook.
Susan F., Via e-mail
A). I'm glad you asked, Susie! The other night I lucked out
again. My wife's dog Alphi, had some slow-cooked lamb shanks, prepared
by my lovely wife and I got one (he got three - lucky dog). Later that
same night, she cooked a pot roast for her
mother and I got a bowl of that too - I'm a lucky dog!
Only on Cannery Row! The squid boats are back! Come watch the
fabulous light shows from every ocean-side restaurant on the Row!
Nowhere in the world can
you see this kind of activity so close to shore.
A personal thanks to Sal Vermi and his 13
year old nephew, "Little Sal", for the
beautiful salmon on Saturday night. |
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Recently while at Monterey Fish, Peter the fish cutter had made some
salmon loaf. He was very proud to let me taste it. Not bad Pete, so
where's the recipe? While I'm waiting here's another recipe from my
Cooking with Mushrooms cookbook.
Salmon Cakes Recipe
Serves 6
1 1/2 lb. salmon fillets, skin removed 3 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
1 cup mushrooms chopped fine
4 slices bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup cream 4 tbsp butter, unsalted
2 shallots, chopped fine 1 tbsp mustard, dry
4 tbsp parsley, Italian flat-leaf, chopped 2 eggs
1/4 cup flour 1 tbsp Sensational Seasoning
1 cup cracker meal
2 lemons, quartered
1 cup tarter sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Paint both sides of salmon fillets with a
bit of olive oil, and place them on a preheated cast iron stovetop grill
or skillet, over medium-high heat, Grill on each |
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side for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove
from
grill and place in a large bowl to cool. In a separate bowl, place bread
in cream, and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Remove bread and gently
squeeze out majority of cream. Sauté shallots, over medium-low heat in 1
tablespoon of butter for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
When salmon is cool, flake salmon by hand into small pieces. Add chopped
mushrooms, bread, dry mustard, and parsley and mash together well. Form
6 patties.
Place three pie pans on counter top. Fill one pan with flour. Fill
second pan with well beaten eggs. Fill third pan with cracker meal
seasoned with Sensational Seasoning, salt and pepper. Coat patties with
flour, then eggs, then cracker meal. Grill patties on cast iron stovetop
grill or in broiler for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Put 1/2 teaspoon of
butter on top of each patty, after you flip it to cook the other side.
Garnish with quartered lemons, and serve with tarter sauce. |
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Q). Dear John,
I am having a dinner in honor of my son's graduation from Auburn
University. We live on Mobile Bay (Alabama) and I would like to cook
fresh, in-the-shell oysters on a beach fire. Do you know how I could
accomplish this task?
Thanks,
Pam
Via e-mail |
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A). Make a mixture of sweet butter,
chopped garlic, a little lemon juice, a shot of hot sauce and grated
Romano cheese. Using a grill and tongs, steam open the oysters or clams
(they will pop open in a few minutes). Remove from the fire, rip off the
top shell and smell each one. If they smell good, use them;
if not, throw them away. Add a dollop of the butter mixture and put back |
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on the fire. Let it poach a bit but don't
over cook them (that means shriveled up and dried out). With a bit of
practice you will get this down. Also use a Mexican salsa or barbecue
sauce - your own or a good quality bottled one. Serve on a plate then
throw the shells on the beach for recycling. A good crisp white wine and
you've got it! |
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Q). A few months ago, you and another
gentleman were making a roux for seafood gumbo. You made it look so easy
and I would really appreciate it if I could get the recipe.
Thank you. Dee Dee,
Via e-mail
A). Dee Dee, a roux is nothing more
than a thickener. It's a combination of 50% flour and 50% vegetable oil
or, better yet, lard. Butter can also be used, but for gumbo, you need
lard. Begin by melting say one cup of lard on medium heat for one
minute. Add one cup of flour and start stirring - don't let it burn! If
it gets too hot turn down the heat - if it burns, throw it out and start
over. There are three degrees of roux depending on how long you cook it.
Blonde (cooked the least), light brown and dark or "mahogany." Use the
mahogany for gumbo. This darkest roux will take about 25 minutes. There
are many |
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recipes for gumbo. Last year, while in
Louisiana, we tasted an authentic gumbo made by some Cajun folks on the
banks of the Ol' Mississippi. It sure wasn't the rich, thick soup we are
used to here. Here is my recipe; that rich,
thick style gumbo that I like.
Seafood
Gumbo Recipe
1 pound ground up andouille sausage (or kielbasa)
1 pound shelled raw shrimp (prawns - 16/20 size)
2 pounds chicken, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 head of celery, chopped
4 medium bell peppers, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/3 jar of Sensational Seasoning(r) or Cajun seasoning
3 quarts of chicken stock or homemade crab stock
salt & pepper to taste
mahogany roux |
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Brown chicken and remove. Sautee onions,
celery, garlic and bell peppers in a bit of lard until lightly brown.
Add sausage and cook for a few minutes. Add some stock - 1 1/2 quarts,
more or less. Now add salt, pepper, bay leaves, Sensational Seasoning®
and chicken and cook until chicken is well cooked - 20 to 30 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook another 6 or 7 minutes. Finally, start adding the
roux, a little at a time and it will start to thicken the up. If you
want to thin it, just add more stock. It should be the consistency of a
thin cream soup. Have ready some plain boiled long-grain rice. Put some
rice in a bowl, top with gumbo, sprinkle on some sassafras and chopped
green onions and have some hot sauce handy. Now put on the Cajun music
and watch out! All you need then is a mess of crawdads, some fried
alligator, watermelon, cold beer and sodas for the kids -
Hi-de-hi-de-ho!
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