GOOD LUCK DELUXE

Some of you have inquired as to when you’re going to shake the Magic 8 Ball and get a Friday fish or seafood feature out of me…

Since I am selective as to what I feature on my blog (sometimes ), good things come to those who wait. Today’s your lucky day, because it’s Maine Scallops Day!

If you’ve never had seafood from the state of Maine, you’re only missing the freshest-tasting aquatic delights possibly on the planet. Even when frozen, Maine seafood is fantastic!

These succulent, fresh-frozen Maine scallops are ready for the grill or sauté pan.

Squeeze a fresh lime over them when they’re hot off the grill or seared on the stove, and sprinkle with a pinch of your favorite fresh herbs. Nirvana! And don’t forget to serve these sea gems with a great veggie… A frisée salad or white asparagus marry in perfect harmony with these scallops.

To commence with the ceremony and race to the honeymoon (always the best part!), click here to order!

I tweaked this dish from a recipe for curry chicken that a Guyanese friend gave me. Make sure you’re using real Jamaican curry powder - not Indian curry.

Caribbean Curried Shrimp
Serves 4

Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Large onion, sliced
1 bunch fresh scallions or chives, chopped
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled
1 bouillon cube (any brand, but Goya is best)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Jamaican curry powder, mild or hot
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1 can of water (use empty coconut milk can to measure)
1 Tbsp. ketchup

Clean and devein shrimp; set aside. In a large non-stick Dutch oven or skillet, brown garlic, onion and scallions in olive oil. Add bouillon cube and curry powder. Next, add coconut milk, water and ketchup and stir. Cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. After sauce has simmered, add shrimp and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes or until shrimp are no longer pink, removing lid halfway through that cooking time to thicken the sauce. Serve with white rice.

Enjoy!

I found these tasty clambakes on Amazon. You know how I feel about lobster.
Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Clambakes are the IDEAL summertime food!

Clambake for Two (photo shown above)
Live Maine lobsters, fresh clams, and rich, creamy clam chowder are the ingredients for this authentic New England clambake. A genuinely impressive gift that captures the essence of New England, this classic assortment of seafood favorites is always appreciated.

You’ll start with Gorton’s award-winning New England clam chowder, then move on to live clams - harvested locally so they’re fresh and tender. The finale? Luscious live Maine lobsters of premium quality…juicy, sweet, and sure to please.

Gorton’s Five Star New England Clambake includes all of the ingredients for a classic
New England clambake - succulent, live Maine lobsters, fresh steamer clams, and their award-winning clam chowder. It’s an unforgettable feast that goes straight from the shore to your door!

The only fiddling in your kitchen that you have to do to complete this feast is steam some corn on the cob and red-skinned potatoes until tender, melt some butter
(the real stuff) and dig in!

Clambake for Four, from Seafood at Your Door Fish Market

Historically, the New England clambake was prepared in a deep hole dug into the sand. Large seaweed-covered rocks were heated with burned driftwood, then seafood and vegetables were tucked inside and covered with sand to slowly steam for hours.

Well, we have a better idea!

We’ll pack one live lobster per person; fresh world-famous Seafood at Your Door Clams in the shell; three 15 oz. cans of Seafood at Your Door Fish Market Clam Chowder ready to mix fresh with milk or cream; crunchy oyster crackers; a sampling of Blue Mussels; plus foolproof directions for preparing this traditional New England feast.

To complete the New England experience, we include paper lobster bibs and lobster nutcrackers. Items are shipped overnight. Shipping is included.

To order securely through Amazon, click on either of the pictures in this post.

Mango salsa is always a good idea.

I found this great recipe on Food TV in Canada. I love its pairing of Cajun blackening seasoning with a fresh, fruity, Caribbean salsa. Your mouth will grow more pleased
with each forkful!

If halibut is too dry of a fish selection for you, I would certainly substitute it with Chilean sea bass or any other moist, light fish. Yum!

Blackened Halibut With Mango Salsa

For the Fish

* 4 x 7 ounce portions of halibut or cod filets with skin on
* 1 1/2 tbsp blackening spice
* 1 tbsp olive oil

Mango Salsa

* 2 x mangoes cubed into ½ inch pieces
* 2 x green onions sliced thinly
* 2 tbsp red onion, chopped fine
* 1 x Thai chili, finely chopped
* 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped roughly
* 2 tbsp red pepper, chopped into ¼ inch cubes
* Juice of 2 limes
* Salt and pepper to taste

Fish Directions
1. Place a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Allow pan to preheat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile pat fish dry with paper towels and sprinkle with spice rub.

2. Place oil into preheated pan then fish flesh side down. Allow to cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until a nice dark crust has formed on the fish. Carefully flip fish over and place into preheated oven for a further 7 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove from oven and serve with mango salsa.

Mango Salsa Directions
1. Combined all ingredients in a bowl and add season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill mixture in refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving.

This fish would go perfectly served with coconut rice and a carafe of chilled Riesling.

Mmm, now THIS looks appetizing! I found this delicious recipe on EatingWell.com.
The best part? They’re only 320 calories and pack 26 grams of protein per serving!

Shrimp Enchiladas Verde

Shrimp with a spicy tomatillo-cilantro sauce, a common combination in coastal Mexican cuisine, make bright-tasting enchiladas. Pre-cooked shrimp help get these enchiladas on your table in a hurry.

Makes 8 servings

1 pound peeled cooked shrimp (21-25 per pound; thawed if frozen), tails removed, diced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles (not drained)
2 cups canned green enchilada sauce or green salsa, divided
12 corn tortillas
1 15-ounce can nonfat refried beans
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese, such as Mexican-style, Monterey Jack or Cheddar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

1. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Combine shrimp, corn, chiles and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (or salsa) in a microwave-safe medium bowl. Cover and microwave on High until heated through,
2 1/2 minutes.

3. Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce (or salsa) in the prepared baking dish. Top with an overlapping layer of 6 tortillas. Spread refried beans evenly over the tortillas. Top the beans with the shrimp mixture, followed by the remaining 6 tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce (or salsa) over the tortillas. Cover with foil.

4. Bake the enchiladas until they begin to bubble on the sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle cheese on top. Continue baking until heated through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more. Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare through Step 3, cover and refrigerate for up to one day. Allow the cold baking dish to warm slightly before placing in a hot oven.

Some of you may call this “Salade Niçoise,” but I just call it good!

I found this recipe on France Attraction.

Tuna and Warm Potato Salad

This is a fabulous salad for winter or summer gatherings, full of different textures and rich flavors. Excellent as a main course - try serving it in a large dish in the center of the table with plenty of crusty bread.

Serves 6

500g small new potatoes
olive oil for coating
250g cherry tomatoes
200g fine green beans, topped and tailed
200g tuna in olive oil, drained
4 anchovies, cut lengthways into thin strips
1 large bunch of basil

For the dressing:
2 shallots, finely diced
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp grainy mustard (such as Meaux)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Gently cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of simmering water for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Lightly brush a baking tray with olive oil. Toss the cherry tomatoes in the oil to coat them and roast in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Place the dressing ingredients, except the oil, into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well blended. Then add the olive oil and shake vigorously again.

Drain the potatoes, cut them in half and place in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat the warm potatoes. Plunge the green beans into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain well and add, while warm, to the potatoes.

Flake and add the tuna along with the anchovy strips and the tomatoes straight from the oven, and gently mix. Tear up the basil, scatter it over the tuna salad and serve immediately.

It’s so, so good!

Some of my readers are hardcore sushi and Japanese food lovers. Others of you enjoy eating sushi and may have an interest in preparing it at home. This cookbook is for you!

Excruciatingly chic to the highest degree, the Nobu restaurants are among the hardest to get into on three continents. They are the personal inspiration of a Japanese sushi-trained chef, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, who, with unusual experiences in Peru, Argentina, and Alaska behind him, was fortunate enough to open an establishment in Los Angeles into which part-time restaurant entrepreneur and actor Robert De Niro happened to wander. During those years on the Pacific coast, Nobu began to experiment, combining the pure, fresh, uncomplicated flavors of sushi with the Western flavors of garlic, chili, and coriander. As he attracted a more upscale clientele, he complemented those flavors with luxury ingredients such as truffles and caviar.

Nobu: The Cookbook represents the current state of play. Exquisite, expensive, and breathtakingly stylish, this food is designed to impress with its artful simplicity. Perhaps the two most representative dishes are the most celebrated: the New-Style Sushi, in which raw fish is given a sizzling dressing of hot oil; and the beautiful
Black Cod with Miso, marinated in sake, mirin, and miso for three days then grilled and baked and served with a single ikebana-like spear of pickled juvenile ginger. Altogether, a beautiful production!

Click on the pic above to order your copy of the cookbook.

What time is dinner?

I just can’t leave the Mackenzie Limited site alone! They make the BEST seafood delicacies!

Lobster pot pies are a classic Maine offering that suggest a relaxing evening in a seaside cottage. These pies of love are loaded with sweet Maine lobster, laced with a sherry cream sauce, and topped with buttery puff pastry.

Packed in reusable ceramic ramekins. Gorgeous, sumptuous, and delicious! Four 4-oz. pies.

Who needs a date on Friday when you have one of these beauties to come home to!

Honey, could I tell you stories about the fabu Shrimp Creole my mother makes. Hers is a Paul Prudhomme-inspired recipe, and MAN - is it GOOD!

I haven’t had authentic Shrimp Creole in eons. In fact, I can’t even remember when I last had it. OK, I’m seriously due for some Creole love!

I enjoy discovering new twists on old favorites. I recently happened upon this sexy
Shrimp Creole recipe. It’s certainly worth a try. Let me know how you like it!

If you fancy Cajun and Creole food (and who doesn’t?!), then I’m sure you’ll loooove
French Market Foods. Their Shrimp Creole, made with a tomato and roux base, looks seriously yummy. All the taste and flavor of real Creole food…with none of the work!

If Shrimp Creole ain’t your thing, then maybe French Market Foods’ Shrimp Etouffee and Shrimp Gumbo will beckon you.

For those of you who just flat-out hate shrimp, I give you permission to sift through the French Market Foods web site to check out their intriguing meat specialties, such as Stuffed Pork Chops…

…and their savory Meat Pies!

But just this once! Next Friday, we’ll be back on the bandwagon of fish and seafood ONLY.

See, mama knows how to treat you once in a while.

Salmon is my absolute favorite fish. I guess you’ve pretty much gathered that, considering how I always mention salmon sashimi when I do a sushi restaurant review.

But these Salmon Wellingtons take the cake!

Fresh Atlantic salmon is topped with mild mushrooms and wrapped in puff pastry for an incomparable combination of tastes and textures in this delicacy from Mackenzie Ltd.

The earthy mushrooms are an ideal counterpoint for the rich salmon and flaky pastry. Perfect for an afternoon party or an elegant supper, simply bake and serve. A gourmet classic!

These would also be great to serve at a wedding feast. One word - YUM!