Keep It Simple Foods » Fish

Smoked Salmon and Crème Fraiche Linguine

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:35:57 +0000

This may be one of the simplest, quickest dinner recipes I’ve ever posted. It’s a recipe I created while living in a tiny dorm-like apartment in France. I can’t even say it was a studio because it was actually a single, cramped bedroom in a high school where I taught English to French students. There was a shower, bed, wardrobe, desk and a single, very sad, little hot plate where I cooked most of my meals. As I had very little room for food prep, I ended up making a lot of one dish recipes. This was by far my favorite not only because it was so simple to make, but because smoky, salty salmon against creamy noodles is one of the best flavor combinations I know. Now I have a serious craving.

Ingredients:

8 oz linguine

8 oz smoked salmon, sliced into small pieces

1 bunch of chives, chopped

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup crème fraiche (or sour cream)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions: First, cook the linguine. Drain and set aside.

In a large pan, over medium heat cook the shallots in the oil for a minute or two. Next, add the pasta and crème fraiche and combine. Stir in the salmon, lemon juice, and pepper. Toss it all together.

Serve and enjoy. See how good that looks?

This is a perfectly easy, no fuss meal for any night of the week. Dress it up with a glass of wine or pair with a crisp salad. It makes easy leftovers and travels like a dream.

Summer Corn and Clam Chowder

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:25:04 +0000

This post is going to be a quickie. Tomorrow I’m off bright and early headed for the farm in North Carolina. We’re taking care of wedding details this weekend, so much to do! It’s a tad overwhelming, but I know we’ll get there. While I’m running around like a crazy person, you can enjoy this summer soup!

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

1 pound littleneck clams (about 1 dozen)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves minced garlic

2 cups chopped broccolini (or broccoli)

2 chopped small, red potatoes

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 cups fresh or frozen corn

3 cups vegetable stock (or 3 cups water and a veggie bouillon cube)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dry white wines

salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions: In a soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until fragrant. Next, add the broccolini and celery. Cook for about 3 minutes, until tender.

Next, add the potatoes and stir for about 5 minutes.

Next, add the thyme.

Then, add the corn.

Then, add the vegetable stock.

Then, the cream and wine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

While the soup is simmering, prepare the clams. I got mine locally in Virginia!

Rinse and place in the soup. Let cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until they open up.

Serve hot with a spoon and fork (for grabbin’ hold of those little clams!).

With some oyster crackers.

And a fancy sprig of thyme.

This soup is light and creamy and full of good veg. Hope you like it!

Pan Seared Sea Scallop Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:31:27 +0000

Sea scallops are one of those foods I used to avoid making because they seemed…I don’t know…elitist? They’re sophisticated and delicate and so intimidating. I’m terrified of turning them to rubber in the pan, so I usually only go for them at restaurants. But the other night, after one too many of these, my confidence was up and I decided to go for it. On a salad. With a zesty, cilantro dressing. Dreamy. And, it was actually pretty easy.

Ingredients: (makes 2 salads)

1/3 to 1/2 pound large sea scallops (2 to 4 scallops per salad)

3 Tablespoons clarified butter

3 oz baby lettuce (about 2 large handfuls)

course sea salt

1 large tomato, sliced

1 large avocado, sliced

1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

For the dressing:

1 bunch of cilantro, rough chopped

juice of one lemon

1 clove of garlic

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of sea salt

Directions: Start by preparing the sea scallops. Don’t be intimidated! Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. If the scallops have a little foot, cut it off. My scallops were footless…or footloose? Hmmm??? Ok, I’ll stop.

Next, sprinkle both sides with sea sea salt. In a pan, heat the clarified butter on high heat. Once the butter is hot (almost smoking hot), add the scallops to the pan.

Cook the scallops for 2 minutes on each side. The sides should have a nice brown sear, like so (from the hot butter).

Once cooked, remove the scallops from the pan. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a food processor, blend the cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt until smooth and creamy. If the consistency is too runny, add more olive oil.

Assemble the salad with the sea scallops on top.

Drizzle the dressing over top.

Dig in.

See, that wasn’t so hard was it?

Homemade Fish Sticks

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:16:44 +0000

This is a story about the magical deep freezer we had growing up. The freezer was located in the garage and contained the most wonderful treats a kid could ever eat. It was my father’s deep freezer, his third child after me and my sister and he gave it a lot of TLC. It was always well stocked with the comfort foods that defined my childhood. The walls were caked with ice crystals and inside was a vast, frozen tundra consisting of boxes of Bagel bites, dozens of cartons of ice cream, stacks of Red Baron Pizza (you know you love it!) and oodles of Gorton’s fish sticks. It was a good life.

Anytime my sister and I felt hungry, we’d go out to the deep freezer, pry open the 50 pound lid and lean deep into the freezer to scrounge up our favorite treats. The magical deep freezer saved our lives in summer time when no parents were home to fix us meals and back then I was a professional at deep freezer cooking.

I’ve always wanted to create a grown-up, healthier version of some of those childhood favorites, namely fish sticks, and when I found a recipe in last month’s Cooking Light magazine, I knew I had to go for it.

Ingredients: (makes four servings)

Adapted from Cooking Light’s Fancy Fish Sticks

1 pound fresh cod

1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 cup flour

1 large egg

1/2 cup beer (optional)

2 Tablespoons milk

cooking spray

For the sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

juice of 1/2 lime

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Rinse and cut the cod into 1 inch strips. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt.

Whisk the egg, beer, and milk together in a bowl to make an egg wash. Pour the flour in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, mix the panko and 1 Tablespoon Old Bay and 1 teaspoon salt. Dip the fish strips in the egg wash mixture, then into the flour. Next, dip once more into the egg wash and into the panko mixture. Coat well and place onto the greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all the fish strips are coated.

Bake fish for 15 minutes, turn once at the halfway point. While the fish is baking, make a sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce (mayo, sour cream, Old Bay, lime juice) and allow to chill until fish sticks are ready to eat.

The fish are done when the meat is flaky and the panko is golden brown, like so.

Serve with a wedge of lime and dipping sauce.

And with a side of zesty coleslaw (recipe coming soon!)

And who could forget an ice cold beer?

I’ll always love that magical deep freezer, but these beat Gorton’s fish sticks any day.

Super Simple “Pad Thai”

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:40:48 +0000

I gingerly call this dish “Pad Thai.” I guess it’d be more accurate to say this is what I consider to be the home cook’s quick and dirty version. I realize that it’s probably deeply offensive among serious cooks that I call this dish Pad Thai at all, and so I’m hoping the use of quotation marks will soften the blow enough to avoid a painful (though probably well-deserved) tongue lashing.

But seriously- have you ever attempted to make Pad Thai? For real? It’s painful. So very painful. And long. The first and only time I attempted it, I lost two full hours of my life, spent nearly $100, and used about a zillion ingredients as well as every pot and pan in my kitchen. And it didn’t even taste good. Nowadays, I have the good sense to order out my Pad Thai. Life’s too short. If I want to make something comparable at home, I go with this little number. I guess the recipe title could be considered a work in progress, but whatever you decide to call it, it’s delicious- a perfect bowl of hearty and soft soba noodles swimming in a creamy, peanut lime sauce. Mmmm.

Ingredients: (makes two servings)

1/2 package of soba noodles (cook and drain according to package instructions)

2 heaping Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

zest and juice of 1 lime (divided)

2 Tablespoons hot water

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce (sub in soy sauce here for a vegan version of this dish)

1/4 cup finely chopped green or white onion

Directions: In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, hot water, tamari, fish sauce, onions, and half of the lime juice and zest. Whisk together. Add the cooked soba noodles and toss until the noodles are well coated.

Divide noodles among two serving bowls. Top with peanuts and the remaining lime juice.

Garnish with remaining lime zest and a wedge of lime (or more green onion!) for added color. Serve right away so that the peanut sauce stays creamy.

Grab hold of those chopsticks and dig in!

Until every last noodle is in my belly.

* Keep in mind that this an extremely basic version that can be dressed up with more sophisticated ingredients to suit your taste. Fried egg, tofu or shrimp would be delicious protein additions. Cilantro, garlic and chilies would also work well. You could even experiment with different types of noodles.

Zesty Coconut Shrimp

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:38:08 +0000

Ok, let’s call this week what it is; Jennifer’s obsession with coconut. I’ve gone off the coconut oil deep end and I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover.

Then again, who’d want to? This weekend, in order to get my coconut fix, I made zesty coconut shrimp with a spicy dipping sauce. I’ve provided the ingredients for the shrimp and sauce below. Honestly, the shrimp were so flavorful on their own, the sauce didn’t stand a chance.

Ingredients: (about 2 servings)

1/2 pound shrimp (uncooked and deveined)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 lime (juice and zest)

1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes

1/2 can light coconut milk

a handful of chopped cilantro

a pinch of salt

1 generous tablespoon coconut oil

a good squirt of Sriracha sauce

For the sauce: 1 generous tablespoon mayo, 1 tsp Sriracha sauce, and a squeeze of lime

Directions: Combine coconut milk, lime juice, cilantro, and Sriracha in a mixing bowl. Add the shrimp, cover, and let sit in the fridge until chilled. It can stay put for 2 to 3 hours if necessary.

In a separate bowl, combine panko, salt, lime zest, and shredded coconut. Toss with your fingers.

Remove shrimp from the fridge and dredge in the coconut mixture to form a nice crust. You could add a pinch of flour here to get a heftier coating if the panko doesn’t stick to your liking.

In a skillet, on medium-high heat, melt the coconut oil. It smells so insanely good, resist the urge to eat it straight from the jar.

Once the pan is hot, place the shrimp in the skillet and let brown on each side.

The shrimp only take a few minutes to cook. When the tails turn bright pink, it’s a good time to flip them over.

Once done, pull the shrimp out of the pan and place onto a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Whip up the dipping sauce lightening quick by combining a hunk of mayo with a good squirt of Sriracha and lime. Make it as spicy as you like.

Don’t be shy, dig right on in!

Don’t fight it, there’s no use in trying.

Omelette with Salmon and Asparagus

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:07:14 +0000

I made this recipe using leftover salmon cakes and some asaparagus that had been lingering in the fridge. Omelettes miraculously seem to perfectly merry misfit ingredients that would otherwise be completely incompatable. This omelette was savory, but quite heavy so make it for a larger group or if you are in need of a hearty meal.

Ingredients:
Salmon cakes
asparagus rinsed and chopped (as much as you like)
1 clove of garlic minced
evoo
salt and pepper
grated parmesean cheese (optional)
4 eggs (scrambled with a splash of milk)

Directions:
Scramble eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk and set aside. Heat a drizzle of evoo in a pan. Add garlic and asparagus when hot. Cook until asparagus turns bright green, then add crumbled salmon cakes and stir fry for a few seconds. Finally, add egg mix and a sprinkling of parmesean cheese. Let egg cook and then flip in the pan (or you could broil it off to finish the top). The egg should be nice and crispy brown on top. Season to taste and serve.

Crab and Avocado Salad

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:21:59 +0000

This is one of my all-time favorite summer salads. It is light and simple, yet filling and substantial. All you need is some mixed greens, crab meat and a half avocado. It takes about 5 seconds to prepare.

Ingredients: (1 salad)
mixed greens
1/2 avocado chopped
jumbo lump crab meat (or 2 sticks of imitation crab meat)

Directions: Top your bed of greens with avocado and crab. Drizzle with 1 tsp evoo, a dash of salt and good bit of cracked pepper. That’s it…really. It’s that easy to make.

Smoked Salmon Crostini

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:10:29 +0000

Never under estimate the power of smoked salmon. A little goes a long way to make a big impression. The other night I picked up a bit of thinly sliced smoked salmon, fromage blanc (a mild cheese spread) and a baguette. I wanted something simple yet delicious to impress my sweetie before dinner. Hors d’oeuvres/appetizers always seem to make a simple meal at home more special.

To make the crostini, I thinkly sliced the baguette into small rounds and toasted them. I cut the salmon to fit perfectly atop the crostini. Once toasted, I spread a generous layer of fromage blanc on each crostini and topped with the smolked salmon (feel free to sprinkle with chopped parsley for an extra pop of color). Et voila! A delicious appetizer that wowed the crowd. Three simple ingredients and ten minutes was all I needed. Can’t wait to make these again soon.

Easy Salmon Cakes

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:56:46 +0000

I love a good fish cake! Crab cakes are my all time fave, but are expensive and often tedious to make. So, when I’m cooking at home, I prefer to make the salmon version. All you need is canned salmon and a few pantry ingredients to whip up this quick and super delicous meal.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 can pink salmon (no skins or bones, drained)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 drizzle sherry
salt/pepper
2 tbs mayo (or yogurt)
bread crumbs or panko crumbs
finely chopped onions (optional)

Directions: Mix ingredients together. In a skillet, heat canola or olive oil at med to mid high heat. Form mixture into patties and coat in bread crumbs. Drop into skillet and cook until brown. Serve hot or cold with homemade tartar, atop a green salad.