Keep It Simple Foods » Fish

Crab and Avocado Salad

Jennifer — 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

Jennifer — 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

Jennifer — 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.

Kung Pao Shrimp (light)

Jennifer — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:57:58 +0000

My boyfriend found this incredible, easy to make recipe in Men’s Health magazine. I must say that I’m rather impressed by the vast array of healthy, quick meals found in Men’s Health-far better than most women’s magazines. Sorry, ladies.

Now, on to the shrimp!

Ingredients: (for 2 to 4 servings)
approx 1 pound of shrimp shelled and deveined (only buy American!)
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice (low sugar, low acid)
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 pinch sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
dash of dried red pepper flakes (or dried red chilis)
6 scallions chopped (save green part for garnish) (I subbed shallots for this)
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger root
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 unroasted, unsalted peanuts

Directions: Combine soy sauce, oj, vinegar, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl. Set aside. Heat wok (or pan) on high heat and add oil. When oil starts to smoke, toss in pepper flakes (or chilis), scallions, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Do not let garlic burn! Next, add bell pepper and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Then, add shrimp and peanuts and cook until shrimp are pink (approx 3 min). I pre-cooked my shrimp so I only just tossed them a time or two in the wok. Stir in suace and cook just long enough to thicken (30 sec or so). Serve over brown rice if desired.

Orange Shrimp Stir fry

Jessica — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:07:54 +0000

One of the most creative and easy ways to incorporate more veggies into your diet is through stir fry. I love using crisp fresh vegetables in them, but I am STILL perfecting that perfect stir fry sauce. This is the latest edition but I’m sure there will be many more.

Since I like greater heat than my fiance, I added this chili garlic hot sauce on top of my stir fry. While I love Sriracha sauce, this is another hot sauce that is a must have in my kitchen. You can generally find this sauce in the international section of your grocery store- easy recognizable by its green lid and crazy rooster on the front! I was first introduced to this hot chili garlic sauce at my neighborhood Pho restaurant. I love that you only need a few dabs and wow- HOT!! This is perfect for any stir fry dish or any dish that just needs more zip. I even like it mixed with ketchup and dipped with oven baked fries (my friend sunny deserves credit for that one)!

Now, onto the stir fry. Remember Jennifer’s technique. Vegetables and proteins should be rinsed and then patted dry as best you can. Cook protein first (I stirfried the shrimp over HOT heat with a little peanut oil and only for about 3-4 minutes). Then remove protein and keep under foil. Then wipe down wok, heat up oil to HOT, and saute the veggies! This works every time and I love that the veggies stay crisp, but tender. I really like the combination below but I’m still working on adding new flavors.

Orange Shrimp Stir fry
About 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
2 cups of sugar snap peas
2 carrots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup of broccoli
1 onion diced

Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light):
1 cup of water
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 cup of O.J.
1/4 teaspoon of orange rind
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
red pepper flakes, about 1/4 teaspoon
1 14 Oz can low sodium chicken broth
salt

Heat a few teaspoons of peanut oil to high heat. Fry shrimp for a few minutes, until pink. Remove and keep warm. Wipe down wok and add about 2 teaspoons of peanut oil. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add veggies and cook for a few minutes. Then whisk ingredients of sauce and add to pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Add the shrimp and stir to mix with veggies and sauce. Then serve over brown rice (I like Uncle Ben’s long grain and Lundberg short grain)!

Then POST-sauce:

Creamy Cauliflower with Thyme

Jennifer — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:13:36 +0000

Creamed cauliflower is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. Less carbs, just as filling and doesn’t weigh you down. Plus, it’s easy to make and is ready in about 20 min. I whipped up a batch the other night to serve with some baked ginger salmon (see recipe below) and steamed asparagus. It was the perfect side dish to the salmon and paired nicely with the asparagus…just like mashed potatoes!

Directions: (approx 4 servings)
Steam 1 head of cauliflower until very tender. Place in a strainer to let water drain off. Mash down the cauliflower to get most of the water out. Place cauliflower back in a pot and mix in a splash of milk or cream, a tiny dab of butter, dash of salt and a sprig of thyme. Whip together until creamy. Remove the stem of the thyme (you can eat the leaves if you want) and serve.

Easy salmon glaze:
Whisk together 3 tblsps evoo, dash of soy sauce, drizzle honey, splash lemon juice, dash of ground ginger and 1 smashed glove of garlic. Mix to taste. Season fish with salt and pepper and then pour marinade on top. Bake for 20 min and then broil until crispy. This is truly a no fail recipe so go for it!

Shrimp and Polenta Poppers

Jennifer — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:03:39 +0000

As I said in my previous shrimp post, shrimp is one of the best foods of summer! My boyfriend and I seized the opportunity to make yet another shrimp dish the other night. This time, we created an easy, alternative version of classic shrimp and grits.

We found this delicious organic polenta at Whole Foods. Polenta is basically the italian version of grits. It’s made from corn meal and this brand came pre-cooked in tube form so it was really easy to work with and required virtually no cooking. I loved how easy this polenta was to use. I will definitely use it again!

We sliced the polenta and pan fried it with just a dab of butter (or evoo) so that the outter edges were crispy. The polenta cakes were creamy inside and crispy outside-a perfect contrast!

Our next ingredient was boiled shrimp.

When the shrimp were ready, we topped the polenta with steamed spinach, banana peppers, and the shrimp. We made little polenta poppers! The result was perfectly petite amuse-bouche packed with flavor.

This recipe was inventive, fun, and creative, but was still quick, easy and inexpensive to make. I hope you will try it!

Summer Shrimp

Jennifer — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:10:07 +0000

I love eating shrimp in the summertime! It reminds me of the low country boils we used to have in Charleston every summer where we feasted on fresh seafood and washed it all down with ice cold beer. The memories are absolutely delicious.

The other night, I decided to have my own version of a low country boil. I bought fresh shrimp at the market and boiled it up in a large pot. My favorite way to eat shrimp is boiled, cold, seasoned with a hefty amount of Old Bay and dipped in spicy cocktail sauce.

Directions: Cooking shrimp is easy and super quick since it only takes about 2 min to cook. The prep work takes the most time because it requires one to peel and devein the shrimp. Before you prep the shrimp, put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add in a few shakes of Old Bay seafood seasoning to flavor the water. Once the water is boiling (and all the shrimp are cleaned), add shrimp to pot. Let boil for about 2 min or until shrimp are bright pink. Remove from the hot water and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and add more seasoning or lemon juice if you like. Serve with fresh cocktail sauce (ketchup mixed with horseradish and lemon). Eat as a main dish, appetizer or side dish. Shrimp is good almost any way you eat it.

Shrimp Tortillita

Jessica — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:32:10 +0000

I always keep my eyes open for new ingredients especially when I can try new and exciting recipes! I was walking through Yes! organic market here in D.C. and found garbanzo bean flour. I’ve always been interested to try to use this ingredient and I knew I would be able to find a recipe for it!

Then I found a great recipe to use this bean flour! Tortillita are a traditional Spanish food which are basically crispy sauteed seafood pancakes. I saw this first in a recipe by Mark Bittman and knew I had to try it. It’s so simple and easy, yet completely filling and delish! This recipe does not contain any eggs or milk but it still tastes rich and decadent. The bean flour adds a distinct flavor and I love this meal for lunch.

This pancake can be filled with any chopped seafood that you like such as chopped scallops, etc. I like using shrimp because I keep frozen shrimp in the freezer and they are easy and quick to thaw- perfect for a last minute lunch!

Tortillitas

1/2 cup of garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
Little more than a cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons of chopped chives
1 small onion diced
8 raw shrimp, chopped
canola oil

Mix the garbanzo bean flour, all purpose flour, and the 1 cup of water. Add a little more to make the batter more pancake like. Then keep in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

Then mix in the onion, chopped shrimp, and seasonings to the tortillita batter.

Set canola oil just to lightly cover the bottom of a medium sized pan and set to medium. Pour the batter in and cook for about 3 minutes so that the bottom is browned. Flip the tortillita over and cook for a minute or two until the tortillita is set!

Roasted Shrimp Salad

Jessica — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:41:54 +0000

I got another idea from my trusty Cooking Light magazine. I tend to make a good amount of shrimp dishes because of my boyfriend’s allergies to fish (he’s not allergic to shellfish). Shrimp is a good source of protein, low in calories about 100 calories for 4 oz), a good source of Vitamin B12, and still has Omega 3’s (though not nearly as many as salmon!) This is a quick recipe and you can use the roasted shrimp in salads and pasta!

This time, I tried a salad. I made it very simple with just some shaved parmesan cheese and fresh corn for added sweetness. I can see so many variations of this! If I just use some lime juice instead of lemon, I can make a mexican salad with corn, beans, and red onion. Feel free to add your favorite veggie toppings to this salad! I used my fresh mixed greens from the farmers’ market as well as some peppery arugula.

For the salad dressing- just a quick 1 tablespoon of EVOO with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar!

Roasted Shrimp

1.5 pd of raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of rosemary
salt
pepper

Mix the lemon juice, EVOO, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl with the shrimp. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray a large baking pan. Arrange shrimp on the pan and roast in the oven for about 8 – 10 minutes or until pink (keep an eye on these babies as you don’t want to overcook them!)

Once done, add the shrimp to your pasta or salad! Quick and light.