Ok. Ok. Ok. I know I posted a butter recipe just the other day and today I am already sharing another one. But I really just couldn’t help myself. You see, earlier this week I was reminded that just about a year ago Ryan and I were eating our way across Italy for the 2nd time in as many years. This time we had unbelievably fresh seafood Milan, perfectly medium rare steaks in Siena and fried zucchini flowers in Rome. And while personally, I think the food was the best in Siena, there was one meal, in Bellagio, that I still think about to this day. And today, I share it with you.

When we sat down and scanned the menu at Trattoria San Giacomo on that breezy evening, it didn’t take long for my eyes (and stomach) to lock into the idea of the pan fried perch with sage butter sauce. And when it arrived, believe me when I tell you that first bite was pure heaven. It was crunchy, tender, buttery and the sage gave it a nice earthy flavor. I don’t know what the etiquette is in Italy so I had to resist the urge to lick my plate clean, but I may have ran my finger along the edge just to get the last bit of butter sauce.

Note: I couldn’t find perch here so I went with cod. You could use any other firm white fish you like. Halibut would be good and I also happen to like tilapia like this.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 1 pound cod fillets
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 sage leaves

1. Rinse and pat dry the cod fillets. Slice them into 3 inch pieces. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set up an assembly line. Place the flour in one bowl. Beat the eggs in another bowl and place the bread crumbs in the third bowl.
3. Dredge a piece of fish into the flour then the egg and then press into the bread crumbs. Repeat until all fish are coated.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop a piece of panko bread crumbs into the oil and if it sizzles the oil is hot enough. Cook fish 5 – 7 minutes or until golden brown on each side.
5. While fish is cooking, melt butter over low heat. Once butter is melted add sage leaves. Continue to cook until sage leaves brown slightly. Low heat is the key here, you want to be careful not to burn the butter.
6. Once fish is cooked through, transfer to a plate and spoon sage butter over the top.
7. Serve.

Enjoy!

So far this year my new year’s resolution to get more fish into my diet seems to be right on track. The fact that it is currently salmon season is helping a lot. I simply can’t resist the beautiful pink lusciousness that is wild salmon. Now the task is to continue to think of new ways to serve it. This salmon is baked with garlic and tomatoes and then topped with a refreshing basil mayonnaise. I understand that basil mayonnaise on salmon sounds a bit odd, but trust me on this one. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.

If you go looking in the condiment aisle at your local grocery store chances are that you will not find basil mayonnaise. Well at least I know that I can’t. But here’s the cool part, making it is incredibly easy. All you need is your favorite mayonnaise, some fresh basil leaves, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Not only is it good atop this salmon but I’m sure it would be equally delicious on the sandwiches and burgers that are sure to grace your table in the next few months.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 2 salmon fillets, pin bones removed if present
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tomato slices
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 10 basil leaves, chopped small
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.
2. Place salmon fillets on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic. Lay 2 slices on top of each salmon fillet, drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over each fillet. Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
3. While the salmon is cooking combine mayonnaise, chopped basil, lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt in a bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Remove salmon from oven. Tent with aluminum foil and sit for 10 minutes. It will continue cooking during this time.
5. Use a thin spatula to separate the skin from the salmon fillets. Carefully transfer the fillets to a serving platter. Place two dollops of basil mayonnaise on top of the tomatoes.
6. Serve.

Enjoy!

Ok. Ok. Ok. I know I’ve been sharing a lot of shrimp recipes lately. The truth is, I love it. I love the subtle sweetness. I love the fact that you can do just about anything with it. And I love that you can cook it in a realtivley quick amount of time. I mean there is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and having dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Especially when that dinner tastes as good, and is as good for you, as this shrimp and broccoli stir-fry loaded with ginger and garlic.

I use fresh ginger in this recipe. For the longest time I was a ground ginger kind of girl, the strangle gnarled looking root at the grocery store wasn’t something that ever made it into my basket. Then one day I decided what the heck lets give it a try. And I haven’t looked back sense. Ok so I use ground ginger in a pinch, but the flavor of fresh ginger is so intense and lovely that you can’t even compare them. Another good thing is that it keeps for quite some time in your fridge. Simply wrap it in some plastic wrap and you’re good to go for at least a couple of weeks.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
• 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon hot oil (optional)

1. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet. Stir in broccoli florets and garlic. Pour water or chicken broth over the top. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the broccoli is slightly tender.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook just until the shrimp are cooked through. About 5 minutes.
3. Serve.

Wonderful with a plate of jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Three words that are guaranteed to make a Pacific Northwesterner’s mouth water: Copper. River. Salmon. That’s right folks, its salmon season again. Glorious. Wonderful. Cholesterol friendly. Omega 3 filled salmon season. Salmon is great with many different sauces like caper sauce and dill sauce but it is also DE.LISH.IOUS. with mustard and dill.

I am not kidding you when I tell you that people in the Northwest go nutzo over this salmon. I mean seriously people, they have a news crew and chefs waiting on the landing strip for the plane to bring in the first delivery of this stuff. Perhaps one of the reasons for all the mayhem, besides the rich tastiness of this particular variety of salmon, is that copper river salmon season is far too short. In fact it is coming to a close as I type these words. With that said, any kind of salmon will work well in this recipe. Use whatever kind of salmon that you have in your area. And whatever you do, sometime in your life make it to the Pacific Northwest during Copper River season to try some yourself.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Country Dijon Mustard
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for salmon
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 salmon fillets, pin bones removed
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl whisk together Dijon and country Dijon mustard, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, dill and garlic.
3. Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil (about 1 teaspoon per fillet). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, tent with foil for another 10 minutes. The salmon will continue cooking during this time.
4. Transfer salmon to a serving platter. Spoon sauce over the top. Serve.

Enjoy!

I’m not gonna lie, when I first spotted these on the menu of the restaurant I used to work at, I was not intrigued. I simply did not like coconut. That however did not stop me from using them in my spiel whenever I visited a table. They were hot sellers. People liked them. People really liked them. People liked them so much that I eventually caved and ordered some on my break. I took my first bite hesitantly as I was fully expecting my mouth to taste like I squirted some Hawaiian Tropic Suntan lotion on my tongue. But alas, that was not the case. They were good. They were crunchy. They were salty. They were sweet. They were everything I was expecting them not to be… including quite addicting.

Despite them being so scrumptious, I didn’t make them at home until recently. But they are surprisingly easy to make. All you need is shrimp, some seasoned flour, egg whites a little coconut, panko and a little oil for frying and you’re good to go. You can serve them as an appetizer or as an entrée whichever you like. They can be ready in about half an hour. Not bad eh?

Serves 2 – 4

You will need

• 15 (26 – 30 count) prawns, peeled, deveined, tail-on if possible
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• oil for frying

1. Using a small knife cut the prawns down the back, but do not cut through. This will butterfly the prawns so that they lay flat.
2. Combine flour, garlic and kosher salt in a bowl. Place egg whites in another bowl. In a third bowl combine panko bread crumbs and coconut.
3. Press prawns into flour to coat. Dip in egg batter and then press into coconut/panko mixture. Repeat until all prawns are breaded. At this point you can refrigerate the prawns for up to two hours until you are ready to cook.
4. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle some panko bread crumbs into the oil, if they sizzle the oil is hot enough. Begin frying the prawns in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Serve.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I like a little orange marmalade or sweet Thai chili sauce. Enjoy!

When I shared my recipe for skordalia this week I teased you with a mention of a fish dish that I made with it. Allow me to introduce you. Reader meet Garlic Cod. Garlic Cod meet Reader. Now that all proper introductions have been made let me tell you a little bit about this baked cod. Fresh cod fillets are dipped in skordalia, coated with panko bread crumbs and then oven baked until golden. Crispy, flaky, and garlickly just how I like my fish.

When I was researching skordalia I saw quite a few people mention that they enjoyed eating it with fried fish. Well since I wasn’t really in the mood to fry fish, I decided to do the next best thing and bake it with panko bread crumbs. And let me tell you, those people who said they they enjoy eating skordalia with fish were really on to something. The flavor of the garlic and lemon are a match made in heaven with this flaky cod.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 2 cod fillets
• 1 /2 cup skordalia
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray
2. Dip cod fillets in skordalia.
3. In a bowl combine bread crumbs, parsley, oregano and salt.
4. Press fish filets into mixture and coat completely. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!

Traditionally when I think bruschetta, I think tomatoes and basil, but I like to save that for later on in the summer when tomatoes and basil are at their best. Mmmm….fresh tomatoes. Oh I can’t wait until summer! Until then however, its fun to experiment with different kinds of bruschetta. And shrimp as it turns out is a great addition.

Now that the weather gods here in Seattle are finally starting to realize that it is May and are granting us blue skies and sunshine, it’s time for a little bit lighter fare when it comes to dinner. This Shrimp Bruschetta fits the bill perfectly. I know it is listed under my appetizer section, but paired with a light salad and a little Pinot Grigio and you have the perfect summer supper.

You will need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound medium prawns, peeled, deviened and cut in half
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• pinch of salt
• 8 – 10 baguette slices
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Turn on oven broiler.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in prawns, crushed red pepper and salt. Cook until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and broil 2 minutes or until slightly toasted. Remove from oven and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Spoon shrimp onto toasted slices.
4. Serve.

Enjoy!

When I made this dish a little over a week ago, it was sunny and it was (gasp!) warm in Seattle. I jumped at the chance to make something a little lighter, something that reminded me of summer. Enter this very quick and easy dish. Simply season the shrimp with adobo seasoning and broil them. Then lay the succulent, seasoned shrimp on sliced avocado, top with some diced tomatoes and a squirt of lime. One bite and I forgot that it was only March.

I just love avocado. I could seriously sit there all day and eat them by themselves slice by slice, savoring each and every creamy bite. And creamy avocado actually pairs very nicely with crunchy broiled shrimp. That is what made me think of trying this quick dish. It was the perfect light supper and I had dinner on the table in about 5 minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 1/2 pound (51 – 60 count) prawns peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 avocado, pit removed, skin removed and sliced
• 1/2 lime
• 1 tomato seeded and diced

1. Preheat oven broiler.
2. Sprinkle adobo seasoning and olive oil over shrimp toss to coat. Place shrimp on a baking sheet and broil until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
3. Place sliced avocado on a plate. Place cooked shrimp over the top of avocado. Squeeze the juice of the lime over the top. Sprinkle with diced tomatoes.
4. Serve.

Enjoy!

Everyone needs a good quick meal every once in a while. Things get too busy but alas we all need to eat. I happened to have one of those days this week. This super easy pasta saved the day. It cooks in about the time it takes you to boil the pasta and has all kinds of goodies like lemon pepper, shrimp, shallots, garlic and wine.

If you’ve browsed my pasta recipes you can see that I often lean towards the long pastas. I love linguine, spaghetti and fettuccine. But for this pasta I wanted something a little bit lighter yet still filling. In comes fusilli, or corkscrew pasta. The little crevasses soak up the white wine garlic sauce very nicely. If you don’t have any fusilli, any other short pasta, such as penne will do.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 8 ounces dried fusilli pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 pound 51 – 60 count prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• kosher salt

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook according to package directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic until shallots are softened, about 2 -3 minutes. Stir in white wine, lemon juice and lemon pepper. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in prawns and cook until prawns are opaque.
3. Add cooked pasta to prawn mixture. Stir in fresh parsley. Toss to combine. Season to taste with kosher salt.
4. Serve.

Enjoy!

According to the calendar, there are still a couple more weeks of winter. Just enough time for me to share this Shrimp and Corn Chowder recipe before everyone starts craving the lighter dishes that are common during spring. So as the last of the cold winter wind and rain patter at your window, cook up a pot of this soup full of all kinds of yumminess like shrimp, bacon, potato and corn.

For the longest time I did not like corn. I did not like corn on the cob, I did not like corn as a side dish and I certainly did not like corn in my chowder. But the older I got the more I opened up to it. I eased my way into corn on the cob and I started cooking corn more often as our vegetable side dish. However, it was not until this dish that I actually tried it in chowder and you know what, it’s pretty good. The sweetness of the corn compliments the sweetness of the shrimp and the kick from the cajun seasoning very nicely. Now if I could just work my way up to corn chowder.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 4 slices bacon, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons of flour, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) jar clam juice
• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
• 2 medium red potatoes, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 pound (51 – 60) count prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup frozen corn

1. In a large dutch oven cook bacon until browned. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of pan drippings. Set bacon aside.
2. Add onion to the dutch oven with the reserved bacon drippings. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook 2 minutes.
3. Pour clam juice and water over the top. Add potatoes, celery, bay leaf, kosher salt and cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are fork tender.
4. Stir 3 tablespoons of hot broth into the milk to temper it. Pour tempered milk into the soup.
5. Make a slurry with remaining 1 tablespoon of flour and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir slurry into soup and let simmer for 30 more minutes.
6. After soup has simmered add prawns and frozen corn. Cook 5 more minutes or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove bay leaf. Stir in reserved bacon.
7. Ladle into hot soup bowls and serve.

Enjoy!