Oysters on the Half Shell

Oysters On The Half Shell

My hub and I were in California recently where fresh oysters are abundant. Now, my hub absolutely LOVES raw oysters, so whenever he spots them on a menu, of course, he orders at least a half dozen or so (or several dozen) of these rock like mollusks.  Tomorrow being Valentine's day and all, I thought I'd show you how to put together your own platter of this aphrodisiac goodness. 

O.K., I still don't understand how or why these are aphrodisiacs, but, whatever. 

Let's start with what to buy. There are many different types of oysters, each having their own particular flavor and degree of brininess, due to the region in which they were harvested. You need to try several different types to ascertain what you like. 

Anyway, the only place to buy oysters is either at a reputable fish market, or at a gourmet grocer, like Whole Foods, that has excellent quality control and sells a lot of seafood, therefore has a lot of turnover, meaning fresher seafood. You really need to be careful with any raw shellfish. It must be alive and eaten ASAP. 

I buy my oysters at Whole Foods, since it is the only place in Colorado Springs that fresh fish comes in every day. And, there's no fishmonger here. Or seafood market. We are land locked.

I chose 6 "Pacific" and 6 "Atlantic" oysters, as they were the largest ones in the case. And they were on sale. For .89 cents a piece. Awesome. I liked both. I did not, however, like the oysters from Cape Cod. Too briny. Weird.

As soon as you get home, fill a big bowl with ice. Put the oysters on a thin cotton towel, and place it on the ice. Put it in the fridge. You don't want the oysters to be submerged in water. Or covered up in a plastic bag. This will kill them. Keep them cold, dry, and breathing air.

Before you ever start cleaning and shucking, get a few things in order. Either make (from scratch) a delicious cocktail sauce, (recipe at end of post), or put out your fave pre-made in a pretty dish.

 Put a serving platter in the freezer to chill out. I used a heavy metal bowl that stays really cold after freezing.

Crushed ice is great for presentation, as it keeps the oysters from turning over and spilling out their precious liquor, and keeps them nice and cold. 

I didn't have any, so I loaded up the food processor with a bunch of ice cubes and buzzed them up. Bravo! perfect crushed ice. You could also use a heavy duty blender.

 Lay the crushed ice down in your serving platter.

Slice up a fresh lemon into wedges.

Cocktail sauce: done. Check.

Ice in platter. Check. 

Lemons sliced. Check.

Now it's time to tackle the star of the day.

Give the oysters a good scrub under cold water. (They're really dirty). I didn't have a wire brush, so I used my mushroom brush. It worked just fine. Put them on a bed of ice to keep them cold.

Equipment you need: An oyster knife. I got this one, an OXO, at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $8.00, and used a 20% off coupon, so it was a steal. What's great about this knife is the size of the handle. It's big and offers a great, non-slip grip. Don't go off and use a regular knife or a screwdriver, unless you want to support your local E.R. and hand surgeon. Add a thick kitchen towel and you're ready to roll.

As there are plentiful sites that teach you how to shuck an oyster, I won't go into that here. Here's a tutorial link from another blogger that's really helpful:

http://www.undercovergourmet.ca/2010/04/how-to-shuck-an-oyster/

O.K. Oysters are shucked! Here's the deal: Eat them within 20 minutes of shucking to avoid poisoning peril. (Remember the trip to the E.R.? Don't want that.)

Serve these beauties with a crisp glass of champagne for the start to a beautiful Valentine's day.

These oysters are HUGE! Much better and meatier than any we've gotten in a restaurant.

Zesty Cocktail Sauce:

It's so easy to make your own cocktail sauce, just the way you like it.  All you need is some ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, worcestershire, and fresh lemon.
Put 1 cup Ketchup in a bowl.
Add 1 Tablespoon horseradish, or more, or less, depending on how hot you like it. I use about 4 Tbls, because I like it SPICY!
  Use this:

NOT THIS! One is horseradish, the other is horseradish sauce. Sauce is for beefy goodness. Not Oyster goodness. Luv ya, Ed, but this is not where you belong.

  

Add about 1 tablespoon each hot sauce and worcestershire sauce, and the juice of 1/2  a lemon. Season with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Stir it up. Taste and adjust. 
Sauce done.


Ingredients:
Oysters
Ice
Cocktail Sauce
1 cup Ketchup
1 Tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Sea Bass in a Skillet

Sea Bass With Quinoa and Beurre Blanc

Sea Bass, and fish in general, is fast and easy to prepare, delicious, and good for you.  Here's what you need:

Two nice thick boneless, skinless sea bass fillets.

Put them on a paper towel lined plate and  sprinkle both sides with a pinch of salt.

Let them sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. This will help them release some of the moisture so you can get a good sear on them. Now blot them dry, on both sides, with a dry paper towel. Crank on some fresh ground pepper. While the fish is hanging out, make your side dish. Cous cous, orzo, and quinoa are tasty and quick to prepare.

Now, get yourself a cast iron skillet. You want a skillet that gets smokin' hot. Put a couple tablespoons extra light olive oil in the skillet. You need an oil with a high smoking point so it doesn't burn. Heat the skillet on high until it starts to smoke. You'll want to turn on the fans and open the windows so you don't set off the smoke alarms. Happens at my house all the time. My family considers the smoke alarm the dinner bell.

Using tongs, place the fillets in the hot skillet.

Don't move them, don't touch them for at least 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, gently lift a corner of one fillet with your tongs. If the fish doesn't have a beautiful brown color, put it back down for another minute. It should have color of the fish in the following picture.

Now, once the fish has that beautiful brown crust, gently turn the fillets over with your tongs. Let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. You want your fish to moist and flaky. Don't overcook it.

Put the fish on a plate and cover loosely with foil. Let's take this over the top with a simple lemon butter sauce, beurre blanc. It takes only 5 minutes to make.

You'll need:

1 shallot, minced

1 stick of butter

1/3 cup white wine

1/3 cup white wine or champagne vinegar

1/2 lemon

Use a white wine you want to drink. Sauvingnon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio are all good choices.

Slice the butter into about 10 pieces. No need to be exact. Set aside.

Into a sauce pot, over medium heat, add the wine, vinegar, and minced shallot. 

Zest the lemon into the liquid. For novice cooks, that means grating the lemon peel with a micro plane.Stop grating when you get to the pith, (the white part), as it's bitter.

Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 of the lemon into the liquid. I love this juicer. All juice, no seeds, no mess on my hands.

Cook about 3 minutes until liquid is reduced by half.

Begin whisking in one pat of butter at a time.

Once the butter pat has melted into the sauce add another pat, whisk in, and repeat until all the butter has been incorporated into the sauce.

When all the butter is incorporated, your sauce is done!

Snuggle the fish fillets on top of your carb of choice. I used quinoa. It's whole grain, really good for you. Only make as much as you'll eat at one meal. Left over quinoa is awful. Pour the sauce right over the fish, and serve extra sauce on the side.

Dinner is served. 

Mussels a' la Charyl

Mussels a' la Charyl. What, exactly does that mean? Well, a' la means "in the style of", or, "in the manner of". As I was attempting to find the perfect recipe for preparing mussels, of course, I couldn't. So, I combined a bunch of different methods and ingredients, and came up with, I think, one of the best tasting preparations I've ever had.

 Should I steam them, (sort of) boil them, (sort of) fry them,(no) bake them?(no).  Onions or no onions? (yes. Onions). Garlic?(Yes). Tomatoes? (yes). Parsley? (yes). Chicken broth? (Yes. Really). White wine? (Absolutely).  Butter? (Yep).

These delicious bivalve mollusks are a great source of protein, easy and quick to prepare, cheap, and are downright delicious.

Let's make these bad boys.

At the supermarket, you'll see mussels in a (generally) 2 pound mesh sack. Ask to smell them. They should smell like the ocean. If they smell "fishy", they're old. Touch them. If they are slimy, they're old. Ask what date they came in, and on what date they were harvested. If the harvest date is more than 10 days, they're old. Have a steak instead.

O.K. Fresh mussels procured. These babies are alive. If your grocer puts them in a plastic sack and seals it up, they will die. No bueno. Make sure the mussels are exposed to air during transport home. This is not the time to go to the post office, dry cleaners, Taco Bell, or the nail salon. Get these mussels home immediately.

Now that they're home, put them in a bowl of ice water.

This does two things: 1. Mussels don't like tap water, so they will close. Now you can tell which ones are dead or alive. If they remain open. they're dead. Chuck 'em.

2. This helps to clean them off. These suckers can be dirty.

Mussels have a hairy sort of thing hanging out of one side of the shell. It's called the "beard". Pull it out and throw it away.

Let's get cooking.

 Put 2 Tbls butter in a deep (at least 2 inch) skillet.

Chop up 1 onion, or 3 shallots. Put them in the skillet with the butter, over medium heat.

Let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt to the onions. It helps them to release some liquid and helps them caramelize.

At that point, throw in 3 cloves finely minced garlic (I admit it. I used minced garlic from the jar, 1 heaping Tbls).

Now, tie up some fresh parsley (or cilantro) and a few thyme sprigs with kitchen string.

Throw it in the pot.

Let it hang out for a few minutes, until you can smell the herbs.

Halve some tomatoes. I use Campari in the winter, as they are sweeter than other hot house tomatoes in the winter. I used about 10, but they are very small, just a bit larger than a cherry tomato. Pull the seeds out with your fingers. Seeds can be bitter.

Throw them in the pot with the onions, garlic, and herbs.

Let these hang out for a few minutes. Then add 1 cup dry white wine. I use "Black Box". Seriously, Black Box is wine in a box that is great for cooking, and everyday drinking. I guess I'm not a wine snob. I think I should be paid for the endorsement. Whaddya think?

Pour it in the skillet.

Add one cup chicken broth. This is optional. Although, the broth makes a lovely, savory sauce.

Bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn the heat down so the liquid is just simmering. You want all of these wonderful flavors to marry. Yes. Become one.

Add the mussels to the boiling liquid, cover with a lid, and turn heat down so the liquid simmers.

As soon as the mussels start to pop open, remove them from the cooking liquid into a warmed serving bowl. Take the lid off and pluck the open mussels out with tongs.

Remove any un-opened mussels and throw them out.

Add 1 scant tsp Sriracha (hot Chinese chili sauce) to the remaining liquid. (Optional, for those that like a little kick. Don't like heat? Leave it out).

Pour sauce over the cooked mussels, and top with fresh chopped parsley.

This should probably be served with a nice green salad. Daughter K and I ate it with a loaf of whole grain, toasted bread, dipped in the sauce. And it was marvelous. I ate salad the next day. I promise.

Bon Appetit'!

Sea Bass In A Sack

Also known as "al Cartoccio", (Italian) or "en Pappilotte" (French). Both mean "to steam in paper"; specifically, parchment paper. In my house, it's called "fish in a sack".

This classic preparation is simple, delicious, quick, and easy on the calories.

I decided to prepare this fish dish at the beginning of the new year...You know that time of year when I'm making my New Year's Resolutions shopping for the upcoming beach vacation? Yep, it's time to get healthy and drop a few pounds. Then I can go to an all inclusive and eat with abandon.

This dish can be prepared in a multitude of ways, using almost any type of fish and veg you like. We're going classic Sea Bass, (I got a box of frozen fillets at Costco), and veg I had in the fridge, along with some white wine, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil.

Here's what we start with:

First, let's start with the sea bass. Place it on a few sheets of paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Season it with salt and pepper, and let it hang out while you prep the veg. This is the only chance you have to add flavor to the fish. Be generous with the salt and pepper. Use good salt. I used "fleur de Sel" because it has a big grind and beautiful, mild flavor. Kosher or sea salt will also work well. Please, whatever you do, do not use the table salt with the little girl on the front of the carton spilling salt behind her! Your fish will just taste salty, not well seasoned.

Let's prep the veg. Cut all of the veg about the same size, so everything gets done at the same time. If using hard vegetables, like carrots and peppers, julienne them thinly. This dish cooks in less than 15 minutes, tops, so keep them thin.

Get out a big bowl. Toss all of the veg into it when you're done prepping that veg.

Peel and cut the carrot into thirds.

Then slice them up. I have edited this pic 6 times, rotating it, flipping it, etc. Does no good. Still sideways.

Now for the leeks. If you turn your head sideways, it looks O.K.

Then quarter it.

Then Julienne.

Then wash and pat dry with paper towels.

Core, seed, and julienne the pepper. I used yellow, because I had one in the fridge. Red or orange would be great, too.

Now, quarter the zucchini.

Then julienne them, as well.

Broccolette. I found these cuties at Whole Foods. They're smaller and thinner than regular broccoli. You could also use broccolini. If you want to use regular broccoli, you'll have to peel the outer stems off, as they will be tough.

Grab a couple big handfuls of baby spinach.

And throw it into the bowl with the other veg.

Colorful food is pretty, and good for you, too.

O.K., just like the fish, we only have one shot at getting flavor into the veg. Pour a couple Tbls good extra virgin olive oil over the top. Do not use canola or vegetable oil!

Add a big pinch of Kosher salt.

And a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper.

And give it a toss with your hands.

Set the bowl aside. Now comes the hard part. Making a heart shape with parchment paper. I got as far as putting a rectangular piece of parchment onto my cutting board before calling my lil' friend, Kate, to help me make a heart. I never have been good at crafts.

So, you need a fairly large sheet, about 9"x11". Here's where Kate comes in: She folded the parchment in half, and drew a half circle in pecil. I swear, I had absolutely no idea how to do this.

Then, she cut along the line,

opened it up, and walah! A heart! She is one smart kid.

You'll need one parchment heart per serving. Next time, I'm going to use rectangles. They're much easier, and I won't have to have a 6th grader come help me.

Now, brush your heart with extra virgin olive oil and pile some veg onto one side. Top it with one fillet.

Top the fish with a big slice of lemon.

And close up the parchment, rolling the ends together to no steam escapes. Just before you seal this sucker shut, add about 1/4 cup dry white wine to the bag. Remember we're steaming here, so the liquid added must have flavor. If you don't want to add wine, you could add a little chicken stock, maybe some soy sauce, or a bit of crushed tomato...

In order to crank these out, make an assembly line. Lay out all of the parchment. Then paint them all with oil, then top them all with veg...(you get the picture).

Put them on a baking sheet, and pop them in a pre-heated 450 (F) degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. I left my sacks in the oven for almost 15 minutes, as my fish was an inch and a half thick x 2 1/2 inches wide x 2 1/2 inches tall. It was just a big chunk of fish. If you're using thinner fish, like talapia, orange roughy, salmon, scallops, err on the side of caution and check one after 10 minutes.

When done, place one sack on each plate, and cut open down the center of the sack with a knife. Be sure to take in the wonderful aroma as you release the steam. It's absolutely divine!

Note: If you have leftover veg after making your packets, make a sack for the veg and put it in the oven with the rest of the packets.

Ingredients:

4 thick seabass fillets (Or halibut, or salmon, etc.)

1 leek, julienned

1 large carrot, julienned

1 large zucchini, julienned

1 sweet bell pepper, julienned

3 cups baby spinach

1 small bunch broccolette or broccolini

Fresh thyme leaves, stripped from about 5 sprigs

1 tsp fresh tarragon, minced (optional)

1 cup dry white wine, divided

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling over veg and lightly painting on parchment

Good salt and fresh cracked pepper

Method:
Place fish on a big layer of paper towels and season with good salt and pepper.
Julienne all veg, except baby spinach, and place in a big bowl.
Add spinach to bowl.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Make 4 parchment hearts. (Or rectangles).
Using a pastry brush, brush parchment with extra virgin olive oil.
Pile a mound of veg on one side of the parchment, followed by a fish fillet and a slice of lemon.
Make an airtight sack by folding and rolling edges of parchment together.
Before sealing, add 1/4 cup white wine to sack, then seal tightly.
Place on a baking sheet in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, depending upon thickness of fish.
Serve packets on plates and cut open with a knife.