Shellfish – Page 5 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Steamer Clams in Wine-Basil Broth

I cooked these steamer clams the way I cook mussels, but I added some fresh basil to give the dish a different taste. It was a nice appetizer with crusty ciabatta bread.

Ingredients:
half a dozen steamer clams, rinsed
2 tbsps butter
1 cup of dry white wine
a small bunch of basil leaves
1 bay leaf
parsley, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Put the shallots and white wine into a large stainless steel pot. Add the clams and cover. Steam them over high heat until the clams have opened, about 5 minutes.
2. Drain the clams into a large bowl, saving the liquid. Discard unopened clams. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the butter, basil and chopped parsley. Pour this broth over the clams and serve immediately.

Yellow Curry Pot

The wind was howling in New York City this week. All I wanted was something warm, thick and filling for dinner. This stems from two yellow curry recipes, one with chicken and one with fish balls because who says you can’t have it all? I visited the newly-renovated Asia Market on Mulberry at the corner of Bayard and found everything I needed. Feel free to toss in any hard vegetable you have in the fridge. Just make sure you cook them first before the softer ones. Cauliflower and zucchini would be fun to add, too; perhaps even baby corn. At home, the curry paste cooking in peanut oil will release one of my favorite smells in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
boneless chicken thighs, cut in small pieces
a pack of fish balls, thawed
a pack of cuttlefish balls, thawed
1 cup of coconut cream
1 cup of vegetable stock
a handful of green beans
4 Thai eggplants, sliced in half moons
1 Japanese eggplant, chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
cilantro, roughly chopped

For the yellow curry paste:
2 red chilies
1 tsp black peppercorns
coriander root, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 small knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small red onion, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, pounded with a pestle
1 tsp of sambal oelek
shrimp paste, to taste
2 tbsps peanut oil

1. In a large wok, heat the peanut oil. Make the curry paste by sautÃ©ing all the curry ingredients and cooking them until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, green beans, pepper and the Thai eggplants with the coconut cream and stock. Cover in medium heat until chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the cilantro and the softer eggplants and cook for a few more minutes. The peanut oil should be separating from the curry paste. Make sure you keep stirring to distribute the heat and add more stock to keep the sauce from drying up. Add shrimp paste to adjust the taste.

Related post/s:
Buy all the ingredients in Chinatown

China: Blue Crab Special

I could imagine Anna when she was a kid picking and sucking out the meat from these steamed crabs until her fingers turned wrinkly and raisin-like. She told me that most Cantonese grew up with the salty egg and meat patty combination but her father made it extra special by mixing it with steamed blue crabs. This was one of my best homecooked meals this summer. Be careful of the live crabs. One of them pinched me and it hurt! If you have some extra time before cooking, put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes so they “fall asleep.” Cracking them open later would not feel so bad. The best part of this recipe is pouring that super hot oil over the blue crabs before serving. Again, be very careful because the oil will be very hot, but oh, that crackling sound!

Ingredients:
half a dozen blue crabs
2 cooked salted duck eggs, shelled
1 regular egg
1/4 pound of ground pork
cilantro, roughly chopped
scallions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
oil

1. Open the blue crabs by pulling off the shell from the body. Remove apron and gills. Cut the crabs in half and using a pincher, smash the claws for easy access to the meat later.
2. In a bowl, combine the salted egg and regular egg and mix in the ground meat. Using your hands, mash the meat in the egg mixture then pour over the blue crabs. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions, saving some for later.
3. Using a large Dutch oven, steam the crabs for about 15 minutes or until the crab shells are deep orange.
4. In a separate wok, heat the oil and add the garlic. Without waiting for the garlic to burn, quickly but gently pour the hot oil over the plate of steamed blue crabs. Garnish with the rest of the cilantro and scallions.

Grilled Squid with Parsley and Caper Salad

Adapted from a delicious. Magazine recipe using caperberry

Ingredients:
4 squid hoods, cleaned
1 small bottle of capers
a handful of flat parsley, finely chopped
1 preserved lemon, sliced thinly
red wine vinegar
croutons
olive oil

1. Rub the squid all over with olive oil. Heat a chargrilled pan and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with some of the parsley.
2. Combine the rest of the parsley with the lemon slices, capers and croutons. Toss with red wine vinegar and serve with the squid.

Moules Marinieres

I love making this mussels dish because it only takes a splash of white wine and some herbs I usually have handy anyway.

Ingredients:
1 bag of mussels, about 2 pounds, beard and barnacles cleaned and scraped off
1 cup dry white wine
2 shallots, chopped
2 tbsps unsalted butter
a handful of flat parsley, chopped

1. Put the shallots and white wine into a large stainless steel pot. Add the mussels and cover. Steam them over high heat until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Shake the pot to be sure that all the mussels are cooked.
2. Drain the mussels into a large bowl, saving the liquid. Discard unopened mussels. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the butter and chopped parsley. Pour this sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.