Shrimp Scampi

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

Do you have a favorite meal for those need-something-quick-and-don’t-want-to-have-to-plan-or-work-too-hard days? I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer just for those times when I’m too busy to plan, but want a quick and easy meal.

I’ll put some frozen shrimp in a bowl of ice water, and if I’m serving them with pasta, by the time the pasta water has come to a boil the shrimp are defrosted enough to cook.

Shrimp scampi has to be one of the easiest ways to quickly prepare shrimp. We simply sauté the shrimp with garlic in butter and olive oil, splash it with some white wine, let the wine reduce while the shrimp cooks, and then toss it with fresh parsley, lemon juice and black pepper.

Shrimp Scampi Recipe

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• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 5 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

If you are using frozen raw shrimp, defrost them quickly and safely by putting the shrimp in a large bowl of lightly salted ice water (1 1/2 teaspoons of salt for every quart of water).

We cook the shrimp scampi in butter and olive oil so we can cook at a relatively high heat without burning the butter but still impart the butter flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 pound large (16-20 count) raw shrimp, shelled* and de-veined, (if you want, keep the tail on for an attractive presentation)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• Salt
• 3-4 garlic cloves, slivered, or 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup white wine (I recommend a dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

* Shell on? or Shell off? It's really up to you. Shrimp cooked shell on are more flavorful because the shells infuse more flavor into the shrimp while they cook. But, shell-on is fussier to eat. If you remove the shells before cooking the shrimp, you can save them for making shellfish stock.

Method

1 Sauté garlic, red pepper flakes, in butter and olive oil: Heat a sauté pan on high heat then reduce to medium high heat. Swirl the butter and olive oil into the pan. After the butter melts it will foam up a bit then subside. If using unsalted butter, sprinkle a little salt in the pan. Stir in the slivered garlic and red pepper flakes.

2 Add shrimp and wine: Sauté the garlic for just a minute, until it begins to brown at the edges, then add the shrimp.

Add the wine and stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce of butter, oil, and wine.

Move the shrimp so they are in an even layer in the pan. Increase the heat to high and boil the wine for two to three minutes.

3 Turn shrimp over to cook on the other side: Stir the shrimp and arrange them so that you turn them over to cook on the other side. Continue to cook on high heat for another minute.

4 Toss with parsley, lemon juice, pepper: Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with parsley, lemon juice, and black pepper, and toss to combine.

Serve as is, or with crusty bread, over pasta, or over rice (for gluten-free version).

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Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Oregano Marinade

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

What’s your favorite way to prepare swordfish? Mine is marinated in an herby vinaigrette, and then grilled. Swordfish is a sturdy fish. It holds up like steak when you cook it, and like beef, takes well to marinating.

A quick and easy marinade is just a bottle of your favorite Italian dressing. Or if you, like me, prefer to make your dressings and marinades from scratch, here’s a lovely Greek-inspired vinaigrette with which to marinate the swordfish. It’s made with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano and thyme.

Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Oregano Marinade Recipe

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• Prep time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2

If you are buying fresh swordfish, buy the freshest you can. Like any other fresh fish, it should not smell "fishy" at all. Really, at all. Do not buy fresh fish to eat tomorrow. Cook it and eat it the day you buy it. Looking at the swordfish steaks in the market, any coloration should be pink, not brown. Pick out the best looking, most fresh pieces available.

To defrost frozen fish, keep it in its package, defrost slowly in a bowl of cold water.

Ingredients

Marinade ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Fish:

• 2 6-8-ounce swordfish steaks
• Olive oil for grill grates
• Slices of fresh lemon for garnish

Method

1 Place all marinade ingredients in a small bowl, mix to combine.

2 Rinse the swordfish steaks in cold water and pat dry. (Don't remove the fish skin, it will help keep the steaks from falling apart when grilling. You can always remove after the fish is cooked before serving, if you want.) Place the fish in a non-reactive dish and cover with the marinade. Coat on all sides with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.

3 Prepare your grill for high direct heat. You know the grill is hot enough when you place your hand one inch above the grill grates and you can only keep it there for 1 second. Wipe the grill grates with a paper towel infused with olive oil to oil the grates so the swordfish steaks don't stick when you turn them over.

4 Brush off excess marinade (not all of it, just most) from the swordfish steaks. Place the swordfish steaks on the hot grill grates. Grill for about 5 to 7 minutes on one side, until you have good grill marks. Turn over and cook for a few minutes longer, until the fish is just cooked through. Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes before serving.

Serve with slices of fresh lemon.

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Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

Panko is a Japanese type of bread crumb that is especially light and crunchy, popular with chefs because it doesn’t get soggy.

What I love about this way of preparing salmon is that the panko topping seems to hold in the salmon’s moisture while roasting, so the salmon doesn’t get dried out at all.

Some honey mustard spread over the top of the fillets provides the “glue” that holds the seasoned panko on to the fillets.

The result? Salmon that is perfectly tender, flakey, and seasoned. And it takes less than 30 minutes to make!

This recipe comes by way of my friend and neighbor Evie Lieb, who is a pastry chef, baker, and cooking teacher. This is one of her favorite recipes that she shared with a cooking class I attended. Evie now has her own food blog at www.evielieb.com. Check it out!

Recipe updated from the archives. First posted 2007.

Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon Recipe

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• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 12 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon (each 6 oz)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp honey mustard or sweet-hot mustard
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F (convection or regular). Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2 In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. In another small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, parsley, and paprika. Add salt and pepper (a light sprinkle).

3 Using a small spoon, spread the mustard mixture on the salmon; top with the bread crumb mixture.

4 Roast the salmon for 12-14 minutes (test at 10) or until it is almost completely firm to the touch and flakes when poked with a fork. Serve at once.

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Honey Apple Cider Glazed Salmon

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

A lovely way to prepare salmon is with a simple glaze made with honey and apple cider. You might think that this combination would make the dish too sweet, but it just adds a delicious caramelized flavor to the fish.

First you make the glaze by boiling apple cider (or juice) and honey together until well reduced. Then you pour that glaze over the raw fillets and let them marinate in it for a bit. Then the fillets are cooked on the stovetop, while you baste with the glaze, until done. Serve them over a bed of wilted baby spinach.

We’ve changed the recipe quite a bit from when we first posted it years ago. The original recipe was from a story in the Boston Globe about a country house in Ireland. That recipe required finishing the fillets in the oven which isn’t at all necessary, especially for a home cook. No need to heat up the house with the oven when you can easily cook the whole dish on the stovetop!

Recipe updated, originally posted 2006.

Honey Apple Cider Glazed Salmon Recipe

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• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

You can make this recipe with skin-on or skinless salmon. If it's skin-on, the skin will help hold the salmon fillets together when you turn them over in the pan. You can always easily remove the skin before serving, if you want. (We love the salmon skin, it's like salmon bacon!)

The salmon should just be barely cooked through, still a little translucent in the center, when you remove the pan from the heat. The fillets will continue to cook in their own heat for a minute or two. You can always return to the pan if the salmon is not quite cooked enough, but you can't go back if you've (sadly) overcooked the fish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice or apple cider (not hard cider)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon slices for garnish

Method

1 Put the apple cider and honey in a small shallow pan on medium high heat. Let it come to a boil and boil it until the mixture reduces by about half, leaving you with a little more than 1/4 cup of glaze. Let cool for a minute.

2 Arrange the salmon fillets (skin-side down, if using skin-on salmon fillets) in a rimmed dish large enough to fit all of the fillets in a single layer. Pour the honey cider glaze over the salmon. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then turn the salmon pieces over and let sit for another 5 minutes in the glaze.

3 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. (It helps to use a relatively stick-free pan like hard anodized aluminum.) Sprinkle the flesh side of the salmon fillets with salt. Place the fillets flesh side down (skin-side up) in the hot pan. Cook for 2 minutes on medium high heat. As you cook the fish, brush the sides of the fillets with some of the glaze.

4 Turn the salmon fillets over (now skin-side down) and brush with the remaining honey cider glaze. Sprinkle salmon with lemon juice. Lower the heat to medium. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the salmon is just barely cooked through. Remove the pan from heat. Some of the glaze should have caramelized in the pan. Use a pastry brush to brush any pan juices over the top of the fillets. Cover with foil to keep warm.

5 In a separate large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the baby spinach to the pan. Cook for a minute. When the spinach begins to wilt, use tongs to turn the leaves over in the pan to help coat the leaves with a little butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue to cook a minute or two more until the spinach is wilted.

6 To serve, divide the spinach among 4 plates. Arrange a piece of salmon to the side or on top and garnish with a slice of lemon.

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Honey Mustard Baked Salmon

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

Take one part honey, one part Dijon mustard, mix, and now you have one of the most versatile sauces possible, for chicken, ham, corned beef, and in this case, honey mustard salmon.

It’s one of those couldn’t-be-easier, how-to-impress-without-doing-much recipes. Takes 10 minute to prep, and 10 minutes to cook. 

There are only two things to remember.

First, use good quality salmon. That cheapest fillet at the fish counter that looks like it’s seen better days, has seen better days. There is nothing you can do to improve old fish. How do you tell? The best way is to smell it. If it smells strongly of fish (or something worse), don’t buy it. I’ve actually taken fish back to the market that didn’t smell right when I took it out of the package. Trust me, you don’t want to eat it.

Second, don’t overcook the salmon! It’s so easy to do. Do not cook the salmon until it is completely flaking apart, that’s overdone. When the fillets come out of the oven they should still be just a little bit rare in the center. They’ll continue to cook in the residual heat and be perfect when you go to eat them.

Honey Mustard Baked Salmon Recipe

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• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

If you don't have already prepared honey mustard, just combine equal amounts of honey and Dijon mustard.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (680 to 900g) salmon fillets
• 3 Tbsp honey mustard (1 1/2 Tbsp honey plus 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil (divided 2 T and 1 T)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• Pinch of salt

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

2 In a small bowl, whisk together the honey mustard, garlic, 2 Tbsp of olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and salt.

3 Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Brush the salmon fillets on both sides with olive oil. Place fillets skin-side down (if your fillets have skin-on) on the foil-lined pan. Use a basting brush to coat the top side of the fillets with the honey mustard mixture.

4 Place in oven and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until just barely cooked through (please don't overcook salmon!). It's okay if the salmon is still a little rare in the center, when you remove it from the oven, the residual heat will cook it through.

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Easy Grilled Salmon

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

With warmer weather comes grilling season and one of the easiest and healthiest foods you can prepare on a grill, gas or charcoal, is salmon. There is a trick to grilling salmon though, that once you know will transform your success with grilling this fish forever. The secret?

Use skin-on fillets and place the salmon fillets on the hot grill skinless side down first.

The fillets, when raw, won’t flake and fall apart like they will when they are cooked. So, you sear the raw skinless side first, only enough to get some good grill marks and an edge of cooked fish, then you carefully flip it and finish your cooking at a lower temp with the skin-side down.

This way the skin will help keep the fillet together and help keep it from flaking apart and falling into your grill while the fish completes its cooking.

My friend Suzanne taught me this approach years ago and it makes a huge difference. If you do it the other way? Skin side first? It’s a mess.

Also make sure you coat the grill grates and the fillets well with oil, to help prevent sticking. Some sticking is likely to happen anyway, which is why you need to be careful when you flip the fillets over. But having a well oiled hot grill and well oiled fillets will help.

There are plenty of marinades you can use with salmon; I’ve included four favorites here. My friend Suzanne usually just uses a simple soy sauce and minced garlic marinade. Sometimes I get a little fancier and add mirin rice wine, ginger, and sugar.

Do you have a favorite way to prepare grilled salmon? A favorite salmon marinade? If so, please let us know about it in the comments.

Updated from the recipe archive. First posted in 2009.

Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe

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• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes
• Marinating time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 3 pounds salmon fillets, skin-on (figure 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person)
• Canola, olive, or grapeseed oil

Marinade Recipes

Basic marinade:

• 3/4 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Basic teriyaki marinade:

• 1 cup soy sauce(use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free)
• 1-inch nob of fresh ginger root, grated
• 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 to 4 Tbsp brown sugar

Teriyaki marinade with mirin:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce(use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup minced green onions
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• Pinch chili pepper flakes

Yakitori marinade with sake:

• 1/2 cup sake
• 1/2 cup soy sauce(use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 2 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• A dash of red chili pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Method

1 Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. If sugar is an ingredient in the marinade you are using, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.

2 Cut filles 1 1/2 to 2-inches wide. Place marinade ingredients in a large casserole dish (or a plate with sides so the marinade doesn't run). Coat the salmon fillets in the marinade and then place them skinless-side down in the marinade.

Marinate for 20 minutes for a quick marinade (can do this at room temperature while you are preparing the grill) or if you have more time from 1-2 hours chilled in the refrigerator. Before grilling, remove fillets from marinade and discard marinade.

3 Prepare grill for high direct heat (if you are using a charcoal grill, prepare one side of the grill for high direct heat and the other side with fewer coals for indirect heating). When the grill is hot (you should be able to hold your hand one inch above the grill grates for only 1 second), spray or brush oil generously on both sides of fish fillets. Place fillets on grill, skinless side down first, so that they can get nice grill marks on the hot grill while the fish is still firm. Close the grill lid. Cook 1-3 minutes on the first side, depending on how thick the fillets are.

Once the fish fillets have been placed on the grill, do not move them until you are going to flip them over, otherwise they may fall apart.

4 Look for grill marks on the fish and a small layer of opaque (cooked) fish where the fish is closes to the grill. Using tongs, and a metal spatula to help if necessary, carefully turn the fish onto the other side, so that the skin side is now on the grill grates.

If you are using a charcoal grill, the fillets should be placed on the side of the grill furthest from the coals. If you are using a gas grill, just reduce the flame to medium.

Close the grill lid. Cook for another 2-5 minutes, again depending on the thickness of the fillets. Salmon should be just barely opaque throughout when done.

Better to err on the side of undercooking the salmon, rather than overcooking. You can always put the fish back on the grill, but once a good fillet is overcooked, there's nothing you can do.

Remove from grill and serve immediately.

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Quick Easy Fish Stew

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

One of our favorite family recipes of all time is this simple and easy fish stew. It takes less than 30 minutes, start to finish, and is absolutely delicious!

The key ingredient to this stew is clam juice, which they sell in shelf stable 8-ounce jars, so we usually keep a couple in our pantry. I have prepared the soup for people with shellfish allergies; the thing to do is to substitute the clam juice with white wine, fish stock, or water. It works, it’s just not quite as tasty.

The stew works best with a firm white fish, such as halibut or cod. You could also use red snapper or even tilapia. Just stay away from delicate fish such as sole for this stew, or oily fish such as tuna.

If you want, you can add some shrimp, clams and/or scallops to the stew as well.

One of our favorite recipes for Lent, updated from the recipe archive

Quick Easy Fish Stew Recipe

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• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

For a variation, add 1/2 pound of shrimp, mussels, clams, and/or scallops to the stew. If adding shellfish, add them a couple minutes before the fish; they need more time to cook and open.

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh chopped tomato (about 1 medium sized tomato) OR 1 14-ounce can of whole or crushed tomatoes with their juices
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste (optional)
• 8 oz of clam juice (or shellfish stock)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (like Sauvignon blanc)
• 1 1/2 lb fish fillets (use a firm white fish such as halibut, cod, red snapper, or sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
• Pinch of dry oregano
• Pinch of dry thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or more to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Method

1 Heat olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 4 minutes, add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato and tomato paste, and gently cook for 10 minutes or so.

2 Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the fish is cooked through and easily flakes apart, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add seasoning. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Great served with crusty bread for dipping in the fish stew broth.

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Salmon Mousse

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Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

From the recipe archive. First posted in 2003.

Remember those retro fish molds? I have two of them, both of which I have used to make this salmon mousse over the years. But try as I may, it’s almost impossible to make salmon mousse in a fish mold look good. These days I take the easy way and just pour the mousse mixture into serving bowls, chill until set, and serve. This doesn’t mean the fish molds are retired, I just have to be up for a decorating challenge if I use them again. In any case, this is an easy-to-make, delicious salmon mousse, not too rich, and quite flavorful. The recipe comes from my friend Tina Seelig’s book The Epicurean Laboratory, now long out of print (but a great book if you can get a hold of a used copy.) This mousse was presented to a flock of teenagers who hungrily ate it up with loud exclamations of “This is GREAT!”

Salmon Mousse Recipe

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• Prep time: 6 hours, 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 12 as an appetizer.

You can either pour the salmon mousse mixture into a mold, and then chill it and un-mold it when set, or you can pour the salmon mousse mixture into crocks, tureens, or attractive bowls and serve it as is.

Ingredients

• 1 lb freshly cooked or canned boneless salmon
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
• 1 can concentrated tomato soup or 8 ounces of puréed tomato sauce
• Tabasco sauce
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 4 teaspoons (2 envelopes) unflavored, unsweetened gelatin

• One greased or stick-free 6 cup mold, or a few serving bowls.

Method

1 In a bowl, mix salmon, celery, green pepper, onion, dill, mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice.

2 In a saucespan, melt the cream cheese. Add the tomato soup or tomato sauce and continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce. Pour the cream cheese and tomato soup mixture into the salmon mixture and mix thoroughly.

3 Pour the cold water into a small pot and stir in the gelatin. Be sure to use cold water. Gelatin needs this to disperse properly. Slowly heat the water and gelatin just until the gelatin dissoves. Do not boil the gelatin or it will not gel properly. Add the dissolved gelatin to the salmon mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into a decorative mold or into serving bowls and refrigerate for 6 hours, or until firm.

4  If using a decorative mold, unmold the salmon mousse by placing the bottom of the mold in hot water for a few seconds and turn the mold over onto a large serving dish to release the mousse. The surface of the mousse may appear a bit ragged. If you cover with plastic wrap and re-chill in the refrigerator, it should become more smooth.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve salmon mousse with sliced avocados, celery sticks, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, olives, slices of baguette, and/or crackers.

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