Shrimp Sandwich

I'm a fan of a good sandwich, and when you're lucky enough to get fresh ingredients and good bread, you're pretty much guaranteed a tasty sandwich.  This particular lunchtime delight features shrimp, avocado, bacon, tomato, goat cheese, mayo, and a little parmesan for good measure on Tuscan Pane bread. 

Toast your bread.  I toasted one slice with some parmesan cheese to melt into it.  Spread your condiments of choice on each side.  Slice your toppings and layer away.  I did avocado on one side, since the avocado would stick well to the bread when it came time to flip.  Then the other side I started with the bacon and weighted it down with the tomato slices.  Next I topped with the shrimp that I quickly poached to cook through beforehand.  I added the goat cheese for the final touch, combined the two sides, and sliced on a bias down the middle. 

Potatoes, Shrimp, and Veggies over Rice and Lettuce

This was an interesting dinner I made about a month ago.  For some reason I was craving potatoes (well, aren't I always?), but also kind of wanted something fresh and salad-like.  So I figured I'd assemble pretty much everything fresh in my fridge on top of lettuce, but added some rice for texture and substance.  It was pretty good.

Ingredients: Romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, potatoes, basmati rice, shrimp, red onion, garlic, tarragon, cumin, coriander, salt/pepper, yogurt sauce to garnish

Start by peeling and chopping your potatoes.  I chopped into ~1 inch cubes, but do whatever you prefer.  Then, just as if I was preparing breakfast potatoes I cooked them in the skillet with a little bit of olive oil and added the tarragon, salt/pepper, cumin, and coriander.  Let them cook for about 20 minutes to cook through, and if you want you can periodically add a little broth that will be absorbed and soften the insides. 

Once primarily cooked, I added the red onion, a little garlic, and the shrimp to the pan.  Saute until the shrimp are pink and the onion softened.  I opted to chop my shrimp for the sake of having more shrimp scattered throughout in smaller bites.  It makes the shrimp go further.

Once cooked through you can assemble your meal.  I layered lettuce on the plate first, covered with the rice (it was leftover from a previous dinner so I just reheated it), piled the potatoes/shrimp on next, topped with fresh cucumber and tomato slices, and finally drizzled the sauce over.

The sauce was also leftover from a previous meal (see: Salmon w/ a Zucchini Yogurt Sauce).  It's basically a combination of 1:1 yogurt and mayo.  Then you throw in diced zucchini and chives, but really you can add whatever you like.  Or make your own yogurt sauce. 

So this dish is kind of like a salad, kind of like an mediterranean burrito bowl, but the combination of hot/cold, heavy/light makes for a tasty, hearty meal.

Fish Tacos

Typically made with fried fish, this grilled fish variety makes for a lighter version of a delicious mexican inspired taco that always makes me think of San Diego.  We had some tilapia in the freezer and what better way to utilize it than with some cilantro, lime juice, and avocado?

You can marinade your fish with whatever you like, but I opted for my standard ziploc bag filled with diced white onion, chopped cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Throw your fish in, put in the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes to several hours.  

Next, prepare your grill.  If you aren't using a grill, go for a grill pan.  If you are lacking a grill pan, a flat skillet works well too (what I used in this case).  Add a little oil to the skillet and throw on your tortillas.  We opted for small corn tortillas, since these are soft tacos, but if you want flour or crunchy taco shells, by all means, do your thing, but I highly endorse soft tortillas for this meal.

While these are grilling I made a lime mayonnaise with 1 cup mayo, 1 tsp milk, 3 tbsp lime juice, and a dash of the fresh cilantro.  Remove your heated tortillas from the grill/skillet and coat with your desired amount of lime mayo. 

Next, grill your fish on the same pan, with a little excess marinade still suck to the fish.  I'm not really a fan of patting dry, because I don't want to lose the extra flavor.

Since tilapia is a very thin white fish, it will cook rather quickly.  Turn after a couple minutes on one side, and once done, you can break it into smaller pieces to fill your tacos.  I arranged the sliced lettuce on the bottom of the tortilla, topped with the fish, added some fresh avocado, drizzled with about a tbsp of the leftover marinade from the baggy, and topped with a little bit more of the lime mayo. 

Simple, delicious finger food that makes for a good lunch or dinner.

Open Faced Shrimp Melt

Okay, so I realize this is very similar to the shrimp melts I posted a couple months ago, but it was so delicious last night that I felt the need to document and share.  This turns the appetizer portion into a meal.  Add whatever you like on your sandwich, and use two slices of bread if you want.

Ingredients: Shrimp, tarragon, white wine, water, scallions, mayo, lettuce, bacon, bread, cheddar cheese

First, prepare the shrimp.  Always start with raw shrimp.  It's cool if the shrimp is frozen, as long as it isn't cooked already.  That produces the best texture and taste.  I poach the shrimp in a 1:1 mixture of white wine and water with about a tsp of dried tarragon over medium heat.

I left the tails on for the poaching, but you don't have to.  After about a minute or two on each side, your shrimp should be cooked through.  Remove from the poaching liquid and set aside to cool.  Once cool, remove tails and chop into thirds.

Meanwhile, cook your bacon, toast your bread, and prep your lettuce.  Thinly slice a scallion and add it to a mixing bowl.  Add the chopped shrimp to the scallions and coat both with mayonnaise.  Use as much or as little as you like.  I probably used 1 to 2 tbsp.  Add a little salt and pepper and if you want more tarragon you can add that too.  A splash of lemon juice or chives are also suitable additions.

Assemble the sandwich.  Bread.  Lettuce.  Bacon.

Now it is up to you how you want to melt the cheese on your sandwich.  I usually put the shrimp mayo mixture on top of the bacon and coat with grated cheddar cheese, then place the entire sandwich in a toaster oven to melt the cheese.  Last night I instead opted to heat just the shrimp with the cheese on top so as to not cook the toast, lettuce, or bacon any more.  Once the cheese was melted, I scooped the cheesy shrimp on top of the bacon.


I ate with my hands, but obviously if you're classy you'll use utensils.  I'd also suggest throwing some avocado on top, but I alas did not have any.  Ideally, I would serve this on a dutch crunch roll, but the shrimp is so good it can work with whatever bread you give it.

LND: Entertaining Recipes - Shrimp Melts

 

Happy week after Thanksgiving, loyal readers!  I hope you find yourselves well-fed, well-rested, and with plenty of leftovers.  This year, I was in charge of the appetizers for our 35 person Thanksgiving dinner, so I present to you, recipes for entertainment.


Ingredients: English muffins, Shrimp, Mayonnaise, Tarragon, Scallions, Cheddar Cheese, White Wine

To make these delightful morsels bite sized, we searched high and low for miniature english muffins, since we wanted to be classier than cutting the larger-sized ones in half.  We resorted to ordering them from the internet.  Great for presentation, also great if you're happy to have 6 bags of 12 muffins each to satisfy those english muffin cravings.

Step 1: Cook the Shrimp.  I like to buy the giant bags of raw, peeled/deveined shrimp.  It's easy, it's quick, but you don't sacrifice taste or texture by settling for the precooked variety.  I poached the whole shrimp in white wine, water, and tarragon over medium heat.  Fill the pot with enough liquid to fully cover the shrimp, and add a couple tablespoons of fresh chopped or dried tarragon.

Step 2: Slice the shrimp.  Our shrimp were medium sized, so I cut them into thirds.  Put into a bowl and mix with mayo and sliced scallions.  I add enough mayo to coat the shrimp, but not overdo it.  For this recipe we had 2 lbs of shrimp and I used about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of mayo, and 3 sliced scallions.  

Step 3: Halve and toast the english muffins, then set on a cookie sheet.

Step 4: Spoon the shrimp mixture onto the muffins.  Top with grated cheddar cheese.  Place in a 375 degree oven for about 8 -12 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted.

Delicious shrimp melts in bite sized portions!  I also enjoy making this is larger quantities and sandwiching between some thick rustic bread for lunches.  Reheat in the toaster oven at work and it's just as good.

Salmon with a Zucchini Yogurt Sauce

Served with mashed potatoes and asparagus, both of which also taste good with the yogurt sauce

This has been a favorite recipe of mine for years, though I forget where we first discovered it.  I like it because it's pretty quick and easy with few ingredients but it tastes way more involved.

Ingredients for the sauce: plain yogurt, mayo, zucchini, chives
Ingredients for the fish: salmon fillets, poaching liquid (I usually like white wine and water with tarragon, but this time we used chicken broth and it still tasted great)

Poached fish results in way more tender and juicy fillets than most other methods of cooking.  However, it is still possible to overpoach a fish.  I like to put the salmon in a saute pan that covers about 3/4 - 4/5 of the salmon with the poaching liquid on medium to medium-high heat (you want it to be just under a boil).  Once it appears that most of the fish is cooked slightly, aside from a small portion of the top part (maybe about 5-7 minutes) flip the fillets over.  Cook for the same amount of time on the other side and you're done.

For the sauce, mix equal parts plain yogurt and mayonnaise (we did 8 ounces each and had lots of leftovers).  Then take one small zucchini and dice it and a small handful of chives and dice them.  Add as much of the zucchini and chives as you'd like to the yogurt/mayo (we went for a whole zucchini and maybe 1/4 cup of chives).

And that's it.  Plate the salmon, spoon some sauce over, and make sure to leave the bowl of sauce on the table with dinner, because your guests will definitely be going for more.  (Zucchini garnish optional)

LND: Lunchbox Edition

The art of the homemade deli sandwich.  The bread is truly the key ingredient.  I'm a fan of dutch crunch myself, but since I buy sliced loaves rather than rolls for typical home consumption, I opt for a sourdough or similar option with a nice crust and firmer interior.  The bread du yesterday was a Tuscan Pane found at Trader Joe's.  Big fan.

The second most important part is the meat.  Not only the quality of the deli slices you've procured, but the placement in the sandwich.  Far too often I've ordered a deli sandwich and the slices of meat are all stuck together one on top of the other.  Ok, sure it may be the same meat, but I swear it tastes better when the deli slices are folded over themselves (almost like loosely rolled bundles) creating pockets of air between meat slices.  Trust me, it makes a world of difference.  

Next order of business: sauces/condiments.  For yesterday's sandwich I used mayonnaise on one slice of bread and a homemade feta/onion/mint sauce on the other slice of bread (ok, maybe a little bit off-putting for some, but I'm trying to use up my leftovers here).

Finally, you may begin assembly.  I start by partially toasting the bread, coating with the mayo/yogurt sauce, then piling.  Roast beef, bacon, and gruyere cheese go on one side. Lettuce on the other.  If i had had more ingredients in my pantry i could've gone to town: avocado, tomatoes, red onions, so on and so-forth, but i had to suffice with a meat-hearty meal.  I put the portion with the cheese in the toaster oven, to melt the cheese atop the bacon and beef.

Assembled, sliced, wrapped and ready for lunch.  When I'm ready to eat, I put it in the toaster oven at work to remelt the cheese and warm the meats just a little bit.  Fresh deli taste from my home kitchen.