cook like james

Uglesich's Restaurant in New Orleans (Uglesich website) serves one of the best shrimp and grits that I ever tasted, although, just about everything there was incredible. This recipe, which follows a method from America’s Test kitchen, is pretty easy to throw together and makes a great quick dinner for two.

 Download Southern Style Shrimp and Grits for Two recipe

8 ounces shrimp (large size 31-40 per pound), peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 minced garlic clove

pinch of Cayenne pepper

¼ - ½ tsp. Cajun Seafood seasoning

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 small onion minced (about ½ cup)

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup Quick Grits (Quick not instant grits is key)

4 oz extra-sharp shredded cheddar cheese, shredded

1 green onion sliced thin

 1.  Adjust oven rack to the middle and heat oven to 375 degrees

2.  Toss the shrimp with the oil, garlic, cayenne, Cajun seasoning and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate will making the grits. 

3.  Melt butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soften stirring frequently, 4- 5 minutes.

4.  Stir in water, cream, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil.

5.  Slowly whisk in grits, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often until grits are thick and creamy, 5-7 minutes.

6.  Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar until combined.

7.  Lay shrimp on their sides in a pinwheel (circle the skillet with tails in middle) over the grits then press on them slightly to submerge about halfway down.

8.  Transfer skillet to oven and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 – 7 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

This is a quick and easy recipe for fish – and it’s great for kids – reminiscent of the ever popular chicken fingers.

Download Homemade Fish Sticks

1 egg

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 pounds fish fillets, cod, haddock, orange roughy or other mild fish

3 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (optional)

Tartar sauce, for serving

1.    Put an oven rack near the top of the oven. Preheat oven to 450°F, with a baking sheet inside.

2.    Use a fork to beat the egg together with the mayonnaise and mustard. Mix breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan in a shallow dish and season it with a bit of salt and pepper too. Cut fish fillets into 1-inch-thick by 4-inch-long pieces. Pat off extra moisture with paper towels, and toss cod pieces in flour.

3.    With one hand, dip a piece of cod into the egg mixture and put it on the breadcrumbs. With the other hand, coat each piece with breadcrumbs. Stack breaded cod pieces on a plate, repeating until all the cod is breaded.

4.    Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven, pour on the olive oil and butter, if using. Arrange the cod pieces in a single layer. Bake until just cooked through, flipping halfway through, about 4 minutes per side for thick pieces, 2 to 3 minutes for thinner ones. Serve with tartar sauce or favorite dipping sauce.

I was walking through my local farmer’s market today and saw a new vendor called the Maine Connection Seafood Company. The prize on their table was fresh Maine lobster – flown to LA the same day that it is caught from the family run fishing business. Of course, you can buy a whole lobster and cook it yourself, but this is so convenient and incredibly fresh. Lobster rolls in Maine are almost always made with a top split hot dog bun, but they’re nearly impossible to find in California.

  Download The Best Maine Lobster Roll Recipe

8 ounces cooked fresh lobster, refrigerated

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 rib celery, finely diced

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely chopped chives or tarragon

1 scallion, finely chopped, white and light green part only

2 hot dog buns, preferably top split (or brioche roll)

1 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft

Boston lettuce

1.    Cut the lobster meat into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a large bowl, and mix with the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the diced celery, lemon juice, chives, and scallion pepper until well blended.

2.    Heat a large skillet. Butter the sides of the hot dog buns with the butter and grill over moderate heat until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the hot dog buns to plates, add lettuce and place the lobster salad and serve immediately.

Classic New England style Top Split Lobster Roll

MAPLE GLAZED SALMON

Download Maple Glazed Wild Salmon Recipe

1 cup pure maple syrup (Dark Amber or Grade B)
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh gingerroot
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

½  tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
2 1/2-pound center-cut Wild salmon fillet with skin
greens from 1 bunch scallions

1.    In a small heavy saucepan simmer maple syrup, gingerroot, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste until reduced to about 1 cup, about 30 minutes, and let cool. (Maple glaze may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring maple glaze to room temperature before proceeding.)

2.    Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly oil a shallow baking pan large enough t hold salmon.

3.    Arrange scallion greens in one layer  in baking pan to form a bed for fish.

4.    In another small saucepan heat half of glaze over low heat until heated through to use as a sauce. Stir in remaining tablespoon lemon juice and ½ tablespoon optional mustard. Remove pan from heat and keep sauce warm, covered.

5.    Put salmon, skin side down, on scallion greens and brush with remaining glaze. Season salmon with salt and pepper and roast in middle of oven until just cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

6.    Cut salmon crosswise into 6 pieces. On each of 6 plates arrange salmon and scallion greens on a bed of mashed potatoes. Drizzle salmon with warm maple sauce.

This is a fast and easy dish to prepare and it’s so delicious. The creamy mustard sauce is great on any fish fillet – red snapper, tilapia, grouper. It's one of the recipes featured in Ina Garten's new cookbook "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics " - http://bit.ly/5TjCXt 

4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper, tilapia, or grouper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces creme fraiche (or sour cream)

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons minced shallots or finely chopped scallions (white and light green parts)

2 teaspoons drained capers

Directions

1.    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or  use an ovenproof baking dish. Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.    Combine the crème fraiche, mustards, shallots (or scallions), capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered.

3.    Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Download Roasted Fish Fillets in Mustard Cream Sauce

Salmon Fillets with Crispy Mustard and Dill Crust

Download Salmon Fillets with Crispy Mustard and Dill Crust Recipe

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 6- to 7-ounce salmon fillets

1 cup fresh French breadcrumbs (made with baguette or hearty white sandwich bread)

4 ounces Kettle cooked potato chips, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Place vinegar, sugar and both mustards in blender. With machine running, slowly pour in oil and blend until medium-thick sauce forms. (Can be made 1 day ahead; refrigerate.) Pulse bread in mini cuisinart with dill to make fine crumbs, transfer to small bowl; mix in crushed chips and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish with olive oil. Arrange salmon in prepared dish, skin side down.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread 1 tablespoon mustard sauce over each fillet, covering completely. Press breadcrumbs onto fish. Bake salmon until cooked through and crumb topping is crisp and golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Using large spatula as aid, transfer salmon fillets to platter.

Broiled Salmon with Mango Chutney and Crisp Spiced Crust

If you prefer to cook a smaller 2-pound fillet, ask to have it cut from the thick center of the fillet, not the thin tail end, and begin checking doneness a minute earlier.  If you can find only chunky mango chutney, puree it in a mini food processor until smooth.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 medium clove garlic , minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/4 teaspoon table salt 

3 slices high-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed

4 ounces plain high-quality potato chips , crushed into rough 1/8-inch pieces, about 1 cup, (thick-cut and kettle-cooked preferred; ridged chips in a pinch)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 

1 whole side of salmon fillet , about 3 1/2 pounds, pinbones removed and belly fat trimmed  

1 teaspoon olive oil 

3/4 teaspoon table salt 

 Ground black pepper 

3 tablespoons smooth mango chutney  -

(Silver Palate Mango Chutney or Sharwood’s  Major Grey Mango Chutney)

Instructions

1.     Adjust one oven rack to uppermost position (about 3 inches from heat source) and second rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees.

2.     Heat butter in small skillet over medium heat until melted. Off heat, add garlic, ground cumin, paprika, ground cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.

3.     Pulse bread in workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade until processed into fairly even 1/4-inch pieces about the size of Grape-Nuts cereal (you should have about 1 cup), about ten 1-second pulses. Spread crumbs evenly on rimmed baking sheet; toast on lower rack, shaking pan once or twice, until golden brown and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Toss together bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, butter-spice mixture, and parsley in small bowl; set aside.

4.     Increase oven setting to broil. Cut piece of heavy-duty foil 6 inches longer than fillet. Fold foil lengthwise in thirds and place lengthwise on rimmed baking sheet; position salmon lengthwise on foil, allowing excess foil to overhang baking sheet. Rub fillet evenly with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil salmon on upper rack until surface is spotty brown and outer 1/2-inch of thick end is opaque when gently flaked with paring knife, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove fish from oven, spread evenly with smooth mango chutney, and press bread crumb mixture onto fish. Return to lower rack and continue broiling until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 minute longer.