I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Fish and Shellfish

Garlic Lemon Shrimp

When Price and I first met ages ago he did not like seafood. At all. Well, with the exception of the fried fish dinner from Doug’s Fish Fry from back home. And I think that was only because they have the best cole slaw there. Over the years he has been more adventitious and has expanded his pallet so every now and then we had seafood for dinner.  Shrimp was on sale one day so whipped up this super simple, flavorful dinner for us on a whim.

 

 

This was so easy to prepare. The prep time was so fast as most of the work was done for me has the shrimp had been de-veined and de-shelled. I only needed to remove the tails before tossing together the rest of the mixture. This could be served with rice or pasta but I decided to not dirty another pot and just enjoy it with french bread. Normally, I would drizzle the bread with extra virgin olive oil but the rest of the dish was so indulgent with butter, oil, and wine so I keep it basic. Besides, the bread would just be dipped into the ‘broth’ anyway. This is very garlicky so this is not a first date kind of meal, enjoy it with someone you love and some wine!

 

Garlic Lemon Shrimp

Serves 2 as an entree, 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients

  •  1 pound shrimp, medium sized (31-35)
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 1/2 large lemons
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 loaf of french bread

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Rinse and remove the shell and tails from the shrimp.
  3. In a bowl, mix together the shrimp, garlic, butter, olive oil, wine, oregano, red pepper flake, and the juice of 1 lemon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay out the shrimp mixture on half of the lined baking sheet. Cut the remaining 1/2 lemon into thin slices and lay onto the shrimp.
  5. Slice the french bread into 1/2 thick pieces and lay out on the other half of the baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, it is done when the shrimp have all turned pink.
  7. First remove the toasted bread, then carefully pick up the aluminium foil to transfer the shrimp and it’s cooking liquid to a serving dish.

Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

This month has just flown by! I can’t believe it is already the end of December, and reveal day for Secret Recipe Club!!! For this month I was given Sarah’s blog, A Taste of Home Cooking. Price is always active in enjoying what I make but more often than not I just cook and he goes with the flow. This time, I decided that he should be able to pick the recipe off of Sarah’s blog. So he scrolled through the several years of posting to find something that we could make together. In the end the Chicken Sriracha Stir Fry recipe won out.

 

 

We are both big fans of stir fry’s so this was a great pick for us from Sarah’s blog. Plus it’s very affordable since the majority of the recipe is vegetables. We could have gone with chicken or even tofu, which is so super inexpensive, but we treated ourselves with the shrimp since it was on sale. The marinade and sauce were so flavorful from the Sriracha. I love the spice it provides to a dish, so it being used heavily in this recipe was great for me. In fact, I increased the original amount used since we like it so much, but you can scale it back for what ever you prefer. Just like the fact that I love fish sauce so I used that instead of the oyster sauce in the original recipe- just use what is prefect for you and make this your special stir fry.

 

 

The key with any cooking endeavor is to be prepared, but it’s so much more important with something like a stir fry. The longest part of any stir fry meal is the prep. The cooking time is so fast that you can’t try to juggle cutting things as you go. Take your time in the beginning and set up you mise en place for a successful, and fun, cooking experience.

 

Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

*Serves 4-6*

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound of raw, peeled, deveined shrimp 31-35
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 10 oz of sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 pound of  green beans, trim ends off
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil, I prefer House of Tsang’s Wok Oil
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • rice or noodles, angel hair pasta works just fine

Marinade for shrimp:

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons Sriracha

Sauce for Stir Fry

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce

Process

  1. Prepare the marinade for the shrimp in a medium sized bowl.  Coat the shrimp for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
  2. In a separate bowl, prepare the sauce for the stir fry by mixing together the cornstarch, water, Sriracha, soy sauce, fish sauce, and ginger.
  3. In a large wok heat 1 tablespoon of wok oil over high heat, add the onions and green pepper strips. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the onuions are translucent and the pepper is tender. Remove to a large bowl.
  4. Let the wok get back up to temperature, then add another 1 tablespoon of wok oil. Add the green beans. After 3 minutes, add 1/4 cup of water and cover for another 3-5 minutes. Once the green beans are tender add them to the bowl of vegetables.
  5. Again, heat the wok back up and add 1 tablespoon of wok oil, then add the mushrooms. Stir fry until they are cooked and soft.
  6. Wipe wok out with wet paper towels. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon wok oil over high heat. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic; after a few seconds, add marinated shrimp. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until shrimp is fully cooked.
  7. Add the rice or noodles to the wok and then pour the sauce in. Mix to prevent sticking and to fully incorporate the sauce into the rice or noodles. Add the vegetables back to the wok just to mix together.

Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry PDF

Secret Recipe Club

Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

A Simple Mussels Dinner

I feel that a plate a steaming hot mussels that have been cooked with wine, butter, garlic, maybe even some onions, makes for a great appetizer to share with friends. Or to enjoy for dinner all by yourself. This is a great meal to make because it comes together so easily. All the while you are sipping some white wine. A splash for the mussels, a sip for yourself. Remember that.

I always just strolled into my local grocery store and picked up a bag of mussels to bring back home. But when I was in Maine over the summer we did things a little bit differently. We actually went out to pluck mussels right out of the waters around an island at low tide.

I had no idea how easy it would be. Just a few  fun steps and we were then feasting on fresh food. It was so satisfying to know that the mussels were fresh from the waters, no more than 30 minutes out of the water from when they were in the pot. Plus I think all our ‘hard’ work made them taste better.

1- Go to a place where you can get some fresh mussels. In this case E took us to a spot she calls The Hub off off Deer Isle, ME.

2- Meet a skiddish green crab along the way.

3- Spot some mussels. Target acquired. We came across a lot of mussels under the seaweed. Take a peek and maybe you will find a lot that way.

4- Pluck the mussels off their rocks. Pick a bit more than you think you will eat. Trust me.

5- Throughly clean the mussels. E removed some of the barnacles off as well prior to cooking them.

6) Enjoy with some wine, melted butter, and bread. We also had some corn that I removed from the ears and sauteed.

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Whether you get the mussels fresh from the waters yourself or you go to a grocery store, you should make mussels any time you can. A few ingredients and you have a great dinner that works for any time of year.

Steamed Mussels

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds of mussels, cleaned and rinsed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 small white onion, sliced (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bread
  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 1 loaf of bread
  • paprika
  • salt and pepper

Process

  1. Starting with the bread, half the loaf lengthwise. Pour olive oil over the bread, sprinkle with paprika. Lightly toast in a 225 oven.
  2. In a large pot, combine the water, wine, 2 cloves of garlic, onion, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Upon bringing to a light boil, add the mussels to the pot. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the mussels have opened.
  3. While the mussels are cooking, in a separate small saucepan, add the garlic and butter. Melt on low.
  4. Serve the mussels with the toasted bread, seasoned melted butter, and a cup of the cooking liquid from the mussels. Enjoy with a big glass of white wine.
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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive. 

Mexicasian Tacos

A few weeks ago I came across a call for entries for an Alaskan Fish Taco contest using fish native to Alaskan waters to create new taco recipes. I love fish tacos so this was a no brainer. I just had to give it a try and enter.

I love fish tacos for their lightness and balance of flavor. I never feel too stuffed after having one. It probably has to do with the lack of heavy salsa and cheese. Either way, a fish taco is a perfect combination of fried or grilled fish and fresh vegetables that provide it with some bite. For example, most fish tacos I come across have some radish slices or some picked cabbage.

I decided to head in teh direction of an Asian themed taco. I felt that the light crisp flavors  of summer rolls, or veggies stir fries would be similar to the picked vegetables that are often found in California based fish tacos. We always seem to have bok choy in the house ebcause it is a favorite for our rabbits. We cook it often in stir fries so I was familiar with the texture and flavor it would bring to the fish taco. Adding ginger to the bok choy would help it bring out more flavor and enhance the Asian flavor experience.

I used cod fish, a fish that was approved for the contest. This is light flavored fish that holds up well to light frying. It would work well with the taco because the texture would a nice contrast to the tortilla and softened bok choy.

Overall I think this is a successful Asian inspired taco because the flavors are distinctly Asian, the taco has texture, and the taco is flavorful from the sriracha, ginger, and cilantro. I knew it was a good taco recipe since Pricer, who is uneasy about fish, ate it and enjoyed it. Victory!

Mexicasian Tacos

Makes 8 fish tacos

Spicy Mayo Sauce
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce
Juice of half a lime
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Stir fried Bok Choy
4 bulbs of baby bok choy
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons wok oil or canola oil
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Fried fish
1/2 pound of cod
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
Flour
1 egg
Panko bread crumbs
Oil for frying
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8 corn tortillas
1/4 cup Cilantro
2 limes

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Preheat oven to 200 and place tortillas on baking sheet to warm. Warm until desired temperature, flipping at least once to evenly warm.

To make the spicy mayo, combine the mayo, sriracha, and lime juice. Let chill until ready to serve.

Cut your 1/2 pound cod fillet into 8 even taco sized pieces. Combine the rice wine vinegar with the soy sauce to marinate the fish. Marinate for approx 15 minutes, much longer will result in a bitter tasting fish.

Prepare a breading station with individual bowls for flour, beaten egg, and panko bread crumbs.

While fish is marinating, slice the bok choy parallel to the bulb base, creating thin ribbons, and grate ginger. Over medium heat, heat wok oil in a skillet. Add both the bok choy and ginger to the hot oil. Stir fry for a few minutes until the boy chow is tender, remove from heat.

Over medium, heat oil in a large deep skillet.  Coat each piece of fish with flour, then egg, then panko bread crumbs. Immediately place breaded fish into hot oil. Gently fry fish for 2-3 minutes on each side, careful not to burn the panko breadcrumbs. DO NOT overload the skillet, this will make flipping harder and reduce temperature of oil, effecting proper browning.  Place cooked pieces of fish on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Assemble tacos with fish, boy chow, spicy mayo, a few cilantro leaves, and serve with a lime wedge.