Roasted Bay Scallops with Spinach

Ingredients:
1 lb bay scallops
1/2 cup defrosted, drained frozen chopped spinach
1/3 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
zest of 1 lemon

for the breadcrumbs
3/4 cup freshly made bread crumbs
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. In a medium bowl, combine the scallop ingredients. Pour into an oiled baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the breadcrumb ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes or until the scallops are just cooked through and the breadcrumbs are toasty.

My thoughts:

These are dark days, food wise. We are in the dead of winter and there is not much growing out there. The perfect time to make the best use of frozen spinach possible. In this case, I paired them with bay scallops. Tinier and sweeter than regular scallops, they are also really affordable. Which, makes me far more likely to experiment with them than I normally would with seafood. I like to bake bay scallops at a lower temperature than a lot of recipes I've seen. Since they are small and vary in size (and occasionally are broken up) they cook somewhat unevenly. I find that if I cook them at a higher temperature, a few will be perfect but a larger number will be rubbery and overcooked.

My husband had these with rice but I had these on their own. Between the breadcrumbs, scallop, and spinach it isn't a bad, light complete meal.

Seafood Udon Soup

Ingredients:
6 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated in 1 cup hot broth (reserve the broth)
4 cups shrimp broth
1 1/2 cups raw frozen or fresh mixed seafood
1/3 cup dried wakame (cut up)
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 inch knob ginger, grated
2 tablespoons akamiso miso paste
10 oz udon noodles
1 carrot, sliced into strips



Directions:
Bring the broth, ginger and garlic to a boil. Add the noodles and carrot and continue to boil until the noodles almost soft. Add the wakame, mushrooms, mushroom broth, seafood and miso paste. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the seafood is cooked thoroughly and the noodles are soft. Serve hot.

My thoughts:

I actually made this for lunch the other day and it was so tasty, I felt like I had to share. What I love is that it doesn't take much longer to make than heating up a can of soup but it is 100x better. It is also a perfect quick dinner for those days when just transitioning into cooler weather; it is warm and comforting but not heavy.



A couple of tips: Whenever I make something with shrimp I save the shells (and heads) and make a quick broth with water, the shells, carrots, garlic, celery, onions etc and then freeze it for a future use. You can defrost it in minutes by heating it (frozen) in a shallow pan over low heat.

If you are using frozen mixed seafood (I get a great mix of squid, scallops, mussels, shrimp and a few other treats at my local Asian grocery) toss it in the soup still frozen. Aways use seafood that was frozen raw for best flavor. Frozen cooked seafood can get rubbery when recooked.

Some udon noodles have very specific cooking directions. If the directions are very different than simply boiling them as my recipe calls for, you might want to prepare the noodles according to the package instructions then add them when you add the seafood.


I don't like a very brothy udon soup so if you would prefer a more liquid soup or if an inordinately large amount of the broth evaporated during the cooking time, add a cup of hot broth or water to the soup before serving.

Shrimp & Scallop Noodle Bowl

Ingredients:
for the sauce:
1 1/4 cup shrimp stock
2 inch knob ginger, sliced
2 inch knob galangal, sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced
1 teaspoon palm sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

for the stir fry:
3/4 lb shrimp
3/4 lb scallop
6 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 carrots, in matchsticks
2 head Shanghai cabbage, sliced in 1/4 inch wide pieces horizontally
1b fresh egg noodles, boiled 1 minute then drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil



Directions:
Bring the shrimp stock, ginger, galangal, and lemongrass to a boil. Boil until it is reduced to 1 cup. Strain out the solids. Stir in soy sauce and palm sugar then whisk in the cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok. Quickly stir fry the garlic then add the carrot, mushrooms and cabbage. Stir fry until the cabbage is just starting to wilt. Push the vegetables to one side of the wok, then add the seafood into the empty space. Stir fry until the shrimp and scallops are almost completely cooked through. Add the noodles and sauce. Stir fry until the noodles are soft and the sauce is mostly absorbed. Serve hot.

Yield: 2-4 servings.

My thoughts:

This was one of the tastiest noodle dishes I've made in a while. The noodles absorb all of the delicious broth and accent rather than obscure the natural brininess of the shrimp and scallops. It is also an exceptionally quick yet impressive looking dish to make, especially if you have a basic shrimp stock* on hand. I like to make stock whenever we have shrimp and then freeze it. You don't even have to defrost it ahead of time, it defrosts very quickly over medium heat in a saucepan. I then flavor it to accent the rest of the ingredients of whatever I am making. In this case, I was using Asian ingredients so I used Thai-influenced add-ins. It really elevates the dish into something special.


*Basically just water, raw shrimp shells, shrimp heads if possible, lemon peel, onions, parsley etc boiled until it reduces and then skimmed of solids.

Scallop & Artichoke Pasta

Ingredients:
10 oz frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 lb small scallops
1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of one lemon
handful fresh parsley, chopped

12 oz hot pasta*

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic and onion. Saute until just fragrant. Add the scallops, artichokes and lemon juice and cook until the scallops are almost opaque. Add the zest and parsley. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and toss with the bread crumbs, cheese and pasta. Serve hot.


*I used skinny spaghetti but any kind of long, not too thick pasta would work.

My thoughts:

This is a tasty, simple meal that you can make in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I like how it combines staples (bread crumbs, pasta) with fresh seafood and seasonal fruit which makes it a great late Winter dinner. It seems fresh and light but doesn't call for anything that isn't readily available (or tasty!) in Winter.

Best Fondue Ever

Ingredients:
for the stock*
6 black peppercorns
4 cloves
3 stalks celery
3 carrots
3 green onions
3 cloves garlic crushed
2 bay leaves
1 piece ginger root, peeled and smashed
one fennel root with greens, sliced thickly
one bunch parsley
1 onion quartered
1 lb chicken necks (or any other cheap and boney cut of chicken)
1 lb beef neck bones (or any other inexpensive beef bones)
shells and heads from 1 lb of shrimp**
salt to taste

to dip:
(all raw)
broccoli
tiny potatoes
crimini mushrooms, stems removed
peeled shrimp
scallops
firm squash
dumplings
marinated chicken, cut into manageable strips
marinated beef, cut into manageable strips


dipping sauce suggestions:
creamy dips (for the veggies)
dumpling dipping sauce
teriyaki sauce
cocktail sauce
tarter sauce
plum sauce
mustard

Directions:
To make the stock:
Time warning: this is best done the night before you want to use the stock.
Place all of the stock ingredients in the largest stock pot that you have. Cover them with water, bring the stock just to the boiling point and then lower the heat. Simmer on low for 4 hours, periodically skimming the scum that rises to the surface. Strain stock and discard solids. Strain a second time through a strainer lined with a cheese cloth. If you do not have a cheesecloth you can also line the strainer with a damp paper towel. This is very effective but also more time-consuming. Refrigerate the stock until cold (preferably overnight) and then skim off any solid fat that floats on top.

Optional but suggested: After you fill your fondue pot, add some extra flavor that compliments the flavors of the food and the dipping sauces. For example, we were having dumplings so we stirred in a couple of tablespoons of shaoxing wine, a splash of black vinegar, some sliced green onions and a drop of black sesame oil.


To fondue:
Make sure your fondue pot isn't filled past the max fill line before heating. It is important to wait until the broth is quite hot (steaming, starting to bubble) before dipping the raw food or it will take an inordinate amount of time to cook anything and you run the risk of taking the food out before it is thoroughly cooked.

Place the raw meat and seafood on a chilled plate. Arrange everything else in small bowls. Spear the food with your fondue fork and cook 1-4 minutes or until the food is cooked thoroughly. Remove the food from your fondue fork and use a regular fork to dip the food in sauce (optional) and eat. Resist the urge to eat off of the fondue fork, while the food you are eating is cooked, the rest of the fork has some into contact with raw food. I suggest having a separate plate where you can "test" foods you're not sure about to make sure they are cooked thoroughly, this helps cut down the risk of cross contamination.

*Check the max fill line on your fondue pot. This recipe will most likely yield more stock than you can use. I suggest freezing the leftovers to use the next time you need stock.

** If you cannot find heads-on shrimp, you can use just the shells. However heads impart a lot of flavor. We get ours at an Asian grocery. Just cut off the heads and save the shrimp to dip in the broth.

My thoughts:

Last year we started a new tradition. On New Year's Eve, eat only food introduced in a certain decade and watch movies from the same era. Last year it was the '80s and I made poke cake and pesto pizza with sun-dried tomatoes. Working backwards, this year it was the '70s and we made fondue and California rolls (invented in CA during the 1970s). Fondue had been around for years before the 1970s but that is when it really took off in the US, especially the brothy, non-dessert, non-cheese fondues. The popular Melting Pot chain of fondue restaurants opened in 1975.

Anyway, Matt spent most of Sunday making the broth and then today I stirred in the final ingredients and assembled the dips and dippers. I love fondue because not only is it fun and interactive, it requires little prep. No cooking before you eat, just setting up and if you make the broth the day before (or use broth leftover from something else) there is virtually nothing to do the day you fondue. And it is super easy to eat while watching a slew of '70s movies.

Some tips: Making the broth and then flavoring it seems like a lot of work, but it is worth it. Even with the dips, the actual food you eat can be on the bland side if it is not cooked in a flavorful broth. I also recommend buying a fondue pot that can actually cook the broth and not the kind that just has a candle underneath to keep things warm. The tealight kind is cheaper, and the candle might work okay for keeping chocolate or cheese fondue liquid and warm but it really isn't powerful enough for an oil or broth fondue. Even if cheese or chocolate fondue is all you've ever had or think you'll ever want to have, you might as well spend the extra $20 or so and get a good set with a more powerful heat source and just have the option of making a broth or oil fondue. It is also much easier (and uses less dishes) to just cook the food in front of you rather than heating it up on the stove and then transferring it to the fondue pot to keep warm. My set came with a metal bowl for broth fondue and a ceramic one for cheese and chocolate fondues and uses a burner to heat things up. It even has a rotating rack for dips. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it online to show you, but there are a lot of good fondue sets out there. I've also heard some positive things about electric fondue pots but I'd be sure to get one that has a bowl that can be lifted out for cleaning.

Scallops with Garlic Butter

Ingredients:
I lb fresh sea scallops
1 tablespoons melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. In a small heat safe bowl or measuring cup combine butter, shallot and garlic. Microwave about one minute or until butter is melted. Place scallops in a shallow baking dish. Pour the garlic/shallot butter over the scallops evenly. Combine oil and bread crumbs and sprinkle over scallops. Add salt and pepper. Bake until opaque, about 10-12 minutes.

Asian-y Seafood Soup

Ingredients:

8 oz. Enoki mushrooms

2 32 oz containers of Soy Ginger Noodle broth (I used Imagine brand)

6-8 jumbo shrimp (I used uncooked frozen, shorten cooking times if using fresh)

15 or so bay scallops (I used frozen)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

about an inch fresh garlic, sliced thinly

7 oz Indonesian wheat noodles (wide cut)

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup fresh spinach



Directions:

Bring broth to a boil in a largish pot. Add garlic, ginger and white part of the onions. Return to boil if necessary. Add frozen seafood. Cook until about half done (4 or so minutes) and add noodles. Cook about 3 more minutes and add the rest of the onions and the spinach. Cook about 1 more minute then add mushrooms and serve.