Kiwi-marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Kiwi and Fig Sauce
And this little figgy piggy screamed “kiwi, kiwi, kiwi” all the way home!
This semi-exotic fruit lends a clean, tart flavor to savory dishes.
Category: Seafood
Broiled Cockles with Garlic and Capers: Ace of Cockles
One of the fun things about going to the bays in Oregon to dig for clams or cockles is that inevitably you run into other clam and cockle lovers scouring the sand for these succulent prizes, and you get to swap favorite methods for preparing the seafood bounty once you get home. The last time I was there, I ran into a family that was knee deep in huge pits that they had dug out in the bay, their kids clawing through the sand with potato forks while the parents were digging away with shovels. I walked over to the mother and asked her what her favorite way of preparing the cockles was. “Shuck ‘em, dab some butter and chopped garlic on them and put ‘em under the broiler,” she said. On my way home with my limit of cockles from Tillamook Bay, I pondered what she said and decided that I would try chopped up garlic, capers, thyme and olive oil on my shucked cockles before sliding them under the broiler. Yup. That should do the trick.
Deep-fried Sockeye Salmon with Red Curry Sauce
May is the beginning of the Oregon and Alaska spring commercial salmon season, so you’ll be able to get wild salmon at the store. Here’s an uncommon way to enjoy salmon that is a marriage of a Pacific Northwest ingredient with a distinctly Asian presentation.
Oregon Chinook Salmon Cakes — Simple and Spectacular
May ushers in the beginning of commercial Chinook salmon fishing season in Oregon and Sockeye salmon season in Alaska so if you haven’t noticed these wild varieties at your grocery store yet, they’ll soon be arriving. Instead of cooking an entire fillet, you can get the flavor of salmon and reduce the expense by making salmon cakes. Salmon cakes are easy to make, take very little time, can be made ahead of time and refrigerated and then cooked right when your company arrives. This recipe is not only simple, it’s spectacular.
Tillamook Bay Cockle Chowder
Chowder is easy to make and once you’ve tasted it made from fresh cockles or clams, you’ll never feel the same about opening a can of chowder again. It will make you want to look up the tide tables and head to Tillamook Bay with your bucket and garden rake!
Sole Poached in Sake, Shrimp Salad, and Asparagus Wrapped in Lox: Tasty Seafood Trio
I usually poach fish in wine but I was inspired to try poaching the fish in a sake that was slightly sweet to see if the sake would impart the same silky sweet flavor to the fish while lending itself to being served cold as a meal that was more salad-like. The delicate sole did take on some of the flavor of the sake and was delicious served cold on top of some cucumber slices that were cold-pickled in a mixture of water, cider vinegar, salt and a touch of sugar.
The rest of the meal was quick and simple to prepare and the only other cooking involved poaching the asparagus and then rinsing them in cold water. To make the shrimp salad, I simply combined the store-bought cooked salad shrimp with some green goddess salad dressing and added some chopped chives.
Rainbow Trout Poached in White Wine with Olive and Garlic Dressing: From Mt. Hebo Lake to the Dinner Table
I love fishing for trout in Oregon and go out every chance I get. Our freezer is always well stocked with vacuum packed rainbow trout, labeled with the date and lake where the fish were caught. Part of the fun is also figuring out different ways of cooking the trout.Tonight for dinner, I decided to poach the trout in some white wine, skin them, and then serve them covered in a dressing of chopped olives, garlic, herbs and olive oil. It was delicious, judging from the empty plates and smiles at the dinner table.
Fried Mussels with Ginger Miso Dipping Sauce
I had battered and fried mussels for the first time at Andaluz, a tapas restaurant right here in Salem. Chef David Rosales’ version had a light coat of flour and was served with a garlic aioli sauce. It was such a delicious way to enjoy mussels that I was inspired to create my own version. Preferring a more substantial batter, I played around until I came up with a recipe that was a combination of batter and breading and remained crispy-crunchy after frying, along with a more tangy, Japanese-inspired sauce based on miso. This dish makes a great appetizer. Think of them as mussel poppers! They’ll disappear in a flash.
Vietnamese-Style Spring Rolls Stuffed with Smoked Trout
One of the fun things about mastering a culinary technique is that you can start innovating when you’ve got the technique down. Today I’m combining two techniques, smoking seafood and making Vietnamese spring rolls to come up with Vietnamese spring rolls stuffed with smoked trout. It’s a delicious way to enjoy smoked trout and makes for a light and healthy meal.
Tuna Noodle Casserole Goes to Finishing School
How many boomers cut their culinary gourmet teeth on tuna noodle casserole? OK, hands down. I grew up making it and loving it too. The Beaver and Wally must have enjoyed it, and I’m sure Samantha Stephens twitched one up occasionally for Tabitha when Darrin wasn’t looking. But how would Samantha serve it to Endora, whose tastes were anything but ordinary? Endora would probably turn up her nose at Samantha’s can of this and can of that, wave her arm, and out of rising smoke would appear something like “La Cocotte Nouilles au Thon avec la Sauce de Mornay, Sherried Champignons Forestiers et l’Huile de Truffe Blanc.” Whew!
Dungeness Crab, Clams and Mussels in Tomato and Tamarind Sauce
Tamarind paste and canned chopped tomatoes form the base of this tangy sauce over Dungeness crab, clams and mussels. The paste from the flesh of tamarind pods are a combination of tongue-curling tartness, cheek-pinching saltiness, and lip-smacking sweetness, all rolled into one.
Oregon Shrimp Salad-stuffed Avocado with Cucumber Goddess Dressing
There have been only a few times in my life when I’ve eaten a meal somewhere and the dish I’m eating makes a lasting impression, its flavors etching its memory into my taste buds and mind. Such was the case many years ago when I was eating at a now-defunct restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas, called Celebration, and I tasted their creamy luscious cucumber dressing. They wouldn’t part with the recipe and it’s taken me several years of trial and error to replicating the flavor and consistency. And it makes a wonderful dressing for this salad of avocado stuffed with shrimp (it would be great with crab too!).
Jetty-caught Striped Perch and Mussels in a Tomato and Tamarind Sauce
A tomato and tamarind sauce lends a sweet, sour and salty melange of flavors to a seafood bounty of deep-fried striped perch I caught from the jetty at Newport, and mussels from the store. It was the perfect way to enjoy my catch and easy enough for you to prepare at home with any firm-fleshed ocean fish like sea bass or red snapper.
Oregon Redtail Surfperch Baked en Papillote with Basil and Red Bell Pepper
I’m convinced that the fishing gods are toying with me. Off and on for most of a year now, every chance I get I’ve headed to the coast with my surf rod and clam necks and sand shrimp for bait in search of the elusive redtail surfperch…and I’ve been skunked every time.
Then recently, Mom and I went shopping at Uwajimaya in Beaverton, Oregon, a Portland suburb, and while roaming the seafood aisle, guess what I spot staring at me from the fish case, all smiles as if they’re mocking me. Yup. Redtail surfperch.
Sockeye Gravlax Salad with Pomegranate Balsamic Dressing
Gravlax can be used as the base for a light and flavorful salad topped with pomegranate balsamic dressing. The dressing of pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil offers a fruity burst of palate-cleansing flavor when paired with the gravlax.
Olive Oil Poached Albacore Tuna with Corona Bean Salad
Although not as elaborate, this dish captures the essence of a Niçoise salad, and you could certainly push it that direction with the addition of some lightly steamed vegetables, boiled egg and perhaps some anchovy. It makes a perfect lunch or light dinner entrée and would pair nicely with a light-colored, dry rosé or pinot noir from Soter Vineyards or Patton Valley Vineyards.
Salmon Chanted Hors D’oeuvres — Made with Homemade Alaskan Sockeye Gravlax
Gravlax hors d’oeuvres are easy to make as well as tasty. So take a walk on the wild side and make your own gravlax. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is. This post includes step-by-step instructions as well as photos.
Lemongrass Steamed Mussels with Thai Dipping Sauce
Mussels are one of those seafood dishes that you have to be careful about when serving company. Many people object to their strong flavor and aroma. Charles and I love them, however, and we were once talking about our favorite ways to cook mussels when my mother, Pranee, told me about a dish she cooked at a now-defunct restaurant in Houston called Renu’s. It was simply mussles that had been steamed in water infused with lemongrass and it was served with a dipping sauce that Thais commonly use for seafood: a mixture of fish sauce, lime and chopped chilis.
Seared Bacon-crusted Albacore Tenderloin with Pomegranate Reduction
The idea of pairing bacon and fish had never occurred to me until Charles and I tasted the fillet mignon of ahi encrusted with bacon at Atlantic restaurant in Baltimore. The memory of that meal inspired me to create this dish using Oregon albacore tuna. I’ve always loved the taste of pomegranate so I’ve incorporated it into a red wine and balsamic reduction as a sauce that goes perfectly with the tuna and greens.
Inglehoffer’s Wasabi Horseradish Sauce Takes Seared Ahi to a Whole New Level
Beaver brand, made by Oregon-based and family-owned Beaverton Foods, is the largest producer of non-refrigerated horseradish and specialty mustards in the U.S. The company also makes a wide variety of best-selling gourmet sauces, garlic, spices, and other unique specialty condiments packaged under these labels: Beaver, Inglehoffer, Napa Valley and Tulelake.
Vietnamese-style Spring Rolls Kicked up a Notch, with Grilled Lobster Tails
We rarely have lobster, and it always seems like such a heavy thing to have for dinner, with all that butter for dredging it, but I was inspired to grill lobster tails and use them to fill Vietnamese-style spring rolls, instead of the traditional pork and shrimp combo. As Emeril would say, it’s kicked up a notch.
Oysters with Cilantro and Cucumber Salsa
Most people squeeze lemon juice on oysters in the half shell and then dunk them in cocktail sauce or ground horseradish, but I’ve always enjoyed the fresh flavor of mirin and ponzu and was inspired by a recipe for cucumber salsa for oysters in chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s book Nobu West. I added a twist of my own and served them to Mom and Charles, who eagerly gulped down my test bivalves. I broke with my usual abstinence and ate one too.
Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich with Capers, Pickled Red Onions, Eggs and Tarragon Vinaigrette
Smoked salmon is such a wondrous food in itself, why turn it into an ingredient? Because we can! Smoked salmon, whether smoked cold or hot, is usually accompanied by breads or crackers and condiments such as cream cheese, onions, capers, sour cream … and the list can go on around the world. My first taste of [...]
Roasted Rockfish with Black Bean, Garlic and Ginger Sauce
A sauce of fermented black beans, garlic, ginger and sweet dark soy sauce add a delicious savory Asian touch to oven-roasted rockfish. Fermented black beans, also called salted dried black beans, are actually soybeans that have been dried and fermented with salt and usually ginger. They’re used frequently in Cantonese cooking.
Grilled Pacific Spot Prawns with Cold Somen Noodles in Miso Sauce
Cold somen noodles in miso sauce act as a foil for grilled Pacific spot prawns. This marriage of salty (noodles and miso sauce) and sweet (grilled prawns) are perfect for a light dinner on a hot summer day.
Grilled Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Orange Salsa
One of our favorite ways of enjoying sockeye this time of year is smoking with a flavored rub comprised of seasonings and spices. Another, less time-consuming method and one that lets you enjoy the flavor of the fish more, is to grill the fish fillet and then top it with a simple salsa made from fruit such as orange or mango.
Baked Flounder with Black Trumpet Mushroom Beurre Blanc Sauce
In a scene in the movie Julie & Julia , the actress playing Julia Child, Meryl Streep, describes to her visiting sister how white wine and vinegar are reduced and massive quantities of butter are whipped into submission. In French beurre blanc, translated literally, means “white butter.” The sauce is butter whipped to a frothy, tangy, heavenly sensation. That’s the best way I can describe it. And when I opened a small Ziploc bag containing dried black trumpet mushrooms and inhaled the intensly earthy, almost truffle-like aroma, I knew they were destined for beurre blanc.
Trout, Trout and More Trout — Poached in White Wine with Dill Sauce
After coming home with a bounty of trout from Hebo Lake, we had a dilemma: What to do with the trout for dinner? Tired of fried trout, we decided to poach them in a broth of white wine, vegetables and herbs, and serve them with a dill sauce. It was a refreshing change and the sides of peas and carrots went wonderfully with the sauce.
