Category Archives: Seafood

Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps

Posted on by October 23, 2015

While for those of us in the United States (perhaps Alaska and the Pacific Northwest excluded), salmon is special and certainly not the cheapest thing at the fish counter, in Sweden, it’s a “poor man’s” fish and eaten in many different forms on the regular, like this Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps hors d’oeuvres. Salmon is frequently eaten fresh and simply roasted or grilled, but in this instance I’m using it preserved as the famous salt cured gravlax that we eat with our bagels. And this Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps hors d’oeuvres is definitely reminiscent of bagels, lox, and cream cheese. In fact, it’s all the ingredients combined into a smooth and rich mousse and then served on rye crisps for perfect blend of flavors and textures. And while Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps is quite untraditional for a United States Thanksgiving, something like it would certainly be present in the Swedish equivalent that I was paying homage to with my Thanksgiving 2014 Menu. And the Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps was perfect next to the pickled herring, which was also served. Added bonus, the Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps is very easy to make. Just be sure to … Continue reading →

Cedar Plank Salmon with Cherry Glaze

Posted on by July 3, 2015

Cedar Plank Salmon with Cherry Glaze is quite straight forward, in terms of recipe; there’s just not much to it. Most of the drama and the flavor comes from the cedar planks themselves. That said, there is lots of drama and flavor, both of which make Cedar Plank Salmon with Cherry Glaze a perfect dish for parties all summer long. Be it the 4th of July, Midsommar’s or just a Saturday night with a few friends over you’re going to have fun preparing it to your guests amazement and only you will know how simple it is. You will have to plan ahead a bit to make sure you have appropriate cedar planks around as you probably can’t just grab them at your local grocery store, but other than that, my Cedar Plank Salmon with Cherry Glaze preparation is straight forward and really delicious. I first made Cedar Plank Salmon with Cherry Glaze for a Midsommar’s party as both salmon and cedar are very Scandinavian. The cherry glaze came about because I was in Door County for the solstice and since we were sipping on Door County Cherry Spritzers anyway… well, you see where I’m headed. But the flavor was so great … Continue reading →

Salmon Burgers with Curry Mayo

Posted on by May 29, 2015

For my English Polo Picnic, I picked dishes that are easy to make ahead for room temperature consumption and are both elegant and easily portable, like these Salmon Burgers with Curry Mayo. I bought pre-formed Salmon Burgers to keep things easy and then just doctored up premade mayo and mango chutney for a very flavorful and unexpected picnic sandwich. I grilled them at home on a grill pan and then just packed them up in foil and served them room temperature at the party. If you’re going to grill them far ahead, you should definitely refrigerate them until you’re ready to go and then just let the Salmon Burgers with Curry Mayo come up to room temperature as the party starts. These Salmon Burgers with Curry Mayo are really flavorful and a fun departure from standard grill fair. If you can’t find pre-formed patties, they’re not too bad to make yourself, but anytime I find good shortcuts, I like to share them, especially when I’m making several recipes at once, like these Salmon Burgers with Curry Mayo as part of a party menu that needs to be transported off-site. And when you add little touches of your own, like I … Continue reading →

Crawfish Boil and Cajun Dinner

Posted on by July 2, 2015

My wonderful friend Kevin, and his partner Juliet host an amazing Crawfish Boil every year. It’s one of the best parties of the year and such a special treat to get to all-you-can-eat Crawfish made by a real Cajun. Kevin shares his culture with us by cooking an amazing meal of crawfish, corn, potatoes, and andouille sausage in a giant pot. It’s usually hosted in South Philly in a beautiful garden and goes all night long with lots and lots of beer to cool us off as the night goes on. Each round of the boil gets hotter and hotter as more seasoning is added to the water. By the end, you eat a crawfish, sip your beer, and repeat until all the crawfish are gone. Here’s Kevin piling crawfish, corn, potatoes and sausage into the pot, boiling it, and dumping it out onto a giant table. It’s quite the process. Then we all dig in and eat to our hearts content. Kevin shows the newbies how to each crawfish. 1. Grab the crawfish and twist to separate the tail from the head. 2. Suck the head. This is spicy! Discard. 3. Pinch the tail to break the shell. Pull … Continue reading →

Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce

Posted on by May 8, 2015

May is one of my favorite months and this Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce is in honor of one of the reasons why May is so special. I do a lot of entertaining in my social circle, but I’m also the fortunate guest to many wonderful parties as there are many talented cooks and entertainers in my life. Two of my favorite events that I get to just be a guest at happen in May. The Kentucky Derby, and the Crawfish Boil. A crawfish boil is a lot of work that requires special skills and equipment so I’m not going to walk you through how to do it at home, but you can join in on the fun of a raging Cajun party with a recipe as simple as my Seafood Big Mamou. My love for Cajun food began in college, when I waited tables at Davis Street Fish Market in Evanston, Il. The cooks at the restaurant were willing to share their knowledge with a curious waiter (that’s me). I was constantly trying new dishes and asking about sauces and I learned a lot of the basics of Cajun cooking, such as: what is the holy trinity, … Continue reading →

Monkfish Stew with Potatoes and Dill

Posted on by October 30, 2017

This Monkfish Stew with Potatoes and Dill has been one of my favorite weeknight dinners this Winter. But all Winter long, I’ve been waiting to post it because I think it’s perfect as we (finally) transition from Winter into Spring. It’s light, bright and healthy, as well as easy, which is the winning combination, no? I love having dishes that I can prep really quickly but still are guest worthy. With guests in mind, Monkfish Stew with Potatoes and Dill is a great excuse to stop by the really good bakery on the way home and pick up a loaf of fresh bread, because it’s perfect with some tangy, crunchy sourdough. If you want to make enough for the whole week, just reserve the fish and add it raw to the soup as you reheat. It only needs to cook for a few minutes but it tastes better freshly cooked as opposed to reheated. Of course lots of different fishes would be great in this stew, but I love the flavor and texture of monkfish. The firm texture holds up to the broth without breaking apart and the almost lobster-like tasted is delicious. This Monkfish Stew with Potatoes and Dill … Continue reading →

Spicy Cold Shrimp Cucumber Salad

Posted on by December 11, 2014

I love this Spicy Shrimp Cucumber Salad for a variety of reasons, first an foremost, as a girl from Wisconsin, I love recipes that are consistent year ‘round. It truly can be the bleak midwinter in much of the country around the Holidays, and having vibrantly colored and flavored food can make things bright. While you may not be able to find mouse melons, tender Persian cucumbers should be available. Aside from being made up of year ‘round vegetables, an exciting and hearty salad can be just what the palette (and the diet) need this time of year. There’s so much butter and milk and cream and carbs in the form of Christmas cookies and the like, and I love those things too, but sometimes one really needs a break. Finally, if you have lots of Jewish friends, like I do, you know that a common Christmas day tradition amongst Jews is Asian food and a trip to the movie theater. So this Spicy Shrimp Cucumber Salad is a break from the traditional in terms of Christmas-y recipes of baked goose and ham and is an homage to all of my wonderful Jewish friends. I encourage all of us, regardless … Continue reading →

Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake

Posted on by November 6, 2014

Cooking with Cedar Kitchenette: Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake came about when a mutual friend introduced me to a fellow Philly blogger Laura of Cedar Kitchenette. She’s an accomplished baker and still in high school- so cool. We decided to meet up, make brunch and talk tricks of the trade. Laura let me pick the menu and I decided on this lovely brunch pizza of sorts based on a Martha Stewart recipe: Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake. We were both really happy with how it came out, and so were our guests. It’s always hard to take great pictures when you’re distracted and hosting guests, so of course I made it again the next day to get me perfect shots. It wasn’t exactly torture to eat it again the next day and I still had all of the ingredients around. This gave me the perfect opportunity to perfect my technique. Since I no longer had guests, I made a small 8-inch serving just for me and I have to admit the smaller size was much easier to maneuver if less impressive. You could easily make a few of the potato pancakes ahead of time and rewarm when guests … Continue reading →

Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tartar

Posted on by January 19, 2015

Dear readers, you may have noticed that I (unintentionally) took a week off of blogging, but I’m finally back with Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tartar. Whoops. I have excuses of course: it was a busy week, I was out of town, we had lots of social obligations, the light wasn’t right for photos… But the truth is, I only drink cocktails and eat salads in the summer, so sometimes there isn’t much to write about. I mean, how many “recipes” can there be for G&T’s? And this past week, it’s been all about Caprése. Which is great, but not for blogging purposes. You already have my creative take on that in the Peach Caprése Salad. So I finally went to the store and bought some ingredients so I could make you a new salad. This Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tartar has been in my repertoire for years, but I’ve been keeping it from you. Devious, I know. Especially since it’s one of my go-tos for hot summer nights when you don’t want to cook-but you have guests coming over-so you need something that appears fancy. … Continue reading →

Leftover Crab Dip Crêpes

Posted on by January 24, 2015

Here’s one more nice and easy leftover crab dip idea: make savory Leftover Crab Dip Crêpes and serve with the leftover Snappy Green Salad. They work really well with any salad. But I definitely recommend something simple with a citrus dressing. Lemon or lime complements the citrus in the crab dip perfectly. Added bonus, these Leftover Crab Dip Crêpes are perfect for brunch, a ladies luncheon, or even a weeknight meal for guests. The presentation is very elegant despite its simplicity. And you know I’m a total sucker for that combination. I would have company for dinner almost every night, if given the opportunity, and that requires lots of dinner dishes that “wow” without being too time intensive. Recreating and reinventing leftovers is a huge part of how I do this. It also makes eating up leftovers a lot more fun, whether you have company over or not. You don’t even have to admit to your guests that they’re eating leftovers with you. Of course these Leftover Crab Dip Crêpes would be delicious even if you filled traditional Swedish Pancakes or crêpes with the crab dip, just nix the sugar. But I must say, the almond flour, coconut milk and turmeric … Continue reading →

Leftover Crab Dip Melts

Posted on by January 26, 2015

If decided to try out my Chesapeake Bay Crab Party menu and you have some leftover crab dip, then you’re going to be really happy the day after the party, because using up the leftovers with these Leftover Crab Dip Melts might be even better than the dip itself. But I’m not really sure, so you should probably judge for yourself. Since it’s still RAMPS season around Philly, I’ve been using them on everything. I know it’s a little cliché to be obsessed with ramps and it might make you feel like you’re in an episode of Portlandia, but the excitement seasonal cooks have for fresh ramps is well-placed. They’re so good! And one of my favorite ways to eat them is sautéed or grilled and added to a sandwich. Here, I’m using them for the base and the onion element in my Leftover Crab Dip Melts. If it’s not ramps season or you don’t live in an area where you can get your hands on them, grilled scallions or leeks can get you a similar effect. Either way, this easy brunch, lunch or dinner of Leftover Crab Dip Melts is going to put a smile on everyone’s face. The … Continue reading →

Crab Boil Chesapeake Style

Posted on by January 26, 2015

If you’re doing a mini-break on the Chesapeake Bay, like we did, or spending some time down the shore this Summer, at least one of your dinners needs to focus on Maryland crabs à la this Crab Boil Chesapeake Style. Since our house included a very cool outdoor range as part of our gas grill setup, I settled on a Crab Boil, instead of bake, to maximize our outdoor time. This approach requires a really large pot, which a lot of shore houses are equipped with, but I brought my own, just in case. And of course, I consulted Ina Garten’s Clam Bake, to get ready for my own Crab Boil. This recipe leaves lots of room for adjustment, because your available ingredients could vary widely based upon time of year, coast you’re on, etc. No matter what, this Crab Boil Chesapeake Style is an exciting dinner that properly celebrates shore vacations of all types and will have your friends electing you master or mistress of shore parties. … Continue reading →