Killer Shrimp, or something like it.....

I lived in Southern California for about 15 years.  I will say during that time I wasn't quite as into food as I am now and my likes were pretty basic. Even with that it wasn't very often that I found a restaurant that really made an impression.  I was a big fan of Tito's Tacos in Culver City.  They sell basic, crispy tacos by the boat load.  People would line up before they opened and there would be a line when they closed the doors.  The tacos were basic, good and consistent.  Their salsa was great, burritos were excellent and they had this cold, runny avocado sauce that they called guacamole that was extremely popular.  People would walk out of there with boxes of tacos. We would make the short trek there for lunch and bring back a couple dozen to snack on for the rest of the afternoon.  From what I understand Tito's is still going strong and probably outsells all those trendy taco trucks in LA.  If you are in the Los Angeles area and feel like some tacos, I highly recommend them. Tito's Tacos Website

But this entry isn't about tacos its about a shrimp dish that I fell for long ago.  I lived in West Los Angeles on the border of Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey.  It was a great little area to live in if you were single and had money to burn.  Nothing comes cheap out there.   I had heard a few people talking about this little restaurant that basically just served shrimp and that it was amazing. It wasn't far from where I lived so I went and tried it one night. It was exactly as they had said....amazing.  A dish so seemingly simple but so delicious.  Large plump shrimp floating in a big bowl of spicy red broth that was heaven to the taste buds.  Along with the shrimp the dish is served with a mound of French bread pieces which you use for dipping so you can savor every drop of broth. They also serve it with rice or angel hair pasta. I liked it best with just the shrimp, broth and bread.

I never would have guessed that this little hole in the wall back in the corner on the second floor of a strip mall would have created a dish that I would consider my favorite shrimp dish ever. But they did.  I was only able to enjoy this pleasure a few times before I moved out of the area and let it slip my mind.  By the time I came around and wanted to go back they had closed.  I tried a few other places that served similar dishes but none were ever quite as good.

And so time passed, I moved back to Texas and find myself more into food than ever.  I happened to follow a couple of "SoCal" food critics and newspaper folks on Twitter and I caught a mention that my old favorite was back in business.  I did a quick google of the name and there they were,  "Killer Shrimp".  It got me thinking that maybe now that I know a few things that I could possibly recreate the dish that had so long ago.  I searched for recipes and found several knock offs that seemed like they might be correct.  I took the basics from each one and gave it a try.  The results were EXCELLENT!  It had been so long that I am not sure exactly how the broth tasted but this one was good.  It was very good.  I don't know if its even close to what they were making but I will definitely be making this again and I already have ideas for variations using the same broth.  Hopefully you will try this and like it as much as I did.  Killer Shrimp Website

Ingredients

40 oz Low Sodium Chicken Stock
6-8 oz Clam Broth or Clam Juice
1 tbsp Dried Rosemary
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Celery Seed
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and minced
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1/2 stick of Butter
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (more or less depending on the heat you want, 2 tsp was nice and spicy)
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 - 1 1/2 lbs 21-25 shrimp, deviened (you can peel them or leave the peel on, I say leave the shell on)
1 large loaf of French Bread, torn or sliced into large chunks

Method

Using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, grind up the rosemary, thyme, celery seed, black pepper and red pepper. Put the ground spices/herbs into a 4 qt stock pot along with the rest of the ingredients except for the shrimp.  Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 1 hour but if you can let it simmer for 2-3 hours it will be even better. Cover with a lid while simmering but leave it cracked open a just a little.

When you are ready to serve bring the heat up just a little so that the broth is just about to boil again. Add all the shrimp and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until the shrimp are almost done.  Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Serve this family style with the bread on the side for dipping. Give everyone a bowl and use a large spoon or ladle to serve.  This is finger food. Pick the shrimp out of the broth with your fingers, peel it and eat it.  Use the bread to sop up the sauce left in your bowl.  You might get a little sweat on your forehead depending on how much red pepper you used.

I hope you enjoy this.

Some variations I am thinking of.....

     a) Thicken the broth just a little with a roux and add some sausage.
     b) Before adding the shrimp add a cup of rice. Cook until the rice is done then add the shrimp.
     c)  Add Scallops and Crawfish along with the shrimp

Blackened Halibut with Tomatillo Relish and Cilantro-Lime Rice

We were wanting to go with a little lighter fare for dinner tonight so we picked up some fish on our way home.  Market Street has a decent fish counter and they had a whole halibut filet that was about an inch and a half thick and 2 feet long. We had them cut us off a nice size piece and went about trying to figure out what to make with it. I was thinking some kind of  salsa/relish and some rice so I grabbed some tomatillos, bell pepper, onion and tomato and threw a few limes into the basket.  All set.  What turned out was a great dinner. I don't cook fish that often but my skills with it are getting better. 

I made up my own blackening seasoning with what I had on hand.  I made the relish on the fly with what I thought would be some things that tasted good together.  I cheated on the fish. We looked up the correct temperature for doneness and used a digital probe.  I would highly recommend this with a large piece of fish like we had. It came out absolutely perfect. Not dry or undercooked but soft, moist and flaky like is should have been.  Here's the recipe.

Blackened Halibut

Ingredients

1 Good sized piece of fresh halibut. About 1 1/2 - 2 lbs
1 Tablespoon Spanish Paprika
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon onion powder
1 Teaspoon Chile Powder (Ancho or New Mexico)
2 Teaspoons Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 1/2 Teaspoons Black Peppercorns
2 Teaspoons vegetable oil

Put a cast iron griddle or skillet over high heat. Add the oil and brush it around with a paper towel to that the entire surface is coated. Get the skillet smoking hot.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and add a little oil to a 9x13 baking dish. Set this aside.

Add all the spices to a spice grinder or mortar & pestle.  Grind until a fine powder is formed.  Coat the entire fish liberally making sure to press the rub into the fish so it sticks.

Put the fish skin side (or the side where the skin was) down on the cast iron. Cook it for about 5 minutes or until it forms a nice dark crust on bottom. Flip it over and do the same thing.
Once both sides are blackened move the fish to the baking dish and place uncovered into the oven.  Bake until the fish is flaking apart and done in the center. Use a digital probe to monitor the temperature in the center of the fish if you have one. (145 degress in the center is perfect) It takes away the guess work.  My fish took about 30 minutes to cook after searing. 

Remove from the oven. The fish is ready to portion and serve.


Tomatillo Relish

Ingredients

5 Medium Tomatillos, cored and diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper. Seeded and diced
2 Ripe Tomatoes, juice and seeds removed, diced.
2 Tablespoons diced Red Onion
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Goya Adobo Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

In a medium size bowl toss the tomatillos, bell pepper, onion, tomato, adobo, pepper and oil.  Set aside while the fish is cooking.  When the fish get so 135 degrees (or close to being done) heat a skillet over high heat. Add the mixture to the skillet and cook over high heat until the bell pepper starts to soften. Transfer to a bowl.  (Note:  The addition of some sort of fruit would have been good in this as well. I was thinking mango or even pineapple)

Final Preparation

Place a good sized serving of Cilantro-Lime Rice into the center of a plate. Place a piece of the halibut on top of the rice then top with a tablespoon or two of the relish.  Serve with a lemon wedge if you like but its not necessary. The acidity in the relish is plenty for the fish.  

Enjoy!

Black Pepper and Ancho Crusted Tuna with Lime Spiked Ponzu

Seared Tuna can be like a gateway food into the world of sushi.  Its not quite raw but it's just barely cooked so you can get over any fears or misconceptions about raw tuna or sushi.  I know people that eat their steaks rare but can not imagine eating a raw piece of tuna. I actually lean the other direction. I can eat the tuna raw but I prefer my steak cooked more medium.  The only way to really mess up this dish is to over cook the tuna.

You don't need sushi grade tuna for this dish but it does make a difference. You want a nice size piece of tuna that is dark red in color with little or no "fat" showing. This will ensure that each bite is as good as the last one.  I would also take the time to crack your own peppercorns.  Freshly cracked pepper is extremely fragrant and gives this dish some good spice/heat. I use a chicken tenderizer and a cutting board to do mine but a mortar and pestle work well also. Or the back of a heavy pan and a cutting board.  You want them cracked and course but not ground up too fine.

Ponzu is a vinegared soy sauce.  I prefer it to regular soy for sushi because of that vinegar flavor.  Adding in the lime just pushes it over the top for goodness and gives it a nice punch.

Here's how I do this one.

Ingredients

1 lb Sushi Grade Tuna
2 Tablespoons Freshly (Course) Cracked Black Peppercorns
2 Teaspoons Ancho Chile Powder (or regular chile powder if you don' t have ancho)
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar or Regular Granulated Sugar.
1/2 cup Ponzu Sauce
1 Green Onion/Scallion sliced very thin on a bias.
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice


Method

Put a cast iron griddle or pan over high heat, brush with vegetable or canola oil and let it get smoking hot. 

Pat dry the tuna with a paper towel to take away any moisture so the pepper rub will stick.

Mix together the pepper, salt, ancho powder and sugar.  spread it out on some parchment paper or a plastic cutting board.  Coat the tuna with the mixture on all sides, pressing it into the fish.

Once the cast iron is smoking, gently lay the tuna over the hottest part.  It may not sizzle like you think it would because of the thick pepper coating. 

Cook until you get about 1/8" to 1/4" of white coloring along the bottom of the fish.  Flip and repeat the process. If your tuna is an inch thick or more be sure to sear the sides as well.  What you are looking for is a small white ring around a dark red center.

In a small dipping bowl add the ponzu and lime juice.  Top it with a pinch of the scallion.

Slice the tuna on an angle using a very sharp knife. You might have some flaking around the edges as you try to cut through the pepper crust but try to keep it as clean as possible.

Serve with the ponzu sauce on the side.

Ceviche

So I guess the middle of winter isn't the best time to post a recipe for
one of my favorite summertime foods. Well, make that one of my
anytime favorite foods. I can eat good ceviche by the bucket.  All I
need is a salty delivery device such as a cracker or corn chip, a couple
of lime wedges and some hot sauce and I'm good to go.   Top that
off with a nice smooth margarita made with a premium reposado
tequila and I will be over in my happy place if you need me.

Ceviche is really more Peruvian than Mexican but its prevalent in
the coastal areas of Mexico.  It's basically fresh seafood cured in
citrus juice.  The acids in the citrus juices will essentially cook the
seafood as it marinates and produce a soft texture and not leave
any sort of fishy taste or smell.  You should always use the freshest
seafood you can find.

As for what type of seafood to use, I prefer either shrimp or a firm
white fish like Mahi Mahi or Orange Roughy.  I recently had ceviche
made from grilled swordfish that was absolutely wonderful but I've
not tried to duplicate it.  You can use pretty much any fish but I try
to stay with the milder varieties.  Scallops also make a good ceviche.

Ingredients

2 filets of fresh Orange Roughy or Mahi Mahi, cut into small chunks
1 1/4 cups fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ripe Roma tomato, seeded and juice drained, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, diced
1/2 Avocado, cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
Tortilla Chips or Saltine Crackers
Tabasco or Mexican Hot Sauce.

Method

In a glass bowl add the fish chunks and cover with the citrus juices.
add in the red pepper flakes. Stir, cover with plastic wrap and
store in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

After the fish has marinated for 4 hours it should have turned white
and look like it was cooked. If not then let it sit for another half hour.

Once the fish is done, strain out the juice and move the fish to your
serving dish.Add the tomato, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno and
avocado if using.  Toss everything together. sprinkle with just a little
salt and pepper.  Let it sit for a few minutes for the flavors to blend
then serve with the crackers, hot sauce and your favorite Mexican
beer or tequila cocktail.

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp for Two

I thought this would be a quick and easy dinner for us and I was right. Plus, it came out better than I expected.  Its very spicy but not so spicy that you can't get the flavor. Try this with some basic white rice and a vegetable on the side.

Ingredients

12 Large Shrimp, peeled and de-veined (remove tails if you like)

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Sriracha Chile Garlic Paste
1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon Agave Nectar
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into thin matchstick strips
2 green onions/scallions, cut on the bias into inch pieces.
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Method

In a glass bowl whisk together chile garlic paste, lime zest, lime juice and agave nectar.
Toss in the shrimp, toss to coat the shrimp completely

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add carrots and cook until carrots
start to soften. Bump the heat up to high, let the pan get hot and pour in the shrimp and marinade.
Toss and stir to coat. Cook the shrimp a couple of minutes on each side until it turns pink.
Be careful not to overcook it or it will be tough and rubbery.  As the shrimp starts to finish up, add in the
chopped scallion and cilantro. Toss and serve immediately.