Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Salmon with Lemon Pappardelle Pasta in White Wine Sauce

Adapted from A Healthy Life For Me (http://ahealthylifeforme.com/2013/01/07/salmon-and-pasta-with-white-wine-sauce-topped-with-arugula-salad/)

I actually made this for dinner last night (back to posting current items, YAY)! I had gotten a gorgeous slab of Alaskan Salmon and had some yummy lemon pappardelle pasta on hand, which you know I love -- I've posted several recipes for the pasta. It just goes SO well with seafood, and you really don't need a lot of sauce or seasoning because the noodles are so well flavored already. The pasta is from Trader Joe's -- check it out! Anyway, this recipe was pretty simple and great for a week night meal. The salmon is also great on its own if you're cutting out carbs (although that's no fun). NOTE: This recipe is for my version which doesn't include the arugula and some other things. Check out the blog above if you'd like the original recipe. Enjoy!
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds Salmon, skinned and any pin bones removed
  • 1 cup of good white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • dash kosher salt
  • dash lemon pepper
  • 2 dashes dried parsley
  • 2 dashes Italian Seasoning (does not contain parsley)
  • Approx. 6 ounces lemon pepper pappardelle pasta (normal pappardelle would work)
  • 1 lemon,juiced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Finely grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Pinch of flour (to thicken sauce if necessary)
Directions:
Set large pan to boil with water and generous pinch of kosher salt to cook pasta. Sprinkle the salemon with salt and lemon pepper and set aside. When water is boiling add pasta to cook. In a large skillet over medium heat add butter and olive oil and let melt for a few seconds, add garlic and simmer till translucent, about 1 minute.  Add salmon and allow to cook 5-7 minutes.  Add wine, Italian seasoning, parsley and squeeze 1/2 lemon to pan. Cover and cook an additional 5-7 minutes, or until salmon is cooked to your liking. Carefully remove salmon to cutting board.  Lower temperature of pan to low. I added a pinch of flour to thicken the sauce a bit. When pasta is cooked al dente using tongs transfer pasta directly from boiling water to pan with wine, toss to coat evenly. In each bowl place a serving of pasta, a serving of the salmon, a dash of parmesan cheese, and an extra squeeze of the other half of lemon.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Fresh Corvina Ceviche

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

This is another May recipe -- sorry for the delay. Nick took me to a wonderful birthday dinner at Black Salt, which is in the Palisades/Georgetown DC area. It's not only a fantastic restaurant, but also a fish market! I was in heaven. After dinner, I decided to buy some of their fresh fish and make ceviche -- something I have always wanted to do! I know it's very simple, but I always wanted to make sure I had fresh fish to use...and this was my chance! The original recipe called for halibut, and you will see that the fish can be swapped out in many recipes, but the corvina looked great, so I went with that! The only thing I will note is that mine took a lot longer to cook than the recipe said -- about twice the time at least. Be sure to cut into your fish and make sure it's cooked in the middle before serving. I also just threw in the avocado, tomato, and shallot at the end. The original recipe has a separate salad which is served under the ceviche. I wasn't feeling that fancy :)

Ingredients:
One 10-ounce corvina fillet, skinned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 3 to 4 large limes)
Zest of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small shallot, diced

Preparation:
In an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, mix together the corvina, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 3+ hours (took me about 6), stirring halfway through the refrigeration time to distribute the marinade.

Once the ceviche is cooked, add the shallots, tomatoes and avocado. Add another squeeze of lime juice. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Stir together and serve.

Citrus Glazed Scallops with Avocado Tomato Salsa

Courtesy of Cooking Light

Once again, I have been somewhat MIA -- my apologies.  I got nothing -- I guess life has just been busy! I can't believe it's June already. I made these scallops about two weeks ago and they were absolutely delicious. I wanted to make sure I got them on the blog! I found the combo with the salsa a bit odd, but I think that's just because I'm used to eating scallops with risotto or vegetables...or something hot at least. The salsa was tasty, but I just might go with something else next time for a better combination. Scallops though -- can't go wrong...yum. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Scallops:
  • 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, cut in half horizontally (I didn't cut mine)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Glaze:
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed 
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions 
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salsa:
  • 1/2 cup chopped seeded plum tomato 
  • 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado 
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro 
  • 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeƱo pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed 
  • 8 Bibb lettuce leaves (optional -- I didn't use this)
Preparation:
  1. To prepare scallops, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl with the scallops; toss well. Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.
  2. To prepare glaze, combine lime juice and the next 7 ingredients (lime juice through 1 garlic clove) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add juice mixture to pan. Cook 7 minutes or until glaze becomes shiny and begins to thicken. Drizzle the citrus glaze over the scallops; add green onions and 1/4 cup cilantro. Toss well.
  3. To prepare salsa, combine chopped tomato and remaining ingredients except lettuce; toss well. Serve on Bibb lettuce leaves, if desired.