Fried Oysters w/ Green Tomato, Sweet Corn, Pickled Okra and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

If you are looking to make a truly Southern dish in your own home then this is it!  This is a recipe from Hank's Seafood Restaurant Cookbook.  Hank's is on list after list of a must-see restaurant if you head down to Charleston and this salad is on their current menu.  I saw this recipe about a year ago in Southern Living magazine and I have been dying to try it out so I finally bit the bullet.  My husband, who isn't a huge oyster fan, absolutely loved it -- although pretty much anything is good when it's fried.  

The recipe calls for green tomatoes, but I used regular red tomatoes because I simply couldn't find green tomatoes anywhere!  How is that possible? 

So what I love most about this salad is the pickled okra.  If you haven't had pickled okra before then good Lord, get to the store and buy a jar immediately!  It is so fantastic I could die.  I ate the entire jar in one day.  Yummy!

Fried Oysters with Green Tomato, Sweet Corn, Pickled Okra and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (makes 4 salads)

2 c. cracker meal
1 c. cornmeal 
1 c. all purpose flour
salt and pepper
peanut oil
2 large handfuls arugula
16 oysters
4 to 8 halved pickled okra

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
2 ears fresh corn
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. diced green tomato
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped mixed herbs
3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. For vinaigrette: cut corn from cobs, reserving cobs.  Heat oil in saute pan, add corn and cook 1 minute.  Cool.  Combine stock and corn cobs in saucepan.  Boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Pour mixture through fine wire mesh strainer.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.  Stir green tomato into corn and stir into stock.  Just before serving, add in herbs and blue cheese.
2.  Pour 1 and 1/2 inches oil in a cast iron skillet; heat over medium high until temperature reaches 350.  
3.  Whisk cracker meal, flours, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in shallow bowl.  Dredge oysters in mixture, shaking off excess.  Fry in batches 2 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  
4.  Spoon vinaigrette onto 4 serving plates.  Top with oysters and okra. 

{SkinnyChow} Mahi Mahi Ceviche

Today I’m going to show you guys how to make something really impressive!  Ceviche!  Don’t freak out!!!!!!!  It’s so fresh, so light and so simple to make -- make it once and you will use every excuse to make it over and over!  Serve this up with an ice cold Mexican beer or Margarita and you’ve got a skinny Cinco de Mayo lunch or appetizer.  I used a mahi mahi fillet for today’s ceviche but feel free to use any firm white fish {or even shrimp}.  Play around with the flavors and the add-ins.  Toss in some diced avocado or mango if you have some on hand....talk about amazing.   Keep in mind when preparing your menu that the fish has to “cook” in the citrus juice so give yourself at least an hour, depending on how small you dice your fish.  When the seafood is opaque you know it’s done!  Serve with tortilla chips or over some nice greens as a salad.  

SkinnyChow Mahi Mahi Ceviche (makes 4 appetizer servings)

1 (4oz) fillet of mahi mahi (or any other firm white fish)

1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1 small jalapeno, thinly sliced

1 small handful cilantro, roughly chopped

salt and pepper to taste

juice from 2 limes

juice from 1 lemon

drizzle extra virgin olive oil

1.  Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and stir to combine.  Place bowl in fridge for about an hour, stirring contents every 20 minutes or so.  When fish is opaque, serve with tortilla chips or as a light salad.  

{MiniChow} Shrimp Toast

This past week has been crazy busy getting through long work days and long nights of cleaning, packing and organizing Christmas gifts.  I am writing this post on an overnight drive from South Carolina to Pennsylvania.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family and my husband’s family over the holidays.  So needless to say, the blog had to come in second place to everything else that’s been going on and I’ve been neglecting you!

To make up for it, I have a tasty bite that I know everyone will enjoy:  Shrimp Toast!  I made these for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party we had at our house a few weeks ago and they were gobbled up in no time.  I love recipes you can start ahead of time and finish up as guests arrive and these are just that... the shrimp filling can be made early in the day and refrigerated --- allowing all the flavors to come together!  Speaking of flavor, the best part about this recipe is the toasty, buttery white bread that the shrimp sits on.  Make sure that if you are making the shrimp filling early to slice up your bread early and keep it in a ziplock baggie -- slicing the bread takes more time than you think!

Shrimp Toast

1/2 lb medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 large egg white

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp sesame oil, plus 2 tbsp

2 large egg yolks

1/4 c. water

16 slices white bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 4 squares

butter, softened

black sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place shrimp, egg white, green onion, cilantro, salt, cayenne and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in food processor.  Pulse 2 to 3 times until shrimp is chopped but not until shrimp is a paste :)
2. Place yolks, 2 tbsp sesame oil and water in a bowl and whisk. 
3. Bread each square of butter on the bottom and place on a cookie sheet.  Spread a little shrimp mix on each piece of bread.  
4. With a pastry brush, brush egg yolk mixture on top of shrimp mix and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake until shrimp is opaque and bread is golden and crispy.  Serve immediately.

Low Country Boil - Part 2 - The Main Event

So today we have the star of the show -- the seafood boil!  Like I said on Monday, I did a lot of research to ensure the recipe was true to its Southern roots -- it seems everyone has their own version of a seafood boil/shimp boil/frogmore stew but I went ahead and took a page out of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook.  Their cookbook is fantastic and full of true Southern recipes that are easy to make and are made with ingredients that are easy to find.  Their book is pretty much my Dictator of Southern cuisine.  

Before I dive into the recipe, I want to give you some details on how I set my table for the boil.  I thought it was really important to make sure everyone was seated together at a long table so I could just dump the food down the middle and make it easy for everyone to grab what they want.  It makes for a truly interactive and fun meal.  I decided to go ahead and rent a couple tables and chairs for the event and I was pleasantly surprised that the rentals only cost around $35 -- and they made a huge statement.  I’ll be renting party supplies more frequently.  

As for the tables, I used plain old craft paper to cover them for a nice rustic look and used dollar store vases covered with strips of burlap {loving my gluegun!} and stuffed with baby’s breath.  The table trim is simply white and red checked paper cut into triangles and taped under the craft paper. Easy as can be!  And don’t forget about little buckets to collect your shrimp peels/tails and clam/mussel shells!  

For my sauces, I used squeeze bottles that I labeled with what they contained.  People really enjoyed the bottles {easy for passing, tasting, and dispensing} and they can be found in the candy making/wedding section of  any Walmart and are priced at around a dollar a bottle.

Now to the food!  There was one part of my Low Country Boil that I didn’t keep authentic and that is building an open fire for the cooking -- the laws in my area forbid it, so I went ahead and used my turkey fryer.  Their recipe is for 24 people -- I made food for about 15 so I’m going to give you my version with their broth/spice mix.

The Lee Bros. Lowcountry Shrimp Boil

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

5 serrano, pasilla or other dried red chiles, trimmed, slit down their sides, seeded and flattened

4 lbs Kielbasa

6 quarts Shrimp Broth/Seafood Stock

3 tbsp Lee Bros Shrimp Boil seasoning

1 tbsp salt

2 bay leaves

4 lbs red skinned potatoes

7 ears fresh corn, each ear cut into 3 pieces

4 lbs fresh colossal-sized shrimp

10 dozen clams, cleaned

5 dozen mussels, cleaned

1. Heat up your turkey fryer and add oil to the pot.  When the oil shimmers, add the chiles to the pot and gently toast them until they discolor and release some of their fragrance, about 30 sec.  Add the sausage and stir until browned on most surfaces, 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove chiles and sausage from pot and reserve in a large bowl.
2. Add broth to the pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits and allowing the broth to boil and reduce a bit.  Add the shrimp boil seasoning, salt and bay leaves and cover.  When the broth boils, uncover and simmer vigorously until it has reduced by one sixth, about 10 minutes.  
3. Add potatoes and cook until they have softened a bit but are not yet fork tender, about 10 minutes.  Add the corn and sausage and bring to a simmer.  Let simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.  
4. Add the shrimp, clams and mussels and stir.  Cover pot and allow to cook for about 3 minutes, or until the clams and mussels are open and the shrimp are pink.  Drain the mixture and dump out on table for everyone to enjoy.  Discard any unopened clams or mussels.

The Sauces: Courtesy of Fine Cooking (June/July 2009)

Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce

2 small lemons

1 small lime

1 c. ketchup

1 c. heinz chili sauce

2 heaping tbsp prepared horseradish, more to taste

2 tbsp vodka

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp pureed canned chipotle chile in adobo, more to taste

1/8 tsp celery salt

1. Finely grate the zest from the lemons and juice them.  Juice the lime.  In a nonreactive bowl, mix 3 tbsp of the lemon juice, 2 tbsp of the lime juice and all of the zest with the ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish, vodka, worcestershire, chipotle and celery salt until combined.

Orange-Saffron Aioli

1 large orange

Pinch saffron, threads crumbled

2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped or grated

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 large egg yolk

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c. vegetable oil

salt

1. Finely grate the zest from half the orange and then juice the orange.  Put 1 1/2 tbsp of the juice in a small bowl along with the saffron and let sit for 10 minutes. 
2. In a food processor, combine the saffron mixture, orange zest, garlic and mustard and pulse until garlic is pureed, about 15 seconds.  Add the egg yolk and process for 10 seconds.  With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil and vegetable oil through the feed tube until the sauce is thick and well combined. Season to taste with salt. 

Low-Country Boil - Part 1 - Appetizers

I love to embrace the culture and traditions of where ever I am.  I’ve been living in the South for about 4 years now and have never been to a true seafood boil -- so I decided to throw one!  I’m definitely not an authority on Southern style food, so a lot of research was put into the recipes I used, with my own little tweaks here and there!  Throughout the week, I’m going to show you how I put together this fun and interactive party -- everything from the decor, to the supplies to the recipes.  Today, I’m starting with the appetizers and my new favorite drink: the SkinnyChow Spiked Arnold Palmer.  Wednesday will showcase the Seafood Boil and special sauces I served with it and Thursday will be desserts and decor/DIY.  This was one of the most detailed parties I’ve thrown but I’m here to show you that with proper planning anyone can throw a perfect and authentic Low-Country Boil!  

On to the apps:  Spicy Cheese Straws, MiniChow Crab & Shrimp Rolls & Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters

Spicy Cheese Straws

adapted from the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

1 1/2 c. (about 4 ounces) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces

3/4 c. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp (or more to taste) crushed red pepper flakes

1 tbsp half and half

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except half and half and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the half and half and process until dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into an 8 X10 inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick.  With a sharp knife, cut dough into long thin strips and transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet.  The straws can be any length so don’t worry if they break.  
4. Bake straws for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned.  Remove from oven and cool.  Serve at room temp.

MiniChow Crab & Shrimp Rolls (makes 24 mini rolls)

1 c. homemade mayo

2 tsp capers, drained and chopped

2 tsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

6 slices high quality bacon

2 long soft baguettes, sliced into 12 three inch thick slices then sliced down the middle

1 lb cooked shrimp (any size) chopped into bite sized pieces

1/2 lb lump crabmeat, picked over

1. In a small bowl, combine mayo, capers, parsley and mix to combine.  Set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a frying pan over medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes, transfer to paper towels to drain.
3. Crumble bacon and add to mayo mixture.  Fold in shrimp and crabmeat into mayo mixture gently, being careful not to break up the crab too much.  Divide shrimp mixture between rolls and sprinkle with parsley if desired.  Serve.

Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters (makes 18 shooters)

18 shot glasses of any size

18 medium sized fresh oysters, shucked and in their liquor

1 large lemon, juiced

1/4 c. Absolute Peppar vodka, plus more for topping off

2 c. good quality bloody mary mix (We used Bloody Bold)

1. Place shucked oysters, liquor, lemon juice and vodka in a bowl and stir to combine.  Place in fridge and marinate for 1 hour.  (This “cooks” the oysters, ceviche-style)
2. Place 1 oyster in each shot glass and add bloody mary mix until glass is 3/4 full.  Top each glass off with vodka, stir if desired (I happen to like the layered look but remember you’ll get a mouthful of vodka when you take the shot -- this is why it’s important to use a quality vodka).  Refrigerate until ready to serve, no longer than 4 hours.

SkinnyChow Spiked Arnold Palmers (makes 2 gallons)

1 1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

6 c. boiling water

12 tea bags

1 c. Skinny Simple Syrup

2 c. lemon infused vodka, or to taste

cold water

1. Start with a 2 gallon drink dispenser to make the measuring easy.  Add the 6 c. boiling water to the dispenser and add the 12 tea bags.  Let steep for 5-6 minutes.  Remove tea bags and let mixture cool.
2. Add lemon juice to the tea mixture then add to the Skinny Simple Syrup (1 c. Splenda and 1 c. water, mixed until the splenda dissolves)
3. For the lemon vodka, I soaked all the squeezed lemons I used for the lemon juice in plain Smirnoff vodka all day, then added the 2 cups to the tea mixture.
4. Fill the rest of the dispenser with water.  Serve with ice -- in a mason jar of course!

Oysters Rockefeller

Ok, I admit it...I’ve been eating way too many oysters lately.  I really can’t get enough.  They are in season here in South Carolina and man are they flavorful {and not to mention, huge!}  Almost every happy hour spot we visit has our local oysters on the menu {and they are cheap -- most coming in at .50 cents a pop!} I love them steamed, fried, raw, and especially prepared as oysters rockefeller.  They are just such a tasty delight!  

There are so many variations to this recipe out there but I decided to just keep it simple and really let the oyster be the star.  If you need a tutorial on how to shuck oysters, click here.  It’s not that difficult if you have the correct technique.

Oysters Rockefeller

1 bag baby spinach

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

2 tbsp EVOO, plus more for drizzling

24 oysters, shucked

2 oz asiago cheese, sliced thinly into 24 pieces

1/4 c. breadcrumbs

1. Preheat broiler.  Shuck each oyster and discard top shell.  Place oysters with bottom shell on a cookie sheet.
2. Place EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Saute garlic until fragrant.  Add spinach to the pan and cook until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare oysters by dividing spinach mixture on top of each oyster. Top with a slice of asiago cheese, breadcrumbs and a drizzle of EVOO.  Broil until breadcrumbs are browned and cheese is bubbly.  Serve in shells on a platter covered in rock salt for a lovely presentation. 

Mini Fish Tacos

I’ve got a MiniChow/SkinnyChow combo for you today!  My crew and I go crazy for a good fish taco.  We routinely show up at happy hour at our local Tommy Bahama Cafe where they serve some darn good fish tacos.  They have lighted up their recipe (switching from deep fried fish to blackened fish), but they are still a calorie bomb.  I set out to find a good recipe that combines all the flavors we love but fits in your day as a pre-dinner snack. These mini fish tacos are light, crunchy and really satisfy your craving for some good apps.  I’ve been thinking of adding a section of the blog called “Happy Hour @ Home” -- and these would fit right in!    They are a healthier version of a happy hour fav!  

Mini Fish Tacos (makes 12)

adapted from Inspired Taste

12 wonton wrappers

cooking spray

2 tilapia fillets (or any firm white fish)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning

1 c. finely chopped red cabbage

1 tbsp light sour cream

1 tsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce

1 lime

12 fresh cilantro leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray wonton wrappers lightly with cooking spray on each side and arrange in 12 mini cupcake cups (mini muffin pan).  Bake 5 to 7 minutes until golden brown and crisp. 
2. Combine 1/4 tsp salt and cajun seasoning and rub on both sides of fish.  Spray bottom of a baking sheet with cooking spray and place fish on top.  Bake uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until fish is cooked and the flesh flakes with a fork.
3. While the fish bakes, make the slaw.  In a small bowl, combine cabbage, 1/4 tsp salt, sour cream, chipotles in adobo and the juice of half a lime.
4. Assemble mini tacos by dividing the fish among 12 wonton cups, then top with a spoonful of slaw, cilantro leaf and an extra spritz of lime. 

Ahi Tuna Tostadas

Ahi tuna is one of my favorite fish to chow down on.  I like to think of it as “the steak of the sea”.  And just like a good filet mignon, I believe an ahi tuna steak should never be served well done. The rarer the better for this girl!  Plus, it’s just so gorgeous when you slice into a rare tuna steak, always a perfect, pretty pink!

Now, if the rare-ness of this appetizer totally freaks you out, cook it how you want to cook it!  These little morsels are packed with flavor -- medium to well done tuna is fine 

{just not preferred by me}.  But remember, part of what makes this dish so fabulous is it’s appeal to the eye, and a well done steak will mute the color palette a bit.

This recipe is adapted from Closet Cooking.  I opted to make it SkinnyChow by baking the wonton skins instead of frying and using light sour cream in the drizzle instead of mayo.  The wasabi packs the punch in the sauce so the base you use is not as important.

Ahi Tuna Tostadas

w/ sesame-ginger slaw and wasabi cream

16 wonton wrappers, sliced in half diagonally

Pam or other cooking spray

1 tbsp canola oil

One 15-oz ahi tuna steak 

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 batch sesame and ginger slaw

1 batch wasabi cream

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Wasabi Cream

1/4 c. light sour cream

1 tsp wasabi 

juice from 1/2 lime

      *combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready

Sesame & Ginger Slaw

2 c. shredded cabbage

1 shredded carrot

2 green onions, diced

1 handful cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

juice from 1/2 lime

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp grated ginger

      *Combine cabbage, carrot, onions and cilantro in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk together remaining     ingredients in a small bowl and pour over cabbage mixture.  Refrigerate until ready.

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Spray both sides of each wonton wrapper with cooking spray and space out evenly on a cookie sheet.  Bake wontons in oven until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  
2. Heat grill or grill pan over high heat and brush with oil.  Season tuna steak with salt and pepper.
3. Sear tuna for 1 to 2 minutes on each side {or cook to your liking}.  Remove tuna from heat and let cool 10 to 15 minutes. Slice tuna steak into 32 strips, one for each wonton crisp.
4. Assemble your tostadas: pile wonton crisp with slaw, top with tuna and a little more slaw, drizzle with wasabi cream and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  

These tostadas are a perfect appetizer for your next party.  They are a teeny bit labor intensive on the assembly side but when your guests take their first crispy bite, their faces with be your reward!  

Nutrition information (per piece): 45 calories, 1.5 g fat, 3.5 g protein, 3.8 carbohydrates