Limoncello Fish and Chips

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Adapted from a fabulous fish recipe  from British Chef Shaun Raking proves forever that homemade is always better. Chef Rankin uses lemonade in his batter, which may seem a bit odd at first but is actually an inspired choice as the bubbles give a beautiful lightness.
Given the seasonal products that I  can find at my  local supermarket, I am always willing to try new things. So, there was a carton of Limited Edition Limoncello Soda, sitting on the store shelf and  I decided to give it a try in this recipe, substituting for the lemonade found in Chef Rankin’s version. On it’s own, the Limoncello Soda was way too sweet for my taste, but it worked perfectly in the batter.

This dish is best served on a platter with plenty of tartar sauce for a summer get-together, or with your choice of sides for lunch.

Adapted from Chef Shaun Rankin
Great British Chefs, 2015

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Fish:
Canola oil, for deep frying
Eight 4-ounce cod fillets, skinned and cleaned
One 12-ounce bottle of Limoncello Soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

For Serving:
1 lime, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
Tartar sauce
Waffles Fries

Directions:
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
Preheat the deep fat fryer to  365°F  (180°C) . Alternatively, fill a deep saucepan with the canola  oil to halfway and, using a cooking thermometer, heat to 365°F  (180°C).
Rinse fish, pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Limoncello Soda, flour, garlic powder, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper, baking soda and baking powder to make the batter. A thin batter is formed. Set aside.

Dip each fish piece in the batter until completely covered. You should be able to see the fish through the batter after it has been dipped.

Carefully lower the fish into the deep-fat fryer or saucepan and cook for 4 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Deep-frying should not make food excessively greasy. The trick is to keep the oil hot enough and not leave the food in it for too long.Remove the fish  from the fryer using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Lightly season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with the lime  and lemon wedges and some dollops of tartar sauce and seasoned waffle fries.

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Crab and Avocado Salad

Avocados filled with crab salad

Photo Credit: Layla Pujol, Laylita’s Recipes ,www. laylitas.com, 2015

With Summer approaching, no one wants to stand in a hot kitchen over a stove. With that being said, here is a salad that requires a sharp knife, a large bowl , serving plates and a fork. Not only is this salad healthy for you and gluten-free, but it is refreshing as well. You can use any type of fresh crab meat. I prefer Dungeness crab meat, and you can easily substitute the crab for cooked peeled shrimp as well.

The basic ingredients for this classic dish from Ecuador is  prepared by filling ripe avocados with a a crab salad, red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, radishes, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Courtesy of Layla Pujol of  Laylita’s Recipes, 2015

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound of cooked crab meat
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
½ green bell pepper, finely diced
½ cucumber, finely diced
4 radishes, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4-5 ripe but firm avocados
½ lime

To garnish:
Iceberg Lettuce or salad greens
Fresh cilantro leaves
Sliced scallions
Sliced radishes

Directions:
To prepare the crab salad:
Mix the cooked crab meat with diced onions, diced bell peppers, diced cucumbers, diced radish, lime juice, olive oil, chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper. The salad can be prepared in advance and kept refrigerated until just ready to assemble the avocados.

Cut the avocados in half, remove the seeds and peel the avocados. Sprinkle each avocado half with a little lime juice to prevent the avocados from browning too quickly.

Fill the center of the avocados halves with the crab salad. Serve the crab stuffed avocados over lettuce leaves and garnished with scallions and radishes.

Grilled Lobsters with Miso Sriracha Butter

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Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
2 Tablespoons white miso
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 bunches of scallions
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
White ground pepper, to taste
8 long metal skewers
Four 1 1/2-pound lobsters, halved lengthwise, claws detached and reserved
Lemon wedges, for serving


Directions:
In a small saucepan, melt 
the butter. Whisk in the miso, Sriracha and lemon juice. Reserve 1/4 cup of the miso butter for serving.

Light a grill. In a large bowl, toss the scallions with the 
oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, turning, until lightly charred and tender, 5 minutes. Chop the scallions and toss with 1 tablespoon of the miso butter.

Skewer the lobster bodies from the tail to the head to keep them straight. Brush the lobster meat with 2 tablespoons 
of the miso-chile butter. Grill the lobster bodies and claws over moderate heat, turning and basting the meat with 
the remaining miso butter, until the shells are bright red, 7 to 8 minutes for the tails and 12 to 15 minutes for the claws. Remove the skewers.

Arrange the lobsters on a platter or plates and scatter the scallions on top. Serve with lemon wedges and the reserved 1/4 cup of miso butter.