Mussels with Merguez Sausage

Image

To give mussels steamed in white wine a North African profile, the richly seasoned lamb sausage called merguez was a main ingredient in this dish, along with unique spices like Ufra Berber chili flakes.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 pound merguez sausage, casing removed and sausage crumbled
4 medium shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt, to taste
1 cup full-bodied white wine, such as Chardonnay
1 large tomato, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Urfa or Aleppo chile
1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus 1 teaspoon minced cilantro stems
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Crusty bread, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the merguez and cook over moderately high heat, breaking it up with a woodenspoon, until the fat is rendered and the sausage is starting to brown, 3 minutes.

Add the shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the wine, tomato, lime juice, chile and cilantro stems and cook until the wine is slightly reduced, 2 minutes.

Stir in the mussels, cover and steam until the mussels open, 7 to 10 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in the chopped cilantro and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Ladle the mussels and broth into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

RECIPE NOTES:
Merguez sausage and Urfa chiles are available at specialty food markets and can be found on amazon.com.

Hello Friends!

All photographs and content, excepted where noted, are copyright protected. Please do not use these photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this photograph and all other contents, then we kindly ask that you link back to this site. We are eternally grateful and we appreciate your support of this blog.

Thank you!

Saffron Chermoula Orzo with Shrimp

Image

 

 

Adapted from Chef Nargisse Benkabbou
New York Times, September 2022

Traditionally used to season seafood and vegetables, chermoula is a Moroccan marinade made of herbs and spices like cilantro, parsley, paprika and cumin. In this recipe, the orzo cooks in a combination of chermoula and stock, so the orzo is seasoned all the way through. In the last few minutes of cooking, just stir the shrimp into the orzo to cook, and you have a quick and easy, yet exciting, dinner. Feel free to use a protein of your choice instead of shrimp, but adjust cook times accordingly. Also, consider making a big batch of chermoula and keep it in the fridge to use as a marinade, a dressing on salads or a condiment for sandwiches.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chermoula:
2 lemons
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ cup  Moroccan olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon granulated sugar

For the Orzo and Shrimp:
1/4 teaspoon good quality saffron threads
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup orzo
1½ cups chicken stock
¾ pound peeled and deveined medium to large shrimp, tails removed

Directions:
Take one half of the 1/4 tsp saffron threads and put them in a spice mortar. Grind the spice with a pestle to a powdery consistency. Add a second pinch of saffron threads to the mortar. Do not crush these threads.
Ground saffron threads in a mortar and pestle.

Pour 1/4 cup of hot water into the mortar. Set aside and let the saffron soak for 5 minutes. This will open up the flavor of the spice.

To Make the chermoula: Finely grate the zest from both lemons and set aside for serving, then, into a medium bowl, squeeze 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir in the cilantro, parsley, olive oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and sugar and set aside until ready to use. (You can keep the chermoula in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.)

Prepare the orzo and shrimp: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium-high until the butter is melted. Add the orzo and keep stirring until the orzo is lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Pour the yellow saffron liquid evenly across the top of the orzo.

Add in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until orzo starts to soften, about 10 minutes. If it looks like the orzo is too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan.

Cover the pot again until the orzo is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes more. Turn off heat. Gently stir in the chermoula and shrimp. Stir, cover, let stand 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice if necessary.

Serve immediately, topped with the grated lemon zest.

Notes:

Moroccan olive oil has all of the health benefits of Italian, Greek, Spanish, Californian, and all other olive oils, including potential advantages for heart and brain health and cancer prevention. Made in the unique terroir surrounding the Atlas Mountains, Moroccan olive oil has a flavor all its own.  Once you have some Moroccan olive oil in your pantry, it’s a perfect time to delve into the delicious world of Moroccan cuisine. Try making some salads, a tagine, or a sweet and savory olive oil cake.

Shrimp needs only 2-3 minutes @ 185°F  to be perfectly cooked. Any time longer than that, you will get a rubbery protein.

Fresh herbs lose color  and  flavor when cooked.  In this recipe, they are best  when added at the end of the cooking time.

Coconut Poached Catfish with Baby Bok Choy

Image

 

 

This dish was inspired by the classic Thai dish, Tom kha gai. Tom Kha Gai is a coconut-milk-based chicken soup scented with galangal (or ginger), lemongrass, chilies, fish sauce, makrut lime leaves, lime juice, and cilantro. The combination of sweet, salty, and sour flavors balanced in a creamy broth felt ideal for pairing with a mild, firm white fish like catfish, halibut, or cod. Using just one pot, this dish couldn’t be easier to assemble, and its beautiful presentation makes it look like you spent a lot longer on dinner than you actually did. The poaching liquid does double duty by gently cooking the fish and wilting the bok choy. If bok choy is unavailable, another sturdy green, like kale or Napa cabbage, can be substituted. Serve with steamed jasmine rice to soak up some of the fragrant coconut milk broth.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets or other flaky white fish, like cod or halibut
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 tablespoon lemongrass, thinly sliced (from about a 1 trimmed stalk)
1 fresh Thai or Serrano chile, thinly sliced
2 (13 1/2-ounce) cans coconut milk
1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar or to taste
7 ounces baby bok choy, ends trimmed and stalks separated Flaky salt (optional)

For Serving:
Fried ginger
Pickled chilies
Lime wedges
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro, both leaves and tender stems
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

 

Directions:
On a clean cutting board, thoroughly pat both sides of fish dry. Season the fish with sprinkle with salt on both sides and set aside.

Pickle the chilies: In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons lime juice and chilies. Set aside until ready to serve.

To Make the fried ginger topping: Set a paper towel lined plate aside for the fried ginger. In a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sauté the ginger in oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it appears golden brown. Err on the side of caution here, as there will be some residual carryover cooking, and the ginger will continue to darken in color (if the ginger burns, you will need to start over).

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the ginger and oil mixture into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Evenly scatter the strained ginger from the sieve to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Reserve the ginger oil.

Using a clean paper towel or a kitchen towl, wipe the pan clean, removing any residual browned bits of crisped ginger. Add strained ginger oil back into the pan and set to medium-low heat. Add shallot, garlic, ginger, green curry paste, chile, and cook, stirring often until the shallots become translucent and the rest of the ingredients become aromatic, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Add coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar to the pan. Whisk together until combined and sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer. Carefully add the catfish fillets and turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook until the fish is just cooked through and opaque, about 6 to 8 minutes. When cooked, the fish will transform from translucent to opaque and gently flake when prodded with a fork. You can also use a thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should be between 140°F and 145°F. Using a slotted spoon or a fish spatula, gently remove the fish from the pan and divide among the serving bowls. Note: The thinner pieces will cook faster than thicker ones. The liquid should be just barely simmering, with small bubbles so make sure to adjust the heat as needed.

Add bok choy to the coconut milk broth and turn heat to medium-low. Cook bok choy until leaves are wilted and stems are tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Simmer the coconut milk for an additional 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat until it thickens and reduces slightly. The broth should not appear watery at all—it should coat the back of a spoon like a thick curry. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce, brown sugar, or lime juice as needed.

To serve, divide bok choy evenly alongside the fish and ladle coconut milk broth over each portion. Top with the fried ginger, pickled chilies, chopped cilantro, scallions and a good squeeze of lime, and serve with remaining wedges on the side. Garnish with flaky salt, if desired.