Seafood Pancakes (Tortillitas)
June 29, 2009 | Filed Under Seafood | 16 Comments
My first Seafood Pancake with shrimp, It’s a bit thick but still tasted really good.
I almost didn’t get a photo of my seafood pancakes. That’s because everyone kept gobbling these special pancakes, as fast as I made them. They wouldn’t give me a chance to take a photo.
Thankfully, I was able to save one, in the end and take my photo. Whew!
My friend Nancy in Madrid saw this tortillita recipe by Mark Bittman in the Times and sent it to me. She thought I’d be interested in this recipe originally from Andalusia. She was right. I liked this no-egg pancake made from a mixture of chickpea flour, white flour, herbs, and seafood. Not only did I like the simple ingredients, I liked the fact that I could prepare this meal quickly.
This was my first time to use chickpea flour. I’d never heard about this type of flour before. See how I learn something new on my cooking adventures? I love it! Initially, I couldn’t find chickpea flour and then Dan of Salt Shaker gave me a tip. Thanks, Dan. The recipe calls for half chickpea flour and half white flour. However, according to Bittman, you can use chickpea alone, which will make the pancake gluten-free, crisper and more flavorful.
You can use any kind of seafood. I chose to stick with the recipe and used shrimps. You also have wide choice of herbs to use in this pancake. I love cilantro, so that’s what I used.
I ended up making this seafood pancake more than once during the week. The first time I made the tortillita, it was too thick, although it tasted very good and turned out the way Bittman described — "crisp on the outside but still moist inside." Delicious! However, I wanted to get it as perfect as possible. So, the second time I tried this recipe, I added a little more water to get a thinner pancake batter. I didn’t have shrimps on hand, so I used smoked salmon and included more herbs — chives, parsley and cilantro. Again, I enjoyed my seafood pancake.
Thanks, Nancy for sending me the recipe.
Besos desde New York,
Paz
Ed. Note: By the way, Dan has another seafood pancake recipe on his blog. It’s made completely with regular flour, mussels, shrimps, and cockles. He prepares his pancakes on the stove and finishes it off in the broiler. Check it out here!
The second time I made seafood pancakes, they came out much thinner, the way I believe they’re supposed to be.
Seafood Pancakes (Tortillitas)
Mark Bittman
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion or scallions
About 1/2 cup raw shrimp, chopped, or scallops or other shellfish or fish
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives, parsley, thyme or cilantro
Olive oil.
1. In a bowl, combine flours and baking powder with salt and pepper. Add a little more than a cup of water and stir to combine; consistency should resemble pancake batter (if batter is too thick, add more water, a little at a time). Stir in the onions, chopped seafood and herbs.
2. Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and film its bottom generously with olive oil. When oil is hot, pour in half the batter until it fills center of pan; spread gently with a spoon to form a large pancake.
3. Cook about 3 minutes, or until pancake is set around edges; flip pancake and continue cooking for another 3 minutes, then flip it again and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until it is crisp on outside but still moist inside. Remove from pan and serve immediately, while remaining batter cooks.
Bacalhau Salad (Salt Cod Salad)
March 8, 2009 | Filed Under Bacalhau/Salt Cod, Salad, Seafood | 17 Comments
Very simple Salt Cod Salad
Not long ago, I blogged about a salt cod (Bacalhau) stew recipe that I got from a co worker. She also gave me a salt cod salad recipe.
Basically, she said to:
o Soak the salt cod and throw out the water.
o Boil the salt cod for 15 minutes.
o Cut the fish into pieces.
o Add Spanish onions, tomatoes, sliced hard boiled eggs.
o Add extra virgin olive oil
o Add vinegar
o Mix the ingredients
o Eat right away or refridgerate.
What an easy and tasty salad to make. From the photos you can see that I didn’t even bother to slice the eggs. Normally, one uses apple cider vinegar but I felt like using balsamic vinegar. Tasted really good. I made the salad several times and each time added something different like Bell peppers, lettuce, avocado and capers.
Below’s a more detailed Salt Cod Salad recipe from Stephen Cooks.
Serenata de Bacalao (Salt Cod Seranade Salad)
Ingredients
1lb salt cod
2 yellow onions, sliced in crescents
2 sweet peppers, red or green, sliced in crescents
2 tomatoes, sliced in crescents
2 Cups shredded lettuce (or cabbage)
2 ripe avocado, sliced
2 boiling potatoes, boiled, sliced
olive oil
red wine vienegar
salt and pepper to taste
(optional: hard cooked eggs, sliced capers)
Directions
Desalt the cod by soaking in water to cover, refrigerated, for 3 days, changing the water one to three times a day. Cut the cod into chunks about 1" square and place in a pan with water to cover. Bring to boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse. When cooled, flake the fish.
Arrange the vegetables and fish on a bed of the lettuce and drizzle with oil and venegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Salt Cod Salad, a little bit fancier
Bacalhau Stew (Salt Cod Stew)
February 23, 2009 | Filed Under Bacalhau/Salt Cod, Seafood | 16 Comments
"What’s that supposed to be?" asked my sister when she spied the above photo as I posted it.
Ummm… Well, I know that it’s not the world’s best photo but it’s supposed to be Bacalhau stew (salt cod stew). Thankyouverymuch. 
I made this stew after talking to a lady at work who is very popular for cooking Latin dishes for offices parties. Her food is so good that it one of the first dishes to finish when served. I don’t remember how we got on the topic of Bacalhau but she mentioned how easy it was to prepare. The more she spoke about it, the more intrigured and hungrier I became.
"Just soak the bacalhau. Then when you get home from work, fry some onions in olive oil, add tomatoes, red bell pepper, chopped cilantro, half a can of tomato sauce, and the bacalhau. Add a little bit of water. Cook the fish and you have your stew. You can serve it with veggies or rice." She didn’t give me any measurements or amounts.
Enticed, still, at the end of the day, before I headed home, I stopped at the supermarket and bought some bacalhau and soaked it. The next day, after work, I prepared it according to my loose instructions. Since she hadn’t given me any amounts, I guessed. I got stuck when it was time for me to add the water. I had no idea how much to add. Turned out that I’d added too much (Turns out that I was supposed add a little water — about two or three tablespoons and no more. Also turns out that I should have used half a small can of tomato sauce.).
I’m pleased to write that the outcome wasn’t bad at all. Served with white rice, my bacalhau stew tasted pretty good. You can see from the photo that I garnished my stew with what else? My favorite — cilantro. Yes!
Paz
Spinach, Tuna, Tomato and Radish Salad for Paz
September 1, 2008 | Filed Under Fellow Bloggers, Fruits, Guest Bloggers, Kalyn's Kitchen, Radishes, Salad, Seafood, Spinach, Tomatoes, Tuna, Vegetables | 32 Comments
Please help me welcome this week’s guest blogger, Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Thanks, Kalyn!
Paz
2008 © Kalyn’s Kitchen - All Rights Reserved
When Paz first asked me to be a guest blogger for her while she was recovering from surgery, I planned a surprise and photographed a bunch of food bloggers at the BlogHer conference in San Francisco, all holding signs with get well wishes for Paz. Then I was impatient and shared a couple of photos in my post about the conference, and Paz refused to stay in bed like a good patient, so she saw the surprise!
I believe things happen the way they’re supposed to, so maybe the get-well wishes were better when Paz was first recovering anyway. Now I’m thinking she might be feeling quite a bit better and maybe now she’s well enough to make this simple salad. This recipe is loaded with nutritious ingredients to get Paz back in good shape in no time!
2008 © Kalyn’s Kitchen - All Rights Reserved
Spinach, Tuna, Tomato, and Radish Salad for Paz
(Makes one salad, can be doubled, Recipe created by Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen.)
2 cups washed and dried baby spinach leaves (or arugula)
1/2 can tuna, drained (Italian tuna packed in olive oil is best for this.)
5-6 radishes, sliced
2-3 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in quarters
extra virgin olive oil, about a tablespoon
juice of half a lemon (or more if you like a lot of lemon)
Arrange washed spinach or arugula on salad plate. Put tuna in the middle of the spinach, arrange tomatoes around the edge, and sprinkle radishes over. Drizzle salad with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, the squeeze lemon juice over. You can serve with extra lemon slices to squeeze on when you’re eating the salad if desired.
This is one of those salads where all the individual parts combine to make a lot of flavor. Bon Appetit Paz! Thanks for letting me be a guest blogger. I hope you are feeling a lot better by now and will soon be back to some serious cooking and taking photos around New York!
Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa
July 14, 2008 | Filed Under Avocado Salsa, Avocados, Fellow Bloggers, Fruits, Laylita's Recipes, Salmon, Seafood, South American Cuisine, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | 16 Comments
I love fish, especially salmon. Funny thing: I pronounce salmon, SAL-MON. I notice Americans pronounce it SA-MON. They leave the "L" out. So, when I say SAL-MON, they look at me funny. LOL! I’m not sure where or how I learned to prounonce it that way but that’s the way I do. Anyway, whichever way it’s pronounced, I love this fish and when I saw the recipe for Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa (and a photo of the meal — please, please check out Laylita’s enticing photo.), I couldn’t resist making it. Actually, the Avocado Salsa is what got me. I’d never before heard of anything like that to eat with salmon.
The next day after work, I bought the ingredients and set out to prepare it for dinner. Regular readers know by now that I love simple and easy-to-make meals. This is definitely one. Oh, and another enticing factor about this recipe is that it has cilantro. Hello!? Cilantro! Again, regular readers know that cilantro is my all-time favorite fresh herb. Yes!
Laylita’s recipe calls for the cilantro to be finely chopped. Umm… I didn’t really do that and I clearly added more than the 2 Tbs of cilantro. Next time, I’ll try to follow the recipe better.
The salsa was very easy to put together. No problem.
I got out my grill pan and prepared the salmon. My dogs LOVE fish and started getting excited about the aroma wafting from the kitchen.
Layla suggests the side dish of Ecuadorian rice and or Patacones (thick fried green plantains) to go with the Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa. A third thing regular readers know about me, by now, is that I HEART plantain. I didn’t have any plantain at home, so I ate my salmon and avocado salsa with rice. That was good enough. It was mouthwatering delicious. I loved my meal. I loved the Avocado salsa, which was new and different to me. It sort of had a tangy taste, which enhanced the grilled salmon that had been marinated in salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onions and black pepper. Let me tell you, it tasted so good. I normally only use salt and black pepper when preparing my salmon, so these spices were an added treat to use on the salmon.
The next day, I had some leftover salmon and salsa, so I had it again for dinner. This time I’d bought some yellow (ripe) plantain (kelewele — see photo here), which I fried and ate with the fish. Oh, how I enjoyed my dinner even more. I can’t wait to make this dish again. Thank you, Laylita!
In the meantime, I’m scheduled to have surgery this week –Tuesday. The recovery time is a bit long, so I won’t be able to post any food posts for a while. Some awesome food bloggers have agreed to guest blog for me while I’m recuperating. I’m really excited to see what they have planned for us. I thank my guest bloggers in advance for their kindness. You won’t see me on your blogs for a while but I plan on stopping by as soon as I can.
So see you soon on the blogs and don’t forget to come back here next Tuesday to find out about our first guest blogger.
Best,
Paz
GRILLED SALMON WITH AVOCADO SALSA
Ingredients (for 4 people):
2lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
Avocado Salsa
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced
Juice from 2 limes
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Suggested sides — Rice (rice Ecuadorian style)and patacones (thick fried green plantains)
Preparation:
1. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pre-heat the grill.
3. Combine the avocado, onion, hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
4. Grill the salmon to desired donesness.
5. Serve the salmon topped with the avocado salsa, and with rice and patacones or thick green plantain chips on the side.
(Elise’s) Dad’s Fish Stew Recipe
March 31, 2008 | Filed Under Salmon, Seafood, Simply Recipes, Soups/Chowders/Gumbos | 7 Comments
I found this super easy and delicious fish stew recipe on Simply Recipes. A recipe by Elise’s dad, called out to me, "Make me! Make me!" And make it, I did.
Elise suggests different types of fish to use like halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass, and white fish like cod, tilapia or sole. However, I had a craving for salmon, so that’s what I used instead. I loved my fish stew. As Elise points out, the clam juice is the key ingredient that makes the dish extra tasty. For those allergic to shellfish, Elise suggests using white wine, fish stock or water instead of the clam juice.
I’m going to make this fish stew AGAIN and next time, I think I’ll use red snapper. I’m craving red snapper, now. ;-) Elise’s thanks for sharing your dad’s recipe and please thank him for me.
Paz
(Elise’s) Dad’s Fish Stew Recipe
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup of chopped onions
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup of fresh chopped tomato (about 1 medium sized tomato)
- 2 tsp of tomato paste.
- 8 oz of clam juice (or shellfish stock)
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 lb fish fillets (use halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
- Touch of dry oregano, Tabasco, thyme, pepper
- Salt
1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer.
2 Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, less than 10 minutes. Add seasoning. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Spiced Shrimp and Peas Pullao
May 15, 2007 | Filed Under Indian Recipes, Rice, Seafood, Shrimps | 21 Comments
In the mood for shrimp (and always in the mood for rice), I found the above-titled recipe that satisfied my mood. So, I went out to buy some shrimp. There was a time when I felt intimidated to buy seafood (I’ve never really cared for food shopping in general). I never knew which fish to pick or what size shrimps to choose, etc… But since I started cooking, that discomfort has now passed. Now, I’m more confident food shopping. Strangers actually ask me food questions while I’m picking my groceries and I actually know what to tell them. Wow! It’s a miracle!
So, I pointed to the shrimps I wanted and the fish guy (what do you call him? Fishmonger? Way too formal for me.)? picked them out and weighed them for me. I bought my rice and green peas and I was on my way to cooking.
After knowing how to cook, only, with salt and black pepper, I’ve been having fun learning to cook with other spices. The spice of the week for me is garam masala. Until this recipe, I’d never used it before. Oh, how I love the smell of this spice. Put it on the list of ingredients that will make me doing my kitchen dance as soon as I get a whiff of it. I only used a tiny bit of the garam masala, as the recipe called for. Yet, it was sufficient to make the rice fragrant and special. It blended well with the other spices.
My rice turned out really well. Delicious. The only thing I didn’t care for, while preparing this meal, was peeling and deveining those damned shrimps. It took forever. Grrr! Perhaps next time, I should buy them already deveined and peeled. Of course, that’s at an extra cost… Hmmm… I’ll have to think about it. I guess, at least, I have the option.
Once the shrimps were deveined and peeled, there were no problems cooking. Putting the cooked shrimps and rice together, I was able to enjoy my meal. Not bad at all.
Paz
Spiced Shrimp
rachaelraymag.com
4 Servings
Prep Time 15 min (plus marinating)
Cook Time 5 min
3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ pounds large large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1. In a large bowl, mix together half the scallions, the garlic, coriander, cumin, cayenne and turmeric. Add the shrimp and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly and seasoning with the salt, until nearly opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and continue frying until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute more. Top with the remaining scallions.
Peas Pullao
rachaelraymag.com
4 Servings
Prep Time 5 min
Cook Time 30 min
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon garam masala
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1½ cups long-grain rice
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garam masala and tumeric and stir to combine. Stir in 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and salt and return to a boil, stirring briefly to break up any clumps. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer, without disturbing, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through, about 18 minutes.
2. Uncover the pan and mix in the peas while fluffing the rice with a fork; cover and set aside for 5 minutes, until the peas are heated through.
Salmon Fish Stew, Brazilian Style
March 28, 2007 | Filed Under Brazil Cuisine, Salmon, Seafood | Leave a Comment
This stew is a salmon version of a Brazilian (Bahia) fish stew called Moqueca, which is normally made from the local fish of the region. I love that you marinate the salmon with limejuice, paprika, cumin, garlic salt, and black pepper; then simmer it with onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, coconut milk, and freshly chopped cilantro. CILANTRO! ;-)))
The fun part of making this salmon stew was layering the cooking pot with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, the salmon, and then doing it all over again. I created my cooking masterpiece, which I topped with cilantro. CILANTRO! I did my happy dance after that.
Yes, I was tired, but after tasting the finished product, my body became rejuvenated and happy. The effort I’d made to prepare this salmon fish stew was definitely worth it. Thanks, Elise for sharing the recipe!
Paz
Cooking in the pot: Salmon in between layers of onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers
Simply Recipes
Marinade ingredients:
The cloves from 1/2 head of garlic, peeled, crushed, minced
2 Tablespoons of fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon of coarse salt
1 Tablespoon of sweet paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons of dry cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
Other ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of salmon, cut into 2-inch pieces (largish-bite sized pieces)
Olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed, and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce can thick coconut milk
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, 1-2 cups
Freshly cooked rice for serving
1 Mix together the marinade ingredients. Let the salmon marinate in this paste for at least 2 hours. The longer, the better.
2 In a large pan (large covered skillet or Dutch oven), coat the bottom of the pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add a layer of sliced onions, and then a layer of sliced bell peppers, and a layer of sliced tomatoes. Place the fish pieces, with the marinade, on top of everything, and start layering again - onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add about half of your fresh cilantro to the top. Pour coconut milk over the top. Drizzle generously with olive oil over the top (several tablespoons).
3 Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are cooked through.
Serve with rice; garnish with remaining cilantro.
Serves 6-8.
Bluefish Fajitas
February 27, 2007 | Filed Under Bluefish, Seafood | Leave a Comment
The recipe comes from Beyond Salmon. Helen first cooks the fish on the stove and then puts it in the oven. I’ve done that a couple of times but no longer do so. I simply cook everything on the stovetop.
One thing I like about all of Helen’s recipes is that she offers fish substitutions, in case you can’t find one particular type of fish. It’s very helpful and, for me, always makes the recipe taste slightly different, never boring. Thanks, Helen!
Paz
Bluefish Fajitas
Beyond Salmon
The result of this inspiration were bluefish fajitas — probably completely unauthentic, but terribly good. I sprinkled skin-on bluefish fillet with salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander and seared it on the skin side in a cast iron pan with a little oil until crispy. Then flipped it, spread sliced peppers and onions around it and finished it in the oven until done (about 5 minutes at 400F). The bluefish then went onto a plate to rest, while I finished cooking peppers and onions on the stovetop over high heat. In went a little minced garlic, a good squirt of lime juice, a large handful of minced cilantro, and flaked bluefish (yes, I do eat the skin, but you don’t have to 
I served it with warm tortillas, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, “Total” Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), and of course tomatillo salsa verde. Yum!
Fish substitutions: red snapper, grouper, striped bass, cod, haddock, halibut, tilapia, barramundi, mahi-mahi, swordfish, tuna (seared rare), or any fish leftovers.
Just about to fold the fajita
Mawuena’s Spinach Stew
October 11, 2006 | Filed Under African Recipes, Fruits, Salmon, Seafood, Shrimps, Spinach, Tomatoes, Vegetables | Leave a Comment
Click on photo for a larger image
In my childhood food memories meme, I mentioned a spinach stew that my mother used to make. I set out to see if I could recreate it. In The Butterfly Effect meme, I wrote how my efforts were very successful.
Well, here is the spinach stew. There is no written recipe for it. I jotted down some notes as I prepared it. However, I lost them. To give a somewhat proper recipe, I’d have to make the dish again and write down everything.
So, for now, I just give you the ingredients: Frozen spinach, shrimps, canned salmon, tomatoes, tomato paste (I think), onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, hot pepper. That’s about it.
Paz
Click on photo for larger image
Click on photo for larger image
Click on photo for larger image
