Seafood and Chive Dumplings

Dumplings are perfect little packages of bite-sized food and totally easy to make. We decided to make a seafood version after being inspired by a new show called Easy Chinese (horrible name, but good recipes!) on the Cooking Channel. I liked how this dumpling did not use pork, which tends to be much fattier and instead utilizes fish as the primary protein.

Seafood and Chive Dumplings

From Easy Chinese, Cooking Channel

Ingredients

6 ounces fresh skinless striped bass or other firm white fish, finely chopped

6 ounces shelled and deveined shrimp, finely chopped

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Pinch minced seeded red chile, optional

Pinch sea salt

Pinch ground white pepper

6 Chinese chives or flowering garlic chives or 3 scallions, finely sliced

4 dried Chinese (shiitake) mushrooms, soaked in hot water and finely diced

36 square wonton wrappers

2 large carrots, thinly sliced on a sharp bias

Directions

1. Mix the bass, shrimp, cornstarch, ginger, Shaoshing wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, red chile, salt, white pepper, chives and mushrooms in a medium bowl until well combined.

2. Place a teaspoonful of the seafood filling into the center of each. Rub the outer edges of the wrapper with water using your finger and then place the wonton into your hand. 

3. Fold the wrapper into a triangle, pressing the edges together to seal in the filling, and then create 6 to 8 pleats along the sealed edges using your thumb and index fingers, pinching well to adhere. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. 

4. Lay the carrot slices in a bamboo steamer and place a dumpling on top of each.

5. Fill a wok or large skillet with 1 inch water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the lid on the bamboo steamer and lower it into the wok. Steam the dumplings until the fish is cooked through and the dumpling wrappers are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Perfectly Cooked Salmon Fillet

The Husband usually cooks our high quality proteins. Part of this is because I don't cook meat very often and another reason is that I fear the tough, stringy texture of overcooked meat. Unfortunately, I was on my own for dinner one night this week and decided I needed to (wo)man up and just cook it myself. So I literally googled "how to cook perfect salmon fillet" in hopes that I didn't ruin the Wild-Caught Salmon I had just purchased from Whole Foods.

Well my google search led me here. I know. It's a very unassuming website and looks almost too simple to be good. However, I decided to commit to the instructions to a T. Even chilling the oiled fish, which I normally wouldn't take the time to do.

The result? A perfect sear. Moist, juicy, and tender salmon. This was my most successful salmon attempt. I don't know if it was the cooking method, the high quality fish or both, but this would rival restaurant salmon in texture and tenderness any day.

Perfectly Cooked Salmon Filets
From Inland Eats

1. Start with very fresh salmon. Fish smell = not fresh. Make sure it is deboned and you can leave the skin on.

2. Drizzle both sides of the salmon fillets with extra virgin olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil over the entire surface.

3. Place the oiled fish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. (Don't skip this. I warned you.)

4. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Pour a small amount of olive oil into a non-stick, oven-safe skillet, and preheat over high heat.

5. Place salmon fillets in hot skillet. Cook for two minutes, turn and cook for an additional two minutes. Absolutely resist the urge to move the fillet or flip before the 2 minutes are up. (Again, you have been warned.)

6. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. My fillet was approximately 1/2 lb and cooked PERFECTLY in 6 minutes. I let the fish rest a few minutes before digging in. The salmon should be moist and flake easily with a fork.

If you are fearful of messing up your salmon, TRY THIS RECIPE. Enough said.

Bon appetit and have a wonderful weekend!

Dining in Raleigh, NC - Waraji

fun and interactive sushi chefs

fried squid appetizer

chirashi bowl

young hamachi and toro nigiri, spider roll

nabeyaki udon

The Husband would be Japanese if he had a choice and could survive on a diet of only sashimi and rice. Therefore we are always on an unending search for the freshest and tastiest Japanese restaurants in any city. Unfortunately, we had been very disappointed by the Japanese restaurants in the area. None of them seemed to offer sashimi that was fresh enough and prepared the traditional way. 

We are happy to announce that our search may have ended with our recent trip to Waraji. This restaurant has a great selection of sashimi, sushi, and non-raw offerings. The Husband had the Chirashi, which he described as fresh and quite filling. He also ordered young hamachi and toro nigiri, both of which were also quite good. The appetizer and my nabeyaki udon were also so flavorful and delicious. We will definitely be making our way back here again and again (... and again). 

Happy July 4th and hope you spend it with people you love! 

Paris Fridays: Huitrerie Regis

Sweet. Briny. Oceanic. There are few food items in life that can mimic the taste of fresh raw oysters. France is one of the top producers of oysters and the French certainly do enjoy these bivalve treats. 

Huitrerie Regis was definitely one of the highlights of our French culinary journey. The restaurant itself is tiny but beautifully decorated with blue spheres hanging from the ceilings and everything is clean, white, and beautiful. Hands down these oysters were the best I've ever had (sorry Seattle!) and if we ever return to Paris we will definitely be here to try the ultra-coveted Belon oysters! 

For approximately 29-30 euros, you receive a dozen oysters, 1 glass of white wine, and an espresso to end the meal. A perfectly paired meal. It is required that all individuals who enter the restaurant must order at least a dozen per person so definitely only bring your raw food inclined friends. 

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful (seafood-filled) weekend! 

Paris Fridays: Rue de Montorguiel

The Husband and I were lucky enough to travel to Paris recently for over a week, which resulted in almost 3000 pictures of the gorgeous city. In order to fully document the trip, I'll decided to start Paris Fridays to share the tastes (of course!) and sights of our trip over several weeks. 

We stayed in the 1st arrondissement, which is right in the heart of Paris. This location meant that we were walking distance to the Lourve, Marais, and the Latin Quarter, which was a huge plus. A 1 minute walk on our first day led us to Rue de Montorguiel, which is home of one of Paris's permanent markets selling everything from fresh flowers, meats, cheese, pastries, to SEAFOOD.

Every few stalls would boast large selections of oysters, which I learned is because France is the 4th largest producer of oysters in the world. In addition to oysters, there were so many varieties of fresh fish and seafood. We really wished we had a larger kitchen at our place to enjoy these delicacies. 

not sure what these are called - special clams

oysters

lobsters

sea urchin

massive crab legs

prawns

whole crabs

beautiful scallops

We couldn't help gushing over the marché de poissons (fish markets). The colors, shapes, and varieties were visually intoxicating. If we ever return to Paris, we are definitely renting a place with a hardcore kitchen. 

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!  

Dining In: Washington, DC - Kushi

Dinner in DC was at Kushi. This is an izakaya-style Japanese restaurant, which I've never tried before. Imagine Japanese tapas with beer or sake = Izakaya cuisine. Everything was made right before our eyes from the frying, grilling, and basting. 

Delicious yellowtail. The first of our sashimi indulgences on this trip. 

Tender grilled pork belly. YUM. 

Grilled whole fish. Juicy, sweet, and super fresh. 

I can see how this would be a fabulous happy hour into dinner option as you eat and drink over several hours. All of these little dishes pack good punches of flavor and texture. The Husband loves Japanese cuisine and with its simplicity of presentation and refined flavors I can see why. We were able to get a corner end of the bar, which made chatting, watching, and eating all the more fun.

Have a great Wednesday! More east coast trip great eats to come. 

Langostino Pasta with Golden Cherry Tomatoes

Someone once asked if I could put together some recipes for "(lazy) single men." When I think of single men, I initially think of guys who order pizza and drink soda every night. But, I am quickly learning that some single men have quite a taste and eye for good food. This recipe was thrown together only because I had an entire carton of these golden orange cherry tomatoes that needed to be eaten before we left on a trip.

Langostino is kind of like good ol' southern crawfish, but always seems a little fancier to me because of it's fancier name. You can buy these frozen at Whole Foods and it takes all but 5 minutes soaked in lukewarm water to defrost. Again... super easy for the casual single guy. What is great about these tomatoes is that they are super sweet and since I like my pasta sauce a little on the sweeter side, I don't need to add anything to reduce the acidity.

Langostino Pasta with Golden Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup langostino tails or shrimp
1.5 cups orange cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta of your choice

Directions
1. Heat salted water for pasta.

2. Sautee garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and let simmer for a few minutes. At high heat, add white wine.

3. Once white wine has cooked off (it no longer tastes or smells acidic), add langostino and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Toss over warm pasta with parmesan cheese.

Voila! Perfecto in about 15 minutes. Talk about the easiest "fancy" pasta dish in the world.

Sorry for the lack of posts! Travel always throws things off. However, The Husband and I are off for our East Coast Tour in a few weeks where I'll be sure to document our food finds!

Have a patient Thursday!

Dining In: Durham, NC - Broad Street Cafe

I would consider Durham a great place for casual dining. Dotted throughout the city are great little places that you can pop in and have a great meal with friends over beers. I have no idea what took us so long to head over to Broad Street Cafe, especially since it's so close to Duke, but we are definitely regretting not finding this gem earlier.

Assorted wings: Sweet Chili, Buffalo, and BBQ

The Mediterranean Pizza.

Shrimp and Applewood Bacon with Pesto Pizza. 

The wings were decent, but you don't come here for the wings. Rather, pizzas at Broad Street are wonderful. Chewy, light crust and flavorful toppings served piping hot from their brick oven. They have so many pizza options that you can head there several times without exhausting the list. 

The Sister had the star of the show, which is unfortunately not pictured here because we devoured it too quickly. She had the lamb burger, which was super flavorful, tender, and juicy. If you are in search of a good (yet less gamey) lamb burger in the area, I would suggest you try this out. I will definitely be heading back for that dish and the pizzas. 

Which restaurants would you like to try in the Triangle, but just haven't gotten to yet? 

Hope you have a great (hump) day!  

Dining In: Myrtle Beach - Landry's Happy Hour

The last beach trip of the year is always a sad time when you realize that the long summer days and backyard bbqs will end in a few months. Although with the heat wave in NC this year, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to fall. 

Myrtle Beach is a quick 3.5 hour drive and makes for a great weekend getaway. Not only that, it is in SC, which has entirely different happy hour laws (thank goodness). My friend had been talking about the Landry's happy hour for a while so we made a point to head there on Saturday evening. All the food is anywhere from $3-5 per portion and they have a generous list of beers and cocktails that also range from $3-5. 

If there is something to indulge in for an affordable price at the massive Broadwalk on the Beach in Myrtle, it would be this place. Bring some good company and enjoy the food and drinks from 4-7 pm. A three hour HH is what I'm talking about. 

Crawfish Queso (Oh, how I miss texas). 

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Bacon.

Fish Tacos.

We also ordered Fried Sweet Pickles and several of their drinks, which all were quite good. I would recommend the Mango Mojito. If you are headed to Myrtle Beach any time soon, go take advantage of this gem, but get there early as the bar seating does tend to fill up quickly around HH. 

See ya Landry's until next summer! 

Lobster Orzo "Mac N Cheese"

In addition to the Banana Cream Pie, The Husband requested Lobster Orzo Mac and Cheese for his birthday dinner last week. This was somewhat difficult since I've never had this dish before. After scouring the internet for recipes, I settled on a combination of these two, one from the Food Network and one from Epicurious. (I basically followed the Food Network recipe until I finished the roux and mixed in the cheese. Then I followed the Epicurious recipe by tossing the pasta in with the cheese mixture instead of baking with bread crumbs as the Food Network recipe suggests.)

What I loved about the Food Network recipe was that you had to make a lobster stock from the lobster shells that was then used to make the roux in the mac and cheese. Brilliant! And the smell of shallots, garlic, and peppercorns with milk in a pot is simply amazing. 

The roux: flour + butter. 

Adding the 3 cheeses: Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Fontina. 

The finished product with lobster pieces, basil, and S+P to taste. 

This dish was quite amazing. The creamy cheese and aromatic lobster broth created a gooey mac and cheese with the orzo pasta. This one is definitely a decadent treat to make for a special night. 

Have a great Monday! 

Tom Yum Goong

There is a restaurant in Dallas, TX called Royal Thai. I wish I could transplant this restaurant to NC because they have the best Tom Yum Goong that I've ever tasted. This is a spicy, sour soup that can have chicken, shrimp, and often mushrooms. My favorite way to eat this soup is to turn it into a noodle soup by ordering steamed rice noodles on the side.

We recently made a shrimp dish, which left us a generous portion of shrimp heads and tails. The Husband suggested making a shrimp broth, which I learned just means boiling something (i.e., meat, vegetable) in water whereas a stock is where you may add onions, garlic, bay leaves, and other herbs.

So, I let the shrimp parts boil for approximately 45 minutes in water and then strained the broth to make my Tom Yum Goong. I had to improvise this recipe a bit because I didn't have the exact amount of shrimp and I cannot find kaffir lime leaves here. I also bought an additional pound of shrimp aside from the leftover heads that I used to make the shrimp broth.

Tom Yum Goong

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb) medium-sized raw prawns

1 tbsp oil

2 quarts of water * I substituted this with the shrimp broth

2 tbsp red curry paste

2 tbsp tamarind concentrate

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chopped red chilies, optional

4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded ** or a lot more lime juice if you can't find it

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice **

2 tsp soft brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves * couldn't find this either so skipped

Rice noodles, optional to make noodle soup
Your choice of mushrooms

Directions

1. Remove shrimp shell and heads. Devein shrimp and set aside.

2. Heat oil in wok or pan. Add the shrimp shells and heads and cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until shells and heads are a deep orange. Then turn heat to high.

3. Gradually add 1 cup of shrimp broth/water and the curry paste to the wok. Boil for 5 minutes, until reduced slightly. Add the remaining water and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve the soup. Discard shrimp heads and shells. Return the soup to the wok. 

4. Add the tamarind concentrate, turmeric, chilies, and lime leaves and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the peeled, deveined shrimp and cook until they are pink, but not overdone.

5. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Add cooked rice noodles if desired. Sprinkle with coriander  (or cilantro) leaves just before serving. 

I've tried making this soup once before based on a Tyler Florence recipe, which used galanga and lemongrass. However, that recipe was not nearly as flavorful as this one. I think this is related to the red curry paste and some of the other seasonings. This is probably as close as I'll ever get to Royal Thai, but at least I can have a quick fix before our next trip back to DFW!

Have a restful weekend and some good eats!

Happy July 4th Dinner

We were attacked by a hailstorm during July 4th, which foiled our swordfish grilling plans. Instead, The Husband pan seared the swordfish and made a homemade garlic-lemon aioli, which was fabulous. Even The Sister said at the end of dinner, "Man, I want more swordfish!"

Since it has been so hot lately, we've been trying to whip up lighter foods. To accompany the swordfish, I made a Summer Quinoa Salad (recipe here), which was recently introduced to us by a friend. It was absolutely fabulous with the vegetables and dressing. I love the texture of quinoa and it is truly SO easy to cook compared to other grains. We finished the first batch and I already have more quinoa on hand to make another for the week!


Summer Basil Quinoa Salad

Salad Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa-rinsed
1/2 of a Red Onion-sliced
2 whole Tomatoes-chopped
1 Cucumber-peeled and chopped
1/2 cup fresh Basil-chopped
1/4 cup Pine Nuts-quickly toasted in a dry pan until fragrant and set aside for garnish

Dressing Ingredients
4 Garlic Cloves-minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions
1) Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add Quinoa, cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Set aside and let cool.

2) Whisk together all dressing ingredients except Olive oil. When combined, slowly whisk in Olive Oil, a little at a time to allow oil and vinegar to mix.

3) Toss all salad ingredients with dressing and garnish with Pine Nuts.

A tasty and healthy way to start the short week. Have a great Tuesday! 

Week in Austin, TX

Just got back from PR and after an ordeal of losing my luggage for a few days, I'm back and resting. The Fam is here and we're cooking up a storm of traditional Taiwanese dishes - more on that in future posts.

In the meantime, I wanted to share our recent (or not so recent since it was 3 weeks ago!) trip to Austin, TX - home of The Husband and our favorite city in good ole' Tejas. 

Late night trip to Taco C: A tribute to one of my graduate school class's old haunts on Greenville Ave after some cervezas.

The In-Laws treated us to a 7 lb lobster at Ho Ho (great name...) Restaurant. Imagine mouthfuls of lobster with every bite. Heaven. 

Bananarchy: "There's money in the banana stand!" Frozen chocolate-covered bananas layered with crunchy confections.

   

      

Smitty's Market BBQ. We still prefer Saltlick BBQ. 

Food Trailers: Odd Duck and Gourdoughs. Yes, the last 2 pictures are of doughnuts...

Torchy's Tacos: Fried Avocado and Trailer Park. (Never forget to make it "Trashy"). 

Austin has become a crazy food truck mecca since we left college. Hopefully, the Durham food truck scene will also continue to grow in the next few years. I'll definitely be tracking that evolution while we're here. 

Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy your local food scene!