Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Smoked Trout Salad

Who needs icky canned tuna when you've got a boo with a smoker?  Last weekend Dave went all out and smoked everything he could find - pork tenderloin and shoulder, a couple trout, AND a whole duck.  (He gave up before trying to smoke some cheese.)  Next on the list is some smoked salt!

This tasty salad is a perfect vehicle for all that tender fish - basically a classic tuna salad with some peppery arugula thrown in: crunchy celery, red onion and a bright lemony dressing.  Dill would be a great addition too!  This makes a great protein source, a spread for crackers, and tastes even better the next day.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not big into using prepared mayonnaise, but here I've used that organic avocado oil mayo I got for free!  It's definitely faster than making mayo from scratch, but I always do this to make it a little lower calorie: instead of all mayo, I substitute one part dijon mustard and one part fat-free greek yogurt, plus add a squeeze of lemon for freshness.  It really helps!

I still have a lot of smoked trout left - maybe some dip is in my future? :)

Smoked Trout Salad

1 pound smoked trout, flaked, skin and large bones removed
2-3 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 cup packed arugula leaves
1 tablespoon organic mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon greek yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste (depending on the saltiness of the fish)

In a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, yogurt and lemon juice.  Whisk to combine.

Add the fish and vegetables to the bowl and fold into dressing.  Season with pepper and salt if necessary. 

Chill or serve immediately.  Enjoy!


Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Parmesan Arugula Salad

So I only came up with this recipe to use up bread crumbs!  When Dave makes fresh homemade whole-grain bread for me, there's always that last little bit that goes stale before we use it up, or little odds and ends that are too small to toast. I always end up saving those pieces because I hate for any of his handmade bread to to go to waste (also, I can't throw anything away. I'm a crazy food recycler). I tossed all those frozen pieces into my food processor to make bread crumbs, and now I've been busy baking up vegetable gratins, meatloaf and these shrimp cakes to use them up! I think meatballs may be in my future :-D

Use a measuring scoop to get these shrimp cakes evenly sized  - this recipe yielded about six, perfect for two to split! You could substitute crab for the shrimp, but it's harder to get the cakes to stick together while flipping because the meat is already cooked.  Instead you could bake these (with shrimp, crab or other seafood) at 400 for about 15 minutes if preferred.

Shrimp Cakes

1 egg, beaten
1 lb raw shrimp, roughly chopped 
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3 chopped scallions
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
scant tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Chop the shrimp in a food processor, pulsing intermittently, until shrimp pieces are roughly chopped but before it turns to paste.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg until combined. Add all remaining ingredients and fold until well mixed.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Using a 1/2 cup measure, scoop the shrimp mixture and form into patties. Saute four minutes per side, or until lightly browned and crispy.

Sizzlin

Serve with aioli and arugula salad, recipes below:

Lemon Parmesan Arugula Salad

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
Pinch each salt and pepper
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or other good quality hard, salty cheese
5 cups arugula

Combine first five ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.  Add half the cheese and stir.

Add arugula and fold to combine; top with remaining cheese.




I made aioli following these two recipes.  The second is easier, but the first tastes better!  I NEVER use mayo - but recently made an exception to try this Primal Kitchen Organic Avocado Oil Mayonnaise.  Get it for FREE like I did by signing up for a free trial of Thrive Market!

Aioli recipe from scratch via Chowhound:

Easier Epicurious recipe here: