a collection of food: Seafood

Showing posts with label Seafood. Show all posts

Easy Broiled Tilapia

Happy New Years!!

I know a lot of us have made New Year's resolutions to eat healthier and today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite "go to" healthy meals. It's a simple "skinny" broiled tilapia, brown rice (recipe coming soon) and steamed broccoli.

Not only is this meal healthy, but it's also super easy and quick to prepare, economical, and both of my kids really like it....win, win, win, win!

I usually buy a big bag of individually wrapped frozen tilapia to keep in the freezer. All it needs is a quick thaw and it's ready to go! Just place on an aluminum foil (I'm a huge fan of this non-stick variety) lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with spices and broil.

This is the seasonings I use plus a little salt but you can use any that you like.

Don't forget to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top before serving.

Ingredients:

Tilapia
I Can't Believe it's Not Butter spray (ICBINB spray)
Salt
Lemon Pepper seasoning
Garlic powder
Lemon

Directions:

Set oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (I like Reynold's non-stick foil).

Place tilapia on foil and spray IBINB spray, then sprinkle with a little salt on both sides of the fish. Sprinkle top side of fish with garlic powder and lemon pepper seasoning.

Broil fish for 8-10 minutes until it flakes and is fully cooked. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top of fish and serve.

Source: Chef Mommy original

Lamma Island Seafood Outing

I'd always love to have seafood at Lamma Island. I would say Lamma Island has the best eating environment among all the famous live seafood spots in Hong Kong. See I was eating at a seaside restaurant below.

November and December has the best weather in Hong Kong - clear sky, sunny but cool - ideal for outing. I've therefore taken a day off and went on an outing along with a seafood lunch with my sister.

The tour started at Pier 4 in Central and took about 30 minutes to arrive at Yung Shu Wan. The scenic leisure walk to Suk Ku Wan is about 90 minutes which is easy for people of all age. I even bought fish snacks and shrimp paste kind of souveniors on the way.

Seaside restaurant at Lamma Island

Mantis Shrimp (HK$160)

You may not believe, only 2 minutes after we picked our seafood, the king-size mantis shrimp was delivered to our table, stir fried with salt and pepper. we could still sense the 'heat of wok'.

Scallop with garlic and jelly noodle (HK$25@)

The steamed scallops looked plain, but delicious though.

Steam Live Fish (HK$160)

There was an argument between the two of us. We both like live seafood. But my sister is far more demanding. She wants 'free range' seafood, i.e. fishes that survive naturally in the sea; and I don't mind fishes being manually raised in tanks. There are difference in price, and of course quality of meat and taste. Well, the one we had was from a tank!

Fried Rice (HK$45)

The seafood we picked didn't fill our stomach, so we decided to have a dish of fried rice. I thought we used to be served free soup, but not this time. Inflation! Free items gone!

Live Seafoods

There were plenty of live seafood for our choice. The shop owner told us whether we do A La Carte or set menu, the seafood supply are the same. While we enjoyed picking our favourite choices, set menu also looked good, especially for those who wanted a better budget control. Take the 2/3 persons set menu below for example, they had steamed prawns and stir fried vegetables on top of what we had, and the price of HK$468 was only $53 more than we paid. I must say it's quite a good deal. No wonder a lot of foreigners like to go for set menus.

Lunch Date: December 2, 2011 (Friday)
Cost: HK$415 (US$53.2), no service charge
Lamma Hilton
Suk Ku Wan, Lamma Island
Tel: 29828290

More information about Lamma Island.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Lamma Island Seafood Outing

Canton House

Salt & Pepper Squid.

When we found our usual dim sum place closed for renovations, we took out of town guests to Canton House instead and were delightfully surprised at the variety and quality of the weekend dim sum. We tasted lots of dumplings and buns as well as excellent duck (not pictured). The salt & pepper squid, my stepdaughter's absolute favorite, was a huge hit even with our niece who had never tried squid before. On another note, my local cousin told me she returned here for dinner and was not very impressed. She advises sticking to the dim sum, which we will most definitely continue to do.

Chinese broccoli and clams.

Various dim sum desserts - the egg custard tarts are always a favorite of mine but here they also have custard filled buns - a favorite with the kids!

Signage on Buford Highway.

Alfredo's - An Atlanta Classic

Calamari.

Somehow I lived in Atlanta for more than four years before I dined at Alfredo's Italian Restaurant. I drive past it all the time and heard that it exemplified "old-school Italian" cooking so I'm not sure why I waited so long! One reason might be that the parking lot is always full and a reservation is a must on the weekend. Luckily when we had a friend visiting from out of town we reserved a table and had a lovely meal. It really is old-style Italian (and old-style Atlanta, having operated for more than 35 years), with wonderful, attentive service by men who appear to have been in the business for years and a head waiter/maitre'd who reminds me of some of the characters in stereotypical mafia films.

The signature sign on Cheshire Bridge Road.

Mussels appetizer.

For the amount of food you receive, the value is outstanding. Although I did not photograph the buttery garlic bread or the pickled vegetables that are brought out to every table, they were both delicious, the veggies very nostalgic and the bread great for sopping up all the delicious sauces presented throughout the meal - I think we ate four baskets! The above-pictured mussels are listed in the "Zuppe" section and do contain a delicious white wine/garlic broth that can be eaten as soup after consuming the delicious mollusks.

For entrees the three of us split two: the linguine pescattore and the veal three ways. Both were outstanding. More yummy sauce to eat with garlic bread!

Padrino (Godfather): veal three ways with spinach.

Shrimp Avacado Tostada

Well, better late than never right?

Sorry, it has taken so long to get this recipe up. I did want to share it though, b/c if you love tex/mex, salsa, avocado and shrimp you will enjoy this dish.

Plus, it sure is pretty isn't it? I love the look of all the different layers.

The original calls for frying the tortilla but I made it healthier by baking. I also used frozen corn for ease and pico de gallo instead of red bell pepper. Feel free to change things up to your liking...you really can't go wrong here.

Ingredients:

4 whole Small Corn Tortillas
Olive oil cooking spray

2 whole Avocados, Peeled And Pitted
3 Tablespoons Chopped red onion, divided
1 whole Lime, Juiced
½ pounds Medium Sized Shrimp, Peeled And De-veined
1 teaspoon Cayenne
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup Refried Beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp. grapeseed or canola oil
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray tortillas with olive oil cooking spray and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until tortillas are crispy. Turn tortillas over half way through. Remove from oven and keep warm.

Prepare avocado mixture by placing avocado, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a pinch of salt and mix together. Cover the avocado with plastic wrap to prevent it from browning,

Prepare the pico de gallo by combining the chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine ingredients and set aside.

Prepare the refried beans according to can directions and keep warm.

In a medium size bowl, toss the shrimp with the cayenne and garlic powder as well as salt and pepper. Saute in a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 Tablespoons of the grapeseed or canola oil for 2-3 minutes on each side until shrimp are pink and cooked. Remove from pan and keep warm. Wipe pan down with a paper towel and a little more oil (1 tsp). Cook corn until slightly charred (3-4 minutes).

Spread the 1/4 cup of refried beans on top of each tortilla. Sprinkle on the charred corn. Spread a layer of the mashed avocado mixture on top. Top the mashed avocado with the pico de gallo. Finish with a few shrimp. Season with salt and pepper if needed and garnish with cilantro.

Source: Inspired by TastyKitchen

Cook's Warehouse Midtown Breakfast with Chef Nancy Waldeck

Luscious shrimp and grits, baked cinnamon and maple french toast and strawberries with lime glaze. A healthy take on delicious classics.

Back in June I was invited to a breakfast at the Cook's Warehouse Midtown location in Ansley Mall. I had not yet been to this location, which moved from Amsterdam Walk. The space is large, with a wonderful kitchen for cooking classes and great kitchen products as always. Chef Nancy Waldeck entertained us by cooking several of her wonderful recipes - the shrimp and grits was a favorite - and showed us how to keep the calorie count down in addition to making the dishes taste great. Tricks for this include using low fat cream cheese in the grits and using chicken stock instead of cream when sauteing the shrimp. Nancy has a wonderful website and blog as well as a book called Taste and Savor. Cook's Warehouse is a must-visit for anyone who loves to cook and also a great place to learn, since they have many classes ranging from basic to advanced and theme cooking.

Chef Nancy Waldeck gave us some great tips, like how to cut a bell pepper properly for slicing and cooked the above tasty breakfast for us before our eyes.

Chicken and the Egg - A New Destination in Marietta

Over the weekend my family was invited to a pre-opening "friends & family" night at Chicken and the Egg, a new farm to table restaurant in Marietta. While I don't visit Marietta often, Calvin and I both agreed we will return here for the excellent food, atmosphere and service - our server Richard really took great care of us. For all those Cobb County-ites, the existence of Chicken and the Egg should cut down on the tendency for many to drive all the way ITP for modern Southern cuisine. This week the restaurant opens with dinner service only; lunch will be added August 8 and a family style weekend brunch will also be in the mix at a future date. I look forward to returning again soon!

Creative cocktails include the "Dirty South" martini, featuring house pickled okra instead of olives and "South of the Border", a refreshing watermelon cooler with a kick.

The amuse bouche included one of my favorite foods: a scallop served over homemade ravioli. I am assured that there is some variation of this on the full dinner menu!

Delicious mini sweet corn muffins, available with sorghum butter and maple butter - yum! These will definitely be a big hit for brunch.

Fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese fondue, country ham and tomato jam. One of our favorite parts of the meal. I loved the tomato jam and Calvin had been talking about fried green tomatoes for weeks - finally satisfied his craving.

Roasted heirloom tomato and vidalia onion soup. This soup was creamy but not too heavy. I really enjoyed the deep tomato flavor, but did not really taste much onion.

Short ribs with smoked gouda au gratin potatoes, baby carrots (including heirloom varieties in purple and white). Our waiter was impressed that my 8 year old stepdaughter ordered this - and she loved it, especially those potatoes, which were really quite something.

Clams + Linguini - littlenecks with crispy pork belly, tomatoes, onions in a spicy broth with griddled bread. This was my favorite entree. So much flavor and just the right spice.

The fried chicken was also fantastic - you can tell the chicken is brined before being breaded and fried. The mac & cheese was another table favorite - I'm sensing a pattern with us and cheese! It contains 5 cheeses and was absolutely delicious. The braised turnip greens added a green, flavorful component to the southern feast.

I didn't taste the vegetarian lasagna but it looked awesome and a woman at the table next to us was nice enough to let me photograph her plate!

Functional decor - makes it easy for the waitstaff to replenish silverware and adds a nice touch to the dining room.

Bar area - I was impressed at the overall size of the restaurant. There is also a private room available for small to medium sized groups.

Fried apple pie with boiled peanut and sorghum ice cream. After my recent foray into ice creams, this was definitely interesting and tasty.

Outstanding banana pudding. Definitely my top pick for dessert - from what I tried so far anyway! I look forward to returning soon!

The Capital Grille's Generous Pour Event

The featured wines.

I was recently treated to a preview of The Generous Pour wine event at The Capital Grille in Buckhead. The event is going on right now at all CG locations and lasts through September 4. Here's the deal: for $25 you can try as many of the nine features wines as you'd like with your dinner. This is an exceptional value for wine drinkers as the wines represent a wide price range and hail from several countries including Spain, Italy, France and Australia. The Capital Grille's master sommelier George Miliotes travelled the globe to pick out the perfect nine wines for this showcase and at the event we enjoyed a live webcast with him, including a question and answer segment. Click here to see all the featured wines as well as a short video clip featuring Mr. Miliotes. My favorite wines include the Marquis de la Tour, Cremant de Loire Brut, a sparkling wine that paired wonderfully with the appetizers we tried. I am also a huge fan of the RL Buller, The Portly Gentleman port, which I enjoyed more than any other dessert wine I've ever tried.

The food was wonderful as well. I especially enjoyed the calamari, the steak (of course) and the ice cream with strawberries. This is a wonderful way to enjoy a variety of high quality wines without buying nine entire bottles. You can have as much as you'd like of these fabulous wines for $25.