Oysters & A Birthday

This isn't actually a recipe post, more of a look-at-these-unbelievably-beautiful-pictures post of our somewhat recent visit to Wadmalaw Island, SC for my Grandmother's 95th birthday party. That was March 31st, so I'm only five months late on getting this up.

I'm hoping that posting pictures is the gateway to getting back into posting recipes. We'll see. Hope you enjoy!

Freshly harvested oysters. They were steamed under wet burlap on a metal plate, over a pit fire.

Jacob even got into the action - a proclaimed "non-oyster-eater." He's changed his title to "non-oyster-eater-except-when eating-them-at-Uncle-Lincoln's-house."

I believe at this point Amber was in search of the tiniest oyster award.

Happy birthday! 95 years and still rocking. Ps - That cake is a homemade one by Aunt Tracy - DELICIOUS fresh strawberry cake.

The scene of the roast. What an unbelievable view. There honestly aren't too many simpler pleasures than shucking fresh oysters shared with family during a Wadmalaw sunset.

Salmon Cakes with Lime-Aioli

Ok, so I'm going to start with a disclaimer or two. This is my first real post since sometime in January (bad Elizabeth). I fell off the blogging wagon in pursuit of a ridiculous amount of marketing work the past few months. Good for the bank, not so good for general sanity and / or blogging. That being said:

Disclaimer 1 - This is not a real recipe per se, more of a technique. Good for anyone who likes to (or would like to) explore with flavors in the kitchen. I'd like to give exact measurements, but, that takes more time than I have had lately. So what I've done is said exactly what I've put in these particular cakes, but you can apply this to any seafood (hello crab) and use any fillings (bell peppers, celery, spices, etc) that you have on hand.

Disclaimer 2 -  When I decided to photograph this meal for blogging, I was moving at a leisurely pace setting up. Once I started to prep though, Jacob announced that we only had 45 minutes before we had to start playing an iTunes movie that we had rented before it expired and disappeared along with our $4.99. While the meal doesn't take long to make, it does when you stop every 30 seconds to photograph your latest slice or dice. Long story short: I'm terribly embarrassed by the size of my red onion dice. Almost to the point of not publishing the photos, but, you do what you gotta do. (PS, the movie was Django and I really really liked it. Violent, yes, but very well written / produced. Proper suspense.)

I consider "cakes" of any sort a way to clean out the pantry. If you have onions / bell peppers / garlic / herbs / cheese - anything that could possibly be used in the cake and that you want to get rid of - mix it in and throw it in hot oil. It'll taste good. This particular night, I had frozen sockeye salmon, a nearly finished rind of Parmesan, garlic and red onions. Also pictured above is an egg (for binding the cakes) and a mixture of fresh herbs.

So on the left, you can see my salmon, herbs, onions, garlic and cheese, all mixed together. To bind any type of cake, you simply need to add an egg and some bread crumbs, which I did in the photo on the right. You can see how easily it "packs" down once you've added the binders. At this point you should be able to spoon out little handfuls and form patties, like below.

Let's pretend that those onion pieces aren't way too large. It does help to have a much smaller dice, as any large, hard chunks (like mine) will serve as a breaking point for your cakes making them more difficult to handle.

Your oil should be hot when you add your cakes, so you sear them and develop a nice crunchy crust. If you put the cakes into lukewarm oil, the oil will just absorb up into the cake. 1 - Not pretty, 2 - Not tasty. 

And what's a seafood cake without a sauce? This quick "cheaters" aïoli is delicious and takes hardly any time to whip up. And talk about customizable! An aïoli is just a garlic-mayonnaise. I've added lime here to kick it up, but add in anything you like. Lemon, herbs, spices - all fantastic.

The final product! There is just something about a cake that seems so decadent to me. Maybe because it's typically so expensive at restaurants, or maybe because you normally only get one or two? Nice thing about making them yourself - you can make them for very little money, and you can have as many as you want! (Not that you should overeat by any means. Just saying.)

These cakes are a very light / fresh tasting entree, especially paired with a simple watercress salad. The main flavor notes came from the salmon and the fresh herbs, which are natural flavor-buddies. Mixed with the sweet red onion, the overall cake has a slightly rich, slightly sweet taste. Topped with a fresh zingy and spicy aioli, the cakes are an overall great treat.

Salmon Cakes with Lime Aïoli

Makes about 9-10 medium sized cakes

Cakes

12 oz (two filets) uncooked salmon (or crab, shrimp, etc)

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves of garlics, diced

A handful of herbs, diced (I used fresh dill, basil, thyme, chives, parsley)
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup panko / bread crumbs to start

Shred your salmon, and put into a large bowl with all the ingredients, stopping before the egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together until everything is well-mixed.

(Tip: If you have a hard time knowing how much salt and pepper to add, season each ingredient before mixing in. Ex: Season the salmon filets as you normally would, then shred and add to the bowl. Season the onions lightly as if you were going to sauté them, then add into the bowl, and so on.)

Add the beaten egg and panko, and mix lightly. You’re looking for a mixture that is sticky, and can be formed together. If it’s not packing together when you push it together, you can add another half or whole egg. If it’s too wet from the egg, add more panko.

Form the patties to your size liking. If you go for the size I have pictured, you should be able to get about 9-10 cakes out of the mix. At this point, you can either go ahead and pan-fry or cover and refrigerate them.

When you’re ready to cook them, coat the bottom of a pan with ¼” of a neutral high-heat oil, like canola, grapeseed or peanut and put the pan over medium heat. Give it a few minutes to heat up. To test the oil, you can dip the end of a wooden spoon into the oil – after a few seconds, it should start to bubble around the spoon. No spoon? Go ahead and put in a leftover bit of onion or mix, it should bubble and sizzle within 1-2 seconds.

Place your cakes into the pan, making sure not to crowd them. More than likely you’ll end up doing 2 batches. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, then check one by lifting and edge and peaking under. If you’ve achieved a solid golden-brown crust, flip away. A few more minutes on the other side and you’re done! Remove the cakes from the pan and place on some paper towels to drain the excess grease.

Lime Aïoli

1-2 cloves fresh garlic (1 for mild taste, 2 for a spicier, bolder taste)

1½-2 T fresh lime juice (to taste)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar (optional)

pinch of cayenne (optional)

Peel and paste your garlic (if you don’t know how to paste garlic, click here). Mix with the lime juice, mayonnaise and salt; using a whisk works best. Give the mixture a taste. If it’s bland, add a little more salt. Stores often sell lemons and limes that aren’t quite ripe yet, and have a bitter tang, so if the flavor is too bitter from the lime juice you can add a pinch of sugar to help balance the flavors. And if you like a little heat, add a good pinch of cayenne. Mix well, and serve over or next to your cakes. I also like to sprinkle some smoked paprika over top the final product, to add a pop of color to the final plate.

Pasting Garlic

Most any time you eat or serve garlic raw (salad dressings, aiolis, etc) you'll want to "paste" it,  to prevent your diners from crunching on a piece of garlic. Peel the cloves by giving them a good whack with the flat side of your knife (carefully!). Once peeled, finely mince (#2). Add a pinch of salt to the minced garlic and (#3) use the flat edge of your knife to crush the garlic while pulling your knife towards you. Repeat until garlic is transparent (#4).

As you paste the garlic, you'll hear the garlic "crunch" of it under your knife - much better on the cutting board than in your mouth.

Walnut Crusted Corvina

My husband and I recently went out to dinner at our local Carrabba's - I had just purchased a new dress and wanted to wear it out on the town. He had a gift card to Carrabba's, so off we went. Admittedly, I was over-dressed (the waitress even asked me where I was going that I needed to be all dressed up...um, here?), but hey, a date night is a date night. 

For dinner I ordered their Hazelnut-Crusted Tilapia, with a lemon-butter sauce and fresh basil and tomatoes. The dish was very good, but lacked real crunch in the crust, and the toppings were far too few for the size filet presented.  

Needless to say, that meal was the inspiration behind this almost-exactly-the-same dish. I used a combination of seasoned walnuts and panko for the topping, broiled until golden brown and crisp. Then I generously applied fresh basil, tomatoes and the light lemon-butter sauce, so every bite was the perfect balance of crispy, bright and clean.

The start of a great sauce! Here you can see I used an onion, even though below in the recipe I call for a shallot. The shallot is milder and sweeter, but in a crunch (like I was) a white or yellow onion will work. For the white wine, I used a sauvingnon blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. The Marlborough area is known world-wide for producing some of the best white wines; this 2011 Starborough was very good at about $11.

If only it were healthier / socially acceptable to just drink sauce as your meal.

Toasting nuts brings out their flavor exponentially. You can see here I toasted them in olive oil; the oil helps bind the panko and walnuts together, and helps create the beautiful golden brown color when baked.

After processing the panko and walnuts together, the final mixture should have a similar texture as pictured.

This is corvina - a cousin of grouper that is very mild and sweet. It was on sale the day I chose to make this dish, but still isn't the cheapest choice. Any white, flaky fish would work, including tilapia. Tilapia is much more affordable, and much more widely available.

Make sure to apply the crust in an even, thin layer.

The final product! I served with oven roasted brussel sprouts (delicious).

Walnut Crusted Corvina with Lemon-Butter Sauce, Basil & Tomatoes

2 Corvina filets (any white, flaky fish will do)

2 T olive oil

Salt & pepper

Garlic powder

Walnut & panko topping (recipe follows)

Lemon-butter cream sauce (recipe follows)

Handful of fresh basil, cut into thin strips

1 ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat your broiler. Heat oil over medium-high heat in an oven-safe pan. Season one side of your fish with salt, pepper and garlic powder. When the oil is hot, put the fish in the pan, seasoning-side down. Let the fish sit and cook – don’t push it around the pan. Season the exposed side. When the fish is halfway cooked (about 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness), carefully turn the fish over. Add the walnut and panko topping in an even layer over the fish. Move the pan to the oven, and broil until the fish is cooked through and the topping is a golden brown (2-3 minutes). Carefully plate the fish, and garnish with the lemon-butter sauce, basil and tomatoes.

Walnut Topping

¾ c walnuts, toasted

1 T olive oil

½ c panko

Salt & pepper to taste

Toast the walnuts in a pan on medium heat in the oil, until warmed through and fragrant. In a food processor blend all of the ingredients until walnuts are the small size as the panko.

Lemon-Butter Cream Sauce

4 T butter (salted)

Shallot

Juice of half of a lemon (approximately 1T)

1/3 c white wine

Bay leaf

Salt & pepper to taste

Splash cream

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in the minced shallot, and cook until translucent. Add lemon juice, white wine, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let the mixture reduce by half. Whisk in a splash of cream.

The sauce should be light and buttery. Strain and serve.