Clam Dip

My dad started making this clam dip about 20 years ago and I've enjoyed it ever since. I wish I could credit the original author, but all I know is that it came from a 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine. Gourmet ceased publication in 2009 and this particular recipe doesn't seem to have been archived. The recipe I've posted here is my adaptation of dad's adaptation of the original. It's a great snack or appetizer served with chips. All the amounts here can, and should, be adjusted to personal taste.

My main change has been in the garlic and clam juice. I grate the garlic on a microplane, which releases a ton of flavor. I've realized lately that recipes measuring garlic in cloves can be a big problem since they vary in size so much. I've been getting garlic from our local farmer, whose garlic comes in massive cloves about 2-3 times the size of those typically found in the grocery store. With something as potent as raw garlic, this can make a big difference. Grating helps measure more consistently. My recommendation is to be careful as you can always add more garlic, but can't take it away. For the clam juice, I added one tablespoon at a time until the consistency was right. Four to five tablespoons should do it. It should be fairly loose but still able to be picked up with a chip. The scallions came from our garden. With the incredible heat this summer, most of our vegetables didn't do as well, but the scallions were very successful.

Grilled Octopus

As the main summer holiday in the United States, the Fourth of July is strongly associated with grilling, usually burgers and other such classics. Here at No Free Lunch, we would never be so boring, so of course we're doing a whole octopus. Besides, I have plenty of burger recipes already. This particular specimen had been in our freezer for a while, ever since Ariel brought it home from the Asian market. I admit I was a little intimidated. I've grilled and pan fried cooked octopus tentacles many times, but had never done a whole raw one until now. I read many articles and generally followed Mark Bittman's technique here. The general idea is to simmer in water until tender, and then grill to brown the outside.

The startling thing about octopus, if you've never worked with it, is how much it shrinks as it cooks. Mine came frozen in a block of ice, weighing in at 4 1/4 lb. Once thawed, it was down to about 3 1/2. It tightened up a lot while cooking, and by the time it was done it fit on the small plate in the picture. I didn't weigh it, but I'm guessing it was maybe a pound at the end. After initial cooking, the octopus curled up. While it is probably possible to grill like this, I cut it up to get better contact with the grill. Once done, I season with olive oil, lemon, and herbs. There's room for variation, but lots of lemon for acidity is essential.

When grilling a main dish like this, I like to prepare a side on the grill, too, so I can keep an eye on both. Asparagus is one of my favorites. I toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The asparagus should take about the same amount of time as the octopus. Keep them moving to avoid burning. On a hot day like this, don't forget to mix up a daiquiri before you head to the grill!

Shrimp Noodle Bowls

About a year on from the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Hubei, our lives continue to be dominated by the pandemic. Ariel and I have maintained our own safety protocols, which include contactless pickup of groceries about every two weeks. It's important as ever to plan for meals which lack the freshest of produce. The noodle bowls in today's post were a recent invention of mine, intended as an easy lunch that uses up odds and ends with a long shelf life. When Ariel asked me to make them again, I knew it was time for a blog post!

The noodles I used here are thin rice noodles called Xinzhu mifen (新竹米粉), which originate in the Taiwanese city of Hsinchu. I have only used these in one other recipe (minced pigeon), where they are just a fried topping and not the main event. Being so thin, they don't need to be parboiled and only need to soak for a few minutes to be ready to eat. All the vegetables I used have a long shelf life, and the shrimp can be defrosted just before cooking. This is the kind of dish with infinite variations depending on what is on hand. Scallions are a nice addition if available, but don't hold up quite as well as carrots and regular onions. The runny egg on top was Ariel's idea. While I have labeled it "optional," it's a great addition which pulls the whole thing together. This recipe makes enough for two bowls.

Steamed Egg with Shrimp (蝦仁蒸蛋)

I'm back today with another take on a Pei Mei recipe, this time from volume II. Steamed egg is a Chinese homestyle classic, but one with which I don't personally have much history. I think I've had it a few times, many years ago. It's certainly unlike anything else I've cooked in recent memory. The texture is silky smooth and the whole bowl jiggles like Jell-O. It's basically a savory custard, which isn't a common thing in Western cuisine. The name of the dish in Chinese is xiaren zhengdan, which translates to "shrimp meat steamed egg." 

As this is unlike anything I've cooked before, I stuck fairly close to Pei Mei's recipe. I did consult a few other sources, including Souped Up Recipes and the Woks of Life. The cooking time is the trickiest part here. Pei Mei says to steam on high for 2 minutes and low for 20 minutes. After about 10 minutes on low, I checked the eggs and they were still completely raw. I then turned it back up, so in the recipe, I'm recommending staying on high for about 9 minutes. I added the shrimp only for the last 3, to make sure they didn't get overcooked.

I used my homemade Chinese shrimp stock to pair with the shrimp on top. This gave the eggs a subtle shrimp flavor, which was quite pleasant. Chicken stock, again in the Chinese style, would also work well, I think. There are many variations to this dish, with different toppings and flavorings. I'm definitely going to try it again and play around with it more. I served with rice and stir-fried broccoli to round out a perfect meal for two.

Sweet and Sour Fish (糖醋魚片)

With how busy things have gotten this semester, I haven't had as much time to blog or even make particularly interesting meals. We are still planning out two weeks worth of meals to minimize exposure, and trips to the Chinese store have been especially rare. Today's recipe is a classic sweet and sour fish that doesn't have any hard-to-find ingredients. Sweet and sour fish is a beloved dish in our household, and this was a request from Ariel. I jumped into volume II of Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book to see what I could find. This is an adaptation of Pei Mei's "fish rolls in sweet and sour sauce." Pei Mei's dish involves wrapping the fish in tofu skin to make little packages, which are then deep fried. I didn't have the tofu skin, so I adapted this into a more standard sweet and sour fish with dredged fish slices. The original recipe is called tangcu yujuan, or "sweet and sour fish rolls." I'm calling mine tangcu yupian, which means "sweet and sour fish slices."

This dish is superficially similar to the fish slices with tomato sauce recipe I did in 2018. For the fish, we start with an egg-white based marinade, dredge, and quickly deep fry. I continued my experimentation with potato starch this time. No matter what you do, the crunch doesn't last too long in the sauce, but this did retain some, and I was happy with the result. You can always use corn starch instead, but the crust you get from potato starch is nice. The sauce is the classic mix of rice vinegar, sugar, and ketchup. I personally prefer my sweet and sour fish more on the sour side, so I cut the sugar down quite a bit. The sauce did get a little too thick with the full tablespoon of corn starch here, so I think I would cut it to 2 teaspoons next time. Although the fish and sauce are similar to the other recipe, the other ingredients are not. Instead of peas, onions, and mushrooms, this one uses the classic aromatic combination of scallion, ginger, and garlic. This places the fish firmly as the star of the show. Overall, this was another successful Pei Mei adaptation that I would definitely recommend giving a try.

Live Lobsters

Live lobsters are definitely a luxury here in the Midwest. When I was a kid, lobster was a once a year meal when a friend of grandpa's visited and had lobsters shipped in for all of us. For Ariel, growing up in New England, they were a far more common sight, and not even particularly expensive. We haven't been able to get back to Boston in a while, so it's been quite a while since we've been able to get them. For our anniversary, Ariel's parents generously had a pair of huge, two-pound lobsters sent to us. What a treat they were!

Preparing lobsters is incredibly simple. Just drop into boiling, salted water until done. I made some clarified butter to serve with the lobsters. To do this, I melted butter in a saucepan over low heat and skimmed off the milk solids. I then poured it off into a dish, leaving the cloudy water behind. This didn't take too long, and was much better than just melted butter, which solidifies much faster as it cools. We also had some corn on the cob from the farmer's market.

Fun for the whole family

While I wouldn't do it often, ordering lobster is definitely something I would think about for a special occasion. During the pandemic, going out has become an impossibility, so having a treat like this at home can work wonders for keeping morale up. It's hard to believe it's been nearly five months since I wrote "cooking and blogging are pleasures still available to us in these strange times" back in April. This is still very much true, and writing here has been a great creative outlet these last few months. As the semester picks up, I am leaning more on old standbys for dinner, but more recipes are still to come!

Crab Pasta

With the start of the academic year quickly approaching, this highly productive period of blogs will likely slow down. I still hope to keep it up as much as I can, and make 2020 the biggest year in the history of No Free Lunch. I am especially glad to feature today's dish, which has been a staple in our house for the last few years. I've been making what we simply call "crab pasta" for a while, but held off on posting a recipe because it's something I generally make by feel with no measuring. Previous attempts to codify it resulted in me overthinking it and producing a substandard result. After a few tries, I've finally dialed it in. Crab pasta is a quick and easy meal that can easily slot in as a weeknight dinner. All the ingredients hold up well in the refrigerator or pantry, so it's also good food for our strange times.

Crab pasta is entirely my own invention, but it was loosely inspired by the classic Neapolitan dish pasta aglio e olio. This is a simple pasta consisting of spaghetti in a sauce made with garlic, olive oil, and the starchy water from the pasta. It was famously featured in the 2014 film Chef, which I heartily recommend for anyone interested in cooking. In Italy, many traditional pasta dishes are meatless, intended to be served separately to a meat course. For me, at home, I usually only want to make one thing, so I added imitation crab to the mix to have the pasta stand on its own as a main dish.

Imitation crab (also known as "krab") is a highly underrated ingredient, and is used in another one of my favorites, crab salad. This pasta also works fine with shrimp and would probably work with real crab, as well, though I haven't tried that myself. You could get away without the fresh herbs, but I think they are important for the color contrast and adding another flavor dimension. Chives are a great choice, as are Chinese chives, if you can get them. Since our Italian parsley plants are thriving, while our chives aren't (possibly due to being covered up by a huge squash plant), I used that this time. This recipe is designed to use a full box (1 lb.) of pasta, and makes enough for us to have dinner and then lunch the next day with the leftovers. This does require quite a large pan to make, but it's easily scaled down to use half a box, if desired.

Shrimp Toast (麵包蝦仁)

Today, I'm pleased to present another creation from the Joyce Chen Cook Book. Shrimp toast is a Cantonese dim sum item I've had a few times in restaurants, but never thought about making at home until now. Like most of Chen's recipes, it's quite simple, but satisfying, and uses ingredients easily found in American supermarkets. Everything in the recipe stores well, so it's another good "Corona Cuisine" option. The Chinese name mianbao xiaren translates to "bread shrimp meat." Once such a thing is possible again, I think these would be great party food to pass around with some cold beers.

The texture of the cooked shrimp mixture is best described as "springy." It's quite unique to and common in Chinese food. Western recipes for ground meat dishes, like hamburgers or meatballs, often warn against overmixing to maintain a loose texture. Chinese meatballs, on the other hand, are dense and springy. The bacon is a clever shortcut to incorporating some fat into the mixture, while also adding flavor. The minced water chestnuts are a great addition, as you get little pockets of crunchiness every now and then. My only real complaint about the dish is that the bread absorbed too much oil and got a little soggy on the bottom. This could be a combination of the very basic supermarket white bread I used and my decision to rest them on paper towels instead of a rack. As such, I'd recommend the latter.

I have basically reproduced Chen's recipe, but with more detailed instructions. She only says to grind the meat with no technique mentioned. The food processor got this done efficiently. Mincing very aggressively with a knife would probably work, as well. As usual, Chen adds some MSG here, which I don't have on hand. Also notable from the book is that there is a companion recipe for shrimp balls, which use the same shrimp mixture, but formed into balls and deep fried. I didn't try that, but it would provide a gluten-free option, if you're into that kind of thing.

Shrimp Bisque

Several months ago, Ariel and I attended a cooking class in Sioux Falls led by Lance White, who runs a cafe and catering business. He demonstrated four dishes: Caesar salad, shrimp bisque, a deconstructed beef wellington with mashed potatoes, and cream puffs. While all the food was good, the shrimp bisque, which he presented as a template to produce all sorts of simple soups, was the most interesting to me. Throwing in the shallots and garlic, skin and all, was particularly eye opening. This recipe is my version of the dish I learned from Chef Lance. A traditional bisque has a lot going on, and this recipe is not meant to be that. It is a quick and easy way to get a tasty soup on the table with readily available ingredients. 

I appreciated that Lance emphasized cooking by feel and didn't give exact recipes. It was more about applying the techniques and mindset of professional chefs to home cooking. Although I try to be precise in my recipes on the blog, my day-to-day cooking is a lot looser. I have to force myself to measure to write the recipes, which can sometimes lead to overthinking things. Any of the proportions here, like most of my posts, can be adjusted to taste. 

The main difference from the original is that I make a homemade shrimp stock, where he used Better than Bouillon lobster base. I'm unable to get that around here, but with my stockpiles of frozen shrimp shells, making my own stock is no problem. What I do here is very similar to my Chinese stock, but I use the classic French mirepoix instead of ginger and scallion. Doing this increases the time required, but it's a mostly unattended 2 hours that can be done well in advance. I also make double the needed stock, so the next time I can just defrost and go. I am also continuing to experiment with potato starch as a thickener. The original used corn starch, which is perfectly fine, too.

Fried Calamari

I've enjoyed fried calamari for as long as I can remember. Back when people went to restaurants (remember those?), Ariel and I often shared a plate for an appetizer. I recently started experimenting with making calamari at home. Crunch is the difference between mediocre and great calamari, so I've tried a few different ways to coat the squid. Lately, I've been using potato starch, which is the basis of this post. Potato starch is a useful Passover thickener, but it has its place all year round.

I got the idea of using potato starch from making karaage -- Japanese fried chicken. The potato starch gives the calamari a great crunch, just as it does for chicken. At first, I thought this was a great innovation on my part, but it turns out karaage can be made with all sorts of things, squid included. Even if I didn't invent this dish, it's still a good one. It works best to dredge the squid a few pieces at a time. I have also tried adding the starch directly to the bowl of squid, but all the liquid turns it into a goopy batter that doesn't stick to the squid.

The squid I use come from Thailand. I get the 2 pound box from a Chinese store for $15. The size of these squid is about perfect for the classic fried calamari. They come cleaned already, so all you have to do is cut them up. This recipe makes a big platter, which was more than enough for dinner. While they are best eaten immediately, the leftovers reheated decently in the toaster oven.

Fish Slices with Tomato Sauce (茄汁魚片)

Without any premeditation on my part, the last four recipes I've posted have involved pork, so I'd say its time to shift gears and do some fish. Sweet and sour fish is one of those dishes I frequently enjoy when eating out, but had never tried making at home. Along with eggplant Sichuan style, it's often one of the first dishes I try at Chinese restaurants. There are a lot of variations, and I tend to prefer a more vinegar-forward profile rather than a sweeter one. Peimei has a sweet and sour fish recipe found in the Eastern China section of her first book (this refers to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, along with the city of Shanghai). This recipe begins with chopping the head off the fish, butterflying and deboning. The fish is battered and fried to spectacular results, and Peimei comments that "most of our foreign friends prefer this way." I did not have a whole fish nor the desire to undertake this. 

What I did have was a pound of assorted cod bits I picked up at Trader Joe's for four bucks. I found another recipe in the Southern China section (Guangdong and Fujian provinces and the city of Hong Kong) that involved fish slices and a very similar sauce, called "fish with tomato sauce." The Chinese name is pronounced qiezhi yupian in Mandarin. I was puzzled by this at first, since the most literal translation would be "eggplant sauce fish slices." This being a southern recipe, I asked Dad for some context and found out the Cantonese pronunciation of qiezhi contains the key: keh jup, thought by many to be the origin of the English word ketchup. The usage of qie here is just an abbreviation for fanqie, the Chinese word for tomato. Amusingly, this literally translates to "foreign eggplant."

The recipe itself is pretty simple. Rather than battering the fish, we simply dredge it in cornstarch after marinating, much like in the sweet and sour pork recipe I posted three years (it's been that long already?) ago. As I mentioned above, I used cod pieces, which were of assorted shapes and sizes. This wasn't ideal, and I would recommend starting with proper fillets and cutting the slices to be more uniform. Cod worked well here, but other fish would do fine. I will probably try it with swai in the future. Overall, I enjoyed the dish, but would make it more vinegar-heavy next time to suit my own preferences.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. white fish fillets (I used cod)
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 10 (approx.) small black mushrooms
• 1/4 c green peas
• 1/2 c (approx.) cornstarch for dredging
• Vegetable oil for frying

Marinade

• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sauce

• 3 Tbs sugar
• 3 Tbs white rice vinegar
• 6 Tbs water
• 3 Tbs ketchup
• 1 Tbs Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Start out by soaking the black mushrooms in warm water. I press a folded paper towel on top of the mushrooms to keep them covered with water. Check after half an hour. If the mushrooms are still firm, chop in half, remove stems, and resume soaking. When mushrooms are fully softened, squeeze water out and dice.

Fish pieces marinating

After starting the mushrooms soaking, prepare the fish. Cut fish into small pieces, about one inch squares. In a large bowl, mix the marinade ingredients, add fish, and toss to coat well. Let the fish marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

While the fish is marinating, mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and keep ready for later. This is also a good time to dice the onion.

Fish after frying

Preheat oil in deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees F. When the oil is ready, spread cornstarch on a plate and dredge the fish slices on both sides. Fry in batches until crunchy. Each batch should take no more than a minute in the oil. Set the cooked fish aside on a paper towel lined plate.

Sauce, ready to add the fish

Heat a small amount of oil in a wok on high heat. Stir fry the onion and mushroom for about one minute. Stir the sauce again and add to the wok. Add the peas and cook for another minute. Add the fish. Turn the burner off and toss to fully coat the fish. 

Notes

This is one of my most faithful recreations of a Peimei dish. I did increase the amount of peas from the original. The amount of mushrooms and peas can be adjusted to personal taste. If I made this again, I would probably also increase the vinegar-to-sugar ratio bring the sourness forward a little more.

Crab Salad

Crab salad is, for me, almost the definition of a comfort food: simple, delicious, and tied to memory. When I was a kid, it showed up in the fridge only as an occasional treat, but when it did, I loved it. I don't really know the origin of crab salad, but it seems to be part of the greater world of mayonnaise-based salads that are Midwestern deli staples. The seafood-mayo-celery combination is also a common one in other places, from New England's lobster salad rolls to mom's salmon salad sandwiches (another childhood favorite, to be sure). Crab salad is great as a snack on crackers or as a side dish for your summer grilling escapades. 

While one could certainly make a nice crab salad using real crab meat, that is not the point of this recipe. Imitation crab is actually made from pulverized fish parts, which makes it a close relative of Chinese fish balls (another old favorite of mine). This recipe is based on various deli crab salads I have eaten, as well as recipes from the internet. My spin on the recipe is to use some fresh herbs from the garden, which is always a pleasure.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb imitation crab
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 Tbs chopped fresh chives
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 large lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Roughly chop the imitation crab. Mine came pre-cut into half inch thick coins, which I cut in half. If yours is in "leg" form, you have a bit more work to do. Next, separate out the layers of each piece. This is time consuming, but worth it for the right texture.

Combine the crab, celery, chives, parsley, and mayo in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the half lemon into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill overnight. Serve with crackers.

Diced Swai with Fermented Black Beans (豉汁魚球)

In the last year or two, I have cooked and eaten a lot of swai. Swai is a type of catfish, native to southeast Asia, with a slightly softer texture than American catfish. The best part (other than the name, of course), is that it typically sells for around $3.99 per pound. Generally, swai is found frozen in fillets. Swai is a versatile fish, and takes well to being cooked on its own as whole fillets, or as part of another dish. Given how often I eat it, it's about time it made it into the blog!

Today, I'm also featuring yet another Chinese fermented bean product. Adding to the fermented tofu, bean sauce, ground bean sauce, and hot bean paste already in the fridge are "fermented black beans." Also known as douchi (豆豉), these fermented soybeans are quite salty, and have a distinct and funky pungency that distinguishes them from the laundry list of fermented beans.

This dish is another find out of Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book. The Chinese name translates to something like "fermented bean sauce fish balls." It's quick, easy, and pretty tasty. The only thing to watch out for here is the salt level. Because the fermented beans add a lot of salt on their own, I recommend leaving the salt out of the sauce and adjusting later. I suspect every brand of fermented beans has a different amount of salt, so this is up to you.

Ingredients

• 2 swai fillets (approx. 14 oz)
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Tbs minced ginger
• 2-3 Tbs chopped green onions
• 1 1/2 Tbs fermented black beans
• 1 Tbs chopped red chili peppers (optional)

Marinade

• 1 Tbs Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Sauce

• 3 Tbs chicken stock
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt (to taste, see instructions below)

Instructions

Lightly score the fish on one side with a sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern. This is easier to do on the softer side of the fish. Be careful not to cut too deep. (This is Pei Mei's first step. I believe this is to let the fish pick up more sauce later on.) Cut the fish into small pieces, about 1 square inch each. In a bowl, toss the fish pieces with the marinade ingredients, and set aside for 30 minutes. The marinade will be pretty minimal, really just enough to coat the fish.

While the fish is resting, prepare the garlic, green onion, ginger, and red pepper (if desired). Mix the sauce in a bowl, making sure to integrate the cornstarch. Be careful with the salt here. The ingredient list above has preserved the original recipe's recommendation, but I found the dish too salty. My recommendation is leaving it out at this stage, and tasting later on. The rest of the recipe will go very quickly, and you want to have everything ready to go.

On high heat, coat the wok with oil and quickly stir fry the fish, for about one minute. If you want, you can also deep fry the fish, as in the original recipe. I chose to avoid this hassle, but it's up to you. Set the fish aside when done.

Add more oil, then throw in the garlic, ginger, green onion, and pepper (if using). Toss for a few seconds, then add the fermented beans and prepared sauce. Add the fish, and stir together for about one minute, allowing the sauce to reduce and coat the fish.

I served the fish with rice and bok choy. While probably not traditional, I actually think this dish could benefit from a small splash of lemon juice to brighten it up.

Winter Grilling: Coho Salmon

For grill lovers like myself, the colder months can get a bit depressing. It's hard to get motivated to go outside, dig out the grill, and then stand outside when the temperature drops to zero as it did the last few weeks. That's not to say I've never shoveled snow off the grill -- sometimes you just have to have your ribs! When the weather improved these last few days, I jumped at the opportunity, as I encourage anyone to do.

This is more of a mini-post, rather than a full recipe, since this meal was so simple, but sometimes simple is best. Grilling fish sometimes makes me nervous, as I've had some bad experiences with sticking and falling apart. You do want to use the right fish, as well as make sure to use oil. Salmon does hold up quite well, and the full skin-on fillet of coho turned out very well. Here's what I did:

Preheat the grill. I let the grill get up to about 350 degrees before putting the fish on. Season both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Rub olive oil on both sides. I also put a little cooking spray on the grill, but I'm not sure if this actually did anything.

Place the fillet on the grill, skin side down, and cook until the skin gets crispy, a few minutes. Flip the whole thing over and cook a few more minutes, just enough to get some nice grill marks. I kept the grill closed for most of it, and the salmon was not overcooked. Serve with lemon wedges.

Lovers' Shrimp (鴛鴦蝦仁)

After an extended absence, I am pleased to present my latest discovery from Pei-Mei's Chinese Cook Book. The unusual name for the dish initially piqued my interest, and needs some explanation. Pei-Mei herself provides none. My interpretation is that the two different colored shrimp are the lovers. That said, the dish also feeds two nicely, with an attractive presentation. In the Chinese name, "鴛鴦" is an idiomatic phrase for an affectionate couple, comprised of the words for a male and a female duck.

My version of the dish, only slightly changed from the original, is very easy to make, and very satisfying. I was initially skeptical about the ketchup, but it somehow just works. As usual, I'll make a few comments here about ingredients. Getting actual Shaoxing rice wine (other than the salted "cooking" wines found in Asian markets) is basically impossible, so I substitute dry Amontillado sherry. This particular bottle was purchased rather cheaply at Trader Joe's. The vegetables are going to vary by season and availability. I used gai-lan in the picture, but pea shoots are also good. In a pinch, broccoli or spinach will work, too. Shrimp is up to preference, although I find the Argentine red shrimp I discussed in an earlier post work very well. The ketchup is, of course, Heinz.

Ingredients

Shrimp and Marinade

• 1 lb shrimp, deveined and cleaned
• 1 egg white
• 1 1/2 Tbs corn starch
• 1/4 tsp salt

Sauce

• 1 Tbs Shaoxing wine (substitute dry Amontillado)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Everything else

• 1 lb (approx) green vegetable of your choice (gai-lan or pea shoots work well)
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 Tbs minced ginger
• 3 Tbs ketchup
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Combine the shrimp with egg white, corn starch, and salt in a bowl. Mix well to coat and place in the refrigerator. Pei-Mei recommends marinating at least 30 minutes. You should also take the opportunity to mix the wine, salt, and sesame oil for the sauce to have on hand for later.

Prepare the vegetables first. As with all wok cooking, we will stay at high or near-high heat. Preparation will depend on the vegetables you have available, but I generally stir fry with some oil and salt, then cover until the stalks are cooked through. With gai-lan this will take a little longer. Pea shoots go very quickly. Set vegetables aside when done.

Add some more oil and briefly stir fry the shrimp. Continue frying while adding the green onion and ginger. Finally, add the sauce and cook together quickly. This whole process is reasonably quick, as the shrimp will not take long to cook.

Remove half the shrimp from the wok, then add the ketchup. Stir fry together for a few seconds, just to coat the shrimp. Serve on a platter with the two shrimps flanking the vegetables in the center. Serve with rice.

I have made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe from Pei-Mei's book. As usual, I stir fry the shrimp instead of deep frying. I simply find this easier, as you don't have to mess around with as much oil. I have also measured the onion and ginger by volume, which I feel removed some ambiguity in the recipe. Finally, I increased the amount of vegetables relative to shrimp.

Shrimp Fajitas

A few months ago, we picked up a bag of "Argentinian Red Shrimp" from Trader Joe's, noticing that, at only $9 a pound, they were priced well below the other varieties available. As it turns out, the things are delicious. They have a stronger flavor than most shrimp and can easily become the star of any dish. Last weekend, we took home 4 pounds for long-term enjoyment.

This dish is a nice way to let the shrimp speak for themselves. You can, of course, use whatever shrimp you like and have available.

Ingredients

• 1 lb frozen shrimp
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lime
• Cumin
• Smoked Paprika
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Tortillas and your choice of accompaniments

Instructions

Defrost the shrimp ahead of time. The easiest way to do this is to put them in a bowl, fill the bowl with cold water, and let it sit on the counter for a while. Once defrosted, peel completely and de-vein as needed. Dust the shrimp with cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, then squeeze the lime over it. Toss to coat and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions and saute until softened and lightly browned. Add garlic and shrimp, cook until shrimp is just cooked through. You can also add the juice from the marinade.

Serve with warm flour tortillas and your choice of accompaniments. Avocado, chopped cabbage, and corn salsa are shown in the picture. This recipe will make about six fajitas.

Panko Crusted Salmon

Today, dear readers, you bear witness to one of my proudest culinary moments: how I was able to introduce salmon into our home. Until recently, Ariel was not much of a fish eater. I have  been experimenting with cooking various kinds of fish, and many have met her approval. Catfish, tuna, and the delightfully named swai (a sort of Vietnamese catfish, a steal at $3.99 a pound) have become dinner staples. Yet one remained off limits, the elusive salmon.

My first attempt, grilled, met a lukewarm response, but it was this panko breaded fillet that sealed the deal. So, anyone trying to convince a friend or loved one to see the fishy light, give this a try. This recipe is easily adapted to many other fish. It can also be done with steaks as opposed to fillets. I used this technique recently for albacore tuna steaks, and it turned out great. Credit goes to Serious Eats' Food Lab for the original inspiration for the dish.

Ingredients

• Salmon fillets
• Salt and pepper
• Flour
• 1 egg
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Begin heating vegetable oil in a frying pan, about halfway between medium and medium high heat. Use just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Cut the salmon into serving portions. Salt and pepper each side. On skinless fillets, we can identify the "skin side" of the fillets by the grayish strip that runs down the center. I bread this side because it tends to be more uniformly flat. You can bread the other side, but the coating may not brown as evenly.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Dredge the skin side of the fillets in flour, dip in egg, and press firmly into the panko. Make sure the skin side is well coated.

Once the oil is hot, carefully place the fillets in the pan, breaded side down. Cook for about 2 minutes, turn over, and cook for 2 more minutes. The breading should be well browned. If the fillets are relatively thick, you may want to cover the pan for part of the cooking. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

Emerald Fried Rice

I have been making fried rice for a long time. Not only was it my first-ever blog post, it was one of the first dishes I taught myself how to make. So why are we here now, looking at the fourth fried rice recipe on No Free Lunch? Not long ago, I realized my fried rice was getting increasingly complex, usually incorporating lots of soy sauce, mustard, hot sauce, and Worcestershire into the cooking process. When I looked at Pei-Mei's standard fried rice recipe, it had none of that. Just rice, vegetables, ham, egg, and regular old vegetable oil. This prompted a back-to-basics approach one night that had excellent results.

Today's dish is based on Pei-Mei's second fried rice recipe, "emerald fried rice." This does something I had never considered -- adding lots of cabbage to the dish. This was immediately appealing to me. I buy cabbage frequently, for use in fish tacos, potsticker filling, "tongue depressors," and more, but I always end up throwing some away. Emerald fried rice is the answer to all your leftover rice and cabbage woes. After years of making and eating fried rice, new ideas continue to surprise and excite me -- this recipe was quite a hit!

Ingredients

• 1 lb green cabbage
• 1/2 Tbs salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and de-veined (equivalent of 10 U-15 shrimp)
• 5 Tbs green onions, finely chopped
• 5-6 cups cooked rice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Chop up the cabbage into small pieces and combine with 1/2 Tbs salt in a large bowl. Toss to coat and let stand for 15 minutes. This will draw water out of the cabbage. 

Cabbage after the first chopping

Next, squeeze the water out. I used paper towels to do this. Finally, chop the cabbage again and set aside.

Cabbage after the second chopping

Beat the eggs and lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat a bit of oil in a wok or large frying pan on high heat. Cook the eggs and set aside. Add more oil to the pan and stir fry the cabbage for about 1 minute. Set the cabbage aside. If using larger shrimp, chop these into smaller pieces. Toss with a bit of salt and pepper, add more oil and fry these briefly, until just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook.

This blog clearly needed another picture of rice frying

Put more oil to the pan and add the green onions and rice. Stir fry until heated through and salt to taste. Add the cabbage, eggs, and shrimp. Toss a few times to combine and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe is essentially a 1.5 times scale-up of Pei-Mei's original, though with some changes. I have  also increased the proportions of both egg and green onion and used shrimp instead of ham. I am confident this dish will work just fine with whatever protein you like.

As a final note, I want to mention that Pei-Mei's instructions on the cabbage simply say to pickle the cabbage in the salt. I was really not familiar with this technique and found little on the internet. The closest thing I could find was a Japanese dish called tsukemono. I think what I did was correct, but if anyone knows otherwise, let me know in the comments!

Fish and Tomato Curry

Today's recipe is really one from the heart, 100 percent my own creation. This is the second time I've made this dish, and both times, I tasted as I went along and adjusted the ingredient levels. It's a great example of what can come out of spontaneous creation in the kitchen. If you follow this recipe, I suggest you do the same.

The basic idea is a play on the tikka masala - a tomato and dairy based sauce with chunks of meat. Here I've gone with skim milk, which lends itself to a mouthfeel more sympathetic to a light fish like tilapia, rather than the traditional rich, silky cream sauce. Just a little half and half goes a long way to give my sauce a touch of creaminess. Lemon juice and white fish are old friends in food, and this addition gives a little edge to the sauce as well as calling to mind that familiar combination.

Ingredients

Fish

• 2 large Tilapia fillets
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Paprika

Sauce

• 1 onion
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tbs canola oil (or ghee)
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup crushed tomato
• 1 cup diced tomato with juice
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup half and half

Instructions

Season the Tilapia on both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika. A light dusting is sufficient. On medium-high heat, sear the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat canola oil in the pan on medium-high. Note that for a more traditional Indian style, you could use ghee instead. Slice the onion into strips and mince garlic. Add all the spices to oil, followed by the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute everything for several minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and lightly browned.

Slice the lemon in half and squeeze all the juice in. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, skim milk, and half and half. Mix together thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and salt to taste. I added just a little bit to bring it all together. Break up the fish into smaller pieces and add to the sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve over steamed basmati rice. This curry pairs well with almost any drink. I went with a Warsteiner Dunkel - a Bavarian style dark lager. Just remember James Bond's advice and avoid the chianti.

Shrimp Étouffée

Happy Independence Day, my dear readers. I'm celebrating tonight with a classic dish of the American south, shrimp étouffée, a shrimp stew. The idea for this came two days ago, when, in an attempt to jazz up a boring bean dinner, I added celery, onion, and green bell pepper. The dish turned out well, and it occurred to me that I had the basic resources to craft some Cajun food - the "holy trinity," basically the Cajun version of the classic French mirepoix.

One thing I love about this recipe, aside from tasting great, is that it's the only time I've ever used the entirety of the shrimp. Having done some research before cooking, some suggest clam juice as a substitute for the homemade shrimp stock, but if time is not an issue I recommend this. If you, like me, are intimidated by the idea of making your own stock, remember you have to peel the shrimp anyway, so the extra effort is not significant. You can also keep the leftover stock for future meals; it would be great for wonton noodle soup.

Ingredients

• 3 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup shrimp stock (see below)
• About 18 raw shrimp
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Herbs and spices to taste

Shrimp Stock

• Shells from (about) 18 shrimp
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 cups water
• Salt to taste
• Canola oil

Instructions

Start out by peeling the shrimp. Set aside the shells; do not throw them away. Put the shrimp in the refrigerator for now. Heat a little canola oil in a pot. Toast the shrimp shells for a few minutes. The smell of shrimp will really waft at this point. You can cut the vegetables for the stock while this is happening. 

Add the water, onion, celery, and garlic. Bring to boil, then simmer for about an hour. When I did this, I actually started out with 8 cups of water and reduced it down to concentrate the flavor. You shouldn't need to do this if you start with less. 

Strain out the vegetables and shrimp shells. Salt the stock to taste. I didn't find that it needed too much. You will end up with a lot more stock than you will end up using here. Keep the rest in the fridge.

About halfway through simmering the stock, you can start on the rest of the dish. Start by melting the butter in a Dutch oven or otherwise roomy cooking vessel. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add diced vegetables and cook until softened.

Pour in the shrimp stock and tomatoes, stirring to integrate. Season with salt, pepper, Cayenne, and whatever herbs and spices you like. I used a little oregano, parsley, and smoked paprika. Add they bay leaf and bring to boil. Pull back the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. This is a good time to de-vein and clean the shrimp.

Add shrimp. Cover and cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, or the juicy texture will be compromised and give way to rubberiness. Remove bay leaf. Serve over white rice.