Cioppino

Trader Joe's is hands down my favorite grocery store. After leaving California when I was five to move back to Virginia, my family greatly missed our best friend Joe. Over the years though, they've expanded their stores and moved over here to the East coast- we couldn't have been happier. Finally, the blue corn tortilla chips, bruschetta, gourmet cheeses, cat cookies, and the infamous 2 buck Chuck among other family favorites. Last time I was there with my mom though, I was wondering around the frozen food aisle and stumbled upon an odd shaped bag, seafood mix? What is that?

It was a perfect find, that's what it was. Shrimp, scallops, and calamari. It was basically begging me (well my mom) to buy it and make chioppino, which I have wanted to make for years but have never had all of the ingredients at the same time. Us Arquiettes love our seafood, so it tends not to remain in the house very long.

BOY was I glad I found that. This fish stew is the perfect way to end the day. Hearty, warming, comforting, and surprisingly very healthy, it's the ultimate dinner after a cold, windy, winters day.

Cioppino

Adapted from Gourmet, March 1994

For cioppino

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed rep pepper flakes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 bay leaf

one 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed slightly

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 pound scallops

1/2 pound calamari

2 fillets of flounder, cut into 1inch pieces

1 can of clams with juice

fresh parsley for garnish

For croutons

4 slices day old white bread

1/4 cup olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

kosher salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Make Cioppino:

In a large pot (I used my favorite Le Cruset dutch oven) heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion, stirring until the onion is pale golden. Add the red wine vinegar and boil until evaporated. Add the red pepper flakes, wine, oregano, and bay leaf and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and tomato paste and bring the mixture to a boil.

Upon reaching a boil, add in the shrimp, scallops, calamari, flounder, and clams with juice and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until all of the fish is cooked. While the cioppino is coming together, make the croutons.

Make Croutons:

Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and preheat the oven to 450F. Cube the bread sizes into 2 inch squares and place on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the cubes, and sprinkle over salt and pepper. Top them off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.

Assemble Cioppino:

When the Cioppino is ready, ladle into bowls, top with the hot croutons from the oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Green Gazpacho Sauce

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Green Gazpacho Sauce

The simple rub on the mahi mahi (salt, pepper and cumin) goes perfectly with the sweet, spicy combination of the green gazpacho. And not to mention, the texture is to die for!

For gazpacho:

1/2 a large English cucumber

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tbs. rice vinegar

3 tbs. olive oil

4-5 green onions, chopped

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor, scraping down the sides and making sure everything gets incorporated evenly. The consistency should be mainly smooth, with a few small chunks here and there. Best when served slightly chilled.

Seared scallops with brown butter & white wine sauce

Sorry Jacks- you missed a really, really good dinner. But it was so good, I'll be making it again. No worries.

It's funny because I never used to like scallops. And I never used to eat a whole asparagus, only the tips. Last night though, this whole plate was in my belly within a matter of minutes: delicious.

Since I started eating scallops, I've always used one word to describe what they taste like- butter. Rich, creamy, never rubbery and never fishy. The way these particular scallops are prepared is perfect because the savory taste of the browned butter adds to the richness of the scallops, making them even more succulent and melt in your mouth good. And the white wine reduction? Heavenly. Served with grilled asparagus and jasmine rice, it's perfect.

Seared scallops with brown butter & white wine sauce

1 1/4 lbs. fresh, wild scallops

2 tbs. butter

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup white wine, preferably sauvignon blanc

juice of half a lemon

2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. While the pan preps, season the scallops generously with salt and pepper on both sides. After the foam from the melted butter subsides and the color turns rich, add in the scallops. Once you have put them in the pan, don't touch/move them or you risk attaining the delicious browned crusty color. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side before turning. Cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side before removing.

Carefully add the white wine and lemon juice to the hot pan to deglaze all of the browned bits from the pan. Stir the sauce constantly for 1-2 minutes, still on medium heat, until the sauce thickens. Pour over plated scallops, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

Italian Shrimp Kabobs

Kabobs: normally you think of shrimp or steak, laden with pineapple, red onions, tomatoes, or other different varieties to slide right onto your place and devour. These Italian little babies, not so much. But honestly, they're even better.

The combination of the grilling as well as the light breading makes for a crunchy outside before chowing down the succulent, center. And the seasoning? On point. Just enough garlic and parsley to perfectly accentuate the sweetness of the shrimp. YUM

Italian Shrimp Kabobs

30 peeled, veined, medium size shrimp

2 tbs. olive oil

2 tbs. vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed then chopped

2 tbs. fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

salt & pepper to taste

Place shrimp in a large bowl. Drizzle over the two oils until the shrimp are evenly coated. If you need to add more, do so in equal increments of the two. Toss in the garlic, parsley and bread crumbs to combine. You don't want the shrimp to be completely covered/breaded in the crumbs, just a light dusting.

Preheat the grill (indoor or outdoor) and make sure it is covered well with non-stick spray. Skewer the shrimps, piercing each twice as show in the picture, and cook for 2 minutes on the first side, flip, and only about a minute on the other side or until they just turn pink as no one likes dry shrimp. Serve immediately.