Summer Ceviche

This is an exciting alternative to regular salsa and guacamole!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb halibut fillet, sea bass fillet or red snapper fillet (or use a mixture of fish and shrimp)
• 5-6 limes or lime juice to cover fish
• 1 cup diced fresh tomato
• 1 sweet green pepper, chopped
• 4 tbls fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 2 tbls white vinegar
• 1 med. onion, finely chopped
• 1 dash Tabasco sauce
• Lettuce leaf
• Avocado

DIRECTIONS:
Dice the fish. Place fish in bowl with lime juice. Marinate in refrigerator overnight to cook the fish. Stir often. Pour off most of the lime juice. Add remaining ingredients except lettuce and avocado a few hours before serving and refrigerate. Toss well and arrange in individual serving bowls that are lined with the lettuce leaves. Garnish with sliced avocados.

South American Fish Stew

One of our Chit-Chat readers Nathalie Herling of Richmond, Virginia submitted this recipe which was inspired by Columbian Fish Stew. It's a perfect Friday meal for those observing Lent or anyone else who just likes fish! Check out her blog at www.creativeclaycooking.com for other Clay Pot Cooking recipes.

INGREDIENTS
3 tsp Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves sliced
1 each White & Red Onions - Chopped
1 Green, Red or Yellow Pepper - Chopped w/Seeds Removed
2 Tomatoes -
Peeled & Chopped
1 Hot Pepper Any Variety - Chopped
2 Sweet Potatoes -
Peeled & Cubed
1/3 lb Okra - Tops Removed and Quartered Lengthwise
3 cps of Vegetable or Fish Stock
1 tbls Cumin
1 Green Plantains - Sliced
1/2 lb of Medium Shrimp - Cleaned and Deveined
1 lb White Boneless Fish
1 cp Cilantro Leaves
Lime Juice
Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Roast the garlic in olive oil until slightly brown. Add onions and sauté until transparent. Add chopped peppers and sauté around 3 min. Add chopped tomato, hot pepper and okra to mixture.

Add 3 tbls of fresh cilantro and 1 tsp of cumin into the stew mixture. Cook for about 5 to 7 min. Add the stock to the stew, turn heat to simmer and stir for about 10 min. Add potatoes and cook for another 15 min. Add plantains. Cut fish into bite size pieces add most of the remaining cilantro and the juice of one lime.

Add shrimp and serve as soon as the shrimp is cooked. Usually 4 to 5 min. Serve garnished with cilantro and lime. Cooks and looks perfect in a La Chamba Fish Stew Pot.

Shrimp & Crab Enchilada

Many people think of Lent as the time Catholics give up meat on Fridays so here's a scrumptious recipe for seafood enchiladas that's really good for anytime of the year.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cp Manchego
3/4 cp Queso Fresco
(or 1/1/2 cp Monterrey Jack)
1 cp Crema Mexicana or Sour Cream
3 tbsp Butter
1/4 cp Green Onions - diced
1 tbsp Jalepeno - seeded & minced
1/4 cp each Red & Green Bell Pepper - diced
2 1/2 cp Crab Meat - pre-cooked
2 1/2 cp Raw Shrimp - peiled & deveined
1/2 cp Fresh Cilantro - chopped
1 tbsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
12 Corn Tortillas
2 cps Green Enchilada Sauce

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350°
In large saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions, jalapeños and bell peppers for 2 minutes. Add seafood, cilantro, cumin and salt & pepper. Stir to mix thoroughly and sauté 3 more minutes. Remove from heat to cool, add crema and cheeses.

Heat enchilada sauce in saucepan. Dip each tortilla and stack on plate. To assemble, spoon 2 - 3 tablespoons seafood mix into each tortilla, roll up and place seam down in greased 9x12 baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce and bake 30 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with remaining cheese and return to oven for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with crumbled Cotija cheese or drizzle crema and avocados.

Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let set 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with Mexican crema or sour cream, sprinkle with Cotija cheese and slices of avocado.

Servings: 6

Paella

 

You will need:

• 12 ounces Linguisa (Portuguese), firm Chorizo, or other cooked sausages
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (8 oz.), rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and diced (¼ in.)
• 2 tablespoons minced Garlic
• 2 cups Arborio or other short-grain White Rice
• 1 cup dry White Wine
• 1 quart fat-skimmed Chicken Broth
• ½ teaspoon Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground dried Turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon Saffron threads, crumbled
• Salt and Pepper
• 8 ounces boned, skinned firm white-fleshed fish, such as Halibut
• 1 pound shelled, deveined Shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), tails left on
• 8 ounces Mussels in shells
• ¼ cup slivered Green Onions (including green tops)
• Lemon wedges

Directions:
In a 15 inch paella pan or 12-inch frying pan (with at least 2¼-inch tall sides) over high heat, turn sausages occasionally until browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total. With tongs, transfer to a board.

Reduce heat to medium-high and add olive oil to pan; when hot, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and stir often until onion is limp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in wine, chicken broth, paprika, turmeric, and saffron. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until rice is almost tender to bite, 15 to 18 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain fish and shrimp; cut fish into 1 inch pieces. Pull beards off mussels and scrub mussels; discard any gaping ones that don't close when you tap their shells. Cut sausages diagonally into ½ inch thick slices.

Gently stir fish, shrimp, and sausages into rice mixture; arrange mussels on top. Cover pan with foil or lid and cook until rice is tender to bite, fish and shrimp are opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), and mussel shells have popped open, 7 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle evenly with green onions. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve from pan, adding juice from lemon wedges and more salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Sunset Magazine.

Tortas de Camaron

Rather than settling for a Filet-o-Fish, whip up something a little more interesting such as these Tortas de Camaron.

INGREDIENTS  
3/4 cup Dehydrated Shrimp (found in Asian or Mexican markets)
2 cups Bread or Tortilla Crumbs*
3 eggs
1/4 tsp. Salt
Vegetable Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
Mix dried shrimps and bread crumbs in a blender or food processor. Mix until the shrimps are ground up and well blended with crumbs. Beat egg whites until fluffy fold in yolks, salt, shrimp & bread mixture mix until you have a batter the consistency of a cooked oatmeal.

Heat enough oil in a skillet to about a depth of 1/4". Put a tablespoonful of batter in the oil for each fritter, and fry until golden, turning once.

Serve on top of Nopales Guisados.

*To make tortilla crumbs, dry tortillas (about 12) in an oven on low heat until crisp. Grind up in a food processor or blender.