Celebrating Cinco de Mayo!

Friday, April 30th, 2010 | posted by wendy

May 5th is an important day in Mexican history. Its celebration in that country is nearly as important as its Independence Day. In fact, there are those who believe that Cinco de Mayo should be renamed Mexican Independence Day. In many American communities, too, particularly in California and Texas, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that ranks as one of the most festive of the year.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashing the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862. When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was chased away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that affected their country’s future.

The jubilant Mexican holiday celebrated on May 5th marks that victory with parades, mariachi music, folk dancing and the enjoyment of Mexican cuisine.

Much of this post was originally part of an article by long-time Monahan’s shopper and Ann Arbor Food Writer, Catherine Arcure, who has since moved to New York and appears to be doing interesting things!

Additional links for Cinco de Mayo Recipes:

Pico de Gallo

John’s Killer Margaritas

Pineapple Salsa

Island Fish Fajitas

Salmon Quesedillas

Whole Snapper Veracruz

Monahan’s Baja Style Fish Tacos

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Monahan’s Baja-Style Fish Tacos

Thursday, April 29th, 2010 | posted by wendy

We serve this dish in the market EVERY Monday! It’s definitely a favorite among our regulars.

1 1⁄2 cups shredded cabbage
2 limes (1 cut into wedges)
1⁄4 red onion, thinly sliced
2T Sour cream
2T Plain yogurt
1 1⁄2 tbsp. kosher salt + pepper to taste
2 tsp. chili powder
1 package Drake’s batter mix (available at the market)
1 12-oz. bottle beer
1 lb. boneless, skinless red snapper, pollack, cod or mahi-mahi cut into 2″ strips
Canola oil, for frying
8 flour tortillas
Cilantro, chopped
Mexican hot sauce (we like Cholula)

1. In a bowl, combine cabbage, red onion, juice of 1 lime, sour cream, yogurt, and cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste (chill). In another bowl, mix together 1 1⁄2 tbsp. salt, chili powder, Drake’s (reserve a bit of the Drake’s for dredging) and beer to make a batter.

2. Pour oil into a 5-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2″; heat until a thermometer reads 375˚. Sprinkle fish with chili powder and salt. Dredge fish in a bit of dry Drake’s; shake off excess. Working in batches, dip fish in batter and fry until crisp, about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a rack or brown paper bag set inside a sheet pan; keep warm in oven.

3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add tortillas; cook, flipping, until warmed. To serve, fill with some of the fish and cabbage, squeeze with lime, and garnish with more cilantro and hot sauce. Repeat.

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Grilled Orata with Fennel

Friday, April 23rd, 2010 | posted by wendy

Orata (aka Gilthead Porgy or Daurad) is a type of seabream—fatter and meatier than an east coast porgy with richer, dense flesh. This is a fish that can be baked, roasted, steamed…but is particularly perfect for the grill since the individual size is great for one serving (usually the fish are less than 1 lb. each), so it’s a great way to present a whole fish. We especially love this dish with fresh fennel.

10-12 oz. Orata per person (gilled, scaled and gutted)
1 fennel bulb sliced (with fronds reserved)
fresh garlic (2 crushed cloves per fish)
thin slices of lemon
extra virgin olive oil

Slice fennel bulb, then soften by cooking in extra virgin olive oil (and maybe a bit of water) for about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

Score the skin of the fish about 2 inch apart, cutting just slightly into the flesh. Then stuff fish cavities with slices of lemon, the softened fennel, chopped garlic, salt & pepper, brush the fish with olive oil and lay on some of the fronds of fennel (each side) Tie with butcher twine to secure each fish.

Place each fish on a HOT, oiled grill. Cook each side of the fish for about 5minutes. The fennel fronds may burn up a bit, but it gives the fish wonderful flavor (while protecting from the direct heat of the grill). Remove fish to a plate and rest for a few minutes before cutting off the twine and serving on individual plates.

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Anthony Bourdain was in the House!

Friday, April 23rd, 2010 | posted by wendy

Anthony Bourdain, Mike Monahan and film crew from Borders

You may have heard we had a visitor this week–Tony Bourdain!

He has a new book coming out called Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. Release date is June 2010 from Harper Collins.

We were honored (along with Sparrow Meats, TR Durham Tracklements and a few other folks at Kerrytown) to have a chance to visit with Tony and talk about our philosophy about seafood and sourcing.

Tony enjoyed several oysters and a HUGE pile of smelt in the Kerrytown Courtyard on a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon, while hordes of Community High kids on lunch hour skulked around with camera phones, twitter accounts and a lot of enthusiasm.

Another great scene that captured the quirky, authentic vibe of Kerrytown and why it is such a great place to visit and support!

Anthony Bourdain & Mike Monahan

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Salmon Quesadillas

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | posted by wendy

•    4 flour tortillas
•    1/4 lb. goat cheese
•    1/4 c sour cream
•    1/2 c diced, seeded tomatoes
•    2 t capers (drained)
•    1 1/2 t snipped fresh chives
•    1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
•    freshly ground black pepper
•    1/4 lb. smoked salmon

Place two tortillas on a work surface and sprinkle them evenly with half of the cheese. Slather 1 T of the sour cream over each. Scatter the tomatoes, capers, chives, lemon zest and pepper evenly over each. Arrange the salmon over top. Cover with remaining cheese and sour cream. Place a second tortilla over each and press down with the palm of your hand.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Using a spatula, cook each side about 3-4 minutes, until cheese melts. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Serve hot with a bowl of Pico De Gallo.

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Pico de Gallo

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | posted by wendy

•    3 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4 inch dice
•    1/4 c finely finely chopped onion
•    2 T fresh cilantro leaves
•    2 T fresh lime juice
•    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
•    1 T finely chopped jalapeño pepper

Toss all ingredients into a bowl and let rest up to 1 hour. the fresher, the better.

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Pineapple Salsa

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | posted by wendy

•    1 cup finely chopped pineapple
•    1/4 cup minced red onion
•    1 T minced seeded jalapeño pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Cover and chill.
Yield 1 cup (serving size 1/4 cup).

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John's Killer Margaritas

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | posted by wendy

This recipe courtesy of long-time Kerrytown resident and Monahan’s customer, John Ellison. Beware, these are not the watered down version found in most bars and restaurants, but the real deal, served on the rocks, powerful as martinis. To make a pitcher of these (if you dare) just use the same ratio of tequila to lime to triple sec.

Keep an eye on the guests. Perfect for a Stay-cation at home.

The voice of experience says, “Don’t go sailing after a few of these.” Consider yourself warned.

Measurements for 1 margarita:

1.5 shots of high quality tequila such as Sauza Gold
 1 shot fresh lime juice
1 shot Triple Sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Pour some sea salt onto a saucer. Rub a bit of lime on rim of a cocktail glass then coat with salt and fill with ice.

Measure shots into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled then strain into prepared glasses and serve with an extra wedge of lime.

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Island Fish Fajitas

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | posted by wendy

Be sure not to over marinate the fish or it will be mushy.

•    1 1/2 lbs. snapper fillets, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch-wide strips
•    2 T fresh lime juice
•    1/2 t lemon pepper
•    1/4 t ground cumin
•    4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
•    1 t vegetable oil
•    1 c vertically sliced red onion
•    1/2 c red bell pepper strips
•    1/2 cup green pepper strips
•    vegetable cooking spray
•    Pineapple salsa
•    Pico de Gallo

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a zip-top heavy-duty plastic bag; seal bag and shake well to coat. Marinate the snapper strips in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Heat tortillas according to package directions.

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and bell pepper strips and sauté 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove skillet from heat, set aside and keep warm.

Arrange snapper strips in a single layer on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil for about 8 minutes total, turning after 4 minutes. Divide fish and bell pepper mixture evenly among warm tortillas and roll up. Spoon pineapple salsa or Pico de Gallo over fajitas.

Substitutions: Mahi-Mahi, Grouper, Swordfish, Striped Bass

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Nobu Matsuhisa's Black Cod with Miso

Friday, April 9th, 2010 | posted by wendy

This wonderful fish dish, which has been copied at restaurants all over the U.S. is easy to make but somewhat time-consuming—as Nobu Matsuhisa recommends marinating the fish fillets in the sake-miso marinade for 2 to 3 days. If you don’t have the time or are feeling a bit more spontaneous, you can also just let the fish marinate overnight in just enough sake and miso to coat it. You can also call the market to ask whether we have any prepared (it’s something we try to have available most weekends, so we can do the marinating for you!)

3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons sake
1/2 cup white miso paste
1/3 cup sugar
Six 6-7 oz. skinless black cod fillets
Vegetable oil
Pickled ginger (gari), for serving

In a small saucepan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Transfer the marinade to a large baking dish and let cool. Add the fish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or better yet, for a few days).

Preheat the oven to 400°. Heat a grill pan or a cast iron skillet and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until flaky. Transfer to plates and serve with pickled ginger.

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