Paella: the ultimate grilling party!

Friday, July 30th, 2010 | posted by wendy

To cap off a great “Grilling Month,”we thought we should share our fabulous, tried and true method for cooking a paella outside on the grill (best with a wood fire, but charcoal will do). There is nothing more gorgeous and dramatic as a paella—guests circle the grill hungrily as it cooks, helping out from time to time…lots of time to anticipate a great meal to come over a few glasses of wine. I just made a paella last night, and my friends went crazy for it. A well-made paella features an infusion of flavor and so much color and texture, it’s a feast for all the senses. The crispy layer of rice (socarrat) scraped up from the bottom of the pan is the prize everyone seems to fight over.

Here are a few essential tips I have learned after cooking dozens of paellas over the years:
• Use an authentic paella pan (a cast iron skillet will do in a pinch, but won’t provide the real deal in the end)
• Cook your shrimp, scallops and split lobster tails (or squid, or monkfish) quickly at the very beginning, then remove to a plate to add at the end
• Use high-quality, homemade stock (either fish stock from Monahan’s or homemade chicken stock infused with shrimp shells)
• Have a chicken cut into about a dozen pieces, rather than using it “Pick-o-the-chick” style
• Cured Spanish chorizo is preferable to fresh Mexican style chorizo…more depth of flavor and less greasy
• Proper rice is EVERYTHING. Bob Sparrow carries a wonderful paella rice, and Zingerman’s carries the real deal, Bomba (but it’s quite pricey).
• Don’t be afraid of using a heavier hand than usual when it comes to salt, but use course salt
• It’s a good idea to have a water bottle nearby to slow the heat of the grill from time to time

Click the photo to see a video!

I thought it might be a good idea to share my favorite secret to a great paella party: invite several friends and have them ALL bring an ingredient. Afterall, making a beautiful Valencian-style paella can be pretty expensive if one is to add a variety of delicious shellfish, saffron, rice and of course, the accompanying wine, so here’s a fun way to put the dish together. Write the ingredients on pieces of paper (chicken, shrimp, chorizo, scallops, lobster, clams, mussels, rice), then (grab-bag style) pull the assignments out for each guest. I’ve been the guest chef at my sister and brother-in-law’s annual paella party for years, and this is how they manage to pull it off without going broke. The party seems to get bigger every year, and the new guests are always charged with bringing the lobsters. Last year we had such a bounty of contributions, we even added a lobster to the stock pot, along with the chicken, shrimp shells and saffron, and it was the richest, most wonderful paella stock yet.

Remember, Mike has several paella pans to lend out and you can get everything you need to make a wonderful paella by visiting the Kerrytown Market floor. Monahan’s has the pans, shellfish, fish stock, saffron…Bob Sparrow has the rice, chicken and chorizo…Mary at Everyday Wines can hook you up with several bottles that won’t break the bank. It sounds like a great party to me!

There are several online resources that discuss paella techniques and variations. Here’s a good one from the folks at Fine Cooking.

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"The Canadian Rule," Explained

Friday, July 23rd, 2010 | posted by mike

The Canadian Rule: “10 minutes per inch.”

The rule of thumb for cooking fish started with the Canadian Department of Fisheries as an effort to help boost fish consumption in Canada. One of the main reasons that people are afraid of cooking fish at home is they think they’ll overcook it.

Another main reason people misjudge cooking time is because that they think the house will smell like fish. Well, if you’re buying less than fresh fish—coming home and opening the bag to a less than fresh smell and thinking “I better cook the heck out of this thing and kill whatever is wrong with it,”—bringing up the temperature and cooking time will only increase the odor. (This is just another reason to buy fish from a monger who fillets on-site, will let you smell the fish and who doesn’t wrap it in plastic.)

The key is to buy a nice fresh fish and cook it properly—and the Canadian Rule is a good basic guide that works with almost every cooking method. Slow lower heat cooking, stewing or  super hot searing may change the rule a bit, but if you’re learning to become a great fish cook, The Canadian Rule is a great help. Just measure your fillet, steak or whole fish at the thickest part and follow the rule (10 minutes per inch or 5 minutes per side per inch). If you’re baking a fish fillet, fold the thinner tail section under or the belly flaps over to keep a uniform thickness and bake at 400°. Check it at around 8 minutes gently with a knife to check for doneness. The fish should be barely opaque in the center and cooked until the translucent appearance if almost gone. The same is true for grilling fish steaks or fillets, but remember the rule changes to 5 minutes per side. If you use an instaread meat thermometer, the ideal internal temperature should be just under 125°.

Sometimes the fish will be a bit under 10 minutes, sometimes just a bit over, but remember that it keeps cooking after it’s removed from heat, so a little rare is ok.

It won’t take long before you get really good at producing moist, perfectly cooked fish.

Be sure to check out this week’s great recipe for the grill: Pancetta-Wrapped Monkfish.

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Grilling on "The Big Green Egg" at Downtown Home & Garden

Friday, July 16th, 2010 | posted by mike

Our joint grilling demo last Sunday at Downtown Home & Garden was fantastic! A beautiful day on the sidewalk on lovely Ashley Street in front of one of Ann Arbor’s coolest businesses, grilling some of our seafood favorites on The Big Green Egg. I was a bit nervous about doing a demo on a grill that I’ve never used before, but owner, Mark Hodesh assured me that there is nothing to it. And he was right!

This grill is amazing. It’s based on an ancient Asian clay oven kiln like a tandori…thick ceramic that holds in the heat and keeps a steady and easily adjusted temperature. A small amount of natural charcoal keeps heat for many hours because the grill is so thick and well-sealed. Mark started the grill at 9am and it kept a steady temp until 1:30.

Everything that we demonstrated and sampled came out great (and we cooked a big variety). Sardines with course salt & olive oil, barbequed oysters, squid satay with Thai peanut sauce, warm grilled octopus salad, mackerel teriyaki, cedar planked salmon with Irish whiskey maple glaze, swordfish with rosemary-orange marinade, and an herb-wrapped and stuffed whole black sea bass.

We were kickin’ em out and everyone really seemed to enjoy the flavors and learned how easy seafood on the grill can be. The Big Green Egg really impressed everyone too—it was a pleasure to use it and it achieved great results.

One recipe that really seemed to resonate with the crowd was the grilled mackerel. So many people expect the dark fatty little fillets to be too full-flavored or even “fishy.” While mackerel has a good amount of flavor, when it’s been filleted off the bone like we do here at the fishmarket, it’s a rich and buttery fish that holds up to flavorful sauces, rubs and marinade. It’s also inexpensive and sustainable and loaded with the miracle fats, Omega 3s. We used a teriyaki marinade, glazed the fish as it grilled with a teriyaki reduction, and garnished with some scallions and it was a hit! Mackerel is also fantastic with our Cajun rub and a kiwi-citrus glaze or a tomato-caper-balsamic relish…maybe even sweet Swedish mustard dill sauce and grilled new potatoes…the list goes on for this versatile fish, so ask us at the market if you want to try something new!

Big thanks to Mark Hodesh, Margaret Parker and the staff at Downtown Home & Garden for another fun event!

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Swordfish: Super Star of the Grill!

Friday, July 9th, 2010 | posted by mike

This week’s super star for grill is Swordfish! There really is no finer fish for the grill. It’s firm and meaty, has a nice fat content so it keeps its moisture, and a great taste that holds up to  flavorful rubs, marinades and sauces.

Remember just a few years ago the swordfish fishery was said to be on the brink of collapse? Well, due to solid conservation measures the stocks are on the rebound. We’ve been offering nice fat, rich, delicious “markers” (fish of at least 100 lbs.) at the market. We also use the “trim” to offer very affordable kabobs which are great on the grill with Monahan’s Teriyaki marinade (one of this week’s featured recipes) along with a couple of our other grilled sword favorite recipes. Our own Wendy Williams will share her Greek-style orange-rosemary marinaded sword on a bed of roasted vegetables, orzo and feta, and good friend Francesca Giarraffa is letting us steal her Pesca Spada Con Olive.

Francesca teaches Italian cooking classes in Ann Arbor at Hollanders, Whole Foods and Washtenaw Community College.

Here’s our teriyaki marinade recipe for the kabobs. This marinade is also great with any rich flavorful fish—mackerel, kingfish, salmon, bluefish, etc. We sell this marinade and more, so see you at the Market!

We also hope to see you this Sunday at Downtown Home & Garden for some grilled treats on Hodesh’s BIG GREEN EGG!. We’ll be around between 11am and 1pm, so stop on over!

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July is Grilling Month at Monahan's (and Downtown Home & Garden)!

Friday, July 2nd, 2010 | posted by mike

This month, we’re celebrating the thrill of the grill with all the fish and shellfish you’ll need for a summer of great flavor and fun. We’ve got plenty of receipes and Bernie’s always whipping up some great marinades, rubs, salsas and sauces to help make things real easy for you.

On this July 4th holiday weekend, Bernie is making up a batch of his fresh roasted macadamia nut cilantro pesto. Just a dollop is fantastic over a nice grilled flavorful fish like King Mackerel, Swordfish or Bluefish.

A few more holiday grilling ideas might be Planked Copper River King Salmon over a red cedar plank ($3.95 each) with our Irish Whiskey Maple Glaze. Maybe some fresh, beautiful Tuna steaks with our teriyaki marinade. Ever try Pancetta-Wrapped Wild Gulf Shrimp Kabobs with Spicy Tiger Lime marinade? Dee-lish! Or Squid Satay with a Thai Peanut Sauce. Whole Grilled Red Snapper Vera Cruz or fresh Herb-Wrapped Bronzini?

When was the last time you grilled fresh baby Spanish octopus served with tomatoes onions and oregano vinaigrette (this would be a good weekend to give it a go). Soft shell crabs basted in olive oil, the possibilities are endless!

One of my favorite first course treats is Barbequed Oysters, our Fish Report recipe for this July 4 Weekend.

Are you ready? Are you Fired up?
Before you start, make sure you have he right tools and equipment. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but you should have some of the basics to have some of the success you are going for. We’ve partnered up with our friends at Downtown Home and Garden this month and we’ve scouted out their grill section, so it might be worth your time to stop by to pick up a few of these essentials:

A nice working area: a small well-lit table next to the grill for marinades, knifes, cutting board, etc. If you are like me and end up grilling after dark and your area is not well lit, get a nice portable lamp or a good flashlight.

A good wire brush. Let the grill grate get good and hot, and brush it down using a good quality brass cleaning brush with scraper. After brushing, rub the grate with oil to prevent sticking.

Tongs: Heavy duty stainless tongs at least 12-15 inches long to keep your hands away from the heat.

Basting brush: 15 inches is good, with silicon bristles which are heat resistant and cleanable.

Large spatula: This is an important one for the integrity of your delicate fish…be sure to use one that is heavy duty—at least 18 inches with wide end about 4 inches. Sometimes for large fillets or whole fish, I often use a second spatula to help.

Mitts or gloves: I’ve always used leather garden gloves to protect hands but they now sell good silicon grilling mitts.

Fish baskets: Fish baskets make the worry of tearing a delicate fillet or mangling your beautiful whole fish a thing of the past. There are shapes which accommodate whole fish (we have a few at the market) or you can use an old-fashioned hamburger basket for fillets. Using the basket makes grilling fish very easy, no matter the state of your grill. It’s a great investment for a summer grilling cook.

Now you have all of the tools! And with some super fresh fish and a little inspiration, you’re on your way.

We’ll be talking about grilling all month…and great news for those of you who have been wanting to see a grilling demo: On Sunday, July 11, I (Mike), Lisa (my wife) and Wendy (former fishmongress and internet guru) will be at Downtown Home and Garden trying out a few summer recipes on The Big Green Egg! Stop by Downtown Home & Garden (out front under the awning) between 11-1 for a few samples and a little instruction. It’s going to be fun, so mark your calendars!

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