Bernie's New England Clam + Manhattan Seafood Chowders

Friday, February 3rd, 2012 | posted by mike

New England Clam Yields approximately 1 gallon

¼ lb butter

2 lbs onion diced ½”

½ bunch celery diced ½”

1 t oregano

¼ t thyme

¼ t basil

1 clove garlic minced

3 qts water

½ lb Minors clam base

2 lbs Idaho potatoes peeled, diced ¾”

2 lb chopped clams

For the roux:

½ lb butter

½ lb flour

1 pint half & half

chopped parsley- garnish

Melt ¼ lb butter in heavy soup pot, add items 2 – 7 and sauté until soft. Add water, base, potatoes & clams. Stir well and bring to a boil, boil 5 min. Meanwhile, make roux: melt butter in sauce pan, add flour and cook, stirring often, about 6 min. Add roux to boiling soup, stirring constantly. Cook 5 min., stirring often. Soup should be nicely thickened. Turn off heat. Let rest 5 min. Add ½ & ½ , stir well. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Manhattan Seafood Chowder Yields approximately 1 gallon

¼ C olive oil

2 lbs onions diced ½”

1 bunch celery diced ½”

1 lb green pepper diced ½”

1 lb red pepper diced ½”

1 clove garlic minced

1 T dry thyme

3 cans (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1 ½ C tomato paste

3 qts water & ½ lb Minors clam base, or 3 qts fish stock

2 lbs Idaho potatoes peeled, diced ¾”

1C white wine

2 lbs assorted fish, cubed 1”

Heat olive oil, add items 2 – 6 and sauté until soft. Add diced tomatoes, reduce heat to simmer, cook 10 min. Stir in tomato paste, simmer 5 min. Add stock, or water & base, turn heat to high, add potatoes & wine. Cook until potatoes are just done. Add fish, cook 5 min. Turn off heat, let rest 5 minutes and serve!

Tortillitas de Camerones

Friday, January 27th, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves tapas for 5 or 2 for main course

10-12 oz. Maine shrimp (or gulf shrimp cut into 1/2 inch pieces) peeled

2/3 cup chickpea flour, sold at Sparrow Produce in Kerrytown

1/3 cup white flour

1/2 t baking powder

3/4 cup water

2 T onion (finely chopped)

2 T flat leaf parsley finely chopped

1t salt

1 t black pepper

Olive oil

Add flour to mixing bowl along with baking soda, salt and pepper. Slowly add water while vigorously whisking to get all the lumps out. The consistency should be somewhere between milk and cream. This is a very light batter, it may even appear too light but it should firm up nicely. Stir in shrimp.

In a med. non-stick pan over high heat add about 1/2 inch of olive oil and when sizzling hot (not quite smoking) spoon in pancakes (about 4-6 inch diameter each) fry for about 2 min. a side or until nicely browned.

Mark Bittman’s method is for one big pancake, served cut into triangles.

If you try this style and don’t have the experience to flip ‘em in the pan, then transfer to plate when one side is finished and then flip it back into pan.

The larger tortillitas will take around 3 min. a side

Thai Style Maine Shrimp Cakes

Friday, January 20th, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves 4

1 1/2 lb. Maine shrimp – peeled (no need to devein because they’re so small)

Peanut or vegetable oil

1 egg

3 scallions- white section with some green, finely chopped

1/2 t fish sauce

1/2 t sriracha sauce

1 T lime juice

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1/2 bunch cilantro- chopped (set aside for garnish)

Dipping sauce

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

1 T fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1t sriracha sauce- or more if you like it hot

1 t rice wine vinegar

1 scallion- white section with some green, sliced very thinly

 

Purée shrimp in food processor and transfer to mixing bowl

Add egg and stir in until evenly mixed

Stir in rest of ingredients (except cilantro)

Heat non-stick pan over med. heat

Add enough oil to cover bottom of pan about 1/8 inch

When oil is sizzling hot, spoon shrimp mix (about a heaping soup spoon full to make 2-3 inch wide cakes. I flatten them out with a spatula after adding them to pan

Fry for 3-4 min a side or until golden brown and just opaque in the center

Serve with dipping sauce on the side or basted over the top and sprinkle with cilantro

Tuna Tataki

Friday, January 13th, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves 4

1/2- 3/4 lb. Sashimi grade tuna- cut into long, approximately 1¼ x 2 ½” logs

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

1 T coarse black pepper

1 T peanut oil or olive oil

 

Mike’s Makeshift Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup Kikkoman  ponzu

1/2 T fresh lemon juice

1 t fish sauce

1/2-1 t sriracha sauce to taste

1 T sake or vermouth

(all ingredients except sake or vermouth available at Monahan’s)

 

Mix sesame seeds and black pepper and spread out on a cutting board

Roll and press tuna log to evenly coat each side

Heat a heavy pan or skillet over med- high heat

Add oil, when hot add tuna and sear about 1-2 min on each side – flip when fish looks cooked about 1/8 inch into the log

With a thin very sharp knife, slice thin (about 1/8 inch) and fan out on the plate

Serve with dipping sauce

Monahan's Mignonette for Oysters

Friday, January 6th, 2012 | posted by mike

Mignonette is one of our favorite, simple accompaniments for oysters on the half shell.

Makes 1/2 cup

1/4 C champagne vinegar

1/4 C fine quality red wine vinegar

2 T finely chopped shallots

1 T of a mixture of finely chopped jalepeño (adjust to your taste), red, green, and yellow peppers

coarsely ground peppercorns to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with chilled oysters on the half shell.

For a special treat, top the oyster with some salmon roe (ikura).

 

Bouillabaisse

Friday, December 30th, 2011 | posted by mike

Serves 8
2 quarts of Monahan’s Bouillabaisse-base (located in the freezer, made fresh every week)
2 lobster tails (cut into chunks, leaving the shell on)
1 1/2 lbs. mussels
2 lbs. manila clams (or little necks)
1 lb. monkfish or wolffish (skinned and cut up into chunks)
1 lb. pollack, cod, hake or halibut (skinned and cut into chunks)
1 lb. grouper, striped bass or Pacific rockfish fillet (skinned and cut into chunks)

optional additions: shrimp, scallops

Steam mussels and clams open in a pot and reserve.

Bring bouillabaisse base to a gentle simmer and add chunks of lobster. After 3-4 minutes, add the chunks of fish and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the steamed shellfish, cover and cook for an additional 3 minutes. The fish is cooked once the chunks are just opaque in the center.

Ladle the soup and seafood into warm bowls and garnish with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley—make sure to include some of each fish in each serving. Serve with toasted baguette slices and a dollop of aioli (for the garlic lovers, available at Monahan’s).

Classic Oysters Rockefeller

Friday, December 23rd, 2011 | posted by mike

A bed of rock salt stabilizes the oysters in the oven to retain all their juices. If you don’t have rock salt, you can use course kosher salt.

24 oysters, shucked on the half shell
2 T butter
1 1/2 cups cooked spinach, well drained
1/3 c fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
dash or Tabasco
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t Pernod or other anise-flavored liquer (or fennel pollen)
rock salt for the baking sheet

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Using a food processor, shop the spinach, breadcrumbs, green onions, bacon and parsley, then blend in the butter. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until finely chopped but NOT puréed. Layer the oysters in their half shells on a pan with rock salt to hold them upright. Spoon some of the spinach mixture over each oyster and bake 10 minutes until cooked through. In the last minute or so, flip on the broiler and broil until brown on top. Serve hot!

Pasta Con le Vongole- Spaghetti with Clams

Friday, December 16th, 2011 | posted by mike

Serves 2

1/2-3/4 lb. spaghetti

1lb. manila clams

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 T olive oil

Splash of white wine (4 or 5 T)

2 T Italian parsley, chopped

 

Boil spaghetti al dente (about 5 min.)

 

Heat large pan over high heat

Add olive oil garlic and clams, stir and cover pot

Shake pan and when clams begin to open (about 2 min.) add wine and cover until clams all open

Reduce heat, add spaghetti and toss clams and pasta

Serve and garnish with parsley

Cajun Shrimp Salad (Shrimp Remoulade)

Friday, December 9th, 2011 | posted by mike

Serves 6 as an appetizer or light lunch

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails off

2 scallions, chopped

½ red bell pepper, diced

½ C Monahan’s Remoulade Sauce

Bring water to a boil, add shrimp and cook until they are barely opaque (about 3 min.), drain, ice to chill down, pat dry

In a med. size serving bowl, combine the scallions and bell pepper with the remoulade sauce. Fold in the shrimp and serve.

At Monahan’s we serve this for lunch on a bed of lettuce or as a sandwich

Bernie’s Remoulade Sauce

Yield ¾ cup

  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1/4 t paprika
  • 1/4 t Pick-a-Pepper sauce (available at Monahan’s)
  • 1/2 t tabasco
  • 1 t Cajun spice (available at Monahan’s)
  • 1/4 t cayenne (omit to reduce heat factor)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Roasted Mackerel with Lemon and Herbs

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | posted by mike

Serves 2

1 whole mackerel- 1 1/4-1 1/2 lb. cleaned

1 lemon, sliced thin (save 2 slices cut in half for stuffing)

2 sprigs rosemary

5 sprigs thyme

2 cloves garlic, crushed, cut in thirds

1/2 of a med. onion, sliced

1 t Monahan’s Cajun seasoning (if you don’t live in the area call us for the recipe-it’s a mix of cayenne, paprika and other herbs and spices)

3-4 T olive oil

Pre heat oven to 425º

Oil bottom of baking dish and add 1/2 the lemons, herbs and onions

Stuff belly of fish with lemon and 1/2 the garlic

Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over both sides of fish and place in baking dish

Scatter the rest of the herbs and lemons over and around the fish

Drizzle olive oil over fish and roast for 15-20 min. or until fish is just opaque to the bone at the thickest part of fish