It's Crab Season!

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The stacks of traps had been growing by height and breadth for several weeks in anticipation of opening day when right on time this year, with fairly calm if wet weather, crab season opened at 12:01 this morning.

All of we local crab lovers (some are crab fisherman lovers as well) wish our fleet safe sailing and a substantial catch.

Break out the champagne, pull out a recipe or two, and celebrate!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Steamed Pacific Halibut with Sautéed Early Spring Vegetables

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The hours, minutes, days are flying by.  I cook, I take photos - do I have time to post them?  Seems not.

Spring can be like that.  So much work to do outside: the garden to ready for planting; mowing, clipping, weeding, and generally cleaning up after that messy person Winter who leaves her clothes strewn everywhere.

In this season that's not quite full-blown spring yet not really winter anymore, take advantage of the early spring produce that abounds:  green garlic, spring onions, leeks, baby bok choy, savoy cabbage, fennel, carrots, Hawaiian ginger, and that citrus-y wonder, blood orange.  Pair these with wild-caught Pacific halibut for an easy recipe that will get dinner on the table quickly so you can get back outside and work awhile longer before the sun sets.

I received inspiration for this recipe from my bestest-friend-in-the-world, Erika.  She treated me to a delicious dinner when I visited with her last week of mahi-mahi over leeks, kale, chard, and early onions from her Sacramento Valley garden, plus freshly grated ginger - lots of it.  It was fabulous.

I'm showing you a few photos from that dinner because the evening sunlight coming through Erika's west windows played over our plates of steaming vegetables and fish, enhancing an already beautiful setting, and I just had to share.

And while I didn't have the exact ingredients that Erika used, our local Co-op had some pretty wonderful substitutes.

Begin by slicing all your vegetables fairly thinly, the bok chot being the exception - it should be cut into 1/2-inch pieces.  Start your sauté with the onions, garlic, leeks and carrots, then add the rest per instructions below.  Use plenty of freshly grated ginger at the end.

Steamed Pacific Halibut with Early Spring Sautéed Vegetables (Spring Onions, Leeks, Green Garlic, Baby Bok Choy, Savoy Cabbage, Fennel, Fresh Ginger and Blood Orange Juice)

Recipe inspired by my dear friend Erika
(print recipe)

Ingredients:

3/4-pound fresh Pacific halibut fillet, rinsed and patted dry

1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced crosswise, white and light green parts only

1/2 of a large fennel bulb, cut lengthwise into thirds, thinly sliced crosswise

1 stem green garlic, thinly sliced

1 stem spring onion, thinly sliced

2 baby bok choy, stem end removed, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch chunks

1 medium head savoy cabbage, core removed, cut in half then in thirds lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

juice from 1 large blood orange

olive oil for the pan

sea salt to taste plus generous grindings of peppercorn medley

Preparation:

Using a large skillet (I almost always use cast iron), heat about 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high.  When the pan is hot, turn the heat down to medium or even medium-low to prevent scorching and add the leeks, onion, garlic, and carrot and sauté until they begin to soften and cook down, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat so they do not burn.

Add the fennel and bok choy next and repeat the sautéeing process, tossing the vegetables with tongs so everything cooks evenly, about 5 minutes more.

When the fennel and bok choy have softened, add the savoy cabbage and toss.  Drizzle on the blood orange juice, toss again, and allow to cook, tossing often, until the cabbage has cooked down slightly, about 5 minutes, then sprinkle on the grated ginger and toss again.

Season the vegetables with a good sea salt, make an indentation in the center of the vegetables and lay the halibut in it.

Sprinkle the fish with sea salt and generous grindings of peppercorns, turn the heat to low if it is not already there, and cover the pan.  Cook gently until the fish flakes when pierced with a fork but is still juicy and springy to the touch, about 7 minutes for a 2-inch thick fillet.

To serve, cut the fish into portion-size pieces and serve on a bed of the vegetables.

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Quick-boiled Prawns with Winter-Summer Yellow Pear Tomato, Avocado, Cilantro Guacamole

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An invitation to an appetizers potluck party was the inspiration for this recipe. That and the kiwis that had been holding (I thought) in the fridge while we were on the Atlantic seaboard for 2 weeks.
Now I think that kiwi guacamole spritzed with lime juice sounds like a stunning dip to go with prawns. Just not made with overly fermented kiwis. Sigh. Another time perhaps.
As in all cases when one ingredient does not cooperate, you find one that does. The petite organic yellow pear tomatoes that are coming to California from Mexico right now fit the bill. Sweet, tart, not too big a carbon footprint. Our borders do touch, after all.
The avocados are pure California. Organic, buttery smooth and rich, they pair well with the finely diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro notwithstanding. And yes, I do realize how lucky I am to have it growing right now in my northern California coastal garden.
This guac is a wintertime treat, bringing the sunny olé! flavors of summer to brighten our still-gray skies and our chilly tummies. Make it just before you're going to take it to a party or serve to guests.
Be sure to use plenty of sea salt when you boil the prawns, and boil them quickly - blanching really - no more than 1-2 minutes, then get them out of there and into an ice bath.

Definitely a crowd pleaser, this.

Quick-boiled Prawns with Yellow Pear Tomato, Avocado, Cilantro Guacamole
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Makes enough for a crowd of 20 or so
Ingredients:

40-60 medium prawns, preferrably USA wildcaught, peeled, tails left on, sandtrack removed*
2 tablespoons sea salt
4 large avocados
1 cup finely diced yellow pear tomatoes
juice from 1 Meyer lemon
1 tablespoon green garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced, seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
pinch red pepper flakes (more if you like it hotter)

Preparation:
Prep all of your ingredients, except for cutting the avocados, ahead of time.
Have a large bowl of ice and water standing by to receive the cooked prawns.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of sea salt.
Toss the prawns into the boiling water and allow them to blanch for 1 to 2 minutes or until they turn bright pink. Do not overcook them.
Immediately drain the water from the pot and put the prawns in the ice water to stop the cooking. Let the prawns cool then allow them to drain in a collander until ready to use.
While the prawns are cooling and resting, take an avocado and cut it in half lenghthwise. Remove the pit and scoop the pulp into a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining avocados.
Mash the avocado pulp with the lemon juice until the mixture is buttery but still has some lumps.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients (no, not the prawns) and adjust the salt and seasonings to taste.
Put the finished guacamole in a clear glass bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down on the top of the guac to keep it from browning.

Arrange the prawns around the guacamole bowl and you're ready to party.

Cook's Notes:To remove the sandtrack from the prawns, I use a sharp knife and make a cut down the back of the prawn from the head to just above the tail. If the sandtrack is still there, this will reveal it and you can pull it out. I've had many a prawn that still had the sandtrack intact. It's your call whether to remove it or not.

Buen provecho!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

It's Time to Celebrate!

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Marking the start of the Holiday season, commercial crab fishing opened on December 1st here on the north coast. On December 2nd and 3rd we got hit by the southern edge of a storm that caused numerous power outages, Internet failure and very high seas. Thank heavens our intrepid crab fisherfolk who risk life and limb to bring their succulent, glorious catch to our tables were not harmed.

Mr CC and I traditionally celebrate the beginning of the crab season with a glass of champagne and a crab apiece, simply boiled, cracked and consumed using fingers and large bibs. It's a messy job but, hey, someone's gotta do it.

Here's to the crabbers! May your catch always be a sweet success.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved