Food Mamma

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seafood

lobster and prawn cannelloni

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Hubby and I celebrated our seven year anniversary on Monday! I feel like I was just reminiscing the other day about our honeymoon and that flashback has already been a year! Time really does fly.

Although we went for sushi with our little guy on the weekend, I wanted to make hubby something special.  My cousin had been talking about lobster mac and cheese a few weeks ago and I had been thinking about it ever since. Lobster definitely had to be in the picture, I just changed the cheese and pasta – cannelloni!

I filled the tubes with a flavourful mixture of ricotta cheese, sweet lobster and meaty prawns. Instead of using a bechamel, I opted for an alfredo sauce which covered the filled pasta shells and baked them in some bubbly cheesy goodness.

The richness was cut by the addition of some fresh tomatoes. The perfect indulgent meal to celebrate!

Lobster and Prawn Cannelloni

10 cannelloni shells, cooked as per package

2 lobster tails, cooked and cut into chunks
10 large prawns, cooked and cut into pieces
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 parmesan cheese
bunch of basil, chopped
salt
pepper

1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
pinch nutmeg

Cook the onion and garlic in a bit of oil until softened.  Combine with the cheese, seafood and basil. Stuff this mixture into the cannelloni and place in an oven safe dish.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add cream and garlic and let simmer for a few minutes.  Add the cheese and a pinch of nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted.

Pour the alfredo sauce over the filled cannelloni and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

salmon burgers

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Hubby had a great time in Fernie over the weekend, snowboarding and hanging out with the boys. This has been an annual trip of theirs, which usually involves a lot of red meat (i.e. ribs, ribs and more ribs!).  Needless to say, this week needs to be filled with lots of fish and veggies.

I had wanted to make salmon burgers for a while and this was the perfect opportunity.  I didn’t really measure, just threw in some flavours that I thought would work well.  I took one pound of salmon which I cut into chunks and then pulsed it in the food processor.  I added some chopped onion, an egg, some soya sauce, sesame oil, ginger, salt, pepper and then binded it all together with some bread crumbs.  When I play with flavours like this, I always like to cook off a little bit and make sure that it tastes good before making patties and cooking off the rest.

I let the formed burgers rest in the fridge for a bit and then pan fried them with just a touch of olive oil.  Served on a toasted whole wheat bun with some mayo and topped with slices of creamy avocado, it was full of flavour and totally hit the spot.

pan rushed salmon with three tomatoes

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Hubby had an opportunity to go fishing in Northern BC this past July.  He had an awesome time spending three days on the water and catching salmon and halibut.  It was really exciting when the box of fish came and we saw all the little packages of salmon – fresh, smoked and candied, as well as the white fish.

Since then, I’ve been on a mission to find as many tasty fish recipes as I can.  We had the opportunity on Q’s birthday to feed our family with a great big salmon.  We had seen Michael Smith make a pan rushed salmon with three tomatoes on his show and knew we had to try it out.

This was a simple dish that came together very quickly. The final cooking of the fish in the tomatoes resulted in a tasty, juicy fish.  I was able to do the tomato part ahead of time and place it in a roaster so that the final cooking could be done in the oven.  This will be one recipe that we will be going back to again.

Pan Rushed Salmon with Three Tomatoes
Adapted from Chef Michael’s Kitchen

1 large salmon
salt
pepper
2 TB minced garlic
1 onion, diced
1 can, whole tomatoes
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the
salmon filets with salt and pepper, then sear until lightly browned on
each side, flipping carefully, 3 or 4 minutes per side. Place the seared
salmon on a clean plate and cover lightly with foil.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and lightly
sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the whole tomatoes, hand crushing as you
go. Add the cherry and dried tomatoes, salt & pepper. Bring
the works to a simmer and cook gently, 2 or 3 minutes.  Place the tomato mixture in a roasting pan and place the fillets on top of the sauce.  Cover tightly and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

seared scallops and prawns with scrambled eggs

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It’s been a long week and as tempting as it was to grab take out, I had to resist.  We had a busy weekend ahead and I knew we would be eating out.  I decided it was time to start cleaning out my freezer.  With a wedding in the family coming up in the summer, I had a feeling we would need some space in there.  I was happy to find some scallops and jumbo prawns but couldn’t think of any side to make with it.  We had finished most of our produce and rice just didn’t appeal to me.  Rummaging through the fridge, I did notice that we had an abundance of eggs and spinach….scrambled eggs, why not? 

After making the seafood, I felt that it really needed some kind of sauce.  The lemon butter sauce I threw together with garlic was just the right flavours needed to top off the scallops and prawns.

The combination was perfect!  Comfort and decadence on one plate.

Seared Scallops and Prawns

6 sea scallops
6 jumbo prawns
olive oil
salt
pepper

2 TB butter
2 TB lemon juice
1 garlic clove

Pat the seafood dry and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a hot pan and sear until cooked.  Once seafood has been removed from the pan, add the butter, lemon juice and garlic.  Pour sauce over seafood and enjoy.

shrimp cakes

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Shrimp is a staple in our home.  It thaws easily and cooks quickly, it’s the perfect thing to pull out and make a quick meal with.  We had family bringing dinner over (lucky us!) but I still wanted to make an appetizer.  My fridge was stocked with peppers and onions and I thought this would be the perfect quick snack to make.  Hubby loved them and even raved about them to our massage therapist – always a good sign.  Can be served with roasted red pepper dip or garlic aioli.

Shrimp Cakes
Makes 12 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 green onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 egg
1 TB dijon mustard
salt
pepper
breadcrumbs

In a food processor, coarsely chop the raw shrimp.  Transfer to a bowl and add the veggies, egg, mustard, salt and pepper.  Add breadcrumbs, a little at a time, until the mixture can be formed into patties.  Refrigerate the patties for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Pan fry the shrimp cakes until shrimp is cooked and each cake has a nice brown crust.

prawn curry

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I am a huge fan of prawns so naturally, one of my favorite curries is prawn curry.  Thankfully Q is a huge fan as well, making it an easy excuse to have it often.  I tried a different recipe this time, one from my mother-in-law, who is an amazing cook.  Try it out, you’ll love it!

Prawn Curry

2 TB oil
2 onions, sliced
1 lb. prawns
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. garlic
pinch tumeric
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tomatoes, blended (or 1/2 c. crushed tomatoes)
1 TB tomato paste
salt
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB garam masala

Saute the onions in the oil until soft and translucent.  Keep the heat on medium-low and add the shrimp.  Add the ginger, garlic, tumeric, coriander, cumin, tomatoes and salt and let the shrimp continue to cook.  Once the shrimp are done and you have reached the desired consistency, add lemon juice and garam masala and serve!