Shrimp and Scallop Cake

I love shellfish especially shrimp and scallops.  I always keep some shrimps in the freezer as fresh shrimps are not always available.  When I need to make a quick dinner, it takes minutes to defrost and takes little time to cook.  This time I want to make a quick snack or appetizer.  If you want to serve this as a main dish, add some salad and this can be a deliciously light meal.  The best part is this can be made ahead of time then heat in the oven the next day.  So if you are expecting guests, these are great to make ahead for entertaining.

Shrimp and Scallop Cake - make approximately a dozen bite-size cakes

1 lb of shrimp any size (peeled and deveined)
1/2 lb of sea scallops
2 large egg white
1 jalapeno (small diced)
1 cup of fresh shitake mushroom (small diced)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1 lemon (cut in wedges)
1 bunch of cilantro leaves
Kosher salt and pepper

Combine the shrimp, scallops and egg white in the food processor.  Process until the seafood are combined and minced.  Then fold in the diced mushroom and jalapeno.  Add lemon juice, zest then season with salt and pepper.  After the seafood is mixed well, cook a little piece of the mixture to test for seasoning.  Once the seasoning is adjusted, heat pan with olive oil.  Use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture and slide the mixture in the pan.  Pan sear each side for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown.  Do these in batches and do not crowd the pan.  Don't worry if the shape of these cakes are not coming out perfectly round as you can always trim them later.  I actually used a 1/3 measuring cup to round out the cakes and trimmed off the edges.  Top each cake with a cilantro leave for decoration and serve with lemon wedges.

The Heat Is On!

I love the summer; it's my favorite time of the year.  The only thing that I don't like about the summer is the heat interferes with my appetite.  For a food lover, the lost of appetite throws me off balance.  So as the temperatures climbed into the 100's last week, I wanted something fresh and light but pact with flavors that would wake my palate.  I bought some shrimps and squid so I decided to make a simple ceviche that allows me not to spend much time in the kitchen on a hot summer day.

I also want to add some mangoes which is one of my favorite fruits.  Then, I came across some Korean melons aka yellow melons at a Korean produce market.  Since I never had it before and I love all types of melons, with the exception of bitter melons, I thought it may add a hint of sweetness to the ceviche.  The taste of this melon is very similar to cantaloupe but not as sweet.  I also love Chinese celery.  It has a much stronger celery flavor than the regular celery.  It's usually used in Chinese stir-fry.  I though it would add a crunchy texture to this dish.

Shrimp and Squid Ceviche
1 lb of large shrimp (14-16 count) clean and deveined
1 lb of squid (cut in rings)
1 cup of mango (fine dice or brunoise)
1/2 cup of Korean melon (fine dice or brunoise)
1/4 cup of Chinese celery (fine dice or brunoise)
3 lemons (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of lemon juice)
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 tspn of Sriracha chili sauce*
1 tbsp of chopped cilantro
Sea salt to taste

Poaching liquid
3 cups of seafood stock
1 tbsp of fish sauce*
6 pieces of sliced ginger
1 bunch of scallions (5-6 pieces white part only)
1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine* (or you can substitute with Sherry)
1 bay leaf
*You can find these ingredients in Asian markets and may also find them in the Asian aisle of your local supermarket.

Put all poaching liquid ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat then add shrimp and stir for a minute until just turn pink.  Then add squid, cook for about 30 seconds.  Stir and take it off the heat let the seafood seep in the liquid for another minute; then drain and let cool.  Once the seafood is cool, combine with the remaining ingredients of mango, melon, celery, lemon juice, lemon zest, Sriracha and season with sea salt.  Mix well and refrigerates for at least a few hours.  Add the cilantro just before serving.

The seafood with the fruit and citrus juice taste so light, fresh and delicious!  It's the ideal summer food.  The best part, my appetite is back and the world is perfect again!

Lo lo lo Lola!

As an adventurous-eating child growing up in Hong Kong, I have always loved the taste of ducks.  My favorite has been the traditional Chinese Peking duck with its thinly sliced crispy skin wrapped in a pancake with scallions and hoisin sauce. I especially loved it when the chef comes out with his tall chef hat and carved it table side.  It was so fascinating to me.  Maybe that's why I had fantasized making Peking duck for the grand buffet for graduation but since there was a time constraint, I had to abandon the idea.

So this week when I arrived at my local farmers market and saw the Hudson Valley Duck Farm was there, I made a bee line toward the booth.  One of the ladies there showed me a new heritage breed called Lola.  She is a cross breed between a Pekin (Long Island) and Mallard.  Unlike the other breed that has a great deal of layer of fat under its skin, Lola has a much thinner layer of fat.  She also said since the fat under the skin was so thin, there's no need to score the skin to render the fat.  As she noticed that I was really interested and declared myself as a duck lover, she went on to say if I love duck then I must try this breed as this is a duck lovers' duck due to its strong duck flavor and its gamier taste.  So of course I was sold!

When I was ready to test this recipe, I wanted to make a sauce to accompany the duck.  I thought since I have some blueberries at home, I'd make a blueberry sauce.  Lately I have been eating a lot of blueberries because of its natural source of antioxidants and its proven health benefits.  It also helped that I had pints at home since there was a sale in my local supermarket that week.  I also wanted to use the Chinese black vinegar made out of black glutinous rice.  It'd give the sauce a balance of sweet and sour and lighten the richness of the duck.  You can usually find this vinegar at your local Asian markets.  If you don't have the black vinegar, you may substitute with balsamic vinegar.  I also want to cook the duck simply with just some salt and pepper so I can really taste the duck flavor.

Pan-seared Duck Breast with Blueberry Chinese Black Vinegar Sauce
2 duck breasts (about 1 1/4 pound)
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Sauce
2 cups of blueberries
1/2 cup of the Chinese Black Vinegar (preferably the Chinkiang brand)
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 cup of sugar
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1 tbsp of cold unsalted butter 

Combine the blueberries, vinegar and chicken stock in a pot and cook until the liquid comes to a boil.  Lower the heat and add sugar then gently press the blueberries to release the juice to the sauce.  Simmer in low heat until the sauce reduces and thickens.  It should take about 15-20 minutes.  While the sauce is cooking, be sure the duck breasts are pat dried to ensure the skin browns nicely.  Then carefully score the skin in a crisscross pattern.  By scoring the skin makes it easier for the fat to render, even though the lady told me not to score the skin on the Lola as the skin is much thinner, I decided to follow the traditional method when cooking duck breasts.  Heat a skillet with medium heat, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.  Put the skin side down first and let the fat rendered for about 5-6 minutes.  Once the fat is rendered, you may want to gently pour out the fat and save it for another use.  Turn the heat up a bit higher to crisp the skin and cook the meat for another 5 minutes.  When you see the meat is starting to cook through, gently flip over and finish cooking the other side for another 2-3 minutes.  Set the meat aside and tent with aluminum foil.  Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before you slice it so it'll stay juicy.  The duck should be served rare to medium rare.  While the meat is resting strain the blueberries, add the butter to thicken the sauce, then add salt and pepper to taste.

The sweet/sour sauce of the blueberries and black vinegar gave the meat a depth of flavor and the simple way of cooking the duck really lets you taste the delicious "red-meat" flavor.  I am so happy to have met Lola as she is definitely a duck lover's duck!