Asian Prawn and Cucumber Salad

I'm always on the look out for things to do with the cooked, frozen prawns that I buy at Costco.  It's such an easy way to make a great dish.  They thaw quick and are very tasty too.
This recipe was a side benefit of making this recipe for Sushi Shrimp Stack.

A nice light salad perfect for a hot summer day's lunch, or dinner.

Serves 2
Ingredients

2 cups cooked prawns (frozen & thawed)
1 Tbsp mirin, or rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp wasabi
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 cups English or Persian cucumbers, cut into chunks
1/4 cup white onion, cut into small strips
1/4 cup yellow or red bell pepper, cut into small strips
1/3 cup green onions, minced (I used 2 Tbsp fresh chives, either works)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Drain the prawns after thawing and add to a medium serving bowl.  In a small bowl, make a dressing of the rice vinegar, mayo, soy sauce, sesame oil and wasabi.  Cut up the veggies, add to the bowl with the prawns in the bowl.  Stir in the dressing.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

You can make this up a couple hours ahead and chill.

Need some regular ideas?  "Like" my Facebook page
 

Spicy "Sushi" Shrimp Stack

I use "sushi" in quotations because this is a lot like eating a California roll, but really has not many authentic type techniques. I found this recipe on this cute site, but only changed a couple of things.

The combination of flavors and textures make this a very satisfying lunch, light dinner, or if made in small dishes, a nice appetizer too.  The crunch and freshness of cucumber is perfect with the rich texture of the avocado, prawns (or crab!) and then topped with brown rice flavored with a small amount of sweetness from the rice vinegar.  Top with spicy sauces and the crunch of sesame seeds.  We amazed at happy and satisfied we were after a dinner of these.

Highly recommended!

Makes 2
Ingredients

1 cup cucumber, chopped (Persian or English)
1-2 Tbsp green onions, minced
A sprinkle of salt 
1 Avocado, smashed
14-20 med prawns, cooked and chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice (room temperature)
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp wasabi paste 
1 tsp of soy sauce, or water
Sriracha to taste
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Cut up cucumbers, add minced green onions and a sprinkle of salt.  Stir to combine and set aside.

Add the rice wine vinegar to the rice and stir to combine. Set aside.

In the bottom of large, flat bottomed bowls (I used large 5" ramekins, but a cup measure might work), add a the first layer with cucumber, add the smashed avocado, then prawns, topped with rice.  Pack the rice lightly in the cup.  Invert on the serving plate and tap gently.  If needed, use a knife to run around the inside edge to loosen the mixture.

Top with dressing(s) and sesame seeds.

The wasabi mayo is pictured below, I added a small of amount of water to give it a better consistency for drizzling on top.  You can use soy sauce too, but I was trying to keep the sodium levels down.

I didn't take a picture of the cucumbers at the bottom of the dish, but the order is salad first, avocado second, prawns (cut yours into pieces, having whole pieces was harder to eat), ending with the sushi rice.

If needed, Toast up your sesame seeds in a small fry pan for 1-2 minutes over medium heat.  Watch them, they can burn quickly!

Jones Island Shrimp Fest- San Juan Islands, Washington

It just sort of happened, the way some magical times do.

 (View from the dock on Jones Island)

Jones Island is a state park island in the Washington's San Juan Island group, basically a 188-acre marine camping park with 25,000-feet of saltwater shoreline on the channel.
It's pretty popular and has a small dock... maybe 8 boats at the dock, plus some extra to raft on the outside of their friends on the dock, if you're lucky. We were part of a group of three boats that scored two dock spots, and rafted together for the last night of our San Juan boating adventure.  We've boated together before many times, but this time was kind of special.  The rest of the dock was fully loaded with other boaters.
The whole dock converged to be a fantastically compatible group, like a super fun dock cocktail party, and progressive dinner all rolled into one. 
But, I get ahead of myself...

The island is amazingly beautiful with two distinct "lobes" that attach in a narrow low spot on the island.  We hiked about 4 miles around one lobe one day, and all agreed it was one of the prettiest hikes we've ever taken.

The fun part though?

Coming back from our hike we met this woman.  Somewhat intense, box in hand, asking questions of us gals. In her box was about 8-10 huge ziploc bags of freshly cooked prawns, ready to peel and eat.  She was about to become our new best friend.



She mentioned that they came to Jones Island every year as an extended family vacation, with about 30 people coming and going over the couple weeks they were on the island, camping and staying on boats.  We met many of them including some of their soon to be Portuguese "in laws".  Happily, this gal and her husband gave us a bunch of shrimp! Immediately, they jumped on their boat and went out to check their other pots in the deep waters of the sound.
Apparently the joy of this was catching the shrimp, first and foremost.

Our group gets ready for our dinner, starting, of course, with our new gift of fresh  shrimp and cocktail sauce.  

Before we can start, In comes the returning boat of our new found friend.  What do they have, but another two huge tubs of fresh caught shrimp.  Nothing doing, we all immediately start helping to clean the shrimps. I mean, it's like "pay back" you know?

 

There is lots of squealing and fun as we learn the best way to make this happen.

Cleaning is basically twisting off the head of the prawn and setting aside the tail for steaming or boiling.  You can eat shrimp sashimi, if  you are up for it.  Seems a little hard hearted to eat a newly dead shrimp.. but we did it.  Just needed a little soy sauce and some wasabi too.




Here's a shrimp with some barnacles on it... now, how does that happen? 

Everyone brings something for our impromptu potluck dinner on the dock. 
Wine is opened, bourbon appears out of nowhere, conversations and new friends are made.  It was a night like no other.
I feel a little bad as this isn't some destination that you can add to your bucket list.
I mean you can GO there, but I can't promise you all of this.

No matter when you go, you will something to love on Jones Island.  Beautiful madrona trees, large fir trees, white tailed deer, raccoons, beaches, rocky cliffs and beautiful water vistas with other islands in the background.

At the very least, find a little beach and spend some quiet time with a loved one.
Enjoy having most of this island to yourself.

Shrimp and Mango Cobb

I do know this is not a "Cobb" in the traditional sense of the word, which... my friends... is EXACTLY why I am doing it.  I do love a Cobb salad with chicken, blue cheese and bacon, but sometimes its just too rich.  You know?

I saw this salad at a local Anthony's Homeport restaurant and thought, YES!  This is what I want.  While the salad wasn't quite everything I could want, as I have high expectations, here's my version.

Serves 4
Ingredients

1 lb Shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed (I use the Costco ones that are ready to go)
2 mangos, peeled and diced
4 eggs, hard boiled then sliced
1/2 cup bacon, cooked and sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup feta, cubed
1/4 cup green onions

6 cups Spring greens, or other lettuces

Lime and cilantro dressing:
3 limes, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a blender, add the lime juice, the cilantro and dry mustard.  Blend, and with the motor running, pour a stream of oil into the blender.  Blend until the dressing is slightly thickened and only has a few flecks of green.  Taste, add the salt and pepper to your liking.  
Note- Some people like a sweeter dressing, if so, add a tsp of sugar or honey.


Thaw shrimp, you can do this overnight if you plan ahead, otherwise you can use the water method, but it is not ideal.
Hard boil the eggs
Make the dressing.
If you need a fool proof method, check this link for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Everytime!

When ready to eat, toss the greens with a small amount of dressing.  You just want a bit of flavor, you will pass additional dressing when you serve the salads.  Add the greens to a plate and start to make rows, or sections, of each of the ingredients.  I did it like this:


Color order on salad

1. white- feta
2. pink- shrimp
3. orange- mango
4. red tomatoes
5. dk red- bacon
6. green- onions
7. white/yellow- eggs

Shrimp Tortilla Soup with Baked Chili Strips

I love tortilla soup, and my one of favortie recipe is my own Chicken Tortilla Soup.
This one with shrimp really spoke to me, originally in BHG (Better Homes and Garden).  It's really good and super simple to make too.  I've made some simple changes. 

All in all, this one came together in under 20 minutes, but I did have everything on hand.  My husband did say he liked the shrimp version better than the chicken one too.   Well.  I wouldn't go that far, but he's a seafood lover for sure.
 
I like to buy chili peppers, but sometimes, it's kind of confusing with all the different kinds.  This one calls for a poblano pepper (A beautiful dark green almost black chili usually about 4 to 5" long). In California these chiles are called pasilla. To add to the issue, when dried the poblano is called an ancho or mulato chile.  Maybe some of you don't have access to all these different kinds of peppers, so use a jalapeno or some other kind of pepper.

My advice?  Keep tasting and making sure you're happy with the taste.  Don't be worried about adding more lime, more salt and some chili powder or red pepper flakes if you like it a bit more zesty. 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 large poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 red pepper, chopped (1/2 cup), optional

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil

4 cups chicken, or vegetable broth

1/2-1 tsp teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 12 ounce package frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

1 cup frozen corn

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained or undrained

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 limes, juiced

1 small avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and thinly sliced or chopped

Serve with

1 Recipe Chili Tortilla Strips
Chipotle Sour Cream, or regular sour cream

Make the tortilla strips first (recipe below) and get them going before you start the soup, as it takes a while to get them crisp enough.

In a 4- to 5- quart Dutch oven cook poblano pepper, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until just tender. 

Add broth, salt and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling. Add frozen shrimp, corn and canned beans; return to boil.

Simmer, uncovered, about 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Serve in shallow bowls topped with avocado, chili Tortilla Strips and sour cream.

Chili Tortilla Strips

Ingredients

4- 6 inch corn tortillas

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp chili powder
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush, or spray,  one side of the corn tortillas with vegetable oil; sprinkle with chili powder, salt and pepper. With a pizza wheel, cut into strips and wedges. Place in a single layer on a very large baking sheet. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until crisp.

Brazilian Shrimp Soup

Another red soup.... but I just couldn't resist. 

I posted my Mexican Spicy Tomato soup not even two weeks ago.
I'm kind of embarassed that here's another red soup.
Oh well, maybe you like red soups too.

This one was so easy to make with things I have in the pantry or the freezer, so I figured it might work out for you too.  It's a bit like my Jambalaya Soup, but a bit more exotic with the addition of the coconut milk.

(Whoops, I didn't photograph the chicken stock and the cilantro/parsley)

Ingredients

Makes about 6-8 1 cup servings

2 tablespoons olive, or vegetable, oil

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (or 5 mini bell peppers)

 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup long-grain rice, uncooked

 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1 3/4 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 15-ounce can)

5 cups water, or chicken stock

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/2 pounds small or medium shrimp, (about 2 cups frozen)

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 lemon, or lime, juiced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

I chopped my veggies very finely in the food processor, but even a dice mixture would be good.  It's up to you. 

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the rice, red-pepper flakes, salt, tomatoes, and stock/ or water to the pot. 
Bring to a boil and cook until the rice is almost tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Stir the coconut milk into the soup. Bring back to a simmer and then stir in the shrimp. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just done, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the black pepper, lemon juice, and parsley.