SpicyKitchenSecrets.com

Category: Seafood

• 

  Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Prawns

  Posted at 1:11 pm by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Sep 12th

  I cannot explain to you how much I love Thai food. I could seriously just go to Thailand and eat my way through and do nothing else, so deep is my love for their hot and spicy cuisine (well maybe I’d fit a few of their amazing massages in).

  A real proper Tom Yum Soup on the streets of Bangkok is just truly sublime… so much chill, so much lime, so much full on flavor, just hits you in your face and bam you can’t go back to the half hearted attempts that are served in the restaurants to cater to the western tastes. Even Bangkok airport has Thai restaurant that serves this and on my trips to and from Sydney to London I would always stop and have a big bowlful there, the conciliation prize for not actually going into Bangkok, made me this long flight was actually worth it to stop here just for this.

  Anyway, here is a really tasty treat for those of you who like really good Thai food. I have not put as much chili in this as I used to, it was a little crazy how much chili I used to eat, somehow I have become calmer now and don’t think I can handle the same level of 15 bird eye chillies in a bowl of soup that I used to be able to… I used to try and make it the same way I saw the street stall people making it with enormous amounts of lemon juice too, and funnily enough nobody else but me could eat it at home. I blame it on being married to my English husband…or maybe just time has mellowed me out. Now a respectable 4-6 chili’s is all I can manage to put in the whole soup!

  I always keep essential Thai staples in my freezer and pantry. Always have some kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, Thai chillies in my freezer. If you keep good fish sauce, oyster sauce, some maesri curry pastes and coconut milk, then you can whip a nice Thai meal whenever the mood strikes. I found these super cute packets of Tom Yum Mix of all the herbs and things (perfect size for cooking for 4-6) you need ready made to store in the freezer section in Paris’s Trang Fares asian grocery stores. These can be used for Thai curries and soups. Pretty genius I thought as you just cut open a pack and add to your pot, without having to gather and prep 5 different things. Loved this latest discovery last week, anything to make life easier.

  It is great to have a tin of chicken stock sold in asian food stores, if not maggi or knorr stock cubes would do to. But the flavor works better for asian soups with the asian chicken stock powder. I always have some on hand. You can use it for lots of things.

  

  chilli jam and fish sauce

  

  Ready to use tom yum herb mix

  

  mung bean noodles

  

  Hot and Sour Noodle Soup with Prawns

  WUN SEN TOM YAM KUNG

  Serves 4

  150g (7 oz) mung bean noodles

  350g raw prawns (peeled with tail left on, and butterflied if you like)

  1 liter chicken stock/veg stock  (use stock cubes mixed with water )

  2 lemon grass stalks (cut and bruised)

  2.5 Tblsp fish sauce

  1.5 – 2.5 tbsp chilli jam (depending on how spicy you like it)

  (2-4 red or green thai chillies (slightly crushed)

  110 (4 oz) g mixed mushrooms

  110 g (4 oz) baby tomatoes or a med tomato cut into 6

  7 kaffir lime leaves

  4 Tbsp lime juice

  coriander/cilantro to garnish

  Soak the mung bean noodles in hot water for 1-2 minutes till soft, then drain them and use a pair of scissors to cut into small pieces.

  Heat the stock (I just use 1 liter of water mixed with chicken stock powder you can buy at asian supermarkets in the quantity suggested on the box), Amoy brand is a good one to get. Add the lemon grass, fish sauce, chili jam and crushed chillies and bring to boiling point. Reduce the heat to medium, add the mung been noodles, then cook for 1 or two minutes. Add the prawns and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, lime leaves and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.  Spoon into a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

  Enjoy slurping your noodles and soup…

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  Posted in Prawns, Seafood, shrimp, Soups, Thai, Uncategorized | Tagged healthy soup, light dinner, mung bean noodles, Prawn soup, Shrimp Soup, soup for dinner, Thai cooking, Thai cuisine, Thai food, Thai Soup, Thailand, Tom Yum Noodle Soup, Tom Yum Soup, WUN SEN TOM YAM KUNG
• 

  Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

  Posted at 10:00 am by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Jul 8th
  Ok! So these are just fabulously easy to put together and will be the best taco’s you ever ate!! Big claim I know, but they really are just so wow!!! Give them a  shot and see!

  

  Ready to attack!

  

  Build your own…

  

  Drool worthy…

  MANGO AVOCADO SALSA

  2 avocados, chopped

  1 large mango, chopped same size as avocado

  juice of 2 limes

  3 tablespoons chopped coriander

  1 green chili, chopped

  1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes of choice (i used Aleppo chili)

  Mix all ingredients together, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

  LIME CREMA

  3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise

  3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

  1 teaspoon grated lime rind

  1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  1 garlic clove, minced

  1 tablespoon milk (to make the sauce more runny)

  Mix all of the above ingredients together in a bowl and chill till needed.

  TACOS:

  1 pounds talipia fillets cut into bite size pieces (make sure they are rinsed and dried with paper towels before you cut)1

  1 teaspoon ground cumin

  1 teaspoon ground coriander

  1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 tbsp flour

  2 tablespoons oil for frying

  Once the fish is cut, toss in all the spices and flour. Now heat oil in a nonstick frying pan and fry the fish till brown and crispy.

  TOMATO SALSA

  2 tomatoes, chopped

  1/2 onion, chopped

  1/4 cup coriander

  Juice of 1-2 limes

  Salt and pepper

  SHRIMP

  500 grams shrimp

  3 cloves of garlic

  4 tablespoons peri peri sauce or according to taste

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  Salt and pepper

  Place the shrimp in a bowl and add crushed garlic, hot peri peri sauce and the olive oil. Let it marinade for 15 minutes.

  Heat your non stick frying pan and fry the prawns for 2-4 minutes till cooked. Take them out on to a plate and serve very quickly.

  Assembly of Taco’s

  12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

  2 cups shredded cabbage

  radish sliced

  Cheese of choice – I used the Mexican Cotija cheese crumbled on top but it was also good with the grated Mexican cheese mix you get in all supermarkets.

  Heat a frying pan and warm the tortillas on it one by one and keep in a tortilla dish or another flat dish with a cover so they stay warm.  Stuff your tacos with the shrimp, mango avocado salsa, tomato onion salsa, some cabbage, radish, and a bit of cheese of your choice. Drizzle with the lime crema and spoon on some tomato salsa or some salsa verde (I used store bought), sprinkle with some cheese if you wish. Enjoy!

  

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  Posted in Mexican, Seafood | Tagged Best Easy Shrimp Tacos, Lime Crema, Mango Avocado Salsa, Mexican, salsa, Sexy Kitchen Secrets, Shrimp Tacos, Tacos
• 

  Fettuccine with Prawns, Dill & Lemon Sauce

  Posted at 5:28 pm by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Jun 8th

  This is my favorite pasta with prawns. I just kind of threw these ingredients together at home a few years ago and have been making it since cause it tastes just  divine! It is very quick to make and so delicious. In fact it is so good, you can totally serve it for a nice dinner with friends. Takes only 15 minutes to make, so simple and easy it is.

  I used urfa chili flakes in this, but feel free to use any type of chili flakes you have on hand.

  

  

  

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  1 packet fresh fettuccine

  1 small chopped onion

  3 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 chopped red chillies

  splash of white wine

  250 grams shrimp or prawns (peeled with tails left on)

  4-6 tablespoons cream

  1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

  salt

  pepper

  lemon zest of half a lemon

  juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon depending on your taste

  1 – 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

  Place your salted  water on the hob to boil for the fettuccine.

  Heat oil in a frying pan, and add your onion and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes and stir on med heat. Now add in your prawns and chopped red chili. Stir. Add salt and pepper. When prawns start to go a bit pink, add a splash of white wine. Stir. Once the wine has dried a little add in your cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, chili flakes and dill. Drop you fettuccine in the water (should only take 2-3 minutes). Cook for another minute or so till every thing is warm and comes together. Do not over cook your prawns.

  Drain your pasta and add to the sauce. Toss. Serve at once, sprinkled with some more dill on top and parmesan if you like.

   

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  Posted in Prawns, Quick Pasta, Seafood, shrimp | Tagged dill, dill and shrimp sauce, fettuccine, Fettuccine with lemon, Italian, Lemon, Pasta, pasta with shrimp, prawns, urfa chili
• 

  SPICY THAI SCALLOPS

  Posted at 11:02 am by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Dec 1st

  Here is a really beautiful fast way to cook scallops. It has Thai flavors with fish sauce, oyster sauce, and basil. They are sure hit  and take only a few minutes to cook! I like serving them with some crispy green veg quickly stir fried and a bit of jasmine rice.

  

  SPICY THAI SCALLOPS

  1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  2-3 red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
  1 red onion, thinly sliced
  450 grams or 1 pound scallops, with or without roe attached
  1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  1 tablespoon fish sauce

  1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

  1/4 teaspoon sugar
  1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black
  pepper
  1 handful basil leaves, roughly
  chopped

  Heat your wok till smoking, now add oil, this will also smoke pretty fast. When you see smoke from the oil throw in the garlic and red chilies and stir-fry 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the onion and stir-fry
  1 minute, then tip in the scallops and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the
  scallops start to turn golden at the edges and get some charring marks.
  Pour in the soy sauce and fish sauce and oyster sauce and sprinkle in the sugar and black pepper. Mix
  well and stir-fry 1 minute, or until the scallops are just cooked through and tender.
  Throw in the basil leaves, mix well and serve immediately.

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  Posted in Seafood, Uncategorized | Tagged basil, chilli, Fish sauce, Oyster sauce, Scallop, scallops, Stir frying, Thai, Thai cuisine
• 

  Red Snapper with Fennel

  Posted at 10:52 am by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Jun 29th

  

  If you find the warm summery weather is putting you in the mood for some light fish dishes from the Mediterranean, you are not alone. I too found myself dreaming of such delights yesterday. This is a quick and simple dish and when you make it you will be so glad you did as the smells in your house  with this in your oven will simply be out of this world. The onions end up yielding this sweetness, and together with the fennel taste almost jammy. There really are some beautiful flavors in there, I urge you to dry this dish out, you will be so happy you did!

  For this dish it is imperative that you choose the most beautiful freshest fish you can find. There should be no fishy smell, it should smell of the ocean. Red mullet is really nice for this but you can use sea bream or red snapped as I did, just make sure your fish has been gutted and scaled at the fishmongers. You could use smaller individual sized fish for each person if you like.

  

  Recipe

  A bulb of fennel ( sliced, keep the green leafy parts aside)

  1 tablespoon butter

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  1 onion chopped

  2 garlic cloves, chopped

  Juice of half a lemon

  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or fresh if you have (2 teaspoon chopped)

  1 red snapped 700 grams

  lemon wedges to garnish

  Heat your oven to 190C or 376 F

  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic, onions and the fennel. Cook on med to low heat till fennel is soft but don't let it brown. Season to taste.

  Stuff the cavity of your fish with 2-3 tablespoons of the fennel mixture and the green leafy parts of the fennel. Rub your fish with olive oil (please use good olive oil) and squeeze your lemon on top of the fish, season well with salt and pepper.

  Grease your baking dish and put the remaining fennel mix on in the dish and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp oregano. Now place your fish on top of this fennel mixture and sprinkle the other half of the oregano on top. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes, or till just cooked. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with some nice summery salads.

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  Posted in Fish, Seafood | Tagged fennel, fish, Red mullet, Red Snapper, seafood
• 

  Easy Goan Style Shrimp Curry

  Posted at 11:44 am by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Jun 25th

  This is a really scrumptious, make your mouth water type of curry, the smell alone reminds me of being in Goa!! If you make it once you will certainly keep this as your go to fish or prawn curry recipe.  It is faster to cook this yourself,  then to order a  greasy Indian home delivery in NYC which many of us often succumb too after a long day at work. If you have your spice cupboard well stocked, a bag of frozen prawns in the freezer and some coconut milk tins in the cupboard you can have your meal ready in 35 minutes with some rice.

   

  I realize not everyone has curry leaves lying around, but if you do stock up of on some fresh leaves when you visit your Asian/Indian food store, just stick them in the freezer and you have them on hand whenever you fancy. I do the same with my kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass stalks for Thai cooking. Better to have the ingredients at home so you can cook whenever you like! A well stocked pantry is the key here! Who wants to run around collecting ingredients for each meal they cook, I would probably never cook if I did it that way. Get your basic spice collection going and you will find yourself wanting to spend more time in the kitchen!

    

  A mini food processor for your general chopping is something that I feel is essential if you want to cook more. Just saves you a ton of time chopping ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes. Anything that saves time and makes it easier is a good thing in my book, I certainly don’t want to be standing around chopping things for 15 minutes if I don’t have to! With Indian cooking especially I think its a must have.

  Another thing to note is when using your tamarind paste or concentrate, you may want to use less or more depending on its potency. If its really strong, just start of with 1/2 a teaspoon, taste and see if the sauce is sour enough and add a little more at a time till you feel it has reached the right level of sourness. Also adjust salt after adding the tamarind, I find I always add a bit more after the tamarind is in and then the flavors really come together.

  Also remember if you have some nice fish fillets you can easily substitute them for the prawns, just cook a little longer till your fish is done.

  Recipe  (serves 4)

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  1 teaspoon mustard seeds

  1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

  1/2 tsp cumin seeds

  1/4 teaspoon nigella seeds

  1 1/2 tsp turmuric

  2 whole dried red chilies

  4 cloves

  10-15 curry leaves

  2 inch piece of ginger

  4 garlic cloves

  3-5 green chilies, chopped

  3 onions (med) or 11/2 large, chopped

  6 tomatoes (med)

  1 tsp chili powder

  1/2 tsp paprika

  1 tsp cumin powder

  1/2 tsp coriander powder

  Salt to taste

  1 tin coconut milk

  1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate

  1 tablespoon chopped coriander

  Chop the ginger and garlic together in a mini food processor and keep ready.

  900 grams shelled raw shrimp (mine were with tails on)

  Before you begin if you are using frozen shrimp, just place it in a large bowl with water so they defrost by the time you need to use them.

  In a heavy based pan, heat your oil and add the  mustard seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilies,  and turmeric till you see the mustard pop a bit and smell the aroma. Now add the curry leaves and after a 30 seconds add the  ginger, garlic, after a minute or so add the chopped green chilies. Cook on med heat for 5 mins or so. Do not let it burn reduce heat slightly if its sticking too much.

  Now add the onions to the pan and cook till they start to go slightly brown on the edge on medium heat.  Add the tomatoes after pulsing them in the food processor a few times, you don’t want them too smooth like a puree so don’t blend too much.   Add the paprika and chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and a little salt (not too much), bearing in mind you will add more after adding the tamarind.. Cook for 10-15 minutes. When it looks like its starting to come together like a sauce with a nice brick red color, add in the tin of coconut milk and stir.  Cook for 3-5 minutes and then add  3/4 cup of water and cook on medium heat till it all reduces down to a nice cream like consistency.

  Now add your tamarind concentrate. Mix and taste and see if you need to add more salt. When sauce looks like it is the right consistency, add your prawns on a med heat. Stir and cook for 2-3 mins only. Do not overcook here as they will keep cooking after you turn off the heat and go rubbery if you cook them too long.

  Transfer your yummy prawn curry into a serving dish and throw on a sprinkling of some coriander leaves. Serve with rice and maybe an onion tomato lime salad! Enjoy!

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  Posted in Indian, Prawns, Seafood, shrimp | Tagged Curry
• 

  Lobster with Garlic Lemon Coriander Butter

  Posted at 11:06 am by Spicy Kitchen Secrets

  Jun 22nd

  So yesterday was my first time ever cooking lobster. I have to say handling live lobster was pretty daunting for me all these years to ever think of attempting to make a meal out of them at home. Once they arrived, I managed to enlist my gorgeous husband to be responsible for any live lobster handling situations (needless to say, with lobster on the cards for dinner, not too much convincing was needed!). The results were extremely tasty and worth the effort, and  I have no doubts I will be cooking lobster again and again.

  

  For my first lobster dish, I decided to keep it simple and did a quick butter garlic sauce, and perked it up with some fresh coriander and lemon. It really does not take much time and effort to do this for dinner considering the wow factor. Definitely a good dish to have in your arsenal when trying to do something special without spending hours in the kitchen.

  A good thing to keep in mind with lobster is that bigger is not necessarily better. The meat of the smaller lobsters tends to be sweeter and tastier. I bought two 700 gram (1.5 lb) lobsters, the right size for one per person. I served it with a simple salad made with what whatever veg I could  find in the fridge.

  

  Recipe

  2 Fresh live lobsters around 700 grams or 1.5 lbs

  Place your lobsters in the freezer for an hour so they become less active, easier to handle and some say feel less pain. Get the biggest pot you have and half fill with water. Add salt generously to water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling add your lobsters to the pot.  Cover the pot with a lid and watch closely when the water starts to boil again. Begin timing for 15 minutes when the water boils (you may want to boil longer if the lobsters are larger).  Once the time is up, take them out of the pot and place in a colander to cool a little.

  Once your lobsters are cool enough to handle, split them by taking a pointed knife and cutting on the cross mark behind the head. Cut all the way through till the end of the tail. Remove the green stuff and give  a quick rinse in warm water. Now you can serve your lobsters in individual plates.

  Garlic Butter Sauce

  113 grams butter

  4-6 garlic cloves depending on how garlicky you like it

  2 tablespoons of fresh chopped coriander

  Juice of half a lemon

  fresh cracked black pepper

  salt to taste

  Melt butter in a small saucepan, add finely chopped garlic and cook on med to low heat till garlic is softened a little, but no way near brown. Now add the lemon juice, finely chopped coriander leaves, pepper and salt to taste. Taste and adjust lemon and seasonings if needed. Cook on low heat and allow flavors to infuse for 2-3 minutes. Pour into a bowl.

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  Posted in Seafood | Tagged Lobster, Shellfish