Shrimp Tacos with Lime Slaw

This is from Better Homes and Gardens April 2013.  We tried it this summer when it was too hot to cook inside and it was delish!

1lb fresh or frozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin (I usually cut cumin down to 1/3-1/4 of what the recipe calls for because it is so strong)
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
1 lime
3 c shredded red cabbage (I used green leaf lettuce I had on hand)
1/2 c sour cream
1 t finely chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
12 6"-corn tortillas (I think I used flour tortillas that I had on hand)
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Thaw shrimp, if frozen.  Rinse shrimp; pat dry.  In a resealable plastic bag combine olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder and 1/4 tsp salt; add shrimp.  Seal bag and turn to coat shrimp; chill 30 mins.

Meanwhile, finely shred peel from lime; juice lime.  For lime slaw, in a large bowl combine lime peel, lime juice, cabbage and remaining 1/4 tsp salt; set aside.  In a small bowl combine sour cream and chipotle pepper; set aside.  Wrap tortillas in foil.

Thread shrimp on skewers.  On a covered grill, grill tortilla packed directly over medium heat for 5 mins turning once.  Add shrimp to grill; cook 5-8 mins or until opaque, turning halfway through grilling.  Remove tortilla packet from grill.  Remove shrimp from skewers.

To serve, spread tortillas with sour cream mixture.  Top with lime slaw and shrimp.  Sprinkle with cilantro and pass lime wedges if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Start to finish: 35 mins

Williams-Sonoma New England Clam Chowder

This is my favorite recipe for classic clam chowder. Do yourself a favor and splurge with half and half instead of milk. Also, Matthew doesn't like bacon in his clam chowder so we never put it in.

3 lb littleneck clams in their shells, well scrubbed (I use 2 cans chopped clams, reserve juice and add with bottled clams juice)
1 c bottled clams juice or homemade fish stock
2 T butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 c diced salt pork
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 T all-purpose flour
2 waxy red or white potatoes (about 10oz), diced
3 c milk or half and half
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2 T finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

In a large saucepan over med-high heat, combine the clams and clam juice and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and steam the clams until they open, 5-8 mins. Remove from the heat and discard any clams that failed to open. Remove the clams from their shells (cut in half if very large), reserving a few in shells for garnish.

Strain the clam juice through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheese-cloth (muslin) to remove any grit. You should have 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Set aside. (You can skip all of this if you use canned clams.)

In a large sauce pain over medium high heat, melt butter. Add the onion and saute until just softened, 3-5 mins. Add the salt pork and saute, stirring occasionally until the pork is cooked through and teh onion is golden brown, about 2 mins longer. Add the celery and saute for 1 min. Add the flour and cook stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 mins longer. Stir in the strained clam juice, potatoes, milk and bay leaf. Raise the heat to med-high and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits fromteh bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to med and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 mins.

Discard the bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the parsley, shucked clams and reserved clams in their shells. Cook for 1 min longer to warm the clams through.

Ladle the chowder into warmed bowls and top with chowder crackers. Serve immediately.

Salmon Macaroni Salad

1/2 pound (about 2 cups) macaroni pasta
Salt
2 (7-ounce) cans salmon
1/2 cup mayonnaise (plus more to taste or for added smoothness)
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped shallots, red onions, or green onions (with onion greens)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill)
2 stalks celery, chopped
Tabasco to taste (we used about 10 drops)
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of water (2 quarts) to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Add the dry macaroni pasta and cook, uncovered, in a rolling boil for about 10 minutes, or until the macaroni is al dente (slightly firm). Remove from heat, drain, rinse briefly in cold water (macaroni should be still warm after rinsing) and drain again.

In a large bowl mix the salmon, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix in the shallots, parsley, dill, and celery.

Mix in the cooked macaroni while it is still warm. Add Tabasco and freshly ground pepper to taste. As the macaroni absorbs the mayonnaise, you may need to add some water to the salad to keep it from being dry. Adjust seasonings.

Chill before serving. Serves 4.

Sesame Orange Shrimp

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 sesame seeds

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 c vegetable oil, plus more if needed

1 c fresh orange juice

2 T soy sauce

1 T sugar

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, cornstarch, sesame seeds, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper until frothy. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2-3 batches, cook shrimp until golden and crisp, 2-3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Add more oil to skillet if necessary for remaining batches.

Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Add orange juice, soy sauce and sugar; boil over high heat until syrupy and reduced to about 1/3 cup, 4-5 minutes. Return shrimp to skillet; add scallions and cook until heated through and coated with sauce, about 1 minute.

Fettuccine with Clams and Tomato Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (1 small)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups low-sodium tomato juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 48 littleneck clams in shells, scrubbed (about 2 3/4 pounds)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add juice and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until shells open. Remove clams from pan. Discard any unopened shells. Add parsley to pan; cook until liquid is reduced to 4 cups (about 15 minutes). Serve clams and sauce over pasta.

Baby Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta

This was super tasty but I made a few changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand. I used yellow onion instead of shallot. My shrimp were not baby, just the regular sized frozen ones. I used chicken broth instead of white wine and I reduced it by about half because of the moisture that cooks out of frozen shrimp. The last thing is I used cilantro and lime zest instead of lemon zest and chives.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/3 pound baby shrimp, 300 count
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, eyeball it
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/3 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to al dente

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped or snipped fresh chives

Get your pasta water going. Start the scampi sauce when you drop your pasta into boiling water to cook. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and melt the butter into it. Add shallots and cook a minute or 2, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and shrimp and heat shrimp through, another minute or two. Add vermouth or wine and tomatoes. Toss another minute to heat the tomatoes through. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat evenly in sauce and to distribute the shrimp. Season liberally with salt and pepper and serve with chives to garnish.

Sensational Spiced Salmon

2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)

Combine the first six ingredients; rub over salmon. Place in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

Shrimp and Black Bean Soup

1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (10 oz each) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
2 c frozen corn
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
4 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 minced parsley

In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil for 3/4 minutes or until tender. Add the broth, tomatoes and green chilies, corn, black beans, tomatoes, chili powder, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring for 20 minutes.

Stir in shrimp; cook 5-6 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in parsley.