Salmon Chorizo — my second participation in Our Growning Edge

We usually have a lot of fishermen at the lake because apparently it is a good fishing lake. The past couple of years someone has caught something big in our bay and word got out, so we usually have a couple of fishing boats trolling our bay for fish every weekend. As you can well imagine I am not fond of this activity particularly when it infringes my privacy. The lake at the cottage is spring fed, which means that it’s reasonably cold for most of the summer, in fact it’s usually August by the time I feel it’s warm enough for a refreshing dip! Over these same last few years, it  seems that every time I dip into the water, smallish fish surround my legs; it wouldn’t be bad but these little devils actually try to bite my legs! They’ve obviously heard about the good fishing in the lake and have launched a protest in the form of attacking my defenseless legs! Since I don’t like to fish (obviously, they haven’t heard!) but I do like to eat fish (well, maybe they have a point!) I usually get my fish from our fish monger or the grocery store.

Recently we had some friends for dinner who are vegetarian (the fish-eating kind) and I wanted to make a fish based Paella; I’ve made this dish before but found it a bit lacking without the use of chorizo so I was thinking…what if I made chorizo from fish using similar spices? The texture isn’t the same, but it did add the punch from the spices that I was looking for. It worked out so well, that I will use this method for other  ‘sausages’ in the future.

A delightful combination of cod, bay scallops, shrimp and salmon chorizo

I am participating again in Our Growing Edge Monthly blogging event; I’ve participated before because I had made the Indonesian Thousand Layer Cake which was pretty out there for me, but since then, I can’t say that I’ve made anything quite so awesome, until now.

Salmon Chorizo

makes three ‘sausages’ about 10 cm long each

Ingredients:

• 120 g drained canned salmon, skinless and boneless
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 egg, beaten
• Saran wrap or thick plastic wrap made for cooking (not microwave as they may contain small holes)
• 3 tbsp canola oil

Directions:

1. In a small food processor, add all the ingredients except the plastic wrap and canola oil and process until it is well mixed.
2. Lay out one piece of plastic wrap about 30 cm x 30 cm (12″ x 12″). Pipe a length of the mixture into the centre of the plastic wrap and fold over one side and smooth out so that it’s taught to the salmon mixture. Now roll the ‘sausage’ up on the plastic wrap.
3. Take each end of the wrap and roll the ends until it is very tightly wound, tie a knot in each end. Repeat until you have rolled all of the ‘sausages’.
4. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat about 10 cm (3″) of water until it is almost boiling. Add each ‘sausage’ to the simmering water and cook for about 10 minutes (you don’t want to boil the water, just simmer).
5. Remove the sausages from the water and drain. Allow to cool completely in the wrap and when cool remove the wrap. The ‘sausage’ should maintain its shape well. Slice into 1 cm (1/2″) thick slices.
6. In a large frying pan, heat the canola oil and fry each side of the ‘sausage’ until desired colour is achieved. Now you are ready to use you salmon chorizo in your recipe.

The egg is the binder in this sausage

The sausage stands up very well in the paella

 

 

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Shrimp Ceviche with Grapefruit, Avocado, Cucumber and Corn

I had an incredible ceviche salad some time ago that Sissi of With a Glass reminded me of with her lovely recipe for her Hot & Cold Rice Bowl with Shrimp, Avocado and Cucumber. This salad combined the wonderful creamy avocado with the tangy citrus of the refreshing grapefruit. I decided I needed to serve something a little off the beaten path for a dinner we were having with our good friends Rae and Monica a couple of Saturdays ago and came up with this refreshing and flavourful recipe that was inspired by our recent trip to NYC. Norma (Garden to Wok), that lettuce you see in the photo is home grown.

To keep things on the healthier side, I didn’t use flour tostadas but instead substituted them with whole wheat flax fajita shells, cut into triangles and broiled for a few minutes to make them crisp, like crackers.

Our first lunch in NYC inspired this recipe. The lettuce you see is home grown.

Serves 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients:

• 150g raw shrimp (20-30 per lb count), shelled, deveined and chopped into equal bite-sized portions
• 1 small ripe avocado, finely diced with about 3 tbsp lime juice sprinkled on it or you can dice the avocado just before serving
• 1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned, seeds removed, juice reserved.
• 1/4 cup of frozen corn (defrosted)
• 1/4 cup of finely diced cucumber
• 2 tbsp toasted unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of sugar or honey
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 4 tbsp avocado paste (recipe can be found here) or use guacamole
• 4 lettuce leaves, washed and stored until serving (we had curly lettuce)
• 1 small fajita shell (we always have whole grain flax)(use gluten free for a GF version)
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped roughly
• 1 tsp fresh mint, chiffonade finely
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mix the juice from the grapefruit and lime juice in a jar with a lid; taste and add sugar to taste. Add the cut shrimp (raw) pieces and coat well. Refrigerate until the shrimp is entirely opaque (it took my shrimp about 4 hours as I left them in about 1/2″ chunks)
2. In another covered jar, mix the grapefruit, corn and cucumber. Reserve in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat the fajita shell lightly in EVOO. Cut into 8 even triangles. Bake each side until the shells are golden, flipping when done. Allow to cool.
4. When you are ready to serve, add the shrimp (and liquid) to the reserved grapefruit, corn and cucumber and mix; add the sesame oil, cayenne pepper, sugar or honey, salt, cilantro and mint. Stir well.
5. Place one lettuce leaf on each plate. Spoon equal amounts of the ceviche into each leaf. Garnish with a lime wedge and sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Take two of the toasted fajita shells and smear a bit of the avocado paste on each one and stack one on top of another. Garnish each plate with one stack of two.

Notes:

1. Ceviche is seafood cooked with acid. It does indeed cook, but it you are squeamish, then pre-cook your shrimp by boiling it until done. Don’t soak it in the grapefruit/lime mix as it will continue to cook and you will have rubbery ceviche. Simply reserve the shrimp in the fridge and dress when you are ready to serve.
2. This recipe calls for a balance of salty, sweet and sour. I keep my ‘dressing’ separate from the raw shrimp so I can taste it until I am satisfied that it is good.

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Cottage Paella

Our nephew Brian and girlfriend Adrienne were over for dinner at The Upper Deck this past weekend and we made Paella! This recipe is a condensed version without the clams and mussells (because of transport time and number of days before we had them!).

• 1 cup brown rice (because it is gluten free)
• 4 small chicken thighs (skinless, boneless is good)
• 2 gluten free sausages
• 1 cup calamari rings
• 12 shrimp (I like to peel and remove tails so you are not having to dive into the food with hands and feet to eat!)
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• salt
• 3 finely minced cloves garlic
• 1/2 frozen peas
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper (into 1/2″ cubes)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (low sodium)
• 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
• 2-3 tbsp EV olive oil
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
• Lemon and lime slices for garnish

Steps 1-4 may be done 2-4 hours in advance.

1. Make a paste out of 1 clove garlic and 1 tsp smoked paprika and salt and spread it over the chicken thighs; set aside.
2. Soak saffron in 2 cups chicken stock for about 10 minutes (or any stock for that matter).
3. Cook rice in saffron soaked chicken stock to about 70% doneness and set aside.
4. BBQ Chicken thighs and Sausage until fully cooked. Set aside in refrigerator. Cut into slightly larger than bite-sized pieces.
5. Just before you wish to serve, preheat oven to 350°F.
6. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onions until translucent. Add remaining garlic and stir just until you can smell its aroma.
7. Add already cooked chicken and sausage.
8. Add rice, peppers, peas and canned tomatoes. Stir well, if too dry, add a bit of the remaining 1 cup chicken stock until a desired wetness is achieved.
9. Add shrimp and calamari and stir well and place into oven for about 10-12 minutes until shrimp is no longer translucent.
10. Stir in chopped parsley and serve with lemon and lime wedges. Serve hot.
11. Enjoy!

Cottage Paella

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