Skinny Beach Fare

Here's a super quick weeknight dinner that's easy and - surpise! - actually kinda healthy. Well, maybe not healthy, per se, what with the mayo-based dunking sauce, but I figure baking and not frying the shrimp allows for some wiggle room. Add a big, summery salad and you've got a beach-worthy feast - sans the guilt.

Unfried Shrimp

1 lb medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper

Cayenne pepper

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 450. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, and salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. In another shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Toss the shrimp in the cornmeal first, shaking off the excess, then dip in the eggs and back in the cornmeal, again shaking them off. Place the shrimp on a lined and oiled baking sheet and bake directly under the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn each shrimp over, cook another minute, then pile on a platter, sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the remoulade.

Spicy Remoulade

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp ketchup

Several dashes of hot sauce

Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together.

Shrimp Noodle Curry

As I'm sure I've mentioned before in this space, Regent has long our hands down favorite Thai restaurant in DC proper. The food is great, the dark wood and tinkly fountains are lovely, and - thank goodness - we can walk to it in ten minutes. Although the menu features a long list of delicious options, we always find ourselves ordering the same comfort-inducing dishes - red curry for Rory, drunken noodles with seafood for me. So when I was trying my hand at homemade Thai, I decided to mix our two favorites. (Although I admit that, having nothing but somen noodles in the house, the dish took on a decidedly Japanese accent). Do try to make it with Thai-style rice noodles if you can...or nix the noodles altogether and just serve it over rice. Rory would approve.

Drunken Curry Noodles with Shrimp
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, finely sliced, white parts only (reserve a few tablespoons of chopped green tops)
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
4 heads baby bok choy, rough chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large pot or dutch oven over high heat. Add the shrimp and saute until almost cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp; set aside. Lower heat to medium. Add the second tablespoon of oil and when hot, add the ginger, garlic and green onions and sweat for several minutes until softened and fragrant. Add curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, and tomatoes, along with half the tomato sauce from the can, and stir to incorporate, mashing the tomatoes as you go. Season with salt and pepper to taste, bring to a simmer, then add bok choy.

While the bok choy is cooking through, cook the noodles according to package instructions, removing 1 minute before complete cooking time. Add noodles to curry sauce, then add shrimp just before serving to finish cooking through. Serve with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

My Fishy Valentine

If, like me, come V Day you avoid fancypants restaurants with overpriced menus in favor of a relaxing meal at home with your spouse/sig other/bff/dog, I have a simple menu suggestion - try serving a whole fish. It's impressive looking, relatively cheap, and, if you can get past the whole head-on, googley eyes thing, it's actually quite romantic to be sharing a meal in the truest sense of the word. Throw some pork and potatoes in there, and what's not to love?

Whole Snapper with Sausage, Potatoes and Olives
Inspired by this month's Saveur magazine
2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and chopped large
2 spicy, pre-cooked sausage links, sliced on the diagonal (I used red pepper/garlic chicken sausage, but chorizo or andouille would also be great)
1 whole cleaned snapper, about 2-3 lbs
1 lemon, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
Several sprigs both fresh parsley and thyme
Salt and pepper
2 handfuls pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup dry white wine
Zest of an orange/clementine, optional

Preheat oven to 450. Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water, just enough to cover, and simmer covered until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Add a dash of olive oil to a large skillet over high heat and add the sausage; saute until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Place a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on a large baking sheet. Pat the fish dry and make three shallow slits on each side; stuff each with a slice of lemon. Place remaining lemon slices and the herbs in the cavity of the fish. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Lay the fish on the baking sheet and surround with potatoes, sausage and olives. Drizzle the olive oil over the fish and then pour the wine around it. Place another layer of heavy duty foil over the fish and crimp up the edges to form a packet (this will allow the wine to help steam the fish). Roast for 30-35 minutes.

To serve, slice open the foil, remove fillets and place each skin side down on a plate, topped with potatoes/sausage/olives and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Shrimp and Two Potato Chowder

This quick dish is an easy twist on a classic winter soup. I originally had a hankering for New England clam chowder, but 1) I had no clams, 2) I can't really eat cream - well I can, but I suffer dearly for it - and 3) I had an overabundance of multi-hued potatoes that needed eating. So, no, it's not clam chowder - not a thing like it really, except that I'm calling it a chowder - but it is delicious, and that's what matters.

Shrimp and Two Potato Chowder

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp garam masala, optional

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut in large cubes

3 or 4 small red or new potatoes, or 1 large russet or Idaho potato, cut into large cubes

Salt and pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1 quart vegetable stock (Kitchen Basics is my favorite)

2 cups whole milk (or cream, or 2 percent, whatever you have on hand - just don't use skim)

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. When shimmering, add the onion and saute, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and all the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and the garam masala, if desired. (It's not necessary, but it gives the soup a certain something - a special depth of spicy, earthy flavor. A little curry powder would also work well). After a few minutes, add the vegetable stock, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits; add the milk, thyme, give the whole thing a stir, and then simmer on medium heat, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Just before serving, add the shrimp - they'll cook through in 1-2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Quick Dish: Fall Hash

If you have some leftover salmon that needs eating, here's a Fall-tastic, 5-ingredient quick dish for you (well, technically it has 8 ingredients, but I figure the s+p and the olive oil are a given). It's oh-so-easy and works great for dinner or brunch. The salmon makes the hash plenty filling on its own, so I suppose the poached egg isn't really necessary, but who wants their hash without that lovely yellow trickle of goo? Not this girl.

Salmon and Sweet Potato Hash

1 bunch of Brussels sprouts, ends and loose outer leaves removed, halved

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 fillets (or about 8 ounces) leftover salmon

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400.

Toss sprouts in a little olive oil and s+p, arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to caramelize evenly.

While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium high heat and add the sweet potato cubes. Saute for about 10 minutes, until tender but still firm and beginning to brown. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, adding a little more olive oil if the pan gets too dry. Add the Brussels sprouts and the salmon and cook until the fish is warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Keep the hash warm while you heat a pan of water for poaching the eggs. (Adding a few drops of vinegar will help the eggs hold together). When the water is simmering, gently slide in the eggs and poach for two minutes, longer if you prefer less runny yolks. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels. Divide the hash between two plates and top each with a poached egg.

Quick Dish: Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut

I am ridiculously tardy in posting about all the wonderful food I got to enjoy whilst honeymooning in Maui, and I promise, it’s coming. But in the meantime, since I’m too lazy to do the full write up, but too antsy what with this election going on to just sit here, I’ll tell you about the so-simple-yet-so-good dinner I made last night, thanks to a package of macadamia nuts I picked up in the duty-free store on the way home.

This is a unique little riff on the ubiquitous pecan-crusted trout, but, if I do say so myself, I think even better. In Hawaii, of course, mahi mahi was the chosen fish, but any flaky white version will do. Just don’t feed the leftovers to your dog. Apparently macadamia nuts are poison to their little systems. Who knew.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut
2 6-ounce filets halibut or other flaky white fish
3/4 cup dry roasted salted macadamia nuts
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350.

Pat the fish filets with a paper towel. Crack the egg into a wide, shallow bowl and beat lightly. Set aside.

Place the macadamia nuts into a zip lock baggie, seal, and pound lightly to crush. Pour the nut pieces into another wide shallow bowl, add the cheese and freshly ground pepper to taste, and stir to combine.

Dip one side of the filets into the egg and then press into the nut/cheese mixture, patting down gently to adhere the coating.

Place a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat and add olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the fish, nut side down, and sauté for about 2 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Flip the fish over and transfer the pan into the oven. Cook until the fish is flaky white, but not overdone, about 6-8 minutes.

Serve with a leafy green salad, preferably with balsamic vinaigrette.

Quick Dish - Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Calamari

Although the flavors in this quick dish are resolutely Thai, I’m a big fan of using kishimen noodles – a Japanese wheat noodle that’s slightly thicker and wider than udon. (I buy my kishimen at Daruma, a great little Japanese market in Bethesda that also has wonderful takeout. Check out Sietsema’s review of Daruma here). You can use whatever rice pasta you prefer; just be sure to check the cooking instructions on the package, as some noodles just need a quick soak rather than boiling.


3 garlic cloves
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
Scant 1/3 cup fish sauce
½ cup lime juice
1 large tomato, rough chopped
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro
8 oz rice noodles
1 lb medium shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1 lb calamari rings, thawed
½ cup unsalted dry roasted almond slivers
Extra cilantro for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil (do not add salt).

In a large bowl, add first five ingredients; stir to dissolve sugar. Toss in tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. Set aside to let flavors combine.

Add the rice noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove noodles from pot and transfer to bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook just until firm, about 1 minute. Remove and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Add the calamari and cook just until firm, only about 45 seconds (be careful not to overcook – tough calamari is the worst). Transfer the calamari to the cold water bowl with the shrimp.

Drain the noodles and add them to the sauce. Add the seafood and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds and cilantro and serve.