This meal turned out to be incredibly easy, but looks impressive enough to be served for a stay-at-home date night.
Rose hips are a quintessential Alaskan ingredient. Wild roses can be found in nearly everybody’s back yard, always lovely but sometimes also a bushy, thorny nuisance. Their fruit, which is best harvested after the first frost of fall, is packed full of vitamin C and perfect for a deliciously tart jelly. Growing up, many of the older women I knew often made this traditional product. Here in Portland, the City of Roses, I saw a plethora of rose hips all last fall but never quite got up the gumption to go pick the two quarts I’d need for my mother’s recipe. Therefore, when I was contemplating how I could incorporate rose hips into a savory seafood dish, I found myself purchasing a jar of German rose hip fruit spread that I found in the international section at Fred Meyers.
For the Shrimp:
3/4 – 1 lb. of large 16/20 count shrimp
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a cup of rose hip fruit spread
2.5 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon habanero hot sauce (I used Secret Aardvark Trading Co.)
For Beet Zucchini Quinoa Salad:
1 large golden beet
1 medium to large zucchini
1 cup prepared quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup of quinoa
1 teaspoon chicken bullion
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Chèvre for garnish
Peel desired amount of shrimp for two people. For this recipe I got about half a pound of 16/20 count shrimp which ended up being 4 larger shrimp each. It was so delicious though, that next time I will definitely get more. To be on the safe side I’d say a whole pound would be enough to for each person to have seconds. Make sure each shrimp is peeled and deveined and has been rinsed in cold water and then patted dry with paper towels. You always want your protein dry before you put it in a pan to sear.
To prepare the salad begin by using a sharp knife to cut the beet and the zucchini into matchstick sized pieces. In about a tablespoon of olive oil begin cooking the beets first as they will take longer to cook. Add a pinch of kosher salt and cook on high, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the pieces begin to soften. Next add the zucchini, which will require another 3-5 minutes to cook before adding the prepared quinoa. Stir to combine, add pepper, and taste to make sure it is salty enough. When you go to plate the salad place a large dollop of chèvre on on top of each portion. Garnish if desired with minced green onions or chives for some color.
For the shrimp, preheat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet before adding the washed and dried shrimp to the pan. In a separate bowl combine jelly, vinegar and hot sauce. Place the shrimp in the skillet and sprinkle with a large pinch of kosher salt. Cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp turn pink and just finish turning opaque throughout. Right before the shrimp finish cooking add the sauce to the pan. It with bubble and begin to thicken almost immediately so remove the pan from the heat as soon as you add the glaze. Place shrimp on plate and drizzle with the remaining pan sauce.
A deliciously creamy seafood dish perfect for a cold and rainy day!
In my mom’s cookbook there exists a recipe for “Shrimp Curry”. It’s something one can imagine eating at a 70’s dinner party along with an iceberg lettuce wedge salad. I’ve heard her say on multiple occasions, “Can you believe that’s what we used to call curry?” Just a few of it’s ingredients for example are a can of cream of mushroom soup, miniature shrimp (the tiny ones that come pre-cooked), and a scant teaspoon of curry powder. It is to be served with condiments including raisins, shredded coconut and diced apple.
1995 might have been the last time mom made this hilariously awful creation. Sometime in the middle of the 90s my parents were introduced to hot sauces beyond Tabasco, we started traveling to Mexico, and the “Arugula Revolution” began. Suddenly my family’s palate became a lot more varied, and this dated “curry” dish became downright unappetizing. Every now and then I am reminded of it though, and about a year ago on a whim of about 75% nostalgia and 25% hunger I attempted to make and updated version of it.
Here’s my 21st century version. Still homey, but much less sodium and a lot fresher.
1 pound of 26-30 count de-veined tiger/white shrimp
1 Tbsp dice garlic
1 Tbsp ginger paste
1Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups crimini mushrooms sliced thin
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 Tbsp of all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. of curry powder
2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
a couple generous squirts of Sriracha based on desired heat level
1 cup diced apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup diced pineapple
In a saucepan on medium heat combine the oil, onion and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and saute until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender. Add the curry powder, mix with a spoon and allow the spice to cook and mingle with the veggies for about 30 seconds. Next add the butter and as soon as it is melted add the flour. Mix together to form the beginnings of a roux and have the milk ready on the side. As soon as the flour is fully mixed into the melted butter begin adding the milk a little bit at a time, creating a thick gravy. Once all of the milk is gone and the sauce has begun to simmer add the sour cream. Stir, adding salt, pepper, and Sriracha to taste and then set aside.
In a separate saute pan heat up about a tablespoon of oil. Once the pan is hot add the garlic, ginger, and shelled shrimp. Saute for about 4-5 minutes or until the shrimp are completely pink and starting to crisp up. Add the lime juice, some more Sriracha (if desired) and salt to taste.
The condiments can be prepped ahead of time. I prefer my curry sprinkled with a little bit of sweetened shredded coconut, golden raisins, crunchy diced apple, and diced or crushed pineapple. This adds a sweetness to the otherwise savory gravy.
Lavender is a staple of many Alaskan’s herb gardens. It can easily be grown in a pot on the porch or in a window box in and apartment. Besides it’s numerous therapeutic qualities, used sparingly, it can be a delicious addition to many dishes and drinks.
3/4 a cup of softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers
zest of half a lime
Combine softened butter, sugar, lavender and lime zest until completely incorporated. Next add the flour, using your fingers to mix everything together until the dough can be formed into a ball. If the dough is still crumbly add a couple teaspoons of melted butter. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until 1/2 inch thick. Cut in desired shape and bake for 20 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350°F.
This ice cream isn’t too hard to master but all your friends will me amazed when you tell them you made this yourself!
A couple of years ago I went berry picking in the fall with my friend Jenn (I wont tell you where! It’s a secret, of course!). I don’t have a ton of patience for sitting in one spot monotonously picking pea-sized things off the ground, so I only managed to get about a quart of blueberries. When I brought them home I found I also did not have the patience to pick all of the teeny-tiny stems off the berries so I took the lazy way out. I blended them, stems and all. I then ran the puree through cheese cloth sitting in a mesh strainer. What I ended up getting out of all that was about two cups of thick blueberry puree.
I froze this for about 4 months and dug it out of the freezer for a New Years dinner. I used about half of it for a blueberry gastrique I made with lamb, and the rest seemed like enough to keep, but I had no clue what for.
We’ve had a Cuisinart ice cream maker for about two years (one that Nina generously gave me), and I never had managed to churn out anything good. Well I let my very precise husband loose on the machine and whereas I had always simply eyeballed the recipes, my husband managed to create a masterpiece of a dark chocolate stout ice cream. A remembered the blueberries and a light bulb seemed to go off in my head! Make ice cream with it, my brain screamed! But of course I am not the ice cream master, so I sat there as my dear husband concocted this blissful creation.
Seriously though. MAKE YOUR OWN ICE CREAM. It’s so creamy, and rich, and you can put anything you want in it! The key is in the custard!
Note: Best results come from putting your freezing canister in the bottom of a chest freezer for 24 hours, or better yet, put in outside in Fairbanks, Alaska in the middle of January!
Ingredients:
1 cup milk (we used 2%)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup blueberry puree
1/2 sugar (for the blueberries)
Instructions:
First heat up the blueberry puree with about 1/2 a cup of sugar, just to get the sugar to dissolve. In another pot mix milk, salt, and sugar and heat on medium low until steam starts to rise off of it. You can still stick your finger in the mixture at this point, but it’s pretty hot. In a separate bowl whisk four egg yolks until they are completely broken apart and a slightly lighter color. VERY SLOWLY pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs a little bit at a time as you whisk continually. Once all of the milk is incorporated pour the egg/milk mixture back into the pot and mix constantly with a wooden spoon until it begins to thicken. When it’s about the viscosity of maple syrup try the wooden spoon test. Pick your spoon up out of the mixture and run your finger horizontally over the back of the spoon. If the custard on top of the line doesn’t run down over the gap your finger made then it’s ready. Pour the custard through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Finally whisk in the heavy cream and the cooled blueberry sauce. Toss into ice cream maker and mix for about 30 minutes. When it is done it should be about the consistency of soft serve. Place into a storage container and freeze until it firms up completely.
The best ceviche I ever had was at a fine dining restaurant in Miami. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant now, but I can remember that the fish was cobia and it was tart and sweet and that it was topped with an icy asian pear granita. It was like walking in the desert and then suddenly coming across an oasis filled with sparkling, ice cold citrus water. I wanted to ask them to serve me 15 more plates of it and then tell them to kill me because I would never be able to taste something so delicious again. Of course I’m exaggerating, and I did live to taste other purely transcendental foods, but this memory will always be one of my favorites because it was one of my first times of experiencing true food nirvana.
My own go-to ceviche recipe is down right homey in comparison. I like to imagine it’s close to what you’d get served from a shack on a beach in Mexico along with an ice-cold cerveza. It’s a messy mishmash of comforting latin flavors and if you ‘d let me, I’d eat a gallon of it and horde it all to myself.
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 one red onion, minced
1/2 of one jalapeño, minced
10 medium sized limes, juiced
1 large navel orange, juiced
1 avocado, mashed
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, minced
1 lb. of a white-fleshed fish, shrimp, or octopus*
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
a pinch of pepper
a drizzle of olive oil
Instructions:
First prepare all of your veggies. Mince the onion and the jalapeño (making sure not to get any on your hands, use gloves if necessary). Slice the tomato lengthwise and remove all of the seeds before laying them flat and dicing them. They should definitely be cut larger than the onions, but be sure not to make them too large. Pull off a large handful of cilantro leaves and place them on your cutting board. Chop roughly with a sharp knife, making sure to stir up the mixture and run your blade through multiple times. In a separate bowl remove the avocado from it’s skin and mash it with a fork until there are no chunks left and it is very creamy. Using a citrus press juice the ten limes and one orange. You should have about a cup of citrus juice per pound of fish. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl adding your honey, salt and pepper, and olive oil last. The mixture will look slightly cloudy from the avocado. Taste mixture and adjust flavor as necessary. Finally take your fish (I used turbot this time) and slice it into 1 inch by 1/2 inch chunks. Combine with everything else and stir thoroughly, completely submerging all pieces of the fish in the liquid. Place in the fridge and allow it to cure for at least one hour.
*If you have just gone fishing and have fish or shrimp you caught with 12 hours this is the best possible protein to have. Second best would be purchasing sashimi grade or flash frozen at sea. Fish, shrimp and even sea scallop can be put into the ceviche raw and left to cure, but octopus must be cooked first. Google cooking instructions for octopus if you want to go this route.
We are both born and raised in Alaska, land of the midnight sun and fishing at 2am. We love to find new ways to use fresh ingredients or put a modern spin on an old Alaskan classic. We hope you will enjoy tasting Alaska.
We are both born and raised in Alaska, land of the midnight sun and fishing at 2am. We love to find new ways to use fresh ingredients or put a modern spin on an old Alaskan classic. We hope you will enjoy tasting Alaska.