The Magic of Spice Rubs

Spice rubs provide rich deep flavor to many foods.  They can liven things up and make a dish outstanding.  They can range from quite hot and robust to mild and sweet.  There are various versions depending on the kind of meat you use.

The rub acts as a dry marinade and can be made from whole toasted spices or a blend of dried ground herbs and spices.  You can buy commercial blends in supermarkets or specialty food stores, however, they can be too salty for my taste.

Despite what many new cooks may think, spice rubs are easy to make at home.  An added bonus is that they can be stored for about 3 or 4 months.  So make your own magic.  Just make sure you measure out what you need so you do not contaminate the rest.

You can choose just about any herbs and spices for mixing like marjoram, thyme, savory, oregano, paprika, nutmeg, Italian seasoning ginger, sage and garlic powder.  Spice rubs are good on pork chops, duck, roast pork, leg of lamb, beef tenderloin and grilled fish steaks.

Check out the magic of spice rubs.  See what it does for your food. Here is a blend I like especially to add some excitement to a whole chicken or parts:

Spice Rub for Chicken

2 Tbs dried Italian seasoning
1 Tbs dried thyme
2 Tbs dried crushed rosemary
2 Tbs garlic powder
2 Tbs dried parsley flakes
1 Tbs freshly ground peppercorn blend (like Trader Joe's brand)
1 tsp red pepper flakes or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix in a small bowl.  Place in an airtight jar.

Makes about 2/3 cup.

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Baked Shad and Pancake Day: Memories of the Coming of Spring

Every year when Fat Tuesday comes, heralding the beginning of Mardi Gras and also Lenten season, I remember back to my childhood.  Spring was fast approaching.  Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent, was called Pancake Day at my house.  It was the day when we ate pancakes for dinner. Pancake Day is celebrated in many places around the world.


As a rule, we had fish every Friday in my family.  When it was Lent, however, we would have also have fish on Wednesdays.  That was just fine with me.  My mom would often bake shad, a rather large fish from the waters of the Atlantic.  I must admit that this was not my favorite fish dish, covered with a tomato sauce.  However, I was overruled and did eat it.  Liked the fish itself, except for the many bones, I just could not reconcile tomato sauce over my fish. To get the bones to soften, you have to cook them for a long time.


Shad, though, also meant having shad roe, which I did love. I still love it; I just don't eat it anymore.  It is soooo rich.  Anyway, the big thing for me was that Shad meant that Spring was upon us! Yea!


I looked back at on my mom's old cookbooks to see if I could reconstruct the Baked Shad recipe.  This is close, I believe.  I admit, that I do not add sauce to mine.  I'm more likely to top whole baked fish with lemon and onion slices and dill.  However, since this is a "memory lane" type recipe, I'll stick with the original
Nope, I think I'll go with mine.  You can add tomato sauce over the top, if you like.

Baked Shad with(out) Tomato Sauce

1 large Shad, about 4 lbs

Olive or canola oil

Garlic salt and pepper

1 medium onion, sliced

Dried dill flakes

2 lemons, sliced

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175C).  Gas mark 6.   Wash and dry fish.  I always have the head removed by the fishmonger.  Lay half of the sliced onions and 1 sliced lemon on the bottom of a well-oiled baking pan or oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle fish with garlic salt, dill and pepper and lay on top of the lemon and onion slices.  Brush top and sides of fish generously with oil.   Place remaining slices of onion and lemon on top of fish.  Sprinkle with dried dill flakes.   Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to bottom of pan.  

Cover pan with aluminum foil.  Cook for 2 hours.  Be careful of bones!

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Charging On with San Diego Style Fish Tacos

A friend of mine is a San Diego native--hard to find out here in DC-for me, at least.  so, I asked her what a San Diego food would be.  She said that the locals love fish tacos, the likes of which she can't find here, although she keeps trying.  You can get them grilled, however, Robbye says there is nothing like San Diego fried fish tacos in a beer batter.  They are made with whitefish fillets such as cod, tilapia, halibut and even, mahi mahi. Since she doesn't cook, I searched for a recipe.  There are some some that are simpler, however, this looked authentic from what Robbye described.

San Diego Fish Tacos Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup beer
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 - 8 ounce whitefish fillets cut cross-wise into 6 pieces
1 small to medium sweet onion such as Vidalia, 4 to 8 ounces
10 sprigs cilantro
1/2 cup light or regular mayonnaise
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 small head green cabbage, 12 to 16 ounces
2 ripe but firm avocados
1 lime
1 12-ounce jar medium-hot salsa
12 flour tortillas, about 8 inches in diameter

Directions:

1. Put the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Combine the beer, egg, and flour in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir in the mustard, cayenne, salt, and several grindings of black pepper. Put 6 pieces of fish in the batter, coat well, and add to the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes, turn the pieces, and cook for 3 more minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined platter. Repeat with the remaining 6 pieces. Reduce the heat if needed to prevent burning.

2. While the fish cooks, peel and quarter the onion and remove the leaves from the cilantro sprigs. Put the onion and cilantro in a food processor and pulse several times, or until coarsely chopped. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt tot he processor and pulse just once or twice to combine. Put the onion-mayonnaise sauce in a small bowl.

3. Halve the cabbage lengthwise and remove the core from each half. Place each half, flat side down, on a cutting surface and cut into thin shreds with a chef's knife. (Or shred using the large holes of a four-sided grater or the grating attachment of a food processor.) You should have about 4 cups. Put the cabbage in a small bowl.

4. Halve, pit, and peel the avocados. Cut each half lengthwise into six slices. Lay the slices on a small plate. Cut the lime into 4 wedges and put in a small dish. Put the salsa in a small bowl with a slotted spoon (so you won't get a lot of liquid in your tacos).

5. Bring all the ingredients for the tacos to the table and allow diners to make tacos one at a time as follows: Put a few tablespoons cabbage in the middle of each tortilla. Top with 1 piece of fish, 1 tablespoon of the onion-mayonnaise sauce, 1 tablespoon salsa, 2 avocado slices, and a squeeze of lime. Fold, eat and enjoy.

Serves 4.

This recipe is from the book, Cooking to Beat the Clock by Sam Gugino.

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Catfish is Not Just for Fridays Anymore

When I was growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, we usually had fish on Fridays. We might have had it on other days, however, I seem to remember that Friday was the night for fish. Especially during Lent. Sometimes we would have baked Rockfish, also known as striped bass or hardheads (Atlantic croaker) because they were larger than the perch or spot. My mom would bake them with a tomato sauce.

I must say that the baked fish was my least favorite way for her to cook fish. I liked the sauce by itself and the fish by itslef, but together they almost wanted to make me gag. I used to wonder why she would ruin great fish like that. Now, of course, my palette has become more sophisticated and I enjoy fish with a tomato sauce from time to time. I don't usually cook it that way except perhaps when I saute catfish with fresh tomatoes and grenn or red peppers.

Although I loved the different kinds of fish we had, catfish was my favorite. After my dad would skin them, my mother would fry them. They were so sweet. I would be hard pressed to eat catfish from the waters now. The waters of the Chesapeake Bay where I grew up were much cleaner then. I still buy them, however, now catfish are farm raised. I keep catfish in my freezer, either fillets or in "nuggets," because I might have a catfish "attack" at any time, even for Sunday dinner. I generally fry the fillets (See photo above) and vary the seasonings; the nuggets are great fried, stewed or sautéed. Catfish is not just for Fridays any longer.   Even my restaurant favorites cannot rival my pan-fried catfish.  Yum!

Fish and Seafood Cooking Tips from A Former Personal Chef

When I was a personal chef, the overwhelming request I got from my clients was for my seafood recipes. No matter what dietary challenges they faced, most could eat some kind of seafood. Many of the clients wanted tips for fish and seafood recipes so they could cook them on their own. Here are some general tips.

1. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that fish are very delicate and can spoil easily and quickly. Keep your seafood in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it.

2. No matter what you may see on TV, keep cooked and raw fish separate when you are preparing a meal to avoid cross-contamination. And, make sure you wash your hands after handling raw seafood.

3. Fish will continue to cook even after you take it off the heat, so remove it just before it is done.

4. As I mentioned fish is very delicate, so turn it over only once so it will not fall apart. Fish cooks quickly and can dry out, so do not overcook.

5. Fish and seafood are versatile. They can be baked, broiled, sautéed, grilled, poached, made into stews and soups or cakes and salads. They can be pan fried or deep-fried and even smoked.

6. When frying fish, make sure to use a good quality oil that will not burn quickly. Many cooks use peanut oil because it has a higher heat rate. It does not burn as quickly as others and you can use it several times if you keep it refrigerated. I also use canola oil, however, it cannot be used more than once or twice, because it burns very quickly. Vegetable oil is my last resort.

7. Shell fish such as oysters, mussels and clams, should be cooked until the shells open, and then generally only about 30 seconds more. If they do not open, throw them away!

8. Shrimp should be cooked only until they turn pink. If using in a stew or soup, add them last. If they turn pink before the dish has finished cooking, remove them, because they will get rubbery.

I love seafood. My favorite fish of all is catfish. I love them fried, in a stew or sauteed with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. You can cook your favorite seafood, too. I hope these tips will help.

Anchovies: A Mediterranean Essential

Many people turn up their noses at the thought of anchovies. Either they have had a bad experiences with the fishy taste or someone did not know how to use them to bring out their delicious flavor.

I am an anchovy lover from way back. The first time I had them was when I was in college and had them on a pizza. I thought the taste was pretty weird at first. However, I tried them again and just loved them.

They add so much flavor to meats and poultry. They are just great in mashed potatoes and in sauces. They are extremely popular in Mediterranean cooking and especially in Italian and Spanish cooking and recipes.

Here is a delicious recipe from the cookbook, Mediterranean, published by Hermes House

Olive and Anchovy Bites

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chilled butter
1 cup finely grated cheese, such as
Manchego or Gruyere
2-ounce can anchovy fillets in oil,
drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt

Makes 40-45

1. Place the flour, butter, cheese, anchovies, olives and cayenne pepper in a food processor.
2. Wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap. Chill for 20 minutes
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured surface.
4. Cut the dough into 2-inch-wide strips, then cut across each strip diagonally, in alternate directions, to make triangles. Place on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

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3 Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwiches

You do not have to always follow a recipe exactly. There are times when I want to try out a recipe, yet, there are ingredients I do not have on hand. So, I improvise, because there is a certain taste I want. ( I rarely do this with baking unless I am just testing)

For example: When I have smoked Salmon available and I do not have bagels, I use what I have. I mix up a Dijon dressing or I may use store-bought creamy Horseradish sauce.

So, for breakfast this morning, I had this smoked Salmon sandwich:

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwich #1

Smoked Salmon pieces or slices.
Sliced tomatoes
Laughing Cow Swiss
A fried egg
A Dijon mustard dressing (See below)

Toast the bread
Spread one slice with Laughing Cow Light Swiss
Pile on Salmon pieces
Add sliced tomatoes
Fry an egg in olive oil
Add to sandwich
Slather Dijon dressing on remaining slice of bread
Cut in half
Enjoy!

Dijon Dressing

3 TB Light or Low Fat Mayonaise
2 TB Dijon Mustard (More or less to taste)
Mix until smooth

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwich #2

Whole Wheat Mini Bagels
Smoked Salmon pieces
Brie cheese

This one is so easy. For budget concerns, use Trader Joe's Smoked Salmon pieces and Trader Joe's brand Brie. They also have packages of wheat and white mini bagels. This little sandwich is also a simple lunch to carry to work or to a pot-luck brunch. Guests devour them!

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwich #3

Bagel or Whole Wheat Toast
Smoked Salmon
Brie or Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb Cheese
Thin slice onion
Tomato slice
Dijon Dressing (See above)

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