Coastal Carolina Sushi

For this dinner I decided to take a play on the Carolina Sushi I made for a menu years ago (Carolina style pulled pork, coleslaw, wrapped in a mustard green leaf) and went with a healthier, coastal, version that was fish driven.

This dinner was pretty simple in the execution:

Ingredients
1 bunch collard greens
1 package Carolina yellow rice
3/4 pound fresh red snapper.

I broiled the snapper and made the rice according to the recipe.  With about five minutes left I chopped the stems off of four large collard green leaves (and shaved down the rib a little bit) and then steamed them in a covered sauté pan.

Once the leaves were steamed through, I laid them flat and then put a quarter of the fish and a large spoonful of the rice (spread flat) on each leaf and then rolled it tightly.  I the sliced them into 1 1/2 inch pieces (slicing with the roll so not to unravel them) and then plated and served with Frank's red hot as a dipping sauce.  It turned out amazing, try it yourself and enjoy!

                             

Surprisingly light: fish and pasta for summer

Once summer time rolls around I like to do a lot of grilled or broiled fish, but I don't always want a heavy bean or potato starch to go with it.  Typically I'll use pasta instead, with a nice light sauce that I make up depending what's handy and fresh.  I did a couple of dinners the last two weeks that were a great example of this.

For this first dinner, I started with a small can of tomato sauce and some garlic.  I mashed some fresh garlic and then put that and the sauce into a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.  After about 5 minutes I added a tablespoon of water, about 1 tablespoon of diced fresh basil, and a pinch each of dried oregano, salt and pepper.  I plated the pasta, fish & veg and then topped everything off with the sauce before adding a dollop of ricotta to the pasta.

For this second dish I wanted to make use of some shrimp I had in the fridge so I roughly chopped them and then tossed them into a hot pan with some sliced garlic and butter.  I cooked the shrimp and garlic this way for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.  I turned the heat down to low and added a half cup of white wine.  I allowed the wine to cook down a bit while I was cooking the rest of the meal and then I plated everything but the sauce.  Once I was ready I removed from heat and stirred in a tbsp of ricotta cheese until just melted and then I spooned the sauce over the dish and was ready to enjoy!

What sort of hash does one serve with fish? Read and see ...

Not everyone finds fish to be as exciting as I do without accompaniments, for my regular readers you will know that Shells falls into this category.  For this dinner I decided to forgo my regular salsa or sauce topper and went with a take on a hash instead.  For this hash I used a potato base with a mix of veggies and, of course, some garlic.  I served it with a piece of broiled red snapper.

Onion & Pepper Hash

2 small yellow potatoes

1 small yellow onion

6 cloves of garlic

20 shishito peppers

1 Tbsp olive oil

Chop all of the veggies into bite sized pieces, keep the potato separate and soak in water for 30 minutes, drain and allow to sit in a colander for 30 minutes.  Slice the garlic cloves.  Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat and once hot add your potatoes.  Use a wooden spoon, or spatula, to keep moving the potatoes around for a few minutes or so to prevent them from sticking, after about 10 minutes add the onion and shishito peppers.  Continue to stir and agitate the mix for another 5 minutes and then add the garlic.  Cook for another 5 - 10 minutes (until everything is as browned and done as you'd like) and then serve and enjoy!