Shrimp Pasta

On a warm summer night what could possibly be better than a Margarita served along with Guacamole and Chips? This is the ultimate Los Angeles sunset experience! I am absolutely convinced that our margaritas are the best. I squeeze 1 lemon over ice in a glass, add 1 portion of Tequila - I only use Tequila Hacienda Vieja and ½ portion of Combier Original Orange Triple Sec. I don't want to go all purist on you, HOWEVER, There can be no substitution of these two liquors in my mind. Thats all there is, use what ever portion you like but keep the ratio 1 part Tequila to ½ part Combier. No Salt! No Sugar Water! Just stir and drink, and feel the days tension melt away!

We use the recipe from The Border Cookbook. It is the best!

For the main course we made Shrimp In Spicy Lime Sauce. It is an excellent easy to make pasta.

Shrimp In Spicy Lime Sauce

Time: 20 to 30 minutes

About 1/2 cup lime juice (3 or 4 limes)

¼        cup sugar

1         tablespoon salt, or to taste

2         tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grape seed

1         teaspoon minced garlic

½        teaspoon crushed red chili flakes, or to taste

1-1/2  pounds peeled shrimp, or 3 pounds head-on shrimp, left unpeeled

Minced cilantro for garnish.

1.        In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar and salt. Place oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet, and turn the heat to high. A minute later, add the garlic and chili flakes and cook the garlic until it just begins to brown. Immediately add the lime juice mixture all at once, and cook until it reduces by half, or even more, 3 to 5 minutes. There should be only about 1/4 cup of liquid in the skillet, and it should be syrupy.

        Add the shrimp, and cook over high heat. The shrimp will give off liquid of their own and begin to turn pink almost immediately. After about 2 minutes, stir contents of pan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until all the shrimp are pink, about 4 minutes total. Taste, adjust seasoning, garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Yield: 4 servings.

Steamed Salmon and Potatoes

We made this very simple recipe for Oven-Steamed Salmon from the New York Times. The key was having excellent Wild Salmon, which we purchased from McCall's Meat and Fish. We steamed Little Potatoes to go with the salmon. We made a Sauce Gribiche to top the salmon. You can get the recipe for Sauce Gribiche from our blog of: June 4, 2016. Click the date to get the recipe.

Oven-Steamed Salmon

New York Times

This simple way to roast salmon brings spectacular results with hardly any worry on the cook's part. The Mediterranean cookbook author Paula Wolfert learned it from the French chef Michel Bras, and it rises and falls on the thinness of the sheet pan. A pan of water delivers enough moisture to steam the fish briefly at a low temperature, producing a final product that is soft and deliciously juicy. It adapts easily to almost any salmon fillet. Emily Kaiser Thelin, who includes it in her biography of Ms. Wolfert, "Unforgettable," says a center-cut of wild-caught Alaska king works best and suggests pairing it with a salad or cracked green olive relish.

Ingredients

8      ounces cracked green olives, pitted, rinsed and coarsely chopped

2      tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾     cup walnuts, finely chopped by hand

2      green onions, white and light green parts, minced

¼     cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

⅛     teaspoon mild red pepper flakes, preferably Aleppo or Marash, or more to taste

2      teaspoons pomegranate concentrate or molasses

1      tablespoon fresh lemon juice

 Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½     cup fresh or thawed frozen pomegranate seeds

Preparation

1.   Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and a second rack in the upper third. Heat the oven to between 225 and 275 degrees. Grease a thin sheet pan with olive oil.

2.   Carefully place a frying pan of just-boiled water on the lower oven rack. Arrange the salmon on the prepared sheet pan, season generously with salt and pepper, and place on the upper oven rack. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 110 degrees for rare, 115 degrees for medium-rare, or 125 degrees for medium. This should take 10 to 12 minutes for 5-ounce fillets or 20 to 25 minutes for a 2 1/2-pound fillet. (The color of the salmon will not turn dull, and the texture will be very juicy.)

3.   Transfer the salmon to a platter or one or more individual plates and season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle with chives, if using, and serve.

Asparagus Pasta

\

One of the joys of late spring is when Asparagus comes into the market. Every year we make Asparagus Pasta at least once when Asparagus is at its peak. You can get the recipe from our blog of April 17, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.