Don't These Peppers Look Great! |
We were planning to make a new dish: Grilled Brined Halibut.
In addition I had bought several peppers that I wanted to grill. Scott had left
for Taipei and we knew that Tom was home alone. Cathy and I along with Robert
and had gone swimming. The weather has been extremely hot, so we really enjoyed
the cool dip. We decided to invite Tom over for dinner. We also invited Robert,
but he had planned to cook a Roast Chicken that night. So, we decided to join forces
and have a dinner with multiple entries. The chicken was exceptional!
I had purchased some beautiful peppers at the Farmer's Market and Grilled them to make: SIGNORA BIMBI'S PEPPERS (I Peperoni delta Signora Bimbi) from The Itialian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. You can get the recipe from our blog of: May 19, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.
We had some of the Eggplant Lasagna leftover and decided to
reheat it and serve. We still thought there might not be enough food for all of
us, so we went to McCall’s Meat and Fish to see what they had available. We finally decided
up scallops. Cathy found a great recipe for Grilled Scallops and Plums with Sweet Mirin Barbecue Sauce from License to Grill by Schlesinger and Willoughby and which we made.
Robert brought his chicken which was great. Surprisingly we like the scallops
better than the Halibut.
The scallop recipe is a keeper!
Grilled
Scallops and Plums with Sweet Mirin Barbecue Sauce
License
to Grill
Schlesinger
and Willoughby
SERVES 4
When
I grill scallops, I like to use the largest kind. People may frown and say that
smaller ones taste better, but to me the big ones taste great—and they're a lot
cheaper, too. Not only that, but the size really helps us in grilling because
the sea scallop is able to spend enough time over a hot fire to catch a
flavorful sear without overcooking. I also like to blanch them just briefly to
firm them up slightly so they don't stick to the grill.
Here
we put a Japanese spin on scallops, with some grilled plums and a sweet mirin
sauce. If you can get dead-on fresh scallops, a bit of undercooking is appropriate
here.
2
pounds sea scallops (the largest you can find), cleaned
For the Sauce
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup mirin (or substitute sweet vermouth or
sweet sherry)
½ cup rice wine vinegar (or substitute 1/4 cup
each water and white vinegar)
¼ cup soy sauce
6 to 10 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and freshly cracked
black pepper to taste
4 plums, halved and pitted
1 lime, quartered
1. In a medium saucepan, bring
2 quarts salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop in the scallops and blanch
for 1 minute. Drain and thread onto skewers.
2. Make the sauce: In a small
bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
3. Rub the scallops with the
oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and grill over a medium-hot fire
for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until brown and slightly
4. crisp on the outside. To
check for doneness: Cut into one of the scallops; it should be just opaque all
the way through. Be careful not to overcook, or they will toughen.
5. As the scallops are cooking,
place the plums cut side down on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes per
side, until slightly seared, lust as the scallops and the plums are almost
finished cooking, brush both generously with the sauce.
6. Remove the scallops and
plums from the grill and slide the scallops off the skewers. Serve each person
2 plum halves and one quarter of the scallops, garnished with a lime wedge.
Pass the remaining sauce separately.
latimes.com
Recipe:
Grilled brined halibut with vine-ripened tomato salad
August
11, 2012
Total
time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus brining and refrigerating time for the fillets
Servings:
6 to 8
Note:
This recipe requires the use of a kitchen scale. Opal basil is available at
select gourmet and farmers markets.
Brined
halibut
50
grams salt (scant ¼ cup)
600
grams water (generous 2¼ cups)
400
grams ice cubes (scant 4 cups)
3
pounds center-cut skinless halibut fillet
1/4
cup mayonnaise
1.
Combine salt and water in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve the salt.
Add ice. Set the brine aside while you prepare the fish.
2.
Cut the fish into 2½-inch wide by 1-inch thick strips along the length of the
fillet. (After brining, you'll cut the fish into cooking portions). Be sure to
use the sharpest knife in the drawer for this and work slowly and carefully.
Remove the blood line from the skin side of the fillets. Place the fillets in
the brine and leave for 1 hour.
3.
Remove the fish from the brine, dip briefly in salt-free ice water and dry it
thoroughly with paper towels. Lay the fillets out flat on parchment-lined
baking sheets and refrigerate, unwrapped, for a minimum of 4 hours.
4.
Cut the fillets into 5- to 6-ounce portions, and prepare as you wish.
5.
To grill the halibut, heat the grill over medium-high heat until hot and clean
it well with a wire brush. Brush both sides of the fish with a very thin
coating of mayonnaise and sprinkle with salt, if desired.
6.
Just before putting the fish on the grill, wipe down the grate with an old rag
that has been briefly dipped in cooking oil. Place the fish on the grill and,
after a minute or so, turn the fillets at a 45-degree angle to mark them. After
another minute, flip the fillets. Cook for 2 more minutes. The flesh should
yield to gentle pressure when pressed (you can also use a cake tester to test
the doneness of the fillet; when the fish is properly cooked, a cake tester
will pass through with only gentle resistance).
7.
Remove the fish to rest, preferably on a rack, for 5 minutes before serving.
Tomato
salad
1
tablespoon Dijon mustard
6
tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1
pinch sugar
Salt
and pepper to taste
1
small clove garlic, green germ removed, finely minced
1
1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1
pound haricots vert (French green beans), stem ends trimmed
1
pound various varieties of tomatoes (try for a mix of types, sizes and colors)
Maldon
salt, or other coarse sea salt
1
shallot, finely minced
15
large green basil leaves, cut in ¼-inch ribbons
15
large opal basil leaves, cut in ¼-inch ribbons (or substitute more green basil
leaves)
1/2
bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
25
tarragon leaves, snipped with scissors
1.
Prepare the vinaigrette. Place the mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and
garlic in a mason jar. Place the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. This
will dissolve the salt and the sugar. Remove the cap, add the oil, relace the
cap and shake again. This will yield about 1 1/3 cups of creamy,
well-emulsified vinaigrette, more than will be required for the recipe (the
remainder can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for at least 1
week).
2.
Blanch the green beans briefly in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water
and cook just until the color brightens, about 1 minute. Remove to a bowl of
ice water to stop the cooking, then drain and pat dry.
3.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a large serving platter. Depending on
the shape of the tomatoes, you may want to cut some into wedges and others may
look better sliced. Season the tomatoes with Maldon salt and a few turns of
freshly milled black pepper. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the chopped shallots
and distribute half the green and opal basil, parsley and tarragon evenly over
the tomatoes. This should be done one-half hour before you are ready to serve
your guests.
4.
Just before the fish is ready, shake the vinaigrette again to re-emulsify, and
drizzle one-fourth of it over the tomatoes. Place the cooked and drained
haricots vert in a mixing bowl and toss them with enough vinaigrette to coat
them well and season with salt and pepper. Scatter a layer of beans over the
tomatoes.
5.
Place the grilled halibut on top of the tomatoes and the beans. Drizzle the
halibut with more vinaigrette and scatter over the remainder of the dressed
beans. Distribute the remaing herbs over it all. Pass the remaining vinaigrette
at the table.
Each
serving with vinaigrette: 421 calories; 26 grams protein; 4 grams
carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 33 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 70 mg
cholesterol; 363 mg sodium; 1 gram sugar.
Copyright
© 2012, Los Angeles Times
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