Lobster Rolls
- 1/2 pound fully cooked lobster meat
or 1 (2 1/2 pound) live lobster - 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
- 1/4 cup bottled mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon
- 2 small scallions, thinly sliced
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 to 3 New England-style hot dog buns
- 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Pickles and potato chips as accompaniment
Directions
Prepare the lobster salad.
If using live lobsters, steam or boil them. Let cool at room temperature. Use a cleaver to crack and remove the meat from the claws, knuckles and tails. Remove the cartilage from the claws and the intestines from the tails of the cooked meat. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch dice. You may pick all the meat from the carcass and add it to the meat or freeze the carcass for soup or broth.
Place the cucumber in a colander for at least 5 minutes to drain the excess liquid. Combine the lobster, cucumber mayonnaise, and tarragon. Add the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat a large heavy skillet (12 to 14-inches) over medium-low heat (a black cast-iron pan is perfect). Lightly butter both sides of each bun. Place them in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Turn the buns over and toast the other side. Or toast the buns under a broiler instead. When the buns are ready, stuff them with the chilled lobster salad. Place each roll on a small paper or china plate; garnish with pickles and potato chips. Serve at once.
Oysters Rockefeller
- 48 fresh, unopened oysters
- 1 1/2 cups beer
- 2 cloves garlic
- seasoned salt to taste
- 7 black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
Directions
- Clean oysters, and place in a large stockpot. Pour in beer and enough water to cover oysters; add 2 cloves garlic, seasoned salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, drain, and cool.
- Once oysters are cooled, break off and discard the top shell. Arrange the oysters on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter until soft. Reduce heat to low, and stir in spinach, Monterey Jack, fontina, and mozzarella. Cook until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Stir in the milk, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over each oyster, just filling the shell. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
- Bake until golden and bubbly, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
- 1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
- In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
- Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.
Seaweed Salad
- 3/4 ounce dried wakame seaweed (whole or cut)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 small tart apple (1/4 pound) such as Granny Smith
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Soak seaweed in warm water to cover, 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. If wakame is uncut, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cut apple into 1/4-inch dice and add to dressing with seaweed, scallions, and cilantro, tossing to combine well. Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds.
