Ready to Eat Items:
Since our Article in the New York Times, we have been asked many times how do we prepare the SUMMER ROLLS!
Very easily: They are fully 100% cooked - Simply platter and serve to your guests and family, no further cooking necessary.
Salads, Such as Seafood Salad, Thai Curry Shrimp Salad, Asian Cole Slaw, Shrimp Salad, Lobster Salad, Tuna Salad, or Israeli Salad these go great over greens, on the side of some grilled fish or all by themselves!
Poached Salmon - This is ready to eat and enjoy with our dill sauce
Sesame Crusted Tuna Loin - This is ready to eat and enjoy with our #1 selling ginger dressing
Heat - n - Eat Items: we recommend 350 degrees for all items, and to avoid the microwave if at all possible!
All of the cook times are from refrigerated / thawed - if from frozen add 8/10 minutes and check for internal temp of 165
Crab Cakes - mini's 10/12 minutes
Crab Cakes - jumbo's 14/16 minutes
Waygu Shrimp Egg Rolls - 12/14 minutes, turn once
Baked Clams 12/14 minutes
Lobster Ravioli 18/20 minutes covered, top with fresh parmesan cheese
Cauliflower Lobster Cake 12/14 minutes, a crowd favorite for years in New York City.
Shrimp or Lobster Dumplings 8/10 minutes
Grilled Salmon 14/16 minutes
BBQ Chilean Sea Bass 12/14 minutes
Roasted Broccoli 10/12 minutes
Tuscan Spaghetti Squash 12/14 minutes, is a great low carb change from pasta night!
Grilled Balsamic Veggies 10/12 minutes
Prepared Soft Shell Crabs 10/12 minutes
Grilled Swordfish Bites 8/10 minutes, serve over Orzo with Greek Salad to give a taste of the Islands
Grilled Shrimp 8/10 minutes
Lobster Risotto Puffs 4/6 minutes
Stuffed Sole 15/17 minutes
Basic Seafood Cooking Instructions - Master these and you can cook ANYTHING:
For starters -
Our All Fresh Seafood Signature Raw Crab Cakes:
Method:
a. Preheat oven to our standard 350
Extra ingredients
1. panko
2. salt n black pepper
3. your favorite frying oil
4. your favorite saute pan, large and wide
5. sheet pan with foil
b. you need about 1 oz of panko for each cake purchased as a gauge
c. season with S&P to taste
d. place the cakes in the panko and form into nicely shaped crab cakes
e. place 1/8" oil in the pan and get it hot
f. saute til golden on each side, about 2 minutes - max
g. transfer to your sheet pan that is waiting
h. cook for 15 minutes - serve piping hot and Enjoy - Chef!
This method goes for all Seafood cakes, all styles - it produces the most perfect cake every time!
How to Roast Salmon, Branzino, Trout, Grouper, Red Snapper, Arctic Char, etc....
Species that have thin edible skin that you might want to make super crispy and eat....How do the restaurants do that????
Let's learn together...
First step as always before any chef starts is to preheat the oven to 350, our happy temperature!
Extra Ingredients:
Good Salt & Black Pepper (I have a 75% / 25% mix on my counter ready to go at all times)
Wondra Flour (this is great for searing - it is very fine) if you don't have, regular ap flour will do, just tap off all excess
olive oil/canola oil mix - 50/50
large saute pan, your favorite
1 sheet pan with foil
1 bunch of your favorite herbs
Soft Butter
Method:
a. Pat your fish dry and season with salt and pepper.
b. coat with Wondra flour
c. heat up the saute pan with 50/50 oil mix 1/8 inch til smoking
d. place fish skin side down and let cook until the skin is very crisp about 4/5 minutes - it could need more time depending on how hot your range is.
e. flip over and cook 2 more minutes in the pan - if the pan is not looking too bad you can finish in the oven or transfer to your sheet pan - skin side up for 12 more minutes
f. In a fresh pan place the fresh butter, herbs, salt n pepper and warm up very slowly - when fish comes out add to this mixture and baste for 1 minute, still skin side up trying not to douse the top of the fish, more on the sides...we want to keep the skin crispy.
Serve immediately!
Time to break out the Grill in time for the summer grilling season!
Many home chefs are afraid to grill fish because of....
a. the mess
b. the mess
c. the mess
I am going to teach you that grilling seafood and fish is so simple that you will be the envy of all your friends.....
Fluffy Lobster Tails: or any lobster tails
So what is a fluffy lobster tail - you have all seen this...this is when the lobster meat sits on top of the shell and it looks really nice. I am going to walk you thru how to do this.
Extra Ingredients:
a. Skews
b. Scampi Butter (Butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley)
c. Kitchen scissors
d. tin foil
Method:
1. preheat grill to medium heat, try to hit 350
2. defrost tails and with kitchen scissors cut the top of shell all the way to the tail so you can pull the meat up on top. it will take a couple to get used to this...be strong, it is not easy.
3. once all the tails are prepped put the Skews in the long way to hold the tails nice and straight - we want them to stay straight during cooking.
4. with a paring knife butterfly the top just a bit to open them up and wash them out.
5. paint on the scampi butter with a heavy hand
6. wrap the tail in foil tight!
7. place all the tails on the grill and cook for 8 minutes and flip over at 4 minutes.
8. remove the foil at 8 minutes and cook 6/10 minutes more depending on the size of your tail.
baste with more scampi butter the whole way.
a 5 oz tail will need about 7 more minutes
a 9 oz tail will need 10 minutes more.
Serve with more scampi butter!
Grilled Salmon: Fillet type fish:
Two schools of thought on this -
a. go straight on the grill
or
b. go the foil method
As a chef, I like both methods for different reasons. If I am making a party with non-fish eaters I will be considerate and wrap all the fish in foil and do an en papillote style preparation which is just as delicious where the fish steams with vegetables and make like a one-pot meal on the BBQ. Super easy and fast. No mess what so ever and the guests are always impressed.
Going on the grill is ALL ABOUT TECHNIQUE AND PATIENCE which 99.999999% of home chefs do not have.....the heat is on full blast 200,000 btu and after 90 seconds they are moving the fish that is sticking to the grill and we have fillet of sole pudding on the grill, who wants a cheeseburger next...ugh!!!!
Here is the Method to grilling Fish
Extra Ingredients:
a. Long spatula, long tongs
b. grill brush - vital to start with a sparkling clean grill
c. grill spray or oil, and a kitchen rag - also vital - dry grills = disaster
d. marinade the fish to your liking (we like Olive Oil, Garlic, Cilantro, Parsley, S&P)
e. sizzle platter - ah ha, that's how they do it.....and 3 Tbl butter
METHOD FOR FISH DIRECTLY ON THE GRILL:
1. Heat grill to medium heat, 350 / 375 if you have a thermometer, place sizzle platter on the grill.
2. Wipe your grill down with your brush super clean
3. Now carefully oil your grill so it has a nice shine, it can't be dry
4. take your fish and let all excess marinade drip off 100%, we don't want flare-ups
5. place down gently, do not push, time 5 minutes for think fillets like salmon
6. after 5 minutes turn 90 degrees but lift very gently, it should come off without sticking...if it sticks at all let it cook more. do not rip off the grill. let cook 5 more minutes...you will have perfect grill marks.
7. Transfer to a sizzle platter that has been heating on the grill with a little butter. place fish skin side down and cook 7 minutes more. The Fish temp should be 165.
FOIL METHOD:
AGAIN THIS IS THE METHOD TO USE FOR COOKING FISH WHEN YOU WANT A CLEAN GRILL
EXTRA INGREDIENTS:
A. Tinfoil
B. Veggie Blend (Zucchini, Onions, Corn, Asparagus, Tomato, Herbs)
C. White Wine
D. Butter or Olive Oil
E. S&P
Method:
1. Heat your grill to medium heat 350
2. make a double layer of foil, double-wide so it is really strong.
3. coat the bottom with butter & olive oil or any combo of the two - we just need something tasty on the bottom - chef's choice.
4. Season your fish - again chef's choice - be creative - it is very hard to ruin this - cajun flavors work great on this.
5. add your aromatics (veggies), wine, and seasoning - go wild!
6. wrap it up as tight as you can to seal in all the goodness!
7. when it is go time place the packet on the grill and cook for 18/20 minutes. If you are going to go cajun and add rice or potatoes I would suggest cutting your potatoes very small so they are done in 20 minutes.
Grilled Swordfish or Tuna - Steak Fish:
I saved the best for last...everyone's favorite - the sushi quality Tuna steak - so how do we get that perfect rare inside off the grill! Let us take a deep dive!
EXTRA INGREDIENTS
a. I personally like to use only a fish spatula when I cook Swordfish and Tuna Steaks, I do not like to use Tongs
b. S&P - I also don't like to muck up the flavor of these pristine species - they are so flavorful I typically serve them with a lemony vinaigrette on the side or a simple beurre blanc (white wine butter sauce)
c. Grill brush
d. Grill oil and rag to wipe down
METHOD:
1. Preheat grill to 425 / 450 degrees, medium HI!
2. Clean grill to 100% perfect
3. Wipe down the grill with oil till it shines - be careful!
4. When the grill is smoking place Tuna down and time 90 seconds and turn 90 degrees
5. after the 2nd turn flip over and time 90 seconds and the tuna is done for med-rare!
you should have perfect grill marks like you are a top-notch chef. If you like you fish more well done just let it go.
Swordfish:
Same as above with this change:
1. Place Swordfish down, time 3 minutes and turn 90 degrees, then turn again for 3 more minutes.
2. Flip Swordfish over and cook 4 / 6 minutes until you have an internal temp of 165
If you have any cooking questions please email us at [email protected]
Happy cooking,
Chef Adam
