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Eric Akis: Chilled seafood is hot for summer

On a hot summer day, well-chilled seafood dishes are the coolest thing to serve. Set aside your chowder or shrimp curry recipes for the get-me-a-sweater winter months. Today, I’ve brought you three recipes fit for summer’s theme.
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Fresh corn kernels and cubes of avocado contribute to the Mexican flavour of this twist on shrimp cocktail.

akis.jpgOn a hot summer day, well-chilled seafood dishes are the coolest thing to serve. Set aside your chowder or shrimp curry recipes for the get-me-a-sweater winter months. Today, I’ve brought you three recipes fit for summer’s theme.

One is an easy-to-make, delicious-to-eat Mexican-style shrimp cocktail you can serve as a summer starter or a light lunch. To make it, shredded lettuce and a corn and avocado mixture is set in martini glasses, before being topped with cooked salad shrimp and salsa. The cocktail is garnished with lime and cilantro, then it’s ready to be enjoyed with a margarita or other frosty beverage.

The cooked salad shrimp used in the cocktail are sold fresh or frozen. The best fresh shrimp will be whole, firm looking and have a fresh, mild, sea-like aroma. If they have a strong ammonia-like scent, don’t buy them because they are not fresh anymore.

If you’ve bought frozen shrimp, the safest way to thaw them is to spread them out on a sided dish and set them the refrigerator. They’ll take a few hours to thaw. Once thawed, pat them dry with a paper towel and they are ready to use.

My second cool recipe is chilled mussels with crab and remoulade. There are several steps in this recipe, but the tasks are not particularly difficult.

To make it, fresh mussels are steamed just until they open, and then cooled. Themeatless part of each shell is removed and discarded, and the meat-filled ones are set on a serving platter.

A bit of crab meat and remoulade — a tangy mixture somewhat like tartar sauce — goes on top of each mussel and this summer appetizer is ready. I sipped sparkling wine while enjoying them and was very pleased.

When buying fresh mussels, select those with unbroken, tightly shut shells, or those with shells that shut when tapped, two signs the mussels are alive and fit for eating. Before using, rinse the mussels in cold water, remove any beard-like material attached to their shells, and then double-check to make sure all have tightly shut shells. If any do not close, the mussel is dead and should not be eaten.

Mussels take just minutes to cook and are done the second they open. If they do not open, it’s another sign the mussel was dead and should not be eaten.

My last cool seafood recipe is an entrée that involves placing chilled, baked salmon fillets upon a cool and creamy salad of potatoes, cucumber and radishes. With wild salmon in season, it’s a good choice at this time of year, particularly on a warm night when you’re dining al fresco. I paired the salmon with a dry rosé and I was smiling all through dinner.

When buying fresh salmon, select firm-looking fish that glimmers with freshness. Avoid salmon that looks dull, dry or soft, all signs it has been stored too long or has been mishandled.

All of today’s recipes offer make-ahead tips, which will allow you to get the dish chilling, and you time to get refreshed well before it’s time to serve your family or guests.

 

Mexican-style Shrimp Cocktail

This version of the classic and cold seafood dish is dressed up Mexican-style, with avocado, corn, lime and salsa. Serve it as a starter or for a light lunch.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 minute

Makes: 6 servings

 

1 medium corn on the cob, shucked

1 ripe, medium avocado

2 tsp lime juice

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

• pinch salt

• dash of Tabasco sauce

2 cups shredded head or leaf lettuce

275 grams cooked, salad shrimp, patted dry if overly moist

1/3 cup tomato salsa, or to taste

6 cilantro sprigs

6 lime wedges

Cook the corn in boiling water one minute, and then cool in cold water. Drain well and set on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off the cob and set them in a medium bowl.

Quarter the avocado lengthwise, pull it apart, and discard the pit. Remove the peel from the avocado. Cut each quarter piece of avocado into small cubes and set in the bowl with the corn. Add the lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt and Tabasco and toss to combine.

Divide the lettuce between six martini or other decorative, bowled glasses. Divide and set some of the corn and avocado mixture in each glass. Now mound an equal amount of the shrimp in each glass, arranging them so that there’s a well in the centre of them that you can spoon the salsa into. (The shrimp cocktails can be readied to this point one hour before serving. Cover and refrigerate until needed.)

To serve, spoon 2 Tbsp of the salsa into the centre of each shrimp cocktail. Garnish each cocktail with a cilantro sprig and a lime wedge and enjoy.

 

> See FLAVOURFUL, page C3

 

Baked Chilled Salmon with Potato, Radish and Cucumber Salad

You can bake and chill the salmon and prepare the salad in advance and have dinner ready to go well before meal time.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 12 to 15

Makes: 4 servings

 

For the salmon

4 (5- to 6-oz.) salmon fillets

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

• salt and white pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the salmon in a non-stick or parchment paper-lined baking pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Cool salmon to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.

 

For the salad and to serve

1 lb. mini white potatoes, each quartered

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey

2 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard

1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon or dill, or pinch or two of either dried

• salt and white pepper to taste

• 1/2 medium English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced

5 radishes, halved and thinly sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

8, 1/2 lemon slices

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with two inches of cold water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat until potatoes are gently simmering and cook until just tender, about eight minutes. Drain well, spread potatoes on a wide plate and cool to room temperature.

Place the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, honey, mustard and tarragon or dill in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the potatoes, cucumber, radish and green onion and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Salad can be made two hours before needed.

When ready to serve, divide and mound salad in the centre of each of four plates. Set a piece of salmon on top of the salad on each plate. Garnish each plate with two, half lemon slices. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

 

Chilled Mussels with Crab and Remoulade

Kick off a summer dinner by serving this decadent seafood appetizer with a glass of sparkling wine.

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: 2 to 3 minutes

Makes: 6 (4 mussels each) servings

 

For the sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 sweet mixed or yum yum pickles; finely-chopped

1 tsp capers; finely-chopped

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

* pinches dried tarragon and paprika

* splash Tabasco sauce

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the mussels and to serve:

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup white wine or chicken or fish stock

24 mussels, washed well and cleaned of any beard-like material

2 cups shredded head or leaf lettuce

75 grams fresh Dungeness crab meat (see Note)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Place garlic and wine or stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover, and cook until they just open, about two to three minutes. Lift the mussels from the pot, set on a baking sheet, and cool them to room temperature.

Line a serving platter with the shredded lettuce. Remove the meat-less shells from each mussel and discard. Arrange the meat-filled, half shells on the platter. Set a 1/2 to 1 tsp of crab meat at the wider end of each mussel. (The mussels can be prepared to this stage two hours before serving. Cover and refrigerate until ready to top with remoulade)

When ready to serve, spoon a 1/2 tsp or so of remoulade over each mussel. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and then serve. You may not need all the remoulade, but any leftover can be refrigerated and kept for another use, such as spreading on a sandwich.

Note: Fresh Dungeness crab meat is sold at some grocery stores and at stand-alone seafood stores. If you can’t find it, you could use frozen and thawed frozen crab meat on the mussels, or well-drained canned crab meat.

 

 

 

Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.