Archive

Course: Side

Happy Seafood in a Lettuce Cup

Description

Recipe by celebrity Chef Martin Yan, who has traveled around the world, sharing the best of Chinese and American culture, food, and personal enrichment with multiple generations of audiences. His grand vision is shaped by more than 3,500 culinary and travel TV shows, 32 cookbooks, and several restaurants in North America and Asia.

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 tsp / 3.0 g cornstarch

¼ tsp / 1.5 g salt

1/8 tsp / 0.5 g white pepper

2 tsp / 9 g cooking oil

Seafood:

8 oz / 225 g medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined and diced

4 oz / 115 g raw scallops, diced

Stir-fry Mixture:

2 tbsp / 27 g cooking oil

¼ cup / 20 g green onions, diced

¼ cup / 35 g water chestnuts, diced

¼ cup / 30 g carrot, diced

¼ cup / 60 ml broth, seafood, chicken or vegetarian

1 tbsp / 18 g oyster-flavored sauce

1 tsp / 5 g sesame seed oil

1 tsp / 3 g cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp / 10 g water

1/2 cup / 65 g pistachios, roasted

Assembly:

2 – 3 tbsp / 32 – 48 g Hoisin sauce

Lettuce (iceberg, butter or romaine), cut into 12 lettuce cups

DIRECTIONS

  1. Marinade: In a medium bowl, combine ingredients.
  2. Seafood: Add shrimp and scallops to marinade; stir to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  3. Stir-fry Mixture: Heat a wok or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides.  Add seafood; toss and stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Remove seafood from wok.  Add green onions, water chestnuts and carrot; stir-fry until carrot is crisp tender.  Return seafood.  Add broth, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Add cornstarch solution; cook, stirring, until slightly thickened.  Add pistachios; toss well. 
  4. Assembly: To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce in center of a lettuce cup. Add about 2- 3 tablespoons of stir-fry mixture in each lettuce cup and serve.

Hazelnut Pesto

Ingredients

  • 5 cups loosely packed basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ cup toasted Oregon hazelnuts
  • ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Add the basil, garlic, hazelnuts, Parmesan cheese, and ¼ cup of the olive oil to a blender or food processor. Pulse in 10 to 15 second intervals to chop all ingredients. With the machine on low, slowly pour in the remaining olive oil. Scrape the sides of the container as needed.
  2. Blend for about 20 seconds until all ingredients are finely chopped and a thick pesto results. Stir in the salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl or use in your favorite recipes.

PISTACHIO BERRY GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup Roasted, salted pistachios, chopped
  • 6 ounces Goat cheese
  • ½ cup Sliced strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons Honey
  • 3 tablespoons Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 8 ounces Prewashed baby lettuce salad greens or spring mix
  • 1 pint Raspberries
  • 1 cup Blueberries

Instructions

  1. Place the chopped pistachios on a plate. Divide the goat cheese into 16 equal pieces (about 1 teaspoon each) and roll into balls. Roll the cheese balls in the pistachios. Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  2. Put the strawberries in a blender with the vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, olive oil and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more honey, salt and/or pepper if desired. Can be made a day ahead. Store in a small jar or covered container and give a good shake before using.
  3. Put the salad greens in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the raspberries and blueberries and gently toss. Divide the salad among 6 salad plates and top each with 4 pistachio goat cheese balls.

BBQ POTATOES WITH CANDIED SPICED PISTACHIOS, PISTACHIO CREMA & WATERCRESS

Ingredients

  • 2 Large sweet potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons BBQ spice or rub
  • ¼ pound Butter, melted
  • Salt, to taste

FOR THE PISTACHIO CREMA

  • ¼ cup Mexican Crema or creme fraiche
  • 3 tablespoons Pistachio, toasted and ground
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat sweet potatoes with vegetable oil. Rub sweet potatoes with half of the BBQ spice. Bake in oven until the sweet potatoes are cooked about ¾ of the way through. There should be slight resistance if you push a small knife or skewer into the center of the potatoes. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into wedges. Usually I cut them in half and then cut each half into thirds yielding six pieces total. Baste the sweet potato wedges with melted butter and liberally season with salt and the remaining BBQ spice. Grill over hot coals until the potatoes are golden brown and cooked all the way through.
  2. Serve hot. Garnish with spiced pistachios, drizzle of pistachio crema and watercress sprigs.