World's Best Fish Tacos

Mahi Tacos @ OB's South Beach Bar & Grille (photo courtesy of yelp.com)

I attempted to re-create the best fish taco’s known to mankind, which can be found in Ocean Beach, San Diego at a local fav, South Beach Bar & Grille. I've had fish tacos across the US, Mexico, and Australia...and to this day, nothing compares to the world famous fish tacos in OB. I’ve done my research and this is almost as good! It's one of my all-time fav recipes, so enjoy :) 

I<3 

OB

Pre note: It's best to prepare and marinate some of the items in advance, so whipping up the salsa and cilantro sauce ahead of time is helpful! Also, marinate the fish for at least 1 hour...but overnight marinating would overpower the delicate white fish, so I'd recommend 1-2 hours ;)

Yields: varies

Ingredients

• Mahi 
• Cheddar cheese 
• Purple cabbage 
• Few Limes 
• Flour tortillas 
• Pineapple-Teriyaki Marinade
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar
• 5 oz Soy sauce (~0.63 cups)  
• 1 cup Crushed Pineapple
• Salsa Fresca
• Onion, diced 
• Tomato, diced
• Garlic cloves, minced
• Cilantro, chopped
• Cilantro Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Cilantro leaves, chopped (fresh)
• 1 tbsp. Jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1/2 Lime, juice and zest
• 2 tbsp. Plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp. Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. Sour cream

Directions

1. Prepare: 
1. Marinate: Mix the brown sugar and soy sauce together and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add crushed pineapple. Marinate the mahi in the Pineapple-Teriyaki Marinade for 1-2 hours.
2. Yogurt sauce: puree the cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, and lime juice with zest. In a separate bowl, add the yogurt, mayonnaise and sour cream, and then fold the puree in. Cover and refrigerate. 
3. Salsa fresca: quantities to your satisfaction. 
2. Grill: 
1. Fire up the bbq! Grill the mahi to your satisfaction. Note: mahi cooks through quickly, so keep an eye on it...but a little charring on the edges is a flavorful plus! 
2. Warm the tortillis on the grill and melt some cheese on one side of the tortilla. 
3. Assemble the goods, top with the cilantro sauce and serve with some sliced limes (to squeeze the juice over the tacos)! 
4. ¡Buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)

Mahi Tacos @ OB's South Beach Bar (photo courtesy of yelp.com)

Mahi Tacos @ OB's South Beach Bar (photo courtesy of yelp.com)

I guess I'll have to make these so I can get my own photos...someone get hungry!
^As a follow up....here's round one:

Keywords: fish, tacos, mexican, grilled, bbq, mahi, ob, ocean beach, south beach, grill, california, ca.

Sushi Platter

Sushi is easy and fun! It's super cheap to make it at home and even better for large groups (i.e., dinner parties)! The trick is to 1) have fresh fish, and 2) make "sushi rice," or "shari." Other than that, it's just a quick stop in the Asian aisle or Chinatown market! The beauty with sushi is that it's just like making a sandwich - you can put in whatever you like :)

The sushi essentials:
1) fresh fish
2) filling/topper ingredients
3) sushi rice
4) nori sheets
5) bamboo mat
6) condiments (wasabi, pickled ginger, soy sauce)

And if you're doing a dinner party, it's great to serve with 7) sides. Appetizer sides are generally miso soup, cucumber salad, or seaweed (wakame) salad. Other items include sake or Sapporo (or both for a sake bomb), and quail egg shooters in the drink categories....or the best desserts: mochi ice cream or frooshi (fruit sushi). Most of these things can be easily found in the international aisle in a grocery store, but we suggest stopping by a local Chinatown market (better prices and more variety). Here's what we usually go for....

Serves: however many rolls you make!

Ingredients

• 1) Fresh Fish
• Salmon, sliced (sushi/ahi-grade or very, very fresh)
• Poke
• Chopped up fresh tuna
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Nước mắm
• Dried shrimp
• Hot chili oil (I get the stuff with black beans in it)
• Freshly toasted black and white sesame seeds
• Finely chopped scallions
• Ginger powder
• Wasabi powder
• 2) Fillings/Toppers
• Teriyaki sauce (fav recipe)
• Dynamite sauce
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (low or fat-free ok) 
• 1 tablespoon Sri Racha hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon tobiko
• Spicy Krab
• 4-6 sticks Imitation Crab, chopped (to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp Mayonnaise (to taste)
• Sri Racha (to taste)
• Optional: 1 tsp Fish Sauce (to taste)
• Carrot, shredded or thinly sliced (thin carrot "sticks")
• Cucumber, thinly sliced
• Avocado, thinly sliced
• Green onion, sliced
• Sesame seeds, toasted
• Tobiko (tiny, orange fish roe)
• Cream cheese
• 3) Sushi Rice (aka, "shari")
• 2 cups Medium-Grain Rice
• 1.5-2 cups water
• 2 tbsp Salt
• 4 tbsp Sugar (white)
• 4 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
• 4) Nori Sheets
• 1-2 Packages Nori (grab the toasted kind, if available - more flavor)
• 5) Bamboo Mat
• 6) Condiments
• Soy Sauce (to serve)
• Wasabi (to serve)
• Pickled ginger (to serve)
• Optional: miso soup, cucumber salad, wakame salad, sake and Sapporo, quail egg shooters, mochi ice cream.

Directions

1. Soak the rice in cold water for at least 30-60 mins prior to cooking (if you can). Rinse the rice, washing away the powder rice starches until the cloudy water is clear (note: soaking and rinsing is important in obtaining the right "sticky rice" texture). Add the soaked and rinsed rice to a pot and fill with 1.5-2 cups of water (note: the best trick to getting the right amount of water is placing your index finger on top of the evened out rice and filling with water until it reaches your first knuckle). Bring to a boil, top with a lid, then reduce the temperature to medium-low and allow to simmer until all the water is cooked off (10-15 mins). The best way to test is the taste test! Take a bite of the rice (it'll be hot, so be careful) and if the center of the grains are still a little hard, cook a little longer (and add water if the bottom of the pot is dry). When the grains are cooked through, take the pot off the heat and using a spatula, "cut" through the rice (do not stir) to "fluff" it up. Put the lid back on and allow to sit for 5 mins.
2. In the mean time, put the salt, sugar, and rice wine in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Take it out, stir for a minute or two, and microwave again for 30 seconds and stir some more. It takes some time for the salt and sugar to dissolve, so stir when you can. When it's dissolved (~5 mins), lightly pour over the fluffed rice, "cutting" through the rice to best mix the rice...without stirring! Stirring with a spoon (for example) will smoosh the grains and you'll get a mushy, sticky mess. Now that you have a beautiful sticky rice prepared, time to prep the sushi fillings!
3. Prepare the teriyaki sauce, dynamite sauce, and spicy krab topping. Set aside. Slice the carrot, cucumber, avocado, and green onion. Toast the sesame seeds (toasting brings out the flavor tenfold). Place your filling/topper ingredients in an assembly-line on the kitchen counter and you are ready to roll!
4. Fill a small bowl of warm water and set next to your bamboo rolling mat. Place the nori smooth-side down (rough-side facing up) on the bamboo rolling mat. Wet your fingers and grab a handful of sushi rice and spread around to cover 3/4's of the sheet, leaving the bare nori side farthest from you, like this:

5. Like in the above photo, lay your "filling" ingredients across the rice. You'll want to lay them down closer to you, rather than farther down the rice, as it'll be easier to roll. Now flip over the edge closest to you and begin rolling, tightening the roll by squeezing back on the bamboo mat. The technique is quite simple, as seen below:
(jump to 55 seconds)
6. With a very sharp knife, slice the rolls and lay on a serving platter. Top with preferred topping ingredients (toasted sesame seeds, tobiko, spicy krab, dynamite sauce, teriyaki sauce, etc.) and serve with the condiments ready! Some basic sushi rolls are outlined at the bottom of this blog, so those are good places to start. But it's fun to get creative, so make every roll different! The varieties are endless :)
7. Sake bomb, sake bomb, SA-KE BOMB! Kanpai =^.^=

Teriyaki rolls.

The full platter: maki rolls, temaki (hand) rolls, nigiri and sashimi!

If you're wondering:

• Maki rolls are the popular round sliced rolls filled with rice and fish
• Temaki rolls are the hand rolls which have generous portions of the filling rolled up like an ice cream cone in the nori.
• Nigiri is a thick slice of fish formed on top of a ball of sushi rice, generally with a "dot" of wasabi and sometimes held together with a small strip of nori.
• Sashimi is a thick slice of raw fish and nothing else. The mother of sushi-lovers.

First attempt at nigiri (note: that's what sushi looks like
with long-grain rice versus short-grain....not so good, lol).

Spicy krab topped sushi.

Sashimi slices...my fav!

Spicy krab, teriyaki, and tobiko topped makisushi.

Sushi Rolls:

• California Roll: avocado, imitation crab stick, cucumber, and tobiko. Roll with sesame and rice on the outside, nori and fillings on the inside.
• Caterpillar Roll: unagi (eel), avocado, and cucumber. Roll with avocado slices and rice on the outside, nori and 3 fillings on inside (it usually looks like a caterpillar).
• Crunchy Roll: tempura shrimp (fried), avocado, and green onion.
• Dynamite Roll: yellowtail (hamachi) and/or prawn tempura, bean sprouts, carrots, avocado, cucumber, chili and spicy mayonnaise.
• Fuji Mountain Roll: tempura shrimp (fried) and avocado on the inside; tuna, salmon, yellowtail, spicy krab, teriyaki sauce, sri racha, scallion and sesame seeds on the top (it's a mountain roll after all)!
• Godzilla Roll: tempura shrimp (fried), teriyaki sauce and sri racha sauce.
• Philly Roll: salmon (raw or smoked), cream cheese, and avocado.
• Rainbow Roll: avocado, imitation crab stick and cucumber topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and avocado...to look like a rainbow.
• Spicy Tuna: tuna (raw), spicy sesame oil, sri racha sauce, and spicy mayonnaise.
• Spider Roll: tempura soft shell crab (fried), cucumber, avocado, sprouts, tobiko, and spicy mayonnaise.

Salmon Blini w/ Chives, Pico de Gallo, and Yogurt

The salmon burgers we made the previous night yielded some left overs... so, I had to do something with it. The gf was dubious. I was confident. Chive infused salmon stuffed blini resulted.

Serves 2+ (depending on your left overs)

Ingredients:

• Salmon mix (make the night before)
• Grated parmesan
• Crêpes
• 1 large egg
• 85g milk (3 fluid oz)
• 56g water (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 3-4 tbsp chopped chives
• Pico de Gallo
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt
• pepper
• Yogurt (or sour cream)
• Extra chives for garnish
• Extra butter for the pan

Directions:

1. Take all the ingredients for the crêpes and put them in a food processor (or blender if you don't have one) and pulse till nice and smooth. Place in the refrigerator for preferably at least 1 hour, but at least 20-30 minutes. This will let the bubbles settle out and the gluten come together.
2. During this time, prepare your pico de gallo (i.e. chopping up the ingredientes and mixing them into a bowl). Place in the fridge and kick back with your coffee and morning blog of choice.
3. Once the fixins have sat for a sufficient time, get a pan nice and hot (very hot) and put a small pat of butter on it, distributing it evenly. Ladle on just enough of the crêpe mix to barely cover the pan and then let it sit for about 15-20 seconds longer than it takes for the top to set firmly. Flip and let the other side brown for about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the pan, cover with some aluminum foil, and make the rest.
4. Spoon some of the salmon mix (from last night) onto the center of the crêpes. Put a generous helping of the parmesan cheese on top of the mix, then fold like a burrito.
5. Using the same pan, but this time on slightly more than medium heat, add a little butter and then place the blini with the free edge down and cover with a lid. Depending on the size of them they will take anywhere from 5-8 minutes to be fully cooked.
6. The bottoms should be nice and crispy and sealed up with gooey cheese, so place one face up and the other face down to make them look pretty, garnish with the pico de gallo, a bit of chive, and some yogurt (or sour cream).
7. Bon ap!

Salmon Burger w/ Teriyaki Glaze & Wasabi Mayo and Warm Asian Slaw

A perfect combination of flavors!

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 500 grams fresh salmon (steak or fillet)
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 cloves garlic, rough chop
• 1 small onion, rough chop
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2-3 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp good, smokey, hot chili oil (I get the stuff with black beans in it)
• 1 tsp Maggi seasoning
• 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 2-3 tbsp mustard powder
• 4-5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp Nước mắm
• 2 tsp plain unflavored gelatin
• 1/2-3/4 cup panko
• 2-3 tbsp corn starch
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup mayo
• Wasabi powder (to taste)
• English muffins
• Two old empty tuna cans, cleaned
• Warm Asian slaw
• 1/4 head of red cabbage, julienne
• 2-3 large carrots, julienne
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Asian sesame oil
• 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or grated)
• 1-2 tsp hot chili oil
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Teriyaki Glaze
• 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-3/4 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2-3 tablespoons white sugar (to taste)
• 2-1/2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• black pepper (to taste)
• optional: corn starch to thicken it to preferred glaze consistency.

Directions

1. First take the salmon and cut it into chunks, being careful to remove the bones
2. Then take the salmon and all ingredients down to the gelatin and add them all into a food processor. Pulse a few times until it gets a homogenous creamy consistency with some large chunks in it.
3. Add the panko and corn starch and process again. The goal is to get it mostly creamy and smooth but leave a few good chunks of salmon in it.
4. Set the mixture in the fridge while you prepare the teriyaki glaze, mayo, and slaw.
5. Start with the teriyaki glaze by bringing mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Set aside (Note: can store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for extended times).
6. For the wasabi mayo, just add wasabi powder (or the paste) to the mayo mixing until it has the kick you want.
7. For the slaw, prepare the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, ginger, hot chili oil, peanut butter, and sugar until smooth.
8. In a skillet on medium-high heat, add a splash of sesame oil and then toss in the carrots, cooking until slightly browned on the edges (about 2 mins). Then add in the cabbage, tossing frequently and cooking until just wilted and warmed through (about 3-4 mins). Then add in the dressing, toss a few times and set aside, covered.
9. Take the tuna cans and cut out the bottom so you have a ring (like an egg ring but much deeper) and place them on a plate or cutting board. Scoop in the salmon mixture and compress it down to remove the big air bubbles and smooth over the top. Get a non-stick pan nice and hot with some sesame oil in it and then gently shake the molded salmon patty into the pan. Cook until golden brown and flip (approximately 3-4 minutes per side)
10. Toast the English muffin, spread on the wasabi mayo, lay down a bed of spinach, and then place the salmon patty on top. Drizzle on some of the teriyaki glaze and complete with a side of the slaw.
11. Bon ap!

Excellent with chilled white wine!

Pancetta-Wrapped Shrimp w/ Brussel Sprouts

This was an easy dish that is just so tasty we had to do it. The shrimp were frozen and thawed, the pancetta sliced thin from the local (awesome!) Italian deli. The brussel sprouts offered a little greenery since we decided to make this a main since we are such fat kids :-)

Serves 2 as a main, but can be used as an excellent hors d'œuvre for your next dinner party.

Ingredients

• Brussel sprouts, halved
• 1 small onion, julienned
• 18 shrimp, deveined (about 1 lb of jumbo shrimp)
• 250 grams thinly slice pancetta (which came out to 39 slices)
• Cracked black pepper
• Canola oil

Directions

1. Wrap the shrimp in the pancetta, two slices per shrimp, so that the whole shrimp is completely covered and the fat/meat ratio is pretty even throughout (this is just a bit of trial and error and not critical). Retain those few extra slices of pancetta (if you have them) and julienne them. Save till later
2. Lay them down on the flap side (i.e. the side where the pancetta has a free edge) in a medium-high preheated cast iron skillet
3. Cook until well brown on one side and then flip, cooking until well browned on the other side (about 3ish minutes per side)
4. Remove and drip off as much fat as you can, retaining it in the skillet, and place on a paper towel covered plate. Add some cracked black pepper right away so it sticks to the hot pancetta
5. Add a splash of canola oil to the pan and then toss in the brussel sprouts, cut side down, until browned
6. Then toss in the onion and julienned pancetta and toss around in the pan until the onions are just cooked through and the pancetta is a little crispy. Add some salt and pepper to taste (but be light on the salt since the pancetta is really salty stuff!)
7. Plate, pour yourself a nice glass of red (the gf would say Cab Sauv with hints of black cherry), and serve!
8. Bon ap!

Seared Salmon w/ Teriyaki Glaze and Chinese red sweet potato and wasabi mash

A juicy salmon steak seared to a crisp on the edges with a sweet teriyaki sauce...how can my favorite fish get any better? Ok, add some freshly fried potato chips and calamari, and top it with sauteed mushrooms and that 10 just went to an 11 IMO!

This is a great recipe if you like salmon :)

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 500 grams salmon
• 150 grams oyster mushrooms
• 2 larges scallion
• 2-3 tsp Chinese 5 spice
• 4 cloves of garlic (1 for the topping, 3 for the mash)
• 2 medium Chinese red sweet potatos
• 2-3 tsp onion powder
• 3-4 tsp wasabi powder
• 3-4 tbsp soy sauce
• A few dashes of Maggi seasoning
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger (or powder will work, but use slightly less)
• 2-3 tsp Nước mắm (Vietnamese fish sauce)
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp red chili flake (depending on how hot it is - you don't want to overpower the mash)
• 1/4 stick butter
• Sesame oil
• Cracked black pepper
• Salt
• Teriyaki Glaze
• 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-3/4 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2-3 tablespoons white sugar (to taste)
• 2-1/2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• black pepper (to taste)
• optional: corn starch to thicken it to preferred glaze consistency.

Directions

1. Start with the teriyaki glaze by bringing mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Set aside (Note: can store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for extended times).
2. First, boil some water and add the Chinese red sweet potato. Reserve a few slices for frying as chips. Boil until soft
3. Place soft potato in a food processor and add garlic, sesame oil, onion powder, wasabi powder, soy sauce, Maggi, ginger, Nước mắm, butter, chili flake, cracked black pepper, and salt to taste. Process until smooth.
4. Prepare a deep fry to quickly cook up the pineapple cut calamari (frozen from your local Chinese market) and the sweet potato chips. Remove them and place on a paper towel and sprinkle with a little salt.
5. For the topping: take some sesame oil and heat in a sauté pan. Add chopped oyster mushrooms, garlic, and scallions. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sear on high heat till slightly browned and soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
6. Add some more sesame oil and fry the salmon on high heat, skin side down first. Flip after skin is crisp and browned. Sear on the other side just until lightly browned.
7. While the salmon is searing, make a bed of the sweet wasabi potato mash. Then remove the skin from the salmon (it should peel off easily if you let is sit, covered in aluminum foil for 2-3 minutes), and place on top of the mash. Drizzle on the teriyaki glaze and garnish with the reserved toppings, calamari, and sweet potato chips.

Perfectly pink salmon.

Final product - drool.

References:
[1] Original Teriyaki Glaze - we modified this recipe to be slightly sweeter/tangy!

Saffron Moules Frites (Mussels & Baked Sweet Potato Fries)

Belgian/French in Brisbane :)

Also known as mussels and french fries (hot chips, whatever)...thank you boyfriend, for knowing so many interesting foods. This one's from Belgium, and it's a keeper...

Serves 2. Time: 1 hour.

Ingredients

Frites
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp powdered garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
Moules
• 1 kg mussels
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
• 2 medium onions
• 2 sausages (preferrably chorizo, if available), squeezed out of casing
• 2-3 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup vinegar (tarragon-infused)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt/Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F (220C). 
2. Cut sweet potato into ¼" match-sticks and set in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over frites and toss to evenly coat all sticks of sweet potato. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine all frites seasonings and mix thoroughly. 
4. Place sweet potatoes on a baking rack (a baking sheet is okay too, but the fries don't cook through as even). Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top. Try to arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other. Place rack/pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp. Start the moules about 10 minutes before the fries are done. 
5. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat with onion, sausage, paprika, and chili powder. Sauté until onions are soft. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add tomato and saute, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes.
6. In a separate small pot, boil water. Remove from heat and steep saffron in the hot water for at least 3-4 minutes. Remove saffron. Add wine, lemon zest and juice, and vinegar to saffron water.
7. Add the saffron mixture to the large pot and bring to a boil. Toss in the mussels and give a quick stir. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, add heavy cream, salt and pepper (to taste). Serve with fries.

This is a new fav, thanks babe :)

Mixed Seafood Pasta w/ Marinara Sauce

Slow roasted tomato sauce on tri-color pasta with pan fried white fish, mussel, salmon, scallop, and squid. The secret to the awesome sauce: a few hours of simmering and 2 chili peppers. Compliments to the bf for this one :) Definitely great with a cabernet sauvignon (and lots of candles).
<3


Serves 4.


Ingredients

• Mixed seafood (we had white fish, mussel, salmon, scallop, and squid)
• 1-2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Tri-colored fusilli pasta, 16oz bag/box
• 1 tbsp. butter
• Salt/Pepper (to taste)
• Fresh parmigiano-reggiano, grated
• Fresh basil (few leaves), julienned
• Homemade Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce
• 3 tbsp. olive oil (more or less)
• 1 cup Mushroom, sliced
• 1 Capsicum (bell pepper)
• 3 Onion (small), coarse chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, some diced and some coarse chopped
• 2 Tomatoes, blended
• 2 Chiles, blended
• 1 can Tomato, stewed
• 2-3 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• Salt/Pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and brown the mushrooms. Once browned, decrease the temperature to medium heat and add the capsicum. Cook capsicum until edges are slightly browned. Then, drop the temperature to low head and add onion. Cook until onion is almost caramelized and has a clear look to it. 
2. While that's cooking, blend the tomatoes and chile in a food processor (or blender). Set aside.
3. Once the onion is cooked through, add garlic and crank up the heat to high for 1 minute, or until you smell garlic being cooked. Drop the heat back to low and add the remaining ingredients: tomato blend, canned tomato, and spices. Cover the pot and let simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours (the longer/slower, the better).
4. About 25 mins before serving, prepare the seafood and pasta. In a separate pot, start boiling some water for the pasta. Put the pasta in your boiling water and cook until "al dente." 
5. In a frying pan, drizzle olive oil on mixed seafood and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning (to taste). Turn heat up to medium-high and fry the seafood, so the white fish has a nice crispy edge. Set aside for the minute.
6. Drain the pasta and toss with butter (to prevent sticking). Now you're ready to serve!
7. In serving bowls, place pasta, ladle with plenty of marinara sauce, and add the fresh seafood on top. Then for the finishing touches, sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper, grate parmigiano-reggiano over the bowls, and sprinkle with fresh basil. Enjoy!

Cooked Sushi

I was craving sushi and didn’t have any sushi grade fish, so I got a little creative with the items in our fridge/pantry. First, you need nori (dried seaweed sheets) and to make sushi rice. The rest is easy - you pick your fillings, like the things you want in a sandwich, or the toppings to put on pizza. It’s fun. 

Fillings set-up.

Ready to roll.

Here are the combo’s I came up with:

1. Seared steak w/ sauteed mushroom and onion, a thin layer of hot mustard, topped with a garlic chip and toasted black sesame seed.

2. Smoked (canned) tuna w/ a slice of raw onion, crumbled feta, and topped with green onion and toasted white sesame seed.

3. Spicy crab mix (imitation crab, mayo, and sri racha), chopped jalapeño, avocado slice, bell pepper strip and lettuce.

4. Garlic shrimp, minced ginger, avocado slice, sliced mushroom, and lettuce topped with toasted white sesame seed and mini crunchy shrimp (found in Chinese store).

5. The Italian Roll! Bacon strips, crumbled feta, sundried tomato, garlic, and fresh basil.

I heard the last two were (surprisingly) the favs. After those 5, I mixed and matched all of those ingredients so no rolls were the same. Sushi is easy and fun. And I love it. I want more sushi now…

Chef: the gf.

Crab Louie Salad

This was the bf’s take on a “crab louie” and it was superb! However, the dressing ingredients I am unsure of, but the salad ingredients are quite simple: shrimp, imitation crab, hard boiled egg, avocado slices, red bell pepper, green onion, and lettuce. 

Chef: the bf :)

Cioppino

Cioppino - perfect for mixed seafood.

Chef: the gf.

Recipe, but with 2 crushed (dry) chili peppers, fresh basil, and fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano = YUM.

Spicy Seafood Curry w/ Lemon Basil Coconut Rice

It makes grown men cry.

Chef: the bf.