J.T. Farnham's Fried Clams and a Day at the Beach

Another year, another last-minute realization that the time when dogs are allowed at Crane Beach was coming to an end! Since we had such a great time the last two years, we schedule a trip and hoped that it wouldn't be TOO cold or windy. Somehow we lucked out with blue skies and temps in the 30's, which was practically a heat wave given the winter we've had!

Nick the dog whisperer

Deep-Fried Bluefish

After fishing in Boston Harbor for Nick's birthday, we first took a stab at cooking up the striped bass but still had some bluefish to play with.  Bluefish is a more oily fish, is definitely more "fishy" tasting and traditionally harder to work with.  Captain Scott told us we cold easily fry these up, so I figured I would give it a go and searched around the internet for some recipes.

Fish-Fry At Home

Fresh Striped Bass on the Grill

When you spend the day fishing in the Boston Harbor and you come back with loads of fresh striped bass, you better hope you like fish! Luckily, Captain Scott was able to give us a couple of ideas on how to prepare the fish. Turns out, with a great starting ingredient it's pretty easy.

Ready for the grill

Fishing in Boston Harbor

For Nick's birthday this year I actually got my act together and planned a day fishing trip out of Boston Harbor.  Honestly, the reason it took a couple of years to get around to it was that finding a good, convenient boat proved to be more difficult than I originally thought.  Finally I reached out to some friends on the North Shore thinking they would know of places up there, and one good friend actually recommended a boat out of Constitution Wharf in Charlestown - PERFECT.

Nick's Fishing!

Fishing Frenzy is owned by Captain Scott, who has a day job but during the summer takes groups out on fishing trips.  The whole atmosphere was totally relaxed; the only rule was there were no rules. Scott and his first mate, Brian, were super helpful and eager to please. Rather than spending the time trolling, their eyes were on the water, watching the birds and looking for splashes. We were constantly moving around in search of the fish. Once settled, the two of them were casting and the minute a fish was hooked, they let us have the fun and reel it in.  Nick actually cast and caught his own fish!

Swordfish Dinner

Recently Nick and I have been buying the frozen filets or "steak" cuts of fish at the market that we can easily keep in the freezer until the spirit moves us.  Fish is always such a great protein option, especially when we get stuck in our chicken rut that so easily can happen.  I will be the first to say I have not gotten very adventurous with fish yet.  Maybe that will be one of my goals this summer, since fish to me is warmer weather food!

Swordfish Dinner

My mom always used to make a delicious, quick swordfish dinner.  The first time I went to buy some fish at Deluca's (so, obviously, this is going WAY back), when I mentioned using mayo the deli guy did not understand.  After a two minute phone call with my mom to make sure I was not making things up, she explained her swordfish making method.  Beware, it may look or sound weird, but its good!

Tilapia Burgers - Home Cooked Burger Alternative

Remember when I actually cooked here at In and Around Town?  It's been a while since I have talked about some of the recipes I have been making in the kitchen.  The reasons for the lack of home-cooked posts?  Because I have been trying to keep up with all the restaurants I have been going to (they add up quick!), and because we have been taking advantage of the weather and our new George Foreman Outdoor Grill and grilling up loads of veggies (delicious, but not exactly thrilling blog material).  So, this recipe gets back to the kitchen and is dedicated to my friend A in San Francisco, who has been looking for some more home cooking from In and Around Town.

I happened to stumble upon this recipe for tilapia burgers with watermelon salsa and avocado and knew it would have to be made quickly!  This recipe definitely takes a fish sandwich and makes it worthy of a the title of "burger!"

Tilapia Burgers

Woodman's and a Windy Day at Crane Beach

Being from the North Shore originally, and since my mom still is up there, Nick and I like to get out of the city on occasion and see the sights.  One of those is Crane Beach in Ipswich.  I spent many a summer getting very tan on those beaches and enjoying time on some friends' boats (I was a lucky girl!).  Since it had been such a mild winter, Nick and I thought it would fun to take Holly up to the beach for the day and enjoy the off-leash area and play fetch (her favorite obsession).  We picked a nice sunny day, but it ended up being SUPER windy out.  That weekend the news was reporting 50 mph wind gusts, but decided to push on.  Having learned my lesson from previous visits, I forced my mom and Nick to head into the wind first - a more trying trip out but a pleasant return trip.  What was great was that because of the wind, there were only a few others on the beach that day, so we had plenty of beach to ourselves.

Windy Day!

Wind is Not Stopping Holly

Family Photo :)

While Crane Beach does cost money to access ($8 in the winter off season) the money goes to the the Trustees of the Reservations, which works hard at preserving the Crane Estate area, which is beautiful, so it lessens the blow - that, and a car and trunk full of people to offset the cost!

Attempt #2 at Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts are not something I had growing up because my mom was not a fan.  However, Nick is a BIG fan of brussel sprouts so I have been trying to figure out a way to cook them at home where we both enjoy them.  My first attempt at brussel sprouts was not super successful in my book - Nick liked them though, which counts for something!  So after getting some great feedback in the comments of that blog post, I now have a little treasure trove of tricks and recipes to play with.

While out shopping at Whole Foods I saw brussel sprouts that they were selling straight from the stalk!  I had never thought about where they come from before, and it seemed a bit odd but did make sense.  Next to the big stalk were bundles of brussel sprouts that were a bit smaller in size, a bit more manageable and, in my opinion, the perfect size for my next attempt at brussel sprouts.

Smaller Brussel Sprouts!

3 Pound Lobster Dinner at home!

A little apology to my readers - I am sorry for disappearing for a number of days!  I was in Chicago this past weekend for a wedding and was scheduled to return on Sunday night, but thanks to Hurricane Irene, our flight was canceled.  So, we were "stuck" in Chicago for a couple of extra days.  Lucky for Nick and I, we were staying with friends and were able to enjoy the extra long weekend.  Lucky for you, I have a few more restaurants to review in case you visit Chicago anytime soon (but those start next week.)

A must-do when my brother comes to visit is a great New England lobster dinner.  Rather than heading out to do this, we bring the seafood yummyness to us (or, rather, my mom's house!)

Thats a BIG lobster

When you are dealing with cooking three pound lobsters for more than 1 or 2 people that requires a pretty big pot.  Instead, we leave the cooking to the Cherry St. Fish Market - it makes for a much easier dinner!  I mean, look at these guys - they were HUGE and cooked to perfection.

Tilapia and Quinoa with Feta and Cucumber

For dinner last night I almost had the whole plan before getting to work.  By "plan" I mean I had a protein that was sitting in the fridge defrosting.  For me that is huge - I never remember to make that switch!  For some reason I was set on using the tilapia filets in the freezer that came from Whole Foods, nicely vacuum packed and ready for just such an occasion. 

Having the main ingredient really helps narrow down the recipe to use.  In this case, Martha (of course) had the most interesting recipe that called for tilapia and quinoa, so I went for it.

Dinner is ready!

Cinco de Mayo Fish Tacos!

I was feeling a bit uninspired looking for a recipe last week - I wasn't even sure where to begin looking because I was not in the mood for anything specific.  However, it was Cinco De Mayo, so that took me down a path that led to only good things.  The fantastic food blog We Are Not Martha featured a recipe for Crispy Fried Fish Tacos that looked like it would hit the spot.  To be honest, I had never fried fish at home so I was really curious to see how this was going to go - a fun challenge, shall we say.

Crispy Fish Tacos

Honeyed Prawns & Polenta - Bringing the South up North

We realized this week that it had been awhile since we really cooked a "real" meal ourselves, so when it came time to select a recipe I was at a loss.  However, when we were in Savannah we became obsessed with the delicious honey from the Savannah Bee Company so of course we bought some souvenirs.  This was as good a place as any for some inspiration.

Honey!

Sesame-Sriracha Crusted Ahi Tuna

My brother recently told me about this small cookbook that is entirely dedicated to dishes with Sriracha - as in each and every recipe tell you how to get this hot and spicy sauce into every type of food.

How to add spice to EVERY dish

Nick decided to take the first stab at the spice and went with the cover dish - sesame-Sriracha crusted ahi tuna. 

The necessities...

2 tablespoons of Sriracha
1-1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1/2 cup black sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2-1/2 pounds of sushi-grade ahi tuna loin
Steamed rice and/or steamed veggies to serve
Sliced green onions for garnish - green part only

Nick was able to find some great sushi-grade tuna at Savenor's Market on Charles - a bit expensive, but when dealing with semi-raw fish you do not really want to mess around.

Nice tuna steaks

In a large mixing bowl Nick added the sesame oil and the Sriracha and mixed it together. 

Up close with Sriarcha

Once mixed, Nick placed the tuna in the bowl and covered each side of the tune with the mixture. 

Tuna smothered in Sriracha

One a plate, Nick spread out the sesame seeds. 

Ready to coat the tuna

While the recipe called for both black and white sesame seeds, we used the rest of our tuxedo-blend sesame seeds, which had both black and white seeds already mixed together, and then made up difference with white sesame seeds since that's all we could find at the store.

Now for the cooking.  According to the recipe, the key to making this dish is using a "superhot pan" so that it gets a nice crust on the outside of the tuna without overcooking the inside.  You are supposed to use a cast iron skillet, but since we have not yet invested in one of those, we stuck with the All-Clad.  While Nick was prepping the tuna, he had the pan on the stove top that was set to high - making it "rocket-hot."  Once it reached this extreme temperature, Nick drizzled 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over the super hot pan and proceeded to cook each side of the tuna for 30 seconds.

Cooking away

Well, the pan was definitely "rocket-hot." The first tuna steak hit the pan and we almost had to call the fire department - lets just say the screaming hot pan smoked a bit, and our vents were not enough!  I stood in the hall and fanned the smoke detectors to get rid of as much of the smoke as possible while Nick quickly seared the tuna.  This two minute time frame seemed to be MUCH longer, but the tuna cooked amazingly!  Once cooked, Nick covered the tuna with tin foil for about two minutes before serving.

The recipe suggested a cucumber side dish that Nick put together a couple of hours before cooking the tuna in order to make sure the flavors settled in and the cucumbers had more than a little kick - Sriracha Sunomono.  Nick sliced up a cucumber nice and thin and tossed them together in a bowl with 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and a tablespoon of Sriracha.

A light salad

Once it was all finished, Nick sliced the tuna and plated it over jasmine rice.

Dinner is Ready!

This dish was so good!  I was worried that the Sriracha would be overpowering, but really it just complemented the tuna and provided a great flavor kick.  Having spent more on the tuna than we normally spend on dinner, I was a bit worried using the Sriracha because it it so strong but I would definitely make this again.  The cucumbers were still fresh and crisp tasting.  The sauce, again, had a nice bite from the vinegar and heat from the Sriracha.  I had some of these a few days later for lunch and the heat had definitely increased, to the point where I wished I had some milk rather than water to drink.

Overall, I was almost surprised by how much I enjoyed this dish.  Now I cannot wait to test out the rest of this book!

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi - with a coconut touch!

Whole Foods has this great section of frozen fish, but not only that, the fish consists of the perfect size fillets all vacuum packed and frozen, which can then be defrosted and ready in an hour.  So, really, its such an easy way to have fish quickly and easily!

On Thursday morning I took two fillets of mahi mahi out of the freezer and into the fridge - a slow way to ensure they will be ready for dinner!  That left one goal for work that day: find a fun way to dress up the fillets.  In my searching I found this great looking Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi by Alton Brown.  I am a huge fan of macadamia nuts so I was sold.  Even better was that some of the reviews suggested adding coconut flakes to the crust, which made the whole thing seem even better.

The necessities....

• 5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) coarsely ground, roasted macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for brushing foil
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk

The Ingredients

Before I could even start, I actually had to separate the macadamia nuts from cashews - all I could find at the store was a combo package.  Then I hit roadblock number 2 - how to coarsely grind the macadamia nuts.  I gave my coffee grinder a try, but the results were a partial macadamia nut butter.  So maybe not the best idea on such a soft nut.  My next idea was to use my pastry blender, which worked a lot better.  However, this did not grind the nuts small enough, but I figured "oh well, good enough!"

Okay, I was ready to get started.  I combined the "coarsely ground" macadamia nuts, panko, flour and melted butter together.  Instead of using all 1/2 cup of panko, I actually only used about 2/3 of that amount and then topped the rest off with coconut flakes.  Then, because I did not read through the instructions fully I added the coconut milk as well (lesson learned: always read the recipe all the way through first!).  I mixed it all together then set aside for later.

Close up of the crust batter

Then I remembered that rice takes a good amount of time to cook, so I started cooking the jasmine rice and hoped it would be ready with the fish!

My next step was to line a baking sheet with tin foil and cover it generously with vegetable oil.  I placed the fish on the foil, generously salted and peppered them, and put them in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes.  Then I brushed the coconut milk on the fish fillets (where is should have been in the first place!).  Then I took the crust batter and covered the tops of each of the fillets and returned them to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Cooking away in the oven

You know when they are done when the crust turns a nice golden brown color.

Nicely toasted

I then turned my attention to the green beans.  I sauteed them in a pan with olive oil, salt and minced garlic.

Sauteing green beans

Finally, when everything came together, I fluffed the rice and made sure the fish was cooked all the way through - I always worry with fish - and plated away.

Attempt at plating well

My crust was a bit thicker than what the recipe called for, but I love coconut so I wanted to go for it!  This fish came out so well - I was actually surprised at HOW well.  The extra coconut flakes and milk in the crust really added to the flavor.  When I use coconut in a dish, I really want to taste it in the final product, I want more than a hint of it.  This fish definately had a great coconut flavor.  The crust also kept the fish really moist and tasty.  To me, there is nothing worse than having dried out fish!  The jasmine rice was a nice complement in flavors to the crust.  It was keeping in the same theme as the crust.  Since I love sauted green beans, they go with everything to me, so of course it fit on my plate.

This recipe is something I would do again, especially since these mahi mahi fillets are so easy to have on hand and defrost in a hurry (about an hour at room temperature).  Highly recommend!