Tag: seafood

My Kids Are Food Snobs – Seared Scallops with Lemon, Capers, and Butter

My Kids Are Food Snobs – Seared Scallops with Lemon, Capers, and Butter

When my children, Ariana and Jacob, were eight and ten years old we frequented a small Italian restaurant in town for the year or two it was open. It was by no means a fancy establishment, but they served solid food and had a pasta 

The Cabin – Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

The Cabin – Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

In the early to mid-1970s when I was about seven my parents first rented a cabin with a handful of other families not far from Kutztown in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Each family would get their own weekend about once a month throughout the year and 

Seared Sea Scallops with Corn Puree and Fennel Pollen

Seared Sea Scallops with Corn Puree and Fennel Pollen

I didn’t have any relationship with scallops until I met them up close and personal. Scuba diving in shallow bays on the east end of Long Island, brushing aside blades of eelgrass, occasionally I would come across a bay scallop, laying on the estuary bottom, 

Fish Dish – Seafood Salad

Fish Dish – Seafood Salad

In the spring of 1994, I became a student teacher in a suburban high school on Long Island. One of the first people I met would become my mentor. Tom was tall and lean. Very tall and very lean. He taught a marine science class, 

Baked Stuffed Clams

Baked Stuffed Clams

There’s something about carbohydrates and garlic; they go well together. Think garlic bread, garlic knots from any New York pizzeria, and even my mashed potato pizza, fragrant with roasted garlic, mashed potatoes, fresh mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. The carbs are a vehicle for the pungent 

Weekend Fancy in a Weeknight Meal – Shrimp Saganaki

Weekend Fancy in a Weeknight Meal – Shrimp Saganaki

A weeknight dinner might need to be quick, but that does not mean it needs to be unhealthy, tasteless, or inelegant. This Greek dish, shrimp in a simple, slightly spicy tomato sauce topped with salty feta cheese perfectly fits the bill. As it makes use 

A Birthday Meal – Shrimp Scampi Stuffed Shells

A Birthday Meal – Shrimp Scampi Stuffed Shells

I am not a huge believer in making a big deal out of celebrating one’s birthday, at least when you are an adult. I don’t think it warrants a party every year or a day off of work (but then again, my birthday is in 

Shrimp in Olive Oil with Garlic (Gambas al Ajillo)

Shrimp in Olive Oil with Garlic (Gambas al Ajillo)

I love small plates, tapas, dim sum, hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, mezze, finger food, in any form, whatever you want to call them. At a formal event, these are almost always the best, most exciting part of the meal. I would rather a formal occasion with 

Long Island: Land of Clams – Clams with Garlicky Chorizo Broth and Toasty Bread

Long Island: Land of Clams – Clams with Garlicky Chorizo Broth and Toasty Bread

Long Island is the land of clams. From the original native peoples to the multicultural residents of Long Island today, clams have always been a tasty part of the culinary repertoire. Surrounded by salt water on all sides, with sandy and muddy habitats aplenty, there 

Salt Baked Squid = Salt and Pepper Calamari

Salt Baked Squid = Salt and Pepper Calamari

My very favorite food in the whole wide world is shell-on, salt baked shrimp from the Chinese restaurant Lee How Fook in Philadelphia, where my family has been dining for decades. It is light, crisp, crunchy, and salty, with a slight peppery tang, perfect with