Seared Yellowfin Tuna Salad

I am not usually one to brag, but this has been a stellar week in the Kettler Kitchen! I've cooked up Cilantro Burgers, Swordfish Steaks, Sticky Bacon Sandwiches (which requires a further explanation in a future post) and this Seared Tuna Salad. The year 2015 kicked off with a bang and lit a fire under my creative culinary ass. I became inspired to try different recipes and new ingredients.

The Farmers Market is a great source for the inspiration. I am constantly in front of peak-season ingredients sold to me by the best possible source. What better way to learn how to prepare a sunchoke than from the one that grew it. Yes, I have made sunchokes this week too....again, that deserves its own post!

I always keep my eye on Locals Seafood website towards the end of the week to see what they are getting in fresh. More often than not, I pre-order something since the best items tend to go fast. This week, I doubled up....swordfish and tuna! Tuna is probably my favorite fish, and not because it is so elegant and trendy at sushi restaurants, but because it can be prepared several different ways, holds up to cooking (i.e. doesn't fall apart easily), and is rich and light all at the same time.

This salad was initially a throw-together salad, but the Hubby loved it so much that he encouraged me to share with my readers. He has a lot of influence on this blog you know :)

We like our tuna super-rare in the middle, which requires a really hot pan and quick cooking. I usually prepare the dressing and salad first before I even turn on the pan to get hot. That way, I give full attention to cooking the tuna. Sear away!!

Seared Yellowfin Tuna Salad

Yields: 2 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2-4 minutes

Salad Ingredients
4 cups romaine, spinach or mixture of favorite salad lettuce

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup Farmers cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup cucumber, diced

1 avocado, sliced

1/3 cup fresh carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon Grapeseed or Canola oil
2 tablespoons Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sesame seeds
2 (6 ounce) Yellowfin tuna steaks

Dressing Ingredients (can also used pre-made dressing)

3 teaspoons Tamari or Soy Sauce

1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste (depending on spice level desired)

1 teaspoon Sesame seed oil

2 tablespoons Grapeseed oil or olive oil

1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Sesame seeds

Optional Salad Additions
Red cabbage, shredded
Radicchio, shredded
*Golden beets, roasted (add a nice sweet balance to the salad)
Wasabi peas

Take out the tuna steaks from the refrigerator and let rest on the counter 30 minutes before cooking. In a small bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together until well combined. Set aside.

Prepare the salad next. Chop the lettuce of choice, top with almonds, crumbled cheese, cucumber, avocado and carrot. Add any remaining optional ingredients desired and set aside.

Heat a medium (or large if cooking more than 2 tuna steaks) over medium-high heat. Get the pan hot! Dry the tuna steaks with a paper towel. Add the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon Sesame seeds to the pan and cook until starts to bubble, about 30 seconds. Add the tuna steaks to the pan and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes depending on thickness. I usually do 1 minute per side because we like super-rare tuna steaks.

After cooking the steaks on both sides, remove the tuna and let rest on a cutting board for 2 minutes before thickly slicing and placing on top of the salads. Drizzle the dressing evening on both salads and serve right away.

*To roast beets, rinse and scrub the outside of the beets to remove dirt. Drizzle whole beets with oil and salt. Roast whole at 400F for about 30-40 minutes (depending on size of beets). Once they have cooled to the touch, wearing gloves, rub the beets to remove the skin. Quarter and serve with the salad. Regular red beets are also fine here.

Happy Thanksgiving & Oyster Season in NC

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Instead of filling your inboxes and social media feeds with another Thanksgiving recipe, I thought I would focus on one of the holiday traditions in my family....Oysters!

There are many reasons why Fall is my favorite season in North Carolina, but oysters are definitely at the top of that list! I LOVE fresh oysters! There is nothing better than using brute force to crack open the shell and slurp up the briny, delicious prize from inside.

I realize that last statement might not sound that appetizing to most people, but I just can't help myself. It is one of the few ocean gems that I don't mind working for to eat. As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed them, but I am sure there was a moment when I was younger where I stared an oyster in the face and truly questioned whether I should bet my life on a raw thing that looked like a booger. 

Luckily for me, that was sooooo long ago that I don't remember it, so for now, my unwavering love for oysters continues! They are coming in hot right now in NC too. The Hubby and I are always following Locals Seafood to know what is coming in fresh from the NC coast. The other night, we got several dozen Wild Harvest oysters for less than $20. The catch is that you have to clean and open them yourselves, but with the training I have from my Father, I was in good shape!

The Hubby and I prefer to eat them raw, but most people grill, bake or steam them. I found a few good recipes for folks to peruse:

• How to clean, shuck and steam oysters video
• Grilled oysters
• Oyster Stuffing
• Oyster Shooters
• Oyster Rockefeller

If you are brave enough to eat them raw, be prepared for a bit of a workout to get them open. Raw oysters are much harder to open, so the proper tool and technique is very important! A lot of helpful information can be found here on how to shuck oysters.

Then all you need to pull off your Oyster on the Half Shell plater is a few accouterments: lemon wedges, hot sauce, melted butter, chow chow or other pickled shallots.

We prefer to eat the oysters by themselves because we will eat so many, but they can be served with anything, or as an appetizer.

Check out Locals Seafood for their latest Market Selection straight from the NC coast! Happy shucking!

Spicy Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Everyone knows by now that we had to cancel our recent trip to San Francisco. For my final attempt to make up for this disappointment (that can be blamed on the weather), I brought San Francisco to him (and his belly).

We have always enjoyed watching the Oscars, trying to guess the winners of all the movies (most of which we have not seen). We like star-gazing and laughing at Ellens tasteful jokes! I wanted to come up with a fancy meal to enjoy while we watched the Oscars, but what to make??

I was perusing the seafood counter in Whole Foods, trying to decide between scallops, shrimp, fish, clams....when it hit me! Why not all of them?!?! I had the perfect recipe tucked away that needed one more test run before becoming blog-worthy, Cioppino.

Cioppino is a fish stew that originated in San Francisco. It usually combines the fresh catch of the day with a tomato-wine sauce. How perfect! A San Francisco-inspired meal full of some of our favorite ingredients (crab, wine, garlic).

I will admit, this is not the cheapest dish to make, so we only bust out for special occasions, and ONLY when there is worthy seafood for the recipe. This recipe is most fun when it is just the two of us, especially when crab legs are involved! It can get a bit messy when you are trying to crack crab legs and open clams in a red broth!

A few tips for this recipe:
1. Definitely prep all the ingredients prior to starting the cooking process. This recipe cooks quickly in the beginning and at the end.
2. If you are making for 2 people, make the same amount of the broth, but cut down on the seafood. I find that seafood doesn't make a good leftover meal. For instance, when I made this on Sunday, I bought two small crab clusters, 8 shrimp, 4 scallops and 10 clams. Even that was too much for our large appetite!
3. Any type of seafood can be used here. If you don't like mussels, try clams. Not a huge shrimp fan, try squid or a sturdy fish. If you are making this for a dinner party, cut out the crab so it is not as messy to eat.
4. Don't wear a white shirt when you eat this!

I should also add that the long list of ingredients shouldn't turn you away from this recipe. It really is quite easy - mostly just adding everything into one big pot. Stash this recipe away for a special meal to impress your loved one.

Another option is to make the "stew" part ahead of time (everything but the seafood). Just reheat it in a large enough pot and cook the seafood right before you are ready to serve it.

Spicy Cioppino

Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine (such as a Rioja or Chianti)
1 (28 ounce) can whole plum tomatoes and juice, chopped
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice (about 1 cup)
1 cup chicken broth (vegetable broth works also)
salt and pepper to taste

1 pound Dungeness crab leg or cluster, thawed if frozen (might need to cut if pot is smaller)
1 pound mussels or clams (scrubbed and de-bearded)
1 pound large shrimp (16-20 count), shelled and deveined
1 pound sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Serve with:
Sourdough bread slices
Roasted garlic
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Start by chopping the fennel, onion and celery to the same size pieces. In a small bowl combine the oregano, thyme, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy pot or dutch oven. Saute the onion, fennel and celery until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the spice mixture. After about 30 seconds, add in the tomato paste and stir until well combined.

Pour in the wine and bring this to a boil and reduce by about half, while stirring occasionally. Add in the broth, clam juice, chopped tomatoes and their juice and the bay leaf. Bring this to a simmer, cover and cook for 35-40 minutes.

While the broth cooks, pull out the seafood and prep anything (peel and devein the shrimp, clean the mussels, cut the crab clusters, etc.). When the broth is finish, taste and add salt and pepper accordingly. Prep any side dishes or set the table at this point before adding in the seafood!

Add the crab and mussels (or clams) in the pot first, pushing them into the broth so they are covered. Cover the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in the scallops. Cover and cook another 2 minutes. Finally, throw in the shrimp, cover and cook another 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Shrimp and Fennel Salad

We love it when an unexpected meal comes together! Ryan and I were packing up for the beach, which meant cleaning out the fridge for dinner. We had some frozen shrimp in the freezer and just enough ingredients for two salads. Ryan insisted that I add this salad to the blog because it was so good!!

I realize that most people don’t just have some of these ingredients laying around in their fridge, but go get them!

While I was putting the salads together, I was working on one of the new cocktails for a future June Cocktail Month post (spoiler alert – Cilantro Pineapple Julep). The drink and salad paired perfectly together and put us in the perfect mood to finish packing up for the beach.

Here is a tip for using frozen shrimp. A lot of times I will purchase shrimp in bulk and freeze for later use because I can’t always find fresh, local (or wild caught) shrimp on demand. The best way to thaw frozen shrimp is to submerge it into cold water in a very large bowl. Change out the water every 10-15 minutes and the shrimp should thaw in about 30 minutes. I do this right when I come home and prep other ingredients while it thaws and voila! The shrimp is thawed and ready to go.

(Side note: if you have a cat, put the bowl of water/shrimp in the microwave to thaw so you can step away without the cat feasting on the raw shrimp. Obviously don't start the microwave!)

You have to try this salad because the flavors itself will take you to a delightful, tropical place!

Shrimp and Fennel Salad

Yields: 2 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes (to thaw shrimp)

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

10-12 shrimp, deveined and tails left on (thaw out if frozen)

2 tablespoons Kettler Cuisine blackening rub

6-8 cups salad greens (we used romaine and spinach)

1 avocado, sliced

½ cup fresh pineapple, diced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red onion, diced

Brie cheese, sliced (can also use feta, goat cheese or other triple crème cheese)

If using frozen shrimp, thaw this out using the method above.

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the sliced fennel, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the prepared shrimp with the blackening rub and add the oil to the pan. Sear the shrimp on each side for about 2 minutes and remove from the pan immediately. The shrimp should be just cooked through and slightly bouncy to the touch.

Prepare the remaining ingredients and assemble the salad, then top with your favorite dressing.

There are a ton of ways you could dress the salad, but since Ryan loves his Ranch, I don't make up dressings all of the time. For this salad I just topped with a blood orange infused olive oil that I got for Christmas this year. The citrus flavor complimented the spice of the shrimp and the bitterness and sweetness of the fennel. If you don't have this on hand, you could whisk fresh orange juice with olive oil to get the same flavor or top with your favorite simple vinaigrette.

The wonderful thing about salads is that you can top any way you want! Have fun with it and enjoy!!

Celebrating Anniversaries

It just so happens that today, I am celebrating two different anniversaries! First and foremost, my husband and I have been married for 1 year today! It is so hard to believe that it has been a year since we walked down the "aisle" in the mountains and committed ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives. I wouldn't change ANYTHING about this first year.

Ryan is possibly the most supportive husband a woman could have. He has supported me through it all...full time job, marathon training, house work and my favorite new hobby, KettlerCuisine! He was the one that encouraged me to start the blog on that fateful Spring day.

Speaking of a "fateful Spring day," it has been 6 months today since I officially launched this blog. I know it seems silly to launch a blog on April 1...think about it, April Fool's! However, it has been a lot of fun to keep alive. Friends and family are always asking me about how the blog is going and what they should expect for the future. Well, I can't give all of my secrets away!

Since Ryan is the center of my life and my second love is cooking, it seemed only natural to come up with an over-the-top Anniversary meal that we could plan and cook together. We decided on extending the celebration a day early so we could enjoy more time together.

Lobster!! That was the star of the show last night. We wanted to think of something easy enough that we didn't have to stress over, but delicious enough that would be memorable. 

Desert was taken care of, we had the top layer of our wedding cake that has lived in our freezer since last October 1. My father contributed a nice aged bottle of Tawny Port, and we completed the meal with two sides, one of which is from the blog - Caramelized Pancetta and Fennel Salad.

Lobster Tails

No recipe today, but instead, some tips about our first experience handling and cooking lobster. We tried to find live lobsters, but decided against this once we knew we would have to face the inevitable killing! We settled (which I say lightly because they were amazing) for lobster tails from Whole Foods. I was intimidated!! I had never cooked lobster and it is quite pricey...so there was a lot of pressure to not screw up.

Ryan did his usual Google search for tips on cooking lobster and found some other cooking blogs online. The best bet was to broil them with melted butter on the side. This just further claims my theory of "seafood is best with nothing on it!" These tails were great - no fishy smell at all.

I only made one cut down the center of the tail, but I would suggest making two cuts (discarding the cut shell pieces). Then use your finger, being careful not to cut yourself on the shell, to separate the "meat" from the shell on both sides. The meat should then easily pull away and rest on top of the shell.

Most recipes call to brush the lobster meat with melted butter before cooking, but I did not do this. I simply placed the tails on a foil-lined baking sheet and broiled on high for 5 minutes. That's it!! Our tails were between 4-6 ounces each. If you get smaller ones, reduce the cooking time and visa versa.

Overall, it was a great anniversary. We started the day with a trip to Whole Foods (for our dinner ingredients) and favorite beer store, Bottle Revolution. We had to find some good beer to put in our cute new coozies from Cass and Mike!

We then sat and watched the amazing video that my cousins made from our wedding and the recording of our ceremony (while I sobbed). And finally, we turned on some beach music, (my personal fav - only Southerner's can understand this one) and re-lived our first dance, which started with a choreographed shag (again, only Southerner's can understand this)!!

We ended the night with our amazing meal:

• Lobster tails with melted butter
• Blanched asparagus, oscar style
• Cheddar and jalapeno stone grits
• Caramelized pancetta and fennel salad
• Wedding cake and aged Port

Happy Anniversary to the Kettlers and to Kettler Cuisine!

Cedar Plank Salmon

This Labor Day weekend was great! Ryan and I didn't have any travel plans and actually had down time to catch up on things. The only "thing" on our list was to pull out the grill! Although we both love seafood, we don't eat it a lot because it can be pricey. But while I was at Whole Food's over the weekend, I ventured past the seafood counter and noticed some fine-looking salmon on display! Fresh caught, and in-season.

I always like to talk to the vendor behind the Whole Food's seafood counter, mostly because they are VERY knowledgeable about fish and always have great suggestions for preparation and recipes. However, this time, I knew exactly how to prepare it - Cedar Plank style!!

Cooking salmon on cedar planks is just one of those meals that Ryan and I both LOVE - kind of like the buttermilk-brined pork chops. It is delicious every time! And I have to admit, Ryan doesn't cook that much, but the man is good on the grill! I know that Dave is smiling down with a proud father grin when I say this :)

Earlier this year, I bought a few cedar planks and we attempted the salmon for the first time, playing around with a few different marinades/sauces. In all honestly, you don't need to have sauce or marinade at all with a cedar plank, but we found this easy combination of flavors to enhance the taste even more. The only "think ahead" note is, remember to soak the plank in water before placing on a grill, so it doesn't disintegrate into flames!

Cedar Plank Salmon Fillets 

Yields: 2 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes + 1 hour soaking time
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets with skin
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest (reserve lemon for garnish)
Salt and pepper

Cedar Grilling Planks (soaked for 1 hour)

Place the prepared cedar plank into a large jelly roll pan and pour water on top to cover it. Put a large glass jar on top of the plank to keep it from floating.

Combine the mustard, maple syrup, rosemary and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

Pull the fish out of the refrigerator and place on the counter for 10 minutes to bring closer to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat (or indirect heating setup) and add the soaked plank to the grill rack, close the cover and heat for 3 minutes, then flip the plank.

Pull off the plank and place the salmon filets skin-side down on top. Generously brush the marinade on the fillets and cook on indirect heat for 7 minutes. (This is a great time to grill some vegetables for a side dish).

Move the salmon planks closer to the direct heat for 3-5 minutes until the fish is done (depending on thickness of filets.

No flipping necessary, but you can add more marinade while it cooks if you want - the plank adds a lot of flavor though.

Soft Shell Crab

Let's get real with seafood today! A few weeks ago, I came across an article on soft shell crab. As someone who claims to be an expert seafood eater, I have never had soft shell crab as a main dish. So, naturally, I had to fix that!

I called up my parents to discuss the upcoming visit and asked if they wanted it for dinner one night. I knew they would be all over this idea!

Growing up, I spent many summers at the beach. My father grew up on the coast, and as a result KNOWS good seafood. And since he knows good seafood, he taught me well:

• It has to be fresh or I ain't touching it!!
• Stay away from fried seafood. Why ruin a great thing by covering up the taste of it.
• All you need is Old Bay :)

Since the Hubby grew up in the Midwest, he wasn't accustomed to fresh seafood very often. I quickly learned this about him when we first started dating and tried to introduce him to my family seafood traditions and events...such as the oyster roast! (I think my family could put down 20 bushels of oysters in one sitting easily, but that is for another time and post).

Back to the issue at hand...soft shell crab. I called several local seafood markets and found luck with a fresh batch brought in that morning. I rushed over, bought several crabs per person and headed straight to my parents. Through this little cooking adventure, I learned several things from my parents about cooking soft shell crab:

• A good rule of thumb is 2 crabs per person.
• Always eat the crabs within 24 hours of purchasing them. The fresher, the better.
• If they weren't frozen and just caught, even better!!
• They cook quick!!
• The entire crab is edible - not for the weak stomached!
• They are packed with flavor, but can be a different consistency than normal crabs.

So after my first experience cooking and eating soft shell crab, I have to say I feel educated and cultured! I loved the flavor, and even though I had a hard time with the consistency at first, I still managed to gobble the whole thing down. Needless to say, my parents devoured them and LOVED it. That was enough to make me happy!

Soft Shelled Crab

Yields: 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes

6 soft shelled crab, fresh
Old Bay seasoning
chili rub seasoning
flour
salt and pepper
ghee or butter

In a shallow bowl or large plate, mix the flour and spices together.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.

Dredge each crab in the flour mixture and place in the pan quickly. After 2-3 minutes, flip the crabs and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes more. Remove and serve immediately.

Like the blue nails??