A TRIO OF HOLIDAY SEAFOOD
‘Tis the season for entertaining, and what is tastier than a glass (or two) of bubbly and a bite of fresh seafood? Seafood has always meant celebration for me. Perhaps, because I was raised in West Texas, and the only fresh fish I saw was our own line caught catfish. Other catches were always frozen, usually breaded (think sticks) or popcorn shrimp. Now, in our modern world, we can enjoy all sorts of fresh seafood and easily add it to our holiday celebration.
I adore my bubblies! At this moment, my favorite is Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne, NV. Petal pink color with expansive aromas of cherry and strawberry accented with mineral notes. Harmoniously balanced with a yin-yang of delicacy and power, sporting a medium-full body with a persistent finish. This is really fantastic with the Crab and Saint André Pizza. The Champagne cuts through the richness of the cheese and complements the sweet briney flesh of the crab.
Another sparkler that I am all over this year, is the Canella Prosecco di Conegliano, NV. Proseccos make for a great aperitif and this one covers all the bases. Pale straw in color, with bright aromas of white peach, Pippen apple, and honeydew melon with an edge of dandelions. A refreshing and bright sip leads to a medium body and finish. The Prosecco is simply fantastic with the Scallop Rolls. The tarragon in the rolls tantalizes the floral hints in the sparkler while the light succulent scallop meat plays fair with the white fruit aromas.
Last but not least, I picked another rosé for the season. Montaudon Rosé Brut “Grande Rosé Champagne, NV. Salmon pink in hue with delicious aromas and flavors of red cherry and lingonberry topped with ginger and mineral notes. Balanced, medium bodied, and smooth. Montaudon is an absolute delight with Jacques Pepin’s Instant Gravlax! The color plays off the salmon and the bright fruit flavors meld and enhance the salty sweet cure.
Have a lustrous Holiday Season and may the New Year bring you happiness and tranquility!
Scallop Rolls:
Adapted from Food and Wine magazine’s mini lobster roll recipe. Mini Brioche or Profiteroles can usually be found in the freezer section of your market or at bakeries. Alternatively, serve on cucumber rounds or savory crackers. The scallop salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The rolls can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 hours.
Yield: 12 Rolls
¾ pound bay scallops
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, minced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon or Mexican Marigold Mint, chopped
zest from ½ lime
sea salt and white pepper to taste
few dashes of Tabasco hot sauce
12 mini brioche rolls or small profiteroles
snipped chives for garnish.
- Pat the scallops dry. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat; add the shallots and cook for ½ minute to soften. Add the scallops all at once and toss well with the shallots. Continue cooking the scallops, allowing them to brown on the surface and the flesh is thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Coarsely chop the scallops.
- In a food processor, combine the lobster with the mayonnaise, tarragon, and lime zest and pulse to a chunky paste. Season with sea salt, white pepper, and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce.
- Using a paring knife, cut a 1 ½ inch round plug out of the top of each brioche roll or profiterole, leaving a ½ inch border all around. Using a small spoon, carefully hollow out the rolls. Spoon scallop filling into the rolls, garnish with the chives and serve.
Jacques Pepin’s Instant Gravlax:
I am always busy at this time of year. I just fell in love with this fast and easy recipe from Jacques Pepin’s collaboration with Julia Child, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. The salmon cures in less than a half hour. Purchase very fresh salmon and use a very sharp knife (I use a flexible boning knife) to cut the salmon in paper-thin slices.
Yield: 8-10 slices, serving 6-8 as a hors d’oeuvre, or 4 as a first course
12 ounces salmon fillet, trimmed and boned
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Slice the salmon as thin as possible. (Each slice should weigh 1 ½ ounces or less.)
- Stir together the salt, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the mixture evenly over the surface of a large serving platter. Lay the salmon slices flat, on top of the seasoning without overlapping. Sprinkle the rest of the seasoning mix evenly over the slices.
- Cover the slices airtight with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap so it adheres to the salmon. Set it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to cure and up to 24 hours before serving.
Note: Once you get the hang of slicing, vary the flavors in the rub. Try different exotic salts, fresh herbs, a dash of your favorite spirit, and spices. For an easy canapé, lightly butter slices of cocktail pumpernickel. Top with half of slice of the cured salmon. Top with a dab of sour cream flavored with lemon zest and fresh chives. Garnish with a julienne of radish, cucumber, and capers.
Crab and Saint André Cheese Pizza:
I haven’t made this pizza for a number of years. But I thought, “What the hey?” Let’s be completely hedonistic this season! It’s rich and luscious with a wonderful sweetness from the crab. Pizza dough is easy to make, or you can buy par-baked or frozen dough at your favorite market. If you make your own dough, you can make mini pizzas for individual servings. Simply take a walnut size ball of dough, roll out into a small circle. Artfully top each pizza with your selected toppings and bake on an oiled baking sheet. Baking time will be reduced to about 15 minutes.
For the Pizza Dough:
2 ½ cups flour (bread or all-purpose)
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1cup warm water (100º to 115º, approximately)
- Combine 2 cups of the flour, salt, and yeast. Blend with a fork. Add the water and mix well. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead well, for about 15 minutes, adding more of the flour as needed until smooth and elastic.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 1-1 ½ hours.
- Turn the dough onto the board and knead once more. Put it back into the bowl, cover, and let rise again, until doubled in volume. At this point, pre-heat the oven to 450ºF. If using a stone, place on the bottom rack in the cold oven.
- Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured board or pizza paddle coated with cornmeal. Roll out the dough to a ½ inch thickness and about 12-14 inches in diameter. If using a baking sheet, lightly oil the sheet and transfer the dough to the sheet.
- Top with desired toppings (the sky is the limit!) and bake on the bottom rack until golden, crisp, and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes on a baking stone, or 25-30 minutes in a pan.
For the Crab and Saint André Cheese Topping:
8 ounces cooked crab meat, carefully picked over for bones (fresh, frozen, or canned)
6 ounces Saint André Cheese, cut into small chunks
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
lemon or orange peel, julienne
olive oil, as needed
salt and pepper to taste
(optional: hot red pepper flakes)
Coat pizza dough with olive oil. Top with crab meat, cheese, scallions, red bell pepper, and julienne of lemon or orange peel. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, and hot red pepper flakes, if desired. Drizzle with more olive oil. Bake according to above instructions.
