Thank you all for the get-well wishes. My engine is almost fully functional again. And if you have not gotten your flu shot yet, please do so asap. On a tastier note, I have something interesting for you to try this weekend. An appetizer that adds a delicious Asian twist to a Mexican dish — Shrimp and tofu tostadas. Wonton wrappers replace tortillas to create a crispy bed for grilled shrimps and tofu slices that have bathed in a ginger, soy, honey and sesame oil marinade.

SHRIMP AND TOFU TOSTADAS
15 large shrimps peeled and deveined (tail-on)
1 block firm tofu, drained and cut crosswise into 8 slices
15 round wonton wrappers
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Cut each tofu slice in half, then place on several layers of paper towels. Cover with more paper towels. Let stand 10-15 minutes, pressing down occasionally to remove the excess water.

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar and 3 tbsp of vegetable oil to make a marinade.

Place tofu into a baking dish in a single layer. Pour half of the marinade over tofu, turning to coat each slice.Cover and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Marinate the shrimps in the other half of the marinade.

In a frying pan, heat up some vegetable oil to 370 degrees. Fry the wonton wrappers in batches until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

Heat a lightly oiled grill pan. Grill 5 slices of tofu and 5 shrimps at a time, 2 minutes on each side.

To assemble, place a slice of grilled tofu on a fried wonton wrapper, top with a grilled shrimp and drizzle with cilantro oil.

Decorate with chives and serve hot or at room temperature.

The holiday season is here and wherever you turn, someone is having a party. Sadly, I’m not having a holiday party this year, for various (good) reasons.  But if I were, there is one appetizer that would have  a guaranteed spot on my table: shrimp in a blanket. I used to order these babies from a Thai restaurant in my neighborhood until it dawned on me one day that making my own would save me a lot of dough.

I’m usually wary of frying because it’s a messy activity, but these appetizers are well worth the effort.

SHRIMP IN A BLANKET
1 pack of frozen spring roll wrappers
20 shrimps cleaned and deveined (tail on)
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Warm water
Vegetable oil for frying

Toss the shrimps with the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and marinate for 30 mins.

Meanwhile thaw the spring roll wrapper in the package.

Cut the spring roll wrappers in half, place them on a plate and cover with a damp towel.

Dab the edges of the spring roll wrapper with a little water, then wrap each shrimp, leaving the tail out. Use your fingers to slightly press and twist the wrapper where it meets the tail of the shrimp.

In a frying pan, heat up the oil to 365°F. Fry the shrimps in batches of 5 or 6, keeping them apart to prevent sticking, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Are you inviting your new sweetie over for a private dinner at your place?  Fresh mussels steamed in a fragrant broth of white wine, shallots and fresh herbs is seduction in a bowl.  Best of all, it just might be the least expensive romantic meal you’ll ever cook.

Most mussels available for sale (and served in restaurants) in New York City are farmed mussels from Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) in Canada.  The current pricing around the city for these shell fish is about $3-$3.25 per pound.  The P.E.I. mussels will work fine for this recipe, but If you’ve ever had mussels in Europe you might have noticed that they tend to be smaller and more delicately flavored, that’s because they’re wild instead of farmed.  Lucky for us, Alex and Stephanie Villani of Blue Moon Fish sell wild mussels from the Shinnecock Bay in Long Island at several of New York City’s Greenmarkets.  Best of all, the price is currently $2.50 per pound — yes that’s right, they’re cheaper and they taste better.  The Shinnecock Bay mussels are usually in season from May to July but depending on the temperature of the water they can be available through the autumn as well.  Let’s everyone hope this cool weather we’ve been having continues, okay?

Not only is the flavor of these mussels superior to the farmed variety, they’re also fresher.  Stephanie Villani told me they’re harvested in the afternoon of the day before you see them in the farmers’ market.  This means they have an abundance of “liquor,” the briny liquid inside the mussel that gets released into the pot when cooking, giving your dish a rich oceanic flavor.  You’ll find the folks from Blue Moon Fish on Saturdays in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, and Washington Market Park in TriBeCa and on Wednesdays in Union Square.

Start with a nice green salad, serve the mussels with a crusty baguette for dipping in that zippy broth, and a light dry white wine.  For dessert, do what the French do, go to the best bakery you know and buy something chocolate.

This will get your romantic evening off to a great start, the rest is up to you!

Don’t be intimidated by cooking shell fish at home.  Really, it’s not as hard as you think.  Here are some important things to remember:

1.  The mussels must be fresh.  They will keep for 1 day in the refrigerator, but really you should cook them the same day you buy them.  If you need to store them, fill a baking dish with ice, put the mussels on the ice, cover the dish with a clean wet kitchen towel, and place the dish in the refrigerator.  Check the dish towel occasionally to be sure it is still wet.  Do not seal mussels in plastic, they are alive and need to breathe.

2.  Depending on where you buy your mussels you may have to trim the tufts of hair or “beards” that you’ll find at the side of the shell.  This is quite simply done with a sharp knife.

3.  Inspect your mussels carefully before cooking.  They should all be firmly closed or they should close up when you tap the shell.  If a mussel stays open, discard it.

4.  Before cooking, soak your mussels in a bowl of water for about an hour.  As they “breathe” they expel any sand that may be inside them.  When finished soaking, remove the mussels from the bowl carefully so as not to disturb the sand which will have fallen to the bottom of the bowl.  Finally, rinse the mussels one more time in fresh water, scrubbing their outsides with a brush to remove any other sand and they’re ready for the pot.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine

Adapted from Julia Child

Serves 2

1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced shallots
4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper (white pepper is nice here if you have it)
3 Tbs. butter
3 pounds mussels, cleaned and soaked (see above)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Add first 6 ingredients to a large heavy bottomed pot (use a pot large enough to give the mussels plenty of room).  Put the pot over medium-high heat and bring the contents to a boil.  Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Add the mussels to the pot, cover it and turn the heat to high.  The mussels will cook in about 5 minutes.  If you can lift the pot, do so, shaking it (with the lid on) several times during the cooking process, this helps the mussels move around so they all get the same amount of heat.  If you can’t lift your pot then uncover it and quickly stir a couple of times during the cooking, replacing the lid as quickly possible.  After 5 minutes of cooking begin to check the mussels.  Scoop out the ones that are open (which will be most of them at this point) and put them in a hot dish to keep them warm.  If any mussels are not open, cover the pot for another minute or two and cook them further until they open.  If you get to 7 or 8 minutes and you still have mussels that haven’t opened, discard them.

Serve the mussels in shallow soup bowls with the cooking liquid ladled over them, sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Photo by Flickr user ViZZual.com

This new money-saving strategy led me to Fish in the West Village. A small, neighborhood seafood restaurant, Fish is an unpretentious place – ocean traps, huge cans of Old Bay Seasoning, and cracked marble table tops give it seaside New England charm. The young waitresses call patrons “hon” and “babe,” and, covered in tattoos and donning Chuck Taylors, seem to represent some sort of postmodern reimagining of a bygone dining era.

I did not even look at the menu when I arrived. My snacking companion had taken me there for one reason and one reason only: the Red, White, and Blue Special. Possibly the best deal on Bleecker Street, Fish offers six clams or six oysters plus a PBR or a glass of house red or white wine for $8. Our oysters arrived in a large aluminum tray filled with ice and served with the traditional cocktail sauce, fresh lemon, and mignonette garnishes. I picked up an oyster by the shell and held it over my mouth, letting the crustacean glide out of its home. Admittedly, I was a wary of what I was about to experience (cheap seafood is a little scary), but was pleasantly surprised by the clean, sea-fresh flavor of the blue points and the amount of liquor they came in. I sipped on my chardonnay – not the best, but crisp, cold, and satisfying. Sided with a basket of homemade rolls and cornbread, the deal almost constituted a whole meal. A far greater catch than the price.

Fish
280 Bleecker St # 4
New York, NY 10014
$8 Red, White, and Blue Special: 6 oysters and a beer or a glass of house wine for $8 (for $2 or $4 you can upgrade to your wine choice). Served all day.

Many people equate comfort food with mac’n cheese. But for me, the ultimate comfort food comes in the form of fried fish strips and thick-cut potatoes. Hot and crispy, fresh out of the grease bath. If it were up to me, I would eat fish and chips once a week. But that would not be very healthy, would it?

So, when I need my potato and Nemo fix, I turn to my guilt-free rendition of the classic: Whole Roasted Fish and Rissole Potatoes. That’s fancy for roasted fish and potatoes. Though I’m using Porgy, the ugly duckling of fish in this recipe, you’re free to use any fish you like. Red snapper, Branzini and trout are good choices. You can also use fish fillets or fish steaks if that’s what you fancy. I like roasting my fish whole because it preserves the flavor and it looks pretty. But that’s just a personal preference.

Ingredients
1 (1.5-2lbs) whole fish cleaned (porgy, red snapper or branzini)
10 red baby potatoes
1 sprig of thyme
1 tablespoon of butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel. Line a baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil and drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent the fish from sticking. Place the fish in baking dish.

Season each side generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the sprig of thyme. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and rub it all over. Roast at 450F for approximately 20 minutes.

While the fish is roasting, wash and cut the potatoes in half.

Put the potatoes in pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes until slightly tender. Drain and let them air dry. Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the potatoes for about 5 minutes until browned on all sides. Add a tablespoon of butter, salt, pepper, swirl the pan and finish cooking in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Serve hot with garlic infused olive oil. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Bon Appetit!

But their new lobster deal sounded too good to be true when I stopped by for my bivalve fix last week: a fresh, steamed pound-and-a-halfer — with all claws, legs and toes accounted for — and two side dishes for $24.  After watching several tables around me break into what I will affectionately call the Seabug Special among friends, I had to do it.  I know lobster, and that was good lobster.

As for the sides, I like the fries, but don’t pay extra to try the lobster mashed potatoes.  I’m pretty sure it’s lobster bisque spooned onto their whipped potatoes, and neither rocked my world.  The kitchen is clearly giving its attention to what matters: doing justice to its fresh seafood, which is provided by Down East Seafood.

Fish is what it is: a small, unpretentious joint with a couple of servers going as fast as they can.  If you show up during rush hour, you might have to wait for a table and/or for your order, but um, welcome to the West Village.  To pass the time, I recommend the deal across the street — a dollar off beers and wines at Blind Tiger before 8pm.

Run, swim, do whatever you do — just get yourself to Fish.  My server didn’t know when the special will end, but we all know that one day, the ship will sail.

Fish
280 Bleecker Street (at Jones)
New York, NY 10014
Tel: (212) 727-2879
Open Sunday-Thursday noon-11pm
Open Friday-Saturday noon-midnight

Photos from gonyc.about.com