Local Yellowtail Tacos

This morning on San Diego Living I was cooking up local Yellowtail fish tacos. Showing San Diego how to make simple, delish tacos from fresh fish from Catalina Offshore Products.
But waite there is more- you can also come to Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park for a hands-on fish taco cooking class.

Here is a sneak peak at what we will be making in class; reservations are required for the cooking class and can be made by calling 619-997-8043 or e-mailing Elena at elena@searocketbistro.com. A credit card number will be required to hold your reservation. We hope you can join us for this fun, tasty, and unique hands-on cooking class.
 http://www.sandiego6.com/san-diego-living

And here is the recipe for those amazing fish tacos.

Baja Grilled Fish Tacos

Serves 4

1 tbsp                   Dried oregano, crushed by hand

1 tbsp                   Garlic salt
1 tbsp                   Ground coriander
1 tsp                     Ground pepper
1 tsp                     Chipotle chile powder (or 1/4 tsp for less spice)
3 tbsp                   Peanut oil or grape seed oil
1 ¼ lb                  Yellowtail; without bloodline, or any firm fleshed white fish               
skinned and cut into ½ inch sticks

2 cups         Cabbage, finely shredded

3                 Limes, cut into wedges
6-8              Corn tortillas
2                 Avocados, sliced
1 cup          Salsa fresca
1 cup          Mexican crema sauce
 
In a small bowl, combine the dried oregano, garlic salt, ground coriander, pepper, and chipotle chile powder; whisk to combine. Add the oil and stir  until a loose paste is formed. Rub the fish with the spice paste and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.  
Preheat grill pan over medium high heat.
Place fish onto grill pan and cook for 4- 5 minutes, turning half way through.
To assemble the tacos, take 2 tortillas, top it with chunks of fish, a dollop of the crema sauce, a spoonful of the salsa fresca, avocado and some of the cabbage. Squeeze a wedge of  lime over the filling, fold the tortillas, and eat.

For the Mexican crema sauce:

1 cup                    Crema

3 tbsp                   Minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp                   Fresh lime juice
1 tbsp                   Water

Combine all the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to use.

 

What to do with local Octopus

This morning I saw a post on Facebook from an amazing local fish monger, that he had over a thousand pounds of local Octopus in stock. Well I had to share this recipe so everyone had something delicious to make with this one of a kind local specialty.

In a recent cooking class at Great News in Pacific Beach I made a Grouper Ceviche, but let everyone know my true favorite was Octopus for my ceviche.

Unlike most recipes my recipes calls for removing the "skin" from the Octopus after you cook it; removing the off putting texture that it can sometimes have. Make the super tender octopus a star!!

 

 

Octopus Ceviche

Serves 4 to 6

Cooking Octopus:

1                 Octopus, about 3 lb
4                 Green Onions
1/2 bunch   Cilantro
1                 Jalapeno, cut in half
 

1 1/3 cup    Cherry tomatoes (multi colored), quartered

1/2 cup       English Cucumber, finely diced
2                 Jalapenos, seeded & diced
1                 Green onion, diced
1/4 cup       Cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tbsp          Extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup       Tomato ketchup
¼ cup         Tomato juice
¼ cup          Lime juice
Salt & fresh ground black pepper
 

Preheat oven to 200°.

Clean octopus of any innards, ink sack; remove beak and eyes.

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add octopus, cover and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes.

While the octopus is boiling; using butchers twine to tie together green onions and cilantro (into a bundle).

Place the bundle into a braising dish (with a lid) and top with two halves of jalapeno.

Remove octopus from the water and remove the head.

Place remaining octopus on top of the jalapeno halves and cover with the lid.

Add to the oven and cook for 5 hours; or until soft and tender (test this by cutting into one of the tentacle, a knife should cut easily).

Remove octopus from the oven and cool till room temperature.

Once cool enough to work with; remove fat or “skin”. Using your fingers; run them along the legs stripping off any gelatinous fat exposing the white flesh.

Chop the tentacles into bite-size chunks. 

In a large bowl, stir together tomatoes, cucumber, jalapenos green onions, cilantro, olive oil, ketchup, tomato juice and lime juice. Add octopus and season with salt and pepper. 

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight; before serving with good quality white corn tortilla chips or tostadas.       

What To Do With Your Suzie's Farm CSA Pumpkin

Pumpking, like most other winter squash is delish when roasted, but getting it cut into pieces can be a nightmare.

Here is the trick, boil or mircowave your pumpkin (or squash) for 10 minutes. This will cook the oustside just enought to make them easy to cut but not cooked all the way through.

Or make pumpkin puree- place whole pumpkin in a large pot of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is just cooked. Peel and seed pumpkin. Them roast or micorwave till tender.Place pumpkin into a food processor and puree till smooth. THis puree can then be made into soups, pies, ravioli and so much more.

 

 

 

Last night I had an amzaing class at Great New, the class show cased Suzie's Farm's CSA box.

Featuring these amazing vegetables:

Lettuce
Kale
Sunflower Greens
Cherry Tomatoes
Mixed Hot Peppers
Sweet Pepper
Squash
Cilantro
Salad Mix
Onions
Pumpkin - Winter Luxury or Long Island Cheese (edible)

 

Here is one of the recipes I made in class, enjoy!!

Pumpkin and Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta

Serves 6 to 8

1                 Vanilla bean

1 cup          Milk
1 tbsp         Agar agar flakes or 1 tsp agar agar powder
½ cup         Dark or light agave syrup
1 cup          Plain Greek yogurt
1 cup          Pumpkin puree (made from winter luxury, squash, or sweet potato will also work)*
¼ cup         Orange juice
¼ tsp          Pumpkin pie spice

 Split vanilla bean down the length of the bean, using the back of a small knife,  scrape seeds from the pod, reserve seeds and pot.

Add milk, vanilla bean, vanilla seeds and agar agar in a medium saucepan; bring to a scald over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve agar agar.
Remove from heat add agave syrup and stir combine agave; steep for 10 minutes.
Remove vanilla bean from steeped milk.
In a small bowl whisk together pumpkin puree and orange juice.
Add steeped milk, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree mixture, and pumpkin pie spice; to a blender and blend till smooth.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Divide mixture among custard cups.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
Run a knife around edges of each panna cotta to loosen. Set each cup in shallow bowl of hot water for 10 seconds. Immediately invert onto plate and serve.

*Pumpkin Puree- place whole pumpkin in a large pot of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is cooked. Peel and seed pumpkin. Place pumpkin into a food processor and puree till smooth.