Vegetarian

On the Menu tonight – Shrimp Spring Rolls!

This is another one of those dishes that I’ve eaten many times but never made. After a friend suggested I make it, I decided to try it and I’m glad that I did! Making my own spring rolls was so much fun and SO delicious.

There are definitely a few steps to making the rolls. The shrimp need to be cooked first, then shocked to stop cooking and set aside while you prepare the rest of the components. The veggies need to be julienned, a cooking technique cutting something in fine strips. The rice noodles need to be cooked, and the dipping sauce needs to be made. Luckily, the timing of all the components is forgiving, so you have time to take care of each component without fear of another component of overcooking.

Once you get all the components ready, you are ready to assemble the rolls! If you’ve rolled a burrito, you will do fine. These rolls are rolled like burritos but smaller. One thing though, the wrappers can get sticky, so this is where your preparation pays off. Get each of the components ready and close before you soak your first wrapper. Also, have a large platter or each of the plates you intend to serve ready to place the rolls as you make them. The wrapper is delicate, so the less you have to move them after assembly, the better.

So, the next time you’re craving some spring rolls, try making them yourself! They are SO delicious!

I’ve been feeling like going to the beach lately but haven’t been able to go. The next best thing to being there is eat something that I’d have at the beach – Fish Tacos! This version of fish tacos is made with Cod. Since it’s summertime, I wanted something cool to go with it – Watermelon Salad.

This dish couldn’t be easier to make. Season the fish how you like along with some lime, then grill it. Fish grills really quickly, so it isn’t a meal that is going to take all day to make. Tip when grilling fish. If your grill grates aren’t really close together, consider getting a grill pan for fish, using some tin foil underneath (but you won’t get the lovely char marks), or a flat/skillet type pan to set on the grill grates.

The watermelon salsa is crazy easy to make as well. Check out the recipe and you’ll be having fish tacos the next time you fire up the grill.

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Fish Tacos with Watermelon Salsa

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 – Cooking Time: 10 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Fish Tacos with Watermelon Salsa

Ingredients

• 1-1.5 lbs Cod (or any fish you want to use)
• 2-3 tbsp chili powder
• 2-3 tbsp Old Bay Seasononing
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1-2 lime cut into wedges for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 cups shredded lettuce (romaine or iceberg)
• Corn tortillas, 10-12
• Watermelon Salsa:
• 4 cups cubed watermelon
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Instructions

1

Start with the watermelon salsa. Cube the watermelon and put in a large bowl.

2

Add the red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and salt.

3

Add the olive oil and mix to combine.

4

Refrigerate the watermelon salsa.

5

Pre-heat the grill to high.

6

The fish - look for any bones, scales and remove. Sprinkle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning.

7

Make sure the grill is nice and clean, oiled, and then lay on the fish.

8

Cook 3-5 minutes per side depending on your grill and thickness of fish.

9

While the fish cooks, I like to put the tortillas on the upper grill shelf to warm them up.

10

As the fish comes off, I'll lay the tortillas on the lower grill to give them a little char.

11

Put the cooked fish on plate/platter and sprinkle with lime juice.

12

Serve the fish tacos with a few wedges of lime. Garnish ideas: the watermelon salsa you just made, slaw mix, avocado, diced tomato, shredded lettuce.

13

Serve the watermelon salad with the finely torn basil or mint.

This recipe was inspired from one I saw in a magazine. While I’ve seen plenty of Shrimp and Grits recipes, I hadn’t recalled seeing a version from the Southwest. It looked nice with the strips of red bell pepper and poblano pepper. I didn’t have any poblano on hand but I did have a big jalapeno. I also noticed that the grits in their version were grits, water, milk, and a tiny bit of salt – no butter. I also like to use vegetable or chicken stock instead of water to give the grits more flavor.

One the most unusual ingredients, to me, was the addition of black beans. I guess for a dish to be Southwestern it needs to have black beans. The beans seemed like an odd addition to grits, but it was good. The squeeze of lime gives the dish a nice brightness. All in all, it was a really delicious meal. If you haven’t made Shrimp and Grits – Try it! It isn’t a difficult meal to make and it’s SO delicious.

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Southwestern Shrimp and Grits

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 35 minutes

Southwestern Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup grits
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 poblano chili or 1 jalapeno de-seeded and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced
• 3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1

Bring the water, milk, and 1 tsp salt to a boil

2

Whisk in the grits, add the butter, and continue whisking until the mixture comes to a boil

3

cover and lower heat to a medium low, periodically whisking until grits are soft and creamy - about 25 - 30 minutes

4

In a large cast iron skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat

5

Add the poblano chili and bell pepper, stir often until they are soft

6

Add the shrimp, garlic, and the rest of the salt, stirring often until the shrimp turn pink

7

Add the beans and cook until they are warm

8

Serve - add the grits to a bowl, top with the shrimp mixture along with some queso fresco and a lime wedge

This weekend, I decided to go South of the Border and make one of Audrey’s favorite Mexican dishes – Shrimp a la Diabla!

As you might guess, with Diabla in the name there is going to be some heat. I used a combination of Anaheim and Thai chiles for the heat. The recipe calls for guajilo and chile de arbols but my market didn’t have either so I experimented with what I could find. It turned out great!

The sauce is nice and thick which thoroughly coats the shrimp the spicy goodness. Once you make the sauce, you’ve almost completed the dish. The shrimp only take about a minute of cooking on each side and then pour in the sauce to coat the shrimp and warm up the sauce.

I paired the shrimp with Cilantro Lime Rice to add some brightness to the dish. It turned out fantastic! But don’t take my word for it, you should make your version and let me know how it turned out.

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Shrimp a la Diabla

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 10 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

Shrimp a la Diabla

Ingredients

• 8 dried guajillo chiles, rinsed, stems and seeds removed
• 3 dried chile de arbol chiles
• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ medium onion, rough chop
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 lbs medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1

In a medium bowl or saucepan, add dried guajillo and arbol chiles.

2

Add very hot or boiling water until chiles are fully submerged.

3

Cover with a lid or large plate and let sit for 15 minutes, until chiles have softened.

4

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a large blender.

5

Add the tomatoes, garlic, onion and salt. Puree until completely smooth.

6

Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. If the sauce is too spicy, add more tomatoes.

7

Heat a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

8

Add olive oil and shrimp.

9

Cook shrimp for 1 minute per side, or until shrimp is light pink.

10

Add the red chile sauce to the pan or skillet and mix together to coat the shrimp.

11

Lower the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and hot.

12

Remove the pan or skillet from the heat and serve alone as an appetizer or with Mexican rice as a meal.