The Monster Island Theater Seafood Recipes

Hot and Sweet Soup with Seafood Dumplings

Combine the pork, shrimp, crab meat, scallions, ginger and egg white in a large bowl. Shape heaping teaspoonfuls of the mixture into dumplings about 1 inch in diameter, moistening your palms from time to time to keep the mixture from sticking to them.

Pour the stock into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a strong simmer and add the chili sauce (or pepper-flake mixture) and 1/4 C of lemon juice. Gently drop half of the dumplings into the hot liquid and simmer them for five minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Drop the remaining dumplings into the liquid and simmer them for five minutes. When the second batch is done, return the first batch of dumplings to the pot. Heat the dumplings through, then add the melon balls, salt, and remaining 1/4 C of lemon juice.

Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Fresh Ways with Soups & Stews, Time-Life Books Healthy Home Cooking series.

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Pissalidière

For topping:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place butter on heavy large rimmed baking sheet; place in oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Spread half of onions on baking sheet; top with 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil. Top with remaining onions, 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs, and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil (onion layer will be about 2 1/2 inches thick but will settle during baking). Bake until onions are very tender and golden, stirring and turning every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cool. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaves. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For crust:
Pour 1 cup warm water into small bowl; sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Blend 2 3/4 cups flour and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons oil; process until dough clumps together, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky. Process until shiny ball forms, about 1 minute. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Coat large bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add dough to bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; cover and let rise until puffed and almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Sprinkle heavy 17x11x1-inch baking sheet with cornmeal. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 18x12-inch rectangle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; press edges of dough up along sides and corners of sheet. Cover with dry kitchen towel; let rise until slightly puffed, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Spread onions over top of dough. Arrange anchovies and olives atop. Bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme. Cut into 3-inch squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 4 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.)

Makes 12 servings.

Recipe courtesy of epicurious.com.

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Insalata di Frutti di Mare

Clean, poach and dice all the fish. Steam the mussels in 2 tbs. olive oil, 1 clove garlic and the white wine till they open up. Shell and mix with the rest of the fish and refrigerate. Prepare a coarse paste with parsley and garlic and set aside. Prepare the dressing with 4 tbs. olive oil and the juice of the lemons, add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Mix the dressing with the fish and toss well, top with a generous sprinkling of the parsley/garlic paste and serve.

Recipe courtesy of ItalianMade.com.

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New England Clam Bake

Build a fire and cover with sandstone rocks (from the beach), or lava rocks. Cover with seaweed. Cover with chicken wire. Cover with more seaweed. Cover with lobsters, potatoes and herbs. Cover with clams, corn and shrimp. Cover with seaweed. If seaweed dries out wet it with ocean water. Serve on a large picnic table covered with news paper. Have large bowl of melted butter and lemon wedges on the table and a lot of napkins!

Recipe courtesy of RecipeSource.

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Seafood Chili with Peppers and Tomatillos

Rinse the beans under cold running water, then put them into a large pot and pour in enough cold water to cover them by about 3 inches. Discard any beans that float to the surface. Cover the pot, leaving the lid ajar, and bring the liquid to a boil over medium-low heat. Boil the beans for two minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and soak them for at least one hour. (Alternatively, soak the beans overnight in cold water.)

Drain the beans in a colander and return them to the pot. Pour in enough water to cover the beans by about 3 inches, and bring the liquid to a boil over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a strong simmer and cover the pot. Cook the beans, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam from the surface, until they are tender, about one and a half to two hours.

While the beans are cooking, combine in a large, nonreactive bowl the scallops, shrimp, fish pieces, lime, 1/4 teaspoon of the cumin, the ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, half the garlic, the jalapeño pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Marinate the seafood in this mixture for 30 minutes at room temperature.

While the seafood is marinating, prepare the chili base. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and the remaining garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent, about five minutes. Add the remaining teaspoon of the cumin, the remaining tablespoon of chili powder, the tarragon, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for two to three minutes to meld the flavors.

Gradually stir in the stock and tomatoes, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Simmer the liquid until it is slightly thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the beans and add them to the tomato mixture. Set the chili base aside.

Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil into a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the tomatillos and pepper chunks, and sauté them for two minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully spread the cooked vegetables over the chili base; bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat. Arrange the marinated seafood in a layer atop the chili and vegetables, then cover the pot, and steam the chili until the scallops, shrimp and fish are opaque, seven to 10 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro over the chili and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Recipe courtesy of Fresh Ways with Soups & Stews, Time-Life Books Healthy Home Cooking series.

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Seafood Lasagne

To make the seafood sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the purée and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in the wine, basil, fennel seeds; add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the cream into the sauce and then the Pernod. Stir in all the shellfish and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook the lasagne noodles according to package directions. Drain and cool under cold running water.

To make the filling, beat the ricotta, cream cheese, and eggs in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the spinach, red pepper, crab, basil; add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread a thin layer of the sauce without any shellfish on the bottom of a large rectangular baking pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Top with half the filling, then half the seafood sauce. Cover the sauce with a layer of the mozzarella. Place another layer of noodles over the mozzarella and spread with the remaining filling. Top with another layer of mozzarella. Add a final layer of noodles and then the remaining seafood sauce. Cover with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake the lasagne until bubbling and browned, about 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

10 - 12 generous servings.

Recipe freely adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.

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Acapulco Clam Digger

Mix over cracked ice in an lowball glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon. Note: you can substitute Clamato juice (6 oz.) for the tomato juice and the clam juice.

Recipe courtesy of DRINKSMIXER.com.

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