December 4th, 2010

SEARED AHI

Serves : 4                       Preparation time : 5 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1   block of raw Ahi, Sashimi grade
  • Sesame oil
  • Volcano spice or equivalent ie Cajun Spice
  • napa cabbage, shredded
  • pickled ginger
  • Wasabi
  • soy sauce

Rub the Ahi Block with a few drops (use sparingly) of sesame oil. Roll the block in the spice, pressing the spice onto the block. Sear in a seasoned iron skillet at a very high temperature for 30 seconds per side. Now, if the block is thin, sear it for less time.

Refrigerate the block, it’s easier to slice when chilled.

Presentation : Lay the thin slices of Ahi on a bed of shredded cabbage. Make a pile or two of pickled ginger on the same platter. Have a bowl of Wasabi mixed with soy on the side.

NOTES : Jon, our son, perfected this recipe when he lived with us on Maui in 1995-1996. It was nine months of great hikes, picnics, and entertaining. My mouth is watering just writing this recipe. We use a mild hot spice mix, but suit your own taste. Also, chili sauce that is sweet/hot is good with this recipe. Find it in the Oriental section of the grocery store, the same with wasabi. The Volcano Spice is made here on Maui, right in Haiku.

Recipe by : Jon McBride

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LEMON DILL SHRIMP with GRECIAN ORZO SALAD

Serves : 4                            Preparation Time : 30  minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Vinaigrette
  • 1 teaspoon                 lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup                       fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup                       olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon              finely chopped fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon                 minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon             kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon             freshly ground pepper
  • For the Salad
  • 16                               Jumbo shrimp , peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup                          orzo pasta
  • 2 oz                            feta cheese
  • 3/4 cup                      finely diced red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup                      pitted kalamata olives, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons           thinly sliced scallions, including tender green parts
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons     finely chopped fresh oregano
  • 4 METAL SKEWERS, or bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least 30 minutes.

To make the vinaigrette : In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette over the shrimp and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Bring a medium saucepan 3/4 full of salted water to the boil. Add the Orzo pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the remaining vinaigrette and the feta cheese and toss well. Add the bell pepper, kalamata olives, scallions and oregano. Toss again.

Thread shrimp onto skewers. Place the shrimp directly over high heat and grill, turning once, until just opaque inside with lightly browned edges, 4-5 minutes total.

Serve the shrimp immediately with the pasta.

NOTES : This is a fun recipe. You can change the seafood, (I used both shrimp and scallops), and change the cheese in the salad to suit your taste. Be generous with the herbs, salt and pepper. Prep all the ingredients early in the day, so all you have to do is throw the past salad together and then cook the seafood. The hot pasta kind of melts the cheese. You could even do this recipe with grilled chicken

Suggested Wine : A fresh crisp Pino Grisio compliments this meal.

Recipe by : Weber Grill

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Serves :     4

Ingredients

  • 4 X  7 oz                 Ahi Tuna or Salmon fillets
  • For the Marinade
  • 1 cup                        Soy Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon           chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon           minced ginger
  • 1/2 cup                    sliced scallions
  • 1/2 cup                    sugar
  • For the Maui Onion Salad
  • 1                                large sliced carrot
  • 1                                small Maui onion
  • 4 oz                          Japanese spice sprouts OR  Sprouted sunflower tops
  • 1/2                           Japanese cucumber OR English hothouse cucumber, seeded and julienned
  • 1/4 cup                    Pink pickled ginger
  • 4 oz                          bean sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon           canola oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon       toasted white sesame seeds for the garnish
  • 1/2 tablespoon       black sesame seeds for the garnish
  • 1                                juice from one lemon
  • + Basic Ponzu Sauce  (see recipe – ANITA- add link here)

Combine the marinade ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and marinate the fish for about one hour.

Prepare the vegetables any time in advance, up to the point of sauteing the bean sprouts.

About 30 minutes before serving, get the barbecue grill ready .

To prepare the Maui Onion Salad  - Combine the carrot, onion, spice sprouts (I used sunflower tops once and radish sprouts another time), cucumber and pickled ginger in a mixing bowl. Heat the canola oil in a saute pan, and when hot, stir-fry the bean sprouts over high heat for 15 seconds. Transfer to the mixing bowl and toss with the other vegetables.

Remove the Fish from the marinade and grill over high heat for however you like it. About 45 seconds to 1 minute per side for the tuna, medium rare.

To serve, divide the salad between 4 serving plates. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and lemon juice over the top. Place the fish on top of the salad and spoon some of the Basic Ponzu Sauce over the fish. Pass the extra Ponzu Sauce with the dinner.

(I doubled this recipe and served 10 people)

NOTES : Japanese spice sprouts are Daikon sprouts, I substituted with sunflower sprouts. You can zap the carrot and onion in the microwave for about one minute just to get the bit of crunch away. The julienne should be fairly thin. There is a lot of prep to this recipe, but it is well worth it.
You can plate the food for your guests or if you double the recipe, as I did, pile the salad on a large platter with the fish on top. Doubling the ingredients serves 10. I garnished with tomato, lemon and lime wedges.
This recipe was prepared for Jack and I at Marty and Bino’s house up the road from us. We’ve just recently begun a nice friendship with them and are happy to have them as neighbors. The care in which dinner was prepared and resented from pupus to dessert was inspiring. The dessert was a chocolate souffle cake and the pupus were chunks of Reggio parmesan cheese and focaccia bread.

Serving Suggestion : Serve with Jasmine Rice (ANITA – see recipe

Recipe By : Adapted from Roy’s Feasts from Hawaii

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