Category:  Fish & Shellfish

Prep time: 10 to 12 minutes
Serves: 4 (as an appetizer) or 2 (as a main dish)

Tuna tartare is one of my favorite appetizers to order at a restaurant. However, by preparing this delicacy at home, I can avoid paying $16.00+ for a mere 1-cup serving at each outing.

My recipe for tuna tartare is a perfect dish for Lent – bon appetit!

Ingredients:
One 8-ounce sushi grade tuna filet, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Persian cucumber, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons finely-chopped red onion
3 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 1-1/4 teaspoons organic Tamari sauce
salt, to taste (add this after Tamari sauce, as it may be too salty)
4 to 8 corn tostada shells (flat)

Directions:
1. In a 2-quart mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together except for the tostada shells.

2. Using a large spoon, gently toss so that all ingredients are combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3. Divide tuna tartare among 2 to 4 plates. Ask guests to spoon some tuna tartare onto a tostada. Bon appetit!

White Wine Pairing: Chilled Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio are suggested.

Text and Photograph ©2017 Nancy DeLucia Real

After the holidays, I’m preparing delicious, guilt-free foods.

This ceviche recipe is from Mexico. The fish is marinated in lime juice. Just add carrots, cilantro, onion, olive oil … it’s fantastic! You can serve ceviche on tostadas as a starter. Alternatively, these tostadas are perfect for a light lunch or dinner.

Active prep time: 15 minutes
Inactive prep time: 1 hour (fish & lime juice marinate in refrigerator)
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cod or halibut fillets
Juice from 12 to 14 limes
1/2 cup chopped, red onion
1 carrot, peeled and finely shredded
1/3 cup finely-chopped cilantro (coriander)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped, fresh jalapeño pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
12 corn tostada shells

Directions:
1. Rinse the fish fillets under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.

2. Place the fillets in a 3-quart glass or porcelain bowl.

3. Using shears, make continuous cuts into the fillets until 1/2-inch pieces have formed.

4. Pour the lime juice over the fish pieces; cover bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.

5. Leave the fish and lime juice to marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.

6. Meanwhile, place the chopped onion in a glass or porcelain bowl and cover it with cold water; set aside.

7. After one hour, transfer the bowl with the fish to a counter near a sink.

8. Wearing cooks’ rubber or plastic gloves, grab a handful of fish and squeeze out the excess lime juice over a sink.

9. Place the squeezed fish pieces in a clean glass or porcelain bowl.

10. Continue this process until all the fish has been drained of excess lime juice.

11. Rinse the gloves and, using the same squeezing process, repeat this technique with the onion.

12. Add the squeezed onion pieces to the fish ceviche in bowl.

13. Stir in the carrot, cilantro, jalapeño, olive oil, salt and pepper.

14. Place 3 tablespoons ceviche on a corn tostada shell. Repeat this procedure on remaining tostada shells. Serve immediately.
Wine pairing: Chilled Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
Text and Photograph ©2016 Nancy DeLucia Real

Prior to Easter, during a 40-day period of fasting known as Lent, believers prepare for Easter by praying, giving alms, atoning for their sins and self-denial. Lent lasts forty days, in commemoration of the forty days that Jesus fasted in the desert, right before beginning his ministry (this is according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke).

Lent is observed by Christians in the Anglican, Calvinist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic traditions. During this time, Roman Catholics avoid rich foods such as meat and dairy. Fish, vegetables and grains become the norm. BTW, the fasting ends on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015.

This year, Lent began on Ash Wednesday, February 18th. Many people have asked me to post a delicious fish recipe – something more than grilled or baked. Here’s a traditional fish recipe from Veracruz, Mexico. It’s called “pescado a la Veracruzana” or “Fish Veracruz Style”. I think you’ll love it!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and julienned (cut into thin wedges)
1 red or green bell pepper, seeds & stem discarded and flesh cut into long strips
1 large zucchini, tips cut & discarded and flesh cut into 1/2-inch thick circles
1 medium brown or white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces and seeds discarded
1/2 cup pitted green olives, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Four 8-ounce fish filets (fresh Red Snapper, cod, rockfish or haddock), rinsed under cold water & pat dry with paper towels

Directions:

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil.

2. When oil is hot, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, onion and celery.

3. Stir-fry the vegetables on medium-high setting for about 3 minutes.

4. After 3 minutes, stir in the tomato pieces, green olives and the broth or water.

5. Cook the vegetable-broth mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. After 2 to 3 minutes, stir in the salt and pepper.

7. Carefully add the fish filets, one at a time by gently pushing each one down, underneath the vegetables and into the cooking liquid.

8. Cover the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the fish filets are done.

9. To check doneness of fish, using a fork, cut into the center of one filet and taste.

10. If needed, cook the fish filets for an additional 2 to 4 minutes.

11. Serve the Fish Veracruz Style with white rice as a side.

Wine Pairing Suggestion: Chilled Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio (both are white wine varietals).
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real

Although most of us are dieting this month, just remember that you don’t have to eat soup for the next 30 days. And, diets don’t have to be boring either. By now, you all know that my vegetables are loaded with good ingredients and great flavors.

This recipe requires fresh zucchini, onions, tomatoes and oregano. When combined with tuna, you’ve created Zucchini-Tuna Boats which taste heavenly! You can make these ahead and keep them refrigerated up to four days.

Prep time: 30 minutes (for stuffing) & 30 minutes (for baking)
Makes: 6 servings (2 pieces each)

Ingredients:
6 light green variety zucchini, tips removed and discarded
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons (for coating baking dish)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (white or brown)
5 cups chopped vine-ripened tomatoes (chopped into 1/4-inch pieces)
Two 5-ounce cans light tuna* in oil, drained and oil discarded
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano (1 teaspoon dried oregano can be substituted)
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the Stuffing:

1. Using a long knife and working on a cutting board, cut each zucchini in half, lengthwise; set aside.

2. With the tip of the knife, cut all around the inside of the zucchini-half (1/8-inch inside rim) and gently scoop out the flesh; set flesh aside in a bowl.

3. Continue scooping out the zucchini flesh with remaining zucchini halves; set aside.

4. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high setting.

5. When oil is hot, add the chopped onion and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.

6. When onion is translucent, add 2 cups of the chopped tomatoes and stir-fry on medium-high setting for about 3 to 4 minutes or just until the tomato begins drying out (do not let it dry out completely).

7. After 3 to 4 minutes, stir in the drained tuna.

8. Stir-fry the tuna-tomato mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes or until it looks amalgamated and not so runny.

9. Add the oregano, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.

10. Set the tuna-tomato mixture aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

Fill the Zucchini Boats:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Lightly coat a 12 X 16-inch rectangular baking dish with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.

3. Spread 2 cups chopped tomatoes over the olive oil in baking dish; lightly sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper, to taste. Set aside.

4. Divide the tuna-tomato mixture evenly among the 12 zucchini boats.

5. As you fill the boats, place them, side-by-side in baking dish.

6. When all zucchini boats have been stuffed, spread the remaining 1 cup chopped tomatoes over stuffed zucchini boats.

7. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the Zucchini-Tuna Boats for about 25 to 30 minutes.

8. Serve the Zucchini-Tuna Boats immediately or at room temperature.
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real

*NOTE: If using albacore white tuna, the filling will become dry.

Paella, a rice dish, was born in Valencia, on the Eastern coast of Spain. The original regional dish, known as Paella Valenciana is made with rice, green vegetables, beans, chicken and/or rabbit, snails and saffron. Seafood paella is a variation that replaces land animals and vegetables with seafood. Paella is made in a paellera or paella skillet with an attached gas heating element or, alternatively, over a barbecue grill. I’ve tried making paella on a grill, but the heating was uneven. This resulted in patches of crunchy or raw rice.

Here I am trying not to look frazzled over my first attempt at making Paella Valenciana:

You can cook paella in a paellera (just like the one you see in the above photograph); in a 14-inch, nonstick skillet on a stovetop; or in a nonstick, 16-inch electric skillet. After attempting all three cooking methods, I opted for the latter.

Cooking paella in an electric skillet is hassle-free because every time you add ingredients, you set a timer and walk away. Since the paella cooks itself, you can sit, have a glass of wine and converse with your guests. Look at how successful my paella turned out (BTW, this was my third attempt):

Finally, I can relax while making dinner for friends! Here’s the Seafood Paella recipe that I brought back from Spain!

Prep time: 50 to 60 minutes (preparing all ingredients)
Cook time: 50 to 60 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients* [TO MINIMIZE WORK ON THE DAY OF MAKING PAELLA, READ NOTES ON PREPPING INGREDIENTS AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE]:

4 to 4-1/2 cups homemade chicken broth
.37 grams ground saffron (to turn the rice bright yellow, use 3 envelopes saffron, each weighing 0.125 grams)
1 cup dry white wine
1 large red onion, finely chopped
12 live mussels, in-shell
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped Spanish chorizo (this resembles Italian pepperoni sausage)
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2-1/2 cups Dacsa® rice (this rice brand is from Valencia, Spain and is a key ingredient)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Dash ground black pepper
4 ounces Spanish pimientos, rinsed and cut into 1-inch strips
1/3 cup frozen peas
15 to 18 fresh, medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed (wild shrimp is preferable, since it has more flavor than the farm-raised variety)
1/2 pound fresh sea scallops, rinsed
4 calamari bodies, cut into 1/4-inch thick circles and then rinsed
8 to 10 calamari tentacles, rinsed
3/4 pound wild salmon, skin discarded and fillet cut into 4-inch pieces (this is an optional ingredient)

Prepare the Broth & Mussels:
1. In a 2-quart sauce pot, heat the chicken broth to just boiling.

2. Stir the saffron into the hot broth; set aside, covered.

3. In a 1-quart sauce pot, bring the wine and half of the chopped red onion to a boil. Reserve the remaining onion for the paella later.

4. Rinse the mussels under cold, running water and then transfer them to the boiling wine mixture.

5. Cook the mussels in the wine mixture, on medium heat, for 5 minutes.

6. After 5 minutes, remove the mussels from the wine mixture and set them aside in a glass or metal bowl, covered with aluminum foil.

7. Strain the wine mixture, discard the onion and reserve the liquid. Set aside.

Start the Paella:
1. In a nonstick skillet (stovetop or electric), heat the olive oil.

2. When the olive oil is hot and shimmering, stir in the remaining chopped red onion, crushed garlic and chopped bell pepper.

3. Stir-fry the mixture over medium-high heat until the onion is translucent, about 2 to 4 minutes.

4. After 2 to 4 minutes, stir in the chopped tomato and Spanish chorizo.

5. Stir-fry the mixture over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes (do not let the chorizo burn).

6. After 2 minutes, add the reserved wine liquid, the cayenne pepper and the rice.

7. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir once.

8. After stirring, carefully pour 4 cups of chicken broth into skillet.

9. Season the rice mixture with salt and black pepper.

10. Cover the rice mixture and cook on medium-low heat (325°F for electric skillet) for 15 minutes – DO NOT STIR THE RICE.

Add Pimientos, Peas & Seafood to the Paella:
1. After 15 minutes, check the rice by inserting a spoon in center of skillet.

2. If the rice is dry and there is no liquid, add the remaining 1/2 cup broth.

3. If the rice is simmering with liquid, do not add the broth.

4. Scatter the pimientos and the rice over top of paella.

5. Next, scatter the shrimp over paella and press it gently into the rice.

6. Repeat this method with the scallops, calamari bodies and tentacles and the salmon pieces.

7. Cover and cook the paella on medium-low heat (325°F for electric skillet) for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes, taste the rice to check doneness – it should be crunchy-tender.

9. If rice is done, cover the paella and remove the skillet from heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

10. After 5 minutes, serve the paella in individual dinner plates with a green salad. Alternatively, serve the paella and salad as a buffet and ask guests to help themselves.

*NOTE: One day ahead, prepare the following ingredients:

1. Prepare the chicken broth: in a 3-quart sauce pot, cover 2 chicken thighs, 2 chicken legs and 1 white or brown onion with cold water and bring it to a boil. Cook chicken broth for 40 minutes & add salt, to taste. Transfer chicken to a plate and use for another purpose. Strain the broth and store it in a glass or porcelain bowl, covered & refrigerated.

2. Buy the seafood a day ahead: rinse all raw seafood. Peel and devein the shrimp; cut the calamari bodies into rings. Cut the salmon into 4-inch pieces.

3. Store each seafood variety in separate glass jars or disposable plastic containers, covered & refrigerated, until ready to use.

*NOTE: On the day of making the paella, prepare the following ingredients:

1. Chop the onion; store in an airtight container, refrigerated.
2. Crush the garlic; store in an airtight container, refrigerated.
3. Chop the red bell pepper; store in an airtight container, refrigerated.
4. Chop the tomato; store in an airtight container, refrigerated.
5. Chop the chorizo; store in an airtight container, refrigerated.
6. Rinse and cut the Spanish pimientos; store in an airtight container, refrigerated.

Wine Pairing: Chilled white wine from the Rioja region of Spain; Chardonnay; or Pinot Grigio.
Text and All Photographs ©2014 Nancy DeLucia Real