Lobster tails went on sale last week. $5 each! So, of course, I picked up a few. Then it was just a matter of figuring out what to do with them. I was already leaning toward making this clambake. And then I ended up with an accidental surplus of potatoes and corn. And I already had some extra fennel left over that needed to be used up. So this recipe was pretty much perfect to use up those ingredients.

To do it properly, I really should've gotten live mussels and clams and some jumbo shrimp to throw in the pot. But I was trying to do this as a relatively affordable meal, so instead of getting live shellfish, I got some frozen, pre-cooked, in-shell clams, plus a bag of frozen mixed seafood that included squid, mussel meat, and a few teeny, tiny shrimp. Obviously, this wasn't as nice as doing it properly, but it was still very good. Especially the lobster!

Clambake

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small bulb fennel, chopped and fronds reserved
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
• 1/2 tsp. Old Bay (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 1/2 c. white wine
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 450g small potatoes, quartered
• 450g kielbasa, sliced
• 1-2 lobsters (or 4 small lobster tails)
• 2 ears of corn, husked and quartered
• 24 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
• 24 clams, scrubbed
• 12 large shrimp (preferably in-shell)
• lemon wedges (optional)

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, fennel, and garlic and cook until softened (5-8 minutes).
3. Add the thyme, Old Bay (if using), and pepper and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half.
5. Add the chicken stock.
6. Add the potatoes, then layer the kielbasa on top.
7. Place the lobsters/lobster tails on top of everything, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Add the corn, mussels, clams, and shrimp.
9. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
10. Scoop out the solids and place in a serving dish.
11. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings as desired.
12. Pour broth into the serving dish with everything else.
13. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve with lemon wedges.

Bangada chi Hooman (Mackerel with Hooman Sauce)

We had Reiver's parents over for dinner on Monday. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to cook until a few hours before they arrived, but I had had vague hopes that it could be something fish-based. And oh boy, were we in luck! They had kahawai fillets on sale. So far I'd only seen kahawai available as whole (ungutted) fish. So having some lovely fillets on hand was very exciting. Especially since a) they were lovely, large, meaty pieces of fish and b) they weren't even that expensive! Very nice!

We came home with five huge fillets and, with Reiver's advice, I decided to use them in this fun-looking mackerel curry. And it was delicious! I would definitely make this one again! (Assuming I could find the fish for it, of course.) It was really tasty and a big hit all 'round.

Photo goes here.

Bangada chi Hooman

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ginger chile paste¹
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 750-1000g of skinless mackerel, kahawai, or cod fillets
• 1/4 c. oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• ~200mL diced tomato
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 2 tsp. Maharashtrian garam masala
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley, if you cannot abide the coriander leaves)
• 1/2 c. cream of wheat or dry breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Combine the ginger chile paste with 1 tsp. of the salt and smear it all over the fish. Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until softened (~10 minutes).
4. Add the tomato, tamarind, and masala and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Stir in the cilantro.
6. Meanwhile, heat some of the remaining oil over medium heat and dredge the fish in the cream of wheat/breadcrumbs.
7. Add the fish to the pan and fry until cooked through and crispy on both sides (4-8 minutes per side depending on thickness). Add additional oil as needed during cooking.
8. Dish up the fish and top it with the sauce. Serve with rice or a rice-lentil porridge like elambuchambu shaadum.

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¹ I didn't have any ginger chile paste and didn't want to either make or buy a whole jar just for this one recipe, so I just minced some fresh jalapeño and stirred it into plain ginger paste. I didn't want it to be too spicy (nor use too much pepper) since I was trying not to poison Keith, so I just used half of a jalapeño and removed the seeds and pith. ^Back