Seared Ahi Tuna - Seasoned by the Guys at Pike Place Fish :: Peruvian Scallop Seviche (Le Bernardin Cookbook) :: Broiled Snapper with Chardonnay-Steamed Crabmeat and Spinach (Commander's Kitchen)

YUM!

Thank you Justin at Pike Place Fish for this delicious Ahi Tuna!  Rubbed in a combination of their NW Seafood Seasoning and Our Own Rub, this Ahi was succulent, tender and had a bit of a kick.  Dabbled in their World Famous Tartar Sauce, it was the perfect pairing to this dish; cool on the palate and then a bit of a bite at the end.  A perfect way to start our meal.

 

In addition to the tuna, we also enjoyed Peruvian Scallop Seviche with fresh crostini.  This dish contained beautiful fresh bay scallops from Pike Place Fish, red bell peppers, jalapeno, tomatoes, red onion, citrus juice, fresh mint and cilantro.

The flavor was bright and light, with a bit of heat from the jalapeno.  The recipe called for 2 cups of olive oil, we thought that was a bit much, and over powered the citrus flavor. In retrospect, we would have cut that back.

Flavor (1 poor - 10 great)

8

Ease (1 easy - 10 difficult)

5 (a bit of vegetable prep was time consuming; easy because you can make in advance)

For the main course, John created Broiled Snapper with Chardonnay-Steamed Crabmeat and Spinach.  Fresh snapper was lightly seasoned in garlic and lemon, broiled until just finished and set atop a bed of steamed spinach.  The fish was then topped with crabmeat that was steamed in chardonnay and sauteed green onions.

This was a light dish and simple to prepare.  The depth of flavor was not as apparent as some of the other dishes we have tried, that being said, it was still a lovely meal and left room for the creme brulee that John prepared for dessert. :-)

Flavor (1 poor - 10 delicious)

6
Ease (1 easy- 10 difficult)

4

Bon Appetit!

Le Bernardin - Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze - Grouper with Spicy Zucchini and Red Pepper Confit

This week was a bit different. I had been in California visiting family so I was not at all involved in the shopping and cooking process. My wonderful husband welcomed me home from my trip to this fabulous meal.

We started the meal with a bit of Asian Tuna Tartare (page 57) which was quite good. John had found some tortilla-potato chips at World Market that were really tasty and paired well with the tartare.

For the main course, John has substituted the grouper fillets for mahi mahi, as fresh grouper was not available. Visually, the dish was inviting as the bright green and red from the bell peppers were bold against the white plate.

The mahi mahi sat on top of vegetables, which provided a nice bed for the fish. The recipe calls for a thyme-infused olive oil. John had substituted fresh rosemary instead, and I have to say, surprisingly, it really was a great fit for the mahi mahi. I thought it would overpower the fish, but combined with the lemon, it was really nice. A suggestion would be to drizzle the herb-oil over the fish, rather than just serving it with the vegetables.

Ease: (1 easy - 10 hard)
3 (the infused oil process took some time but the dish was easy to make)

Flavor: (1 bad - 10 great)
7

Bon Appetit!

Le Bernardin - Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze- Yellowtail Snapper with Couscous and Spiced Vegetable Sauce

We headed off to the PPM this morning and much to our surprise, found it to be quite empty. First stop, we took a browse through Sur la Table to pick up a new meat mallet. I managed to knock a few creme brulee dishes on the floor...of course breaking them. For those of you who know me, you are chuckling to yourself right now as you know this is nothing new. :)

We found the best fish at Pike Place Fish, most famously known for it's "fish throwing". Scotty helped us to find really fresh snapper, some ahi tuna for another dish John was making from the cookbook (Carpaccio of Tuna with Chives) and some large shrimp. Apparently, Pike Place Fish is putting together a cookbook, compiled of recipes they receive from local chefs who shop at their store. Great idea!

One home, John got to work on preparing the meal. (I took the night off as I had a full week of cooking in my regular job as a Personal Chef. www.thekitchendoor.info) Overall, he was pleasantly surprised with the ease in preparation. He did mention however, that there were quite a few "steps".

The dish was lovely to look at and eat. The fish was cooked perfectly and the couscous had a nice flavor. We were both surprised at the bit of heat that came from the vegetable sauce. It was a nice balance to the light fish, rounding out the dish.

Bottom line: (1 low-10 high)

skill level- 6
flavor - 8.5

Commander's Kitchen - Shrimp and Tasso Henican/Five Pepper Jelly

After a trip to Pike Place Market, here in Seattle, WA, we rounded up the ingredients to prepare the recipes. (Side note, avoid PPM on the weekends if you are a local...)

Overall, we were very happy with this dish. The shrimp had a nice flavor (John created his own Cajun seasoning, which was delicious). The jelly had a nice balance of sweet and savory, and the over all dish was quite impressive. To balance out the dish, we served it with local farro tossed in mascarpone. It paired quite nicely.

Considering the variety of components going into this dish, we would give it a 8 in skill level (partly due to creating the seasoning, cleaning shrimp, and making beurre blanc.)

Flavor profile, we would give it an 8.5. It was quite delicious.

Note, if you plan to prepare this for a crowd, make the beurre blanc ahead and hold, skewer shrimp, dice vegetables and make jelly.