Malibu, CA: Neptune’s Net

Photo by Crystal A. Johnson

Neptune’s Net is a unique seafood spot with a clear view of the Pacific Ocean, surfers and surfing in the not too distant view.  It’s favorite spot for motorcyclists riding up the Pacific Coast Highway.  It’s located at the Malibu County Line Beach area.

What’s on the menu?

Expect a lot of friend seafood served over fries and with a side of coleslaw.  The calamari is tender and delicious.

There are also a number of non-fried items on the menu such as clam chowder and ceviche.

View from the deck at Neptune’s Net

 

Dining is available both indoor and outdoor.  It’s a casual spot and you can enjoy the beach before or afterwards.

Website

https://neptunesnet.com/

Nov-March Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 10:30a-7p

Friday: 10:30a-9p

Saturday-Sunday: 10a-7p

April-Nov Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 10:30a-8p

Friday: 10:30a-9p

Saturday-Sunday: 10a-8:30p

 

How Mussels Reproduce and Evolve

While walking down the beach in the more remote part of Santa Monica, I noticed my familiar rocks to sit on looked less familiar.  I knew something appeared to be growing on them and to my surprise I noticed Mussels! Garlic, please.   No that’s what I thought I just thought how fascinating it was to see the process of evolving.   So how exactly do they reproduce?

 

Photo by Crystal A. Johnson – Wil Rogers State Park, CA

 

 

According to Wikipedia, Marine mussels reproduce by releasing their eggs and sperm into the water. The young then begin life as floating plankton for between one and six months before settling on the bottom as an adult. With freshwater mussels, the male releases sperm into the water which then enters the female via her incurrent siphon.

Chesapeake, VA: Wickers Crab Pot Dine In or Pick Up

When it comes to Virginia and Maryland, the Blue shell crab is among the top of eats list pass times.   So where is a spot that you pick up a pot of steam hot crabs with old bay seasoning.   None other than Wickers Crab Pot.   

I can’t tell you about the dine in experience, didn’t do it .   However, if you are having a function and you want to spread crabs over the newspaper lined table then here is an option.

The also have several other to go items.

4201 Indian River Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23325

Hours:

Open  · 11AM–9PM

Website:  wickerscrabpot.com

New Orleans’ Style BBQ Shrimp

Recipe by Michelle Karam

2 pounds of raw shrimp, deveined and peeled with tails on
2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine or pale ale beer

1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lemon juiced
2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary finely chopped
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a deep skillet

Add shrimp and all other ingredients into a large bowl and combine well.

 

Add into skillet with melted butter and cook on medium low heat until all the shrimp have turned a bright pink. Don’t overcook or else the shrimp will turn rubbery.

 

Slice some french baguette and use it to sop up the liquid! MMMM!!!!

PAN FRIED ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH SHRIMP

Image not by Chef Bonilla Image from http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/

This Recipe is by Chef Jesus Bonilla

Ingredients

1 CUP TRADITIONAL FISH STOCK

3 TABLESPOONS EXTRA – VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

2 OUNCES MONKFISH, CUT INTO ¾ INCH CUBES

¼ POUND ANGEL HAIR PASTA BROKEN INTO 1 INCH PIECES

1 GARLIC CLOVE, PEELED AND VERY FINELY CHOPPED

3 TABLESPOONS SOFRITO

SALT TO TASTE

8 MEDIUM SHRIM, PEELED, DEVEINED AND CUT INTO ¾ INCH PIECES

¼ CUP ALLIOLI

Directions

Bring the stock to a boil in a small saucepan, once it boils, reduce the heat and maintain it at simmer.

In a medium flameproof casserole, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over high heat. Add the monkfish and sear on all sides, about 2 minutes. Remove the fish and set it aside.

Reduce the heat to medium – low, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the pasta. Pan fry , stirring it continuously with a wooden spoon, until the pasta has a golden brown color, about 10minutes. Be careful not to burn the pasta. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the sofrito and raise the heat to medium pour in the hot stock and add salt to taste.

Add the shrimp and the seared monkfish pieces, and stir with a wooden spoon. You’ll see the pasta absorbing the liquid. Don’t touch the pan anymore. Cook for 6 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the rossejat rest for 3 minutes.  Serve immediately with the allioli on the side.

Ceviche Recipe

Ceviche.  Almost anyone that’s ever been to a Latin country will tell you they’ve had it.  For those of you that don’t know what Ceviche is let me give you a teeny bit of  back ground on it… it is basically raw seafood or shellfish that is “cooked” in lime, lemon, orange or even grapefruit juice.  It’s typically thought of as a Peruvian dish but it’s prevalent in most Latin American countries and each one has their own twist on it.  From Mexico to Ecuador, Philippines to Panama…. everyone’s got their own spin on this fresh fish dish.

I have issues with Ceviche though.  It’s sort of a love hate kinda thing.  I absolutely love the idea of raw seafood being cooked or macerated in lime juice, but can’t stand cilantro!  Yes, I know… It’s an absurd thing not to like, but I’m not alone in my distain for cilantro, or so I’d like to think! And well, most ceviche is made with it.  So I’ve got a fair compromise… I don’t order it in restaurants and make it myself and make just my portion with out it.  My husband tells me every time I’m not getting the “true” ceviche experience but hell, I’m ok with that!

I’m not quite sure where or what region you’d say mine is from… I take a little bit from here and a little bit from there, but I do know one thing… it’s YUM! (even with out cilantro!) For the sake of argument today, I made mine with cilantro! So ceviche enthusiasts there you have it!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound of firm fresh red snapper
• (cut into small ½ inch pieces)
• ½ pound bay shrimp
• ½ pound bay scallops
• ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ of each-red & yellow bell pepper finely diced
• ½ red onion finely diced
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½  jalapeno finely diced
• ½ bunch cilantro chopped
• Pinch of Cayenne or Tabasco

Directions

In a glass pyrex bowl (do not use aluminum, it is reactive and will discolor the fish as it’s macerating) place the all the ingredients together and give it a gentle mix.  Cover and place in the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least one hour.  Remove after an hour give it a more through stir and put it back into the fridge for at least another hour or two…. the longer the fish is exposed to the citrus acid, the tastier it’s going to be and it will absorb the all of the flavors.

**sidenote**

The fish will turn color while it’s marinating.  It will start off as a pink raw looking color and slowly turn into a white opaque color.

It can sit for up to 24 hours before serving!

Chopped avocado is fantastic in this dish as well!

Serve individually in martini glasses with some tostada shells on the side!

Recipe contributed by Michelle Karam

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Grape Pico de Gallo

Celebrity chef, cook book author, and host of the Food Network show The Kitchen, Marcela Valladolid joined forces with the California Table Grape Commission to bring a bright flavorful twist to some traditional Mexican meals.This recipe is compliments of Grapes From California. READ MORE

Ingredients

•  1 cup red seedless California grapes, chopped
• 1 cup green seedless California grapes, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pickled red onions (see recipe below)
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
• Small pinch salt
• 1 pound salmon fillets
• As needed olive oil
• To taste pepper
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

 Pickled Onions

• 1 red onion quartered, cut in 1 -inch strips
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or the juice of 5 limes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoons crumbled dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in mixing medium mixing bowl. Mix well to incorporate well. Let stand for 30 minutes. Can be made 1 day ahead.

Directions

Prepare a grill for cooking over medium heat.

Put the grapes, pickled onions, and jalapeño in a medium bowl. Season with salt and toss lightly. Cover and chill while you prepare the salmon.

Brush the salmon lightly with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until it’s cooked to your liking. Remove the salmon and keep it warm. Heat the tortillas briefly on the grill in batches until warmed.

To serve, coarsely chop the salmon and divide it between the tortillas. Top each taco with a heaping tablespoon of grape pico de gallo and serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional analysis per serving (3 tacos per serving): Calories 347; Protein 27 g; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fat 7 g; 18% Calories from Fat; Cholesterol 59 mg; Sodium 298 mg; Potassium 611 mg; Fiber 5 g.

Seafood at San Francisco’s Wharf

Calamari from Tarantino’s in San Francisco Photo by Multiculturalcookingnetwork.com

There are a ton of restaurant likely to catch your attention in San Francisco.   At Tarantino’s, I honestly had some of the largest tender and well seasoned best tasing  ringlets of calamari.   You can dine or grab a bite to eat while continuing to walk down the strip.  Other delightful menu items include seafood sandwiches and dungeness crab.

Seafood Sandwich from Tarantino’s Photo by Multiculturalcookingnetwork.com

At Aliota’s like any good restaurant catering to tourists you will find sourdough bowls filled with clam chowder.

How to Fry Crabs

Frying Crabs is a Southern USA tradition especially in Virginia.  Watch how to fry crabs

In Season :Oysters in Winter

Chef Collaborative Blog -Just like a vegetable, oysters have historically been produced in certain seasons.  Oysters have typically been a winter delicacy, as colder waters encourage oysters to store glycogen, a carbohydrate compound that taste like sugar, in order to survive the dormant months when water temperature drops below 40 degrees.  As glycogen accumulates, oysters get plumper and sweeter.  However, when water temperatures rise, the oyster focuses its energy on enlarging its gonad in order to create reproductive material.  The oyster becomes less meaty and, thus, less tasty.  During summer or spawning the oyster becomes slimy and milky.  These oysters are edible but the taste and texture appeals to no one. READ MORE

Oysters Rockefeller Recipe

Watch How to Shuck An Oyster