Easy Seafood Stew (or Bisque)

I enjoy many types of seafood – from various white fish to multiple shellfish. I happened to have a small piece of swordfish, not enough for a meal, as well as some canned clams and bay scallops on hand, bought a small fresh jar of lump crabmeat and made a seafood stew. Leave out the vegetables and it’ll be a bisque instead. Fairly easy to make and doesn’t take very long either. Feel free to vary the fish ingredients to your family’s taste. I wanted to use a lobster tail but couldn’t find one here in Minnesota. Delicious!

In a medium (4 quart) saucepan, heat over medium high heat:

1 tablespoon olive oil

When it’s shimmering add:

1/2 medium onion, diced

4-5 celery stalks, diced

2 cups kale, cleaned, stalks removed and leaves chopped*

Stir to combine, reduce heat to medium low and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes or until kale is softened. Remove to a bowl. Add to the saucepan, increasing heat to medium high:

1/2 pound bay scallops

1/2 pound white meat fish (I used swordfish but any white fish – cod, halibut, etc. works), cut into small chunks, about the size of the scallops

1/4 pound small shrimp (optional for those who can eat shrimp)

Stir and saute for 3-4 minutes until fish is cooked and then add:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons gluten-free, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (optional)

Stir to combine and let simmer for a minute before whisking in:

2 cups non-dairy milk (anything except soy which won’t thicken)

Continue to whisk until milk heats and mixture thickens. Add:

1 small can minced clams (including the liquid)

4 ounces of fresh crabmeat (I checked out the canned, much less expensive but it also included loads of salt as well as sugar)

the cooked vegetables

1 small to medium potato, diced and cooked (whatever potato your family likes)

Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer for several minutes to allow the fish and vegetables to heat through. If desired, garnish with chopped green onions or chives. Serves 4.

*If you don’t like kale, adding some frozen peas would be just as delicious.

To make the stew into a bisque, simply delete the vegetables.

Salmon Pasta Salad Revisited

Every July 4th my mother would make what she called simply, salmon salad. It was a mayonnaise based pasta salad with canned salmon, crab and baby shrimp. I made one and put it on this site last year or the year before with a vinaigrette base. So now that I’ve found a vegan mayonnaise I can eat that doesn’t contain eggs or soybean oil, I decided this year to update this salad because it’s one of my very favorites. My mother always served blueberry muffins with it but I figure who needs all those added carbs! so I just serve the salad with the addition of more vegetables than just the onion and celery my mom used. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do. By the way, feel free to use a 16 ounce can of salmon, cleaned if you don’t have access to the fresh!

Bring an 8 quart pot of water to the boil, salt the water generously and add:

4 ounces gluten-free shells (you can use elbows or any other shape but my mom always used shells)*

When the pasta is about 2 minutes from being cooked add:

1-2 cups frozen peas (unless you have wonderful fresh peas!)

When the pasta is cooked, drain into a large colander and rinse with cold water until cool. I will often fill the pot I cooked the pasta in with cold water (it takes several times before the pot cools off) and then place the colander in it after I’ve sprayed the heck out of the pasta with cold water. I leave it in there for only about 5 minutes before it’s cool enough to add to the mixing bowl. While the pasta boils (or the water), heat an 8″ skillet over medium high heat with:

1 teaspoon olive oil

Add skin side down:

8 ounce (or so) salmon filet

Cook the salmon for 3-5 minutes on the skin side and then turn. Note, if it doesn’t come right off the skillet, it’s not ready to turn. Cook on the meat side for 2-3 minutes and then flip again to the skin side. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon steak. Remove from heat, uncover and move the salmon to a plate to cool. When cool, flake with a fork and add to the vegetable mixture.

In a large mixing bowl (I actually use a 2 gallon plastic container), combine:

3-5 scallions, sliced on the diagonal

5-6 stalks of celery diced

1 medium, peeled and diced (and I also seed mine) cucumber

8 ounces of crab meat

8 ounces of baby shrimp (if you can eat them, I can’t so I leave them out)

In a smaller bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups vegan mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

NOTE: I had a half bag of snow peas left over from the Moo Goo Guy Pan so I destringed them, cut them in half (or thirds if really long) and added them with the peas to the boil – delicious! Some diced jicama or water chestnuts would also go very nicely in this salad.

Whisk to combine and then pour over the vegetables after adding the pasta, peas, and fish in the mixing bowl. Stir to combine and then cool in the refrigerator for about an hour to let all the flavors meld. I like to serve it over some lettuce or as I did now, pea shoots. Serves 4-6.

*Whole Foods makes wonderful organic chickpea shells. Only 37 grams of carbs per serving which is quite good for pasta, along with 21 grams of protein. And note, we only use 2 servings instead of 4 so it cuts down on the total carbs per serving even more.

Stuffed Mushrooms (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, sugar-free)

One of my favorite appetizers is stuffed mushrooms, as long as the main stuffing ingredient isn’t bread crumbs. That happens a lot, especially in restaurant servings. These are stuffed with crab but you could substitute any ground meat or no meat at all, simply add more chopped mushroom and perhaps some onion to the mixture. The recipe makes between 12 and 15 mushrooms depending on the size and how much stuffing you like.

You’ll need:

12-15 medium to large button or baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup avocado oil (or olive oil)
1 cup crab meat, claw works fine, don’t need lump in this case
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried herbs, depending on personal taste (I use Mrs. Dash mixture but any herbs preferred will work)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded non-dairy cheese of choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean the mushrooms by wiping off the outside and removing the stems. If they are really dirty, feel free to remove the skins. I prefer to remove them and take away the filmy outside once cooked.

Place on a small cookie sheet that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cut off the inside portion of the mushroom stems and dice. Put avocado oil and diced mushrooms in a saute pan and cook for several minutes. This is where you could also add some onion or garlic to taste. Once diced mushrooms (and onions and garlic if added) are soft, remove from heat and stir in crab meat, herbs, and breadcrumbs.

Place 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons of the stuffing mixture into each mushroom cap depending on its size. When all the caps are filled, sprinkle some cheese on each. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until mushrooms are cooked. You can tell when they are cooked because they’ll shrink and expose more stuffing.

Serve hot.

Seafood Pasta Salad (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free)

This is a recipe passed down from my mother and grandmother. They traditionally made it for our July 4th celebration along with blueberry muffins since usually by early in July, we’d have fresh peas as well blueberries in central New Hampshire. They made it with canned salmon, crab and shrimp but these days fresh or frozen seafood is also widely available. My mother also always made it with the pasta shells for esthetic reasons but you can use whatever type of pasta your family likes.

You can also make it two ways, like the potato salad and the cole slaw, with either a vinaigrette or mayonnaise. I prefer the vinaigrette since it has a lighter taste, especially in the July heat.

Mix in a medium sized bowl:

6-8 ounces of cooked salmon
4 ounces of cooked tiny shrimp
6-8 ounces of cooked lump crabmeat
6-8 ounces of cooked peas
3 stalks of celery diced, don’t forget to add the leaves as well — they have a wonderful celery taste
1/4 cup chopped red onion, chives, or scallions
2 cups cooked gluten-free pasta [here I’ve found that the quinoa pasta works the best because it doesn’t get all mushy if it sits for a day; I’ve also gotten into the chickpea pasta to add more protein]
1/2 cup of your favorite vinaigrette [I make mine with 1/2 olive oil, 1 tablespoon spicy mustard, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or 1 teaspoon stevia), and 1/4 cup of water.]; if you need to, you can add more vinaigrette especially if you let the salad sit awhile in the refrigerator since the pasta will absorb the moisture.
OR 1/2 cup of your favorite mayonnaise mixed with several tablespoons of cold water [the water will loosen up the mayo and make for a lighter dressing without affecting the taste].
Salt and pepper to taste along with some fresh parsley to taste

I like to serve it on a bed of lettuce with some cherry or grape tomatoes as a garnish. This recipe serves 4. Delicious!