Seafood

I recently ate dinner at the home of a couple who are producers-turned-friends, Barry and Jen. They work in food TV, so they’re all about great-tasting food. When I showed up, they were making a huge pan of caramelized onions that looked unbelievably good. They were serving them with almost everything that night, which I was happy about because I love onions. I have to admit I was surprised when I saw them piling the onions on grilled salmon. It was not a combination I’d ever considered. But because when in Rome you’re supposed to do as the Romans do, I dug in. It was delicious! I came home and figured out how to make caramelized onions that didn’t need a lot of fat or hands-on time. This dish is now a favorite among many I’ve served. Although salmon is high in fat, it’s good-for-you fat when eaten in moderation. Wild salmon has 12 fewer calories and 1.5 grams less fat per ounce than farm-raised, so I always try to buy that. But it is more expensive and tougher to find. So if you choose farm-raised, it will add 47 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving to this dish.

Tandoori is actually a cooking method, not an ingredient. In traditional Indian cuisine, the term describes a marinated meat cooked over an intense fire in a tandoor—a clay oven containing a hot fire. But we now commonly associate it with a type of marinade. Today, you can find tandoori paste in most grocery stores. It has intense flavor (which I love). By mixing it with yogurt, you cut some of the sodium and make a great simple marinade for fish, chicken, and many other meats.

I’ve encountered many people who are shocked that I eat real pork bacon, being that I’ve kept off fifty-five pounds for close to twenty years. Others are shocked that I include it in my cookbooks. The interesting thing to realize is that center-cut bacon—real pork bacon that’s 35 to 40 percent leaner than other pork bacon—is often as lean as most turkey bacon, yet it tastes like real bacon because it is. The flavor is much stronger than turkey bacon and doesn’t have that turkey aftertaste many brands of turkey bacon do. When buying fish, I often opt for frozen individually wrapped fillets. They’re usually fresher than those I find at the fish counter, and I buy them when they go on sale so I can always have some handy in my freezer.

One of my all-time favorite dishes to order at sushi bars is albacore or yellowtail sashimi with ponzu—a citrus-based soy sauce—and jalapeño (though they sometimes add way too much sesame oil for my taste). The name changes from menu to menu, but no matter the title, I absolutely love it. Here’s an at-home version that’s a cinch to throw together and super-nutritious. It’s perfect for you or to impress your sushi-loving guests. Though you might be tempted to omit the salt, I wouldn’t recommend it. This is actually a great dish for exotic sea salt. A light sprinkle can add real depth to the dish.

I worked on a teen weight-loss show by the producers of The Biggest Loser that took place at a camp in Wisconsin. The night I arrived, I was talking to one of the producers about food, of course. He mentioned his ex-wife used to make tuna with hummus instead of mayo and serve it on bagels. He said that she suggested it to a restaurant and they started serving it. When I told him I was going to borrow the idea he said I had to credit his ex-wife—only he never mentioned her name. Though I created this myself, Matt’s ex-wife deserves the credit for the general concept . . . whoever and wherever she is.

This is a great spicy, low-carb snack when served with vegetables such as celery sticks and endive. It’s also great served with baked tortilla chips or low-fat whole-grain crackers. Until recently, canned tuna was most commonly available in 6-ounce cans. But lately, a lot of products have decreased in size—from cereals to ice cream to peanut butter, which now often has a bubble in the bottom of the jar to make it look as big as it once was—even though the prices have not gone down. Be wary of this when you determine how many calories you’re consuming. The numbers on this dish are based on the 5-ounce can, not a 6-ounce one—which, by the way, generally contains only 3 1/2 ounces of tuna (the rest is liquid).

It’s important, when making this sandwich, that you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before cooking the tuna—you don’t want the tuna sitting after it’s cooked. When selecting tuna for this dish, be sure to get tuna that is undoubtedly sushi or sashimi grade. Cutting corners and using any fresh tuna is not an option on this one. Also, make sure the tuna is bright red all over. If the edges are just a bit murky or even the slightest shade of brown, don’t buy it. If it’s fresh, it will be bright red throughout.

I use wild-caught salmon when possible because it’s lower in fat than farm-raised. That said, it is more expensive and harder to find in many areas of the country, especially if you’re buying it fresh. But you can always check the freezer section, where it is more commonly found. If you do end up using farm-raised salmon, add about 12 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per ounce over wild-caught.

Pat: This is our take on a po’ boy, one of the defining sandwiches of the South. We take a hot, crispy cornmeal crusted catfish fillet and slather it with a piquant (easy to make) sweet pickle mayo, then toss some tart pickles, seasoned tomatoes, and shredded lettuce onto a hoagie roll. This is a meal that’s more than a sandwich—it’s a masterpiece!

Pat: The sweet, tangy flavor of barbecued catfish is an itch that needs to be scratched fairly often in the Neely house. Like Tony, I usually prepare too much, but leftovers make great sandwiches the next day (especially on grilled white rolls). Be sure to serve this fish with a generous dollop of homemade tartar sauce, our Sweet and Spicy Slaw (page 90), and warm buttermilk biscuits on the side.

These sweet, tangy shrimp are served in the shell. You gotta peel them to get to the good stuff, so be sure to serve them with plenty of napkins.

Gina: It’s happening to all of us: we’re getting older. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are foods we can eat that have indisputable heath benefits, and salmon is one of them. That wouldn’t excite me nearly as much if the fish wasn’t so sweet and delicious. Pat and I were on board with salmon from the get-go, but trying to introduce it to our girls was a challenge. I thought if I added just a hint of sweetness I could ease it on them. So I created this sweet and spicy sauce using mustard and brown sugar. Score one for Mom! The sauce caramelizes under the broiler, and the resulting glaze is a perfect complement to the rich-tasting salmon. If you didn’t already know it, I am the baby sister in my family, in every sense of the word. My older sisters think it’s ironic when I cook for them, because they all spoiled me so much when I was growing up (now Pat continues that tradition, and it all works for me). My big sister Tanya—she’s the more athletic one, who’s always telling me to hold my stomach in and keep my back straight—actually viewed me differently once I made this dish. We like to splurge on wild salmon, because it’s the absolute best for you, and the flavor is as sweet as candy.

Gina: This is an idea that Pat and I hatched when we were thinking of other ways to use our Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning. We were already sprinkling it over various meats, and I was using it to season catfish. So, one evening when I was having a cocktail (which is when I am most creative), I thought, why not combine the barbecue seasoning with butter?!? I checked with Pat, and he thought it was a great idea, and, voilà, barbecue butter was born. You know, some of our best dishes have come from just messing around, so you might want to do what we do and let yourself go in the kitchen! During warm weather, when we don’t have the time (or the desire) to stand over a hot stove, few meals are as enticing as a piece of grilled fish like halibut, tuna, or salmon alongside grilled spears of asparagus slathered with this lively butter. The addictive butter (flavored with fresh herbs, scallions, and orange zest) is also incredibly versatile. Try it tossed with pasta and grilled shrimp, or melted over a seared steak. Boiled creamy new potatoes or steamed rice is a great accompaniment to this simple, satisfying meal. Barbecue butter will keep in the fridge for 4 or 5 days.

Gina: If you’ve never spent a summer in the South, then you don’t know heat like we know heat! Baby, this dish is perfect for a sultry Memphis evening, because it requires very little cooking. The shrimp and zucchini are grilled briefly, and the rest of the ingredients are simply heated in olive oil for a few minutes, to coax out their flavor. Then everything is tossed with pasta shells, and you are done, sugar. We call for cherry tomatoes, but feel free to use Sweet 100, currant, or pear tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes available at your local farmers’ market. Best of all, you’ll walk away from the table feeling satisfied but not too full. Choose a nice Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, and you are set.

Pat: In the South, most stuffing recipes call for some kind of meat, whether it’s bacon, liver, chicken, or boiled turkey, as well as some kind of stock to keep the stuffing moist. In this recipe, the briny oysters meld beautifully with the spicy andouille sausage, and the end result is a stuffing so good that you won’t want to wait until Thanksgiving to try it. For the best results, use day-old cornbread, so it has time to dry out a bit, which will enable it to absorb all the flavorful juices inside the bird.

We prepared this gumbo on our “Pass It On” show, because it is a generational favorite that dates back to Gina’s Nana. Nana made it for Gina, Gina makes it for our daughters, and the hope is that someday our daughters will prepare it for their children. Gina and I love seafood and spicy Louisiana flavors, and this gumbo delivers plenty of both. It’s delicious served over Gina’s Perfect Rice (page 27). Gumbos throughout the South are made with countless combinations of seafood and meat (chicken, wild game, and spicy sausage), and ours is brimming with crab, shrimp, chicken, and ham.

Pat: Bisques are the most luxurious soups around. With a base of cream and seafood and brandy, they have a way of filling you and sating your appetite. This recipe is an easy, satisfying version of a dish that usually takes much longer to prepare. A quickie homemade shrimp stock provides an essential depth of flavor. And though the small amount of rice might seem unusual, it helps thicken the soup.

Gina: This appetizer is a signature dish at beach bars throughout Mexico (where Pat and I often retreat for some serious R & R) and the Caribbean. It tastes like a tropical vacation. Large, sweet shrimp are dipped in coconut, fried until crisp, and then paired with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. Honey, pass the frozen blender drinks, because I am so there—dipping my feet in the sand.

Gina: Just a few minutes on a hot grill will give shrimp and scallions a wonderful charred, smoky flavor, making an incredible filling for crisp and gooey quesadillas. The smoky flavor is echoed in the guacamole, which is made with chipotle peppers in adobo.

Gina: Pat is a meat-and-potatoes man, but me, I’ve gotta have my crab cakes. Every year, we go to a fancy restaurant in Memphis for our wedding anniversary, and I order crab cakes off the menu every time. I love them so much that Pat has started making them at home. Do you think he’s being cheap or treating me special? The secret to these crab cakes is using plenty of crab and not too much filling. The sunny Lime Mayonnaise packs a piquant punch.