Mainland Poke

Poke is a wonderful thing that hails from a wonderful place: Hawaii! There are all kinds of poke, but when I hear the word, I think of raw tuna marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil on top of rice. I was so happy to eat poke while in Hawaii where supermarkets have dedicated poke "counters," much like deli or seafood sections. It is a beautiful thing to behold, all the different poke choices before you (memories!!). Poke is riding a big popularity wave right now in LA and I am pretty thrilled because it is a more affordable option to take care of those sushi cravings! Also, I’ve been trying to think of different ways to eat fish after hearing a piece on NPR last year (I think it was this one.).

I recently stopped in at Mainland Poke and tried the lu’au bowl with octopus, tuna and salmon; the pieces were not marinated, but a sauce of your choosing is added (I got the spicy shoyu). I also added tobiko because I cannot resist fish roe. The bowl turned out quite good and made me a happy camper. It was about $12 and, considering the quality of the fish, I thought it was worth it. The shop is small and very casual (like a sandwich shop where you pick and choose as you move down the line) with some counter seats and a few tables outside.

Parting thoughts: to me, any poke shop outside of Hawaii may come close, but will not be the real thing. The way I look at it, even with the best ingredients, the missing component would be Hawaii (the sand, the beautiful water, the relaxed state of happiness that occurs when you are there). It just won’t be the same. But, if you can’t go to Hawaii, let it come to you (sort of) by eating (sushi-grade) poke wherever you can find it! If interested, you can read more about poke over at Bon Appetit.

Mainland Poke
8312 1/2 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: (310) 234-8800

Clams with Garlic & Lemon

I love clams. But, it's all about timing. They get too chewy if overcooked, losing their "je ne sais quoi" and resulting in abject disappointment for the eater. One way to avoid such a scenario is to make them yourself! At home! Once your clams are clean, the cooking phase is very quick. BTW, there are many different takes on how to get your clams grit-free. Choose whichever one suits your schedule; I soaked mine in cold water in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Now, on to the cooking steps:

Saute some chopped garlic, throw the clams in and pour white wine on top of them (add a little salt if you want, but they probably don't need it). Add lemon juice now and/or later when serving. Place a lid on the pot, wait for everything to bubble and the clams to open. Take one out to see if it's cooked enough and then turn the heat off. The only thing left to do is eat and cherish the moment.

One ingredient that was missing from my preparation: butter, which will be included next time because the broth needed some depth and richness. Can't wait to eat clams again! (Parting note: most people insist on bread to mop up the broth and they are totally right. I didn't buy any this time, so chose to drink it straight from the bowl.)

Pan-Fried Shrimp with Cherry Tomato Corn Salad

Note to Summer: please stay. I am not ready to face the last months of the year. Let me luxuriate in the long days, pink sunsets and artisan ice cream a bit longer. I realize my tune has changed as I used to dread your high temps, seeking out air-conditioning like it was a life force. But this year, it feels different. I am different. So, please stay.

Based on what I've learned over time, this request will go unheard. So, I will take solace in the fact that a lot of nectarines, plums and peaches were consumed this summer. And I got to make this festive dish of pan-fried shrimp and a cherry tomato, corn and red onion salad. I am always amazed at how much flavor comes out of letting veggies or salads sit around in some lemon juice and olive oil. When in doubt, reach for the lemon and olive oil. You will get super results about 98%-100% of the time. You cannot say that for most things in life.

Happy long weekend!

Kiriko

I needed a break from the usual. So, a weekday splurge at Kiriko.


Chirashi Lunch ($18), which included salad and miso soup.



Their tamago (egg) was unlike any other version I've tried, almost like sweet bread. This lunch brightened my day and gave me a spring in my step.

Kiriko
11301 Olympic Blvd #102
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 478-7769

A Paris Christmas: Part 5

And at long last, here we are at the final installment of my Paris series. My family and I absolutely love seafood. I grew up eating sushi, sashimi, oysters, crabs, lobsters: you name it, we've probably tried it, if not harbored an undying obsession with it. During our time in Paris, there were two notable seafood meals.

The first was at Huitrerie Regis, a magical tiny oyster shop with a handful of tables and a small counter. I apologize for no photos, but the couple I snapped turned out woefully blurry. The menu here is tres simple: oysters, shrimp and a few other items. We ordered four dozen oysters and a bottle of Sancerre, which were shucked by the same person who took our order (note: there were maybe two employees running things, which included a stream of to-go customers who seemed to be regulars at carting off massive platters of raw oysters to their holiday soirees). We had a variety of local oysters, which were impeccably fresh, briny and different from what I've had in the U.S. I recommend Huitrerie Regis with all my seafood-devoted heart. They've made it onto all sorts of "Best Of" lists, so you may want to employ our strategy of arriving right when they open up for dinner.

And now onto the second meal, which took place on our last night in Paris. We opted for Le Bar a Huitres (the Saint-Germain location) for our special end-of-the-trip dinner. We were not disappointed.


Yes, this raw platter really happened. Breathtaking. Oysters, mussels, crab, cockles and such. Truthfully, I am not entirely sure of all that we consumed on this bad boy.


My sister ordered scallops again. From what I remember, they were buttery excellence. The French really know their way around a scallop (okay, and a million other food items, too).


I got a crab dish, which caught my eye because the crabmeat was already shelled and required nothing of me, but lifting fork to mouth. I took the photo before I turned over the shell, which was stuffed with crab meat. Light luxury with a side of potatoes, carrots and peas.


My dad's dinner. Prawns need very little adornment on the flavor side, but they did feel the need to spruce things up visually with seaweed.

As seafood-centric people, this meal really wrapped things up on a high note. Thank you for reading about our time in Paris. If you think you don't need to visit the city because it's been touted by too many to possibly be that remarkable and amazing, I would say, you need to go there first. Then we'll talk.

Huitrerie Régis
3 Rue Montfaucon
75006 Paris, France
Phone: 01 44 41 10 07

Le Bar a Huitres (St. Germain)
33 Rue Saint-Jacques
75005 Paris, France
Phone: 01 44 07 27 37

Shrimp and Bok Choy Soup

When I picked up a large bag of bok choy at the farmers market, I figured I'd cook it with chicken stock and garlic per usual. But, on second thought, I wanted to prepare it as part of the main attraction rather than a side. So, this soup is what I came up with: a super easy knockoff to make at home when dragging yourself out to an Asian restaurant is not an option.


Bring chicken broth/stock (I use canned), garlic and ginger to a boil. Drop in some shrimp and bok choy (cook shrimp 2 minutes to avoid overcooking). Chopped green onion is a nice, but optional, touch right before eating.

I was going to throw in some thin Korean noodles, but it turns out that 1 can of chicken broth is not much liquid. As I threw in half a pound of shrimp, the soup was filling enough for a lazy Sunday lunch. There are many ways to doctor this up further: fish sauce, chiles, Asian hot sauces, etc. An Asian granny would not be impressed with my soup, but I think it makes for an acceptable alternative to overpriced restaurant versions!

Tilapia with Lemon and Asparagus

Tonight's dinner did not taste that great, but I still consider it a triumph.


Although simple can be a good rule for some seafood, just lemon with salt and pepper did not fare well for my tilapia. But, I am not dejected because two things happened:

1. I finally made fish, which is something I've wanted to do for a while. I've cooked fish before many times, but prefer not to in my current apartment (cooking odors tend to hang around). Steaming the tilapia in a foil packet got rid of the smell factor, but the texture was too soft for me. I'll have to try baking tilapia next time, maybe with breadcrumbs?

2. I cooked! For the first time in days! Not to state the obvious, but food tastes so much better when you make it at home. Especially because of the cost factor (yes, my battle with financial lunacy rages on).

At least, this fish turned out better than the ill-fated fontina mac and cheese I attempted a few days ago. That's what I get for playing fast and loose with measurements my first time making bechamel!

Vietnamese Shrimp Noodle Salad

I finally got a bottle of fish sauce, but my joy was short-lived when I realized I was at a loss about what to make with it. I love Vietnamese food, but I wasn't up for a lot of marinating or complicated recipes (I know, shocking!). After some research, I landed on Nigella Lawson's Vietnamese Shrimp and Glass Noodle Salad recipe, which I used as a guide with some substitutions and improvisation.

I liked the dressing a lot (love the zing of fresh ginger) and the sugar snap peas were a good call, but I should have cut the noodles for easier eating. By the way, I used rice sticks, which seem pretty similar to what Nigella refers to as glass noodles.

Overall, this salad served me well as a light dinner and it'd be great to take to a potluck (I can count on one hand the number of potluck-esque events I've been to, but maybe that will change this year). I'll be submitting this for Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Ivy at Kopiaste. Back into the PPN groove!

Shrimp and Bokchoy Noodles

[UPDATE: I have submitted this post to Presto Pasta Nights, a weekly blogging event. This time around, it's hosted by Soy and Pepper. This submission is my first ever to any sort of blogging thing. How exciting!]

This is not what my dinner was supposed to look like. I had planned on a simple Asian noodle soup to use up some chicken broth that had been unearthed in my pantry. In typical fashion, I came home to realize my chicken broth had expired in November 2007. Whoops!

With my powers of improvisation, I came up with this noodle dish, which had the following: shrimp, baby bokchoy, garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and thin udon noodles. I wish I had grabbed more bokchoy; I had forgotten how much I like it!

Now, I'm watching The Cosboy Show and eating popcorn. Mid-week therapy of champions!

Garlic Shrimp

Oh boy, it's been quite a week so far. I am, at least, getting closer to normal health with each day. As I over-ate at lunch with two slices of pizza and an order of potstickers (no breakfast is really never a good idea), I didn't find myself terribly hungry after work and was able to run to Target and Whole Foods without going out of my mind (which is what happens when I'm hungry, I'm not hypoglycemic, but pretty close in terms of mood). I picked up some shrimp and bagged salad, which turned into garlic shrimp and ... bagged salad. Shrimp cooks up so quickly, it really is a time-saver and perfect for weeknight meals. Try it sometime, although I have to say, keep your shrimp shells in a separate bag and take it out to the trash. You do not want to wake up to shrimpy trash in the morning. Trust me.

Scallops With Peach Salsa

I never order or buy scallops. It's not that I dislike them, they've just never made my heart sing like oysters, clams or mussels. But, a few days ago, some scallops caught my eye at the store, so I picked some up today. I thought I'd mix things up for Friday night by cooking up my least favorite mollusk. I wanted something crisp and fruity to off-set the richness of the scallops and I found the perfect mate in this cheerful peach salsa. This Epicurious recipe piqued my interest, but of course, I did a less involved version. I think the scallops could have used 30 more seconds of cooking time, but they turned out tasty enough and look Ma, I got good caramelization!

The real star, though, was the peach salsa (Epicurious used the term, don't look at me if you want to get into a debate about what constitutes salsa); lime, cilantro, jalapeno and red onion are a glorious quartet and they perfectly complemented the sweet, but not quite ripened peach (which is exactly how I like to eat peaches). This darling accompaniment will be making many more appearances in my kitchen this summer.

Pairs well with: After The Sunset
Pierce Brosnan as a thief? Woody Harrelson as a main character? The creepy Jamaican lady from the Pirates movies who makes saying Davy Jones so fun? Done deal. The icing on the cake is Salma Hayek who just wants a deck for their island bungalow and to retire from their life of crime in peace. The briny scallops and spicy salsa go great with the breathtaking island waters and Salma's stunning bikini scenes that make you wonder how her body is at all possible.

Shrimp Linguine

At the end of the day today, I really wanted to unwind by having a drink and dinner out, but I resisted. I knew I'd feel very disappointed with myself since I had determined this week would be the one to kick off the great kitchen resurrection of '08. So, I headed to the store instead and picked up a few things for a basic shrimp linguine. I usually do not like a lot of parsley because of its grassy quality, but I have been craving fresh herbs lately (I believe the summer weather is the culprit) and this parsley not only hit the spot, it smelled strangely intoxicating. Or maybe I'm just thinking of the wine.

Pairs well with: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
I watched this movie on TV and cried profusely (I don't recall the plot particulars that made me so weepy, but I cry very easily while watching movies). But, that's not why I am recommending it. No, the reason is that the bright lemon and fresh parsley flavors in the linguine were very clean and sunshine-y, which brought the Greece scenes in "Sisterhood" to mind and how they made me want to jump in the ocean, eat seafood all day and wear all-white outfits.