Seafood en Espanol

In my travels two weeks ago, I found a Spanish cookbook on sale for $7.99.  Since that purchase, I've wanted to give my cooking a little sabor espanol.  Unfortunately, I haven't had time to sleep lately, much less cook and write, but when I found out that A) my weekend plans were pretty low-key and I'd actually have some time on my hands, and B) Mercato del Mare had razor clams (which I've never tried before), I put my mind to creating the feast of all feasts and seasoning each dish with a sprinkling of sunny Spain. 
 

live razor clams

While most of the ingredients in these recipes are fairly common, you can make simple substitutions for the ingredients you cannot locate.  For example, if you cannot find Manchego cheese, use an aged monterey jack.  Any kind of firm sprouts can be used in place of the pea shoots, just don't use alfalfa sprouts - they're too flimsy.  Any live clam can be used in place of the razor clam, and if you can't locate monkfish, use small (approx 2 oz) pieces of tuna, swordfish, or shark steaks. 

Quinoa and Roasted Red Pepper Timbales

2 c. chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. cumin seeds
1/2 t. smoked sea salt
1 T. smoked paprika
1/3 cup shredded Manchego cheese
1 fresh red chile, minced (optional)
2 roasted red bell peppers, minced (for instructions, click here)
olive oil

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, then add the quinoa and cumin.  Stir, reduce heat, and let simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the liquid has completely evaporated.  Stir in all remaining ingredients except the minced roasted red bell pepper and remove from heat. 

Next, take a small drinking glass or measuring cup, pour in a little olive oil and cover the inside of the glass entirely.  It should be very slippery.  Add a layer of the cooked quinoa and pack in, but not too tightly or it could stick (you might want to practice this a few times - my first try was a disaster, but you develop a feel for it!).  Next, add a layer of the minced roasted red bell pepper.  Add more layers, alternating between quinoa and red pepper, as shown in photo to the left.  Repeat until the cup is filled. 

To serve, invert the molds on a plate (as shown in photo below), and garnish with any additional red pepper. 




Steamed Razor Clams with Pimenton Gremolata

For the gremolata:
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 large garlic clove, very finely minced
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. smoked sea salt

For the clams:
1/4 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. fresh red chile, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. razor clams

First, make the gremolata by combining all gremolata ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large frying pan with a lid, heat the olive oil, then add the garlic and chile.  Saute for a few minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant, but do not let the garlic burn.  Now, add the wine and lemon juice.  Stir to blend, then add the clams.  Cover, then simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the shells have opened.  Remove from heat, but keep warm.

Razor clams require a little more work than regular clams, so be sure to follow this step after steaming if using razor clams rather than regular clams.  You'll see that the clam kind of splits into a "Y" shape - grab the arm of the "Y" that connects to the dark organs, and pull - this should separate the muscle part of the clam from the dark bits.  Just pull and discard the dark bits, and if there is any dark matter remaining, squeeze or slice it away.  Repeat with all the clams. 

To serve, place the cleaned clams back into their shells, sprinkle with a pinch of the gremolata, and arrange on a plate, as shown in the picture above. 



Pea Shoots with Garlic Dressing

1 bunch pea shoots
Reserved cooking liquid from steamed clams

Separate the pea shoots into small parcels, and find the longest shoot in each bunch.  Use the long shoot to tie the others together.  Spoon a few teaspoons of the clam cooking oil over each parcel, making sure to include some of the garlic and chile bits. 



Monkfish Medallions with Sherried Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

For the sauce:
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. Amontillado sherry
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 t. smoked paprika
2 T. heavy cream
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the monkfish:
1 monkfish tail, cut into 1.5 inch thick medallions
flour seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging
olive oil, for frying

First, make the sauce.  Combine all the ingredients in a blender, puree until liquefied, and set aside. 

Take each of the monkfish medallions and dredge in the seasoned flour, making sure to shake off any excess flour.  Set aside.  Heat a large, heavy bottomed frying pan.  When it is hot, add a generous splash of olive oil.  Once the olive oil is heated and covers the entire surface of the pan, add the monkfish medallions and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until slightly golden.  Remove from heat when they are done. 

To serve, place 2-3 medallions on a plate and drizzle with the Sherried Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.