Episode 153: Salad No Greens

Seafood Salad in a Martini Glass
Asian Beef Salad in an Umbrella
Bean Sprout Salad
Olive Salad

SEAFOOD SALAD IN A MARTINI GLASS

2 cups fresh lime juice - (500ml)
1 tablespoon salt - (15ml)
1 hot dried red chilli
1 teaspoon lime zest - (5ml)

12 small littleneck clams
1 lime halved
2 bays leafs
1 tablespoon salt - (15ml)
1 tablespoon fresh milled black pepper - (15ml)
1 or 2 dried small hot red chillies
1 ¼ pounds large shrimp, shelled & deveined- (680grams)
20 bay scallops, cut into bite sized halves (or quarters)
¾ pound red snapper, cut into bite size chunks - (350grams)
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper - (60ml)
¼ cup minced red onion - (60ml)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil - (30ml)
Tabasco to taste
2 tablespoons of minced coriander - (30ml)
Paprika
Limes quartered

Preparation time is 24 hours

Note: if you make the sauce 4-6 weeks in advance the taste will be stronger and more distinctive.

Combine lime juice, lime zest, salt and hot dried chillies in small bowl and pour into a bottle. Secure the top with cheese cloth and rubber band and leave to sit in a dark cool room for at least 24 hours and preferably 4-6 weeks. Cork the bottle after 4-6 weeks and it will keep indefinitely at room temperature.

Place your clams into a shallow skillet; add an inch of water and a 1 tablespoon sauce. Cover and let steam until they open, about 5 -10 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open and chill the others in the fridge for one hour.

Pour 8 cups of water in a large pot, add 1 tablespoon of sauce. Squeeze a fresh lime into the water, add the bay leafs, salt, pepper, chillies, and bring to a boil. Once it has boiled add shrimp and cook the shrimp for 2 minutes while the liquid returns to a boil.

Remove pot from heat, using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp and place them into a bowl. Pour half of cooking liquid over shrimp, add ice cubes and cool in fridge until cool to the touch. Remove the shrimp from liquid and place them in a new bowl. Cover and place the shrimp into the fridge for at least one hour.

Mix together chopped scallops and red snapper fillet cubes with 4-6 tablespoons of the sauce - enough to moisten the fish. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When everything has set and cooled, gently combine scallops, red snapper, shrimp and clams. Add bell peppers, onion, oil and coriander. Serve in chilled martini glass and garnish with paprika and limes.

Yield: 6
Back to top


ASIAN BEEF SALAD IN AN UMBRELLA

Grilled Beef Salad
5 oz Sirloin - (150grams)
4 shallots, Sliced
2 tablespoons long-leaf coriander - (30ml)
½ red pepper, julienned
½ cup corn, cooked - (125ml)
Butter
Mint leafs

Umbrellas
4 Tortillas shells
2 tablespoon of butter - (30ml)

Dressing
½ teaspoon of white sugar
5 tablespoons lime juice - (75ml)
5 tablespoons fish sauce - (75ml)
3 crushed dried chilli peppers

Cooking time 25 Minutes

Preheat oven to 400°F

Pre- Heat Grill

For umbrellas, place two tortillas on a baking sheet and brush both sides of the shells with butter. Bake for one minute. Remove the warmed tortillas from oven and place them on top of four flipped custard cups. Pinch in the sides to form a bowl shape and bake for another 7-8 minutes or until crisp. Remove your tortilla cups from the custard cups and set them aside to cool.

For the dressing, squeeze lime juice into a bowl and add fish sauce. Add crushed peppers and sugar.

Smear butter on sirloin and set it down on grill, remember to only flip only once. For medium rare, grill beef to rare and then rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Slice the meat in long thin strips. Add to a bowl with coriander, mint, corn and red pepper and shallot. Add your dressing and toss, scoop into umbrellas.

Serve and enjoy!

Yield: 4
Back to top


BEAN SPROUT SALAD

2 cups bean spouts - (500ml)
4 tablespoon coconut cream - (60ml)
2 tablespoon vinegar - (30ml)
2 red shallots, diced and fried
1 tablespoon coriander leafs - (15ml)
1 tablespoon parsley - (15ml)

Paste
3 tablespoon roasted grated coconut - (45ml)
3 tablespoon roasted peanuts - (45ml)
Large pinch of salt

Preparation time is 20 minutes

Remove the top and tail from bean sprouts and add them to a bowl and set aside.

Roast coconut to a hot non-stick pan.

Spread unsalted peanuts on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven. When roasted, place peanuts in a small grinder and whiz quickly to get them coarsely chopped.

To make the paste add one ingredient at a time to a mortar and pound together with the pestle. Grind each ingredient down until the mixture is smooth. Start with the roasted coconut, then the peanuts and finally the salt.

Heat oil in a skillet and add shallots and fry them until they are crispy and set aside.

Mix paste with bean sprouts and add coconut cream and vinegar. Serve sprinkled with fried shallots, coriander leafs and parsley.

Yield: 4
Back to top


OLIVE SALAD

2 sweet pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes
½ cup sliced cucumbers - (125ml)
2 small onions, thinly sliced
½ cup black olives - (125ml)
6 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped - (5ml)
1 teaspoon cilantro - (5ml)
3 tablespoons olive oil - (45ml)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice - (15ml)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation time is 15 minutes

Combine black olives and chopped anchovy fillet in a bowl.

Seed and chop red pepper and add to black olive mixture. Add chopped tomatoes, and sliced cucumber into bowl, toss by flipping the bowl. Add freshly chopped herbs - basil, cilantro and parsley. Toss again.

In a separate bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Pour your dressing into the salad bowl and garnish with quartered hard boiled eggs.

Enjoy!

Yield: 4
Back to top

Recipe courtesy of Chef Georges Laurier, Executive Chef & owner of Laurier Sur Montcalm in Hull, Quebec.