Dolphins Came For a Visit!

This has nothing to do with recipes or restaurants or food....however, it has everything to do with the special joys of living at the coast.  Two male adolescent dolphins visited our condominiums for about 24 hours.  There was a particularly low tide and they seemed to be temporarily land-locked.  They were entertainment for the residents all day long...I didn't see them this morning, so I assume their visit is over.  I took some pictures...and shot a bit of video...it's really hard to catch a dolphin with a digital camera as slow as mine...I always seemed to get a fin and not much more.  The video was slightly better and you could get the sense that they were biding time for a high tide so they could return to their family tribe.  If you've read my blog before - you know I'm a dolphin lover and the few peeks I get of them are always magical.  Imagine the joy of having them right in front of me for hours on end.  It was beyond description! 

I actually got a little sun burned because I wasn't prepared to be out there - I got the call, grabbed my camera, and headed down to the sea wall.  It was a gorgeous November day, the clouds reflected in the calm bay, you can see the grassy plain that is normally under water except at low, low tide.  Flip flops, tee shirt, and dolphins.  Gosh I love living here!

If you feel like seeing what I got to see, click on the link above.  I gotta say - it was one of my best coastal moments ever!

A special thanks to Dolphin Whisper, Scarlet Colley, and her husband, for coming over and letting us know they were adolescent boys (we'd thought the dolphins were a mom and juvenile - wrong!) and that they would be okay so long as they weren't stranded for more than a couple of days.  They had plenty of fish and a captive audience appreciating them - they surely didn't look distressed at all.  I would have loved for them to hang around - but it's not "dolphin safe" in a dock area.  Props are their enemy.  If you'd like to know more about Scarlet's passion, check out the South Padre Island Dolphin Research link.  If you are interested in more about Scarlet and George's excursions, check out this link.  They seem like really, really nice folks (and they have a cute "dolphin dog" too!).

Thanks Scarlet...and thanks dolphins for providing such a magical day!

Red Snapper en Papillote



Photo Source:  Google Images



As October approaches, it is one of the best fishing seasons of the year.  The weather is gorgeous, the Red fish are running, and speckled trout are plentiful.  October is also Red Snapper season.  Yum, yum!  Who could ask for anything more?  One of our favorite seafood dishes is derived from an Emeril Lagasse recipe and adjusted to our tastes.  The teen-ager "created" this particular recipe and I act as his Sous Chef on the evenings we make it.  He does enjoy telling me what to do!  One of our first efforts in 2008 is shown here, with freshly caught trout from the Laguna Madre, although we have tweaked it a bit since that time.  I've made it with jumbo Gulf Shrimp, I've made it with bay trout numerous times, and most recently, it's been Red Snapper.  If you want to impress your guests...this is a sure thing!

Bay Trout en Papillote ala Ian





Red Snapper en Papillote

Ingredients:

• 
  
  Whole Wheat Orzo (available at HEB in Port Isabel)
• 
  
  Chicken Stock                                   
• 
  
  White Fish (Red Snapper, Trout, Tilapia all work well) OR Jumbo Shrimp (just reduce cooking time to 15 minutes for shrimp)
• 
  
  Olive Oil for drizzling
• 
  
  Butter – 2 TBSP for orzo and 1 Tsp per piece of fish
• 
  
  Basil – about 3/4 cup, rolled and thinly chiffonade - do not use dried basil
• 
  
  Fresh Thyme if you have it – sometimes I can’t find it down here and do without
• 
  
  Green Onions – thinly sliced white and green sections – about 2 per serving (or thinly sliced shallots are a great substitute)
• 
  
  1 large clove garlic for 4 servings– extremely finely chopped
• 
  
  Lemon Pepper to taste                                               
• 
  
  Lemon Slices – 3 per piece of fish – thinly sliced – seeds removed
• 
  
  Lemon halves to squeeze over fish
• 
  
  Crisp white wine (like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc) - use what you need and drink the rest!
• 
  
  Parchment paper - one 18-20" sheet per serving to form individual packets
• 
  
  Baking sheets with edges  - half sheet pans - cookie sheets.

Prepare orzo in chicken stock instead of water per package directions – slightly undercook.

While orzo is cooking - prep all of the rest of your items so you can put the packets together without stress ;-)

Drain partially-cooked orzo and return to pan, toss with 2 TBSP butter, a pinch of salt, a handful of the chopped green onion, and some of the basil – set aside. 

Prepare packets by folding a large piece of parchment paper in half.  Lay it on the baking sheet so one side is down as a base, and the other side is a “top”.  Place a cup of prepared orzo inside the bottom half – close to the fold and place the fish in the center, on top of the orzo.  Season fish with lemon pepper and salt if desired.  Sprinkle with basil, a tiny sprinkle of garlic, green onions, and a bit of chopped fresh thyme if you have it… and top with lemon slices.  Squeeze lemon juice over it all (to taste).  Put pinched bits of butter all over and drizzle with Olive oil – sprinkle about a half tablespoon of wine over it all.  Fold the top (the cover) of parchment paper down so the sides meet.  Tuck the corners in at the fold, and starting at one of the folded sides, roll the parchment into a packet…working around to the other side, gathering and crimping as you go.  Roll it tightly, to the edge of the orzo.  Repeat for each packet – each cookie sheet will hold 2 packets, maybe 3.  If you can't get it to hold together - you can secure it by threading a toothpick to the end where the roll ends.  I've only had one packet leak...they hold together better than you imagine.

Photo Source:  Google Images

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so depending on size and thickness of fish.   Place each packet directly on individual serving plates and open at the table.  With a sharp knife, carefully slice a steam vent in the center of the packet.  Cut the rest of the way across once steam is released and tear open the packet.  Eat directly from the packet on top of a dinner plate.

You can do the same process without the parchment packets by using a large chef’s skillet on the stovetop – put down a bed of partially cooked orzo, place the fish pieces on top, proceed as directed above, put the lid on the pan and cook on a medium low temperature until fish is done.  Will need a very large “fish spatula” to lift the servings onto serving plates, gathering up the orzo under the fish, and spoon the rest of the orzo onto the plate next to the fish servings.

We generally serve with a simple steamed vegetable, like broccoli, and a crusty loaf of hot bread.  Woo wee, them are some good eats!!!

Bon appetit y'all!

Tropical Storm Hermine

It's hard to think about food when you are sitting in a condo on the Laguna Madre with the hurricane shutters banging hard with the sustained 50mph winds as well as 70mph hurricane force gusts of wind.  I am, however, thinking about coffee...and the lack thereof!  I got up at 3:00 a.m. after laying in bed for 3 hours tossing and turning.  I felt happy that I had my hurricane supplies handy and up to date (plenty of batteries, water, battery-operated fan, solar charger, small electronics battery charger, and best of all - roll down hurricane shutters, etc.).  After Hurricane Dolly, I bought many supplies and they are kept in the "hurricane kit" in the attic.  I didn't want to drag down the propane stove and drip coffee maker until I knew I could go outside to use them!  I decided to take a shower to soothe my nerves...and it worked.  I used my handy battery operated lantern which really lit up the bathroom and there was plenty of hot water in my tank, despite the electricity having been off for several hours.  I ended with a cool shower because, of course, no air conditioning comes with no electricity!  My haute cuisine breakfast was a Diet Coke and a Chewy Chocolate Chip Pure Protein bar.

After calling AEP to get an ETA on electrical power reinstatement (they estimated 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday), I got to check my email and Facebook via cell phone for the first time.  I don't have a fancy cell - 3 year old flip phone works just fine for me...except times like this.  It is laborious to have to use a non-QWERTY keyboard for posting updates and texting the family that I survived...and that my teen slept right through it all - bless his heart.  I feel so disconnected with no electronics - no television, no computer (well, I could play solitaire for a while if I wanted), no "sounds" other than wind and rain.  No a/c running, no fridge running...all those little background noises we grow so accustomed to hearing!  I felt extreme happiness and relief when the power returned shortly after 6:00 a.m.  Thank you AEP workers!!!

I'll get back to reviewing restaurants later this week.  For now, I'm thankful to have survived another night in the tropics during Hurricane Season.  Time to re-set the clocks and get that coffee maker going!