As the Days Get Longer...

What’s cooking? Five Great Meatless Dishes

It’s Lent. Again. And I’m not any better at denying myself than I was during previous Lenten seasons.

One of the good things about the COVID shutdown – and there were precious few of those – was that I had fewer opportunities to indulge. At least in the beginning, grocery runs were limited to what I could get brought to my car, and while I didn’t stop lusting after the occasional Baby Ruth or Snickers, I couldn’t really bring myself to stick them on the grocery list of what was surely supposed to be basic requirements. In the end, I lost 30 pounds over that 2-year span. And while I’ve since recovered a few of them, it was that early period of curbside pickup – when no candy bars, donuts, Starbucks’ marshmallow crisps, or those wonderful chewy ginger cookies that my grocery store sells individually – that kept me on the road to success.

So on the subject of fasting, I’ve done a little research, and apparently, many of the feast and fast days of Christianity actually predate the religion. Lenten fasting didn't evolved as a Christian practice until about 300 AD. And the word “Lent” comes from the Old English word læncte, meaning “lengthening (of daylight hours).” In other words, Lent was more than a period of self-denial – it was a recognition of the longer days and the coming of spring.

Easter itself is a moveable feast tied to the start of springtime, taking place on the Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. And if you can wrap your brain around that calculation, I congratulate you.

In any case, the most popular way Christians recognize the Lenten season is to abstain from eating meat, if not for the whole 40 days, then at least on Fridays. And in my book, the best way to counter that bit of self-denial is with a few really good fish recipes.

Ta-da! Kitchen Goddess to the rescue. Here are five of my best fish/seafood dishes, in no particular order. I did try to make them for a range of types of fish – regardless of how much you might like a particular fish, no one really wants to eat the same one week after week. As in life, the joy is in variety. I do hope you’ll try at least one, even if you’re not Christian or even religious in any way. We can all celebrate the coming of spring!

Whitefish al Cartoccio (or en Papillote)

One of my prince’s favorite ways to have fish is al cartoccio – the Italian term for baking food in a foil or parchment packet. The French call it en papillote, but it’s exactly the same thing. my hubby and I use the Italian name in deference to the tiny Italian restaurant in Manhattan where we were introduced to the concept.

You’ll be amazed at how easy it is. The fish bakes in tightly closed individual envelopes, with herb butter, lemon slices, and spring veggies, ensuring that all the flavors swirl together. The parchment or foil holds enough of the heat that the dish is still warm when you open it, so the rising steam presents your nose with a treat of its own. I usually make this dish with flounder or sole, although that little Italian restaurant served it with red snapper. Click the link HERE.

Salmon with Miso and Maple Syrup

The Kitchen Goddess has a couple of friends who serve this dish as part of their regular rotation. It’s that good and easy.

If you don’t know miso, you must give it a try. It’s a traditional Japanese seasoning: a paste made from fermenting soy beans. But don’t let that turn you away – it’s a great source of umami flavor, combining sweet, salty, nutty, and it’s the secret to this dish. The fact that the veggies cook in the same pan alongside the salmon... well, that’s just a bonus.

Don’t leave any of the marinade in the pan – you will want it on the plate and in your mouth. Let me just say that the leftovers engendered a small lunchtime skirmish between me and my prince. Click the link HERE.

New Jersey Fish Chowder

This is a tiny bit of a cheat, because it starts with bacon fat and uses the bacon to top the soup, but you don’t have to use bacon – more butter or some olive oil will do as a substitute. And while I used flounder to make the soup in the photo, I much prefer a meatier fish like cod.

Chowder is one of those dishes that tastes great the day you make it, and might taste even better the next day. And if you’re in an area of the country where there’s still a bit of cold weather, try this terrific comfort food. Click the link HERE.

Crabby Cakes

Light and crab-filled, these cakes are a snap to make. You can use a ⅓-cup measuring cup as a mold, so you don’t even get your hands yucky – a big plus in the KG’s mind. And this post also includes a wonderful recipe for tartar sauce that you’ll want to use with any number of fish dishes. Click the link HERE.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Scampi

If you are like the Kitchen Goddess, the fact that this recipe was in a post from last November will not mean that you remember it. The KG finds that her short-term memory these days is... well, short. Not gone, mind you, just not the lightning speed it once was. Nevertheless, this is a dish well worth remembering, certainly because it’s yummy, but also because the whole thing happens in a single pan in the oven. Less mess, more fun. You’ll still need a veggie or salad, and I love it with pasta or rice, but even some crusty French bread is great – you’ll just want something to absorb the sauce, so you don’t have to lick the plate. Click the link HERE.

The days are in fact getting longer, so celebrate!

Enough with the Leftovers!

What’s cooking? Sheet Pan Shrimp Scampi

So are you tired of Turkey Day leftovers yet? I’ve now had stuffing for lunch three days in a row, and turkey soup for the past two dinners. Thanksgiving is the gift that keeps on giving, even when you want it to stop.

How about something light? Anyone for shrimp? Fresh, wild-caught shrimp are a delicacy I don’t often get in the summer, mostly because we spend that time in New Jersey, where scallops are the fresher, more plentiful alternative. Not that you can’t get good, fresh-frozen shrimp at the better grocery stores there, but if you want truly fresh, wild-caught shrimp, your best bet is to be near the Gulf or the southern Atlantic coast.

As it happens, the Kitchen Goddess has a private source for shrimp. My brother, who lives in the tiny coastal town of Port Aransas, Texas, periodically heads down to the wharves when the shrimpers are coming in and bags a few pounds that he then ships overnight to me. I know, I know – I don’t deserve such largess. So I send him the occasional tin of my rollout cookies, and he seems to think it’s an acceptable trade: cookies for shrimp.

According to The New York Times, some large chains, like Wegman’s and some regional Whole Foods Markets, as well as upscale markets like Eataly and the Lobster Place in New York, also carry fresh shrimp, albeit at a premium price. But most wild shrimp is frozen and shipped around the country, where it shows up either in bags in supermarket freezers, or thawed and piled on ice. The quality varies widely, depending on how the shrimp was processed after catching. The best quality wild shrimp have been frozen without chemicals, either onshore soon after harvesting, or on plate freezers while still on the boat. You can find this shrimp at upscale supermarkets and fish shops; ask for chemical-free wild shrimp.

Good shrimp have such wonderful flavor that the simplest preparations are the best. The one here is so simple it seems like hardly any trouble at all. And the Kitchen Goddess loves any recipe that lets her avoid stove-top cooking in favor of a sheet pan.

The garlicky, lemony flavors are the same as in classic shrimp scampi, but cooking the whole thing on a sheet pan is even simpler than in a skillet, and roasting the lemon slices adds caramelization and a deep, concentrated lemon flavor that you don’t get as strongly with the skillet method. Surrounding the lemon slices with the wine produces a sauce you don’t even have to think about. And then there’s the butter... 

Need I say more? Serve it with crusty bread for dipping, or over pasta or rice to absorb the sauce. A bonus spritz of lemon juice and red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper add a final flourish. And the whole process takes less than half an hour, so get that parsley chopped before you start. Your family and your guests will love you for the change of pace.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Scampi

Adapted from Melissa Clark in The New York Times.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients

2 lemons (one for cooking, one for serving)
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound peeled large or extra-large shrimp
2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
¼-½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Note: In some stoves, the broiler is separate from the oven; in others, the difference between broiling and baking/roasting is merely a setting. These directions attempt to accommodate that difference.

Preheat your oven to broil, with a rack set about 4 inches from the heating element. If your oven is separate from your broiler, also heat the oven to 450º.

Slice one of the lemons into ¼-inch thick slices. Remove the seeds. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Brush the lemon slices generously with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Carefully pour the wine onto the baking sheet, without pouring it directly onto the lemon slices.

Broil the lemons and wine until the tops of the lemon slices are caramelized and charred in spots, and the wine has reduced by half. This can take anywhere from 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the intensity of your broiler, so watch carefully.

Once the lemons are caramelized and the wine is reduced, remove the pan from the heat. (If your broiler is in your oven, switch the setting from broiler to baking/roasting at 450º.)

Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Off the heat, combine the raw shrimp, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, the Aleppo pepper (or red-pepper flakes) and black pepper, then toss with the butter to coat the shrimp well.

Transfer the shrimp mixture to the baking sheet, arranging the shrimp in an even layer on top of the lemon slices. Roast at 450º for 3-5 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and toss the lemons and shrimp together; taste, and add more salt if needed. 

Move the shrimp, lemons and any pan juices to a serving platter and sprinkle with parsley and more Aleppo pepper (or red-pepper flakes).

Serve immediately, with thick, crusty bread or pasta or rice to soak up the juices. Serve wedges from the reserved lemon for squeezing.