Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Hawthornes Entertain. Seafood For Lunch.

The Hawthornes have guests for lunch! What a handsome couple. Ticky and Mr. Ticky, I thank you both for coming.
What's on today's menu, you ask?Why, the Hawthornes are serving fried oysters with Rosie's Pig Shack Sauce (my version of Boar and Castle sauce), boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce, flounder, delicately fried in a tempura batter, stuffed wontons with numerous dipping sauces, and Mr. Hawthorne's cole slaw. Recipe for the stuffed wontons will be forthcoming.
First, I prepared the shrimp. I twisted off the shells, leaving the tails intact. I deveined the shrimp. Take a serrated knife and make a shallow slice down the back, exposing the vein. You can use a paper towel to pull the vein out. It's easier that way, since the vein will stick to the towel.
I dropped my shrimp into boiling salted water. You're waiting for that gray translucence to just barely turn pink. These were done in under a minute. The water had just barely come back to a boil. Do not overcook your shrimp. Makes them tough and nasty.
Immediately rinse the shrimp off in cold water to stop the cooking. Mr. Hawthorne's been hard at work shucking oysters. He's quite the little shucker.
Sprinkle a little Old Bay on the shrimp, put a few ice cubes on top, partially cover, and refrigerate.
Next, I'm making a wet batter for the flounder.
The basic tempura batter mix calls for:
3/4 cup cornstarch
3 cups cake flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp Kosher salt Mix 3 parts tempura mix with 2 parts beer. Or you could use sparkling water.
Dredge the flounder filets through the batter and deep fry (350-375 degrees) in peanut oil ... ... until golden brown and the meat flakes. This is a barely there batter.
Dipping Sauce: 2 TB soy sauce 1 TB rice vinegar 1 TB sriracha sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp minced ginger minced cilantro (optional) Always enjoy the packets of condiments from the occasional Chinese joint.
Mr. Hawthorne's cole slaw dressing: 1/4 cup white vinegar 2 TB sugar 1 tsp dry mustard 1/4 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mayo Whisk all together. freshly ground salt, to taste Mr. Hawthorne uses our Blue Ninja to process the cabbage and carrot for a totally different texture. I do believe the meal was well-received. Enjoyed it, Tickies. Come back soon!

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