Tuna Crudo with Blood Orange

Raw fish dishes are mostly associated with the Japanese cuisine, however, they are also popular in many other cuisines, from the Mediterranean, to South America, and more.
While my go-to recipe for red tuna is my tartare with Asian vinaigrette, this time, I was leaning more towards the Mediterranean flavors. A quick search introduced me to Tuna Crudo (i.e. raw tuna) – an Italian dish, which has many versions.

Chicken Patties with Indian Lime Pickle and Peppadew Peppers

Chicken patties make a lighter alternative for beef hamburgers, and I tend to make them more often in the summer, with different seasonings.

Pan Fried Shrimp with Spicy Pickled Lemon Mayonnaise

With extremely hot weather outside, even with the A/C on, the last thing anyone want is to stand by the stove for a long time. The following quick pan-fried shrimp dish is a good way to avoid that.

Brown Butter Scallops with Red Pepper- Orange Sauce, Fresh Asparagus and Almonds

 

Fresh asparagus season is always a reason for celebration. The fresh crispy green stems are delightful on their own, and even more so, when served with different ingredients.
In the following tasty and colorful dish, I’ve paired some simply steamed asparagus with lightly pan-fried scallops, and served both with red pepper-orange sauce and roasted almonds. This combination of ingredients worked amazing well together.

Baked Camembert Cheese with Cherry-Kumquat, Ginger and Brandy Jam

Baked white rind cheese, such as Camembert or Brie, is one of the easiest, yet most festive dishes for a relaxed entertainment. Baking the cheese turns it even creamier, enhances its flavor, and keeps it at the perfect texture for serving with tasty additions, such as crackers and fruits. The pairing of delicately salty cheese and sweetish/aromatic additions is hard to resist.

Savory Shrimp, Kimchi, and Rice Noodles Pancakes

Kimchi, a Korean fermented and pickled cabbage condiment, is one of my favorite condiments. I’m always on the look for new brands of it, and new ways to use it with. This time, my plan was to make kimchi-shrimp pancakes.

Sephardic Eggplant and Tomato Relish

The following tasty eggplant-tomato relish, or side dish – called “alburnia” in Ladino – comes from the Sephardic cuisine, which I’ve mentioned here quite a few times.

Crusted Halibut Baked in White Wine

One of my favorite ways of preparing fish fillets, is to coat them with a tasty buttery crust, and bake them in white wine. The butter in the crust melts over the fish while baking, and not only adds wonderful flavor to it, but also keeps it nice and moist. The rest of the ingredients in the crust add their unique flavors and textures, while the white wine adds another layer of fragrance and flavor to the fish.

Glazed Ribs

There are many ways of preparing ribs, and most of them require lengthy cooking or grilling time. This time, I was looking for a shorter way to prepare them, and decided to check the pressure cooker method, as it cuts the cooking time substantially.

Inari Pockets with Rice and Shrimp

The following appetizer has all the components of the more known sushi rolls, but it is much easier to prepare. The secret lies in the use of Inari tofu skin pockets as the shell, rather than the more elaborate and time consuming use of Nori seaweed sheet, which require a sushi rolling mat and expertise.

Turkey Patties with Mushrooms, Parsley and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Although I rarely use store ground meat, I’ve had good experience with a local farm product of ground dark turkey meat, and decided to use it once more. This time again, I wanted to add some bold flavors to the somewhat bland meat, and at the same time, add more interesting texture to the patties.