Tag: appetizer

Scallop Cherry Tomato Ceviche

Scallop Cherry Tomato Ceviche

Scallop Cherry Tomato Ceviche

This Salvadoran-style ceviche is made with bay scallops, cherry tomatoes, green onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and the juice of 6 limes. The scallops will need to marinate for at least 6 hours to let the acidity of the lime “cook” them before serving. The ceviche goes great with tortilla chips or on tostada shells.
Prep Time10 minutes
Marinating Time6 hours
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Salvadoran
Keyword: appetizer, Latin American, main course, Salvadoran, seafood
Servings: 4
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh bay scallops washed
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 4 green onions chopped
  • 1 jalapeño finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
  • 6 limes juiced
  • sea salt

Instructions

  • Mix the scallops with the cherry tomatoes, green onions, jalapeño, and cilantro. Arrange in a single layer in a wide glass dish. Squeeze the juice of 6 limes over the scallops. Season with sea salt. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours before serving, giving a a stir every couple of hours to ensure equal marination.
    Salvadoran, appetizer, main course, seafood
Salvadoran, appetizer, main course, seafood
Serve with tortilla chips or on a tostada shell.
Teriyaki Salmon Onigirazu

Teriyaki Salmon Onigirazu

Teriyaki Salmon Onigirazu

Onigirazu are like small sushi sandwiches. The rice is pressed tight in a musubi or onigirazu press. This layer is like the bread of a sandwich. Then they can be filled with a variety of fillings: tonkatsu, bulgogi, ham egg and cheese…The list goes on. Then another layer of rice is pressed over the top of the filling. It is all wrapped in a sheet of nori. This particular recipe uses leftover teriyaki salmon and steamed asparagus.
Prep Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: appetizer, East Asian, fish, Japanese, main course, snack
Servings: 4
Author: Alex

Equipment

  • musubi press

Ingredients

  • 4 teriyaki salmon fillets
  • 12 asparagus spears cut in half and steamed
  • 1 1/2 cups sushi or jasmine rice steamed
  • 4 nori sheets

Instructions

  • Place the musubi press in the center of a sheet of nori.
    Japanese, appetizer, main course, snack, fish
  • Place 2-3 tbsp of the cooked rice in the press. Press it down.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, snack, fish
  • Put a skinned piece of the teriyaki salmon on the rice.
    Japanese, appetizer, main course, snack, fish
  • Put 4-6 half pieces on top of the salmon.
    Japanese, appetizer, main course, snack, fish
  • Put 2-3 more tbsp of the rice on top of the asparagus. Press it tightly.
    Japanese, appetizer, main course, snack, fish
  • Wrap up the onigirazu. Seal the edges with a little warm water.
    Japanese, appetizer, main course, snack, fish
Japanese, appetizer, main course, snack, fish
Slice in half with a sharp knife.

Teriyaki Salmon

When you go to an American grocery store, you will see countless varieties of pretty horrible tasting bottled teriyaki sauces on the shelves. Honestly, because of this, teriyaki has always been a huge turnoff for me. They all have too much salt and extra ingredients that you don’t need. Puke. In a Japanese grocery store, you won’t find any. Why? Because every household in Japan makes their own. The best part is, real Japanese teriyaki only has 4 ingredients: mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar. It’s simple with a proper balance of sweet and salty.
Japanese-style teriyaki Salmon is so much more complex than putting a sauce on salmon. The Japanese fillet their salmon at a 30 degree angle 1/2”-1” thick with the skin on instead of cutting a straight on 90 degrees portion out of the fillet. Cutting the salmon this way will do several things. It gives the salmon a wider spread of the flesh, allowing it to absorb the teriyaki. That also means that the fillets won’t require marination. Since the fillets are thinner, the salmon fillets will cook a lot faster and more evenly.
It is highly important to leave the skin on the salmon while cooking. I feel that I have to repeat this again because of all the recipes I see out there removing the skin before cooking salmon. IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO LEAVE THE SKIN ON THE SALMON WHILE COOKING. For several reasons…The skin holds the fillets together. If I were to remove the skin before cooking this salmon, you’d have flaked salmon in teriyaki sauce…Between the flesh and the skin is a nice layer of fat where you get your omega 3 fatty acids. You are throwing away essential nutrients by removing the skin…It also keeps your salmon moist…Nobody said you have to eat the skin. LEAVE IT ON! I bet the same people that remove the salmon skin eat boneless skinless chicken breasts with their snotty children, Cooper and Emily.
End of angry rant.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: East Asian, fish, Japanese, main course
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1 lb salmon fillet head end of fillet
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • cracked black pepper
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp sake or rice wine

Teriyaki Sauce

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sake
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

How to fillet salmon Japanese-style

  • Instead of straight on cutting smaller portioned fillets out of the whole one, the Japanese will cut the fillets 1” thick at a 30 degree angle.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Thinly cutting the salmon this way gives a wider spread of the flesh, allowing to absorb more of the teriyaki.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Cut the entire fillet.
    Japanese, main course, fish

Teriyaki Salmon

  • Season each fillet with salt and pepper. Dust the fillets in flour. Shake off any excess.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the salmon fillets skin side down. Sear for 3 minutes.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Flip over. Add the saki and cover, cooking for another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Mix together all of the teriyaki ingredients.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Pour in the pan.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Once it starts to boil, add the salmon fillets back in.
    Japanese, main course, fish
  • Toss and coat each side in the teriyaki sauce.
    Japanese, main course, fish
Moo Ping (BBQ Pork Skewers)

Moo Ping (BBQ Pork Skewers)

Moo Ping (BBQ Pork Skewers)

These bbq pork skewers are just about fool proof to make. They are a great appetizer to make large quantities of at your summer grill outs. Purée all of the marinade ingredients together. Marinate the pork for 4 hours; overnight is even better. Put 2 pieces of meat on a skewer. Either broil or grill the skewers. They will only take 2 minutes a side. And that’s it. Serve with a side of sticky rice.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 minutes
Marinating Time4 hours
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: appetizer, Pork, Southeast Asian, Thai
Author: Alex

Equipment

  • Blender or food processor
  • bamboo skewers

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs pork sirloin or shoulder 1/4” thick slices
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp cilantro stems chopped
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 3 tbsp palm sugar chopped
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

  • Purée all of the ingredients except the cornstarch in a blender or food processor.
    Thai, appetizer, pork
  • Marinate the pork for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
    Thai, appetizer, pork
  • Place 2 pieces of pork on a skewer. Place the skewers on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Sprinkle each side with the cornstarch.
    Thai, appetizer, pork
  • Turn on the oven’s broiler. Make sure the rack is closest to the broiler. Broil for 2 minutes a side.
    Thai, appetizer, pork
Thai, appetizer, pork