Endive Leaves Stuffed with Crabmeat Ravigote

This classic New Orleans dish is a quick and elegant appetizer for the holidays!

Ravigote is French for “perked up”, what it means here is that it is nicely seasoned and a bit spicy. You are warned!

Serves 8 

• ½ cup mayo = 100 g de mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Creole mustard = 2 cuillères à soupe de moutarde créole ou de moutarde à l'ancienne
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or white vinegar) = 1 cuillère à soupe de jus de citron ou de vinaigre blanc
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco) = ¼ à ½ cuillère à café de Tabasco
• 1 green onion, finely chopped = 1 oignon vert, finement ciselé
• 2 tablespoons small capers, drained = 2 cuillères à soupe de câpres, égouttés
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots = 1 cuillère à soupe d'échalotte, émincée
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley + extra for presentation = 1 cuillère à soupe de persil frais, ciselé
• Pinch white pepper = une pincée de poivre blanc
• Pinch dried dill = une pincée d'aneth séchée
• 1 lb lump crabmeat = 450 g de crabe en morceaux
• 4 Belgian endives, leaves separated = 4 endives, feuilles séparées

Combine all ingredients (except crabmeat and endive leaves) in a bowl and whisk to blend. Gently fold in the crabmeat, being careful not to break up the lumps. Adjust seasoning to taste. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

When ready to serve, spoon about two tablespoons of crab mixture onto each endive leaf. Sprinkle with additional chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Finger Sandwiches

These open-faced finger salmon sandwiches were my other contribution to my Cooking Club's Afternoon Tea themed meeting. The horseradish adds a nice bite to the cream cheese and you can use either chive or dill as both complement smoked salmon really well. Get the best smoked salmon you can find or afford. I love Trader Joe's Nova Smoked Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon.

No occasion for finger sandwiches? Chop the smoked salmon and mix it into the cream cheese with all the other ingredients. Use the spread on a whole wheat bagel. Delish!

Makes 15 to 20 mini sandwiches (based on a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis)

• 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature = 170 g de cream cheese ou équivalent
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or dill = 2 cuillères à soupe de ciboulette ou aneth fraiche, grossièrement hâchée
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish = 2 cuillères à café de raifort préparé
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped = 1 cuillères à soupe de câpres, hâchés
• zest of 1 lemon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice = zeste d'un citron + 1 cuillère à café du jus
• Salt & pepper, to taste = sel et poivre
• 5 or 6 slices pumpernickel bread = 5 ou 6 tranches de pain de seigle
• 8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon = 225 g de saumon fumé, en fines tranches
• Additional fresh chives or dill, for garnish = quelques brins de ciboulette ou aneth pour décorer

 

In a bowl, mix cream cheese, chopped chives (or dill), horseradish, pepper, salt, capers and lemon zest and juice until smooth.

 

Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture over each slice of bread. Top with smoked salmon. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut 3 or 4 circles out of each slice of bread. Place a small dollop of the cream cheese mixture on top and garnish with chive or dill. Enjoy!

Salmon with Green Sauce



When I volunteered to host the ladies from my cooking club for a French-themed luncheon, I knew right away that I would demo and serve this as it is one of my favorite fish dishes ever. It is uncomplicated and comes together in no time. Yet, it is fancy enough to impress whomever you are serving it to.

Salmon is a very dense, meaty fish and it can be tricky to cook it right. I find baking to be the easiest and most reliable method. For best results: 1. remove salmon from the fridge and let it come back to room temperature 2. do not salt the salmon prior to cooking as it tends to dry it out faster 3. spray a little olive oil and lemon juice to help keep it moist 4. bake at 400° for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

The green sauce is traditionally made with sorrel, which is a sour and lemony herb that goes beautifully with salmon. Sorrel can be hard to come by. If you're lucky, you'll find it at your farmers market. Spinach (which is what I used for the occasion), watercress or arugula are good substitutes and are much easier to get at your local supermarket.

Serves 4 to 6

• 4 to 6 salmon fillets = 4 à 6 pavés de saumon
• olive oil in spray bottle = huile d'olive en spray
• fresh lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon) = jus de citron (environ 1 c.à.c)
• 1 tablespoon butter = 15 g de beurre
• 2 shallots, finely chopped = 2 échalottes, ciselées
• 3 oz.fresh baby spinach or sorrel leaves, washed and patted dry, finely chopped = 60 g d'oseille ou d'épinard frais, finement haché(e)s
• 3 tablespoon white wine = 45 ml de vin blanc
• ½ cup heavy cream = 120 ml de crème liquide
• salt and pepper = sel et poivre

Preheat oven to 400° F / 200° C.

 

Spray salmon with olive oil and drizzle with lemon juice. Put on a baking sheet, lined with parchment or foil paper, skin-side down. Cook for 12 -15 minutes (about 10 minutes per inch of thickness).

 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and fry, stirring a few times, for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped sorrel or spinach and wine. Cook until wilted then add the cream and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Let sauce warm up and reduce on low heat for a few minutes until salmon is baked.

 

Arrange salmon fillets on a serving platter and pour the green sauce over the top. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

 

Baked Salmon with Wasabi Glaze

The inspiration for this dish comes from my favorite sushi: salmon rolls, which I enjoy with a dash of soy sauce and a little wasabi.

Wasabi is sharp and spicy, adjust the amount to use according to your taste buds. The marmalade adds a welcome touch of sweetness.

This glaze works well with all fish but I try to stick to sustainable seafood choices.

Serves 4

• 4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz. each) = 4 pavés de saumon
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce = 2 cuillères à soupe de sauce soja (allégée en sodium)
• 2 tablespoons marmalade (orange, grapefruit or ginger) = 2 cuillères à soupe de marmelade (orange, pamplemousse ou gingembre)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons wasabi paste = 1 à 2 cuillères à café de wasabi (en tube)

Preheat oven to 400°F / 200° C.

Place salmon fillets on baking sheet and brush with one tablespoon of soy sauce. Let stand for 5 minutes while oven preheats. Then bake for 10 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, make the glaze by stirring the remaining one tablespoon of soy sauce, marmalade and wasabi together in a small bowl.

Remove salmon from oven and brush glaze over each fillet. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until salmon is cooked through.

 

Remove from oven, plate and brush with a little more wasabi glaze before serving. Enjoy!

Honeyed Shrimp Stir-Fry

This is a great dish to make on busy week nights. It's quick, easy and healthy! Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I like the combination of green (green beans, sugar snap peas or snow peas, broccoli) and red or orange (bell pepper, carrots).

I usually just bring the wok to the table, hence the less than glamorous shot above. Like I said, busy night, hungry family!

Serves 4

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled = 450 g de crevettes, décortiquées
• Black and Cayenne peppers = poivres noir et de Cayenne
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil = 2 cuillères à café d'huile de sésame
• 2 teaspoon grated ginger = 2 cuillères à café de gingembre râpé
• 2 gloves garlic, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 8 oz. green beans, blanched = 225 g d'haricots verts, blanchis
• 1 bell pepper, cut into strips = 1 poivron, coupé en lamelles
• 3 tablespoons honey = 3 cuillères à soupe de miel
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce = 1 cuillère à soupe de sauce soja

Sprinkle black and Cayenne peppers on raw shrimp.

Coat a wok with sesame oil, heat at medium-high until hot. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Add green beans and bell pepper strips and continue stir-frying for 2 minutes.

Combine honey and soy sauce in a small bowl. Gradually add mixture to wok, stirring constantly. Cook for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately with jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Salmon Chowder

Except for a few freezing days, the winter has been pretty mild this year. Yet, I still have been making soup almost weekly. While I never get tired of healthy vegetable soups, I find this creamy chowder brings a nice change to the table.

Serves 4-6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 1 leek (white and light green parts only), rinsed and sliced = 1 poireau, rinsé et coupé en rondelles
• 2 garlic cloves, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• ½ teaspoon dried dill = ½ cuillère à café d'aneth séchée
• 4 or 5 baby red potatoes, scrubbed and diced = 4 ou 5 petites pommes de terre rouge, nettoyées et coupées en petits dés
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour = 2 cuillères à soupe de farine
• 2 cups vegetable broth = 475 ml de bouillon de légumes
• 2 tablespoons capers = 2 cuillères à soupe de capres
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice = 1 cuillère à soupe de jus de citron
• 1 ½ cups milk (2 %) = 350 ml de lait écrémé
• ½ cup heavy cream = 120 ml de crème fraiche liquide
• 4 oz. smoked salmon, chopped = 115 g de saumon fumé, coupé en petits morceaux
• Pepper = poivre
• Salt (optional – taste before adding as smoked salmon is already quite salty) = sel (facultatif)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic and dill. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and flour, cook for a couple of minutes. Add broth, capers and lemon juice. Stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk and heavy cream while stirring. Let milk/cream get warm, then add smoked salmon. Season with pepper (and salt, if using). Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Crab Cakes with Tartar Sauce

I have always loved crab cakes but the good ones in fancy restaurants are usually way overpriced. And the cheap ones are mostly fillers and no crab meat. So now, I make my own and we enjoy them at home.

Being so close to the Chesapeake Bay, I can't imagine eating a crab dish without Old Bay seasoning and those crab cakes are no exception. Serve them on a bun, or on a bed of lettuce, and don't forget the tartar sauce!

Makes 4 medium crab cakes

For the tartar sauce:

• ½ cup light mayo or veganaise = 100 g de mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons minced sweet pickles = 2 cuillères à soupe de cornichons doux émincés
• 1 tablespoon minced onion = 1 cuillère à soupe d'oignon émincé
• 1 teaspoon minced capers = 1 cuillère à café de câpres émincés
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar = 1 cuillère à soupe de vinaigre (blanc)
• Dash black pepper = une pincée de poivre noir

For the crab cakes:

• 1 egg, lightly beaten = 1 oeuf, légèrement battu
• ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs = 30 g de chapelure japonaise Panko
• 3 tablespoons light mayo or veganaise = 3 cuillères à soupe (40 g) de mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning = 1 cuillère à café d'épices Old Bay (ou remplacer par un mélange de paprika, sel, poivre, noix de muscade et piment de cayenne ou moutarde en poudre) 
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice = 1 cuillère à café de jus de citron
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce = ¼ cuillère à café de sauce Worcestershire
• Pinch white pepper = une pincée de poivre blanc
• ½ pound fresh lump crabmeat = 225 g de chair de crabe en morceaux
• 1 tablespoon canola oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile de colza
• A few lemon slices = quelques tranches de citron

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the tartar sauce, stir, cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, mayo, Old Bay, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Gently fold in crab and shape into four patties. Refrigerate the crab cakes for about 30 minutes to one hour so they will hold their shape better during frying.

Heat oil in a large skillet, cook crab cakes for 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping them carefully.

Serve with lemon slices and tartar sauce. Enjoy!

Summer Seafood Stew

This reminds me of a conch soup I had in Turks & Caicos years ago. It was sweet and spicy, with a hint of lime and cilantro. This version is just as flavorful and truly captures the Caribbean spirit. Now if only it could transport me to a sandy beach and turquoise waters... *sigh*

Serves 4-6 (based on a recipe by Joy Bauer in Slim & Scrumptious)

• 2 lbs combination seafood (shrimp, peeled; bay scallops; firm white fish, cut up in small chunks) = 900 g de produits de la mer (crevettes, petites noix de St Jacques, poisson blanc, coupés en morceaux)
• juice of 2 or 3 limes = jus de 2 ou 3 citrons verts
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, divided = ½ cuillère à café de sel de mer, divisé
• ½ teaspoon back pepper = ½ cuillère à café de poivre noir
• 2 cloves garlic, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped = 1 oignon, émincé
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped = 1 poivron vert, émincé
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped = 1 poivron rouge, émincé
• 2 scallions, finely chopped = 2 oignons verts, émincés
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped = 3 tomates, coupées en dés
• ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes = ½ à 1 cuillère à café de flocons de piment rouge séché
• 2 cups fish or vegetable stock = 470 ml de bouillon de poisson ou de légumes
• 2 cups water = 470 ml d'eau
• Small bunch cilantro, finely chopped = une petite botte de coriandre fraiche, finement hâchée
• 1 dry bay leaf = 1 feuille de laurier séchée
• 1 cup light coconut milk = 235 ml de lait de coco allégé

Combine the seafood, lime juice, half the salt, black pepper and garlic in a ziplock bag. Marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, spray a large pot or Dutch oven with olive oil and preheat it over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and scallions and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (and their juice) and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the fish stock and water, cilantro and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce to low-heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, the seafood and its marinade, and remaining salt to the pot. Cook for 3 minutes until the seafood is cooked through. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Ladle into shallow serving bowls and sprinkle with extra cilantro if you wish. Enjoy!

Grilled Tilapia in Ginger-Soy Marinade

I must confess: at my house, most weekday nights, dinner consists of a grilled lean protein, a starch and a veggie (preferably green). I know what you're thinking, bo-ring! But actually... NOT! I rely heavily on marinades to add healthy flavor. The options are limitless: wine (red or white), herbs, mustard, spices, citrus juice, etc... This Asian-inspired marinade is my absolute favorite for tilapia or mahi-mahi, or really any mild white fish.

To cook the fish, use a grilling pan on the stove or a George Foreman-type grill (mine sits on my countertop and is always ready to go!). In the summer, an outdoor grill is a great alternative, of course.

This goes especially well with basmati brown rice and steamed broccoli. So there you have it: an easy, wholesome, tasty dinner!

Makes 4 servings

• 4 tilapia fillets = 4 filets de tilapia (ou autre poisson à chair blanche et ferme)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil = 2 cuillères à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced = 2 cuillères à soupe de gingembre frais, émincé
• 2 cloves garlic, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice = 1 cuillère à soupe de jus de citron vert
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce = 4 cuillères à soupe de sauce soja (allégée en sodium)
• 1 tablespoon honey = 1 cuillère à soupe de miel
• 1 tablespoon water = 1 cuillère à soupe d'eau
• pinch cayenne pepper = une pincée de piment de cayenne

Place all ingredients, except fish, in a ziplock bag. Squish to combine.

Add fish, seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Remove from fridge and let sit on the countertop for 15 minutes. Reserve marinade.

Preheat grill or heat a grilling pan on the stove, cook fish for a couple minutes on each side. Just before serving, brush a little more marinade on top of each fillet. Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp with Spaghetti

My husband loves this dish. The spicier, the better! If you can't handle the heat, just cut back on the white and cayenne peppers.

I guess you could substitute homemade shrimp stock with store-bought fish or vegetable stock but you would really miss out. Homemade stock is so flavorful without being high in sodium. Whenever I do a batch, I freeze leftovers in ice-cube trays. One cube equals about one tablespoon, and four tablespoons equal ¼ cup.

Round this dish out with some mixed greens, a loaf of bread and a bottle of Pinot Grigio and you have yourself a perfect dinner!

Makes 4-6 servings

• 2 lbs shrimp = 900 g de crevettes
• 1 onion, unpeeled and quartered = 1 oignon, non pelé et coupé en quatre
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled and crushed = 1 gousse d'ail, non pelée et écrasée
• 1 rib celery, cut in half = 1 branche de céléri, coupée en deux
• 2 or 3 tablespoons butter = 30 à 40 g de beurre
• 2 green onions, chopped = 2 oignons verts, émincés
• 4 cloves garlic, minced = 4 gousses d'ail, émincées
• ½ teaspoon salt = ½ cuillère à café de sel
• ½ teaspoon white pepper = ½ cuillère à café de poivre blanc
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper = ½ cuillère à café de piment de cayenne
• ½ teaspoon onion powder = ½ cuillère à café de poudre d'oignon
• ½ teaspoon paprika = ½ cuillère à café de paprika
• ½ teaspoon dry thyme leaves = ½ cuillère à café de thym séché
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper = ¼ cuillère à café de poivre noir
⅓ cup heavy cream = 80 ml de crème fleurette
1 lb spaghetti = 450 g de spaghetti
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional) = parmesan râpé (facultatif)

To make the stock, peel the shrimp and put the shells in a pan. Cover with water, add onion, garlic and celery. Put on stove and simmer for about 1 hour. Drain and reserve.

Cook the spaghetti, drain and keep warm.

Mix salt and spices together in a small bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, add green onions, garlic and spice mix. Add shrimp, stir to coat and cook a few minutes, until they turn pink. Add ¼ to ½ cup of shrimp stock + heavy cream, stir gently. Add cooked spaghetti to the skillet and add more stock if needed. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and serve right away. Enjoy!