Stella’s Grilled Shrimp and Tuna Salad

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Texarchivist

Another quick but restaurant-worthy weeknight meal, ready to eat in under 15 minutes! It’s certainly not gourmet, but it tasted like the type of salad I’d pay $10 for in a local cafe, and, with a hearty helping of seafood and heaps of mixed greens as a base, covered all my nutritional bases.

I used frozen shrimp, canned tuna, commercial salsa, canned olives, and my handy George Foreman Grill (I did say weeknight meal).

1 cup frozen shrimp (about 10 medium shrimp)
6 oz. can of albacore tuna
2 oz. can sliced black olives
1 avocado
1/2 cup goat cheese
2-3 Tbsp chunky roasted chipotle salsa
splash of fresh lime juice
~3 cups mixed salad leaves

For the shrimp marinade
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Tiger Sauce, leftover from a recent camping trip)

1. While grill is heating up, defrost shrimp in microwave for about 3 minutes. Thoroughly douse with marinade until each piece is lightly covered; set aside.

2. Toss salad leaves into a medium to large bowl. Drain tuna and olives and scoop out on top.

3. Grill shrimp for approximately 4 minutes, until nicely grilled. If using an indoor grill, this should result in well done but not overcooked shrimp. Toss warm shrimp into salad bowl.

4. Slice and dice avocado and add to bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, then add cheese and a big spoonful of salsa.

Serve immediately. Makes enough for one full-meal salad.

Pecan-Crusted Dijon Baked Salmon

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Texarchivist

This recipe was purely experimental, but it turned out amazing, so I wanted to share! It’s a great way to liven up a salmon fillet, and makes a great alternative to battering, as it’s gluten free but still crunchy!

1/4 cup melted butter
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp juice of clementine or orange
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
4 small salmon fillets
1 lemon, sliced into thing wedges
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. In a small bowl, mix butter, mustard, honey, and clementine juice and set aside.

3. In a very lightly oiled baking pan or Pyrex dish, place each fillet skin side down and brush with the butter mixture, then top with a liberal sprinkling of crushed pecans.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. At the end, broil for a minute or two so pecans brown, careful not to burn them.

5. Serve on a bed of greens garnished with lemon wedges, salt and pepper.

Lemon Fusilli with Pan-Seared Tuna

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Texarchivist

This is another great weeknight recipe for the budget conscious, and a great way to jazz up two of the more boring-seeming non-perishable ingredients in your pantry: canned tuna and pasta. It’s also great to reheat for lunch the next day.

~6 oz canned tuna*
3 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup whole wheat fusilli pasta
1/4 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, to taste
10 black olives, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain tuna. Mix thoroughly with 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon garlic, then chill, covered, for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, boil pasta in a large pot until cooked al dente.

3. Heat a skillet until hot, then add the butter and 1/2 teaspoon oil. Add tuna, salt, and pepper, and brown, stirring occasionally.

4. Add remaining olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes, and reduce heat to low, stirring until the garlic is golden. Remove from heat.

5. The pasta should be cooked by now; drain in a colander and return to pot. Toss with tuna and lemon zest, juice, and olives. Add salt or pepper to taste. Serve immediately topped freshly grated cheese.

Serves 1-2, depending on how hungry you are and whether you have a side salad.

*Or you could, you know, use fresh tuna from the market. But for a quick weeknight dish, this can’t be beat!