Fruits of the Sea
Pacific Seafood Halibut Escabeche
The first of the season Alaskan halibut has arrived, and we are thrilled! Considered the world’s premium whitefish, first of the season halibut are the best quality because the fat content of the fish is at its absolute peak. To celebrate the arrival of this delicacy from the icy north, we created an escabeche using our Pacific Seafood. This simple preparation is a luscious showcase of some of spring’s first fresh flavors.
Pacific Seafood Halibut Escabeche
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat
- When hot, add the halibut steaks and saute until golden, about 2-1/2 minutes per side
- Remove from pan and transfer to a dish large enough to hold all of the halibut in a single layer
- Set aside
- Using same oil and saute pan, saute onions, jalapenos, bay leaves and peppercorns until they are almost soft, about 4 minutes
- Add Pacific Seafood and saute for another minute until the onions and jalapenos are completely softened
- Stir in vinegar and cook at a simmer for about 5 minutes
- Pour mixture over the cooked halibut, being sure to spread over and around the halibut
- Top with remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil
- Serve at room temperature
Kharcho Tuna at Eltana Bagels
Eltana’s Wood-fired Bagel
By now most bagel lovers in Seattle have discovered Eltana and as an ex-pat from the East Coast, I can tell you it is about time. The perfect crust on their bagels comes from being boiled in honey water and then baked in a wood burning oven; yielding a hint of sweetness with a very light smokiness that is out of this world. Of course, they use our spices in many of their dips, spreads & salads too which always makes for a superior schmear.
With a recent spice delivery, I found Daniel, one of the founders of Eltana, working on something new that was too good not to share. He was making tuna salad using our Kharcho blend. This rare mixture of spices is typically associated with the hearty stews of the former Soviet state Georgia, and its unusual flavor profile often leaves folks wondering what to do with it. When I tasted this Kharcho Tuna Salad, I was sold. This is no ordinary tuna salad. Daniel starts with high grade albacore tuna which is cooked in house before getting mixed with all kinds of delicious goodies, including our Kharcho. I haven’t been able to pry the secret recipe from him yet, but if he does share it, we will pass it along. Until then, we’ll see you at Eltana!
Classic Crab Cakes
The first time I ever had a crab cake, I was thirteen and accompanying my dad on a business trip to San Francisco. We dined in the fanciest restaurant I’d ever been to, and I ordered the crab cake appetizer. It was tender, moist, perfectly seasoned, and it blew me away. I’ve attempted many times since to recreate it, with varying degrees of success. These beauties, however, elegantly spiced with our Classic Crab seasoning and a generous handful of tarragon, put that first memorable cake to shame! Do be sure to use Panko, the Japanese bread crumbs, for this recipe to get that lighter-than-air crust.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Blend all ingredients together in a large bowl, taking care to leave some large pieces of crab claw meat intact.
- Form cakes in to handful-sized portions, about 5-6 oz., and dredge in remaining Panko. Sear in a hot, oiled skillet until golden brown on both sides, flipping only once, as the crab cakes are delicate and will fall apart with too much handling.
- Place seared crab cakes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and place in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
- Serve with a dollop of your favorite aioli. You can even just add some fresh lemon juice and zest to mayonnaise for a quick topping.
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Have you ever eaten something so good that it induces a trance? Well, check out our Voodoo Shrimp and Grits. This classic dish features our brand new spice blend, Voodoo, a robust seasoning which includes onion, garlic, thyme and allspice on a base of peppercorns and sea salts. We are excited to share Voodoo Shrimp and Grits just in time for Mardis Gras. French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras refers to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. Definitely rich, this recipe could be the inspiration for your own Mardi Gras ritual.
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the Grits: Put water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add salt and slowly sprinkle in grits while stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Add the half-and-half and return to a simmer.
- Reduce heat, cover and cook the grits slowly.
- After 30-40 minutes, stir in chopped butter and black pepper.
- Continue to cook grits until smooth and creamy, about an hour.
- For the Sauce: In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and brown the andouille sausage. Once the sausage begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes, remove from pan.
- Season both sides of the shrimp with Voodoo.
- Sear the shrimp over medium high heat for about a minute on each side, working in batches to not crowd the pan. Remove from pan.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to pan
- Add cooked sausage onion, pepper, garlic and spices. Saute for 3 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent
- Add stock and bring to boil, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan
- Reduce heat and slowly add the cream
- Bring up to a simmer and allow to reduce until sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes
- Once thickened, add seared shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked, about 2-3 minutes
- Spoon sauce over grits
- Finish with Voodoo
Piment d’Espelette Fish Stew
This hearty stew hits it on all notes — the high acid of the tomatoes and wine play against the sweetness of the deeply caramelized onion and fennel, the brine-y olives render the seafood right at home, and the Piment d’ Espelette… oh, the Espelette! The perfect balance of heat and complexity that clarifies this bounty of flavor, and unites it all in delicious harmony. If my fish-monger has them, I’ll often throw in a few oily little fish, like fresh anchovies or sardines, too… Just sear them whole, skins and all, in a bit of olive oil and add to the serving dishes.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel and de-vein the shrimp, placing the shells in a medium pot and reserving the de-veined shrimp in a bowl, tossing with half the ground fennel to coat. Use the remaining ground fennel to season the fish fillets, and set aside.
- Add the stock, water, clam juice, wine, bay leaf, lemon rind and allspice berries to the pot with the shrimp shells; bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth through a wire strainer, discarding the shrimp shells and whole spices. Add potatoes to the broth, and simmer until fork-tender.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of the Piment d’ Espelette. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring a few times, until the vegetables are tender and golden. Deglaze with the tomatoes, add the garlic, and simmer until reduced by half.
- Add broth to tomato and vegetable mixture, adding in the olives and sun dried tomatoes, and season to taste with salt and fresh pepper. Keep hot over medium low heat.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of the oil and the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the fish until lightly browned, turning and cooking until just firm- do not overcook, as they will continue to cook in the hot broth when served. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the shrimp to the hot pan along with clams and/or mussels, along with a few generous ladles of broth, and cover tightly with a lid to steam open the bivalves.
- Place an equal portion of fish into serving bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the fish, garnishing each serving with shrimp, clams and mussels, chopped fennel fronds and a generous pinch of Piment d’ Espelette.
Poudre de Colombo Carrot Soup
A word of advice from a novice gardener: Carrots are much bigger than carrot seeds. Somehow, fifty-odd square feet of garden space doesn’t seem like that much when it’s being planted, but it can produce a surprising haul, most especially in the carrot department. Praise be that carrots are delicious, so their being excessively plentiful is a problem I’m thankful to have! This soup is hearty and delicious, made velvety by the soft puree of carrots, and from the toasted rice in the Poudre de Colombo curry. We’ve dressed it up a little with the prawns, but this soup can easily be made vegan by omitting them, and using red miso paste in favor of the Worcestershire powder. If you’re short on time, or you perhaps planned your garden space better than I did, and therefore the creative utilization of carrots is not a pressing issue for you, a can of pumpkin puree is an excellent substitution.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oil, and sauté onions, garlic, ginger, and carrots for five minutes
- Deglaze with wine, and reduce until pan is nearly dry
- Add stock, bay leaf, and 1 tablespoon of the curry, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf. In a food processer or blender, puree soup until smooth. Work in small batches for best- and safest- results, adding in the coconut milk to aid in the blending.
- Strain the processed soup through a wire mesh strainer in to a clean pot, and return the mixture to the stove over low heat.
- Add the remaining coconut milk, Worcestershire powder, sugar, and curry, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired seasoning level is reached.
- Add lime juice, and adjust for salt.
- Rub prawns with paprika and cayenne, and grill or sear them.
- Ladle soup in to bowls, and garnish each with two prawns, a wedge of lime, and a few leaves of cilantro.
Pacific Seafood Seared Scallops
We’re excited to announce we have a new blend! We’ve reformulated our Pacific Seafood blend, using bright notes of citrus and lemongrass; this Pacific Seafood blend incorporates flavors from the Pacific Northwest all the way to Thailand. Using a delicious process of trial-and-error, while taking into account staff and customer feedback, our fearless leader and accomplished blend artist Amanda created this blend for a wide variety of seafood. We all agree that using it as a rub for seared scallops is where it really shines. The versatility of the Pacific Seafood blend lets these scallops be the shinning star of a huge number of varying meals. Start with the recipe below and see where your culinary creativity takes you!
Pacific Seafood Seared Scallops with Thai Basil Smashed Potatoes, Lemongrass Beurre Blanc, and Avocado Salsa.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Generously season the flat side of each scallop with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Don't worry about over-salting with this blend, it's salt free!
- Press each scallop in to the Pacific Seafood Blend.
- Heat the oil and butter in a heavy bottom skillet until it is almost smoking.
- Carefully place each scallop in the pan, spice side down.
- Let the scallops get a nice dark crust on them. This will take 2-3 minutes. It is important not to move the scallops around while the crust is forming. Resist the urge to flip, nudge, or even touch them.
- Once you have a nice golden brown crust, flip the scallops and continue to cook for another minute or so.
- A perfectly done scallop will still have lots of "give" in it when gently pressed with a finger. If the scallop is hard or springy, it's overcooked.
Real Fun With Real Wasabi®
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The best part of being a spice merchant is the taste-testing process… We’re pretty serious about only putting our name on things we love, so every now and again we’ll make a really over-the-top staff meal, mostly test out new blends and spices, but also not-so-secretly because we’re all gluttons. Our one spice merchant with a seafood allergy is off today, so of course, it was the day for homemade SUSHI with Real Wasabi®!
Real Wasabi® is a new offering for us. Wasabi is notoriously difficult to cultivate. This special product is grown in the traditional Japanese “Sawa” method, using constantly circulating spring water. This manner makes the rhizomes take longer until they’re mature enough to harvest- up to two or three years- but produces the cleanest, purest taste. When fresh, wasabi can be grated with ceramic or shark-skin graters to produce a paste, or sold dried as we carry it, and rehydrated in equal parts with water.
The flavor is grassy and vegetal; milder in heat than “faux” wasabi (the mix of horseradish, mustard, and food coloring that you know so well), and without the tear-inducing burn, either. The dried form is closer to army green than the neon-hued stuff you’re used to, and creamier in texture as well. Letting the paste stand covered for at least ten minutes allows the flavors to develop, so be sure to give it some time.
We enjoyed it as a condiment on these spicy tuna and scallop rolls, veggie rolls, black cod hand rolls, seared ahi and ahi sushi, Japanese barbequed black cod, flash-salt-cured and seared diver scallops, and yes, even some on this mango we salt cured on a Himalayan Salt Plate! We mixed a little in with some Japanese mayonnaise, too, and used it as a dipping sauce for those sugar peas. We might have to roll home from the shop today…
Yucatan Rojo Fish Tacos
I don’t know about you, but this sunshine activates my wanderlust something fierce! Long days, hot sun… I crave a remote beach and what I like to call “barefoot cuisine.” Near the top of my travel list is a combination yoga and surfing retreat on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula… As a mum, a student, and a spice merchant, my travel budget is limited, so I have to rely on the transportive quality of food, for the time being. These tacos do just the trick! Far from the oily, breaded fish tacos you’ve had before, these are perfect summer fare, getting their flavor from beautiful swordfish, the smoke of the grill, and the tangy, complex flavor of World Spices’ Yucatan Rojo BBQ Rub. The creamy and crunchy slaw and the crisp, spicy pickled vegetables are refreshing in their acidity, and a perfect complement to the dense corn tortillas. Garnish with plenty of fresh cilantro, and if you’ve got them, slices of buttery avocado. With my eyes closed and taco in hand, the Yucatan Peninsula comes to me!
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut fish into 1 inch strips. Toss the fish and the rub into a Ziploc bag, making sure that the fish is covered with the spice. Refrigerate overnight.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the pickled veggies together in a covered container, and let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the slaw together in a large bowl. Taste for seasoning (you might want to add more salt). Transfer into a covered container and refrigerate.
- Season the fish with salt and a squeeze of lime, and grill quickly over high heat, lightly brushing with a little oil once the pieces have been flipped.
- Heat the tortillas on both sides on the grill. Put a spoonful of slaw on the tortilla, then some grilled fish, then top with the pickled veggies, sliced avocado and tomatoes.
- Enjoy!
Caribbean Spice Grilled Salsa
Fresh pineapple tastes of a wild summer, its tropical sweetness tempered by raucous acidity. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a ripe one and some folks can be overwhelmed by the tartness. My favorite way to tame pineapple is to cook it slowly until the pale yellow becomes a rich gold and the sugars take center stage, as in this grilled salsa. Make sure to place your pineapple slices away from the hottest parts of the grill; caramelized pineapple requires time (20-30 minutes) and indirect heat. Our Caribbean Spice, with the richness of allspice berries, is the perfect blend for this salsa. A bit of extra cumin adds an intense savory note that’s perfect for grilling. While I broke everything down in a food processor for the smoother texture and ease of preparation, fans of chunky salsa can chop everything together by hand. The smoky flavor from the grill counterpoints the sweetness of the pineapple and tomato perfectly, leaving you with a well balanced and delicious side for tortilla or plantain chips, chicken, and fish.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Lightly oil the pineapple, tomato and onion, so that they won't stick to the hot grill (or grill pan). Place on the grill and cook on both sides, until almost done. (You mostly want to get good grill marks on them - that's flavor! You can also grill your citrus, too. It will make them easier to juice, and give you a little more flavor, but you might want to let them cool before you juice them.) After you take them off the grill, cut them into smaller pieces for the food processor.
- In a food processor, add the garlic and ginger and process. (This will just break them down a little bit.) Now put in the rest of the ingredients the food processor and puree. Taste for seasoning - you might want to add more salt, lime juice or Caribbean Spice, depending on your taste. Depending on how sweet your fruit is, you might want to add more honey, too.
- This is a great topping for grilled meats or fish, but is also just as good with chips.
