Cavey’s Colossal Shrimp Cocktail

With the New Year’s Eve celebrations set for tomorrow, I thought I’d share one of the favorite appetizers we will enjoy in the Cavehold as we ring in 2016. In fact, we bring this one out just about anytime we are celebrating anything. Take a bite of one of these plump, succulent, delicious decapod crustaceans and you’ll be adding this shrimp cocktail recipe to your next fete’s menu, too! Best of all, the recipe is SO easy … just the way I like ’em!!

INGREDIENTS

2 Pounds Of Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns – shell on, deveined
4 Quarts Cold Water
2 Tablespoons World Spice Merchants “Classic Crab”
1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
1 Preparation of Cave’s Quick Cocktail Sauce
OPTIONAL: Replace 1 cup of the water with a can of your favorite beer

RECIPE

Place shrimp in large colander and quickly rinse with cool water and drain. If frozen, DO NOT defrost.
NOTE: I prefer the “U-12” Black Tiger Shrimp found at Costco. They are already deveined, yet still have the shells on … plus, they are so tasty! That said, any uncooked colossal shrimp (12-14 per pound) should work just fine.

Fill large stock pot with water (add beer, if so inclined), World Spice Merchants “Classic Crab” spice blend, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes. Return to boil and add shrimp. Reduce flame and cook until prawns are pink and opaque throughout (about 5-8 minutes if frozen, 3-5 minutes if not) – shrimp will usually float when done.
NOTE: You can substitute the World Spice Merchants Classic Crab with Old Bay Seasoning or other seafood-boil spices. Though, I would recommend adding a Bay Leaf, mustard seed, and other spices/herbs to make up for the difference in flavor.

When done, immediately strain shrimp in a large colander. Then quickly place prawns into an ice bath until fully cooled. Again, quickly strain shrimp well.
NOTE: It is important not to let the shrimp sit in the cooling water too long. They can absorb water like a sponge, ruining their taste and texture.
HINT: We like to reserve the cooking broth as it makes a great base for seafood soups, cioppino, etc. Just let it cool, put it into a container, and freeze it until ready for use.

Next, shell the shrimp. If you do it right, you can take off the the shells and remove the legs in one motion, as displayed below. I also like to leave the tail and last section of shell on. Not only does it give the dish a stylish presentation, but acts as a little handle for you and your guests to use when eating it.

You can either serve them immediately or refrigerate them for up to 3 days. When ready, just plate them on a large ice-filled platter with a small ramekin of Cave’s Quick Cocktail Sauce in the center. Have another empty ramekin nearby for the discarded tails. Now just dip and enjoy! And, most importantly, have a happy, healthy, and happening New Year!

Prep Time = 20 minutes
Cooking Time = 2-6 minutes
Serves 6-12

©2015 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Cure For The Common Salmon

The family emergency continues, making it difficult for me to post as often as usual. But, I’ve got another one here that will knock your loincloth off! Some call this Lox, Gravlox, or (mistakenly) Smoked Salmon. Though, it is really Cured Salmon … and, it is really good! Simple, too!!

INGREDIENTS

1 2-3 Pound Fillet Fresh Salmon, skinned
1 Cup Sea or Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup White Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Ground Peppercorns
1 Bunch Fresh Dill

RECIPE

In a medium bowl, place salt, sugars, and pepper. Whisk together until fully blended and the brown sugar is no longer clumpy.
HINT #1: I used a five-flavor blend of peppercorns that included white, black, green and pink peppercorns and Jamaican pepper. Though, using plain old fresh ground black pepper will work just fine, too.

Place the salmon fillet centered on a piece of plastic wrap that is more than twice the length of the fillet itself. Cover the fillet with half the salt mixture, and then half the dill bunch.

Carefully turn the fillet over (It helps to pat down the ingredients into the fillet first). Then, cover the other side of the salmon with the rest of the salt mixture and dill.
Now, wrap the salmon as tightly as possible with the plastic wrap.
Place wrapped filet onto a sufficiently large plate or platter to catch any juices that my run off during the curing process. Place into refrigerator for 24 hours, making sure to turn it over at the halfway point.
HINT #2: If you wrap it tight enough, you won’t have to stack any blocks or anything else that other recipes seem to call for. I also like to re-wrap the fillet with a second piece of plastic wrap to help achieve the necessary tautness.

After 24 hours, remove the fillet from the fridge and carefully unwrap it. This is what it should look like!

Remove the dill and as much of the salt mixture as possible. Under cold running water, rinse the rest of the dill and salt from the salmon. Pat it dry with a paper towel.

With a very sharp knife cut the fillet, on an angle, into very thin slices. Layer the each slice on top of the previous one.
Now, you need to make a decision. Eat it right away? Refrigerate it until later? Or, freeze it for future use in the next 2-3 months? It’s hard not to try some right away, so go ahead and have at it. But, I like to wrap it up in some fresh plastic wrap and refrigerate it another 24 hours … it just seems to give it an extra bit of flavor curing.

When you are ready to serve it, you can place it on toast triangles with a little Goat Cheese and capers, put it in a salad, or go the traditional route pictured here: with a bagel, cream cheese, and slice tomatoes and onions.
HINT #3: You can add many other ingredients during the curing process. Paper thin slices of lemon; zest of any citrus; fresh tarragon or parsley; fennel, caraway, or coriander seeds; or just about anything else you may want to experiment with. Be creative and have fun!

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cure Time = 24 Hours
Serves 6-8

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Grilled Teriockeye Salmon (with Mangocado Salsa)

Super easy to make … but, also super easy to mess up! However, if you do it right, your taste buds will be doing a victory dance!!

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Fresh Sockeye Salmon Filet (approximately 2 pounds or more)
1/3 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
2 Tablespoons World Spice Merchants Pacific Seafood Rub
1 Preparation Mangocado Salsa

RECIPE

As I said, this is easy to mess up. The first step is crucial: choosing your Salmon filet. Make sure it is fresh, wild caught, and preferably Sockeye Salmon. While any genre of this anadromous fish would work, there is something to be said about the incredible flavor and texture that the dark red meat of the Sockeye holds. If you can get your hands on some Copper River Sockeye, it’s even better! DO NOT remove the skin.

Place your filet, skin side down, on a suitably sized platter with raised edges. Cover with teriyaki sauce (I truly prefer the Trader Joe’s Island Teriyaki). Then, turn the filet over so that the skin side is now up. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for no more than 20 minutes.
NOTE #1: This is another step that can be easily bobbled. If you marinate the fish too long, the flesh can become mushy and loose all it’s natural flavor. The teriyaki sauce should compliment this dish, not dominate it!

After marinating, turn filet back over (skin side down) and evenly sprinkle the Pacific Seafood Rub over the fish.

Pre-heat grill to a medium-high heat (about 300° to 325°). When grill is ready, create an indirect heat area for the fish and then coat the grill grate with non-stick spray.
NOTE #2: As you can see the spray will create flame ups. Be sure to keep the can as far from the flame source as possible. Also, use short blasts of spray to prevent any dangerous flare ups which could cause you to loose your Caveperson coat (ie. singe your body hair)!

Place filet over the indirect-heat area of your grill. Spoon some of the extra teriyaki sauce on top of the fish. Cover grill and allow to cook for about 5 minutes before checking on the fish.

Normally, it shouldn’t take more than 6-8 minutes to fully cook. Fish should have the beginnings of a nice crust on the edges and be firm, but not flaky, to the touch. If it’s still a little squishy, give it another minute or two.
NOTE #3: This is the last step that could end up in fouled fish. Overcooked fish becomes dry and, again, looses much of it’s natural flavor. In fact, it’s better to undercook it rather than the reverse.

Using a large metal spatula, remove filet from grill and allow to set for a minute. Then, cut into serving sized portions and top with generous scoops of Mangocado Salsa. Plate with your favorite sides. Pictured here with rice pilaf and fresh, steamed New England clams.

Prep Time = 5 minutes
Marinate Time = 15-20 minutes
Cook Time = 6-8 minutes
Serves 6-8

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

BBQ Cod Tacos

Now that the initial hoopla of our Want Beef? Giveaway has mellowed a bit, I can finally post a new recipe – Wooo HOOOO!
I’m always looking for a deal. So, I usually go nuts when something tasty goes on sale and buy way too much of it … this week it was fresh Alaskan Cod! Mmmmm MMMMMM!! 😉

INGREDIENTS

1 Pound Fresh Cod Fillets
1-2 TBSP Butter
1/4 Head of White Cabbage or Iceberg Lettuce, shredded
2 Tsp Herbal Red Seasoning
1/2 Fresh Lime
6 Corn Tortillas
1 Preparation of Rockin’ Guac

RECIPE

Rinse Cod fillets and pat dry. Place them onto large sheet of foil sprayed with cooking oil. Slice butter as thinly as possible into pats, and place on top of fish. Evenly squeeze the juice from half a lime over the fillets. Then evenly sprinkle the TSS Herbal Red seasoning over the fillets, and add a pinch of Kosher or sea salt if desired.

Heat grill until hood temp is around 325°. Reduce the middle burner to low or, if using charcoal, be sure to leave a gap in the middle of the grill for some indirect cooking. Place foil with fish onto center of the grill and cover for 3-5 minutes, until fish has lost most of it’s translucence.

With a large spatula, flip fillets and place directly onto the grill uncovered to give the fish a little grill-crusting on the outside. Just a minute or two does the trick. Take the melted butter that remains on the foil and evenly pour it over the fillets.
I like to give both sides some browning, so I do a re-flip for an additional minute before taking them off the grill.
NOTE 1: There are many ways to heat up your tortillas (a must do unless they are fresh off the griddle). One of my faves is to roll up three at a time in some foil and place ’em right on the grill … very Cavemanesque, don’t ya think?!? ;))

The fish should easily flake up into bite sized chunks. Place shredded cabbage or lettuce (the Cavekids have been on a binge of the latter, lately) onto tortillas, then add fish, and top with some Rockin’ Guac. You can also top with shredded cheese and/or your favorite salsa or hot sauce.

With any luck, you’ll get a response something akin to what the Cavekids gave these. They had each already wolfed one down before I could even get to the table and take my first bite!

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 7 Minutes
Serves 3-4

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

King Crab Risotto

Easy to make, and great to the taste. As you will see, even the kids will love this, and it can easily be altered to a veggie-friendly version, too!

INGREDIENTS

2 Large King Crab Legs – Cooked
3 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Arborio Rice (Risotto)
1 Cup Artichoke Hearts
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Green Onions
1/3 Cup Fresh Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese)
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
2.5 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

RECIPE

Using kitchen shears or a nut cracker, shell crab meat, break into large bite-sized chunks, cover and place in refrigerator.

Finely chop green onion and mince garlic. Set aside.

In large sauce pan heat butter and oil. Saute garlic until translucent. Add rice and saute another 2-3 minutes.
HINT #1: For even more artichoke flavor, use the marinating oil from the artichoke hearts instead of the Olive Oil.

Very slowly add 1 cup of the broth to the rice, stirring almost constantly and making sure that liquid is absorbed by rice before adding more broth. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time in this fashion.
HINT #2: Yes, this is a bit more labor intensive than most of my recipes. So, turn on some tunes, or a great game on the tube, and mouth-breath your way through the next 20-25 minutes. 😉

Once liquid is mostly absorbed by rice, slowly stir in parmesan cheese. Reduce flame to low.

Now, add green onions and pine nuts. Stir in well.

Add artichoke hearts and very gently fold into Risotto mixture.

If it’s an all-carnivore crowd, skip to the next step. But, if you have any vegetarians in the group, go ahead and remove suitable amount to serve them.

Add crab meat and very gently fold into Risotto mixture. Try to keep the crab from breaking up too much.

Cover sauce pan for about one minute until crab warms. Serve with salad and warm bread.

This dish goes over big-time with folks of all ages. As you can see, it met with rave reviews from the Cavegirl. She couldn’t get it into her mouth fast enough! 😉

Prep Time = 12 minutes
Cook Time = 25-30 minutes
Serves 4

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.