Shrimp Salad

Plump and crisp pieces of shrimp in a smooth tangy dressing. Yum!

I saw a couple of shelled fresh white shrimp in the supermarket today and Shrimp salad was the first thing that went into my mind!

I could never forget the rows of seafood stalls at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco when I visited in 2004. Every one of them was selling the same thing - shrimp salad on crusty bread, or pieces of king crab legs. The colors were so fresh and vibrant - attesting to their freshness. I just wish I could say the same about their taste. Everything was bland and flat. They did not skimp on the salt but that was basically it. I pity the fresh seafood had to bathe in a very lifeless and boring dressing!

For a really good Shrimp Salad/ Spread, make sure the shrimp are fresh! Peel and de-vein the shrimp and rinse with salt and water. Dump the prepared shrimp in a pot of boiling stock (I add celery leaves, lemon, onions, and or dill stems to my stock - basically the leftover of the dressing ingredients). Cook for a good two or three minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp, then shock in a bowl of ice water.

For the dressing, mix the following: 1/2 cup chopped celery stalks, 2 tablespoons chopped onions, one chopped garlic clove, one cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss in the shrimp. This salad is best when allowed to "cure" one day in the ref. Serve with crusty bread.

Garlic Butter

Many think it is a mere combination of garlic and butter. But I always try and add a few other stuff to make things more flavorful.

This "spread" is quite versatile. I spread it one bread then toast them to make garlic bread. On occasion, I smear it on cuts of meat or seafood then bake it, much like the French baked escargots. For quick sides, you can melt spoonfuls of this compound to saute some cut or precooked veggies.

I used up three whole heads of garlic, peeled and chopped. This makes for a very strong garlicky paste. You can use two or even one head if you want it milder. I also added some chopped parsley both for color and flavor. I used flat-leaf parsley as it gives a more herb-y flavor that curly-leaf parsley.

In a blender or mixer, beat one cup of butter. Add in the chopped garlic and chopped parsley. Mix well. Slowly add in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil. This will make the mixture spreadable and of course, healthy. Season with salt and pepper.

Smoked Salmon Spread

(best served over toasted bread)

Smoked salmon, an imported product has been available locally for years! Yet few seem to appreciate it. Not all major groceries have it, or at least keep large stocks of it. One would think that these groceries keep it for the expat community. Perhaps it is because Pinoys know that temperate-water fishes have that oily fishy flavor – the type that not only gives you bad breath that people around you can smell, but the breath you belch all day, intoxicating just about anyone who comes within three meters of you. Smoked, salmon is several times more oily and fishy than its natural raw state.

Yet, through all these years, smoked salmon has become more and more available, albeit in still limited quantities in a lot of groceries. Some of the local European style sausage manufacturers like “Swiss Deli” have their own smoked salmon. For years, Santi’s Deli has had its smoked tanigue.

Having seen Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa do a spread with smoked salmon, I thought of trying out her recipe. But I had to think long and hard how to squeeze the fishy-ness out of this oily fish!

I laid out the smoked salmon slices on two sheets of kitchen towel, and covered it with another sheet. I let all the oil drain out for about 10 to 15 minutes. I know the Europeans will cry sacrilege with this, but really, most of the smoked salmon we get are too oily and fishy for our taste. You can skip this procedure depending on how much you appreciate fish oil.

I like using the Swiss Deli brand of smoked because it is not too salty and tastes and feels fresh after all that oil has been drained out. Other brands tend to have some liquid in it, making it even fishier! The Santi’s Smoked Tanigue works well with this recipe, too as it is not oily nor juicy.

On a mixing bowl, cream a whole bar (8 oz) of cream cheese with a tub (~1 cup of sour cream). Add in a finely grated small red onion. (chopped if you like them chunky). Season with salt and pepper, about two tablespoons of lemon juice, half a teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and a few drops of hot sauce (Tabasco). Taste the mixture. It should be slightly sour to offset the saltiness and the fish flavor. For a more lemony taste, you can add the zest of half to one lemon - depends on how “fragrant” you want this to be.

For some texture, I usually add in two chopped hard-boiled eggs. The yolks I mash with the dressing. The whites I chop and add later with the salmon.

Next, add in around three tablespoons of chopped fresh dill. They come in small packs in the grocery and I usually add all the chopped dill leaves this pack will yield – usually between 2 – 4 tablespoons. Don’t include the stems as they are woody! Dill adds a certain fresh flavor to this spread. Its fragrance reminds me of McDonald’s Fillet-o’-Fish!

Cut up the fish into small cubes, but do not chop! Handle them gently! Chopping or “mashing” them will release juices and make it taste “off.” Add the fish to the dressing and fold gently.

Serve over toasted bread!

(i make sure to remove all the fishy oil from the salmon fillets with the use of paper towels)

(store in an air-tight container)

Creamy Chutney Spread

(this creamy spread is best enjoyed smeared on white bread - toasted or not.)

I’ve seen several TV cooking shows put chutney into their cream-based spreads. It was quite intriguing.

Chutney is not exactly one of the more popular sides here in the Philippines, though we do have some locally grown brands, owing probably to the abundance of green mangoes (or Indian nationals). I never tried one as I never liked pickles, except in cheeseburgers.

But having seen it on TV, I thought I’d buy one to try it out. I picked one which looked like it was chunky. Sorry I forgot to take a picture. Well, there were only two choices at Unimart, the bottled brand with whole peppercorns and what appeared like mango chunks. The other brand was in a frosted plastic jar. I picked the former.

As I’ve said, I’ve never tried it before, so I have no point of comparison. On opening, it looked like a yellowish brown opaque marmalade. It had a fruity, slightly curry-like scent. It was tart, but slightly savory. It is probably good to eat with something fried that is also salty. I have no idea how the Indians eat this.

I dumped the contents of one jar (around 1 cup) in a mixer with some creamed cream cheese. I added around 100 g (half a bar or so) of grated local cheddar (because I saw on FoodTV that you can eat chutney spread on dinner rolls with a slice of cheese). I adjusted the seasonings with some pepper (add some salt if you like but I prefer mine on the bland side).

It goes well with bread, toasted or not. It reminds me of a popular children’s party cheese spread made of pineapples, cheese and mayo. Of course, chutney spread is less oily (no mayo) and has a bit of a kick to it due to the spices!