This is a gorgeous, spicy recipe that can be put together in half an hour. There are a number of variations - mine is a little sweeter than some, and with an extra kick. My husband described it as “a tangy puttanesca with shrimp.”
1/2 cup (or more) spicy Sicilian green olives, pitted and chunked
2 T capers (with juice)
1 T sugar
2 T lime juice
saffron threads
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
cilantro
hot sauce (I use a wonderful thai chili/habanero blend for real kick)
rice
1. Prep the shrimp and get the rice cooking.
2. In a deep skillet (I use a wok), heat a healthy splash of olive oil over medium-high, and saute the tomatoes, garlic, and onions until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (shrimp excluded) and adjust the seasonings. Allow the mixture to come to a low boil; add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
4. Once the rice is ready, toss the shrimp into the sauce and let them cook just until their color changes and they begin to curl. Taste one - be careful not to overcook them. They’re just right when they’re still sweet and not at all chewy.
5. Serve immediately over rice and garnish with cilantro. I served mine with slices of fresh, ripe avocado and hot tortillas smeared with goat cheese mashed together with chipotle adobo and garlic. Yum!
The above photo comes from a great seafood blog detailing a different variation on shrimp Veracruzana. Check out Rachel’s Bite!
Perloo (or, as it’s often spelled, pilau) is a specialty of the Carolinas: a hearty, one-pot rice dish descended from Middle Eastern pilafs and chock-full of a rich variety of meats and vegetables. This variation showcases shrimp and oysters, along with the kick of chilies and the smoky flavor of ham and kielbasa. This multicultural dish is great for potlucks or family dinners - delicious, filing, and easy to prepare.
You will need:
2 T olive oil
1/2 lb. country ham, finely chopped
1/2 lb. kielbasa, cut on the diagonal into quarter-inch thick slices
2 medium onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and chopped
1 c long grain rice
3/4 c chicken broth
25 medium oysters, shucked, with 1/2 c of the liquor reserved
1. Heat the olive oil over medium in a very large soup pot. Add ham and kielbasa and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, peppers, jalapenos, parsley, thyme, and cayenne, then season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft - around 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook until a sauce starts to form - about another 10 minutes. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, and oyster liquor, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, until the rice is almost cooked - around 20 minutes.
3. Gently stir in the shrimp and oysters. Cover and continue to cook until the shrimp are bright pink and the edges of the oysters have curled - about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Season with salt and serve garnished with the chopped scallions.
Consumer consciousness has come a long way from the days when “organic” meant a small, grumpy apple with worm spots or impossible-to-find specialty grains sold in bins at the rear of health food stores. The Green movement, increased education about health and agricultural practices, and the undeniable boost of becoming chic have all helped to elevate the demand for organic goods - and not just in the produce aisle. Dairy goods, grains, wines, meat products, clothing, even paper products and inks can carry the “organic” label, certified by dubiously rigorous state- and third-party organizations. This year, over $23 billion worth of organic goods were sold in the U.S. alone.
However, the USDA, the Organic Trade Association, and a variety of environmental and fishery groups are struggling to reach an agreement on how organic certification can be extended to include seafood. With meats, poultry, and dairy products, the primary issue is what the animals themselves eat: is the feed organically grown and processed, or not? Because wild fish, arguably the most healthful and, in a sense, “cleanest” varieties of seafood available on the market, eat wild food in wild waters, they cannot be said to be “organic” in the same way that free-range chickens on organic-feed diets lay “organic” eggs.
Farmed fish, on the other hand, which live in close-quartered pens or tanks, have mushier flesh due to a lack of wild-water exercise, and are usually genetically similar to one another (and therefore more susceptible to disease), do not find food on their own. Rather, they are fed by their “farmers,” and so, in some cases, could potentially be called “organic” according to the conditions set as precedent by other meat industries. This would hold true for vegetarian fish only, of course, such as tilapia or catfish. Carnivorous fish, like salmon, couldn’t be categorized as “organic” under these rules unless the fish they ate had in turn been farmed and fed organic feed.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has recently issued a recommendation claiming that certain feeds and net pens be included under the definition of organic foods. This decision was lauded by fish farmers eager to capitalize on the public demand for organic products, but has been severely criticized by fisheries, consumer activists, and environmental groups looking to support wild fisheries and maintain the purity of the organic label. Other issues include leniency in the recommendations regarding the percentage of organic matter included in the feeds - other industries are required to use 100% organic feed materials, while this would not necessarily apply to the fish standards. While no official decision has yet been made on the issue, the USDA is taking it under consideration; finalizing the standards could take a few more years.
Recent labeling laws, called COOL (country-of-origin labels), require grocery stores and other seafood outlets to clearly inform shoppers where their fish comes from.China?Thailand?U.S. waters?Wild or farmed?A new generation of savvy seafood shoppers is learning to ask questions about the origins of fish, and to make educated decisions about their purchases.
Along with the usual questions of freshness, preparation, and taste, common consumer concerns include:
Is the fish from wild waters, or was it farmed or hatchery-raised?
Was the fish harvested through sustainable fishing practices?
What kind of mercury and other toxin levels can be expected in the fish?
What is the total carbon footprint of this purchase?
Unfortunately, several lax elements to the new laws allow for a number of exceptions.Any kind of processing, for example, renders the seafood exempt from the label requirement.While processing can be as complex as cooking, canning, and combining with other meats or additives, the definition extends to include “processes” as simple as, say, shucking an oyster, or sliding a shrimp onto a bamboo skewer.
One way consumers can ensure they know the origins of their fish is to go straight to the source and buy directly from liaisons with processors that package their product directly after it’s caught.This guarantees a clear label with no mysterious additives or processes – just fresh (or fresh-frozen) quality seafood.
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