Thai Style King Crab Salad

One year we went to Japan, our tour guide helped us to order some snow crab from Hokkaido express down to Tokyo.  We had watched many travel shows talking about how tasty the crab was so we didn't want to miss the chance while we were in Japan.  The crab was cooked and came with a pair of scissor to help cutting the shell.  It was one of the unforgettable moment we had in our trip.

I'd seen live Australian king crab in some Asian restaurants or in the aquarium but I'd never tasted it.  
The first time I saw it selling at Coles, I was wondering it would taste as good as the snow crab as both of them live in the cold region.  This crab salad hadn't disappointed us, the meat was not as strong as the mud crab but had more flavour than sand crab, it's flaky and sweet.  I like to serve mud crab as a hot dish and king crab is better to serve cold.

The importance of cooking Thai food is to balance the sweet and sour flavour, I do not have an exact measurement for this recipe as it's all up to your taste buds to tell you what to put in.

Thai Style King Crab Salad

King Crab claws (cooked)
cucumber
onion
chilli
coriander
mint
lime
salt & pepper
fish sauce

Method:
Remove crab meat from the shell.  Finely cut cucumber and onion, marinate with salt, then rinse and drain.  Squeeze out juice and add to the crab meat.  Add the chopped up the coriander, mint and chilli, seasoned with fish sauce, pepper, lime juice and sugar.  Serve cold.


   

Prawn Salad with Mango Mayonnaise

I made this salad a year ago before I started blogging.  I had this friend travelled a lot for work and he took some photos of the food he had when travelling first class in the plane.  The food served at first class was much better than the one I had when I travelled economy class.  As I probably don't have the chance travelling first class so I start making the dishes from his photos and  start cooking more and more western style food until I decide to challenge myself and start blogging about food.  Although I still haven't had the confidence in handling big chuck of meat such as roast leg of lamb and roast turkey etc., I am having more experience in using herbs and trying out new recipes.  What I like about this salad is that I do not put any salt and sugar into it and it tastes so fresh and natural.  My husband bought a tray of mango home the other day and I'd just love to make this salad again!

Prawn Salad with Mango Mayonnaise


fresh raw prawns
green salad
avocado
1 mango (1/2 sliced, 1/2 leave for mayonnaise)
1-2 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise
olive oil
paprika
pepper

Method:

1. Remove heads and shell from prawns, use a toothpick to remove the poo vein.  Heat oil in pan and pan fried the prawns until cooked, season with some pepper and paprika. 
2. Arrange salad onto the plate with mango and avocado then topped with cooked prawns.  Drizzle with some olive oil if wished. 
3. For the mayonnaise: Cut mango into dice and blend it with mayonnaise into a blender until smooth.  Drizzle the mango mayonnaise over the salad. 

Steam Boat

Having steam boat in winter is the best thing to keep you warm and entertain with family and friends.  You need a portable gas stove, a pot with your choice of soup base, different kinds of seafood, fish balls, meat, tofu, vegetables and noodles.  Then every thing is cooked at the table, nice and hot straight from the pot to your mouth with every one crowding at the table, standing or sitting.  In Hong Kong, there are restaurants specially cater for steam boat.  When I was a kid, we only had this in winter.  Nowadays people are having it all year round with the air conditioning on during summer.  You can see how much Chinese love steam boat.

My kids love this as they can cook whatever they want for themselves.  I have used two soup bases, laksa and miso this time to suit my family's taste.  For me, it's the best food to have in winter.  What's your winter favourite?

Seafood Chowder

My cousin-in-law just come back from their 3 weeks US tour.  Besides taking the photos of the magnificent view of America, they had also capture some photos of the unique American food.  One of it is the photo of calm chowder from the wharf in San Francisco.  Coming from a family that enjoy seafood, I would love to have a taste of that one day if I have the chance to travel to the US.  (hope I don't have to wait too long)

I have had  seafood chowder in restaurants but I'm not a big fan of fish (I like sashimi though)  so I have never try cooking it at home just in case it turns out too fishy and nobody would eat it.  Then this recipe of seafood chowder comes to my door from the free weekly magazine featuring our local chef's recipe.  The recipe only call for few ingredients and the technique is quite simple.  I would expect it to have cream or cheese to enrich the soup.  But the use of butter and flour making the roux already create a lovely bowl of creamy soup which is not too heavy.  Or is it rather the white wine doing the magic to bring everything together?  My daughter says this is her new favourite soup and I'm so please to find a good recipe right at my door.

I didn't have a good sleep last night as my daughter kept message me about her bus trip to Sydney.  Telling me how bumpy the road was, where she was and how far to to go Sydney.... This is her first time going away for so long but I'm sure she'll have fun visiting Sydney, playing at the snow field at minus degree and learning more about the country at Canberra with her school camp.

Have you have a look my hand made craft page yet?    


Seafood Chowder
(serve1-2)

120g fresh seafood marinara
(white fish, salmon, squid, prawns and mussels)
1 tablespoon carrot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peas
1/4 teaspoon chopped parsley (the seafood marinara I have already marinate with some parsley)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup stock

Roux:
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons plain flour

Method:

1. For the roux, melt the butter in a pan, add flour and stir then gradually add milk to create a bechamel sauce.  Set aside.
2. Combine the wine and stock in another pan, add in carrot and onion and let it boils until the stock reduced by 1/3.  Add into the bechamel sauce and stir.
3. Add seafood and peas to the mix, let it simmer for about 3 minutes or the seafood is just cooked.  Seasoned with salt and pepper.  Squeeze in some lemon juice just before serving if needed and serve with croutons. 

Home Crumbed Fish & Chips

We had visitors recently and we took them to the fish market.  We enjoyed a day out with some fresh local seafood.  Yesterday,  I found these flatheads in my freezer that I had to get rid of.  So, I thought why not make some fish & chips!  With the kids cheering "fish & chips" at the back,  I managed to fillet 5 whole fish by myself.  My fingers were a bit sore afterward but the home crumbed fish definitely tasted much better than the pre-packaged one from the supermarket.  Then my daughter started the conversation with her brother telling him the story about her friend who went to New Zealand; she particularly go the fish & chips store because she wanted to say "fush en chups" in an New Zealand accent.......and my kids sat at the dinner table talk and talk for over an hour even the fish & chips were gone a long time ago.


Home Crumbled Fish & Chips
(serve 4)

4-5 pieces of fish fillets
1 cup breadcrumb
1 tablespoon garlic and herb salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup plain flour
10 small washed baby potato
salt and pepper
oil
lemon

Method:

1. Marinate the fish with salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.
2. Wash the potato, do not need to peel the skin.  Cut into thin strips and place onto the paper lined baking tray.  Drizzle some oil, salt and pepper then toss through the chips.  Bake in moderate oven for about 30 minutes or until it is cooked.  Toss through the chip a few times in between.  
3. Mix the garlic and herb salt to the breadcrumb.  Coat the fish with flour then egg and breadcrumb.
4. Heat enough oil in the frypan, pan fry the fish until crispy and cook.  Turn the heat down if it gets to hot to avoid burning.  Drain excess oil with kitchen paper.
5. Serve the fish with chips and your favourite sauce.

Here are the photos of what we have at the fish market....

Prawn and Avocado Salad with Lebanese Bread

I got the idea of making this dish from the little cookbook "15 minutes gourmet" comes along with the March issue of the Australian Good Taste magazine.  I like the idea of using lebanese bread for the crouton.  It's a good way to use up the bread instead of making wrap.  I add in avocado and melted mozzarella cheese to the recipe to replace the bocconcini.  It is a warm salad with an autumn feel and it only take 15 minutes to prepare.

Prawn and Avocado Salad with Lebanese Bread

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 piece Lebanese bread
2 tomatoes
dried oregano
olive oil
minced garlic
10-12 raw prawns
80g leafy mix
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 avocado
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Italian Dressing:
1/4 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
dried oregano
dried basil
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220c.  Spread the mustard over the bread and tear into pieces and place on the lined baking tray.  Bake for 5 minutes or until crisp.
2. Cut the tomato into wedges and sprinkled with dried oregano, garlic and olive oil.  Bake it in a separate tray with the bread together.
3. Heat oil in pan and pan fry the prawn till cooked.  Set aside.
4. Roughly mesh the avocado in a microwave safe bowl and add in mozzarella cheese, microwave it on high for 30 seconds or until the cheese melted.  Mix it with the cooked prawn immediately.
5. Put the leafy mix into a salad bowl, add in onion, tomato, prawns and the italian dressing.  Arrange the lebanese bread along the side of the bowl.