Calamari (Squid Rings) recipe. Step by step video on how to make homemad...

Learn the trick how to make crispy calamari at home. Full proof homemade recipe. Calamari is squid rings coated with batter and deep fried. The secret is layer each coating with flavor profile to your liking. To make this recipe spicy, add cayenne pepper . This is great seafood appetizer recipe. Ingredients:340 g. Squid rings1/2 Cup Corn Starch1/4 Cup All purpose flour2 Tablespoons paprika1/2 Tablespoon Garlic salt1Tablespoon Garlic powder1Tablespoon ground pepper2 eggs2 cups Panko Bread Crumbsoptional: 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper if you like it hot and spicyoil for frying

Procedure:Wash squid rings and drain, set asidePrepare 3 bowls:bowl 1 - Egg mixture. Beat eggs, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. bowl 2 - Flour mixture. Mix flour, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder.Bow 3 - Panko Mixture. Mix bread crumbs with garlic powder, salt and pepper

Pat dry the squid rings to remove excess water/moisture, dip into the flour mixture to coat each squid ring, dip into eggs, mix well to coat the squid rings in egg. Do this one by one so that the flour coating absorbs the egg mixture. Lastly coat with bread crumbs mixture. Arrange on a plate. Finish this procedure before starting to fry.

Once all the squid rings are well coated with bread crumbs, deep fry in a preheated oil until golden brown. Remove from oil and place it on a plate lined with paper towel. The paper towel will absorb excess oil from frying and keeps the calamari dry and crisp. If you like hot and spicy, add cayenne pepper squid rings before frying. #CalamariRecipe#TheKitchenJournal#HomemadeCalamari

Pan-grilled tuna steak with baby pechay puree and steamed diced potatoes

The puree

Puree is made by sauteeing garlic and onions with the baby pechay, add 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer for a few minutes.  Turn off the heat and set aside to cool down.  Once cooled pour it into the blender or food processor, add a handful of fresh baby spinach to make it more green. Blitz for a minute.  It is ready to serve on the side of any  main dish.

I love doing this puree because not only it is full of flavor, it also transforms it into paste form (almost liquid) and one good spoon means a lot of goodness in there for my daughter who doesnt like vegies, but she's always tricked with this.  I bet she cant even finish 5 leaves of pechay but with the puree, she finished what was on the plate.   Even myself i personally can eat more of it than chewing the leaves itself.

Tuna

Prepare the tuna by drying it with a kitchen paper, add a lot of freshly ground pepper and some salt.  Massage some oil on the fish and grill it on a preheated pan. 1 minute each side on high heat.

Steamed potatoes

Steamed the diced potatoes for 8-10 minutes, season with salt and pepper.  

Stir-fried seafoods with salad

I got this pack of frozen mixed seafoods sitting in the freezer for awhile. In it are slice squid, clams(meat only), mussels and scallops.   i wouldnt say its not great but it was a little bit tricky as i put it out of the fridge on the last minute, probably it would have been easier if had it planned and thawed it earlier. Well, it took a while to stir-fry as it turned watery at first, then i took some if the liquid out of the pan, otherwise it will be boiled.  I lost some if the flavors, but i got no choice.  I am surprised the squid and scallop didnt turn out rubbery as i expected.  Served it with salad.  Nevertheless, different twist for dinner tonight.  Hubby made the lemon vinaigret for the salad. 

Note to self: dont buy that frozen seafood mix again.  It is not cooking evenly because it has different size of of meats.  

Fish in a parcel

Opened, ready to eat

Serving Suggestion - Serve it piping hot from the oven straight to the plate.

This is one of my my favorite influences of "The Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver.  I like the way he does things in a quick and easy way with full of flavors.. lots of goodness!!!  This recipe has never failed me by far. Preparation can be done in advance, it gives time to prepare other goodness for the dining table and just pop it in the oven when everything is ready. 

There's nothing more surprising than opening a main course just like opening a present and the aroma just meets you straight away with steaming goodness. 

Here's a guide: there is nothing precise on the portion of the ingredients as long everything can fit and wrapped securely without any leak.  The ingredients is up to your liking as well. Others can be skipped or maybe substituted.  Keeping in mind the balance of its acidity of lemon and portion of butter/olive oil.  Lemon can be overpowering but it is necessary.

Ingredients: 

Fish fillet

peeled garlic 

chopped onions

chopped leeks

chopped spring onions

red capsicum

butter

lemon

olive oil

salt and pepper

Cut a portion of  baking paper (about 1 foot long) and lay it flat on a plate.  Place the fish fillet in the center and season with salt and pepper;  add onions, garlic, leeks, spring onions, capsicum on top of the fish add a knob of butter on top, squeeze a lemon and drizzle a little olive oil.  

Fold the ends lengthwise first, pressing the crease each fold and secure the sides.

To wrap everything, fold the baking paper lengthwise, make a crease each time by pressing it with your fingers, (make 3-4 folds), then secure the ends by creasing crosswise, making the last fold facing down.

Secure the ends by folding the ends, press the crease each fold

Lay it flat in a baking dish with the crease on the top side.

Bake for 30 minutes in the oven..  Make it the last thing you put on the plate so that it remains warm upon serving.

Just perfect for a weekend lunch.


BTW, I had posted one with a different variation long time back: fish in a parcel

Spaghetti With Mussels and Basil Pesto

Spaghetti with mussels and basil pesto.
The half shelled mussels were grilled with garlic butter

Spaghetti with Mussels and Basil Pesto

While the mussels are grilling in the oven as the appetizer, the main course is on the way as well.

Ingredients:

Fresh basil leaves (a good harvest from our tiny garden)
Olive oil

Spaghetti (good for 3 persons)
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
1 pc. Onion, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 pack mussel meat (about 500 g)
salt to taste
cheese

Cook spaghetti until al dente. Meanwhile, blitz basil leaves in a food processor, add olive oil and blitz further until combined. Season with salt and set aside.

Sauté onion and garlic, add mussels’ meat, stir occasionally until mussels are done. Add the prepared basil pesto.

Drain the pasta and add directly to the mussel mixture. Stir to combine. Sprinkle parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Grilled mussels with garlic butter

Grilled Mussels with Garlic Butter

Craving for seafoods? That’s how I felt when I saw an array of frozen mussels in different packages.  One pack of large half-shelled mussels sparked an imagination of barbequing it. I didn’t hesitate to grab one and another pack just the meat if incase I want to compare the intensity of flavors preserved.  Just like I thought, the pack with shells on still got the fresh aroma from the sea. An instant thought was garlic butter on it and grill. But that’s just good as an appetizer since they weren’t enough.  To compliment with it, I made spaghetti with mussels and basil pesto. Hubby had a good harvest of fresh basil from our tiny garden. 

Grilled mussels with garlic butter

1 pack of frozen mussels

garlic butter

Ingredients: Garlic butter and a pack of half-shelled mussels

Add a pinch of garlic and butter paste into each mussel, place it on a baking tray and grill for about 20 minutes until the sides of the mussels turn brown.

Note: I used a ready made garlic butter because I just had it in the fridge for a while.  Otherwise, you may make your own garlic butter simply by crushing 2 cloves of garlic until paste consistency with a mortar and pestle. Add to 50g of butter, season with salt to taste.

 Did you know:

 Did you know that mussels is high in iron and protein but low in fat? and it contains Omega 3?

That's what the packet says...  Hmmm, should I call my sister who is a nutritionist to verify or should I wait for her to comment? :-)

BONELESS BANGUS (MILKFISH) COOKED OVER A BED OF SALT

This is one unforgettable dish for me which was taught by my late brother Roy, who passed away last year. He taught me the quickest, easiest, oil free of preparing bangus (milkfish) by cooking it over a bed of salt.

Bangus is the national fish of Philippines, known for its hundreds of tiny bones. I like the fish but I hate the bones but I'm not helpless at that because there is boneless bangus available. It is done by deboning the fish manually, I have seen it being done and it looked easy, but I wouldn't dare to do it myself not unless I want to test my patience.

If I am in Phil, I could easily get deboned milkfish from the super market or in the wet market, would just pay additional P10 for deboning which they do expertly for you. In KL, I saw milkfish in supermarkets but they don't sell deboned or they won't debone it for me either, so I didn't bother to buy until my friend Tess, offered me her boneless bangus. I didn't hesitate to get a couple of packs for the weekend's lunch. The first thing that came to my mind is to prepare it like my brother had taught me. It's healthier and quicker to prepare. Another alternative way of cooking without frying.



Here's how:

Prepare the fish by marinating it with soy sauce, calamansi and crushed garlic.

In a pan over high heat, spread a lot of rock salt enough to cover the base of the pan. The salt adds heat, while preventing the fish from sticking into the pan. The fish is literally cooked by its own steam from its moisture. You can tell when its done when the fish has turned completely pale and the skin is slightly burnt.



Place the fish skin side down over a bed of salt. Cover the pan and cook on high heat for about 10-15 minutes without opening. You will hear some popping sound, but that's the way it should be.

Serve it with rice and soy sauce with calamansi or lime.

The skin should look like slightly burned like the picture below.

Curried Seafood Pasta

Curried Seafood Pasta

Once in a while me and hubby crave for spicy and aromatic foods that reminds us of our days in India. Yes, we had lived there for 6 months. Before we had our apartment we lived in a hotel for a month with inclusive of dinner buffet. We were both not new to Indian food since we had also both lived in U.A.E. where Indian restaurants are just everywhere, but to some point, when we were in India, having all Indian food every night at the buffet table with the entire spicy aroma around the dining hall it lingers to your shirt and even to the room. At the end of the day, you smell spicy as well. Lols

I think we both have explorative palates, we try some of the dishes that are unfamiliar to us, knowing that it is served the buffet gives us confidence that the food is safe. So we did tried several foods that are new to our senses, new to our eyes and nose and the stomach have no choice for that matter. Anyways, the bottom line of the adjustment in terms of food you know when it comes out the other way in the morning. When there’s no problem, it’s ok. At times it became a daring game for us who has a tougher stomach. Despite few stomach upsets, overall I love the experience.

Well, I’m truly amazed of the diversity of food that this world has to offer. Depending on where you are. The challenge is to enjoy, savor the local flavors wherever you are.

And this dish is an Indian influence to us, which we crave for from time to time. It is creamy and spicy at the same time.

Ingredients

2 large onions (Sliced)

3 cloves garlic (Diced)

200 g. squid (cut into rings)

200 g. Shrimps (shelled and deveined)

300 ml coconut milk

200 g. fish curry paste

1 tsp. chili flakes (optional)

Parsley (finely chopped)

Pasta

Salt and pepper

Procedure:

Cook pasta until al dente. While cooking the pasta, in a medium fire, sauté garlic and onions until onions become translucent. Add shrimps and squid until all the liquid has evaporated stirring from time to time. Add fish curry and chili flakes paste and continue stirring. Lastly, add coconut milk. Reduce fire and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add pasta and mix with the sauce until well absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. Lastly, add parsley just before serving. Serve while still hot.

Grilled Fish with Garlic Fried rice

Simple food is the best. Fresh fish grilled to perfection; juicy in the inside, that's how I like my fish to be. Tender and Juicy. I'm not a big fan of overcooked fish but my cousin is. He likes fish fried or grilled until almost crispy, I find it overcooked and dry and all the goodness had gone.

This is really quick, simple and straight forward dish. Preheat the pan (don't put oil in it) Season the fish with salt and pepper, oil the fish (not the pan) and straight to the preheated pan. Pan grill 5 minutes on each side. Here, I served it with GARLIC FRIED RICE, other option would be plain rice or ARROZ BRANCO.

Sweet and Sour Fish

This is nice with pineapple chunks, but I don’t have stock in my pantry, hence I just settle with what I had. Pureed carrot is added to thicken the sauce instead of cornstarch. It has that mild sweetness that balances sharpness of the vinegar and tomatoes.

Ingredients:

2 Fish Fillets (cut in cubes) any fish with flesh

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 large white onion (cut in cubes)

1 Red bell pepper/capsicum (cut in cubes)

1 yellow bell pepper/capsicum (cut in cubes)

2 large tomatoes (cut in cubes)

1 carrot (cut in florals)

1 carrot (pureed)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons vinegar

½ cup flour (for coating the fish)

1/

Salt and pepper

Oil for frying and sautéing

Procedure:

1. Slice the vegetables and puree 1 carrot using a blender or food processor.

2. Season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the fish with the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour from fish and shallow-fry them in a moderate fire until golden brown. Drain in kitchen paper towel.

3. Sauté garlic and onion in a sauce pan. Add half of the cubed tomatoes; reserve the half for the last addition so they don’t wilt.

4. When the tomatoes are wilted, add a little bit of water, vinegar, and sugar.

5. Add the bell peppers

6. Add pureed carrots. Stir well occasionally.

7. Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper

8. Add tomatoes

9. Add the fried fish and let it simmer for about 2 minutes. The consistency must be thick.

Steamed Salmon with Broccoli Puree and Baby Potatoes

Steamed Salmon with broccoli puree and baby potatoes

This is one healthy meal. I don’t like broccoli very much when its whole but the puree was a trick! I incredibly love it! It was all mild flavors that needs some contrast to cut the mildness but a few freshly ground black pepper would do for me, but for hubby he added Tabasco sauce which was also great. The baby potatoes were quite a great substitute for rice for a change.

Ingredients:

2 slices of salmon

2 bouquet of Broccoli

½ kg baby potatoes

Salt and pepper

Procedure:

Season broccoli and salmon with salt and pepper. Steam broccoli together with the salmon for 10 minutes.

While steaming the fish, boil baby potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes.

Strain the baby potatoes and cut in half. In a very hot non-stick pan, pan roast the potatoes until the sides turn dark brown. Add finely chopped parsley at the last minute.

Place the broccoli in a blender or food processor, add a little bit of water used to steam the fish and broccoli (the drippings from the fish adds flavor), blitz until fine.

Assemble the dish by placing the fish on top of the bed of green puree, alongside the baby potatoes.

Pasta (Fettucini) with Prawns

Pasta (Fettuccini) with Prawns

I love this creamy pasta served with prawns. The prawns were fried separately to keep its shape without getting soggy. However the flavors of the prawns is being infused with the sauce using the heads and shells of the prawns. This recipe may take a little of your time, but remember, good food CAN NOT BE RUSHED. Read on.

Ingredients:

½ Kg. Tiger Prawns
1 onion (diced)
1 garlic (diced)
1 egg
1 can button mushrooms (sliced)
1 small can all purpose cream
1 small can evaporated milk
Cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Fresh herbs : sweet basil, parsley, and purple basil (finely chopped)
Fettuccini pasta for 2 persons

Procedure:

Before you start cooking, it is essential that all the ingredients must be prepared and keep them on your side coz everything happens so fast and timing is essential in this recipe.

Wash the prawns, remove the head and shells but keep the end of the tail to retain its shape, slice a slit at the back and remove the vein. Set aside the cleaned prawns. Keep the shells and the heads.

Sauté onion and garlic, add the shells and the heads of the prawns. Stir fry until the juices of the heads had come out. The color must have changed from fresh grayish to red. Add milk. Bring to boil and turn the fire off. Set aside and let it cool while preparing the white sauce. This way, the flavor of the prawns has been infused well with the milk.

Prepare the white sauce:

Pass through a strainer/sift the milk mixture (with the heads and shells of the prawns). Discard the heads and shells, hence, use the milk only.

Assemble a DOUBLE BOILER; put the cream, milk and egg in a small sauce pan. Cook over a simmering water whilst stirring constantly to avoid the egg from scrambling, add the cheeses, stir until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, you still have time to cook the other ingredients. In a hot pan, add 2 T. oil. Stir-fry the shelled prawns until done or until color has changed to red orange. Remove from heat. In the same pan, with the flavor of the prawns in it, stir-fry the mushrooms until the sides turn a little bit brown.

Now, that gives you enough time for the pasta to cook. Drain the pasta, in the same pan used to cook the pasta while it is still hot, put the cheese mixture and mushrooms. Add the drained pasta and mix altogether. Lastly, add finely chopped herbs. Toss altogether. Serve with the prawns on top of the pasta and serve immediately.

I suggest serving it with a good white wine.

Pan-fried fish with oatmeal

An easy nutritious meal indeed! Been trying to incorporate some fibers in our diet and this just popped out in my mind. I’ve tried making this before but I used batter to coat the fish with oatmeal. This time, its just plain oatmeal and very little flour.

For the mashed potatoes, I used to make it creamy and yummy by adding a knob of butter while it’s still hot and a little hot milk to make it soft and fluffy, but this time, I made it simpler, just to cut some fat. It was still great and I’m pretty satisfied with it.

Ingredients:

2 slices of Fish

4 Tbsp. Oats

Salt & Pepper

Oil to pan fry

Procedure:

Wash slices of fish and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Season the fish with salt and pepper and coat with whole grain oats. In a heated pad, add about 2 Tablespoons of oil, pan-fry for about 2-3 minutes each side over medium heat until golden brown. Do not over cook, otherwise the fish will be dry inside.

Mash Potatoes:

Peel Potatoes and slice into quarts, boil in salted water until done. Mash with a potato masher or fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in a bed of mashed potatoes.

Seafood Fettuccini

I don’t usually measure my ingredients when I’m cooking something like this, so I had roughly a little of everything of the following:

Ingredients:

Shrimps

Mussels

Oyster

Squid

Smoked salmon

Garlic

Onion

1 can all purpose cream

1 glass of white wine

Oil for stir frying

Salt & pepper

Home-made fresh fettuccini

Procedure:

While making the sauce, boil water and salt in a large casserole for the pasta.

Make the sauce:

Sauté garlic and onion, add shrimps, mussels, oyster and squid; stir-fry for a little while after each addition; add wine, and let the alcohol evaporate until the seafoods are done, add cream and lastly add the salmon. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes until al dente, drain in a colander; mix the pasta with the sauce; add parmesan cheese and serve.

Champagne was ready! Happy New Year 2008!

Spicy Squidrings with eggnoodles

Spicy Squidrings with eggnoodles

What I had:
For squidrings:
Frozen squidrings
3 tablespoons chili powder
¾ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
Oil for frying

For egg noodles:
1 pack egg noodles
½ liter water
1 carrot
1 red capsicum (bell pepper)
1 yellow capsicum
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 pc. Onion (thinly sliced)
Salt & pepper

Procedure:

To cook eggnoodles:
Bring to boil ½ liter of water, add eggnoodles until al-dente. Wash with cold water, (this is to get rid of excess starch and prevent them from sticking together) drain and set aside.
Sauté garlic and onion, add sliced capsicums and carrot. Add the eggnoodles and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes more.

To cook the squidrings:
Thaw squid rings completely and drain. Set aside.
Mix chili powder, flour and salt. Coat the squid rings with the flour mixture and shake off excess flour by using a sifter or colander.
Deep fry until golden and serve with the eggnoodles.

Spicy Prawns

Spicy prawns

What I had:
Frozen Prawns (deveined and shelled)
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons chili flakes
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Thaw the prawns completely, wash and set aside.
Crush garlic with mortar and pestle to make a paste and add a little salt. Set aside.
Grease a pan with oil and heat. Add shrimps and cook until done or until shrimps turn dark orange. Remove shrimps from pan. Using the same pan, add butter, garlic paste and chili flakes. Add the prawns and continue cooking until all the ingredients are well mixed and prawns have absorbed all the flavors. Serve on top of a bowl of plain rice.

Fish 'n Eggplant wrap

Fish 'n Eggplant wrap

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

1 large Eggplant

6 slices of fish fillet (skinned)

parsley

Salt & pepper to taste Carrots Bell Pepper How to: Slice eggplant lengthwise into thin long slices. Brush with butter unto the surface of the eggplant. In a very hot grill pan or flat pan, pan roast the eggplant until soft and sides turn slightly brown. (with a grilled pan, a horizontal marking can easily be seen as shown in the picture) The eggplant must be soft at this stage. Season with more salt & pepper to taste.Set aside. Season fish with salt & pepper, drizzle with olive oil and place in a very hot pan. Pan-fry the fish until slightly brown and turn over the other side. Remove from pan and set aside. With the roasted eggplant, wrap the fish tightly and tuck the end with toothpick at the end of one side. Bake for 5 – 10 minutes more to enhance flavor. Pan roast slices of carrots and bell peppers to garnish.

Inon - Onan

Inon-unang Isda

Ingredients:

6 pcs. Fish (any kind of fish will do, less bony the better)

½ Cup oil

¼ Cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. Oyster sauce

2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

bay leaves
salt to taste

How to:

Clean fishes, free of gills and intestines, season with salt, set aside. In a sauce pan, arrange bay leaves at the bottom, add onion and garlic. Add fish by arranging them on top of the spices, add oil, lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Bring to boil and continue cooking with low-medium fire for 20 minutes, add oyster sauce and continue cooking for 5 minutes more. Serve with garlic rice or plain rice. Tip : Avoid using water to keep the flesh of the fish firm and full of flavor. You may be tempted to add water if you wish but do it after the fish is done.

This kind of inon-onan smells less fishy than the traditional inon-onan cooked with vinegar & spices. I lessened the amount of vinegar and used a lot more of lemon juice, so to improve the aroma. The sauce is thicker than usual and its one of my favorite fish preparations.

Grilled Mussels with Apricot Sauce

Grilled mussels with apricot sauce

Ingredients:

12 Large Mussels

1 Teaspoon olive oil

Apricot sauce

Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

Apricot sauce:

8 Pieces Dried Apricot (cut in half)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Teaspoons Syrup

1 White Onion (sliced thinly)

1 Teaspoon Chili sauce

1 ½ Cup Water

1 Piece mussel

Preparation:

Prepare the mussels by steaming until they open up and take out the meats. Set aside.

To make apricot sauce:

In sauce pan, mix all ingredients and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and pass through a fine sift. Take out the mussel and apricots then return back to the sauce. Blitz in a blender until the mussel and apricot are fine. Pass through a fine sift again to get rid of solids. Set aside.

Meanwhile, coat the mussels thoroughly with olive oil by tossing 2 ingredients together. Lay the mussels flat and cook in a very hot heavy-based pan or grill 2 minutes each side.Arrange mussels and garnish with finely chopped parsley around the sauce. Place 1 dried apricot at the center. Sprinkle mussels with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper.

Fresh Oysters

Oysters with redwine vinegar

This was the freshest oyster I had in Paris, still alive on ice! A'm not really used to eating fresh Oyster, we used to cook or bake them in Philippines but I didnt know that some other places eat them alive! It was great. Its just that it seems am quite hurt seeing the flesh shrink a little bit, the moment the redwine vinegar or lemon touches the flesh, means oyster is alive. Sswooooooop! it was great! Can I have some more please? What can I say? people are sometimes unkind to other creatures heh?