Fish

Beer Steamer Clam Linguini

14.07.2016 4 Comments

15 Minute Dinner: Beer Steamer Clam Linguini

I’m on a layover in Salt Lake right now, in an airport bar resisting the urge to hair-of-the-dog my way out of sleep deprivation and a small sprinkling of a hangover. I’m going to tell you something that will make you think I’m crazy, but I already rolled that dice when I told about the time I decided to be a vacuum salesman and that time I assaulted a waiter in Spain: I like layovers. I like the energy, this mix of people, the contentment of knowing there isn’t a lot expected of me at this moment, the brief pause in a day otherwise filled with travel, the calm before I get back home and jump back into my life. I look at the faces of the other travelers and wonder if we’d have been friends if we’d ever really met. I wonder if we’ve ever been in the same place before this, or if we ever will again.

I made a decision two years ago—in the midst of the biggest personal crisis of my life— to figure out how to enjoy my time instead of "kill time". The last thing I need to do is go around killin' the moments of my life that don’t please me as much as I’d hoped, and then later complain when it goes by too fast. Maybe all moments aren’t amazing, or even traditionally enjoyable, but as my theory goes: if you can figure out how to enjoy a layover then just maybe those great moments will be even better. Maybe not. But at least I’m not just going' around killing off moments in the prime of my life.

Beer Steamer Clam Linguini

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Total Time 15

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

¼ cup 56g unsalted butter
1 shallot chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon 1g crushed red pepper
1 cup 80z wheat beer
1 lbs clams Little Neck or Manila
1 lbs linguini pasta
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan with a lid.
Add the shallots, cooking until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the red pepper.
Stir in the beer, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the clams, cover and cook until most of the clams have opened, about 6 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened.
If using dried pasta, cook until just before al dente, about 6 minutes. Add to the clam pan, stirring until combined, cover and cook until cooked through.
If using fresh pasta, add the pasta directly into the clam pan without par cooking, cover and cook until pasta is cooked, about 4 minutes.
Plate the pasta, sprinkle with parsley.

Sriracha Chip Crab Cakes with Spicy IPA Hollandaise

06.07.2016 3 Comments

Sriracha Chip Crab Cakes with Spicy IPA Hollandaise

We like craft beer because we like things that are way better. Ingredients matter to us, so does flavor. We’ve decided to step away from the mass produced in favor of what’s a little left of center, a little less common, and a little more interesting. That’s why we’ve ended up with craft beer in our pint glasses. That’s why we will drive across town to our favorite bottle shop that always has the best stuff because it’s worth the effort.

This, of course, spills over into other aspects of our life. We started to evaluate other things we consume, and snacks were on the top of the list. Food and beer just naturally go together, and if we’re going to eat something along with the beer we drove 45 minutes to get, we want it to be able to keep up.

I threw an artisan pizza party a few weeks ago with a chip and beer pairing appetizer. I picked Way Better Snacks chips and asked my guest to choose which beer paired best with each chip. Here were the winners, in no particular order:

Sweet potato + Belgian Dubbel
Nacho + Stout
Sweet Chili + Saison
Multigrain + Brown Ale
Spicy Sriracha + IPA

I had two stand-out favorites: Sweet Chili + Saison, and Spicy Sriracha + IPA. I, of course, had to take this one step further by creating a recipe that also celebrated this pairing. A recipe that I already have plans to make again with the last bag of Way Better Snacks Spicy Sriracha Tortilla chips. That is if I can resist just eating the bag of chips and drinking the beer before I’m able to go the store for more crab.

Sriracha Chip Crab Cakes with Spicy IPA Hollandaise

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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

4 wt oz Way Better Snacks Spicy Sriracha tortilla chips
1 egg
2 tablespoon green onions chopped
1/4 cup red pepper chopped
8 oz lump crab meat
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch cayenne
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the Hollandaise:
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons IPA beer
2 tablespoons melted butter clarified
1 teaspoon sriracha
½ teaspoon lemon juice
pinch salt

Instructions

Add the chips to a food processor and process until just crumbs remain, you should have 1 cup of crumbs.
Add half of the crumbs (1/2 cup) to a bowl along with the remaining crab cake ingredients (except the butter), mix to combine. Form into 4 patties, about 1 inch thick. Place remaining chip crumbs in a bowl.
One at a time, place the patties in the Panko and press until well coated on all sides with chip crumbs.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the crab cakes on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
In the top of a double boiler (off heat) whisk together the egg yolks, and beer vigorously until frothy and doubled in volume. Add the double boiler to heat until the water is gently simmering, whisking until the egg yolks start to thicken. Slowly add the butter while whisking continuously until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the sriracha, lemon juice and salt.
Plate the crab cakes, drizzle with sauce, serve immediately.

This post was sponsored by Way Better Snacks. Partnerships with The Beeroness and outside companies are rare and only occur when the company’s ideas, quality, and standards meet mine. All ideas and opinions are my own.

Bacon Beer Shrimp with Beer Cheese Grits

03.03.2016 2 Comments

Bacon Beer Shrimp with Beer Cheese Grits

Every few months I find myself here.

In a brewery, doing my best to learn how to turn what some see as an ugly industrial space with bad lighting into beautiful photos. Mostly, I’m a self-taught photographer. I took classes, read books, watched a decades worth of YouTube videos, sat in online workshops, and even joined an online photo mentorship group. But I always feel behind, always feel like I’m not quite there.

I’ve often wondered if I’ll ever be where I want, if "arriving" in a creative sense even exists. I’ve worried that I’ll never be able to give people the images I want to shoot. But I’ve never once thought about giving up. Not once.

It’s easy to get pulled into the undertow of comparison. It’s easy to see more clearly how far we have to go rather than the long road we’ve already traveled. In those moments I tell myself, "Keep your head down and keep going." It works. It moves me forward. I get closer all the time to the place I want to be.

At the end of the day, that’s all we have. We have the ability to move forward, to drive closer to the life we want and the people we want to be. Perfection is a dangerous myth that robs us of contentment. Let’s just be able to sit here, in the gratitude that we are moving forward.

Let’s take a few minutes each week, grab a beer, grab some food, and just be content. Harder than it sounds, but we can do. Even if we need a few beers first.

Bacon Beer Shrimp with Beer Cheese Grits

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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the grits:

12 ounces wheat beer
2 cups water plus additional
1 cup yellow grits not instant
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

For the shrimp:

4 strips thick cut bacon chopped
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 lbs raw shrimp peeled and deveined
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili powder
¼ cup wheat beer
2 tbs chopped chives

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat add the beer and 2 cups of warm water. Bring to a simmer and slowly add the grits. Cook over a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and tender. Add water ¼ cup at a time when the grits begin to dry out.
Once the grits are cooked stir in the cheddar, butter, cream, salt and pepper.
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat (don’t turn the heat too high, medium heat will render more fat than high heat) until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon, set aside. Pour off all the bacon fat except about 1 tablespoon. Return pan to heat, melt the butter in the skillet.
Add the shrimp and spices, toss to coat. Pour in the beer, cooking until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Add the grits to serving bowls, top with shrimp, bacon and chives.

Coconut Pale Ale Curry Cod

26.02.2016 9 Comments

This, in one form or another, is my go-to dinner. It’s a pantry recipe and one of the main reasons I always have coconut milk on hand. I’ve made it with every imaginable protein, and even mushrooms when I’m the mood to only consume plants. I’ve replaced the chard with spinach, arugula, basil and even cilantro and it holds up. It’s reliable and filling. It’s a way to make dinner when I don’t have the energy to think. I can double the shallots or the curry paste and it still gives me what I want. I can add tomatoes or jalapeños and I still love it. I can make a triple batch and have it for next three days and It’s still a favorite.

Sometimes, in the midst of trying to give you a recipe that will be clink-inducing-share-worthy I forget that you also need the solid standby recipes that won’t let you down. The culinary equivalent of the faded Levis that you’ve been wearing since high school and that friend that always drives you to the airport even if it’s 5 am. So here it is, my faded-Levis-airport-guy recipe.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Coconut Pale Ale Curry Cod

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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
1 shallot chopped (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup pale ale
1 15 wt oz can coconut milk (full fat)
1 tsp red curry paste
1 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Thai green chile chopped (optional)
1 to 2 lbs black cod cut into 4 fillets
1 cups Swiss chard rough chopped
rice for serving

Instructions

In a large, deep skillet with a lid heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots,
cooking until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stir in the beer.
Add coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, salt, pepper, and chile (if using) simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
Add the Cod fillets into the pan, reduce heat to low, cover tightly with a lid and simmer until
cooked through and fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chard until wilted, about 1 minute.
Serve in bowls over rice.

Coconut Beer Steamer Clam Chowder

14.10.2015 2 Comments

Coconut Beer Steamer Clam Chowder

I remember the walls were dirty. Before he tried to push the glass table through my torso, I could only focus on the stains spread like a grease constellation across the Navajo White walls of the government subsidized apartment I was trapped in. His mom’s girlfriend wrapped her dark, sinewy arms around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Their tandem screams, dulled by the shock that had numbed my brain, tumbled together like puppies rolling down a hill…

I have these narratives rolling around inside me, fighting to get to the surface. They wake me up at night. Sentences form out of nowhere that take me back to a forgotten time and place.

Mostly, it’s repressed memories from my days in Hollywood, and the times I worked with gang members in South Central Los Angeles. It’s parts, mostly, of experiences I can’t remember entirely. Feelings searching for words. But the thing is, experiences are made up of an amalgamation of your senses. It’s a big ball of touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. Words don’t fit well in that sensation cocktail. Even when the words leave me, I know they are so small, so inadequate. But it’s all I have. It has me, more than I have it. I’ll never claim that editing and technical writing is my calling in life, it’s always been a struggle. But creative expressions via words and images has sucked me into it’s undertow.

So, please. Give me a pass when the verbs and tenses don’t stand in a perfect line, and typos come en masse. I’m trying to turn feelings into words, and there is only one part of that I can do at a time.

Coconut Beer Steamer Clam Chowder

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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

4 wt oz 114g pancetta, diced
1 large 43g shallot, diced
1 large 110g carrot, diced
3 tbs 22g flour
1 cup 236g wheat beer
1 ½ cup 360 mL chicken broth
13.5 fl oz 400 mL coconut milk
½ tsp 4g salt
½ tsp 1.3g black pepper
½ tsp 1.3g garlic powder
½ tsp 1.3g smoked paprika
3 medium sized 300g red potatoes, diced
1 lbs manila clams
2 cups 44g sliced Swiss chard (or spinach)

Instructions

Add the pancetta to a large pot or Dutch oven (add pancetta to a cold pan, it will render better than if you add it to a hot pan). Cook over medium high heat until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon.
Pour off about half of the fat in the pot, leaving about 2 tablespoons.
Return to medium heat, add the shallots and carrots, cooking until very soft and slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes (if the pan dries too much, add a bit of olive oil).
Sprinkle flour on top, whisking until the flour turns slightly brown.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the broth, coconut milk, potatoes, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika and red potatoes. Simmer until slightly thickened and potatoes have softened, about 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add the clams and chard, cover and allow to cook for 6 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened. Serve immediately.

Grilled Chili Lime Beer Shrimp

22.07.2015 4 Comments

I was at a brewery in Southern California early last year and a brewer handed me a small cup of warm wort to sample from a batch he was in the middle of brewing. "What is it?" I asked. He shrugged.

"It was a bunch of leftover bits from bags and batches. I just decided to brew something with it. Maybe a Hoppy Brown Porter? or…an India Chocolate Ale..with… Never mind. I have no idea."

Unlike wine, which is often labeled for the grapes that produced it, beer is hard to name. Sure, there are certain designations that make it easy to classify some brews, but there is plenty of beer that doesn’t fit any category. This isn’t a problem as much as it’s an opportunity. It’s evidence that beer is evolving at a pace so rapid, categories have a hard time keeping up.

In 1987 the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) had just 12 categories in which to award medals. In 2015, there was 92, many with subcategories. It’s a spectacular example of the evolution of beer.

For this recipe, I used a beer with a designation that’s only been recognized for the past handful of years: the Black IPA. Also called a Cascading Dark Ale or American Black Ale, it’s a hybrid of different styles. It has the looks of a porter with the spirit of an IPA. It has a bit of the roasty characters of a darker beer, but tastes light and hoppy like an IPA. Should you try it? Absolutely. Will you love it? Who knows, but at least you’ll have tried it. That’s part of the adventure of beer.

A few to try:

Bear Republic // Black Racer

Deschutes // Hop in the Dark

21st Amendment // Back in Black

Southern Tier // Iniquity

Founders Inspired // Artist Black IPA

Grilled Chili Lime Beer Shrimp

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Ingredients

¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp honey
½ tsp fresh garlic grated with a microplane
2 tbs fresh lime juice
½ cup beer black IPA, or hoppy red ale will work great
1 lbs raw shrimp
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

In small bowl add the cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, chili, garlic powder, honey, garlic, lime juice and beer.
Add the shrimp to a large re-sealable plastic bag, pour the marinade over the shrimp. Chill and allow to marinate for 1 hour and up to 24.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Skewer the shrimp on metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, don’t over cook.
Sprinkle with cilantro.

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

24.04.2015 11 Comments

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

"What’s your favorite beer?"

It’s a question get asked all the time. The problem is, it’s a trap. There is no right answer. If I talk about well-distributed beers I love, "Black Butte Porter is a great beer," or "Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is one of my favorite brown ales," I’ve disappointed people looking for insider knowledge.

If I talk about the whales (hard to find beers), "Pliny is a great beer, but so is Heady Topper," people see me as a snob who’s just following the craft beer sheep pack. If I mention a beer they have never heard of, "Wow, Blitz Pack from Huminstat Brewing is amazing," they have no frame of reference, maybe it’s a terrible beer, or maybe I just made it up (I did).

The real issue is that I don’t have an answer, and it’s mostly a bullshit question. I don’t have a favorite food either, it changes with my mood and what I feel like eating that day. My favorite beer does the same, and I like beer that lives in harmony with the food on my plate.

When I go to a beer bar I ask the bartender what he drinks, or if there is anything exciting on tap right now. Anything special release? Anything new? There are days when I just want a stout, and during hop harvest season I want to drink all the fresh hopped beers I can find.

If I go to a brewery that specializes in a specific style, give me one of those. Maybe it’s because I’m not picky, I’m a very go-with-the-flow person. Or maybe I just believe in adventure over comfort. Or maybe I just love all the beer.

So the answer to the question, "What’s your favorite beer?" is most likely, "Whatever you want to serve me."

Because you buy the beer, and I’ll make the food. I’ll drink what you bring, and you’ll eat what I make.

Deal?

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

½ cup stout or porter beer
½ cup honey
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp red chili sauce such as sriracha
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 lbs raw shrimp shell and vein removed
salt
2 tbs chopped green onions or chives

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium high.
In a large pot over high heat add the beer, honey, vinegar, chili sauce, garlic powder, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, boil until bubbles have mostly subsided and turned glossy and the mixture has thickened, about ten minutes.
Thread the shrimp onto metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers, sprinkle with salt, brush with glaze.
Cook on the grill until cooked through and glaze has slightly caramelized, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with chopped green onions prior to serving.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole

06.03.2015 2 Comments

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole

The first time I had fish tacos I was somewhere off the coast of Mexico. I was 17, sunburned and a little confused. After a few crumbled pesos changed hands I was hastily pushed onto a boat, clung to an orange vest for about twenty minutes and gratefully exited the floating death trap onto the beach of what looked like an uninhabited country.

A small woman with sun-leathered featured stood watch near a metal grate set over a hole in the ground. From the beach I could see the flames jumping up to lick the shrimp she was tending. I didn’t say a word, hunger pushing towards the wooden bench in the designated eating area. The other castaways that had ended up on the boat with me followed suit.

The "tour" guide shoved a Corona into one of my hands, not bothering to inquire if I wanted it, and motioned to a bowl of pickled radishes and carrots on the table. A few minutes later a wooden plated piled high with grilled shrimp was set in the middle of the rickety plastic table, along with a stack of homemade corn tortillas, a bowl of diced onions, a bit of cilantro and modified ketchup bottled that had been reused as a homemade hot sauce dispenser.

I didn’t care that the health department in the US would have had a heart attack looking at this place, I didn’t care that there was clearly no running water, gloves or hand washing options. I didn’t care that I had no idea where the shrimp came from. I was starving.

I chugged my sub-par beer, and ate my weight in beer battered fish tacos.. They were amazing. The hot sauce was the best I’ve ever had, and the tortillas were perfect. Since then, I want my tacos simple. Homemade tortillas, some diced onions, maybe some hot sauce or guacamole. No lettuce. No cheese. No sour cream. No ground beef.

But I’ll put pomegranate on anything and beer, beer is always a must.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the tortillas:

2 cup masa harina corn flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup room temperature beer

For the Guacamole:

2 large avocados
juice from one lime
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup cilantro chopped (plus additional for tacos)
¼ cup red onion chopped (plus additional for tacos)

For the fish:

1 cup flour
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
1 cup pale ale
Oil for frying
1 pound cod cut into 3 inch strips

Instructions

Make the tortillas:

In a large bowl, add the masa and the salt, stir to combine.
Add the beer and oil, stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa. (It should be the consistency of soft Play-Doh)
Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls.
Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center.
Press, rotate and press again until thin.
Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles).
Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.

Make the guacamole:

Add the flesh of the avocado, lime juice, garlic powder, chili powder and salt to a bowl, smash until well combined. Stir in the pomegranate seeds, cilantro and red onions.

Make the fish:

In a medium bowl add the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, add the egg and beer. Stir with a fork until just combined.
Heat about 2 to 3inches of oil in a pot over medium high heat. Bring to 350 degrees using a deep fry thermometer, adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
One at a time dip the fish strips into the batter until well coated. Add to the oil, fry until golden brown on all sides.
Fill the tortillas with fish, guacamole and sprinkle with onions and cilantro.

Beer Crab Cake Balls

21.01.2015 6 Comments

Beer Crab Cake Balls, incredibly delicious and adictive. Perfect for game day!

We can’t over think this one. We wont.

Because if we did we would think about deep-frying, get nervous about it, wonder if people actually like crab and deep fried things as much as we do, worry about the friend who pretends to be gluten free and the guy who’s a vegetarian. And then we’d miss out on the best appetizer we’ve ever made for a football party. And that would be horrible. An actual real life First World tragedy.

Because this needs to be made for the Super Bowl. It’s crab, which can be proudly claimed with strong possession by both Seattle and New England. And so can great beer. And apparently great football teams. And amazing women (Just trust me). It’s a dish that doesn’t take sides, but it knows who’s going to win. It’s the city with the best beer. And the best women. Obviously.

Beer Crab Cake Balls

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Servings 12 to 16

Ingredients

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
½ cup flour
1 ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
½ tsp baking powder
pinch cayenne
½ cup pale ale
¼ cup green onion chopped
1 large egg + one yolk
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoon brown mustard
2 tsp hot sauce such as tapatio
1 pound lump crab meat drained well
peanut or canola oil for frying

Instructions

Stir together the panko, flour, old bay, baking powder and cayenne in a large bowl.
Add the beer, green onions, eggs and yolk, sour cream, mustard, and hot sauce, stir until combined.
Gently fold in crab meat.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Prepare the oil by adding about 3 inches of oil to a pot over high heat. Add a deep fry thermometer to the side, adjusting heat to keep oil at 350 degrees.
Using a cookie scoop, roll batter into balls about the size of golf balls.
Deep fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet until drained, about 1 minute.

Garlic Beer Butter Cod with Pale Ale Romesco

12.01.2015 9 Comments

Garlic Beer Butter Cod with Pale Ale Romesco. So easy and SO good. The Romesco is insanely amazing.

Cod needs to be made with butter. It needs the beautiful richness to pull itself up through the firm flesh of this gorgeous fish and have it’s way with the flavors. Cod needs to be seduced by the warm golden pool that’s melted beneath it. Cod’s underrated, overlooked as people reach past these thick white filets to grab a brilliantly pink salmon. The texture is just as good and the flavor is better, it’s more accessible, it makes you want another helping, even when you’ve finished the entire pan. A flavor mellow enough to tease you into begging for more, but strong enough to stand up to a bold romesco. Romesco is the touch that runs the perfect line between rough and gentle. It’s bold, warms, spicy, delicious and demands to be remembered in an effortless-cool sort of way. These two make the perfect partners, add in a beer and some good company and you never know where the night will take you.

Garlic Beer Butter Cod with Pale Ale Romesco

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Ingredients

Romesco Sauce:

2/3 cup 2.8 wt oz sliced almonds
1 large bell pepper roasted (from a jar is fine)
1 cloves garlic smashed
6 wt oz tomato puree
2 tbs chopped Italian parsley
3 tbs pale ale
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

For the Cod:

4 cod filets
salt and pepper
6 tbs unsalted butter
5 cloves garlic smashed
2 tbs pale ale

Instructions

Put the almonds in a pan over medium high heat. Pull the pan back and forth across the burner to toss the almonds until the almonds have lightly toasted, about 3 minutes (keep a close eye, they burn quickly).
Add the almonds, red pepper, garlic, tomato puree, parsley, beer, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika salt and pepper to a food processor. Process for about one minute, then slowly add the olive oil until well combined.
Dry the cod well then salt and pepper on each side.
Heat the butter over medium heat until melted, add the garlic and beer, stirring until slightly reduced and thickened (about 5 minutes) making sure to the heat isn’t too high or the garlic will burn.
Add the cod, cooking on each side until cod is cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Plate the fish with some of the beer butter drizzled around the fish.
Top each filet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of Romesco sauce.

Puff Pastry Shrimp Beer Cheese Sweet Chili Bites & Why I Hate Santa

17.12.2014 6 Comments

Puff Pastry Shrimp Beer Cheese Sweet Chili Bites. Only 10 minutes prep!

Right out of college I got a job working with gang kids in South Central Los Angeles, like this one and this one. I was prepared to be afraid of them, bracing myself to be on the defense, even packing pepper spray in my purse. I wasn’t prepared to fall in love with them. I worked with kids as young as 5, and as old as 19, all either on probation or in foster care, sometimes both. To this day, some of the kids I met during that time are the smartest, most kind hearted, motivated kids I’ve ever met.

The first year I worked at a group home in a particularly rough part of Hollywood, I tried to make a big deal out of Christmas in a very middle American ignorant white girl kind of way. Let’s decorate the tree! Let’s make Christmas cookies! When I found out that the very small budget the organization had to cover Christmas gifts wasn’t enough to get the kids more than one small gift each, I ran around getting donations. Kids need presents.

To my WASPY surprise this wasn’t well received. The kids, all boys between the ages of 12 and 17, were mostly kind about it, although visibly annoyed. I wanted to know why, what where the traditions they grew up with, what did they miss? A few days before Christmas one of the younger kid, Jamal, offered to help me wrap some of the gifts, so I asked him.

He sighed, not sure how to proceed.

"Is this another one of my white girl questions that you guys tease me about?"

He laughed, "Nah, it’s just…a lot of us don’t got good memories of Christmas. It’s not really our thing. Some kids do. But most don’t."

He told me he didn’t get presents when he was little because they either couldn’t afford them or his mom was too drunk to buy any. For years he figured that it was because he was bad, that’s the story right? Santa brings presents to good kids, bad kids don’t get any. He also told me a story about waking up on Christmas morning when he was 5, spending it alone because his mom was on a bender. He sat in his living room hoping that Santa wasn’t real. Santa’s lack of existence was comforting, rather than the idea that he was alone and present-less because he was bad. It hit me how terrible the Santa story is for kids that don’t get gifts. My world opened up a bit that day, being taught life lessons by a 12-year-old will do that to you. I’ll never forget his face, so matter of fact, not the tears or grief you’d expect.

I can’t remember what I got for Christmas that year. In fact, I’d be hard pressed to name a dozen gifts I’ve been given over the years. But I’ll never forget Jamal and I hope he never has to spend Christmas alone again.

Puff Pastry Shrimp Beer Cheese Sweet Chili Bites

Print Recipe

Ingredients

8 wt oz cream cheese
2 tbs cornstarch
¼ cup pale ale
½ cup mozzarella shredded
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1 sheet puff pastry thawed
16 jump shrimp raw, de-veined, shelled
¼ cup honey
1 tbs warm pale ale
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp red chili flake
3 tbs cilantro chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375.
In a blender or food processor add the cream cheese, cornstarch, ¼ cup pale ale, mozzarella, garlic powder, and salt. Process until well combined
Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface.
Place 1 tablespoon rounds of cheese about one inch apart for a total of 16 evenly spaced mounds of cheese mixture.
Top each mound of cheese with a raw shrimp. Cut the dough with a sharp knife between each shrimp/cheese mound.
Place the squares on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.
In a small bowl combine the honey, warm pale ale, sriracha, and chili flake.
Plate the shrimp bites, drizzle with chili sauce, sprinkle with cilantro.

Lemon Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks

07.11.2014 8 Comments

Lime Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks

Lemon Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks, just 20 minutes to a delicious and perfect dinner.

I’m always drawn to things I know nothing about, comfort zones make me a bit restless. While this can get me into a bit of trouble in my personal life, it has substantial benefits in my saucepans. Take me to a market in an unfamiliar city and I’ll immediately search for an ingredient I’ve never worked with. It was tea mixtures in Morocco, and spices in Costa Rica, and apparently in Seattle, it’s fish cheeks.

The texture is firm, a bit more like scallops than a regular fillet, the flavor a bit sweeter. It’s a cut of fish for people who don’t much care for fish. The crust is simple and the entire dish comes together in about 20 minutes. It’s Sunday Supper good on a weeknight time schedule.

Plus you get to open beer, that’s always a win.

Lemon Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks

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Ingredients

3 tbs unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup wheat beer
1 tbs lemon juice
4 large sea bass cheeks or sea bass fillets
½ tsp salt
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
In an skillet over medium high heat melt the butter. Add the garlic, stir for 30 seconds. Add the beer and lemon juice, remove from heat. Add the fish, sprinkle with salt.
Add the pan to the oven (make sure the pan is oven safe and the handle is not plastic or rubber), bake for 12 minutes.
While the fish is baking make the crust.
Add the bread crumbs, lemon zest, pepper and melted butter to a small dish, stir until well combined.
Remove the fish from the oven, turn the broiled on.
Pack the bread crumb mixture onto each of the fish until well crusted.
Place under the broiler until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Plate the fish, spooning the pan sauce onto the plate around the fish.

Porter Ginger Glazed Salmon

17.10.2014 7 Comments

Porter Ginger Glazed Salmon. 20 minutes and SO good! #salmon #recipe #quick #easy #asian

I have this bizarre ability to have strangers confess dark secrets to me without provocation. Several times, after such admissions, they’ll say, "I can’t believe I just said that," as they further expand upon the revelation. Maybe it’s something in my eyes, or maybe it’s that I have a Master’s Degree in Feelings (Psychology, whatever), or maybe it’s that I genuinely do care about people, but sometimes it’s jarring.

I was at a local market buying salmon when I start chatting with the clerk about my recent move to Seattle from Los Angeles and my love for the Dodgers that hinges on my unabashed adoration of Vin Scully. She’d lived in LA too, decades ago "I left because I had a drug problem," the 70-year-old checker declared. She gasped and waited for my reaction.

"Looks like you’ve kicked it, congratulations. Seems like it was a good move for you,"

She gave me a childlike smile, "I did some nude modeling too, but that was when I was much younger,"

"Look at you! So saucy, I bet you were quite the dish back then,"

"I WAS!" she said, with a huge grin on her face.

My transaction was complete, salmon packed in my shopping bag so I left, I didn’t want her to Next Level her admission. Although, there was part of me that wanted to invite her over for dinner and hear the rest of her stories. If I got drug problems and nude modeling in 6 minutes at the check stand, imagine what she’d admit to after a few beers.

Porter Ginger Glazed Salmon

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
¼ cup porter beer
2 tbs soy sauce
2 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
1 tbs grated ginger
1 tbs brown sugar
4 salmon fillets
1 tbs sesame seeds
3 tbs green onions

Instructions

In a medium bowl stir together the olive oil, beer, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar. Add the salmon. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Add the salmon to a baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil, pour the marinade into a saucepan.
Bring the marinade to a boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about 6 minutes.
Brush salmon with glaze, place under broiler for 2 minutes, remove from oven, re-brush with glaze and broil for two minutes, repeating this step until salmon flakes easily with fork.
Plate salmon, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

Spicy Miso Stout Udon Noodle Soup

10.09.2014 10 Comments

Spicy Miso Stout Udon Noodles Soup. Only Takes twenty minutes.

I once got beligerantly drunk at a cafe in Spain and asaulted a waiter.

That’s probably a bit of an exaggeration, unless you ask the waiter. My sister and I had been traveling south from Madrid on our way to Morocco and stopped for a few nights in Tarifa. My sister is a fantastic traveling companion, mostly because when I get a few drinks in her she giggles like she can’t speak English. She was one of the youngest attorneys in the State, passing the BAR at 22-years-old, she’s one of the smartest people I know and she turns into a school girl when she has a glass of wine, which is fantastic.

We’d ordered sangria (they’d brought us a giant pitcher to share), calamari, and a tortilla espanola. About half way through the sangria, both of us giggling so loudly we officially became "Those Damn Americans" at the back of the resturant. I was starving and it had been 45 minutes since we’d ordered and the food portion of our order hadn’t arrived, the empty stomach giving the Sangria more power than it should have had.

I stumbled through the resrutant looking for the waiter, completely unsure of how to ask about my food with my limited Spanish skills.

I finally find him by the bar, loading a tray of martinis. "ummm….¿Dónde está mi comida?"

"¿Que?"

I wasn’t sure if it was the Spanish slaughtering that he was confused by or the food order.

"Mi Comdia….Tango hambre." Which, due to the alcohol and lack of Spanish skills, turned into me telling him that I was a man, or a hamburger. This made him more confused, and it made me more frustrated. Which, any man who is trying to feed his hungry girlfriend can tell you, the combination of tired, hungry and drunk does not bring out the best qualities in an otherwise lovely girl.

"Necesito comida!"

He frowned, shoved a menu in my face "¿Qué quieres, SENORITA!?"

I should have been worried about the result of badgering the person who brings me food, but I was too hungry. A few minutes later a plate of food was literally thrown on the table, fried squid falling onto the floor. He didn’t even stop walking when he handed off the comida. Which of course made my sister and I burst out laughing, in a ridiculous display of drunk girl bi-polar emotions. The food was fantastic, and on the way back to our hotel we were chase by a couple "mal chicos" who were trying to sell us cocaine. But that’s a story for another day.

When you find yourself on the recieving end of a hangry woman who "Necesito comida!" this is the perfect soup. It’s full of flavor and warmth, and it only takes 20 minutes. Just don’t throw it at her, she’s not herself when she’s hungry.

And we apologized by leaving a giant tip, we might be unreasonable when we’re drunk and hungry, but we aren’t bad people.

Spicy Miso Stout Udon Noodle Soup

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs chopped shallots
2 wt oz shitake mushrooms
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 cup stout beer
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup yellow miso
1 tbs garlic chili sauce I use the Huy Fong version
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 lbs raw shrimp
7 wt oz Udon noodles
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped green onions
8 sheets roasted Nori chopped

Instructions

Heat the sesame oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the shallots, cook until softened, about five minutes. Add the mushrooms, cook until softened. Stir in the garlic then add the stout beer. Add the chicken broth, miso, garlic chili sauce, fish sauce and red chili flakes. Bring to a simmer.
Add the shrimp and noodles, simmer until shrimp is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro, green onions and nori.

I use this Chili Garlic Sauce, it’s fantastic, I go through about a bottle a month. (affiliate link)

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

25.07.2014 9 Comments

If you’re going to make me a salad, it better be a damn good salad. After all, you’re asking me to skip carbs and satisfying fried finger foods, I might resent you if it isn’t a really good salad.

Bacon is a good start, and so is beer. Scallops are a fan favorite as well. Let’s talk about those for a second while we’re at it. Scallops will most likely come to you via a grocery store seafood counter soaking in a milky phosphate solution (yum!) that will help keep it fresh longer as well as give it an unfortunate soapy taste and an inability to sear properly. The solution to this is beer. Well, more accurately, a brine. Soaking the scallops in a brine will flush out that unappetizing liquid and give you a great taste and a great sear. Which will help that salad taste amazing. And make people forget all about the missing french fries.

But there is beer and bacon and perfect scallops, so no one should complain. If they do, take away their beer.

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

Print Recipe

Servings 2 entree portions or 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients

12 ounces pale ale
2 tbs salt
1 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
8 jumbo scallops
salt and pepper
3 thick slices bacon
¼ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup stout beer
2 tbs brown mustard
2 tbs raw honey
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs unsalted butter
1 lbs asparagus
3 cups baby spinach leaves
2 wt oz crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the pale ale, salt, water and lemon juice.
Add the scallops, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the scallops from fridge and place on top of a stack of 4-5 paper towels. Add another layer of paper towels and allow to drain and dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper on both sides.
Cook the bacon in a pan over medium high heat until cooked through, remove from pan, chop and set aside. Add the shallots to the bacon grease, cook until shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stout beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the mustard, honey and pepper, whisking to combine. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the scallops, flat side down, and allow to cook until a dark golden brown crust forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until seared on the opposite side. Remove from pan when a slight hint of translucent pink still remains at the center, don’t over cook.
Trim asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces. Cook the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for one minute, drain and allow to dry.
Plate the spinach, top with asparagus, goat cheese, and crumbled bacon, dizzle with dressing, top with scallops.

Pineapple Habanero IPA Shrimp

30.04.2014 9 Comments

There’s a beauty and effortlessness in the collaboration of beer people. It’s an illustration of the spirit of community that exists in the world of craft beer. And indicator of how brewers are fans of each others, how the idea of competition is so so faint, it almost can’t be felt, how beer people cheer each other on and push each other forward.

Beer week, regardless of the city you’re in, has a way of brining these collaborations to the years giddy apex. This year Seattle beer weeks collaboration may be the largest yet. Six different breweries, Black Raven, Pike Brewing, Naked City, Georgetown, Schooner Exact, and Elysian brewing, all came together to brew one beer. A great session IPA that has a beautifully well balanced hop flavor that’s insanely drinkable.

Lucky for beer people, as well as those just looking to explore hopped up liquors, Beer Weeks are popping up all over the country. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, check out Seattle Beer Week May 8-18th. If you aren’t make sure to check out the beer week in your area and support local brewers, local beer and local economy, with the added benefit of a day full of great beer in your pint glass.

Pineapple Habanero IPA Shrimp

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
½ lbs raw shrimp peeled and deveined
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ cup white onions diced
1 red pepper diced (stem and seeds removed)
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 habanero peppers chopped, stem and seeds removed
2/3 cup plus 2 tbs IPA beer, divided
1 tbs honey
3 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs green onions chopped
Rice for serving

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the shrimp all over with salt and pepper. Add to the pan, cook until pink on all sides, remove from pan, set aside.
Add the onions and red pepper, cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 8 minutes.
Add the pineapple, pepper, 2/3 cup beer, honey, vinegar, and cornstarch, cook over a low simmer until pineapple has broken down and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Add the shrimp back in as well as the remaining 2 tablespoons beer, stir until combined, remove from heat. Serve over rice, sprinkle with green onions prior to serving.

Spicy Beer Shrimp with Smokey Creamy Saison Polenta and Lime Crema

04.04.2014 14 Comments

I’m still in shock.

A few days ago I was given word that I’m a finalist for a Saveur award for BEST Original Recipes. Best on the entire internet and in the entire world. Out of the millions of food blogs out there and out of the 30,000 they considered, they chose The Beeroness as one of the six best.

I’d love to tell you that I feel justified, or vindicated. But really, I feel humbled. I feel honored. I even feel a little overwhelmed.

I want you to like what I’m doing. I want you to make my recipes for your family, I want them to become your recipes, for these recipes to be a great excuse to explore craft beer. But I never really needed it to be more than that, more than just me and you making some beer food and sharing it over a few pints.

And the Saveur goes and makes me want this too. I want to win it, for us, for the love of beer food.

So take a second and vote for The Beeroness for the Best Original Recipes.

Because beer food really is the best.

Spicy Beer Shrimp with Smokey Creamy Saison Polenta and Lime Crema

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Ingredients

For the Polenta:

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup Saison beer
1 cup dry polenta corn grits
3 tbs butter
3 wt oz smoked gouda shredded
Salt and pepper

For the Shrimp:

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp red chili flake
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp salt
1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
2 tbs butter
3 clives garlic minced
½ cup saison beer

For the Crema:

½ cup Mexican crema
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 avocado sliced

Instructions

Heat the chicken broth, water and beer in a pot over medium heat. Add the polenta and cook over a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until creamy. About 30 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese, add salt and pepper to taste.
While the polenta is cooking, make the shrimp.
In a small bowl stir together the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red chili flavors, smoked paprika and salt, set aside.
Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the beer.
Add the shrimp, sprinkle with seasonings.
Cook the shrimp until pink, remove from heat.
In a small bowl stir together the crema and lime.
Plate the polenta, top with shrimp and avocado slices, drizzle with crema.

I use Bob’s Red Mill Polenta (affiliate link), it’s non-GMO, organic, very consistent and really high quality.

Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Lime Crema

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There are a few things you don’t realize you’re giving up when you leave LA. You know you’ll miss the weather, the sunny winter days spent sunbathing on the beach, the fact that every band always has a tour stop in your town, and the unlimited Girls Night Out options.