Shellfish snap: one man one pan
16 March 2006If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I love shellfish. My wife is allergic to them. “Excellent! More for me!” The Irish devil leprechaun that sits on my left shoulder says. (Think of a miniaturized Kirk Karwoski in little green outfit drinking a pint, smoking a pipe and giving eternal bad advice) “That’s wrong! Be share-full!” The calm and measured leprechaun that sits on the right shoulder says. (Think of the leprechaun King in Darby O’Gill and the Little People) Poor Stacy is truly missing out on one of the finest culinary delights this world has to offer. On a related note – were you aware that before Santa Claus employed elves as his North Pole assistants he’d actually hired a squad of leprechauns but that they all had to be let go due to excessive drinking, non-stop partying, tardiness and unexcused absenteeism? Sounds like a family reunion of my relatives. Anyway shellfish were born for a sauté skillet: shrimp and scallops most particularly. The cornerstone of the Purposefully Primitive Performance Eating philosophy is based on the enthusiastic consumption of lean protein and fibrous carbohydrates. The most expeditious way to prepare PP meals is fast and the fastest way to make a quick meal is to prepare the both protein and fiber in a single skillet one after the other or together. So let us proceed. Per usual we use our deep 12-inch skillet and we cook over high heat. Always have a wooden or plastic spoon handy as metal implements scrape the Teflon off the no-stick surface. This entire protein fiber meal can be bought to fruition in under 15-minutes. Each meal we share is subject to improvisation and variation and all our ‘one pan’ meals can be modified according to taste.
For example Todd “The Natural” Barkdoll eats everything and his training partner Todd II, is extremely picky. Whereas Todd B would include everything, Todd II doesn’t like onions or peppers but likes carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and spinach. So Todd II could jettison the stuff he dislikes and heavy up and double up on what he likes. Ditto the lean protein: hate shrimp? Make this a scallop or a white fish only dish. The point being heavy up on the fiber carbs or lean protein source you like and eliminate those that you abhor – but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and say, “Oh that dish has onions in it and I hate onions so this dish is not for me!” Point in fact: you could sauté the shellfish and perhaps have only asparagus as the fiber component…or spinach…pick one, pick two, pick six fibers…it’s your call. As long as you have a fiber and a lean protein component you’re complying and benefiting. I like the Full Monty as the blended assemblage of fibers and the multiple proteins produces a veritable taste and nutritional bonanza. When completed this amazing mixture provides a veritable arsenal of nutrients and none of them can end up compartmentalized as body fat. (Well perhaps some of the calories derived from the three optional bacon slices) Again, the cornerstone of the PP Performance Eating philosophy could be encapsulated as “eat hardy and eat often those things which are impossible for the body to convert into fat.” You could eat this meal five times a day and end up ripped and shredded, carrying a less than 10% body fat percentile.
Fibrous ingredients (use one two or all)
Bell peppers
Sliced mushrooms
Broccoli flowerets
Asparagus
Carrots
Celery
Red or Vidalia onion
Garlic
Jalapeño pepper
Spinach
Lean protein (use one two or all)
Shrimp
Scallops
Fish
Turkey or beef bacon
Preparation
Place a few tablespoons of extra light olive oil in the pan and sauté shrimp in the shell until they turn red. Don’t overcook these! Scallops take a little longer and if you’re using them start the process with the scallops, give them a little lead time before adding the shrimp. Leave the shrimp slightly underdone as they will get a second cooking when added to the vegetable mix. How do you tell? As soon as the shrimp start to turn red, stop. I use a half pound of medium sized shrimp and/or half-dozen scallops or both. I might sauté a fillet of white fish such as haddock or cod and use this in addition or instead. Often I will throw in a slice or two of beef or turkey bacon when flash cooking the fish/shellfish as I like the flavor combo base the bacon/fish/shellfish/olive oil provides. If I’m using bacon I always start with it as crisp is critical. Once the protein is done remove the pan from the heat and remove the shellfish/fish/bacon from the pan and set it aside on a plate. If you want to peel the shrimp now’s the time. Into the remaining oil/shellfish/fish/bacon pan drippings I now drop in a large sliced bell pepper (I love the flavor of red or yellow but green is fine) plus the sliced mushrooms and broccoli flowerets. I buy a big bag of flowerets at Sam’s Club. In season I buy local produce from my local farmers each week. I trim as much stalk as possible off the broccoli as this reduces cook time. If you want to use asparagus, finely diced carrots or celery, add them at the beginning. The ingredients mention to this point need a few minutes head start – they are thick and dense and need a little extra time. I now add the diced onion. After a minute or two over the high heat the onions turn translucent and I add the optional jalapeño and the minced garlic. Adding the garlic too early will cause it to burn. I stir this mixture continually.
Now dump back in the shellfish/fish/bacon and stir over high heat for maybe a minute then remove the pan from the heat. Top the mixture with a layer of spinach leaves then add a little beer, water or balsamic vinegar and cover the skillet with the tight lid. Off the heat and covered, the mixture now steams itself. Go set the table and clean up the kitchen. Pull off the lid and stir in the now-wilted spinach leaves. Lay it out on a big serving platter and have at it. Off the chart delicious and the sheer nutritional potency is mind blowing. I’ll eat the remainder at lunch the next day. Left to sit overnight the flavors meld and blend even more. It makes for the best leftovers you’ve ever eaten.
Bon Appetite!
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