Flashback Friday - Observing Lent

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on March 14, 2014.

-----------------------------------------
Lent is upon us, and for you practicing Catholics, it's time for Friday fasting. No meat for you!  To help you with Friday meal planning, here are some of my favorite meat-free (but not seafood-free) recipes from Minxeats.

Alton's Mac & Cheese
Asian Pasta Salad
Avocado Soup with Crab Salad

Black Bean Ragout
Black Bean Soup
Clam Chowdah

Clamburgers
Corn, Crab, and Coriander Fritters
Crespelle di Mare e Pesto
Drunken Noodles with Seafood a la Minx
Gagooch (fried zucchini with eggs)

Greek Shrimp Pasta
"Healthy" Spinach Lasagna
Mushroom and Tomato Ragout with Polenta

Oatmeal Risotto with Roasted Vegetables
Panfried Tofu with Asian Caramel Sauce
Parisian Gnocchi with Caponata
Seafood Louis

Shellfish Etouffee
Simple Black Bean Burgers
Spicy Fish Soup
Spicy Korean Tofu
Tomato Bread Pudding

Warm Tofu with Spicy Sauce



Posted on Minxeats.com.


Posted on Minxeats.com.

Flashback Friday - Mo's Seafood

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on December 3, 2012.

My family had been going to Mo's Fisherman's Exchange on Joppa Road for years. It was one of my mom's favorite weekend dinner spots, and while there was little or no ambiance, it was a good place to get tons of food for relatively little cash.

Mo's closed that dreary location earlier in the year and opened a new place a bit further west on Joppa Road, in the revamped former home of the Orchard Inn. The menu isn't that different, but there seems to be more (and younger) clientele, plus two outdoor dining areas - the combination of which spiff things up considerably.

One thing I really like about the new Mo's is that the menu offers "small" and "large" portions of many items. A single fried soft shell crab with a single side dish costs a reasonable $12. Two soft shells cost $20. The same pricing applies to their backfin crab cake (jumbo lump cakes are also available). I asked nicely and received one each of the crab cake and the soft shell for $20. My choice of side dish was a seemingly bottomless bowl of cole slaw.

The crab cake was heavily flavored with mustard, and had a decent amount of breading, but it was also full of crab lumps. While perhaps not the best crab cake in town, it was pretty good. The soft shell was presented within pieces of buttered toast, which made for a silly-looking, but tasty, sandwich.

Mr Minx had ordered the broiled seafood platter on a prior trip to Mo's and decided to change things up by ordering the fried version, which came with a crab cake, scallops, shrimp, and a plethora of clams. That's a lot of fried food. Needless to say, I had fried clams for lunch later in the week.

MinxBro ordered a much abbreviated version of Mr Minx's dinner, the crab cake and four fried shrimp from the "lite fare" menu. I don't understand what is particularly light about fried seafood, but at $13, the price was right.

Dad bucked the trend and ordered the "crunchy burger," topped with cheese and onion straws. The hefty burger, with uninteresting fries, was only $7, and according to Dad, nicely done.

But that's not all. We also ordered onion rings, a fried calamari appetizer, and coconut shrimp. Yes, entirely too much fried food. The portion of calamari was huge, more than enough for the four of us (especially since Dad won't touch the stuff), and perfectly cooked, with a generous portion of tender tentacles. The coconut shrimp were nicely crispy, but the coconut-flavored dipping sauce is too sweet and a bit overkill.

As was the whole meal. But I dare say we'll be back to this new location far more often than we visited the old one.

Mo's Seafood
1528 E Joppa Rd
Towson, MD 21286
(410) 823-3030



Posted on Minxeats.com.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

A New Tide Rolls in for By The Docks

We took my mom to By the Docks in Middle River for her birthday in 2006. It was our first time there and, after re-reading the Minx's blog post about the restaurant, I see we weren't blown away by the place. Except for the crab cakes, that is. Three of us ordered them and were stunned by the softball-sized mounds sitting on our plates. The Minx and I always planned to go back, but with all the new restaurants that popped up over the last 11 years, we just never got around to it.

As it turned out, By the Docks has gone through some changes over the years, with the original owners selling in 2010 and then buying the place back in 2015. They've recently remodeled the 19th century building and revamped the menu. We were invited to come by and check out the changes, and we were more than happy to comply.

Our group started with a couple of appetizers for the table. The oysters Rockefeller uses three kinds of cheese which are folded into the spinach before being placed atop the oysters. Their own imperial sauce is also dolloped on top, making for a very rich bite that is almost a meal unto itself.

We've talked about calamari a great deal on this blog, and it's heartening to find that the quality of the preparation has been steadily improving over the years. Even with that said, I think this might be the best fried calamari I've ever eaten. The fresh calamari is first marinated in Greek olive oil for 24 hours, then hand cut into rings slightly larger than what I've typically seen, They're lightly coated and flash fried so the calamari is incredibly tender. The crunchy coating is nicely seasoned so you don't need marinara sauce, but it is provided on the side. (Diners can also choose to have their calamari tossed in an Asian-style sweet and spicy sauce.)

For her entree, the Minx ordered the Jewels of the Sea: the colossal jumbo lump crab cake they are so well known for along with a 4-ounce lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, and broiled scallops. The crab cakes have little filler and are very light on the Old Bay, so the sweet crab flavor comes through. As if this wasn't enough food, each entree comes with two sides, in our case, baked potatoes and creamed spinach.

I went for the Rockfish a la Vasca: pan-seared rockfish sauteed with shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, calamari, and Jonah crab claws in a traditional Spanish green sauce of fresh parsley, garlic, and wine. The chef is originally from Spain and he sees this as sort of a paella of seafood without the rice. The green sauce is something I'd never had before, and the sheer quantity of seafood is overwhelming. When I read the description of the dish, I expected a couple of shrimp, one scallop, a couple clams, etc. As you can see from the picture, it's an orgy of shellfish piled so bounteously that you can't even see the rockfish underneath (which was delicious, by the way).

Other diners during this media event tried the stuffed lobster tail and were presented with a mountain of broiled crab meat, like the crab cake but even bigger, with a 9-ounce lobster tail hiding underneath. Portions are truly incredible here.

Of course, it's not all seafood. While it's the star, there are also plenty of chicken, steak, and pasta entrees, and sandwiches like oyster po' boys, Reubens, and burgers.

Even though we had to get boxes for our leftovers, we couldn't leave without trying a couple of their desserts, made by Yia Yia's Bakery. Turns out, the family that owns By the Docks also owns Yia Yia's, where we have been getting yummy holiday pies for years. Their baklava cheesecake has all the elements one typically finds in the Greek pastry, with a rich layer of creamy cheesecake in the middle. A great combination of two classic desserts.

The Smith Island cake is everything the traditional dessert should be with thin layers of white sponge glued together by rich, fudge-like frosting. As full as I was, I couldn't stop eating this dessert.

In addition to their regular menu offered every night of the week, By The Docks offers specials Monday through Thursday like Monday Lobster Night where you can get twin lobsters for $28.99 or Thursday Steak Night where all cuts are just $19.99, They also offer a $17.99 brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. We're quite confident we won't wait another 11 years to go back to By The Docks.

By the Docks
3321 Eastern Blvd
Middle River, MD 21220-2811

410-686-1188

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Flashback Friday - Clamburgers

This post was originally published on August 7, 2010.
------------------
Clamburgers
While I liked the clams casino bruschetta recipe I came up with for the Chicken of the Sea recipe contest, I thought I could go one better. I thought, "why not try something more sandwich-y, like, clamburgers?"

(Yeah, go ahead, snicker like a 12-year-old boy. I'll wait.)

I like tartar sauce with fried clams, but I thought since this was for a recipe contest and all, I'd make a more upscale version flavored with lots of lemon, and call it "remoulade." And to give the sandwich texture, I'd put it on a toasted whole wheat English muffin. Because it's "healthful" and shit.

The resulting patties were like the love child of crab cakes and tod mun pla (Thai fish cakes). And amazingly economical - 2 cans of clams made 4 huge cakes for about $4. I'm betting these poor man's crab cakes would be even better if I left one can of clams whole and added a soupçon of Old Bay.

Clamburgers with Lemon Remoulade

Ingredients
2 cans Chicken of the Sea chopped clams, drained, juice reserved
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg white
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
pinch each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko
1 tablespoon canola oil
Lemon Remoulade (recipe follows)
1 medium tomato, sliced into 1/4" thick slices
4 whole wheat English muffins, toasted

Directions
Place 1 can of clams in bowl of food processor and pulse several times until the mixture is nearly a paste. Remove clam paste to a medium bowl and place second can of clams in processor. Pulse a few times to create small chunks. Remove and add to clam paste. Add garlic and onion powders, and stir in egg white and most of the breadcrumbs. If mixture seems too wet, add more breadcrumbs a teaspoon at a time. Stir in onion and salt and pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour and up to 4 hours to firm the mixture.

When ready to make burgers:

Heat a sauté over medium heat. Add oil. While pan is heating, remove clam mixture from refrigerator. Shape into four patties. Press into panko to coat on both sides. Add to pan when oil is hot. Fry on both sides until a nice golden brown.

Place one patty on the larger half of each muffin. Top with tomato slice and a dollop of the remoulade. Cover with smaller half of muffin.

Serves 4.

Lemon Remoulade
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons capers
5 cornichons, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard
grated zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use
--------------------------------------------------

For a side dish, I made baked potato "fries" and parsnip "fries." The parsnips burned (but we ate 'em anyway) and the potatoes didn't get as crispy as I would have liked, but they were tasty enough.

And once again, I neglected to take a photo of myself with the dish. But that was probably for the best, since I'm not all that keen on having my face plastered on a can of clams. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Le Garage - Restaurant Week

The Hampden storefront that now houses Le Garage has a curious history. Located in approximately the center of "The Avenue," it has a great location, free parking around back, and has been occupied by some pretty good restaurants. Years ago, it was Mamie's with it's kitschy diner/neighborhood restaurant vibe and the cheap lobsters on Wednesdays. More recently, it was The Dogwood, a more upscale but casual establishment with great food and a substantial bar. For different reasons, neither restaurant survived and the prime real estate stayed unused for a while. Now it's Le Garage and the buzz about the place is largely positive. After putting off a visit for some time, the Minx and I decided to use Restaurant Week as a perfect excuse to check the place out.

The decor is a bit more rustic and utilitarian than The Dogwood was, but the giant bar is still in place. Shelving units cleverly divide the bar area from the dining room. Our enthusiastic waitress got down to business right away by asking if we wanted cocktails. I went for the Union Double Duckpin on draft and, since it was crazy cold that night, the Minx ordered the hot buttered rye. Double Duckpin is a pleasantly floral double IPA, light on the bitterness. I'm not a fan of hot alcoholic drinks, but the Minx loved her drink's combination of rye and spiced compound butter.

Since Le Garage is known for their Belgian-style frites, we had to order some. The thick-cut potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, as good frites should be. A selection of sauces are available to go with them, so we chose the chili ginger aioli. Happily, the sauce was garlicky, as aioli should be, and the spicy kick from the chili and ginger lightened the flavor of the thick fries.

For my appetizer, I ordered the octopus escabeche. The small octopi were tender, but had more texture than flavor. The tangy lime dressing was a bit overwhelming, and while the dish was visually appealing, celery shavings and watermelon radish didn't really add much, flavor-wise to the dish. The Minx thought the mini fruit salad under everything (blackberries and raspberries) was just plain weird. Larger, meatier, octopus would probably work much better in this dish.

The Minx fared somewhat better with her crispy pork belly, but not entirely. The pork belly was a little too crisp on the outside, as if it had been deep fried, and the dish needed a sweet element to balance all the rest of the tart and salty elements on the plate. The dark crumbly substance was "olive candy," which seemed to be dehydrated olives; it was briny and didn't have any sort of candied element, at least not to our tastebuds. The dish was lacking balance.

For her entree, The  Minx's chose the mussels in a ginger miso broth. We were surprised to find that they also came with frites, as it was not mentioned on the restaurant week menu, but we were happy to take leftovers home. The mussels were the biggest we had ever seen (some bordering on obscene) and the broth was rich and flavorful. The dish well exceeded our expectations and we'd happily order it again.

I went for the short ribs with fingerling potatoes cooked in beef fat, malted onions, and a cauliflower puree. The meat was appropriately tender and splayed nicely as my fork cut through it. While the meat perhaps was a bit less fatty than expected, the richness of the potatoes and the onions provided plenty of unctuousness.

I was going to order the croissant bread pudding for dessert, but The Minx beat me to it. Soaked in salted caramel and topped with a scoop of Taharka Brothers honey graham ice cream, this decadently rich dessert was surprisingly not too sweet. So comforting and flavorful, you just want to keep eating even as you feel your arteries clogging. It's definitely big enough to share, so share we did.

Since I had to go to dessert plan B, I opted for the goat cheese cake. There was no denying the tangy goat cheese flavor and the marmalade drizzle provided a subtle compliment of sweetness. The poached pear was also appealingly sweet. While the menu promised an almond crust, the reality was phyllo that seemed to have been in the fridge for a bit too long, making it nearly impossible to cut with the provided spoon. Still, the overall flavors were good.

Le Garage bills itself as a "beer bar and frites," but there's a lot lot else going on in there. The menu isn't huge, but there's a lot of variety with the frites, tartines (open-faced sandwiches), and modern American-style apps and entrees. While it seemed that different people created our apps and our entrees, there are definitely some pretty good ideas floating around in the kitchen and we're looking forward to going back and exploring them.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Observing Lent

Lent is upon us, and for you practicing Catholics, it's time for Friday fasting. No meat for you!  To help you with Friday meal planning, here are some of my favorite meat-free (but not seafood-free) recipes from Minxeats.

Alton's Mac & Cheese
Asian Pasta Salad
Avocado Soup with Crab Salad

Black Bean Ragout
Black Bean Soup
Clam Chowdah

Clamburgers
Corn, Crab, and Coriander Fritters
Crespelle di Mare e Pesto
Drunken Noodles with Seafood a la Minx
Gagooch (fried zucchini with eggs)

Greek Shrimp Pasta
"Healthy" Spinach Lasagna
Mushroom and Tomato Ragout with Polenta

Oatmeal Risotto with Roasted Vegetables
Panfried Tofu with Asian Caramel Sauce
Parisian Gnocchi with Caponata
Seafood Louis

Shellfish Etouffee
Simple Black Bean Burgers
Spicy Fish Soup
Spicy Korean Tofu
Tomato Bread Pudding

Warm Tofu with Spicy Sauce



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Mo's Seafood

My family had been going to Mo's Fisherman's Exchange on Joppa Road for years. It was one of my mom's favorite weekend dinner spots, and while there was little or no ambiance, it was a good place to get tons of food for relatively little cash.

Mo's closed that dreary location earlier in the year and opened a new place a bit further west on Joppa Road, in the revamped former home of the Orchard Inn. The menu isn't that different, but there seems to be more (and younger) clientele, plus two outdoor dining areas - the combination of which spiff things up considerably.

One thing I really like about the new Mo's is that the menu offers "small" and "large" portions of many items. A single fried soft shell crab with a single side dish costs a reasonable $12. Two soft shells cost $20. The same pricing applies to their backfin crab cake (jumbo lump cakes are also available). I asked nicely and received one each of the crab cake and the soft shell for $20. My choice of side dish was a seemingly bottomless bowl of cole slaw.

The crab cake was heavily flavored with mustard, and had a decent amount of breading, but it was also full of crab lumps. While perhaps not the best crab cake in town, it was pretty good. The soft shell was presented within pieces of buttered toast, which made for a silly-looking, but tasty, sandwich.

Mr Minx had ordered the broiled seafood platter on a prior trip to Mo's and decided to change things up by ordering the fried version, which came with a crab cake, scallops, shrimp, and a plethora of clams. That's a lot of fried food. Needless to say, I had fried clams for lunch later in the week.

MinxBro ordered a much abbreviated version of Mr Minx's dinner, the crab cake and four fried shrimp from the "lite fare" menu. I don't understand what is particularly light about fried seafood, but at $13, the price was right.

Dad bucked the trend and ordered the "crunchy burger," topped with cheese and onion straws. The hefty burger, with uninteresting fries, was only $7, and according to Dad, nicely done.

But that's not all. We also ordered onion rings, a fried calamari appetizer, and coconut shrimp. Yes, entirely too much fried food. The portion of calamari was huge, more than enough for the four of us (especially since Dad won't touch the stuff), and perfectly cooked, with a generous portion of tender tentacles. The coconut shrimp were nicely crispy, but the coconut-flavored dipping sauce is too sweet and a bit overkill.

As was the whole meal. But I dare say we'll be back to this new location far more often than we visited the old one.

Mo's Seafood
1528 E Joppa Rd
Towson, MD 21286
(410) 823-3030



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Chowdah

What should one do if one has about 3/4 cup of leftover white clam sauce, four small red potatoes, and some cooked leeks and mushrooms in the fridge? Make chowdah, of course! I also threw in some corn, scallions, and parsley.

Chowdah

2 leeks, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups clam juice
2 cups water
1 Knorr's fish bouillon cube
4 small red potatoes, cut into large dice
3 cans chopped clams
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
chopped scallions
fresh parsley

In a stock pot, sauté leeks and mushrooms in butter and oil over medium heat until leeks are very soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic. Raise heat and add clam juice, water, and bouillon cube. Bring to a simmer and add potatoes; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Turn down the heat and stir in clams, corn, and cream, plus salt and pepper to taste. Cook until clams and corn are heated through.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions and parsley.

Clamburgers, or Recipe Contest F*ck-Up, Part Deux

While I liked the clams casino bruschetta recipe I came up with for the Chicken of the Sea recipe contest, I thought I could go one better. I thought, "why not try something more sandwich-y, like, clamburgers?"

(Yeah, go ahead, snicker like a 12-year-old boy. I'll wait.)

I like tartar sauce with fried clams, but I thought since this was for a recipe contest and all, I'd make a more upscale version flavored with lots of lemon, and call it "remoulade." And to give the sandwich texture, I'd put it on a toasted whole wheat English muffin. Because it's "healthful" and shit.

The resulting patties were like the love child of crab cakes and tod mun pla (Thai fish cakes). And amazingly economical - 2 cans of clams made 4 huge cakes for about $4. I'm betting these poor man's crab cakes would be even better if I left one can of clams whole and added a soupçon of Old Bay.

Clamburgers with Lemon Remoulade

Ingredients
2 cans Chicken of the Sea chopped clams, drained, juice reserved
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg white
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
pinch each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko
1 tablespoon canola oil
Lemon Remoulade (recipe follows)
1 medium tomato, sliced into 1/4" thick slices
4 whole wheat English muffins, toasted

Directions
Place 1 can of clams in bowl of food processor and pulse several times until the mixture is nearly a paste. Remove clam paste to a medium bowl and place second can of clams in processor. Pulse a few times to create small chunks. Remove and add to clam paste. Add garlic and onion powders, and stir in egg white and most of the breadcrumbs. If mixture seems too wet, add more breadcrumbs a teaspoon at a time. Stir in onion and salt and pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour and up to 4 hours to firm the mixture.

When ready to make burgers:

Heat a sauté over medium heat. Add oil. While pan is heating, remove clam mixture from refrigerator. Shape into four patties. Press into panko to coat on both sides. Add to pan when oil is hot. Fry on both sides until a nice golden brown.

Place one patty on the larger half of each muffin. Top with tomato slice and a dollop of the remoulade. Cover with smaller half of muffin.

Serves 4.

Lemon Remoulade
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons capers
5 cornichons, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard
grated zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use
--------------------------------------------------

For a side dish, I made baked potato "fries" and parsnip "fries." The parsnips burned (but we ate 'em anyway) and the potatoes didn't get as crispy as I would have liked, but they were tasty enough.

And once again, I neglected to take a photo of myself with the dish. But that was probably for the best, since I'm not all that keen on having my face plastered on a can of clams. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.