What's Cooking (Take Three!)

Tonight are two Cornish Game Hen halves, roasted in oven with a soy sauce, butter and minced garlic glaze. Cooking on top of a few Rosemary sprigs. Yesterday, I made a pot of Rio Zappe Beans with onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, Hatch Chile red and green pepper flakes, and a can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes with Habenero peppers. It is spicy and delicious. Also, making a cool and colorful salad with mango chunks, red peppers, green onions, with fresh lemon juice and cilantro from my herb garden.

Yesterday, kids came up from Sacramento, did a few chores for me and took me out to a place called Raw.
They offer the freshest sushi and sashimi, with fresh fish flown in from Japan twice a week. Also a menu of American cuisine. Prime rib, steak, pasta, wraps, tacos and salads. I had a fried soft shell crab sandwich, with spicy mayo, pickled jalepeno slices on a Brioche bun. It was delicious. So no dinner for me last night except a few horseradish pickles, and pickled garlic cloves, part of a gift from the kiddos. Very yummy!

Ah, this is the second time I've read about soft-shell crabs! I guess they're officially in season now. Maybe I'll go find me a spider roll for lunch tomorrow....

(No, not like this: https://youtu.be/WjC6joom_CE?t=25 ...about 20 sec in )

My first experience with soft shell crab. Being on the west coast we get Dungeness crab here and I like it so much better than soft shell crab. While my sandwich was good, it would have been even better with the fresh lump Dungeness!

[Jenise]

I like the taste of soft shelled crab but am bothered by the idea that I'm eating a whole animal, eyeballs and all, so I tend to avoid it.

Didn't end up cooking at home much over the weekend. Last night we just had a cold platter of cheese and raw vegetables, for instance. And on Saturday I made a pan of steak bites to take to a wine tasting. But something to note there, Karen, I made a vinaigrette with that Truff hot sauce and drizzled that over to them some attitude--really good.

I recently discovered Lee Kum Kee Sriracha and am loving it. I use it in my tomato juice concoction in the morning, scrambled eggs, put it in a sauce I made for Cornish Game hens . Great taste, mildly spicy.

My first experience with soft shell crab. Being on the west coast we get Dungeness crab here and I like it so much better than soft shell crab. While my sandwich was good, it would have been even better with the fresh lump Dungeness!

I suppose. I love crab of all kinds (except for the north sea "krabben" which are actually tiny shrimp if you ask me: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordseekrabbe_%28Lebensmittel%29). But soft shell crab and lump Dungeness are very different in taste/texture, etc and I can imagine would present a very different sandwich.

Also, I'm probably forgetting some tasty sandwich experiences, but soft shell crab has so many elements going on, serving plain is a sandwich in and of itself!

I have never seen soft shell crab, but after reading Jenise's post about eating the whole animal, I recalled my sandwich had two long thin pieces protruding out of the sandwich, I wondered at the time what that was, got sort of spooked by it. It was fried and of course the texture was great but had kind of a bony texture inside. Don't like the idea of eating the whole animal.

I have never seen soft shell crab, but after reading Jenise's post about eating the whole animal, I recalled my sandwich had two long thin pieces protruding out of the sandwich, I wondered at the time what that was, got sort of spooked by it. It was fried and of course the texture was great but had kind of a bony texture inside. Don't like the idea of eating the whole animal.

If you agree with Chicken Little, then it is indeed off your menu.

They are caught just after molting so there is no hard shell. The crabber trims off a few undesirable bits but you are basically eating the whole animal. (Those two protrusions were probably front legs.) More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft-shell_crab

[Jenise]

From Jeff's Wikipedia entry, this: Soft-shell crabs can have the soft organs along the dorsal cavity removed during cleaning, or they can be left in for consumption. In the latter case, along the US Atlantic coast, the customer asks the vendor to leave "the mustard", referring to the yellow-orange color of the hepatopancreas, and the deep orange of the roe in a female crab.

Turn off!

Oh my... what did I eat?

Mmmm, hepatopancreas... ::Homer Simpson emoji::

[Jenise]

Last night we had a patio dinner of some delicious Austrian style sausages (pork stuffed with swiss cheese) from Olympic Provisions, asparagus, a spicy cabbage salad, and a modestly aged bottle of sylvaner riesling.

Haven't been feeling like cooking much lately. Kinda lost my spark. But tonight I'll try to make up for it with tacos wherein I'll oven roast a boston butt stuffed with garlic and stuff whole slices in a tortilla with grated sharp white cheddar, radishes, and lightly pickled fresh roasted green chiles. I'll make a cabbage/cilantro/red onion/peanut salad to go along with that and I don't know what else. My brother and his partner are invited to join us.

I recently discovered Lee Kum Kee Sriracha and am loving it. I use it in my tomato juice concoction in the morning, scrambled eggs, put it in a sauce I made for Cornish Game hens . Great taste, mildly spicy.

Good for you. I recommended that brand some time ago. I think it's much better than the Huy Fong brand.

No vampires tonight. I made an easy dish from the NY Times: Sheet-Pan Garlicky Shrimp and White Beans. It had cannellini beans, bacon, lemon slices, shrimp, EVOO, and lots of garlic on toasted bread slices. Yum.

First sorbet of the season: I mashed/juiced 2# of watermelon, added 1/2 cup sugar, juice of half a lime, a big pinch of salt, and a couple fingers of Cointreau. Churned for 15 minutes, made half a batch. Really good, both ripeness and texture (and I'm a little surprised because it's kinda early for good watermelon).

No vampires tonight. I made an easy dish from the NY Times: Sheet-Pan Garlicky Shrimp and White Beans. It had cannellini beans, bacon, lemon slices, shrimp, EVOO, and lots of garlic on toasted bread slices. Yum.

Larry, thanks for posting this, right up my alley. I read the reviews and many of the substitutions were good.

[Jenise]

I just bought a watermelon, Jeff. A whole one, not personal sized but not a full size either. Hoping for the best--these days I often settle for buying halves cuz I can then choose the best one without risk. But this was at Trader Joe's--no halves, all or nothing. It just sounded SO good.

Bob's having surgery today and we have to be at the hospital at 1:00. Probably won't be released until around 5 or so, so I plan to pick up barbecue on the way home.

I just bought a watermelon, Jeff. A whole one, not personal sized but not a full size either. Hoping for the best--these days I often settle for buying halves cuz I can then choose the best one without risk. But this was at Trader Joe's--no halves, all or nothing. It just sounded SO good.

Small shops here so I bought a sliced eighth. And it was very red... too red for His Squashy Majesty to eat, as it happens... so it's mine!

Bob's having surgery today and we have to be at the hospital at 1:00. Probably won't be released until around 5 or so, so I plan to pick up barbecue on the way home.

Fingers crossed. Unless that's the issue, in which case, fingers uncrossed.

Tonight was Kung Pao beef with Sichuan peppercorns for the heat. Next time, I'll had some Japones chiles for more heat.

Tonight was Kung Pao beef with Sichuan peppercorns for the heat. Next time, I'll had some Japones chiles for more heat.

I have some Sichuan peppercorns in my cupboard, and I like Sichuan peppercorns, and, alas, I very rarely make anything that is the least bit Sichuan. What are some other ways to utilize them?

[Jenise]

Ditto Jeff. I rarely use them. IIUC they lose potency quickly so what you and I have may be close to useless. Paul, is that true?

Our neighbornood grocery store is selling clam shells of cut up fruit...I love it and bought watermelon chunks yesterday. Having them right now sprinkled with Vietamese cinnamon. Very yummy. I also say a rather long oval, very bright gold/orange fruit with black seeds in the middle. They had cut it in half and were selling each half wrapped in food wrap. Very pretty, but I had no idea what it was.Also, they are selling individual celery stalks....finally. I really have to work at using up an entire bunch of celery before it is no longer to my liking.

Good for you. I recommended that brand some time ago. I think it's much better than the Huy Fong brand.

My preferred sriracha sauce is Shark brand, which is produced in Thailand. I find it far superior to Huy Fong's Rooster brand. I haven't tried Lee Kum Kee's version.

-Paul W.

Good for you. I recommended that brand some time ago. I think it's much better than the Huy Fong brand.

My preferred sriracha sauce is Shark brand, which is produced in Thailand. I find it far superior to Huy Fong's Rooster brand. I haven't tried Lee Kum Kee's version.

-Paul W.

I find Lee Kum Kee brand to be good or superior in a lot of items.