Recipes: These tasty seafood dishes are from the proprietor of Bluewater Grill – Orange County Register

When Jim Ulcickas writes about seafood it reads like a love track. He describes his dishes as rooted in simplicity and freshness, with many centered on what’s been freshly caught that day. Many are blessed with nostalgia. Ulcickas is the proprietor of the long-lasting Bluewater Grills, which he operates with enterprise accomplice Rick Staunton. He instructed me that he looks like he has been making ready the textual content for his new cookbook throughout his whole 30 years in enterprise.

The cookbook, “Flavors from the Shore: Nostalgic Seafood Recipes Celebrating Our Coasts and Waterways” by Jim Ulcickas, Richard Staunton with James O. Fraioli, showcases family-friendly dishes that use the freshest seafood.  Geographically organized, the recipes take readers from oceans and lakes throughout the United States, in addition to sources past in faraway coastlines.

His Lithuanian-born grandparents, Simon and Mary Ulcickas, drastically influenced his early affection for seafood and fishing. He grew up in Massachusetts and from the age of 5 or 6, he cherished looking crawdads, frogs and turtles from creeks and ponds. His grandfather took him fishing near the New Hamshire border and gave him by instance an appreciation of rising and canning meals. Later in life, his stepfather Curtis Blake, the cofounder of Friendly’s eating places within the ’30s, helped to form his objectives for a future restaurant. Blake’s idea was to have “friendly” meals, good service, and cheap costs. His take? Premium high quality meals and nice service at an affordable worth.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

“In the 1800s the first tomato-based chowders were served at Delmonico’s in New York, influenced by the Portuguese fishermen who assembled stews with tomatoes, onions, and pork,” Ulcickas writes. At Bluewater Grills the cream-based New England chowder could be ordered served adjoining to the tomato-based Manhattan clam chowder — half and half chowders in the identical bowl.

Yield: 4 to six servings

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of bacon, diced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled, cubed into 1/4-inch items

2 celery stalks, trimmed, diced into 1/4-inch items

1 cup yellow onion  diced into 1/4-inch items

1 garlic clove, peeled, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

1 (12-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 2/3 cups clam juice

4 cups peeled, diced (1/2-inch items) Russet potatoes

3 (10-ounce) cans clams, chopped, drained (reserve juice)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon contemporary cracked black pepper

Tabasco sauce, to style

Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped contemporary Italian flat-leaf parsley

For serving: Oyster crackers, Tabasco sauce, and sizzling sourdough bread and butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Add bacon to a Dutch oven over medium warmth. Cook, stirring often, till bacon is crisp and fats is rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and switch to a paper towel to empty. Add olive oil, together with carrots, celery, and onion to the bacon fats. Cook for 4 minutes on medium warmth, stirring often. Add garlic and prepare dinner for 1 minute.

2. Add the reserved bacon, together with the thyme, celery seeds, tomatoes, and clam juice. Stir to mix and produce to a simmer. Add the potatoes and canopy for 20 to half-hour, or till potatoes are cooked however not mushy. Add the clams and reserved clam juice (from the clams) and return to a simmer. Add the salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce to style. Cover and scale back warmth to medium low, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from the warmth.

3. When able to serve, heat the chowder over low warmth (about 160 levels). Portion into cups or bowls, taking care to stir the chowder properly earlier than ladling to get even distribution of substances. Garnish with parsley. Serve with oyster crackers, Tabasco sauce, and sizzling sourdough bread.

Source: “Flavors from the Shore: Nostalgic Seafood Recipes Celebrating Our Coasts and Waterways,” by Jim Ulcickas, Richard Staunton with James O. Fraioli

Baked Stuffed Lobster

When Jim Ulcickas was requested to call his favourite recipe within the cookbook, he defined that the Baked Stuffed Lobster with Crab and Shrimp stands out. He stated that rising up in New England performed into his love of the dish. Eating, he stated, isn’t simply along with your mouth — your thoughts and reminiscences play a component.

This dish, an adaptation of lobster thermidor, is served at Bluewater Grill as a particular throughout two months a yr.  He explains that the dish was made well-known at Pier 4 on the Boston waterfront.

Yield: 1 lobster, 6 servings lobster stuffing

INGREDIENTS

Lobster:

Sea salt, as wanted

1 1/4 kilos reside Maine lobster

4 ounces Lobster Stuffing, recipe follows

1 1/2 ounces clarified butter, see prepare dinner’s notes

Melted butter and lemon wedges, as wanted for garnish

Lobster stuffing:

1/2 pound crushed Ritz crackers (or use panko breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup clarified butter, see prepare dinner’s notes

3/4 cup lump crabmeat

3/4 cup bay shrimp

2 tablespoons chopped contemporary Italian flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup sherry wine

1/2 cup hen inventory

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon contemporary cracked black pepper

Cook’s notes: To make clear butter, place butter in a Pyrex measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave till melted and liquid. Remove from microwave and let the nice and cozy butter stand for a number of minutes till you see distinct layers. The backside layer is a milky substance, the middle layer is a transparent yellow coloration, and the highest layer is evident white salty foam. The heart layer is the clarified butter and what you might be after. To acquire this, the highest layer have to be poured off and discarded. Don’t fear should you discard a number of the yellow oil; it is necessary that the that the highest layer is totally eliminated. The subsequent step is to slowly pour off the yellow oil right into a container with none of the milky backside layer contaminating it. Once carried out, discard backside layer.

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a big pot with water. (Note: Allow three quarts of water per 1 1/2 kilos of lobster.) The lobster needs to be fully submerged when added. Add 1/4 cup sea salt for every gallon of water (4 quarts = 1 gallon). This provides important taste to the lobster. Bring salted water to a boil. Add the reside lobster utilizing tongs. Do not cowl. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove lobster from water and place on chopping board. Allow to chill to the contact. When cool, flip the lobster on its again and use a pointy kitchen knife to chop the stomach from its head right down to the tail. Be cautious to not minimize during the shell. Next take away the mind sac and intestinal line. Crack the claws with the again of the knife or use a pair of crackers. Gently break open the physique shell to flatten the lobster and open up the tail and physique cavity.

2. For the lobster stuffing: In a bowl, add the crushed crackers, clarified butter, crabmeat, shrimp, parsley, sherry, hen inventory, salt, and pepper. Gently stir to mix. (Note: This stuffing makes sufficient for six lobsters, so regulate the recipe to keep away from having leftovers.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 levels. Place the lobster on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly mound the lobster stuffing contained in the cavity and tail; don’t pack down. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or till the lobster is cooked by way of and the stuffing is golden brown. Transfer to a big plate and serve with melted butter and lemon wedges.

Source: “Flavors from the Shore: Nostalgic Seafood Recipes Celebrating Our Coasts and Waterways,” by Jim Ulcickas, Richard Staunton with James O. Fraioli

Orange and Walnut-Crusted Halibut with Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc

This scrumptious entrée exhibits off probably the most prized fish in Alaska, the Pacific Halibut. At Bluewater Grill the halibut is coated with a scrumptious orange and walnut crust and topped with lemon caper beurre blanc sauce. At the eating places it’s served with scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Orange and Walnut Crust:

3/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon minced orange zest

1/4 cup chopped contemporary Italian flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped contemporary basil

2 tablespoons chopped contemporary chives

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon contemporary cracked black pepper

Halibut:

1 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with kosher salt and contemporary cracked black pepper

3 eggs, overwhelmed with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

4 (8-ounce) contemporary Alaskan halibut skinless fillets

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and contemporary cracked black pepper to style

Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc:

2 tablespoons chilly unsalted butter

1 tablespoon capers, drained

2 lemons, minimize into 4 wedges and use the remaining to squeeze 1/2 cup juice (take away any seeds)

2 tablespoons chopped contemporary Italian flat-leaf parsley, divided use

Sea salt and contemporary cracked black pepper to style

DIRECTIONS

1. For the orange and walnut crust, place the walnuts in a meals processor and course of till coarsely chopped. Add the walnuts to a mixing bowl together with breadcrumbs, orange zest, parsley, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Mix properly and put aside.

2. For the halibut, arrange a dredging station by including the seasoned flour to a shallow dish or plate. Add eggs and water to a different bowl and beat till properly combined. Place the orange and walnut combination on one other plate.

3. Begin by breading the halibut. Dredge every bit first within the seasoned flour, gently shaking off the surplus. Next dip into the egg wash, totally submerging every bit and letting the surplus run again into the bowl. Then press every bit into the orange and walnut combination to coat both sides.

4. Add the oil to a big, deep saute pan over medium-high warmth. When the oil is shimmering, add the halibut and season calmly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes per aspect, or till the interior temperature of the fish is 135 levels. Remove from warmth.

5. For the Beurre Blanc Sauce: Heat a big nonstick skillet on medium-high warmth; flip off warmth and add the chilly butter to the recent pan together with capers, lemon juice, and half of the parsley. Whisk till butter has melted. Season with salt and pepper to style.

6. To plate: Serve halibut, ideally beside a serving of scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus. Top every serving of halibut with 2 tablespoons beurre blanc and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Source: “Flavors from the Shore: Nostalgic Seafood Recipes Celebrating Our Coasts and Waterways,” by Jim Ulcickas, Richard Staunton with James O. Fraioli

There are six Bluewater Grills in California and Arizona, plus two different eating places, one referred to as Mia’s (Solana Beach) and one referred to as El Galleon (Avalon).