Spicy Salmon Shrimp Loaf #BundtBakers

This spicy salmon shrimp loaf is a new take on my popular salmon shrimp burger recipe, baked in a Bundt pan. It is tender and juicy so you don’t need the pink sauce, but I highly recommend it nonetheless.

Often when I’ve read recipes for a salmon loaf, they are either made with canned salmon or are more mousse than loaf, or God forbid, both.  This one is neither. It’s a “meaty” flavorful slice and the perfect main course for your family or even a dinner party. (Anyone remember what those are?) I served this with some buttered baby new red potatoes and sautéed yellow squash so it was a colorful meal indeed.

Spicy Salmon Shrimp Loaf 

If you are using raw frozen shrimp to make this loaf, make sure to thaw and drain it thoroughly before starting. In order to protect the shrimp from freezer burn, a coat of water is usually added to the outside of the shrimp. Unless thawed and well drained, that water will add too much liquid and your loaf may fall apart.

Ingredients
For the loaf:
Canola or other light oil for greasing pan
3-4 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs for coating pan
1 1/2 lb or 680g salmon fillet – weight after skinned and bones removed, if any
1 1/4 lbs or 567g raw shrimp – weight after peeling and cleaning
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
2 slices fresh whole-wheat sandwich bread
1 medium onion, chopped (my weighed about 170g)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
6-8 green onion tops, minced

For the salsa rosada or spicy mayo:
1/2 cup or 120ml good quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup or 60ml ketchup
2 teaspoons hot sauce – or more to your taste
Optional – a little grated onion

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10- cup Bundt pan by brushing the inside liberally with canola or another light oil. Sprinkle on the dried breadcrumbs to coat. Set aside.

Lay your salmon and shrimp out on a cutting board and season them with salt and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Put the slices of bread into your food processor and process until they are large fluffy crumbs.

Add in the onion, eggs, chili pepper, mustard powder and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Pulse until all is well combined.

Cut 1/3 of the salmon and 1/3 of the shrimp into small pieces.

Add the salmon and shrimp pieces to the food processor mixture. Pulse until you have a thick paste. Tip the mixture from the food processor out into a bowl.

Cut the balance of your salmon and shrimp into 1/2 in or 1 cm cubes. Add them to the paste bowl along with the green onions.

Mix well with a spoon or spatula. I like to fry a little of the mixture to taste for seasoning at this point. If it needs more salt or black pepper add some and mix well. (This is a generous tablespoon in one of those tiny pans made for one egg.)

Spoon the mixture into your prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until cooked through and firm.

Meanwhile, make your salsa rosada by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve.

Remove the loaf from the oven and leave it to rest for about 8-10 minutes. Run a wooden skewer around the edges and middle of the Bundt pan to loosen the loaf. Cover the pan with a serving platter and invert quickly.

Garnish the loaf with chopped green onion tops and put out the salsa rosada so people can drizzle some on for themselves.

Enjoy!

This is a very unusual BundtBakers month! At the instigation of our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe, we are baking "meat" loaves instead of cake. Check out all the great recipes below! 

• Beef Veal & Pork Meatloaf Bundtlets from Sweet Sensations
• Classic Bundt Meatloaf from Making Miracles
• Dates, Peanuts Meatloaf Bundt from Patyco Candy Bar
• Homemade French Onion Soup Bundt Meatloaf with Ham & Sausage from Sneha's Recipe
• Mini meatloaves with Strawberry Rhubarb Glaze from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy Salmon Shrimp Loaf from Food Lust People Love

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our home page.

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Shrimp Damian #FishFridayFoodies

Lots of garlic, lemon and, most of all butter make shrimp Damian my favorite dish to order at Carrabba’s Original. This is my own copycat recipe.

When my older sister graduated from law school many moons ago, my husband and I helped her buy essentials for her new office and even a few smart business suits to wear to court. For several years hence she thanked us for the support by taking us out for what she called “the firm” dinner.

Our favorite place to go was Carrabba’s and I always, always got the shrimp Damian - served with fettuccine alfredo - until one traumatic year when, much to my horror, the shrimp Damian was NOT ON THE MENU. Fortunately the lovely waiter put me out of my misery by saying that if I ordered it, the kitchen would still oblige.

I guess too many people continued ordering shrimp Damian because by the next firm dinner, it was back on the menu! Power to the people.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a chain restaurant now with locations in 31 of these United States. Sadly, you won’t find shrimp Damian on those menus but they do have a shrimp scampi appetizer that is similar. If you ever find yourself in Houston though, the two original restaurants are still owned by the Mandola/Carrabba family and shrimp Damian is still on the menu!

Shrimp Damian

If you aren’t coming to Houston, give my recipe a try. It brought back some really happy memories for me. It’s really rich so I served it with toasted baguette slices rather than the traditional fettuccine alfredo and we enjoyed it as an appetizer.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
4 tablespoons minced yellow onions
3 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons dry white wine
1 lb or 450g cleaned and peeled fresh shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons cold butter
salt
pepper
chopped parsley or green onion tops

Options for serving:
Traditional: alongside fettuccine alfredo (serves 2 as a main course)
Less caloric: with crusty bread for dipping (serves 4 as an appetizer)

Method
First, we’ll make the lemon butter sauce. In a small pot, heat the clarified butter, add onion and garlic, and sauté until transparent.

Add lemon juice and white wine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer for a few minutes to reduce the liquid by about one-third. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

Season the cleaned shrimp with a little sea salt and pepper, massage it in gently. Put the shrimp in the hot pan in a single layer and leave it to color on one side before turning.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Add in the garlic and reduce the heat. Cook for a few minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic.

Now add cold butter to the warm lemon butter mixture and stir till it has melted. Add a little parsley or green onion tops for color.

Add the lemon butter to the shrimp pot and cook for another couple of minutes.

Your shrimp Damian is now ready to serve.

Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are recreating their favorite restaurant dishes along with our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the lovely recipes by clicking on the links below.

• Rubio's Fish Tacos from Making Miracles
• Wahoo's Grilled Fish Tacos with Citrus Slaw {copycat} from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chinese Take-Out Combination Seafood Chow Mein from Palatable Pastime
• Shrimp Damian from Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Cheese Prawn Pancakes from Sneha's Recipe
• Mahi Mahi Matecumbe from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Shrimp and Poached Egg Stew #FishFridayFoodies

This rich shrimp and poached egg stew is a traditional dish from southern Louisiana so, of course, it starts with a roux and the holy trinity of onion, bell pepper and celery. It is thick and delicious and, if seasoned with ample cayenne, as spicy as God intended it should be.

When my mom was growing up, this was a dish that was on regular rotation on Fridays especially during Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, when meat could not be eaten by the Roman Catholic faithful.

They didn’t call it shrimp and poached egg stew. In my grandmother’s house it was simply shrimp stew or Papa Tom’s stew, because it was a recipe her own father, my great-grandfather used to make. He was quite the cook apparently. I shared another family favorite of Papa Tom’s a few years ago, his chicken spaghetti, that also starts with a roux. It has the richest sauce and we love it!

For the very first time, a couple of days back, I searched the interwebs for shrimp and egg stew and I was surprised by how many recipes turned up. Most were from southern Louisiana, except a couple called North Carolina style shrimp stew in which eggs should be poached, certainly, but they also contained potatoes and were more of a clear broth, without a roux. Many of the Louisiana recipes were for shrimp stew with hard-boiled eggs. Interesting.

When I told my mother that other people made this dish, that it seemed to be a Cajun thing, she said, “Well, they must have known, Papa Tom.” This dish is one I also thought to be peculiar to our family. She also said that my grandmother would be proud by how mine turned out. Made my day.

Shrimp and Poached Egg Stew

You can, of course, leave the eggs out and you’ll still have a divine shrimp stew, but I encourage you to give it a try Papa Tom’s way. Eggs are relatively inexpensive and shrimp are not. They are a delicious way to add protein and stretch the budget.

Ingredients
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1 cup or 125g flour
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
4-5 stalks celery
1/4 cup or 45g tomato paste
4 cups or 946ml shrimp or fish stock or water with stock cubes to create equivalent
Sea salt
Black pepper
Cayenne
Good handful of green onion tops
Good handful of flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 lbs or 675g fresh or frozen shrimp, weight already peeled and cleaned
6-8 fresh eggs

To serve:
Cooked white rice

Method
Peel and finely chop your onions, bell pepper and celery.

Put your oil and flour into a heavy bottomed pot and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or other heat-resistant stirring implement, like a silicone spatula. Once all the flour lumps have been dissolved, turn the fire on medium and cook, stirring frequently at first and then constantly as the roux begins to dark.

Cook and stir until your roux is about the color of an old copper penny.  (For sequential photos of the roux as it darkens, follow this link.)

Add in the chopped vegetables in all at once and stir well to mix.  The mixture will be quite stiff.

Cook the vegetables for about five minutes, stirring all the time, and then add in the tomato paste.

Stir to incorporate the tomato paste and then add in the fish stock or water and stock cubes.  Stir or whisk to combine.

Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, for at least one hour or until you are about 20 minutes from serving your stew. Check the level periodically, and add more water if it is getting too thick for stew.

Meanwhile season your shrimp with salt, black pepper and cayenne.

When you are about 20 minutes from serving, turn up the heat on your stew until it is gently boiling again and add the shrimp to the pot.  Turn the heat down again and stir ever so gently. Check the seasoning and add salt and cayenne as needed.

Stir in the green onion tops, reserving just a little for the finished stew.

Turn the heat off so the stew stops bubbling. Crack each egg into a small bowl or cup then gently slip each into the stew.

Turn the heat back on low and cover the pot. Leave to cook until the eggs are done to your liking. My mom likes them hard cooked, so I left mine for about 14 minutes. Normally poached eggs in water take a much shorter time, but somehow in the thick sauce they take longer. After the normal 5 minutes, the whites were still completely clear! I am sure there is some thermodynamic reason but I don’t know it. Use your own judgement on this. According to some of the recipes I found, some people like the yolk still runny in shrimp stew.

Serve over hot cooked rice. We also add extra hot sauce to each bowl at the table.

Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are all sharing seafood stews and soups from around the world. I didn't go far from home for this one but still felt it was unusual enough, and from a different enough culture from middle America, to qualify. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla from Check out the other warming recipes our group is sharing.

• Bacalhoada (Portuguese Salt Cod Stew) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Broget Fish Soup (Broget Fiskesuppe) by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Caldo de Camaron (Mexican Shrimp Soup) by Palatable Pastime
• Cullen Skink by Caroline's Cooking
• Moqueca - Brazilian Fish Stew by Making Miracles
• Portuguese Fish Stew - Caldeirada de Peixe by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Provencal Seafood Bisque by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Shrimp and Poached Egg Stew by Food Lust People Love
• Quick Tom Yum Goong by Sneha's Recipe

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Cheesy Cucumber Shrimp Bites #FishFridayFoodies

Cheesy cucumber shrimp bites are a quick and easy cocktail party appetizer of fresh cucumber cups filled with spicy cheese and topped with beautiful boiled shrimp, their tails festively aloft.

I have a soft spot for shrimp appetizers. I think it’s because when I was growing up, my mom would occasionally get a yen for fried shrimp or shrimp wontons. Either dish was a winner in my book. She rarely deep fried anything but the fact that the oil and deep pot would come out for shrimp made them special.

More recently, my favorite item on a buffet party table is always the cold boiled shrimp with spicy dipping sauce. I tend to fill my glass and just hang out nearby, noshing and sipping. Who can resist the festive colors, the perky tails! Add some green (cucumber) and red (chili peppers) and you’ve got a proper party on a plate. If you need an appetizer that looks fancy but is seriously easy, this is the one for you!

Or try a different version with feta, yogurt and cherry tomatoes. OR my Mediterranean eggplant poppers with shrimp. Both delightful.

Cheesy Cucumber Shrimp Bites

If you are transporting these beauties to a nearby party, I suggest that you fill the cucumber cups and bring the cooked shrimp along in a sealed container with a sheet of paper towel inside, to collect any excess moisture. Pop the shrimp on at the party table.

Ingredients – for 2 dozen cheesy cucumber shrimp bites
24 medium shrimp or 770g - 15/20 count per pound
1 teaspoon salt for boiling shrimp
8 oz or 227g cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup or 75g crumbled feta
1 tablespoon fresh fennel or dill fronds, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon minced fresh green onion tops or chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1-2 hot red chili peppers, plus more for garnish, if desired
4-5 Lebanese cucumbers or 2 long English cucumbers

Method
The first thing we'll do is cook the shrimp. Peel and clean them, leaving the tail end on. Bring a pot of 4 cups or 960ml water with one teaspoon of salt to the boil. Add in the shrimp and remove the pot from the heat. Leave to rest, covered, for 3­-4 minutes or until the shrimp are have turned pink and are cooked through. Drain the pot and rinse the shrimp with cold water in a colander. Put the colander in the refrigerator to drain with a bowl underneath to catch any drips.

Meanwhile, stir together the softened cream cheese, feta, fennel, chopped fresh chives, fresh lemon juice, and salt.

If your filling is too thick for a piping bag or to squeeze out of a plastic bag with the corner cut off, add a tablespoon or two of warm water, mixing well between each addition.

To assemble the cheesy cucumber shrimp bites:
Cut cucumbers into 24 (1/2 in or 2cm) pieces, discarding the rounded ends. Use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop the seeds from centers of the cucumber pieces, being careful not to cut all the way through the bottom or the sides.

Use a plastic bag with a corner cut off or a piping bag and tip to overfill the cucumber cups with the spicy cheese.

Top each with a cold boiled shrimp. Add extra chili slices and more chopped fennel or dill fronds for garnish, if desired.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other wonderful seafood appetizers my Fish Friday Foodie friends are sharing today! Many thanks to this month's host, Sue of Palatable Pastime.

An InLinkz Link-up

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

Pin these cheesy cucumber shrimp bites!

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Thai-Style Pumpkin and Shrimp Stir-fry #FishFridayFoodies

This healthy Thai-style pumpkin and shrimp stir-fry is super quick to the table, with enormous flavor. With or without the shrimp, it’s a satisfying meal. But add the shrimp. You won’t regret it.

I’d been hearing about this recipe for a while before I finally got to taste it for myself two years ago. It’s a favorite at my elder daughter’s home where both she and her husband know how to make it without consulting a recipe. I get the impression is in regular rotation, when their favorite kabocha squash is in season.

I’ve made it with red kuri squash and pumpkin, but the original recipe says that you can also substitute delicata, acorn or butternut as well. I could be wrong but I think yams would work too. The slightly sweet flesh with the savory fish sauce, fragrant garlic and spicy peppercorns make this dish very more-ish. This is truly a dish that is more than the sum of its parts.

One more thing, I like to leave the skin on squash and pumpkin. It’s my favorite part. If you are concerned that your pumpkin skin is too thick and might not be edible because it’s tough, slice off a small piece and boil it in a little water for about 5-6 minutes. If it turns tender, you don’t need to cut it off before cooking. Remove any blemishes, but otherwise, cut the pumpkin into pieces, peel and all. If it doesn’t turn tender, by all means, cut it off.

Thai-Style Pumpkin and Shrimp Stir-fry

This recipe is adapted from the original at Thai Table, an excellent source for information about Thai ingredients, travel, and, of course, recipes. If you love Thai cooking, you need to check it out. If your pumpkin is a bit larger or small than mine, don't worry. It will still turn out just fine.

Ingredients
5 cloves garlic
1 slightly overfilled teaspoon or 4g black peppercorns
2 lb 2 oz or 965g whole pumpkin (1 lb 13 oz or 825g after seeding, with peel intact)
3 tablespoons canola or other light vegetable oil
2 cups or 480ml water
5 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
8.5 oz or 240g peeled, cleaned shrimp

For garnish: chopped cilantro
Optional: crushed red pepper

To serve: Steamed rice

Method
Cut your pumpkin in quarters and remove the seeds, scraping the inside clean. If you need to remove the skin, set each quarter on its side and cut the skin off. If not, simply cut off any hard spots or blemishes.

Cut the pumpkin in bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the peppercorns and garlic together into a smooth paste. In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce and the sugar, stirring till the sugar dissolves.

Heat your wok over a high flame. Add in the oil, closely followed by the garlic pepper paste. Cook the paste for just a minute, stirring continually, until the garlic starts browning.

Add the pumpkin to the wok, stirring to coat it with the garlic and pepper.

Pour in the water and stir again.

Cook for five minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the water has almost all evaporated. Add in the sweetened fish sauce and stir again.

When the fish sauce has been absorbed by the squash, toss in the shrimp.

Cook minute or two more, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Add crushed red pepper to taste, if desired, and sprinkle on some chopped cilantro.

Serve over steamed rice.

Enjoy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

Pin it!

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