I was having a conversation with a friend and she was telling me she made this dinner that included Kielbasa, red potatoes, shrimp, crab. She told me that she used a great mid Atlantic seasoning called “Old Bay Seasoning” , she made a butter dipping sauce and I believe another sauce with horseradish which I believe would be a cocktail sauce.

This got me thinking which is better to steam or not to steam. There are obvious advantages to steaming with crabs and lobster, very Delicious if steamed properly. I was like most people in the kitchen, boil, steam or pressure cook food, mostly seafood, hey I did not know better then.

That was then this is now. When it comes to shellfish like shrimp there is a great level of flavor in their shells. Steaming you lose that extra flavor that needs to be replaced with condiments such as reductions, sauces or dips.

If whole crab and lobster are on the menu steaming really can be done. The new trend is “Steam Kettle Cooking” which typically include shrimp, crab, lobster, clams and trinity in a tomato cream-based sauce.

What is Steam Kettle Cooking? Steam Kettle Cooking and pan roasting can be interchanged. Steam Kettle refers to the type of stock pot used with seafood typically shellfish. Pan Roasting is done in a slightly different pan with meats and vegetables. The advantages to both are very flavorful, succulent dishes.

Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Sauce

*IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT MUSSELS*
Mussels are best if served as quickly after purchase as possible. If you must store them, keep them in icy cold water in the refrigerator. When you are ready to prepare them, check to see if any of the mussels have opened. If so, discard them.

Ingredient List:
4 pounds of mussels, washed and beards removed

for sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped red onion
3 cups light white wine (Pinot Grigio is great)
3 crushed garlic cloves

Preparation:

1. Using a vegetable steamer, or a collander in a heavy sauce pan, steam the mussels over one quart of boiling water and one cup white wine approximately 10 minutes. At this point the mussels should open – discard those that have not opened.

2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, add the onions, wine and garlic. Simmer until the wine reduces to half.

3. Once the mussels are steamed add one cup of the mussel broth to the sauce and stir together.

4. Place the opened mussels in a large bowl and pour the remaining sauce over them.

Mussels are a little tricky to eat. But if you follow these directions you will look like a professional. Empty one shell, but make sure the hinge stays intact. Then use that shell almost like tweezers to pluck the meat from the other shells. Use the bread to soak up the broth.

This is a great recipe for most shellfish. There are variations such as adding cream to the sauce for that French or Italian cuisine. Then there is always the Asian style of steaming

Steamed Asian Style Mussels:

Ingredient List:
36 fresh live mussels (green lipped)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced ginger
finely grated rind of a lemon or lime
2 tablespoons sweet thai chili sauce
¼ cup of chopped fresh coriander
2 spring onions, finely sliced

Preparation:

Scrub mussels and remove the beards. Heat the oil in large saucepan with the garlic, lemon rind and ginger to sizzle for a couple of seconds. Add the chili sauce and mussels, cover for 3 to 4 minutes until mussels open

Steamed shellfish like mussels, shrimp, scallops are great served with bread on a bed of rice or a side of pasta.

This time of the year I really get into cuisine from the islands. It must be something about the bold flavors, their use of fresh products that really leave a smile on your face wanting more. That is no different with this Malaysian dish.

You get the link to this recipe at the end of this article.

This dish is very easy to make. So lets get started.

Get yourself organized first. For me, I get the shrimp peeled and devained first, then stick them back into the refrigerator. Once that has been done remember to clean your work station to help keep cross contamination down.  Next I take the fresh pineapple and cut the top and bottom off, then slice down the sides to take off the skin. From there it is easy to cut away the core. Chop your pineapple into bite size chunks and set in a bowl and again place that into the refrigerator.

At this point begin to assemble the rest of your ingredients, as well as slice your thinly slice your onion. Noe that you have all your ingredients prep’d. You are ready to begin.

Start n a wok or a deep heavy pan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and stir-fry for about 5 minutes until onions begin to soften. Once you have done that you can now add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. For those who are not aware turmeric is a great spice, it adds a very nice flavor and gives a nice yellow look to what it is added to.

In a bowl combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Add to the wok, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. This will allow the coconut milk to begin thickening and brown sugar to dissolve and merry in the sauce.

Add the shrimp into the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are almost cooked through. Add the pineapple and scallions, and cook 1 minute.

You will now have a thick, creamy coconut based sauce with tons of bold fresh flavors just waiting to be tasted.

You can serve this with rice as the base and spoon the shrimp, pineapples and sauce over top. Garnish with more sliced green onions and served with a spring roll with an Asian dipping sauce.

Optional: I have also added scallops to this dish. Be careful not to over cook them, if you choose to add them in yourself.

Link to the recipes
Malaysian Shrimp and Pineapples

Chinese Spring Rolls

Chinese Peanut Dipping Sauce