Shrimp - - Page 3

by Emily

Big Eats in the Big Easy

Editor’s Note: Food writer and new-to-ES-blogger Emily Teachout checks in with a look at one of America’s craziest — and tastiest — food destinations.

In honor of my birthday, I decided to check a long-time goal off my bucket list and head down to New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras. Let’s be real, though; while beads and booze were on my radar, I was most excited for a no-holds-barred culinary tour of the Big Easy. I figured if I’ve lived this long, I might as well test the limits of what my body can handle in greasy, spicy, cholesterol-ridden creole specialties. New Orleans did not let me down, and surprisingly, neither did my arteries.

The first “morning” in the city, after waking up at 12:45pm in our cramped yet exorbitantly expensive hotel room, two of my friends and I dragged our hungover selves out of bed in search of a belated breakfast in the French Quarter. Our prayers were answered thanks to a little alley cafe called Green Goddess. We had to wait 45 minutes for our outdoor table, but since drinking in the streets is allowed (and seemingly encouraged) we downed some $7 beers to pass the time.

To start, we shared the truffled manchego cheese grits you see above. With that sheen of grease, you know heaven is inside. My friend literally licked the plate. No shame!

by gansie

There Are Eyes in My Miso

There are fucking fish everywhere. At my last meal in Japan at the Narita airport I knew that I had to ask if the vegetable udon soup was vegetarian, because there’d be a good chance it wasn’t. It could easily contain slices of pork, but this soup instead was based in a fish stock. That just wouldn’t happen in the United States. A menu reads vegetable soup, it’s made with vegetable stock.

I still was shocked, however, to see these dark, circular eyes peering out from my miso soup. It’s not that I overlook miso in the US, I just don’t think much of it.

Broth is always rewarding, so warm and comforting. But when I’m on a sushi bender, I’m concentrating on the raw fish, not the accompaniment (although sometimes tempura battered vegetables steal some of my attention0n.) In Japan, though, broth is the first thought. So even while I’m letting tuna melt on my tongue, the salty liquid is on my mind. Not because I don’t want to choke on prawn’s head, but because of the dimensions of this not so simple side soup.

in Fish / Food Travel 4 comments

by BS

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

– Dan, for one, is stoked about taint-y donuts:

I have been laughing about this for probably 10 minutes. I read it with an obnoxious monster truck type voiceover. The subtle underlining of the word ‘everything’. The caps and spacing on ‘taint’. what is that comic sans? everything about this is perfectly awful.

– Frieda brings us more things to do with a banana:

I use mashed bananas in marinades for chicken and shrimp, with orange juice, soy sauce, oil and seasoning – then grill. Also throw them sliced into stir fries – a touch of sweetness is always appreciated in these dinners.

– And reaching way back, Niki has lots to say about eating shrimp heads:

in Fish 1 comments

by Russell Warnick

Shrimp and Grits (and Buttermilk too)

There are few times when the BF and myself have an opportunity to cook together. Either he’s cooking a pasta dish or grilling some chicken which needs no more than one person, or I’ve taken over the kitchen and he doesn’t dare come near me, which is a shame really as the BF can actually cook.

On this occasion our cooking together was brought on as we were hosting a birthday brunch for our friend Butter, who has recently moved to DC from Jersey. Butter and I were having a cocktail at our local haunt and there were two women dining at the bar. Butter couldn’t quite determine what they were eating but was intrigued — so she asked. It was shrimp and grits. Butter had heard of grits but never tried them, so I figured shrimp and grits would be a nice surprise for her birthday brunch.

in Bacon / Breakfast / Cheese / Recipe 3 comments

by Russell Warnick

Caning Works: Sugar Cane Shrimp

“Caning works! And I think it’s about time we did a little more of it right here… yes, we cane!”

My last Sunday Night Dinner Club (SNDC) of 2009 was an Asian themed dinner, not something I’m too familiar with unless it comes in the form of a plastic bag with a smiley face on it. My co-chef T2 is a good hand at all Asian, but I wasn’t willing to just sit back and pass all the duties on to him. He’s a vegetarian and my friends wouldn’t have been too impressed if there was no meat on the table.

I was discussing this particular SNDC with fellow food blogger Thrifty DC Cook and she gave me a couple of great recipes to work with.

Sugar Cane Shrimp

What drew me to this dish were the sugar canes. The only time I have sugar canes are in my mojitos and it never occurred to me they can be served with food (or a vessel for serving food).

I warn you now: sugar canes are possibly the most difficult item to acquire. I searched high and low for these suckers: Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Giant, Safeway, Best Supermarket, Bestway Market, Yes! Organic and even the Hana Japanese Market on U St (which by the way is amazing) to no avail. I ended up at Cafe Salsa on 14th St as I’ve dined there and knew they served sugar canes in the mojitos. The chef was kind enough to sell me two cans of canes. Never be afraid to speak with chefs. If there is an ingredient you need, just ask. What’s the worst that can happen? They’ll say no, but unlikely if they have enough until the next delivery.

Sugar canes are huge, a lot larger than what I anticipated, which turned out great as I sliced each one into quarter strips. Now I have a can of them sitting in my cupboard for when I have a mojito party.

The recipe for these little beauties after the jump.

in Recipe 4 comments