Make It Fast, Cook It Slow (20 page)
Read Make It Fast, Cook It Slow Online
Authors: Stephanie O'Dea,Stephanie O’Dea
CEDAR PLANKED SALMON
serves
2
to
3
The Ingredients
1 single-use untreated cedar plank, cut to size
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 pound salmon
1 tablespoon honey
2 limes, sliced
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Have your amazing husband (or other handy-type person who is not afraid of saws) cut the cedar plank to size. Soak the plank in water for at least an hour.
While soaking, combine the salt and dried spices in a bowl. Coat the salmon on all sides with the spice rub, and drizzle on the honey. Top with the lime slices and slide it all into a plastic ziplock bag. Refrigerate the salmon while the board is soaking—at least 1 hour, but overnight in the refrigerator is fine.
When the appropriate time has elapsed, put the wet cedar plank into the bottom of your stoneware. Put the salmon (with the lime slices) directly on the board. If you are using a great-big-huge slow cooker, put a sheet of aluminum foil over the salmon and scrunch it down to create a smaller area for steam to collect. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Check the salmon—it should flake easily with a fork. If it doesn’t, cook on low for an additional 30 minutes, and check again.
The Verdict
I found the cedar board in the grocery store near the charcoal briquettes. This is a fun way to cook fish in the slow cooker—it’s different, and the cedar provides a hint of smoky and woodsy flavor to the fish. My kids love fish, and both ate a bunch, which provided the excuse to get frozen yogurt for dessert.
CIOPPINO
serves
6
to
8
The Ingredients
FOR THE STEW BASE
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with their juices
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
½ cup clam juice
½ cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 hot pepper, chopped (optional—I used a red jalapeño)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
FOR THE SEAFOOD
1 deboned and cubed fillet of white fish (I used red snapper)
1 dozen prawns, shells on or off
1 dozen sea scallops
1 dozen mussels, cleaned
1 dozen clams, cleaned
1 cracked Dungeness crab
kosher salt
black pepper
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place all the ingredients into the stoneware except for the seafood. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high. Add the seafood 45 minutes before serving, and turn the heat up to high. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The Verdict
There is nothing better than a big bowl of hot, spicy cioppino. It’s a little messy, but oh so very good. Change into a red- or dark-colored shirt so the drips and spots don’t show. The kids ate a bunch, along with my in-laws. This is an impressive meal to serve to company.
FILLET OF SOLE WITH PESTO
serves
4
The Ingredients
aluminum foil
2 pounds fillet of sole, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons prepared pesto
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Spread a layer of foil on the countertop large enough to wrap a piece of the fish. Put the fish on it, cover with a spoonful of pesto, and a sprinkle of cheese. Fold over the foil to create a little packet. Put the packet into the slow cooker. Continue to layer in the foil packets until you run out of fish. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, checking after 3 hours. The fish is done when it is opaque white and flakes nicely with a fork.
FISH CHOWDER
serves
4
to
6
The Ingredients
8 to 10 baby white potatoes, diced
1 cup frozen roasted corn
½ white onion, chopped
1 handful baby carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
kosher salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pound white fish, cut into cubes (frozen okay)
2 cups frozen shelled fully cooked shrimp
The Directions
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the vegetables into your stoneware. Cube fish, and add—it’s okay if it’s still frozen. Plop everything else on top except the cream and shrimp. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the heavy cream and shrimp 20 minutes before serving, and turn the slow cooker to high.
The Verdict
The kids went through a phase of splitting a can of Progresso Clam Chowder every day for lunch. It was a very easy time for me. This tastes remarkably similar, and it was supereasy to throw together.
JAMAICAN SALMON
serves
2
The Ingredients
1
/
8
teaspoon dried thyme
1
/
8
teaspoon ground cloves
1
/
8
teaspoon ground ginger
1
/
8
teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
aluminum foil
1 pound salmon
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Combine all the herbs, spices, and salt in a bowl. Spread out a length of aluminum foil, and put the salmon in the middle. Rub both sides of the fish with the dry spice rub. Fold the foil over to make an enclosed packet, and crimp the ends. If it looks like there is a gap that might leak fish juice, wrap with another piece of foil, just in case. Put the foil packet into your slow cooker. Do not add any water. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Your salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Serve with rice or pasta and vegetables.
The Verdict
I like it when sweet and spicy flavors commingle, so I was intrigued by the idea of making a Jamaican dry rub of my own to use on chicken or fish. That, and whenever I hear someone on TV name a dish “Jamaican Me Crazy” something or other, I simultaneously groan and laugh. Every. Single. Time. The fish cooked perfectly, the crock was a cinch to clean, and the house didn’t smell fishy. What a wonderful meal.
LEMON AND DILL SALMON
serves
4
The Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) package fresh spinach
2 pounds salmon
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried dill
2 lemons
¼ cup white wine
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. I didn’t make foil packets for this fish. Wash spinach and put all of it into your stoneware. It will completely fill it, but shove the spinach down; it will wilt quite a bit while cooking. Place the fish onto the spinach bed, and sprinkle each side with salt, pepper, and dill. Slice the lemons and lay them on top of fish and on each side. Pour in the wine. Cook on low for 2 hours, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
LOBSTER BISQUE
serves
4
The Ingredients
3 cups chicken broth
8 ounces clam juice
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes and their juices
1 onion, diced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 large leek (just the white part!) diced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning mix
1 teaspoon dried dill
2 lobster tails
1 cup heavy cream
lemon slices as garnish
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Combine the broth, clam juice, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, leek, parsley, Old Bay, and dill. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours, or until the onions are translucent and the flavors have melded. Use a handheld immersion blender to blend into a chowdery broth. Add the lobster tails. Cover and cook on high for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the tails have turned pink and the meat is fork-tender. Remove the tails from the stoneware, and stir in the heavy cream. Ladle the bisque into dishes, and serve with lemon slices and the lobster meat. You can take the meat out of the tail, and mix it in the soup, or leave it intact and pick at the table.
The Verdict
Lobster…in the slow cooker…life is so very good. This was an incredible meal. It was fun to eat, and it felt quite fancy. My kids both liked the lobster, and thought the soup part was “yummy.” But they also thought sucking on the lemon slices was the best part of their dinner. I don’t have a reason for this.
MAHIMAHI WITH ASPARAGUS, BROCCOLI, AND SPINACH
serves
2
The Ingredients
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
8 asparagus stalks
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup lemon juice
1 pound mahimahi
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Wash and trim all the veggies, and put them into the stoneware. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Using a pastry brush, paint the fish on all sides with the mixture, and place on top of vegetables. Add the remaining lemon juice. Cover and cook on low for approximately 2 to 3 hours. Mahimahi is pretty thick; if you opt to use a thinner fish (such as tilapia), check after 90 minutes. Your fish is done when it is opaque white and flakes easily with a fork.
The Verdict
A moist, tender fish packed with flavor. The vegetables release quite a bit of liquid, which steams the mahimahi nicely. I was very happy that I made this and ate it for lunch. I forget about lunch a lot, and grab whatever is lying around, or pick at leftovers. I’ve also noticed the kids are more inclined to try new foods in the middle of the day, before the 4 o’clock crankies hit. My three-year-old ate this with me, and my six-year-old had it as an after-school snack. The stars must have been in proper alignment or something, because there wasn’t any fuss about having fish and vegetables as a snack.
