The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (21 page)

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes. Rap on crust with a knife or spoon to crack it open. Use your hands to carefully remove chunks of salt from the top of the fish and gently brush off the remaining salt with your fingers or a towel. Remove lemon and parsley from cavity. The flesh directly next to the opening of the cavity may be overly salty, but the rest of the fish should be perfectly seasoned.

To serve, peel back skin and remove top fillet. Pull out bones, then remove second fillet.

These shrimp cakes flavored with coconut milk and cilantro are elegant enough to serve as the main course at a dinner party and easy enough to whip up as an afternoon snack. You can make larger shrimp cakes, but bite-sized is perfect for finger food or as a garnish over salad.

For the slaw, crunchy cabbage and carrots combined with spinach are just the right combination, especially when dressed with an exotically flavored dressing. The slight sweetness of coconut milk and rich almond butter in the dressing are balanced with a squirt of lime and the bright, clean flavors of mint and cilantro.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a food processor pulse shrimp, coconut milk, cilantro and hot pepper 10–15 times until ingredients are combined but the texture is still slightly chunky. Heat several tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. For bite-sized shrimp cakes, use a tablespoon measurement to scoop up shrimp batter and drop it into the pan. This will make 16–18 small cakes. Cook each side 2–3 minutes, until nicely browned. Set shrimp cakes aside.

Mix the salad ingredients together in a bowl and toss with Coconut Almond dressing. Garnish with shrimp cakes on top.

This colorful salad has a satisfying array of textures from crispy bacon, fatty tuna and creamy avocado. These ingredients lend an incredible amount of richness to the salad, whereas flavors of fresh dill, lemon and chopped red onion add a light and refreshing kick. Together, the ingredients have so much flavor that you don’t even need dressing—a squirt of lemon will do.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat heavy skillet over high heat 2 minutes. Brush tuna with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet and sear until browned on the outside, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, less for rare. Cool tuna; dice finely. Mix with other ingredients. Serve alone or over mixed greens.

Nothing brings you closer to the feeling of standing next to the ocean than the taste of fresh oysters. If you’re not up for raw oysters, then fried oysters are the next best thing. Coconut flour gives the oysters a crispy coating and a dipping sauce adds extra flavor.

INSTRUCTIONS:

To remove the oysters from the shell: Scrub oysters thoroughly under cold running water. Take an oyster knife in one hand and thick towel or glove in the other. With the towel, grip the shell in palm of your hand. Insert the tip of the oyster knife between shell halves at the narrow end of the oyster where the shell is “hinged” together. Gently twist the knife and apply pressure to pry the shell open. Run the knife along the length of the shell to open it entirely. Cut the oyster out of the shell.