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A sea of gifts

Include a savory ocean of tastes on your Christmas Eve table.

By Janet Keeler, Times Food and Travel Editor
Published December 19, 2007

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On Christmas Eve, when the work is done and the twinkling lights on the tree seem their brightest, my family likes to eat seafood. Mostly shellfish, though we've been known to have a chowder or stew with meaty hunks of grouper tossed in.

Some years I've made cioppino, the Italian fishermen's stew born in San Francisco, because it reminds me of my Northern California roots. We're not Italian but we are inspired by their love of seafood at the holidays. Many families here and in Southern Italy lay out seven or more fish dishes on Christmas Eve.

There's been gumbo on our holiday table too, with big, head-on Gulf of Mexico shrimp contributing flavor to the stock. I learned to make that after sampling a variety of styles in restaurants across the Florida Panhandle. The hungry wolverines in my house like their gumbo a deep copper and I can achieve that if I let the roux cook long enough.

But mostly we've celebrated Florida's bounty with a pile of stone crab claws and plump-pink local shrimp. In my early days in the state, I served it all in a big bowl with potatoes and corn. Sort of the classic seafood boil, a novelty to me when I moved south. More recently I've paired the shellfish with a Caesar salad that gets its crunch, and more garlic, from homemade croutons. I offer spicy cocktail sauce and melted butter for dipping the seafood in. Hearty bread sops up drips from all dishes.

For a video demonstration on homemade croutons, go to In Janet's Kitchen at food.tampabay.com.

We work hard to coax the snow-white stone crab meat from its tough shell. Early, in the frenzied part of the meal and with hammers pounding, we sound like a construction crew. Orange and black shell bits skitter like pinballs and secretly I find it's a great way to work out the stress of the season. One year when the smashing was especially vigorous, I threatened to pass out safety goggles.

I like the idea of a Florida-style French bouillabaisse chocked full of the goodness from local waters. St. Petersburg Times food critic Laura Reiley developed the recipe that accompanies this story. Bouillabaisse and cioppino are similar, though cioppino is more simply spiced and predominantly flavored by oregano and tomato.

For Reiley's bouillabaisse, grouper, shrimp, clams, bay scallops and mussels swim in a broth laced with fennel, thyme and saffron, among other ingredients. You'll have to go with out-of-state mussels since commercial mussel harvesting is prohibited in Florida. With the state's scallop season long over, you may have to make exceptions there too.

As a make-ahead dish, take the bouillabaisse to the point where the shellfish would go in. Finish your wrapping, enjoy a hot toddy with the neighbors or head to church. When the gang is ready to eat, turn up the heat and add the grouper first, then shellfish. Once your broth is hot, the rest of the ingredients will be done in about 10 minutes.

Clam chowder is also a fitting Christmas Eve dinner. Though Red Pepper Clam Chowder, made sweet with red bell pepper, is not particularly Florida-centric, it is simple and a good recipe for a first-time chowdermaker. I first made it more than 25 years ago as a novice cook and was surprised how wonderful it was - loaded with clams and creamy without being gluey. The addition of mushrooms gives it an earthy flavor and sour cream adds tang.

One tip for the chowder: Don't let it boil vigorously or the sour cream will separate from the broth.

We keep it simple on Christmas Eve, knowing there's a lot of heavy lifting the next day. Especially in the kitchen.

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at (727) 893-8586 or e-mail jkeeler@sptimes.com.

 

 

 

French Bouillabaisse, Florida-style

2 pounds grouper

2/3 pound Key West shrimp

1/2 pound Cedar Key clams

1/2 pound out-of-state mussels (commercial mussel harvesting is prohibited in Florida)

1/2 pound stone crab claws

1/2 pound bay scallops

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lemon

1 large onion, chopped

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 small leeks

4 plum tomatoes

1 small bulb fennel, chopped (discard fronds or save for another use)

1 carrot, peeled and cut into skinny matchsticks

Zest of one orange

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lemon, cut into small wedges

2 cups clam juice

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons Pernod (see note)

1 bay leaf

1 stalk fresh thyme

1 teaspoon saffron threads

Flat-leaf parsley, chopped for garnish

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chopped parsley, dill and reserved fennel fronds, to taste

Prepare your seafood: Cut grouper into 11/2-inch chunks; peel shrimp, leaving tails on; scrub clams and mussels (removing any mussel beards); lightly crack crab claws. Salt and pepper the fish, shrimp and scallops, and squeeze a lemon over the whole thing.

In a large stock pot, saute onion in oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Don't brown. Meanwhile, split leeks down the middle, rinse, then slice white part thinly. To peel and seed tomatoes, score the bottoms with an X, drop for 16 seconds in boiling water, then rinse under cold water to slip off skins. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds. Then chop tomatoes roughly. Add leek, tomato, fennel, carrot, orange zest, garlic and lemon wedges to onions. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Raise heat and add clam juice, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, bay leaf, thyme and saffron and boil vigorously to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.

Turn heat to a simmer and add grouper. In 2 minutes, add clams, shrimp and scallops. Simmer 5 minutes more. Add mussels and cracked stone crab claws, gently rearranging so that most seafood is submerged. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper accordingly.

Toss out any clams or mussels that didn't open. Ladle stew into warm bowls, top with chopped parsley and serve with toasted rounds of baguette.

Note: Although classic, a bottle of anise-flavored Pernod costs $28; a bottle of inexpensive anisette is about $8 at most liquor stores. For two tablespoons, go cheap.

Serves 6 to 8.

Source: Laura Reiley, St. Petersburg Times food critic

 

Red Pepper Clam Chowder

4 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 medium red peppers, diced

2 cans (14 ounces) chicken broth

1 pound white or russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons each cornstarch and water

1 cup sour cream

2 cans chopped clams with juice

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Increase heat to medium-high and add onions, mushrooms, lemon juice and peppers. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Blend cornstarch, water and sour cream together then gradually add to soup. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to simmer. Add clams, heat through. Add parsley and salt and pepper.

Serves 4 to 6.

Source: Janet K. Keeler, St. Petersburg Times food and travel editor

 

[Last modified December 17, 2007, 16:52:24]

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