Grilled Seafood Wrapped in Banana Leaves

OK, this recipe is the most complex by far that I will get to enjoy this holiday season...no shocker it's not going to be prepared by me, nor will it look as pretty as the picture does.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Teaspoons sea salt
  
• 1 Teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
  
• 5 to 6 fresh bird chilies
  
• 12 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  
• 5 shallots, thinly sliced
  
• 12 slivers fresh ginger, thinly sliced
  
• slivered zest of 2 limes
  
• 1 1/2 Pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thoroughly dried
  
• 1 Pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded, and thoroughly dried
  
• 1 Pound hard shell clams, scrubbed and thoroughly dried
  
• 1 1 1/2-pound lobster, chopped into bite-size pieces
  
• 2 Thai basil leaves, roughly torn
  
• 2 Cups Arugula leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
  
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  
• 2 16-by-18-inch pieces banana leaves
  
• Cooked jasmine rice, for serving (optional)

Directions
Combine the salt, pepper, chiles, garlic, shallots, krachai, and kaffir lime leaves in a bowl, and mix well. Add the seafood, basil leaves, arugula, and lemon slices. Toss to mix well.
Heat a grill. Line a 16-by-18-inch double layer of aluminum foil with a banana leaf. Place the seafood mixture in center of leaf. Cover it with second banana leaf and another 16-by-18-inch double layer of aluminum foil. Roll edges of aluminum foil over tightly to form a pouch.
Place the pouch on the grill over medium-high heat. Cover, and grill-smoke for 20 minutes. Be sure to open air vents in top of grill cover. Carefully open pouch slightly to make sure the mussel shells are open and the lobster shell has turned pink. Remove pouch from the grill, and transfer seafood, along with the juices, to a platter. Serve with rice.
Source:Banana

Vietnamese Clam Chowder

Use this recipe when you want a taste of something exotic! It's very different from New England Clam Chowder and Manhattan Clam Chowder. Give it a try this fall!

Ingredients

• 1 fresh lemongrass stalk, peeled
  
• 1 teaspoon butter
  
• 2 cups peeled baking potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
  
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  
• 2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
  
• 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
  
• 1 lb Live Clams
  
• 2 Serrano chilies, thinly sliced
  
• 2/3 cup light coconut milk
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  

Directions
Cut lemongrass stalk in half crosswise; coarsely crush using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add potato, onion, celery, ginger, and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until celery and onion are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemongrass, sugar, fish sauce, and clam juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in zucchini, clams, and chilies. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro; remove from heat. Remove lemongrass; discard.
Source:Vietnamese Soup

Italian Fish Soup

This recipe is excellent for the chilly fall days that are just around the corner. Feel free to make a huge pot of this soup and save it for later! It freezes beautifully.

Ingredients
For soup

• 1 lb cleaned squid, bodies and tentacles separated but kept intact
  
• 1/2 lb large shrimp peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
  
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
  
• 4 1/2 cups water
  
• 12 little neck clams scrubbed
  
• 12 mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
  
• 4 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice (32 fl oz)
  
• 2 (14-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 lb skinless halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For garlic toasts

• 1 (12-inch) Italian loaf, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• Accompaniment: extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Directions
Rinse squid under cold running water and pat dry. If squid are large, halve ring of tentacles, then cut longer tentacles crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Pull off flaps from squid bodies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bodies crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings. Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear shrimp in 2 batches, turning over once, until golden but not cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano to pot and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add wine and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened clams after 8 minutes.) Stir in mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.) Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Add stock to pot along with remaining 4 cups water, tomatoes with juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Make toasts while stock simmers.

Seafood Cioppino

This fantastic recipe brings together some of my favorite seafoods. The Dungeness Crabs that are used in this recipe, can easily be replaced with live Maine lobsters. To make this recipe even easier, consider using pre-cooked Jonah crab meat, or pre cooked lobster meat.

Ingredients

• 2 onions, diced
  
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 2 cups dry red wine
  
• 2 cups clam juice
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
  
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon dried crushed red pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 3 whole-cooked Dungeness crabs
  
• 1 pound little neck clams, scrubbed
  
• 1 pound large shrimp
  
• 3 pounds firm white fish, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 2 loaves sourdough bread
  
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Saute first 3 ingredients in hot oil in a large stock pot until tender; stir in next 13 ingredients (wine through lemon juice). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Let cool; cover and chill at least 12 hours. Pry off apron or tail flap from crabs. Lift off top shell, saving cream-colored "crab butter" from inside the top shell, and discard shell. Pull out and discard feathery gills adhering to the body meat. Discard stomach mass, and break crab into left and right sections. Twist legs and claws from body. Cut each body section crosswise into 2 pieces. Crack legs with a wooden mallet. Set body pieces, cracked claws, and "crab butter" aside. Discard any raw clams that are open. Warm chilled tomato mixture in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated. Place crab, clams, shrimp, and fish in a large stock pot. Pour the warm tomato broth over seafood; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 10 to 12 minutes. Discard any clams that did not open during cooking. Serve with sourdough bread; garnish, if desired.
Source:Cioppino