Spicy Shrimp And Scallop Tempura With Cucumber Salad Recipes

Steps:

• For the sticky rice: Wash the rice until the water is clear and all the starch is washed off. Put the rice in a shallow cooking pan and add the coconut milk and 3/4 cup water. (Trick - place your hand flat in the pan and pour in the water. When the liquid reaches your middle finger knuckle, you have the right amount.)
• Bring the rice and coconut milk to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
• For the jelly: Put the bell peppers, jalapeno, sugar, cider vinegar and red pepper flakes into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds. Add the liquid pectin to give it a jelly-like consistency. Then set aside.
• For the salad: Combine the avocado, cucumber, mango, jalapeno, cilantro, green onions, sugar, oil, vinegar, chili paste and black pepper in a bowl and mix together.
• For the shrimp: Peel and clean the shrimp. I like to use tiger prawns - big daddy shrimp!! Frozen shrimp is fine - just let them thaw out and rinse them in water.
• Whisk together the rice flour and carbonated water until it reaches a batter consistency (alternatively, you can get premade tempura batter at Asian markets). It's key to not whisk too much, you want a nice fine batter without much air in it.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Next, take a heavy-bottomed pot and fill it with canola oil. Don't fill the pot too much! If using a 1-gallon saucepot, use 1/4 gallon oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it's about 350 degrees F. You can test if the oil is ready by dropping some of the tempura batter into the oil. If it floats to the top, it's ready to go!
• Dredge the shrimp in the batter and drop into the oil. The shrimp will cook all the way in 2 to 3 minutes. It's key to not add too many shrimp at once, just add 3 or 4 at a time.
• When the shrimp floats to the top, they should be done. You can test them by taking one out and cutting into it to make sure it's opaque, and then taking a bite. Place the shrimp in the oven until you are ready to plate.
• Combine all the components: Put the fried shrimp in a bowl with some pepper jelly and toss to coat them. Next, take a little bit of the jelly and place on the bottom of each plate. Put some sticky rice down on the plate on top of the jelly. Place 2 shrimp on top of the rice. Add some mango and avocado salad. Garnish with a little extra cilantro or sliced green onions.

Steps:

• Place the first 8 ingredients in a blender. Cover and process until blended; set aside. Divide the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, nuts, onion and cilantro between 2 serving plates. , In a small bowl, combine oil and jerk seasoning. Thread shrimp and scallops onto 2 metal or soaked wooden skewers; brush with oil mixture. , Grill skewers, covered, over medium heat until shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque, 2-3 minutes on each side. Place on salads; drizzle with dressing.

Steps:

• For the tempura batter, place 1 1/4 cups of the club soda in a medium mixing bowl and sift the flour and cornstarch over it. Add the salt and whisk until evenly blended. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. If necessary, add additional soda water 1 tablespoon at a time to reach correct consistency. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the asparagus, blanch for 6 minutes, then shock in ice water and drain.
• Place a bamboo sushi mat on a work surface with the slats crosswise. Center 1 sheet of nori on the sushi mat. Place a sheet of salmon on top of the nori, leaving a 1-inch border of nori uncovered along the top. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of black sesame seeds evenly over the salmon and season with salt and black pepper. Place 3 shiso leaves side by side, then add 4 asparagus spears side by side horizontally about 1-inch above the bottom edge.
• Grasping the bamboo mat, the nori, and the edge of the salmon on the bottom, tightly roll up, enclosing the asparagus. Firmly press the 1-inch border at the top to create a seal. (The moisture from the salmon will be enough to make the 2 pieces of nori adhere to each other.) The roll should be about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Carefully remove the bamboo mat, transfer the salmon roll to a plate, and refrigerate.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making 2 more salmon rolls. The rolls can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours at this point.
• With a serrated knife, cut each of the 3 salmon rolls in half crosswise so that you have 6 (4-inch) rolls.
• In a large heavy saucepan, heat 4 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.
• Insert 1 long bamboo skewer crosswise through 1 end of a salmon roll, then insert another skewer through the other end. Using the ends of the skewers as handles, dip the roll into the tempura batter so that it is completely coated, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Carefully immerse the roll in the hot oil, and after 10 seconds, gently push it off the skewers to float free in the oil. Fry until batter is crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
• With a skimmer, transfer the first roll to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in a very low oven. With the skimmer, remove any leftover bits of batter from the oil so that they don't burn and smoke.
• Repeat with the remaining 5 rolls. With a serrated knife, quickly trim off the ends of the rolls and cut each into 5 (3/4-inch-long) rounds.
• Make a tall mound of the salad in the center of each of 6 serving plates. Lean 5 pieces of roll against the salad around the base. Dot the remaining 1/2 cup of honey mustard dressing (from the salad recipe) around the outer edge of the plates. Garnish the salad on each plate with a pinch of daikon sprouts.
• In a medium mixing bowl, toss the julienned vegetables with the salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the dressing. Reserve remaining dressing for garnish.
• **Chef's Note for preparing salmon slices: Either ask your fishmonger to cut the salmon sheets for you, or buy a fillet of salmon cut from the tail section (where it is the thinnest) and proceed as follows. Make a guide for your knife by placing large wooden chopsticks about 6 inches apart on a cutting board. Place the salmon fillet between them lengthwise and rest the chopsticks against the long edges of the fish. Holding a very long, sharp filleting knife so that 1 flat side of the blade is parallel to the cutting board, slice the salmon horizontally while steadying the top of the salmon with your other hand. When you have cut one sheet, lift it off the fillet and repeat the process a second and a third time, until you have 3 sheets (the blade may end up resting against the guides). Trim the salmon slices to 4 by 8 inches and reserve the trimmings for another use.

Steps:

• With Asian or English cucumbers (or small garden cucumbers), slice thinly, preferably with a mandoline. With thick cucumbers, peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop out seeds before slicing.
• Mix vinegar, ginger, sugar and salt, and toss with cucumbers. Let stand for 30 to 60 minutes. (Refrigerate if marinating for more than an hour in warm weather.)
• Just before serving, drain excess liquid. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Wait a minute, then add scallops or shrimp. Sear for about 2 minutes to a side, then remove to a plate. Turn heat to medium, add remaining oil, onions and turmeric, if you are using it. Cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir onions into cucumbers, top with scallops or shrimp, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve.