Grilled Lobster Tail with White Wine Risotto

This Father's Day, turn your meal into a super special gourmet dinner with these

delectable and flavorful grilled lobster tails, served with a creamy and buttery white wine risotto

He deserves it!

Lobster tails from LobsterAnywhere.com - Thank you  so much Lobster Anywhere for the amazing products :)

With Father's Day less then a week away, I know you have been wondering how to impress your dad (or your husband) with something special. Here is the perfect recipe that will show him how much you love him.
Cooking lobster tails is fast and quite simple. There are several (all very easy) methods to cook lobsters: boiling, steaming, broiling or grilling. I chose grilling, because I think it brings out the delicate flavor of the seafood. And there's really nothing better than grilled lobster on a sunny summer day, with a fine glass of chilled white wine :)
No matter how you choose to cook your lobster, here is the secret not to ruin this scrumptious seafood: do NOT overcook it. You need to keep a close look at the cooking time, based on size of your lobster. You don't want to leave it on the grill or in boiling water for too long, because (just like steak) it will turn chewy and rubbery. A big no-no.
So, just in case you didn't hear me the first time: do NOT OVERCOOK your lobster!!! You can always cook it a little longer later if necessary... but you can't turn back time :)

Here is the cooking time suggestion that I followed, from LobsterAnywhere.com:
6-8 minutes for a 6-7 oz (170-200 gr) lobster tail
8-10 minutes for 8-10 oz (225-280 gr) lobster tail
10-12 minutes for 16-20 oz (450-560 gr) lobster tail

Lobster Anywhere is where I got my lobster tails. This company offers overnight delivery of live or frozen, top quality lobsters from Maine, among other delicious seafood and products.
Their service is amazing: I got an email confirmation of the delivery, and the food arrived when expected, in a perfect package. All the directions that I needed on how to better handle the seafood, was right on top of the box. And what's amazing, the seafood was perfectly frozen ...  much better than a drive home from my grocery store three miles away, in this California warm weather.
To defrost, I placed my lobster tails in a bowl in the refrigerator, overnight. Once thawed, the only thing that I needed to do, was rinse them under running water. So easy and oh-so delicious.
You should check  out www.LobsterAnywhere.com

And here is the video of my recipe:

Ingredients: serving 2

• 2 extra large lobster tails (about 10 oz), fully defrosted
• 4 tablespoons (55 gr) of butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• parsley
• salt

For the risotto:

• one onion, chopped
• one tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter (divided)
• 1 cup (180 gr) of arborio rice
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dry white wine

Preparation time: about 45  minutes
Directions:
1. Preheat the grill at medium-high temperature while you prepare the risotto.
In a saucepan, saute' the chopped onion with one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the onion is softer and translucent. It should take about 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add the rice into the pan, and mix. Cook for about one minute.  Add the white wine to the rice, and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes, until most of the alcohol has evaporated. Salt to taste (about one teaspoon of salt should work)

3. Add 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring every few minutes. Add more water (half cup at a time) when necessary. The risotto should be fully cooked in about 20 minutes. When the rice is cooked al dente, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, mix and cover the pan and remove from the stove. Wait a couple of minutes, or until the lobster tails are ready.

4. While the rice cook, prepare the lobster tails. Don't forget to stir and add water to the risotto!
In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic crushed or minced (for a more garlicky flavor). It should take about one minute over medium heat.

5. Wash the fully defrosted lobster tail under water. Using scissor, cut the lobster tail top shell, lengthwise, down the middle. Gently pry the meat off the shells, and lay it on top of it. Help yourself with a fork if necessary.

6. Brush the lobster meat with some of the garlic infused butter over the lobster meat and season with salt. Place the lobster tails meat side up on the grill. Cover and grill for about 8-10 minutes at about 400 degrees F. You don't need to open and do anything until the end of the 8 minutes.
Do not overcook or the lobster meat will become rubbery. The lobster is ready when the shell turns red, and the meat is opaque in color and firm to the touch. Brush with more melted butter.

7. Serve on a plate with the rice on the side. Sprinkle all with freshly chopped Italian parsley.

Enjoy :)

Seafood Spaghetti with Spicy Sole Fillets

This one-dish pasta dinner with seafood is hot and spicy.

A must-try recipe that is super easy and quick to prepare.

This is one of my favorite one-dish pasta dinner, simple and quick to make in no more than half an hour. Dover sole fillets are easy to find at most supermarkets, at least around here. And even better, are among the cheapest seafood there is.
This recipe combines the delicate flavor of the sole fish, the strong and nutty aroma of the garlic, with the super hot peperoncino, all cooked in white wine.
You can always adjust the recipe based on your taste. For my family, I cut the garlic in big slices so that I can remove the garlic and peperoncino before serving. This will make the pasta a little more kids friendly, but still very flavorful. Or, if you prefer, you can chop the garlic in small pieces, and break up the peperoncino for a deliciously hot and spicy pasta.
Tonight, I'm enjoying my dinner watching an amazing sunset over the Pacific ocean. Buon appetito!

Ingredients, serving 4 people:

• 6 medium dover sole fillets, about 2/3 of a pound
• about 1/3 cup of flour
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 peperoncini (dry hot peppers)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 12 oz of thick spaghetti

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Directions:
1: Cut the sole fillets in pieces. Dip in flour and mix to coat all pieces..

2. In a large skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, cook the fish - make sure to shake off any extra flour from the fish before cooking it. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Remove the sole from the skillet and set aside. Clean any left over olive oil from the skillet. I used very little oil that there was not much left.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the spaghetti when it boils following the directions on the box.
5. Saute' the sliced (or chopped) garlic cloves and the hot pepper in about three tablespoons of olive oil, using the same skillet.

6. If you'd like, remove the garlic and hot peppers from the oil, once the garlic it's slightly golden.  Add the cooked sole, the white wine, a couple of tablespoons of water (from the pasta pan) and the parsley. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates and the sauce dense up a little. Don't let it dry. Add a little bit of olive oil or water if necessary.

Drain the pasta when ready, and toss it in the skillet with the fish. Mix well, and serve immediately. Top with more chopped fresh parsley if you'd like!

Buon appetito!

Seafood Paella

Classic seafood paella: a tasty and impressive saffron flavored rice mixed with your favorite, fresh seafood

I know what you are thinking... this is not an Italian dish. True! But once in a while it's nice to change and try something new.
I often make this recipe. It's a great one-dish, healthy dinner, perfect for my family.
I don't have the original Spanish "paella" (large, oven-safe frying pan), but I simply use my big, heavy skillet. And I cook the rice only on the stove, not in the oven.
The main difference between a paella and a seafood risotto is in the way you cook the rice. In the paella you add all the stock/water all at once at the beginning, and mostly let the rice simmer until ready. With the risotto, the liquid is added some at the time, and the rice needs constant stirring.
Paella can be very creative. Make it fun by choosing  a variety of seafood that you like best. Each adding a different flavor and texture. My favorite ingredients are calamari, shrimps and scallops. And let's not forget mussels. It really adds a special touch to the dish! If I were in Italy (or Spain) I would definitely use scampi. But here in California they are not easy to find. So no scampi in my paella :-(
So here is the recipe for my seafood paella. There are lots of ways to prepare it. This is how I make it and I hope you will enjoy it. Any suggestions or expert advise is always welcome!

Ingredients: serving 4

• half onion, minced
• 0.5 lb calamari or calamari steak
• 0.5 lb shrimps
• 0.5 lb of scallops
• 0.5 lb of mussels
• 3/4 cup of peas (I used frozen)
• 0.5 cup of crushed tomatoes 
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of saffron (I like powder better, but only had the Spanish type)
• 0.5 cup of white wine
• 1.5 cups of rice 
• 3 cups of fish or vegetable stock 
• salt to taste

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and the chopped onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium-high heat, sauté the shrimps for 3 minutes or so. Remove them from the skillet and save them for later.

Step 2: Sauté the scallops and the calamari cut into small pieces. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the rice, the crushed tomatoes, the saffron dissolved in the white wine, the white wine and the stock. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Salt to taste. No stirring the rice.

Step 4: While the rice cooks, wash the mussels under running water, scrub the shells and remove the beard if necessary. Place the mussels in a sauce pan, cover and place over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Throw away any mussel that did not open, and set aside for later.
Step 5: Mix in the peas and the shrimps. I cut about half of the shrimps in pieces, the rest I left whole. Cook for another 8 minutes or until the rice is mostly cooked. Increase or decrease the heat based on how much liquid you still have. It will need to be all absorbed by the end. Salt to taste.

Step 6: Add the mussels with the shell. Serve immediately!

Risotto with Cuttlefish

Satisfy your craving for a delicious Italian primo piatto with this rich cuttlefish risotto

I have not prepared a risotto in quite some time. And with this chilly and rainy day tonight I really felt  in the mood for a deliciously tasty, rich and creamy seafood risotto with cuttlefish. It's easy, quick and a great one-dish family dinner.
Cuttlefish is a mollusk, similar to squid and octopi in taste and texture, not as common here in California, as in Italy. I bought mine frozen at the local fish market. Cuttlefish ink is used in many Italian dishes, like risotto al nero di seppia or also black seafood pasta. Both really delicious!
Tonight I did not have any ink to make my risotto black. But as soon as I find and buy some, I will post a recipe.

Ingredients: serving 4

• 1 lb (450 gr) of clean cuttlefish
• 2 tablespoons of extra olive oil
• half onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• half cup of white wine
• 1 and half cups of fish stock (or vegetable) or water
• 1 tablespoon of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1.5 cups of arborio rice

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: In a large sauce pan, saute' the garlic and chopped onion in the olive oil.

Step 2: As soon as the onion are softer and slightly golden, add the cuttlefish cut in pieces. Salt to taste, and cook for 10 minutes or so.

Step 3: Stir in the wine, and after one minute add the rice. Let cook for a couple of minutes and add some stock or water.

Step 4: Cook the risotto, stirring every few minutes, and adding water or more stock when necessary. The risotto should be ready in about 15-18 minutes.

Add the parsley and serve immediately.

Classic Italian Spaghetti with Clam Sauce

Impress your guests with this delicious, classic Italian spaghetti with clams. Quick and easy.

My absolute favorite seafood pasta!

I hope you had a super fun and relaxing holiday weekend.
Mine was really great! Perfect weather, great company, lots of beach and pool time... who can complain, right?!?
For tonight, I propose an ocean inspired, Italian seafood dinner: Spaghetti with clams. Very popular dish in Italy and in Italian restaurants. And my absolute favorite seafood pasta!
It's really fast (less than 30 minutes!!) and quite easy to prepare. All you need is white wine, fresh (organic) Italian parsley, garlic and peperoncini to make it spicy. And, of course, fresh clams! I'm always skeptical of shell fish, so I only buy clams at the fish market, and not my regular grocery store. This way, I'm always sure they are top quality, fresh and super clean. Note, if you buy the clams in the morning for dinner time, like I always do, don't leave them in the closed package or bag. They might die without air. So, as soon as you get home, open the bag, place the clams in a large bowl  (with ice if possible), and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
Here is the recipe. You really can't go wrong with this!

Ingredients: for 4 people

• 2.5 lb of manila clams, super fresh!
• 1 bunch (about 1 oz) of fresh Italian parsley
• 1 cup of white wine
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 hot peppers (peperoncini)
• 3 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• 12 oz of spaghetti 

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Clean the clams under running water. Scrape the shells if necessary. Place the clams in a pot with two garlic cloves crushed. Cover the pot and place it over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Bring another large pot with salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti as directed on the box as soon as the water starts to boil.

Step 3: In a large skillet, saute' two minced garlic cloves with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the hot peppers.

Step 4: Take all the clams that opened from the pot and add to the skillet with the olive oil and garlic. For about half, leave the clams in their shell, and the other half remove from the shell.
If you have clams that did not open, cook them in the pot, covered, for one extra minute. Add to the skillet if the clams are now open, or discard if still close (it means they were dead, and most likely not safe to eat).

Step 5: Filtrate the water left by the clams with a sifter and add the liquid to the skillet. Throw away the sandy bottom.

Step 6: Add the white wine, bread crumbs and chopped parsley to the skillet. Let evaporate the alcohol, and cook for about 5 minutes. Adjust with salt if necessary (it shouldn't be!).

Step 7: Drain the spaghetti al dente and toss in the skillet with the clams for about a minute, mixing well. Serve immediately sprinkling with some more parsley if you like.

Buon Appetito!