A delightful dish for shellfish lovers.

½ pound medium size raw shrimp (31 to 40 per pound)
½ pound large scallops (1.5 inches in diameter)
1 medium size green bell pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)

Sauce:
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons rice wine or cooking sherry wine
1 teaspoon white vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
Peel and devein the shrimp. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Rinse scallops with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut each scallop in half.  Wash, discard stem and seeds from green pepper and cut into 1-inch squares. Peel and finely grate the fresh ginger root.

In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together thoroughly and set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix together. Place the shrimp and scallops in the flour and salt mixture. Lightly toss and coat the shrimp and scallops with the flour and salt.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and scallops to wok. Stir-fry until both sides of the shrimp are pink and the scallops are almost cooked through, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add green peppers to wok. Cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture to wok and mix well. Stir-fry for 30 seconds longer. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 to 6 minutes

Fresh black pacific mussels are both sweet and tender. This dish may be served either as an appetizer or as an entire meal for two.

1 bag black pacific live mussels (2-pounds)
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster sauce*
2 tablespoons rice or cooking sherry wine
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Preparation:
Discard any opened mussels, if any. Wash and scrub the mussels. Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water together and set aside.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok over medium high-heat. When the oil is hot, brown garlic for a few seconds. Add chicken broth, oyster sauce, wine, salt and sugar. Cook and stir until the mixture is brought to a boil. Add cleaned mussels to wok. Stir-fry for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, until all the mussels’ shells are opened. Push the mussels to the sides of the wok. Stir again and add the dissolved cornstarch to the sauce in the center of wok. Stir until the sauce thickens. Thoroughly mix the sauce with the mussels and serve hot.

Makes 2 to 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes

*Oyster sauce by the bottle is sold at the Asian section of the most supermarkets. After opening, it can be stored for several months in the refrigerator.

Whole steamed fish is a popular dish in Cantonese style restaurants. This at home version of steamed trout is both tender and sweet. Oh, and so very healthy!

2 fresh cleaned rainbow trout (approximately 1 pound each)
1 scallion, including the green top
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
1 fresh green jalapeno chili pepper
3 tablespoons soy sauce (kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons rice or cooking sherry wine
2 teaspoons pure sesame oil
1 oz. fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation:
Rinse the whole Trout with cold water. Place both fish in a 9×12 baking dish. Wash and trim the green onion, finely chop. Sprinkle chopped onions on top of the fish. Peel and finely grate the ginger root. Sprinkle on top of the fish. Thinly slice the jalapeno pepper crosswise and also place on top of the fish. Drizzle soy sauce, wine and sesame oil over the fish. Wash and trim the cilantro. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

To Cook:
If you do not have access to a large steamer, a 11×15 or 12×18 roasting pan is a fine substituted. Fill the roasting pan 1/3 full of water. Place the 9×12 baking dish inside the roasting pan. Place on top of stove top range, cover the entire roasting pan with a lid or foil and cook over high heat. Bring the water to a boil and then steam the fish for approximately 12 minutes. Spoon sauce over fish, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

When serving, make sure to pour the sauce over the fish meat. It adds wonderful flavor and really makes the dish!

Makes 2 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes

Hot Pepper Shrimp is a spicy dish however if you really like hot, you can take it up a few notches by not removing the seeds of the jalapeno. Any variety of fresh chili pepper may be substituted for the jalapeno peppers. Of course fresh shrimp is super but for the sake of convenience, I also enjoy frozen shrimp. It’s available whenever I feel like it and it comes already peeled and deveined. What a time saver!

1 pound medium size raw shrimp (31 to 40 count per pound)
3 fresh green jalapeno chili peppers
½ red bell pepper
2 scallions, including the green top
½ oz. fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)

Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
1 tablespoon rice or cooking sherry wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure sesame oil

Preparation:
Peel, devein and rinse shrimp. Wash and cut jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut crosswise into ¼ inch pieces. Cut the red bell pepper into 1 inch strips.  Wash and trim the green onions, finely chop. Peel, thinly slice and then chop the ginger root into small pieces. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together however add the seasme oil at the very end and set aside.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown onions and ginger for a few seconds. Add shrimp into the wok. Stir-fry for approximately 2 minutes until the shrimp changes to pink in color. Be careful not to over cook the shrimp. Add jalapenos and red bell peppers. Mix well. Stir the sauce mixture and pour into wok. Stir-fry for one more minute. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 -20 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes

I am always trying to incorporate more fish into our diet. It doesn’t help that some of my family members (aka husband) won’t eat salmon. Yet they will eat salmon fillets when prepared with spicy Asian flavor, hence this wonderful recipe.  Other times I just don’t give them a choice since it’s what’s being served for dinner! 

4 fresh salmon fillets (1-1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola, vegetable or olive oil (for cooking in a non-stick pan)

Sauce:
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice wine or cooking sherry wine
1 teaspoon dried crushed red chili peppers
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure sesame oil

Preparation:
Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from each salmon fillet. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Mix salt and black pepper together then sprinkle evenly to cover both sides of the salmon fillets. Place flour on a large plate. Lightly coat each piece of salmon with the flour. Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, brown the salmon pieces in a covered pan for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Pour the sauce mixture over salmon. Cook with the cover on for a few seconds longer. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes

I always try to keep an assortment of nuts in my pantry because you just never know when they will come in handy to spruce up a dish. Tonight I found cashews. The combination of shrimp and cashews make a delicious dish!

1 pound large size raw shrimp (21 to 25 per pound)
1/2 can sliced water chestnuts (2.5 oz.) drained
3/4 cup roasted and salted cashews
1/2 red bell pepper
1 scallion, including the green top
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)
1 teaspoon pure sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Marinade:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon rice wine or cooking sherry wine
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Peel and devein shrimp. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. In a bowl, beat the egg white. Combine shrimp, wine and salt. Mix together thoroughly and set aside. Cut red bell pepper into 1-inch squares. Wash and trim the green onion, finely chop.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, brown onions for a few seconds. Add shrimp into wok and stir-fry until the shrimp are pink, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add water chestnuts, cashews, red bell peppers and stir. Add sesame oil and sugar. Stir-fry for another minute. Be cautious not over cook the shrimp. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes