ROTD: Whole Stuffed Red Snapper

 Inspiration from last night's catering made me think we should share this marvelous recipe with our friends. There's something so delicious about a whole Red Snapper that just screams "EAT ME!" Enjoy!! 

Ingredients

1 (3 to 4 pound) whole red snapper, scaled and gutted
1 lime, quartered
Salt, for rubbing the fish

Stuffing:

2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 tablespoons chopped chives
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 small onion, chopped

1 tomatoes, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small lime, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage


Directions

Wash the fish and rub inside and out with the quartered lime and salt. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Wipe off the lime juice and salt. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F or prepare the barbeque grill.

Combine all the stuffing ingredients and fill the cavity of the snapper. Bake or grill the fish until the flesh is opaque, allowing about 10 minutes per pound. Do not overcook.

Festival of Costa Rican Arts & Crafts

The Los Suenos Village would like to announce their Festival of Arts & Crafts, January 17th-19th from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Come and partake in the festivities!!!

ROTD: Cajun-Spiced Smoked Shrimp with Remoulade

We're still getting the hang of this whole Recipe of the Day (ROTD) thing. Over the holidays we missed a few days so I figured I'd do two for the price of one today. Over here at Jimmy T's we brought out the smoker this morning to smoke pretty much everything: fish, chicken, shrimp. So I figured I'd give you a nice recipe for some gorgeous Cajun-Spiced Smoked Shrimp. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups wood chips

Shrimp:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined  

Remoulade: 

•  3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice $
• 1 tablespoon Creole-style mustard
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 hard-cooked large eggs
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. 1. Soak wood chips in water 1 hour; drain.
2. 2. To prepare shrimp, combine paprika and the next 9 ingredients (through red pepper). Combine olive oil and shrimp in a bowl, and toss to coat. Sprinkle shrimp with rub, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. 3. To prepare rémoulade, combine mayonnaise and the next 10 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl. Remove yolks from eggs; discard yolks or reserve for another use. Finely chop egg whites, and stir into mayonnaise mixture. Cover; chill.
4. 4. Remove grill rack, and set aside. Prepare the grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to high and leaving one side with no heat. Pierce the bottom of a disposable aluminum foil pan several times with the tip of a knife. Place pan on heat element on heated side of grill; add wood chips to pan. Let wood chips stand for 15 minutes or until smoking; reduce heat to medium. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place on grill. Place shrimp in a grilling skillet; place skillet on grill rack over unheated side. Cover and grill 15 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring after 7 minutes. Serve with rémoulade.

Recipe Time

Hands On: 23 Minutes
Total: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes

Recipe of the Day: Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Living on the beach in Costa Rica we eat a lot of fish. Especially being parked right here in front of the Marina, there's always tons of the freshest fish you could hope to find around. The other day we were trying to think of a different way to prepare fish since it's often on the menu sometimes several times a week. Who doesn't love tacos? Tacos are awesome! There are so many ways to do tacos. But not just any tacos... I'm talking about Beer Battered Fish Tacos!

So, here's what you're gonna need:

Ingredients for FISH TACOS & BATTER

*1lb Fish of your choice cut into bite sized pieces (Mahi mahi, snapper, or seabass works best)
*Olive oil for frying (Not extra virgen- regular olive oil is better for frying)
*1 cup flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 tsp garlic powder
*1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*1/2 tsp salt
*1 egg
*1 cup good quality crafted beer
*12 corn tortillas 

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add the egg and beer, then stir into the batter.

2. Lay the fish on a flat surface and dust with flour, then mix the fish pieces into the batter.

3. Gently heat a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet or cast iron pan. Working in batches, add the pieces of fish making sure they have a good coating of batter. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

4. Lightly toast tortillas to make tacos. 

Ingredients for Avocado-Yogurt Sauce:

*1 large ripe avocado, pitted and roughly chopped
*¼ cup plain yogurt
*1 tbsp fresh lime juice
*½ cup roughly chopped cilantro
*¼ tsp salt
 *¼ cup water
  

Top your tacos with this delicious creamy sauce for a beautiful blend of flavors. Also, garnish your tacos with shredded cabbage, pickled red onions, cilantro sprigs, finely chopped radishes & lime wedges. 

Fish Tacos and Batter

1lb wild caught cod, cut into bite sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil or lard for frying

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup good quality crafted beer

12 corn tortillas

- See more at: http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2013/07/baja-style-beer-battered-fish-tacos/#sthash.TeanjzSs.dpuf

Fish Tacos and Batter

1lb wild caught cod, cut into bite sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil or lard for frying

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup good quality crafted beer

12 corn tortillas

- See more at: http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2013/07/baja-style-beer-battered-fish-tacos/#sthash.TeanjzSs.

Fish Tacos and Batter

1lb wild caught cod, cut into bite sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil or lard for frying

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup good quality crafted beer

12 corn tortillas

- See more at: http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2013/07/baja-style-beer-battered-fish-tacos/#sthash.TeanjzSs.dpuf

Fish Tacos and Batter

1lb wild caught cod, cut into bite sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil or lard for frying

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup good quality crafted beer

12 corn tortillas

- See more at: http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2013/07/baja-style-beer-battered-fish-tacos/#sthash.TeanjzSs.dpuf

2013 is almost over, and that means it’s time to throw a party to welcome in the New Year! A New Year’s Eve bash isn’t complete without an array of tantalizing appetizer recipes, so here you have some Ideas of  what they serve on New Year’s Eve. Get the year off to a delicious start with these  appetizers that will keep the party going past midnight.

Stuffed avocado recipe

Ingredients

• 4-5 firm ripe avocados
• 1 lb medium sized cooked shrimp
• ½ medium red onion, diced finely
• 2 radishes, diced finely
• ½ red bell pepper, diced finely
• 2 celery stalks, diced finely
• 2 hardboiled eggs, diced
• 5 tbs cilantro aioli or regular mayonnaise with chopped cilantro
• Lime juice from 1 lime
• Salt/pepper to taste
Optional garnishes:
• Chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes and chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Chop the cooked shrimp in half, if desired keep a few whole to garnish.
2. Combine diced onions, radishes, bell pepper, celery, eggs, shrimp, ½ of the lime juice and aioli or mayonnaise in a bowl, mix well. Can be kept refrigerated until ready to use.
3. Taste and salt/pepper if necessary.
4. Cut avocados in half, remove seed and peel carefully.
5. Drizzle remaining lime juice over avocados, this help keep them from darkening too quickly.
6. Use a spoon to stuff avocados with shrimp salad filling.
7. Add any garnishes and serve immediately.

Notes

Serve with aji or hot sauce if you want to spice it up. Also, if you’re serving it as a salad and have any extra cilantro aioli you can serve this on the side as additional salad dressing.

this one is stuffed with a shrimp salad made with red onion, radish, bell pepper, celery and cilantro aioli. The first time I had a shrimp stuffed avocado was at the beach in Punta Carnero (Ecuador). It was so simple, yet delicious and refreshing,  I’m sure the shrimp were fished that same morning. There is nothing better than fresh seafood, unless you pair it avocado (of course). I was about 8 or 9 at the time, so I don’t remember every single ingredient in it, but I figure I can experiment until I achieve the perfect shrimp stuffed avocado. Nico’s improvement suggestion was to make it spicier, but since I have a two year old testing the recipe as well I served the aji or hot sauce on the side. This can be served alone as an appetizer, or with lettuce and tomatoes as a salad. The shrimp salad filling can be prepared ahead; however, the avocados should be cut and peeled right before serving to avoid darkening. The shrimp salad is also excellent on its own and also makes a great filling for sandwiches.

Recipe Of The Day! Shrimp stuffed avocado

2013 is almost over, and that means it’s time to throw a party to welcome in the New Year! A New Year’s Eve bash isn’t complete without an array of tantalizing appetizer recipes, so here are some Ideas of what to serve on New Year’s Eve. Get the year off to a delicious start with these festive appetizers that will keep the party going past midnight.

Shrimp stuffed avocado

Ingredients

• 4-5 firm ripe avocados
• 1 lb medium sized cooked shrimp
• ½ medium red onion, diced finely
• 2 radishes, diced finely
• ½ red bell pepper, diced finely
• 2 celery stalks, diced finely
• 2 hardboiled eggs, diced
• 5 tbs cilantro aioli or regular mayonnaise with chopped cilantro
• Lime juice from 1 lime
• Salt/pepper to taste
Optional garnishes:
• Chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes and chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Chop the cooked shrimp in half, if desired keep a few whole to garnish.
2. Combine diced onions, radishes, bell pepper, celery, eggs, shrimp, ½ of the lime juice and aioli or mayonnaise in a bowl, mix well. Can be kept refrigerated until ready to use.
3. Taste and salt/pepper if necessary.
4. Cut avocados in half, remove seed and peel carefully.
5. Drizzle remaining lime juice over avocados, this help keep them from darkening too quickly.
6. Use a spoon to stuff avocados with shrimp salad filling.
7. Add any garnishes and serve immediately.

Notes

Serve with aji or hot sauce if you want to spice it up. Also, if you’re serving it as a salad and have any extra cilantro aioli you can serve this on the side as additional salad dressing.

 

You Can Find All the Ingredients Here At Jimmy T's

 

Visit Us tomorrow For another delicious Recipe for new year's Appetizer!

Hospicio de Huerfanos San Jose

For our staff Christmas Party this year, instead of bringing heaps of liquor, we decided to have everybody bring a gift for a child in need. GREAT IDEA, HUH!?! By the end of our party, we had a pile of presents and we decided that we wanted to make it count this Christmas. There are many local causes in Jaco and Herradura, but we really wanted to focus on the kids this year so we decided on an Orphanage in San Jose. On Wednesday, December 25th, Stephanie (aka Jimmy's Bride-to-be) drove up to deliver our gifts to the Hospicio de Huerfanos de San Jose. Unfortunately, no one else from the crew was able to attend as we have had caterings all week, and they do not allow anyone to photograph the children for obvious reasons, so we don't have photos. But Stephanie said that the response was very special and she felt extremely happy and grateful to be able to help out in even the smallest way. Our presents brought smiles to many kids' faces on Christmas. So, a special thanks to everyone who made a contribution.

Stephanie also said that the Orphanage houses around 15 babies at this time. That means they go through a lot of diapers and milk. So if you are feeling like making a charitable contribution to some worthy organization this year please contact us for more information on how you can help. On Christmas, they were housing 92 kids. Of course, this changes all the time as kids are hopefully being placed with family members once their cases have been processed. And this particular Orphanage only houses children up until the age of 13, after which they are transferred to a home for older kids. As we all know, kids need a lot of love. The administrators of the Orphanage have said that we are more than welcome to come back and visit the kids and spend some quality time. We would love to organize a group of people to take to visit the kids. Maybe we could even make it a monthly trip.
 

Again, a special thanks to everyone who attended our Christmas Party and brought something for the kids. Let's continue to spread the love on into the next year and don't forget to care about the kids!

To see more, check out the Fundacion de Huerfanos de San Jose FACEBOOK PAGE!