Emeril 20-40-60 Read online

  1. Cut the radishes into lengthwise quarters. Meanwhile, have a 12-inch sauté pan heating over medium heat.

  2. Add the radishes to the hot pan and raise the heat to high. Carefully add the water, sugar, butter, salt, and white pepper (the liquids may splatter). Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the radishes are easily pierced with a fork and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

  3. Remove the radishes from the heat and sprinkle with the mint; toss to blend, and serve hot or warm.

  4 servings

  Seafood

  BROILED CATFISH WITH FRESH THYME, GARLIC, AND LEMON

  Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total: 20 minutes

  There are two types of catfish I prefer: one is from the Mississippi Delta, where my wife’s family is from, and the other is from Des Allemands, Louisiana, the self-proclaimed “catfish capital of the world.” This is a very quick dish, and is always best when made with fresh catfish. However, if quality frozen catfish is available where you live, that’ll work too.

  Four 6-to 8-ounce skinless catfish fillets

  2 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (20 Minutes or Less)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

  1 tablespoon minced garlic

  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

  Juice of 1 lemon

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

  Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

  1. Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler.

  2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Season the catfish fillets on both sides with the Essence, salt, and white pepper, and place the fillets on the prepared baking sheet.

  3. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, and thyme. Using a small spoon, spread the garlic mixture evenly over the catfish. Then drizzle the fillets with the lemon juice.

  4. Transfer the baking sheet to the broiler. Cook the catfish for 6 minutes. Then rotate the baking sheet front to back, and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily when pressed with your fingers at the thickest part, about 4 minutes longer.

  5. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, sprinkled with the parsley and garnished with lemon wedges if desired.

  4 servings

  BROILED SALMON WITH A WARM TOMATO-LEMON VINAIGRETTE

  Prep time: 6 minutes Cook time: 9 minutes Total: 15 minutes

  Most people really enjoy salmon because of its “steak-like” texture and wonderful flavor. Wait until you try it with a tomato-lemon vinaigrette! Oh, baby, this is not only tasty but healthy and beautiful, too.

  ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves

  ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

  1½ teaspoons salt

  ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

  Four 6-ounce salmon fillets

  1. Position a rack 6 to 8 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a 10-inch sauté pan over high heat. When it is hot, add the marjoram and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and mix well. Remove from the heat and set aside.

  3. Arrange the salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the fillets with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Broil until the salmon is browned and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes.

  4. Remove from the oven, and serve with the tomato-lemon vinaigrette spooned over the top.

  4 servings

  GAAAHLICKY SIZZLING SHRIMP

  Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 4 to 5 minutes Total: 14 to 15 minutes

  Garlic meets shrimp. This is really simple and equally delicious eaten over pasta, over steamed white rice or creamy grits, or over nothing at all, with crusty French bread for sopping up all the garlicky goodness.

  2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

  2 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (20 Minutes or Less)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic

  6 tablespoons shrimp or chicken stock or canned, low-sodium shrimp or chicken broth

  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  1. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the Essence and the salt. Set aside.

  2. Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the butter and garlic. Once the butter is nearly melted (about 20 seconds), add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are cooked through, about 3 minutes.

  3. Add the stock, lemon juice, and parsley, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Serve immediately.

  2 to 4 servings

  SOUTHERN-STYLE PAN-FRIED CATFISH

  Prep time: 12 minutes Cook time: 8 minutes Total: 20 minutes

  A quintessential Southern dish. If you’re not from the South, here’s your chance to transport your guests to a place they may never have been to. If you are a Southerner, you will arrive in a place that’s nostalgic and new all at once. Delicious.

  ½ cup buttermilk

  2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

  1 tablespoon Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (20 Minutes or Less)

  1 tablespoon minced garlic

  2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce or other red hot sauce

  Four 6-to 8-ounce skinless catfish fillets

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  2/3 cup cornmeal

  1 tablespoon salt

  2/3 cup vegetable oil, for frying

  Kicked-Up Tartar Sauce (recipe follows), for serving, optional

  Lemon wedges, for serving

  1. Whisk together the buttermilk, mustard, Essence, garlic, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Place the fillets in a tray or baking dish that is just big enough to hold them. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the fish, making sure they are evenly coated. Set aside to marinate while you assemble the remaining ingredients.

  2. In a second tray or shallow baking dish, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and salt.

  3. One at a time, remove the fillets from the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drip off. Transfer the fish to the flour-cornmeal mixture and dredge to evenly coat. Place the breaded fish on a plate, and set aside.

  4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add 2 fillets to the pan, presentation side down, and cook until they are golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until golden on the second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a fish spatula, transfer the fillets to a paper towel–lined plate. Repeat with the remaining 2 fillets.

  5. Serve hot, with the Kicked-Up Tartar Sauce and lemon wedges, if desired, alongside.

  4 servings

  Kicked-Up Tartar Sauce

  Prep time: 10 minutes Total: 10 minutes

  We wouldn’t just give you any ole tartar sauce recipe. Creole mustard, hot sauce, cayenne, and tarragon…. Quick to whip up and definitely worth the effort. Heinz who?

  1 cup mayonnaise

  ¼ cup finely chopped cornichons, dill pickles, or dill pickle relish, drained

  2 tablespoons minced shallots

  2 tablespoons minced green onion tops

  1 tablespoon finely chopped drained nonpareil capers

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  2 teaspoons Creole mustard or other spicy whole-grain mustard

  ½ teaspoon Loui
siana hot sauce

  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed between your fingers

  Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to blend. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This will keep for 1 week.

  About 1½ cups

  BLUE CORN–CRUSTED RAINBOW TROUT WITH CILANTRO-LIME SOUR CREAM

  Prep time: 8 minutes Cook time: 6 minutes Total: 14 minutes

  You’d better make extra batches of this dish—my Culinary Team couldn’t keep their hands off it when we tested it in our kitchen! Before I knew it, the fish was long gone and not even a crumb was left on the plate.

  ½ cup sour cream

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

  1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  1¼ teaspoons salt

  Generous ½ teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1 cup blue cornmeal

  1 teaspoon ground coriander

  1 teaspoon ground cumin

  Four 6-ounce skinless rainbow trout fillets

  4 tablespoons vegetable oil

  2 tablespoons butter

  Lime wedges, for serving

  1. Combine the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Set aside.

  2. Combine the blue cornmeal with the coriander and cumin in a shallow dish, and whisk to blend.

  3. Season the fish fillets on both sides with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and generous ½ teaspoon black pepper. Then dredge them in the blue cornmeal mixture, shaking to remove any excess.

  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter has melted, add 2 fillets, underside down, and cook until the skin side is golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and cook briefly on the presentation side until the fish is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Wipe the pan clean, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter, and repeat with the remaining fillets.

  5. Serve each fillet with a dollop of the cilantro-lime sour cream, and garnish with lime wedges.

  4 servings

  TROUT À LA MEUNIÈRE

  Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total: 20 minutes

  This is a classic New Orleans dish in which thin trout fillets are dredged in flour, then quickly sautéed and finished with a simple lemony butter sauce. Any fresh trout from the gulf, the brook, or da bayou will do.

  Four 6-ounce skinless trout fillets

  1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  1 teaspoon Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (20 Minutes or Less)

  ½ cup Wondra flour (see Note)

  4 tablespoons olive oil

  8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

  1 tablespoon minced shallot

  2 tablespoons dry white wine

  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  ½ cup thinly sliced almonds

  2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  Freshly ground white pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.

  2. Season the trout fillets with the salt and the Essence. Lightly dredge the seasoned trout in the Wondra, shaking to remove any excess.

  3. Set a 10-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place 2 fish fillets in the pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Place the cooked fillets on an ovenproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining fillets in the same manner with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

  4. Once all the fillets are cooked, return the empty sauté pan to the stovetop and reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the pan, and when it has melted, add the shallot. Cook for 30 seconds. Then add the white wine, lemon juice, almonds, and parsley. Continue to cook for 30 to 40 seconds, swirling the pan occasionally. Season the sauce with salt and white pepper to taste, and remove from the heat.

  5. Remove the platter from the oven, pour the sauce over the fish, and serve immediately.

  Note: Wondra is an instant flour most typically used for sauce because it dissolves quickly. We have found that its fine texture is perfect for a thin crisp coating on seared fish.

  4 servings

  CLASSIC MOULES MARINIÈRE

  Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 8 minutes Total: 18 minutes

  A classic white wine–based dish, with a touch of cream and lots of shallots and garlic. In the Provençal region of France, they add tomatoes to this dish; feel free to do so if you like. You can enjoy this with either crusty bread or toasted slices of French bread, as in the Bruschetta recipe on 20 Minutes or Less. In French bistros, these mussels are traditionally served with pommes frites.

  3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  6 tablespoons chopped shallots

  1 tablespoon minced garlic

  2 sprigs fresh parsley, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

  2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 cup dry white wine

  ¼ cup heavy cream

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  4 pounds (about 4 dozen) live mussels, well scrubbed, rinsed, and debearded

  Crusty French bread, for serving

  1. In a large deep sauté pan or a large wide saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and herb sprigs and cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine, heavy cream, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.

  2. Add the mussels, cover the pan, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels have opened, 5 to 6 minutes.

  3. Remove the pan from the heat and discard any mussels that have not opened. Transfer the mussels and their liquid to a large, deep serving bowl and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately, with French bread for dipping.

  4 servings

  Poultry

  STIR-FRIED CHICKEN WITH CASHEWS

  Prep time: 12 minutes Cook time: 6 minutes Total: 18 minutes

  Hoisin sauce is a Chinese condiment that is easy to find in most supermarkets; its distinct flavor really makes this dish come alive. If you’d like, feel free to substitute an equal amount of shrimp or turkey for the chicken. This dish would be right at home served with the Aromatic Jasmine Rice on 20 Minutes or Less.

  ½ cup plus 2 teaspoons chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth

  ¼ cup hoisin sauce

  2 tablespoons soy sauce

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick even slices

  ¼ cup finely chopped green onion bottoms, plus 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops

  2 teaspoons minced garlic

  ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

  1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and julienned (see 20 Minutes or Less)

  1 teaspoon cornstarch

  ½ cup roasted cashews

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Cooked white rice, for serving

  1. In a small bowl, combine the ½ cup chicken broth, the hoisin sauce, and the soy sauce. Set this sauce aside.

  2. Heat the oil in a wok or a large sauté pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until it just turns opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the green onion bottoms, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the red bell pepper and cook until just tender, about 1 minute.

  3. Add the sauce to the pan and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the remaining 2 teaspoons chicken broth and stir well. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stir-fry and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 45 seconds.


  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onion tops and cashews. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked white rice.

  About 4 servings

  SAUTÉED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH DIJON HERB SAUCE

  Prep time: 6 minutes Cook time: 14 minutes Total: 20 minutes

  Simply described, this dish is a classic! Serve it with a green salad and hot, crusty, buttered bread. Don’t make me say it: “plate-lickin’ good”!

  Four 6-to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  1 teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  2 tablespoons chopped shallot

  1 cup dry white wine

  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  ½ cup heavy cream

  1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

  1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

  1. Season the chicken on both sides with the salt and white pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side.

  2. Increase the heat to high, add the shallot and white wine, and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a serving plate.

  3. Whisk the mustard and heavy cream into the pan, and bring the sauce to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes, until thickened and bubbly.