Cooking with New England Living TV: Boston’s Seaport District
Rich Vellante, Legal Sea Foods‘ executive chef and executive vice president of restaurants, was kind enough to share recipes for a few of the dishes he prepared in the Seaport District episode of New England Living TV.
Jonah Crab, Corn and Avocado Toast
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh Jonah crabmeat
1 cup corn (taken off ear and sautéed)
2 garlic cloves
2 serrano chilies (one seeded and diced raw; one charred, seeded and skinned)
8 oz. finely chopped tomato
2 TBSPs cilantro (rough slice)
Kosher salt
3 avocados (ripe)
¾ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 scallions slices very thin (whites only)
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
Loaf of crusty bread (cut into toast slices)
Method:
- Sauté the corn in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1 smashed garlic clove for 4 minutes.
- Add salt to taste and the raw diced serrano. Cool, remove garlic clove and reserve.
- Char one serrano chili on grill or gas stove top and put under plastic wrap. Remove skin, halve and remove seeds.
- In mortar and pestle, mash up avocado until slightly chunky. Fold in scallion, lime zest, lime juice, tomatoes, half of the corn, cilantro and salt to taste.
- Drizzle bread with extra virgin olive oil and toast in a 400˚ oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
(You can also grill toast if you would like instead.) - Rub toast lightly with a garlic clove. Smear a layer of avocado. Top with fresh crabmeat. Garnish with corn, tomato and cilantro.
This appetizer serves 4 people.
George’s Bank Sea Scallop Ceviche
Ingredients
1 lb. dry pack sea scallop (diced into ½” cubes)
2 tsp Aji Peruvian peppers (can be bought in Peruvian market)
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup (or to taste) red onion sliced thin
6 sprigs cilantro
1 tsp jalapeño pepper seeded and diced
Salt to taste
Method:
- Lightly salt the cubes of scallops and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Thinly slice red onions and soak in ice water for 30 minutes.
- Squeeze lime juice in a bowl.
- Add Aji pepper puree, onions, lime juice and jalapeño peppers.
- Check flavor and adjust if needed. Finish with cilantro and serve.
This appetizer serves 4 people.
Lobster Rolls
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. lobster salad (see recipe below)
4 leafs red or green leaf lettuce
4 hot dog rolls
Method:
- Lightly brush both sides of rolls with butter.
- Place on griddle and grill both sides until golden brown.
- Line each roll with a leaf of lettuce.
- Divide lobster salad evenly among each roll.
Lobster Salad Ingredients:
1 ¼ lbs. lobster meat
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup green onions sliced
¼ cup diced celery
½ cup mayonnaise
Season with kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Method:
- Gently fold all ingredients together.
Serves 4
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
Pastry Cream Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vanilla bean seeds scraped into milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBSPs cornstarch
1/2 oz. butter
Method:
- Heat the milk with the vanilla bean pod and seeds.
- Combine yolks, sugar and cornstarch, temper hot milk in.
- Add everything back to the pan and cook stirring constantly until thick. Add butter and strain.
- Cool completely.
Cake Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup water
6 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
2 oz. butter, melted
1 cup cake flour, sifted
Method:
- Whip in a stand mixer: the egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, salt, and vanilla until thick, 3 – 5 minutes, reduce speed and add the 1/4 cup water. Whip again until thick.
- Fold in melted butter and sifted flour.
- Whip egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar to medium peak and fold in. Scoop into lined muffin cups and bake 350˚ for 15 minutes.
- Let cool, cut out the center of the cupcake, keeping the top.
- Fill a pastry bag with the pastry cream and pipe some in to each cupcake, put cake top back on.
Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:
4 oz. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup brewed coffee
1/8 cup light corn syrup
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
Method:
- Melt butter in a pot, add sugar and cocoa to make a paste.
- Add and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Take off heat and strain, dip the top of each cupcake to coat and let set up.
Yields 12 cupcakes.
