Moist and Savory Halibut

On May 13, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Recipes4 Comments

Halibut is a very versatile fish that can be cooked in many different ways. It is a mild fish as well that can take on a variety of flavors. This is an easy way to prepare halibut that is moist and can be paired with any type of side dish that you might like. We enjoy seeing the different ways that fish is prepared during our travels and they are most often served with some sort of regional sauce. This is definitely more of an American take on cooking halibut, but it could easily be modified to take on a variety of different spices and flavors. This is a recipe for two and is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but can also be dressed up for a weekend dinner with guests.

INGREDIENTS

2 Halibut Filets
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese – grated
2 tbsp Softened Unsalted Butter
2 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tbsp Green Onions – chopped
1 or 2 dashes of Hot Pepper Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dry the halibut filets and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Combine the parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix until smooth. Place the filets in a shallow baking dish that has been lightly greased. Bake the halibut in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes and the filets are flakey. Remove the baking dish from the oven and turn the oven onto broil. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the top of the fish and place into the oven on the highest rack. Broil the fish for about 2 minutes or until the mayonnaise mixture has started to brown.

Mayonnaise and Butter Mixture Melting on the Halibut

The Food of Carlsbad, California

On May 6, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn California, Food, RecipesLeave a comment

Located on the coast of southern California, Carlsbad has a combination of food styles that makes it a great food destination. First of all, being on the coast, seafood is a staple at many of the restaurants and there are even some that have their own boats that provide fresh fish for the restaurant. Being in California, healthy food is certainly on most menus and there is definitely an emphasis on farm-to-table as well as ocean-to-table. Finally, with its close proximity to Mexico, there are definitely options for authentic Mexican fare as well. That doesn’t mean that you are limited to those choices as there are sushi restaurants, Italian choices, and certainly good old steak and potato places.

Since we live in Colorado, seafood was high on our list of things to eat while we were there and we certainly had our fill. With plenty of places to choose from, one of our favorites was the Bluewater Grill, which sourced their fish from their own boat and also offered fresh fish to be purchased to take home. They claimed to have an award winning clam chowder, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it and it truly was delicious. Clearly that wasn’t the only seafood that we had as we enjoyed mussels at Jay’s Gourmet Seafood and Pizza, shrimp tacos and lobster and corn chowder at the Coyote Bar and Grill, and calamari at 264 Fresco.

Lemon Pepper Mahi Mahi at the Bluewater Grill

If you want Mexican food, Senior Chubby’s is certainly a favorite of the locals and features a salsa bar where you can get some really spicy salsa if you want. We also enjoyed the atmosphere and friendly staff at Las Olas where we enjoyed a couple of margaritas and a spicy cheese and bean dip. You don’t have to go to a Mexican restaurant to find Mexican choices as we even enjoyed delicious Huevos Rancheros at Dini’s Bistro, a place we went to a couple of times at sunset as they had great views of the ocean.

Spicy Cheese and Bean Dip with a Margarita

Clearly there are too many choices for the time that we had, but we did our best to visit as many places as possible. Sometimes it was for a quick snack and a drink, other times it was for a full meal (shared of course). There were other times when we just stopped in for a glass of wine or beer at places like the Village Pub, a fun little outdoor place called Crackhead Crafty’s, and a unique place called Campfire. Since Carlsbad Village is so walkable, it easy to wonder around and just explore and find places that sound interesting to you. In addition to food and drinks, there were several places that offered live entertainment, even on weeknights, providing a great atmosphere for people to gather and relax.

We certainly enjoyed the food that we ate while we were in Carlsbad and there didn’t seem to be any bad choices. Being on the ocean, most places provided casual dining, even if the food was upscale. Obviously you can find a formal restaurant if that is what you are looking for, but we enjoy casual, especially when visiting the beach. We will likely return to Carlsbad someday in the future and look forward to trying some new places as well as revisiting some of our favorites.

Baked Jumbo Lobster Tail

On April 29, 2020January 5, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes6 Comments

We recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and since we weren’t able to go to a restaurant for dinner, we decided to celebrate with a nice dinner at home. We decided to get some fresh lobster in order to have an elegant seafood dinner. There are several ways to prepare lobster tails and all of them create a tasty meal, but we chose to bake the lobster tail because of the presentation. We ordered our lobster tails from a company in Maine that ships them overnight and allows you to pick the size of your lobster tail. The lobster tails that we selected were between 12 and 14 ounces, which definitely made for a hearty meal. In fact, even though we ordered two tails and this recipe is for two tails, we only cooked one because it would have been too much for the two of us to eat. Regardless of the size of your tail, butterflying them and then baking them not only makes them more attractive but also helps the meat cook more evenly. We’d highly suggest that you try this method if you get a chance to cook fresh lobster tails. We served our lobster tails with a lobster bisque and crab cakes with a roumelade sauce.

INGREDIENTS

2 Fresh Lobster Tails (12 to 14 oz each) – thawed
12 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/2 Lemon – cut into wedges
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

Butterflied and Cleaned Jumbo Lobster Tail

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Butterfly the lobster by cutting the upper shell down the center with a pair of cooking shears, being sure to leave the tail in tact. Take a knife and cut into the meat about half way through along the slit where the tail has been cut. This will allow the meat to open up as it cooks. Next, use your fingers to separate the meat from the shell by sliding your fingers between the meat and the shell. Be careful not to cut yourself on the shell or to break the shell in the process. Carefully pull the meat up through the slit, leaving it attached to the tail, so that it sits on top of the shell. Rinse the lobster tail and remove any veins or tomalley. Place the lobster tails into a baking dish with about a half-inch of water, this will allow the shell to steam and turn red and also help to keep the lobster moist. Spread 2 tablespoons of butter over the meat of each of the lobster tails, which will also help to keep the meat moist while it bakes as well as add flavor. Place the lobster into the oven and bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees at the thickest part of the meat (about 18 to 25 minutes). It is important to use a thermometer to ensure that the lobster is fully cooked as well as to not overcook the lobster, which will make the meat tough. While the lobster is baking, melt the remaining 8 ounces of butter and use a spoon to remove any sediment to create a clarified butter. When the lobster is done, remove it from the oven, sprinkle it with the paprika and serve with the clarified butter, lemon wedges, and sides of your choice.