Hallie Norvet

Grilled Cilantro Chile Lime Shrimp

As promsied here is my recipe for my Grilled Garlic Cilantro Lime Shrimp. It's been a hot week here in L.A. with temperatures above 80 degrees. This is unusual for January, so now I will make some unusual January food. Instead of chili's and stews like I normally would be making this time of year, we are all seeking relief with fresh, chilled salads. The recipe for these shrimp is very versatile. You can enjoy this warm as an entree, chilled with cocktail sauce, on a salad, or as is.

Makes: 2 Pounds of Shrimp

Prep Time: 10 Minutes:

Cook Time 10-12 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined, Tails-on

10 Clove Garlic, Chopped Fine

2 Limes, Zested and Juiced

2 Tabelspoons Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon Cumin

1.5 teaspoon Chile Powder

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Cilantro

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl or ziplock bag, allow shrmp to marinade in mixture for 15 minutes prior to grilling.

Preheat your grill. Grill shrimp on skewers or in a grill-safe basket until shrimp are opaque and cooked-through to an internal temp of 145 degrees. Serve with garlic butter, grilled avocado, fresh lime wedges, or cocktail sauce.

Lobster tails were on sale this week.. I don't ever need an excuse to buy lobster but if I did, this was it. "What to make, what to make.." I wondered to myself. It's still 85 degrees here in Los Angeles in the middle of October, I'm starting to think it will be Summer forever here. Something chilled would really hit the spot.. "Ah ha!" Mini lobster rolls. These beauties were born..

Makes: 25+ Mini Toasts

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: None

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

Toasts:

1 Stick Salted Butter, Room Temperature

3 Garlic Cloves, Peeled, Chopped

25 1/3-inch-thick Bread Slices Cut from 1 Baguette, or 7 Slices of Quartered Slices of Thick White Toast

Lobster Mix:

2 Tablespoon Mayonaisse

1 Tablespoon Creme Fraiche

1/3 Cup Celery and Leaves (If Any), Finely Diced

2 tablespoons Fresh Italian Parsley, Chopped

1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Chopped

Leom Juice, 1 Tablespoon

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/8 teaspoon Lemon Zest for Fine Microplane

Dash of Paprika

12 Ounces Cooked Lobster Meat, Roughly Chopped into Large Dices

Here is a great tutorial on how to cook lobster tails, I reccommend the boiling option for this recipe:

How to Cook Lobster Tails: http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Lobster-Tails

Garnish Options:

• Dill Frond
• Chopped Chive
• Lemon Zest
• Paprika

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix togetehr softened butter and garlic. Spread a thin layer of butter on each side of your bread slices. Place bread slices onto a baking sheet. Place baking sheet on center rack and allow to bake for 7-9 minutes until edges are golden brown. Transfer toasts to plate to cool.

Combine mayonnaise, celery, parsley, dill, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, and dash of paprika in large bowl; stir to blend. Mix in lobster and gently fold with spatula. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mound lobster salad onto each toast and serve. Garnish with your favorite fresh herb, lemon or spice from the ingredient list.

Green Goddess Dressing is a thick, creamy dressing made of sour cream, mayonaisse, herbs and lemon. I have made a "healthier" version of this classic dressing by substituting avocado for mayonaisse. I personally think it tastes better, and it will give you a rich, green dressing without the added mayonaisse. You can also use this dressing as a dip!

Servings: 2-3

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: None

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

1 Avocado, Halved and Peeled, 1/2 Sliced

1 Clove Garlic, Chopped

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/4 Cup Scallion or Chive, Chopped

2 Tablespoons Basil, Chopped

2 Tablespoons Tarragon, Chopped

1 Tablespoon Parsley, Chopped

1 Teaspoon Anchovy Paste or Chopped Anchovies

1/2 Lemon, Juiced

Salt and Black Pepper

Black Pepper

1 Head Lettuce, Washed and Quartered (Butter/Bibb or Green Leaf would be ideal.)

1/2 Pound Cooked Shrimp, No Shells or Tails

10 Grape Tomatoes, Halved

3 Radishes, Sliced

Garnish:

Parsley Leaves

1 Tablespoon Chopped Green Onion

Baby Buttercrunch Lettuce from my personal garden.

Directions:

In a blender add 1/2 avocado, garlic, sour cream, scallion, basil, tarragon, parsley, anchovy, lemon and a dash of salt and pepper to make your dressing. Blend until smooth. Season to your taste. If you would like your dressing a bit thinner, add 2 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Re-season.

On a large plate, pour a smal circle of dressing onto the center. Top with lettuce, shrimp, sliced avocado, tomatoes and radish slices. Garnish with parsley or chopped scallion. Not into shrimp? Other great protein packed toppings would be cooked salmon, hardboiled egg or bacon. Yum!

All photos and recipes by Chef Hallie Norvet, Hallie Norvet Personal Chef Service, Los Angeles, CA

These Mini Lump Crab Cakes served with Shaved Fennel, Cara Cara Orange and Citrus Emulsion are delicious enough to be served on their own! If you can not find Cara Cara Oranges, any other type of orange will do.

Servings: 2-3 (About 15 Mini Crab Cakes)

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 8 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

For the Emulsion:

1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 Tablespoon Honey

1/2 Tablespoon Chopped Shallot

1 Cara Cara Orange, Juiced and Zested

1/2 Lemon, Juiced and Zested

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

For the Crabcakes:

1/2 Pound Lump Crab Meat

1/2 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Shallot

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest

1 Tablespoon Chopped Dill

1 Tablespoon Chopped Chive

2 Tablespoons Mayonaisse

1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumb

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Medium Bulb Fennel, Shaved (Save Sprigs for Garnish)

1 Cara Cara Orange, Supremed

Garnish:

1/2 Tablespoon Dill Springs

1/2 Tabelspoon Chopped Chive

DIrections:

For Vinaigrette:

In a medium mixing bowl, add mustard, honey and shallot. Slowly whisk in orange and lemon juice + zest with a fork. With an immersion blender, or a regular blender, blend mixture. While blendning, slowly add in olive oil until completely incorporated. Season dressing with salt to taste. If vinaigrette is too agressive for you, blend in 1 tablespoon of cold water. Chill sauce in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For Crabcake:

In a separate medium mixing bowl mix together crab, shallot, lemon zest, dill, chive, mayonaise and mustard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. With a rubber spatula, gently fold ingredients together to keep crab from falling apart too much. Once incorporated, take 1 tablespoon of crab mixture and shape into a patty.. a crabby patty if you will. They should be about 1 inch in diameter. Then, dip each side of the crab cake into panko bread crumbs. Do not coat completely, just on the top and bottom to give it a nice crunch. Do this until all crab mixture is used. Want to make one big crab cake? Heck yeah, you do that! Just take a few more tablespoons of crab meat and repeat process.

Pre-heat oven to 400. In a medium saute pan heat olive oil over medium high heat for 1 minute. Gently add crab cakes and pan fry until golden brown. Flip, and repeat on toher side. Once both sides are browned place all crab cakes onto a baking sheet. Heat in oven for 6 minutes until 165 degrees.

Serve crab cakes over shaved fennel, cara cara orange supremes and fresh herbs. Drizzle the citrus emulsion around the plate to not soak the crabcakes.

This Mussel Dish with White Wine, Tarragon and Tomato Broth can be made in almost no time at all and would be great as an appetizer or entree. Be sure to serve this with some crunchy garlic bread to soak up the flavors of the broth.

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Ripe On The Vine Tomatoes, Quartered

1 Shallot, Sliced Thin

3 Garlic Cloves, Sliced Thin

1/2 Cup Dry White Wine

1 Teaspoon Tomato Paste

1 Pinch Dry Red Pepper Flake

1 Pound Black or Blue Mussels, Scrubbed and Rinsed (Discard any mussels that do not close when pinched shut.)

Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons Tarragon Leaves

1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley

2 Pats of Cold Butter

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375. Cover a medium sheet tray with aluminum foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it. Place quartered tomatoes sliced side down onto the tray and bake in the oven on the medium rack for 35 minutes until tender. Remove tomatoes from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medum high heat. Add shallots and garlic to pan and saute for 1 minute. Add roasted tomatoes to pan and saute for 1 minute. Add white wine, tomato paste, chile flake and mussels to pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Put flame up to high heat and place lid over pan. Allow mussels to "steam" for 2 minutes until all of them have opened. If there are any mussels that have not opened after 3 minutes, discard them as they are unedible. Remove lid, add tarragon, parsley an cold butter to pan and simmer for 45 seconds. Place contents of pan into a large bowl. Serve with small forks, a bowl for shells and some really tasty bread!

This bright and refreshing dish can be made with almost any type of firm white fish! Halibut would also be exceptional.

Servings 2

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

For Salsa:

1 Large Tomato, Chopped

1 Medium Orange, Peeled and Chopped

1 Avocado, Chopped

10 Mint Leaves, Chopped Fine

Salt and Pepper

For Vinaigrette:

2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Teaspoon Honey

1 Medium Orange, Juiced and Zested

¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

For Fish:

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 Tablespoon Mint, Chopped

3 Tablespoons Panko Bread Crumb

2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard

2 Sea bass Filets

Directions:

For Salsa: Add tomato, orange, avocado and mint into a medium mixing bowl until incorporated. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

For VInaigrette:

In a medium bowl, whisk cider vinegar, honey and Dijon together. Slowly whisk in orange juice and zest. Once orange juice is incorporated, slowly whisk in extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

For Fish:

Pre-heat oven to 375. Pat fish filets dry with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Season both filets with salt and pepper. Mix panko bread crumbs with chopped mint. Spread 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard onto each filet, then dip each filet Dijon side down, into panko mixture. Heat medium sauté pan over high heat and add olive oil to pan. Once pan is very hot slowly add filet into pan. Cook for one minute on crusted side until golden brown. Then flip fish and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Move fish onto an oven safe pan and cook in oven for 7-10 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

This dish looks hard to make, but it's really quite simple. Cook the bacon, puree the cauliflower and make the pesto ahead of time so you have the time to focus on perfectly cooking those scallops. Also, you don't always have to use pinenuts in a pesto, almonds or walnuts will work just as well!

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 7 Minutes

Servings: 4

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

5 Slices Bacon

1 Head Cauliflower, Cut into Florets

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper

1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves

1/4 Cup Fresh Tarragon Leaves

2 Tablespoon Chopped Almonds, Pinenuts or Walnuts

2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

12 Medium-Large Scallops (U-15)

Directions:

Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat until crispy. Dry on paper towel then chop into bacon bits. Put to bacon side. In a medium saucepot add cauliflower florets. Cover with warm water until halfway. Place lid on pot and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Drain cauliflower and return to pot with no heat. Add cream and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Blend ingredients with an immersion blender until smooth. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if needed. Hold puree in pot and keep warm until ready to serve.

In a blender or with your immersion blender, blend nuts, basil, tarragon, parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup olive oil until incorporated. I like my pesto a little chunkier, but you can blend yours until your desired consistency. Season pesto with salt and pepper to taste. If pesto is a little bitter, add more cheese or a small amount of honey.Put to side until ready to serve.

Remove scallops from the fridge and pat dry with paper towels. The drier they are, the crispier they will be. Remove additional abductor muscle on scallop if present. Season scallops well with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once you start to see little whisps of smoke rise from the pan, it is time to sear the scallops. Make sure oil is spread evenly over pan surface, and gently add scallops to pan. Allow scallops to cook over high heat for 2 minutes. With a fish spatula or a pair of tongs, gently lift scallops off of pan and flip. Cook for another two minutes on the other side. Scallops are done when opaque and firm.

Plate cauliflower sauce first, then add scallops, top with bacon crumble and drizzle pesto oil around plate. Enjoy!

Grilled Shrimp Tostadas with Avocado Poblano Pepper Puree, Queso Fresca, Shallot Greens and Cilantro

Shallot greens are a lot like a green onion or scallion, except they are much bigger in size and flavor!  Be sure to slice them thin because they are very strong in taste.

Prep Time: 35 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Servings: 2

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

1 Poblano Pepper

1 Avocado, Chopped

¼ Cup Water

1 Lime, Juiced

Kosher salt and pepper

16 Large Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

4 Corn Tostadas

¼ Cup Crumbled Queso Fresca

¼ Cup Finely Chopped Shallot Greens

¼ Cup Cilantro Leaves

Directions:

Skewer shrimp and and store in refrigerator for later use.  Start grill. Heat whole Poblano pepper over open flame or under broiler until black and charred. Always use caution when working with an open flame. Put roasted pepper into a plastic bag or a bowl with a lid to “sweat” until soft. Once pepper is soft, remove charred skin by wearing a glove. Remove stem and seeds from pepper with a knife, chop pepper into chunks and place into blender. Add avocado, water and lime juice to blender. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Hold puree in refrigerator until you are ready to assemble your tostada.

Season shrimp skewers with salt and pepper. Grill skewers over open flame, or on cast-iron pan, until shrimp are opaque and pink. Now that your shrimp are cooked, it is time to assemble your tostadas. Add a spoonful of avocado pepper puree over each tostada and spread throughout. Top each tostada with four shrimp, crumbled queso fresca, chopped shallot greens and fresh cilantro. Eat by hand or with a knife a fork!

In my personal opinion, the best part about eating a fresh salmon filet is the deliciously crispy skin. Here I will show to step by step how to sear and cook a salmon filet so you get that extra crispy skin that everyone loves.

Ingredients/Tools:

One Salmon 5 oz. Salmon Filet (Skin-On)

Medium Saute Pan

Fish Spatula

Small Sheet Tray

1 TB Grapeseed Oil

Kosher Salt

Fresh Cracked Black or White Pepper

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Do inspect the skin side to make sure there are no extra scales. If there are, simply taking an upside down butter knife and runnning it back and forth along the skin should jostle any loose. Rinse your fish and dry well with paper towels. This is crucial to getting an extra crispy crunchy skin.

2. I began by trimming my salmon filet down to size. Your local seafod market should have portioned filets available for you, if not you can simply ask them to cut one for you. a 4-6 oz. filet in generally good for one person. This is a beautiful piece of =Scottish Salmon that I purchased from Santa Monica Seafood. Take your filet and season both sides with salt and pepper.

3. Heat your saute pan over high heat. Allow your pan to heat up for about one minute. This is essential to getting both color, and a crispy skin on your salmon. Pour your oil into the pan. Grapeseed oil has a higher smoke point than other other oils like olive or vegetable. A smoke point is at what temperature the oil in a hot pan will begin to smoke. Since grapeseed oil has a higher smoke point, the pan can get hotter without any smoke.

4. Slowly put your salmon into a hot pan *away* from you. This is a safety precaution, as if the salmon slips out of your hands, it will splatter the hot oil *away* from you and not towards you.

5. Quickly grab your spatula and with gentle pressure push down on the fish. This is done to prevent the skin from curling up from the high heat of the pan.

6. Reduce your heat to medium-high and allow the fish to cook for 2-3 minutes. Do not try to move the fish during this time. Once the skin is crispy enough you will be able to slide your fish spatula under the filet.

7. Remove the filet from the pan, onto the sheet tray and into the oven to finish. Your salmon filet should take about 4-6 minutes to cook depending on how well you prefer your salmon done. If you like it medium or medium-well, err on the side of 4-5 minutes. If you like your salmon well done it should take about 6-7 minutes.

8. Remove your salmon from the oven and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes as the fish will continue to cook. Plate your fish skin side up and enjoy!

I served mine over a parsnip puree, sauteed swiss chard and a port wine reduction.

This past weekend I had the joy of being photographed by my close friend Stephanie Gill http://stephaniegillphotography.com. We spent the morning at the farmer's market, then the rest of the afternoon cooking and taking photos with the fresh ingredients I purchased. Here through her photos I will instruct you step by step how to sear and cook some deliciously sweet sea scallops. Scallops are an elegant and sophisticated ingredient that are super simple to prepare!

Ingredients/Tools Needed:

5-6 Medium to Large Scallops

A Large Skillet or Saute Pan

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Most scallops for sale have a small membrane remaining on them from when they detached from their shell. Simply feel around the edge of each scallop until you find it, and remove it. This part is edible, but not supposed to be eaten.

1. Season all of your scallops with salt and pepper and dry with a paper towel.

2. Heat your skillet over medium high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of oil.

3. Wait until your pan is barely smoking hot to scallops into pan. If scallops are placed into the pan to early, they may stick and fall apart. Just make sure your pan is nice and hot.

4. Place each scallop into pan. Reduce your heat to medium to let your scallops caramelize and cover with a lid for 2 minutes.

5. Remove lid and flip scallops over with tongs. Cover again and cook for 2 minutes.

6. When scallops are fully cooked they will be opaque and firm to the touch!

They go great over a risotto, polenta, purees and salads.

I placed my scallops over a bed of braised leeks, and topped it with a blood and pink orange salad with a orange pan reduction sauce. Yum!!