Tuna with Backfin Avocado Relish

Tuna with avocado backfin relish on a bed of beefsteak tomatoes.

It is that time of year! I wait all year for the fresh game fish to be cruising just of our Virginia waters and fortunately at the same time, it is beefsteak tomato season. Here is a great dish that is simple to prepare and your guest will love it!!

Ingredients:

Backfin crabmeat

Spring onion

Avocado

Tuna or Swordfish

Fresh beefsteak tomatoes

Fresh chives and basil

Olive oil

Your favorite blackening seasoning

White rice

Fresh Garlic

One lemon and lime

For the relish, in a bowl mix backfin crabmeat with fresh cut diced beefsteak tomatoes and add sea salt and pepper to taste. Cut fresh avocado and drench with fresh lemon juice.

Add fresh basil and cut chives, minced spring onion and squeeze one lime into the bowl.

Mix together lightly and chill

Grill the Tuna steaks with your favorite blackening seasoning and set aside on warm.

To serve, plate up a white plate with two slices of beefsteak tomatoes dashed with basil and chives and a little olive oil. Then scoop some white rice on the side then lay the grilled steak on top of the rice. Top of with grilled Tuna, garnish with lemon and lime.

Excellent summer dish!!!! Enjoy!

Jim Baugh

JBO TV

Author of “HOOKED

Merry Christmas! Here is a special recipe direct from the French Quarter with guest chef Steve van Noppen!

Jambalaya- Made the French Quarter Way

Well, what can I say, Christmas came early for me this year by way of my new friend and master chef Steve van Noppen. The gift was home made Jambalaya made authentic from someone who not only has been the chef at Broussards in the French Quarter, but a graduate from The Culinary Institute of America, and degreed in Hospitability Management at Florida International University. Steve currently is the executive chef at the Shreveport Convention Center in Louisiana.

Now, you may be wondering how I hooked up with such a word class chef. I mean this guy’s classmates included Anthony Bourdain and he hung out and worked with Emerald Lagasse. Obviously, this is the guy to get a Jambalaya recipe from if I could!

I met Steve van Noppen through my good friend Chris Jacobson who along with his wife Karen own Victorian Station where Jim’s Bar B Q is located. Chris calls me and says,

“Hey Jim! Guess what! My close friend who I was in scouts with in Germany as a youngster and is also a master chef from New Orleans is coming in for a visit. Dying for you to meet him!”

Now I was really excited. I figured someone who has been so successful in the restaurant world for so long, certainly could lend a few simple tips to a budding BBQ Baldie. And he did.

Steve stayed for about two weeks and hung out here at the BBQ and really enjoyed himself. He tried all our smoked dishes and simply said, it is fine, don’t change a thing. If anything, he commented that the ribs could be more spicy, but we are in the mid Atlantic, not the French Quarter. Different palate here. I already will get folks saying my BBQ ribs are too spicy, and I don’t even have ANY heat ingredients on them. Funny but true. Steve was kind enough to give me a bunch of great tips including his home made slaw recipe which I do make from now on. Much better than mine.

Steve and I bellied up to the bar enough nights at Jim’s Bar B Q for me to finally get up the nerve to ask,

“Steve. Hey man, since you are this great chef and all, and since you are leaving town on Monday, why don’t you show this old Virginia boy your take on authentic French Quarter Jambalaya. In other words, would be so kind as to come over to my condo and cook us dinner, and buy the groceries on your way???”

Steve was glad to do it, and came over with all the fixens for a delicious Jambalaya. A couple things you should know about Jambalaya, these things I learned from watching chef Steve.

*Anyone can make Jambalaya, it is not really a hard dish to make

*Jambalaya is not a super hot dish at all

*Ingredients can be found at most any grocery store

*Jambalaya is a “Ricey” dish

*Jambalaya can contain many different ingredients, mix it up the way you like it.

Here is the breakdown of what you will need.

Seafood Stock

Scallops

Andouille Sasuage

Parsley

Garlic

Celery

Cajun Seasoning

Rice

Shrimp

Onion

Can of crushed tomatoes

One jalapeño

Green pepper

Spring onions

White wine

Butter

Olive oil

Filed peas with snaps \ use as extender

Ok, now this may not be exactly like chef Steve’s, but very close. The good chef worked fast in the kitchen I was playing catch up most of the time, and I was drinking rum and playing with the red head, so, yes, I got distracted. BUT!! This recipe is really about there. You will notice that it is not loaded with cayenne pepper, the dish is very flavorful, but is not burning hot at all.

Jambalaya recipe’s are a matter of preference like most things. My take on this recipe is to keep it the same, except use less than half the rice and a second can of tomato sauce. My taste is more of the Creole style, less pasta and more sauce. Use this basic recipe, and vary it how you like it. Of course you can also use chicken, other seafood’s, various fish and even alligator. Use what you like and is fresh and native to your regional area.

Here we go.

First chop up everything, onion, garlic, celery, peppers, parsley, peel the shrimp etc.

In a LARGE sauté pan melt butter in white wine or beer and cook spring onions, garlic and sausage. Then add your veggies.

Next you will add equal parts of rice and seafood stock. One or two cups depending on how much rice you like. Stir, then add the can of tomatoes and filed peas. Sauté.

Next, add your seafood, shrimp and scallops and Cajun seasoning to taste.

Lastly add the finely chopped Jalapeño and parsley. Simmer for around 10 minutes, and you are done!

This is a great Jambalaya that is great as a main dish or goes awesome with a side to just about anything.

Try it during the Christmas Holidays, have your friends and family over for a zesty taste of the French Quarter. You will be glad you did!

Thanks again to Steve van Noppen for cooking us such an awesome dinner and sharing it with our fans, friends, and family.

Jim Baugh

JBO TV

JBBQ

Author of “HOOKED”

Order HOOKED

“COOKED” paperback release date spring 2010

Jim Baugh Outdoors Central Web Site
Jim's Bar B Q Restaurant



Pats or Ginos'?

The great cheesesteak debate over which one is better, Gino’s or Pats in South Philly has been raging for years. Ever since I first saw these two places featured, well, on just about every travel and food network I can think of, I always wanted to visit south Philadelphia to find out for myself. These places seemed to have so much character, and the cheesesteaks did look awesome.

 

We arrived at Pats at around five o clock. I was at first surprised to see how close Pats and Gino’s was. They almost mirror each other, each one just across the street from each other.

We stood where Sylvester Stallone stood in the movie Rocky and began to figure out how to order our first cheese steak. We had been warned…. that you better have you order ready when you get to the window, or it could be trouble.

I had a plan, we would order the same basic sandwich from each place, and spit each one and decided for ourselves which was better.

As we found out, there is no looser here. Both where fantastic, however there was some clear differences, that may just end up being up to personal preference. In other words, do you like your onions seen??? Or so small they blend into the sandwich and not even notice they are there. That sort of thing, both are good, just which one would someone prefer.

We ordered Pats first. This Cheesesteak was really good. The meat seemed to be both chopped and also sliced. We gave it a 10, thought it was great, and also loved the way Pats had a bin of all fresh peppers. You could really make one awesome sandwich here, however we wanted to keep it simple for comparison, just the basics.

Next, we happily walk across the street to Gino’s. All the celeb pictures pasted all over the place was really fun. Once again we ordered without any problems, found a seat, and dug in.

I thought right from the start at Gino’s, there was a marked difference between the two cheese steaks.

Gino’s sub roll was better. It was softer, hotter, and had more flavor. I do know a little something about bread baking, and even have two sourdough starters in my fridge. Gino’s sub roll was better for sure.

Next, the meat. Gino’s was better, seemed to have more flavor. It was all sliced cuts of meat, and this may have been the difference.

Next, the onions, WAY better at Gino’s. They were cooked perfect, tender, and you could actually bite into one. VERY good.

As far as the cheese wiz, no secret there, both Pats and Gino’s offer the “Wiz” and for this sandwich I highly recommend doing the wiz.

So, we voted hands down Gino’s for the best Philly cheese steak. No doubt both are fantastic.

If you go, do what we did. Go to one, and then the other, everybody join in and decide for yourself which one you like best. If you ever go near Philadelphia, don’t miss going to Pats and Gino’s. These places are legendary and it is quite a treat to go there and experience there ambiance, and of course, world class Philly cheesesteaks.

 

While we were happy to give Gino’s our number one spot in our little taste tester, we of course were sad and of course disappointed to hear that Joey Vento passed away only two weeks prior to our trip. We had really looked forward to meeting him and am sure he will be truly missed by his legions of fans worldwide.

RIP Joey Vento.

Well folks, that was our last trip out to sample some of our favorite goodies only five days before we open Jim’s Bar and BBQ! We will be posting some of our pics and recipes here soon and also on Facebook. Check us out, open for lunch Wed-Sat, and happy hour starts at 3 and runs until 7 when the live music starts.

All our 16 hour smoked hand pulled BBQ is smoked with a secret mixture of fruit and hard woods over charcoal. We will start with just the BBQ sandwich boat, then introduce ribs in a few weeks.

Happy hour features wine specials, smoked foods, and dollar beers floating in a tub of ice.

This should be yet another, interesting adventure.

 

Jim Baugh

Jim’s Bar and BBQ is located only at Victorian Station, Phoebus * Hampton just by the Chesapeake Bay

Gino’s

http://www.genosteaks.com/index.html

Pats

http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/location.html



Applewood Smoked Salmon and Scallops

Ingredients:
*You need fresh Salmon and Scallops.
Dont forget those two things, they are important or else you wont have much for dinner except veggies.
*Fresh Lemon slices and wedges
*Butter
*Hickory Sea Salt
*Elephant Garlic
*Fresh Herbs
*Beer, wine, and water for steam in smoker.

Applewood Smoked Salmon with Scallops and Veggies





Grilles Aspargus



 This recipe goes out to Melissa Miller at Solstice Publishing for all of her hard work in getting HOOKED out in time for summer. We reward you with this awesome summer dish!

First, Thank you Gary and Monica for bring the Salmon and Scallops. Was wonderful!!

This is a pretty easy recipe that is hard to screw up. Take some Salmon and Scallops and do a light marinade with them. I use a little butter and lemon juice with some crushed elephant garlic. For seasoning us some hickory sea salt, cracked pepper and some lemon pepper. That is about it.

Prepare your smoker with a mix of apple and cherry wood. Smoke for two hours but make sure there is plenty of fluid in the basting pan in the smoker. I use also some wine and fresh herbs in the water as well. Gives a great flavor and aroma.

Next grill up some asparagus and some fresh mixed veggies. I did the veggies in a cast iron skillet and they were fantastic. Just pan sear them with a little olive oil garlic and cracked pepper.

This is just a fantastic dish that is easy to do and makes for one great summer meal. Try it! You for sure are gonna like this one!

Shrimp and Lobster Lingunie

Here is a summer special that is sure to please, well, ANYONE! This is a summer sweetheart dish for sure, and it is very simple to do. You may think this an expensive dish to make, but it really is not. The Lobster does not have to be that big at all, usually a six dollar tail would be fine, or sometimes we can get whole Lobsters, small of course, for ten bucks. That is usually what we will do.

First thing you want to do is cook your Lobster by steaming it in beer. Once done, set aside and then use the beer and Lobster water to cook your noodles. Be sure to cook the noodles Al Dente.

Next in a bowl prepare the Shrimp by cleaning and deveining them. Was good and set in a bowl. Sauté some onions with white wine and butter along with some fresh sliced Elephant Garlic. Once done, add then to the bowl of Shrimp.

Clean the Lobster and cut as desired. I will use some of the shell for the presentation.

Next, take a sauté pan and add one cup of white wine and a half stick of better until it has melted. Add your Linguini and the entire contents of the bowl. (Shrimp, Lobster, etc).

Stir lightly and heat on medium.

To finish stir in some fresh Parsley, sea salt and cracked pepper.

Once plated, sprinkle fresh Parmesan Cheese over top, and your done.

Not exactly a low cal dish, but a great summer dinner that will want you to read a good book afterwards! By the sand of course!

Enjoy!

JB