Steamers Seafood Cafe

When you think of waterfront dining (especially in the Tacoma area) the first thing that comes to mind is overpriced, mediocre food.  If you are looking on Ruston Way, it's true that you'll be paying more for the view than the quality of the food.  If you're in the know, you'll follow the locals to Steamers Seafood Cafe at Titlow Beach.  Located at the end of 6th Avenue (8802 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98465 (253) 565-4532), this little gem is our go-to place, even from Federal Way.

On any decent day, you can sit out on the deck and dine al fresco, watching everything from boats to birds to trains passing by.  You will have a view of the Tacoma Narrow Bridges that no Ruston Way restaurant can offer!




When you first walk in, it can appear small and cramped.  Do not let this deter you.  Immediately to your left is the order counter, but look for the chalkboards offering the daily/seasonal specials.  The set menu is great, but the specials are even better.  Nothing is over $15.99, which is spectacuar for a waterfront restaurant.  Everything is perfectly cooked, so you can't go wrong... just order whatever sounds good to you and you'll be happy.  The cashier will give you a number placard to set on your table, and wherever you decide to sit, your meal will appear.

Note-  Beer and wine are served, but not out on the deck.  Remember this when choosing your seat.

The last time we were there, I ordered the halibut and chips ($11.99) plus a bowl of clam chowder ($4.99).  They have the most awesome chowder EVER!!!

My boyfriend had the grilled salmon with red pepper sauce, mashed potatos and house salad...

and my daughter had the calamari with fries...

As always, it was perfectly cooked, quickly served, and awesomely priced. 

One thing I need to mention...

This restaurant is RIGHT NEXT TO the railroad tracks... meaning trains go by every few minutes.  As locals, we don't mind it, but other people might.  There is a great walking area right outside the restaurant, and when the tide is low, Titlow Beach is a fantastic place to comb and gain a better knowledge of the local marine biology.  There are several interpretive signs to help you know what there is to see.  This is the beach where my high school marine biology teacher took us on several field trips, so I can tell you from personal experience that it's worth a look.

I have several other stories relating to Titlow Beach, but I can't post them here... heh!!

If you decide to walk the path along the railroad tracks, PLEASE heed the warnings and stay on the paved area!!!  Several people have been killed by trains there, and we don't want you to be one of them!!!

Please visit Steamers website- 

http://www.steamersseafoodcafe.com/index.cfm

Black Bean and Corn... stuff...

This is a recipe I came up with several years ago.  I'm sure it's very similar to ones you've seen on popular food sites before, but I assure you this particular recipe is mine.  I started out calling it a salsa, but since salsa means "sauce" (and this is most certainly not a sauce), I changed it to relish.  It's not a relish either... or a dip... it's just an extremely tasty concoction that I hope you enjoy.

This morning I came into possession of some of the most beautiful, freshly-picked corn I've seen in years.  The first thing that came to mind was this recipe.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears corn
juice of 1 large lime
2 T. cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 t. cumin
1/2-1 large fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 t. salt, or to taste

Procedure

Husk corn and grill over direct flame until tender. Cool and cut from cob. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Makes about 2 cups.

You should probably double (or triple) the recipe.  Just sayin'.

Omletes in a bag

My dad sent me an email with this recipe several years ago.  It was shortly before our annual mommy/daughter camping trip, so I thought it was be a great thing to make on our little adventure.  Not wanting to make it TOO adventurous,  I decided to do a test run in the kitchen before we left.  Aside from that, I was just a little skeptical that it would even work.  Amazingly, it was a nearly magical process and we made it during several trips and slumber parties afterward!

Pictures first, then I will post the original email.

Two large (or extra large) eggs in a quart ziplock FREEZER bag.

(wow... it HAS been a while since we first made these... my precious little girl is about two feet taller and certainly doesn't wear Hello Kitty anymore!!  Hahahaha!!!)

Shake it up (wooooohoo shake it up... excuse me... having a Cars moment here)



Add the fillings of your choice (suggestions to follow)



Seal, pressing out as much air as possible.



Into a large pot of boiling water...



After 13 minutes, carefully remove.



Open bag and slip out onto plate.



Wow!!  Look at that!!  The "fillings" are even in the middle where they're supposed to be!  This recipe is great fun for little kids (supervised, of course).


Original email-
OMELETS IN A BAG
Have guests write their name on a quart-size freezer
bag with permanent marker.
Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not
more than 2) shake to combine them.
Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses,
ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa,
etc. Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice
to their bag and shake,
Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for
exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets
in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling
water.
Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be
prepared for everyone to be amazed.
Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake;
everyone gets involved in the process and a great
conversation piece.

Enjoy, it's easy, convenient and delicious....

Sausage and Peppers over Cheesy Polenta

1 lb. Italian sausage links 

1 T. water 

2 large bell peppers, cut into 1/2" strips 

1 large onion, sliced and seperated into rings 

2 cloves garlic, mashed 

1 can Tomato Bisque soup, undiluted 

1/2 C. water 

1/2 t. dried basil 

In large covered skillet over medium heat, cook sausage and water 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until sausage is browned on all sides. Add peppers, onion, and garlic; cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in soup, water, and basil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over polenta. 

Cheesy Polenta

1 T. olive oil

1/4 C. finely diced shallots

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 C. chicken broth

1 C. dry polenta (coarse ground yellow cornmeal)

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. grated romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 2 qt. oven-safe saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic and saute until translucent.  Add chicken broth, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Gradually add the polenta while continually whisking.  Once you have added all the polenta, cover the pot and place in oven.  Cook for 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps.  Once the mixture is creamy and cooked, remove from oven and stir in pepper and romano.  Stir until thoroughly combined.  Let stand for 5 minutes or so, then stir again before serving.  Spoon onto plate and top with sausage and peppers.



Tips and hints #1

When you have a large onion and you don't need that much for your recipe, chop the whole thing anyway.  Put what you don't need in a ziplock sandwich bag, squeeze the air out, seal it, and toss it in the freezer.  It will be there for those times when you've either run out of onion or don't have the time/inclination to chop an onion while you're cooking.  I call it "emergency onion".  Do the same thing with bell peppers.

When you're cooking things on the grill, don't dirty two plates trying to seperate raw and cooked food.  Wrap one plate in plastic wrap or aluminium foil, and put the raw meat on that.  Once you get the meat on the grill, remove the wrap, throw it away, and voila!  You have a clean plate to put your cooked meat on!

MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmm... POUTINE!!!

I've been accused of being Canadian all my life, and maybe I actually am.  After years of longing for something I cannot possibly hope to have here in the states, my dear friend Katz sent me a couple packages of poutine sauce mix.  I cannot possibly thank her enough!!!  It is the most horrifically decadent hangover food you can possibly imagine.  Indulgence, thy name is POUTINE!!!

I couldn't find fresh cheese curds, so I used fresh mozzerella.  I was assured the results would be just as satisfying.  Hey, when you're hungover and craving salty, fatty, stringy-cheesy SOMETHING, it's ALL good!!!



Oh my... I think I need to go make some now...

My Cobb Salad

For those of you who are opposed to moldy cheeses...

about 8 C. (or more) fresh salad greens (any combination of lettuces, etc.), torn into bite-sized pieces

2 C. cooked chicken, chopped

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 ripe avacado, diced

1 C. provolone cheese, diced

4-5 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

1/4 C. green onions, sliced

1/2 C. olive oil

1/4 C. fresh lemon juice

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 t. sugar

1/2 t. dry mustard

1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, mashed

pepper


In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and pepper. Shake well and chill for at least 1 hour. Place lettuce in a large salad bowl. Arrange remaining ingredients in decorative rows on top of lettuce. Just before serving (after everyone has admired your artistic endevors, of course), toss with dressing.

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Dates

I've always loved Moroccan food, and with the severe lack of North African restaurants in my area, I was extremely happy when a friend turned me on to a recipe similar to this.  Rather than look for preserved lemons in a store (which I knew would be virtually impossible to find), I decided to try my hand at making them at home.  A quick search of the web led me to THIS BLOG, and off I went.  It's an easy procedure, but you have to be patient and wait... and wait... and wait...

After about a month, you're ready to cook something with them!




This picture was taken the day I started the preserving process, so you can still see some of the undissolved salt.  I also added cinnamon sticks for extra flavor.

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Dates

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 t. paprika

3 t. cumin

1 1/2 t. cayenne

1 1/2 t. ginger

1 1/2 t. turmeric

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

2 t. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 cloves garlic, mashed

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

1 preserved lemon, (pulp removed, peel rinsed and sliced)

about 4 oz. whole pitted dates, quartered lengthwise

Combine spices, garlic, and olive oil in a large dish. Add chicken, coat well, and let marinate for as long as possible (at least three hours). Heat a large skillet. Cook chicken pieces in the oil/spice mix for about 10 minutes on each side or until cooked through and nicely browned. Add preserved lemon and dates; cook until nicely caramelized and all ingrdients are combined, about another 5 minutes. Serve with couscous or rice pilaf.

Not everything is all fun and games!

Before you start to think my life of food is all glorious and arm-hair removing, you must see this.  I was trying to heat a jar of Ragu cheese sauce, in the jar, in the microwave.  I've done it a million times with alfredo sauce, so I didn't think twice about doing it with their cheese sauce.

I should have.

Ok yeah... everyone makes mistakes once in a while.

Crab crab and more crab

While we're on the subject of crab, I might as well show you what I did with the last catch. 

Well hello, don't YOU look pretty!!!

I have got picking dungeness crab down to an art form.  Considering they charge upwards of $30 a pound for it in the stores, I figure it's well worth my time to know how to do it at home.  After two hours of work...

OH THE CARNAGE!!!

But oh the reward!!!

Nearly three pounds of solid pure lump crabmeat!!!

What to do... what to do...

CRAB CAKES, OF COURSE!!!

...with long grain and wild rice mix and spinach on the side...

...and drizzled with roasted red bell pepper sauce... omg such yumminess...

Dungeness Crab Cakes

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 t. worchestershire sauce

1 t. dry mustard (Colemans)

1 t. Old Bay seasoning

freshly ground pepper to taste

2 lbs. fresh picked crab meat

dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs

In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients thoroughly.  Gently fold in crab.  Sprinkle in bread crumbs, stirring and folding, until meat just starts to hold together (about 1/2 cup).  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Mix again, then try forming a patty.  If it holds together, make patties as desired.  If it still seems loose, add more bread crumbs, at little at a time, until mixture is cohesive.  Coat patties in additional bread crumbs if desired (sometimes I do, most times I don't).  Heat vegetable oil in large non-stick frying pan.  Fry until golden brown on each side and heated through, about 4 minutes each side.  Remove and drain briefly on paper towels.

Curried Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

1 whole red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and coarsley chopped

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t. Madras curry powder

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Puget Sound Seafeast

It's times like this that make the rain and generally cool, cruddy weather all worth it. Summertime in the Puget Sound area... when friends come from far and near, and we treat them to the best our region has to offer. Everything in the following photos was caught or dug by me or someone in my house, to assure extreme freshness at the time of service.

It may look like a pig foot, but it's really a geoduck siphon...

UPDATE 3/12/2015 - Apparently someone found my geoduck photo offensive and it has been removed. Tsk tsk tsk...

After some careful slicing, saucing, and a nice glass of Yellowtail Pinot Grigio, it became a delicacy... geoduck sashimi...

Then the Seafeast REALLY began...

Bring on the Dungeness crab!!!

(they're in there somewhere)

Then toss them on some ice...

After cleaning you end up with a tray of glorious crab clusters...

and somehow a huge bucket of wine and herb steamed clams appears...

and the villagers rejoice!

(everyone is screaming "YAY!!!"... trust me)

The next day, I made cioppino with the leftovers.  The villagers rejoiced again.  And it was GOOD!!

S&B Curry Sauce Mix is your friend...

This is my go-to dinner when I’m out of almost everything. I’ve made it with raw chicken, pork, beef, and seafood (sauteed first, of course)… shredded or sliced cooked meat and seafood… whatever veggies you want… you can throw pretty much anything into this sauce and it will be wonderful. If you’re starting with raw meat, just follow the directions on the package. If you have leftovers you want to use up, saute a large onion, add the sauce mix and water, stir until thick and bubbly, then add whatever you like until heated through. Tonight I am adding shredded cooked chicken, serving it over jasmine rice, and garnishing with peanuts, raisins, and shredded coconut. I often serve it with basmati, but have also used calrose, brown, and plain old regular white rice. You can find it in the Asian section of just about any grocery store, and if you have an actual Asian grocery in your area, it will be significantly cheaper to buy there. It lasts forever, so keep a box of it in your pantry for dinner emergencies!

FLAMBE!!!

Thanks to my wonderful videographer, Miko “Shakey McCamera” Alexander. This shows the dangerous side of my cooking. To make coq au vin is to live on the edge!!

Samurai Noodle

I’m not a big fan of baseball, but it’s a great excuse to drive to Seattle and eat at my favorite ramen shop. Samurai Noodle is located on the west side of the Uwajimaya building in the International District (606 5th Ave S). If you’re going to a game at Safeco or Qwest Fields, it’s an easy walk from almost all event parking. They also validate if you park in Uwajimaya’s lot.


The place is tiny… only nine tables (many of which only seat two people), but they allow you to order and take it inside Uwajimaya where there is more seating. We’ve been lucky and never had to do that.

The first time we went, I ordered the tonkotsu ramen. It is very simple… perfectly cooked ramen with black mushrooms and green onions in a rich, savory pork broth. I dove into it, completely forgetting to take a picture of it until it was too late. Fortunately, the next time we went, my boyfriend took a picture of his bowl before it was summarily demolished. He ordered his with corn, but it was otherwise the same.

Upon sitting at our table, I noticed a small poster on the wall…
|


Tampopo is my FAVORITE foreign movie EVER, but it was too late to order another bowl at that point (and I was just plain too stuffed). It would have to wait for another day.

A month later, that day came!!

(isn’t it beautiful???)

Like the old man in the movie, I sat there contemplating it for a moment… but only for a moment...

It was almost everything I had hoped for… however, after having had the pork broth on our previous visit, I was already hopelessly addicted to that. It was well worth the experience, but I think I’ll just keep trying something different every time we go. We also shared an order of the pork shou mai (outstandingly delicious little steamed dumplings), but those also disappeared before photos were taken. Oh well, there’s always next time!