the pot of boiling water, stir a few times to ensure the noodles separate, and return the water to a boil.
Special Note: Cook pasta for two-thirds of the time called for on your pasta package; i.e., if it calls for 12 minutes, cook for 8 minutes. This will ensure it doesn’t overcook in the oven.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cups of the pasta water. Set the pasta and reserved pasta water aside. Drizzle the cooked pasta liberally with olive oil to prevent it from sticking together. (If it does stick together, run some hot water over the pasta before placing it in the parchment paper.)
Cook the Seafood Increase the heat to medium-high and spread the calamari evenly over the tomato sauce in the sauté pan. Add cup of the pasta water, stir to combine, and cook for about 2 minutes. Scatter the scallops evenly over the sauce. Add cup of the pasta water, stir to combine, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pan, evenly spacing it over the sauce, and let cook for about 30 seconds per side. Now add the last cup of the pasta water and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
Add the Pasta to the Sauce Using a pasta fork or two large forks, add the pasta to the seafood sauce, working in batches. Gently toss the pasta with the sauce, ensuring the sauce coats the pasta evenly.
Bake in the Parchment Pouch Transfer the seafood pasta to the parchment paper or foil pouch, pulling the long edges of the paper or foil inward and fold-ing them over the pasta to form a sealed pouch. Twist the short ends of the pouch to close. For extra “host with the most” points, you can also divide the seafood pasta evenly among smaller sheets of parchment paper to make indi-vidual pouches for your guests and serve the pouches on each plate. Place the filled pouch(es) on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes. The parchment paper might puff up slightly, which is normal.
Let’s Eat! Remove the pouch(es) from the oven and slide them onto a large serving dish (or put one single serving pouch onto each plate) and place the dish in the center of the dining table, opening it dramatically to impress all your guests! Special Note: Hot steam will rise once opened, so avoid having your face directly over the pouches.
Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve with extra red pepper flakes (if using) for all the heat seekers!
Third Coast Seafood Pasta Baked in Parchment (Continued)
HUNGRY FOR HARBOR COUNTRY19
20 IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS
Salmon Makes Miso Happy
I
H C, local farmstands and most local grocery stories stock
large jars of pickled vegetables. I never thought about the culinary possibilities
of pickled vegetable juice until one summer weekend in New Buffalo. I had just
picked up an envy-worthy fillet of salmon from Flagship Specialty Foods and Fish
Market for a small dinner party I was hosting. Back home, I opened the fridge
to see what ingredients called to me. There I spotted a jar of pickled beets with
only the ruby-red juice remaining, and I saw sunset-colored fish in our immedi-
ate future. I whisked together the earthy, tangy beet juice, savory red miso paste,
and sweet maple syrup, then marinated the salmon for about six hours. Each
fillet developed a deep pink hue, and I baked them with fresh fennel bulbs from
Granor Farm
and garnished them with the feathery, lime-green fennel fronds.
David wasn’t totally sold on eating bright-fuchsia fish, but after one bite, he
became a believer, and I think you will, too!
★ Granor Farm
3480 Warren Woods Rd. | Three Oaks, MI
Berrien County is known to be one of the most diverse growing regions in America for produce. Many farmstands can be found along the country roads, where farmers open pop-up shops for the growing season to sell what’s been freshly harvested to anyone passing by. One of my favorite farmstands is located at the certified organic Granor Farm. One trip is enough to gain inspiration for an entire week of veggie-forward meals. Granor Farm also offers an incredible CSA program in the summer and fall. If you want to make a special trip to any farmstand in Harbor Country, call ahead to check their hours of operation or ask what produce is currently available.
HUNGRY FOR HARBOR COUNTRY21
22 IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS
Beet-Red Sunset Salmon with Miso, Maple, and Roasted Fennel
4 summer-loving servings 45 min active time 8 hrs 45 min start to finish
1 (2-pound) salmon fillet, center cut (Use a thicker salmon like king or Atlantic from a sustainable farm.)
8 tablespoons red or white miso paste, divided (I love Great Eastern Sun brand.)
cup maple syrup
3 cups pickled beet juice (Get this from 3 [15-ounce] cans or 1 large jar. If you can’t find pickled beet juice, use plain and add 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or rice vinegar to the juice.)
teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional for heat seekers)
1 shallot, or 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating baking pans
2 bulbs fresh fennel, stalks removed and sliced into -inch-thick pieces (Reserve and roughly chop the fennel fronds for garnish.)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
tipS for SucceSS
When cooked properly, salmon should flake apart with a fork and be moist and slightly translucent in the very center. Fish will continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so once removed from the oven, so to avoid overcooking, remove from the oven when the fish feels firm but still springs back to the touch.
Marinate 6 to 8 Hours If the salmon fillet is in one piece, place it skin side up on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut it into 4 to 6 similar-size pieces to ensure even baking. Place the salmon skin side down in a glass baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the miso paste and the maple syrup. Brush the fish liberally with the miso-maple paste to coat the top and sides of the salmon. In a medium bowl, whisk together the beet juice, the remaining 4 tablespoons of miso paste, the cayenne (if using), and the shallot. Pour the beet marinade around the salmon in the baking dish, leaving the thicker paste on top of the fish untouched. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours maximum.
Prep the Salmon to Bake Remove the salmon from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil, then brush it with oil. Use a basting brush to sweep the excess miso paste from the top of the salmon and place the fish, skin side down, in the center of the prepared baking sheet, with the slices evenly spaced. Set aside.
Prep the Fennel In a medium bowl, toss the sliced fennel with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the dressed fennel slices around the salmon along the edges of the baking sheet and scatter a few pieces of fennel over the top.
Bake the Salmon Bake