Steak Under The Sea

Tuna's full flavor is sturdy enough to balance the Far East flavors of this marinade. This tastes best served cold or at room temperature. Ideal dish for a lunch-in gathering or outdoor party buffet.

Grilled Tuna Steak Salad
Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes four servings 

2 12 ounce tuna steaks, 2 inches thick 
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cups mixed salad greens

Pre heat a grill to high heat.

Marinate tuna steaks for ten minutes with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and cilantro. Coat both sides of tuna with one Tablespoon olive oil.

Placing tuna steaks on grill,  after 2-3 minutes, lift the tuna steaks, using a spatula, and turn them 45 degrees to make a crosshatch mark. After 2 minutes, turn the tuna steaks. Continue cooking until the tuna is cooked to desired taste. Avoid turning the tuna steaks over several times. Many prefer tuna cooked to medium, and carry over cooking will continue to cook the fish to medium well.

Remove from grill, place tuna on plate, cool for 2-3 minutes and slice. Serve over cool salad greens. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.

Serving suggestion: serve with couscous.

My Summer Boil

A seafood boil is a fun reason to gather for an outdoor gathering and perfect reason for a summertime celebration. One of the most memorable of my many lobster boils was one for my TV series wrap party; with the beautiful setting of my neighboring beach. We brought in grills and gas stoves for this clam bake— boiling lobster, clams, mussels, smoked LI Duck, corn and LI Yukon potatoes. One of the challenges was timing the beach sunset with the lobsters ready-to-eat for filming; timing is everything!

For my Summer Boil recipe + how-to

Midnight Buffet

Who wouldn't enjoy a tropical style midnight buffet? Here's a shrimp recipe that will make you want to hula - which I prepared on Live with Regis and Kelly. To get you in a tropical mood, watch my TV segment on the Caribbean Princess. We're somewhere in the tropics.

Sipping a Mai Tai, strongly suggested.

Watch George Hirsch TV Segment: Princess Cruises

Grilled Shrimp Salad Papaya Dressing 
Recipe Chef George Hirsch | Makes four servings 

Green papaya has a very mild, bland, taste. The green papaya soaks up the hot, sour, sweet and salty flavors, giving them a unique texture unlike any vegetable. Unripe papayas are readily available at many Asian markets. Select one that is very firm with shiny green peel. 

2 Medium green or half-ripe papayas 
12 large shrimp, peeled and devein 
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, split 
8 Lettuce leaves 
1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews 

For Papayas Dressing
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
Juice of 2 limes 
1 teaspoon lite-soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon honey 
1 Maui or sweet onion, grilled & chopped 
1 clove garlic, chopped 
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped 
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes 

Peel skin off green papayas. Shred the green papayas into long strips using a grater or food processor. 

Mix all ingredients for papaya dressing. Add dressing to shredded papayas. Arrange four plates with lettuce leaves, top with marinated shredded papaya, tomatoes and cashews. 

For Shrimp Marinade
2 tablespoons Olive oil 
Juice from one lime 
2 teaspoons lite-soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon honey 
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Pre heat grill to a very high heat. 

Mix all ingredients for shrimp marinade and pour over shrimp. 

Cook shrimp on hot grill and cook two minutes on each side, turning once. Baste the shrimp with any remaining marinade. Do not over cook. Remove shrimp from grill and serve with the papaya salad. 

Mai Tai 
Recipe Chef George Hirsch | as seen on Live w Regis & Kelly

Makes one drink
3/4 oz. Light Rum 
3/4 oz. Dark Rum 
1/2 oz. Amaretto 
1/2 oz. Roses lime juice 
1 oz. Triple Sec 
1/2 Orange Juice and 1/2 Pineapple Juice 

Float 1/2 oz. of Grenadine on top 

Fill a tall hi-ball glass with ice. Add the ingredients. Garnish with mint sprig, pineapple wedge and serve with a straw.

Fruit of the Sea

Shrimp can be substituted for almost any shellfish recipe that calls for crab, lobster, crayfish or scallops. Use a little creativity and just follow some suggested ways you can prepare shrimp from the 1994 movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise. Apparently Bubba’s mama taught him a thing or two about shrimp...

Bubba: Have you ever been on a real shrimp boat?

Forrest Gump: No, but I've been on a real big boat. 

Forrest Gump: So Bubba was from Bayou la Batrie, Alabama, and his mama cooked shrimp. And her mama before her cooked shrimp, and her mama before her mama cooked shrimp, too. Bubba's family knew everything there was to know about the shrimpin' business. 

Bubba: Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.

To quote Forrest Gump: “That's all I have to say about that.”

images, Aldric D'Eon, Judith Angsten

Up Stream

I find it absolutely amazing that a fish that is born in fresh water, migrates to the ocean, then returns to fresh water to reproduce. Tracking studies have found that certain species will return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn. Amazing.

But here is the really good news; there will be a Pacific Salmon Season along the California and Oregon coast for the first time since 2007!

Chinook - King Salmon

Here's The 411 of My Top Salmon Varieties:

Chinook- aka King Salmon (left) is the largest, weighing in over 30 pounds. 

Coho- aka Silver Salmon, likes sea life in Alaska and British Columbia.

Sockeye- Red Salmon prefers a diet of shrimp and squid, lives in the Pacific.

Steelhead Salmon - the true salmon found in the Columbia River, near my friends in Portland, OR.

 Buying Tip: Avoid Farm Raised Salmon. Instead choose Wild-Caught Salmon from Alaska, which is considered a "Best Choice" and is certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council.

On Thursday April 15th, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to allow both commercial and recreational boats to head out to sea. They will limit the number of fishing days, and carefully monitor the number of fish caught.

To keep the river system healthy with a plentiful supply of salmon for our future; I suggest keeping a catch, as well as releasing a catch. You know - only keep what you can eat.