Review - Sea Salt Eatery

Sea Salt Eatery
4801 Minnehaha Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55417
(612) 721-8990 ‎

*Update - Sea Salt Eatery is now open for spring and summer! 04/07/11 - 10/30/11*

April 13, 2011

We ate dinner a Sea Salt yesterday, our first visit of the year. I was happy to see a short line but then disappointed when I saw that the whole fried fish special that I read about online was sold out. The line was moving fast and my decision making skills had to keep up. Tony and I quickly decided to share the Fried Fish Tacos (two for $5) and the Crab Cake Basket (1 for $11).



The fish had a crispy batter filled with steaming flaky white fish. Each piece of fish was served on two grilled corn tortillas with sauce, onion and cilantro. I gave Tony my cilantro, it's not my thing. I did really enjoy the grilled tortillas, the char was excellent and so was the price of these tasty tacos!



The crab cake had lots of large chunks of crab meat with a nice proportion of breading, vegetable and crab. The basket included slaw, corn salad/relish and melon. Only the cake was spectacular, I think I would prefer two à la carte crab cakes over the basket if that was an option. Ummm a crab cake taco would be good, maybe I should drop Sea Salt a line.



It was great to sit outside again and enjoy a cold beverage without shivering. The winter was long and all the snow that collected has melted and is now flying over the falls and down the river. It's a great sight to see! I'm looking forward to many more tasty visits to the Sea Salt Eatery and Minnehaha Falls this summer!

Lemon - Soy Marinated Grilled Halibut

Halibut is a firm white fleshed fish. It's texture makes it great for the grill. The flavor of this large fish is pretty mild and clean. It's great simply prepared and served with a light sauce.



You could substitute any other firm fish for the halibut in this recipe and it would still be tasty stuffs.

1 T Ginger - minced
2 T Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Zest
1 T Light Soy Sauce (substitute gluten free soy for a GF dish)
1/2 T Dark Soy Sauce (I used a mushroom flavored dark soy)
1 T Dried or a hand full of fresh Parsley
1 T Green Onion - chopped
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
Splash of Water
Halibut*



*If you buy a large piece of fish, it's best to cut it into manageable pieces. The smaller size is easier to flip and to remove from the grill. I like to keep the pieces about the size of my spatula.

Mix all of the ingredients, except the fish, together in a flat bottomed dish.

Remove about a 1/4 of the mixture and set it aside.

Place your halibut in the dish, move it around, flip it over, spoon some marinade on top of the fish, and cover it.



Let this marinate for ten minutes.


Flip the fish and spoon more marinate on top of it.

Rainbow Trout with Lemon and Herb

This trout was cooked on an indoor grill. An outdoor grill will work just as well. Be sure not to place the fish directly over the flames, so that the skin doesn't burn. You could also dust the fish's skin with flour and then cook it in a tablespoon or two of oil and/or butter, in a sauté pan.



This recipe is for one fish. I served it with half a lobster tail and pasta, it was the perfect amount for the two of us. If the people you're feeding have larger appetites, cook one fish per person.



1 pan-dressed Rainbow Trout
s/p
1 Green Onion (green part only) - sliced
1 stalk Oregano
2 slices of Lemon - cut in half
Cooking String (optional)
Melted Butter (optional)

Rinse the fish and pat it dry. Lay it flat, skin side down.



Season the trout with s/p.

Place half of the onions and oregano on one side of the fish.

Top the herbs with your lemon slices.



Add the rest of the onions and oregano on top of the lemon slices.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I made this for Tony, although I secretly wanted it too. It was fun making a classic without one of the usual ingredients, a can of cream of something soup.



1-2 T EVOO
1 small Onion - finely diced
1 Leek - sliced and cleaned
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
4 Cloves Garlic - diced
Salt
Hot Sauce (I used chili garlic sauce) - to taste
3 T Butter
1/4 cup Flour
3 cups Milk
White Pepper
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
Zest from Lemon
1 cup of Peas - steamed for one minute
small palm full of Dried Parsley
small palm full of Capers
2 6oz cans of Tuna - drained
10oz Dry Noodles or Pasta (I used Mafalada)
Pot of Boiling Water - heavily salted
about 1 1/2 cups of Cheese - separated (I used Sharpe Cheddar and Parmesan) - shredded or shaved
about a 1/4 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, leeks, and peppers.

Seafood Stuffed Salmon

I made this salmon over a year ago and I didn't write anything down. So, no recipe. Fortunately, I did take lots of pictures to document this concoction. I remember it being very tasty!

I used Tony old phone to take these pictures, so they're not the best. I still thought it was worth sharing this one. Maybe it'll give you some crazy over stuffed ideas of your own.



This is a mirepoix with garlic, shrimp and orange zest.


Cooked white rice with saffron and sweet onions.


The shrimp and rice mixed together.



I cut a pocket in the salmon, making sure not to cut all the way through the fish.



Stuffed the rice mixture into the pocket.

Baked Salmon with Fennel and Leeks

Salmon is great baked. The cooking time is longer than other methods but, the fish stays so moist and flavorful that it's worth it. Now that fall is upon us, lets turn on our ovens and bake some tasty salmon.



Salmon
1 cup Leeks - white part only - sliced and cleaned
1 Fennel Head - quartered and sliced
Juice and Zest from 1 Lemon
s/p
Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Rinse the salmon and pat it dry.



Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.



Grease a baking dish.

Place 1/3 of the veggie mix on the bottom of the dish.



Lay salmon on veggies.

Cover with the remainder of the leek mixture.




Place the dish in the middle of a preheated oven and bake till the fish is done.




My fish baked for forty minutes.

You want it to be med-rare. Don't over cook the salmon. It's done when it's flaky, use a fork to test. Remember that the fish will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven. So, take it out when it's still a little less done then you like it, and let it sit while you prepare the plates for serving.



I served this baked salmon with braised leeks, fennel, and parsnips.



Another Tony approved meal.



This is a gluten free recipe.

Swordfish with Pineapple and Tomatoes

This is a quick gluten free meal with few ingredients and lots of flavor. I served it with potstickers. Yum!



2 T EVOO - divided
2 T Butter - divided
1 steak Swordfish - cut into large cubs
S/P
Tomatoes - cut into large chunks
Pineapple - cut into large chunks
splash of White Wine or Chicken Stock
Chives - finely sliced
Soy Sauce - less than a 1/4 cup
1 spoon Corn Starch

Heat half EVOO and half of the butter in a sauce pan. Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally till the onion is clear. Then, add the tomato, pineapple, s/p and wine. Cook for about 5 minutes.



In the mean time, heat another pan with the remaining EVOO and butter. Season the fish and cook it in this pan. Flip the Swordfish several times to insure even cooking.





When the fish is firm to the touch, lower the heat and add the tomato pineapple mixture. Be sure to loosen any brown bits on the pan left from cooking the fish. These are concentrated bits of flavor!



Bring the sauce up to a boil. Next, stir in your cornstarch, soy sauce slurry and lower the heat. Let the dish cook on low for a couple of minutes and then serve over rice.

Yellowfin Tuna and Pasta in Veggie Sauce

This meal has a lot going on, but it's still pretty simple to make. I'm breaking it down into four parts. Marinade, sauce, cooking, and enjoying. The sauce is vegetarian, so you could skip the meat steps if you wanted to and still have a yummy meal. Just add your favorite cheese.


Marinading
1 6oz Yellowfin steak
6 Jumbo Shrimp
Mayo
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic - pressed
S/P
Red Pepper Flakes (RPF)
Italian Seasoning
Red Wine Vinegar
EVOO

Mix last eight ingredients together in a bowl. Spread completely over fish. In another bowl toss shrimp with the same ingredients, except for the mayo and vinegar. Cover both dishes and place in fridge.













Sauce
EVOO and 1 T Butter
1 Leek - sliced and cleaned
1/2 Orange Pepper - diced
1 yellow Squash - diced
Garlic - diced
Tomato Paste
S/P
RPF (Red Pepper Flakes)
6 smalll Tomatoes (different verities) - diced
Fresh Basil - chiffonade
1 T Butter

Heat EVOO and butter,a tablespoon or less of each, till just hot. Add next three ingredients, season with S/P and cook till tender. Then add garlic and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, S/P, and RPF. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer till the rest of the food is ready. Just before serving, stir in basil and 1 tablespoon butter. This sauce is vegetarian and gluten free.













Cooking
Bring water to a boil. Oil grill pan, outdoor grill, or a skillet if you don't have a grill. Heat the grill pan over medium heat. Place the fish down and do not touch it again for 2 minutes. If you move it around before a seal is formed on the fish,it will stick.

Once the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and pasta. I used angel hair, but you can use whatever kind you like. Cook till almost done, then drain and toss with sauce.

Flip the steak over and put the shrimp on the grill. Once the shrimp starts to turn pink, this will happen quickly, turn them over.

Check the tuna to see if it is done to your liking. Some people like their fish rare and others must have it fully cooked. The fish I had was not sushimi grade, so I cooked it almost completely through.

I usually like my tuna blood rare so that it is never dried out, but the mayo in this recipe keeps the fish nice and moist. When it's almost done, remove it from the heat and let sit a minute. Slice before serving.

Once the shrimp are pink and firm to the touch, they are done. Do not over cook your shrimp! Remember that the seafood will continue to cook after it leaves the grill, so take it off just before it's to your liking.











Enjoying
Place pasta in shallow bowl or plate. Top with tuna and shrimp. Serve with lemon and crunchy bread, and enjoy!