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!

Gazpacho w/ Crab and Shrimp

Gazpacho is a tomato based Spanish soup prepared with raw fruits and vegetables and is served chilled. It's super lite and refreshing. This soup is a wonderful summer meal from the garden.



Traditionally, gazpacho is made with chunks of bread blended in it. This adds texture to the soup and makes it more hearty. I didn't add bread to this recipe because I wanted a lighter, smoother soup. Instead, I served this gazpacho with silver dollar sized Jalapeño Corn Cakes. This allowed the diners to dip, top, or crumble the bread into their soups individually. I like interactive food, it adds a lot of fun to the dinner table!

Gazpacho

7 Tomatoes
3 Cucumbers - peeled
1 Jalapeño - seeds removed
1 small Onion - grated
1/4 large Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Garlic Clove - minced or pressed
Juice from 1 Lemon
Hot Sauce
Salt
White Pepper

Set two bowls out in your work station, one large and one smaller. Dice all of the fruits and veggies. Place about 1/3 of each in the small bowl and the rest in the large bowl.




Once the veggies are chopped, blend everything that's in the large bowl together until it's smooth. Use a blender of food processor and work in small batches to insure a consistent texture. Once blended, place the soup in a large serving or storing bowl.




Stir your diced fruits and vegetables, from the small bowl, into the blended soup.

Season the gazpacho with lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Taste as you're seasoning and adjust as needed.

Now, your soup is done. You just need to chill, garnish, and serve.

At this point, the gazpacho is gluten free and vegetarian. To keep it this way, serve in a chilled glass topped with petite diced veggies and garnish with a lemon wedge and/or cucumber slice.

To make your gazpacho a little more fancy (and fun), top it with seafood!

This seafood topping was inspired by The Sample Room's Gazpacho that we ate last summer.

Rosemary Skewered Shrimp

I took these little guys to my friends Alisha and Molly's dinner party. I served them with my Creamy Herb Dip. They were easy, tasty and very pretty! There were ten people at the party, so I only put one shrimp per rosemary stem. If you're cooking for more people, or have less rosemary to work with, add two or three shrimp per stalk.



Rosemary Skewers

You'll need a lot of thick rosemary steams. Clean and dry them. Then trim them, if needed.

Firmly hold the top of a rosemary stem between your fingers. Use your other hand to grab the bottom of the herb. Slid your fingers down away from the tip of the rosemary, removing the needle like leaves. You want to clear a space large enough for your shrimp to fit on it.

Set the skewers aside.

Chop the rosemary that you remove from the stalk and use it in the marinade, stalk, and dip.

Marinade

24 Shrimp - peeled and deveined (reserve the heads and shells)
1/5 cup Evoo
1 T Soy Sauce (I used gluten free)
Lemon Juice from 1/2 a lemon (reserve the squeezed lemon)
3 cloves Garlic - crushed and peeled
Black and White Pepper
Cayenne
Smoked Paprika
Thyme
Rosemary
Chives
Sugar
splash of White Balsamic Vinegar
splash of Water

Mix everything together in a bowl. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Tip - How to Clean Clams

When buying clams, be sure that they are still alive. They should be tightly closed. If you have one that is open, tap it. If it's alive, it will respond to you.

Never eat or prepare dead shellfish! Also, open the package that they come in to allow them to breath till you're ready to clean them.

When cooking with clams, you want to take care in cleaning them. Their shells have lots of grooves good for holding dirt. This dirt will loosen up while the clams cook and will end up in your broth or sauce. No one wants to eat dirt!

1. Place the clams in a bowl.

2. Fill the bowl with cool water.



3. Let this sit for 10-20 minutes. This will help to clean some of the saltwater from inside the clams.

4. Remove the clams from the water. (Do not pour them out, use your hands to lift them out.)

5. Take one at a time and scrub it under running water.



6. Rinse it off and pat dry.

Once all the clams are clean, they are ready to cook.


Clams in White Wine Sauce

Other mollusks, such as mussels should be cleaned the same way. Mussels have something that's commonly called it's beard. You'll see a bunch of fibers hanging out of the shell, that is the beard. To remove this, use a towel to hold it firmly with your fingers. Then, tug the fibers out and toward the hinge. This should remove it without killing the mussel.

Clams in White Wine with Linguine

This one's for you Tim.

When you buy clams from the market, they should be alive. They should stay alive till you're ready to cook them. When you're done cooking them, they should all be opened. If any of the clams do not open, do not eat them! Also, be sure to clean the shells very well. They have little groves that can hold dirt, and you don't want a gritty sauce!



A Large pot of Salted Boiling Water
1 T Butter
1 T EVOO
2-4 large Shallots - diced
2 Celery stalks - finely diced
Garlic - sliced
6 peeled and seeded Tomatoes - diced
s/p
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (CRP)
1 1/2 cups Dry White Wine
Juice form 1 Lemon - divided
1-2 lb Clams - cleaned well
linguine
1 T cold Butter
Fresh Basil - chiffonade

Heat butter and EVOO in a large skillet.



Add celery and shallots to the pan. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.



Add garlic to the pan and cook 2 more minutes.



Stir in the tomatoes and season with s/p and CRP. Cook for another 2-4 minutes.



Turn the heat off, or remove the pan from the open flame (to prevent a flare up) and add the wine. Return the pan to the heat and add 1/2 of the lemon juice.



Bring to a boil.

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.

Review - Sea Salt Eatery

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


If you haven't been to Sea Salt this year, hurry! Time is running out. They close the doors, till next spring, on October 31. If you've never been, then you need to go now. That way, you'll have time to fit a couple of visits in, you'll want to go back!

The restaurant is located next to Minnehaha Falls, so take a walk or bike around the park, visit the fall, and then eat some delicious seafood.

Inside tables are limited, but there's ample outdoor seating. Dress to sit outside and you'll be happy. Another thing that's "outside" is the bathroom. Well, it's through a pavilion and is shared with the public park. The restaurant is always clean, the restrooms are not.

To order, you stand in line. Sometimes it's a long line, but it usually moves pretty quickly. The menu is on the wall and the specials are posted on a chalk board, and online. I suggest, if you're with someone, that one person stands in line while the other finds a table. Your drinks are given to you at the counter and the food is brought to you.

On our last trip to Sea Salt, Tony and I had the Whole Fried Crappie served w/ Chowder & Melon for $13.95. The skin was very crispy and the inside was perfectly light and flaky. We got a bit of attention as we ate the fish. It did look intriguing next to all the fish sandwiches around us.





There is so much tasty stuffs at Sea Salt. The catfish is one of my favorites, maybe because I'm from Texas. I've heard that the oysters are great. They come fried, served in a sandwich, or on the half shell. I also recommend the fish tacos. There are six different ones to pick from including grilled veggies, if you want a break from fish.

Unfortunately, if you're dying for fish-n-chips, you might not be completely satisfied. Chips are not on the menu. Sorry. Maybe the clam fries will fill the void?

Another thing that I enjoy at Sea Salt is the hot sauce bar. There must be 30 different kinds. I didn't count, I just know that there's plenty to choose from. I like to try different ones till I get one that's too hot, then I switch to malt vinegar.



I think October 31st is going to sneak up on us. The winter can seem so long without that last, fresh memory of Sea Salt on your tongue. So, don't delay!


Tony, sitting in front of Sea Salt's open kitchen

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!