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Cream Cheese Oyster Sauce
This is new territory for me, I normally eat large oysters on the half shell or grilled until they open. This recipe uses the small oysters. This recipe was touted as a casserole, which it is not, but makes a excellent pasta sauce. I made this on 3 Jun 2016, and this is really really good! On my Go-to list. My comments below.
Ingredients
- 500 grams oysters, shucked and drained
- 250 grams Cream cheese, room temperature, (8 oz)
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
- ¾ cup milk, more as needed
- ¼ cup Thai celery, chopped, NOT western celery, use leaves as well
- salt and pepper, to taste
- splash olive oil
- hot cooked pasta, of your choice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oil, when hot, add the drained oysters, cook for a few minutes, this is quick, shucked oysters are typically small. When they are cooked through, edges curling, remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- While the oysters are cooking, put a small pot on low heat, add the other 2 tablespoons of butter and the block of softened Cream cheese. Move from the heat to a counter and back to the heat several times to prevent burning. The photo shows perfect consistency.
- Once the cheese is melted stir in the milk, chopped spring onion, and celery and put back on the heat, stir in the cooked oysters and bring to a near boil, stirring constantly or it will burn, to ensure the oysters are heated through. Add more milk, a few tablespoons at a time to get the sauce consistency you desire.
- Once hot, serve over pasta of your choice. A vegetable on the side would make this a complete meal.
Notes
I bought fresh harvested oysters for 50 Baht for 350 grams, but I was not thinking, that weight includes the brine the oysters are in, so make sure the non shell and drained weight is 500 grams, no one will complain. Figure about 75 Baht for 500 grams, for fresh local harvested oysters, DO NOT USE oysters from Phuket! Cream cheese, Caroline brand which is made in Thailand will run about 110 Baht for 250 gram block. This comes to about $1.40 per serving for 4 servings. Serve with a vegetable and some Italian bread, you could stretch this to 5-6 servings for more savings.
Fisherman's Pie II
I was recently in Phuket and had a very nice lunch at a restaurant near the Ao Por Marina, Fisherman's Pie. This was very good, salmon chunks, white fish and shrimp in a cheese sauce topped with more cheese. This is a filling meal. Make sure you remove the tails of the shrimp, unlike the restaurant I visited. This was baked in a bowl and served, I used a glass pie dish, my comments below, recipe slightly modified on my findings. When I prepare this again, I will use individual serving baking dishes.
Equipment
- Pie Dish
- Oven
Ingredients
- 800 grams salmon, boneless, skinless, cut into chunks, (14 oz)
- 400 grams white fish, boneless, skinless, pangasius or barramundi, cut into chunks, (14 oz)
- 250 grams fresh shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, (8 oz)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk, warmed, more as needed
- 4 cups white Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided, or Edam cheese
- 1½ cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F). Pat the fish pieces and shrimp dry with paper towels, toss the fish and shrimp together and in a pie dish, set aside. I used a pyrex pie dish.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste like and light golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Gradually whisk warm milk into the flour mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of white Cheddar cheese, then mix onion, salt and pepper, and garlic into the sauce. If sauce is too thick, stir in more warm milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Pour sauce over the fish and shrimp in the baking dish. Top with the onion.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Then sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups cheese. Continue baking until fish is easily flaked with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes more and the cheese should be a nice golden brown. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with a green salad for a great meal.
Notes
For starters, this is not a $1 dollar meal. The salmon and cheese are the pricy items in this. When I make this again, I will narrow the price per serving down. For now this is a High cost per serving dish.
Variants: 1. Add oyster meat - cooked first. 2. Add green mussel meat - cooked first. 3. Use all white fish or all salmon.
Seasoned Citrus Fillets II (Slow Cooker)
Another variant to the Citrus Fillets. Very easy to make, I am looking forward to this one. Fish fillets can be any white fish, boneless and skinless, think Pangasius, Barramundi, Tilapia, or even Red Snapper.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 750 grams white fish fillets, (1½ lb)
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Butter slow cooker, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and pepper to your liking, place fish in slow cooker. Put onion, parsley, grated orange and lemon rind, and oil over fish. Cover and cook on Low setting for 1½ hours.
- Serve garnished with slices of orange and lemon slices. Boiled buttered potatoes and a tomato salad on the side would work well for sides.
Notes
About 90 Baht for Pangasius fillets, everything else minimal. Cost per serving for 6 servings is about 44 cents each, excellent value, even with the sides.
Seafood Stew (Slow Cooker)
Good potential here, on my to cook list.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 500 grams white fish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces, (1 lb)
- 300 grams shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, (10 oz)
- 1-2 packages oyster meat, drained, these are at Tesco, small containers
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, use import, finely chopped.
- 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes, diced, I use Brook's brand, 565 gram cans
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ teaspoons lemon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar, or honey
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for fish, shrimp, and oysters in slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, then add in fish, shrimp, and oysters and cover with lid. Cook for an additional 30-45 minutes or until fish is flaky. Serve.
Notes
Pangasius would cost about 60 Baht/500 grams, shrimp would cost about 80 Baht, oyster meat is 42 Baht per container. Cost per serving for 8 servings cost is 82 cents per serving. Great value for a great dish.
Seasoned Citrus Fillets I (Slow Cooker)
This sounds easy and is very versatile with the fish fillets used. Basically white fish, such as Pangasius, Barramundi, or even Tilapia. You will need fillets, boneless and skinless, so with Barramundi or Tilapia you will need to fillet those.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 white fish fillets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 oranges, sliced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, make your garlic butter, melt the butter in a small sauce pan, add garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Lay out a large piece of aluminum foil, season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the middle of the foil side by side. Drizzle the garlic butter over the fish, spread the orange slices on top of the fish. Fold up the foil to seal it and place this in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on High setting for 2 hours. Use a large spatula or two to get the foil pack out. Serve on a bed of rice with a tomato salad on the side.
Notes
Four Tilapia would be about 60 Baht, this dish is well under $1 per serving, even with the sides.
Baked Fish with Shrimp I
Fish fillets baked with shrimp in a simple white sauce and topped with Parmesan cheese, sounds tasty! On my to cook list. This can be any white fish, my choice would be Pangasius or Barramundi first because they are readily available, but also consider Cod if you can find it, or even Red Snapper.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo white fish fillets, boneless and skinless, Pangasius would be good
- 500 grams fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail removed, lightly boiled
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- paprika, to taste
- parsley, fresh or dried
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk in flour and salt to make a paste. Gradually whisk in milk. Stirring constantly, cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Select a large baking dish or pan to hold all the fillets in a single layer, lightly grease with butter.
- Season fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika to your liking and arrange in the baking dish. Cover fish with cooked shrimp, pour sauce over shrimp, sprinkle with paprika then cover with the cheese, sprinkle with parsley if desired.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes, serve. A nice tomato salad and boiled potatoes with butter would be excellent side dishes.
Notes
Pangasius will cost 120 Baht/kilo. Shrimp will run about 100 Baht/500 grams from a grocery store, for those along the coast, you can normally buy local ocean cast net caught shrimp for a bit less. Everything else is minimal. For 5 servings, this comes out to about $1.30 per serving, for 6 servings, this is about $1.08 per serving. Excellent value for a nutritional meal.
For variants, added cooked crab meat or imitation crab that is cubed, cooked oyster meat, lemon slices, and other seasonings of your choice.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fisherman's Quick Fish
Easy sounding recipe, minimal ingredients as well. On my list to prepare.
Ingredients
- 4 Pangasius fillets
- 1 cup Italian dressing
- 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed, use Magic brand, cost less, tastes same
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230 degrees C. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
- In a medium bowl, marinate the fish fillets in the salad dressing for a few minutes.
- Toss the shredded cheese and crushed crackers together. Place the marinated fish fillets in the baking dish and top with the cheese/cracker mixture. Discard the leftover marinade.
- Bake uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish can be flaked with a fork. Serve with rice or buttered egg noodles.
Notes
Pangasius fillets cost about 120 Baht/kilo, 4 fillets is about 60 Baht. Everything is minimal in cost. I will say 100 Baht for everything, this comes out to about 75 cents per serving, Excellent value.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Hash Brown Potato Pie
This sounds like a very easy recipe, and minimal cost as well, one of my must tries!
Ingredients
- 3 cups potatoes, shredded, see Step 2
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 4 slices bacon, diced and cooked
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease a 9 inch glass pie dish with butter.
- For your hash browns, wash, peel if you desire, then shred the potatoes. Take the shredded potatoes and rinse them in cold water, and really squeeze them to get the water out, do this 3-4 times until the water is clear, this removes the starch, then your potatoes are ready. You need 3 cups of shredded potatoes.
- Beat together eggs and milk in a large bowl, stir in potatoes, green onions, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and half of bacon. Pour into the pie dish.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set (butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean). Sprinkle remaining bacon and cheese over top of pie, continue baking 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 5 minutes, serve.
Notes
Most expensive item is the cheese, about 180 Baht for a 200 gram block, this will provide 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese with some cheese left over, just use the whole block. This would cost about 90 cents per serving, excellent value.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fisherman's Pie I
This is traditionally made with cod, I have never seen cod available in Thailand, but any white fish works, think Pangasius or Barramundi, boneless skinless fillets. This sounds really tasty and is on my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 500 grams Pangasius fillets, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed, more as needed
- 1 cup white Cheddar cheese, shredded, OR just go with Edam
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, this is for the topping
- 280 grams spinach, frozen or fresh, frozen thaw and drain, OR use peas
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 cups mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C. Arrange fish chunks in a single layer in a large baking dish, set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Gradually whisk warm milk into the flour mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Whisk in white Cheddar cheese, then mix onion, spinach, salt, and black pepper into the sauce.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in garlic. If sauce is too thick, stir in more warm milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Pour sauce over fish in the baking dish.
- Layer mashed potatoes on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with the yellow Cheddar cheese. Continue baking until fish is easily flaked with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes more and the cheese should be a nice golden brown. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, serve with a green salad.
Notes
Pangasius fillets cost about 60 Baht/500 grams. Barramundi (Giant Sea Perch) costs about 75 Baht/500 grams but you have to fillet them yourself. The cheese is about 180 Baht per block of 200 grams, which would provide the 2 cups needed, either 1 cup of white and 1 cup of yellow, or just go with 2 cups of yellow, divided. This meal (based on Pangasius) would cost about $1.20 per serving. Very reasonable.
Variants would add to the cost but would make a delightful meal for visiting friends and family. Variants could be peeled shrimp, scallops, and even shucked oysters (although with the oysters, I would cook them first before adding to the baking dish).
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Baked Ziti Casserole
This sounds really good and is on my to cook list. Do not get tied up in the type of pasta, Penne pasta is tubular with the ends cut at an angle, Ziti pasta is tubular with the ends cut squarely. When I make this, I am using Penne for sure because it is more common than Ziti. There is a chance to use 3 shortcuts in this recipe to reduce the cost considerably. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams Italian sausage, this can be pork or chicken, OR use the shortcut on this site
- 2 cups Ziti pasta, OR just use Penne, it is the same
- 1 can tomato soup, 18 oz/510 grams, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 1 cup Ricotta cheese, OR make Cottage Cheese from a shortcut on this site
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- fresh basil leaves, chopped, for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 190 C.
- Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; drain. Add soup (if making the soup from the shortcut on the site, use 2 1/3 cups of soup), pepper, and cooked pasta, stir well.
- In a bowl mix the Ricotta (or Cottage cheese), Parmesan cheese, and egg.
- Pour the pasta mixture into a 9x13 glass baking dish (or a 7x11 dish if you have that), spoon the cheese mixture over the top, sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese over the top, cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes, remove foil for the last 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Notes
The pork for the sausage would cost about 65 Baht for 500 grams, even less if using chicken. The cheese is minimal as not complete packages are used, for the Ricotta, do your self a favor and make the Cottage cheese yourself as you would save a lot there. For the soup, that would cost minimum 52 Baht if purchased canned, if you make yourself, the cost is 17 Baht.
Going with store bought prices, the cost is about $1 per person for 6 people. If you make the shortcuts, you can get this down to probably 60 cents per person.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Tomato Soup, Cottage Cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
