tutorial

Seafood Salad Recipe with 4 dressings

Fish and Seafood are healthy choices, and it is low-fat, high in protein and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. “The good omega-3 fatty acids have shown to reduce triglycerides, blood pressure and inflammation, read more in Seafood and fish healthy benefits.

Preparing a seafood salad, buy fresh from the market or use frozen seafood mix, I often stock a bag in the freezer. Add the quantity into a colander hold it under the water tap to remove the layer of ice.

Put a pan on the stove bring water to near boil and flash through the frozen seafood. Remove seafood quickly with a sieve and transfer to a bowl filled with ice cubes. If you bought fresh fillets and choice of seafood shells, poach the fish and shellfish for more flavour. Bonus, the remaining liquid has turned into rich aromatic fish taste broth.

 

 

Seafood Salad

How to poach fish and seafood in an aromatic broth called court-bouillon, a traditional way to enhance flavour. The Seafood Salad recipe and dressing variations are right here below.

  1. The poaching liquid is easy to make within 30 minutes. Using ingredients; sea salt, onion, carrot, bay leaf, parsley with lemon or vinegar. (The use of acidity is to help to retain the colour of salmon and turns shellfish in a bright red colour (lobster, crab). Milk helps with white fish fillets.
  2. Add some spices peppercorns, cloves or give it an Asian twist use ginger, galangal, Lemon Grass, etc.
  3. Bring liquid with aromatics to a boil let it steep after 30 minutes remove all the aromatics.
  4. Bring the liquid back to near boil, watch bubbles break through the surface. Add pieces of fish and shellfish carefully into the water.

Seafood Salad Recipe Asianfoodtrail

Cooking time

  1. Cook for the right moment;
    1. small shrimps only need 15 sec,
    2. squid just 1-minute
    3. for all shellfish approx. 3-5 minutes (or shell opens)
    4. Fish fillets between 3 – 10 minutes, this depends on thickness and type of fish. Watch the fish fillets change colour and start to get flaky.
  2. Note: for whiter and creamier flavour use milk to poach in the fish fillets with aromatics.
    1. Pour milk in a pan, just to cover the pieces of fish fillets barely.
  3. Remove quickly with a sieve, to cool transfer immediately in an ice-water bath to stop cooking process and cool down immediately.

For Instant Pot users: cooking time table for fish and seafood.

Poaching liquid

  1. If you are preparing a cold fish dish, remove the pan from the burner leave it to cool down in the poaching liquid for more flavour.
    1. This step slows the cooking pace down. Watch the time and the target temperature carefully.
  2. At the end of poaching all fish and seafood ingredients, you will have an excellent intensified liquid leftover. Keep the broth by straining through a sieve in containers or freeze in cubes.
  3.  Store the poaching liquid in the fridge use it within 24 hours for best flavour. Store in the freezer, it will keep for 2-3 months.
  4. Or use a high-pressure canner to store poaching liquid as broth in glass jars. I use a 24-quart Presto canner.


 Various dressing style

Seafood Salad fresh ingredients, I love various dressings to fit my mood and appetite or to go along with my menu theme.

Italian/Mediterranean Insalata Frutti di Mare simple dressing is one of my favourites. Add parsley with two tbs of lemon juice with 80 ml (1/3 cup) of light olive oil, 1-2 cloves of garlic finely minced, pepper and salt. Taste for acidity level and add if needed a little bit of vinegar. Garnish with parsley leaves or chopped onion on top. Optional: add 1 Tsp of dijon mustard for vinaigrette dressing

Thai-style dressing, in Thailand this dressing is often combined with grilled squid and fish. Start with 4 tbsp lime juice, 4 tbsp fish sauce. Add 4 tbs palm sugar or 1 tbsp liquid sweetener ( no stevia!). Followed by 2-4 cloves minced garlic, 2-3 tbsp finely chopped coriander. For moderate heat add 1 pod chilli deseeded, chopped or sliced finely. Like Thai-style hot add in finely 1-2 chopped bird’s eye chilli’s). Add 2 tbsp of filtered water and mix everything together. Taste and add a little more water if needed. Garnish with fresh mint and coriander leaves to finish. Optional: no fresh chilli at hand use 1 tsp sriracha sauce.

Japanese Wafu-style dressing, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 4 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar, 6 tbsp oil (do not use olive oil), 1 tsp fine caster sugar (1-2 drops liquid sweetener). Optional: add finely grated onion with daikon. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds on top.

For other reads and recipes: Thai noodle soup | Red Curry Mussels | Chinese stock methods and variations

[recipe]

7 Tips Taobao China e-site useful sources

7 Tips Taobao

Note: We have updated the Taobao information list and added new sources on how to use China’s largest online shopping sites locally.

You will need a Chinese phone number, a credit card or PPS for foreign cards. Shipping mail address in China and email address. Which basically excludes foreigners outside of China to shop on Taobao, but if you happen to plan on living in China for study or work it’s worth the process to open an account.

Taobao is the biggest consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-commerce platform based in China. The Chinese online sites might look like a daunting process, but we’ve found some helpful sites with advice, tips and how-to’s to get you started.

 

Take your time to read the shared information on the use of agents as go-in-between too and decide which route or process you prefer to follow to make your first purchase(s).

You want to choose a trustworthy and experienced seller by looking at his profile with records of how many processed transactions and successful delivery. The same process as shopping on Ebay, counts for picking an agent as an outside buyer.

  • Taobao Focus We help you buy all kinds of products offered at an incredibly low price from China’s biggest domestic online shopping website.
  • YoYCart Connects individual sellers as well as small businesses from China factories.
    These are just two examples there are many more internet agents who provide e-shopping services.

Update: Previously this blog post title had 6 Tips how to use Taobao shopping site in China. We added new information click on the provided links for tutorials and guides with step-by-step information.

7 Tips Taobao China e-site useful sources

  1. Taobaofocus
  2. The Ultimate Taobao Guide for Foreigners | Hao Hao Report.
  3. Tmall and Taobao how-to guide
  4. How to order from outside China | Reddit NEW
  5. How to buy from Taobao | Taobao field guide NEW
  6. Shopping process in engtaobao.com
  7. Taobao tutorial in China on Vimeo
  8. Tutorial how-to-buy on Taobao  Website seems no longer to be active.

Rose Smokey Eyes by Kirei Makeup

Last month I was browsing for specific graphics, when suddenly an unrelated thumbnail popped out while I was flashing through several overview pages. Since I was searching for social media the eye make-up was entirely unrelated but it must have been the colours in the grid which caught my eye, I browsed back to have a peek at this thumbnail.

That’s how I got in contact with Jilly, makeup artist of Kirei Makeup, Indonesian by origin, lived in Toronto and currently residing in Jamaica. It sounds like a great cocktail, one of my other weaknesses, I like to mix and Jilly understands blending magic as no other. Since beauty post is long overdue, I am introducing Jilly by what better way sharing her tutorial even better she is following up with a special guest post for Asianfoodtrail after she returns from her latest travel trip.

Rose Smokey Eyes with Urban Decay III Palette by Kirei Makeup

Read full tutorial post by clicking on the provided links above, visit her website to view her other tutorials.

Kirei Makeup, Rose smokey UD Naked 3 palette

All photo credits: Kirei Makeup

How-to:

1. I prepped my eyelids using Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin.

2. I applied Burnout on the inner third of my eyelid using the flat-end of the brush.

(I wiped away excess shadow on the brush on a clean towel before step 3)

3. Using the same brush, I applied Liar on the middle of the eyelid.

(I wiped away excess shadow on the brush on a clean towel before step 4 )

4. Again, using the same brush, I applied Mugshot on the outer third of my eyelid.

5. Using the blending-end of the brush, I blended the edge of the eyeshadow.

6. I applied Blackheart using a small crease brush on the outer V.

7. After wiping excess eyeshadow from the crease brush I used on step 6, I dragged Blackheart on to my crease, and blended it out.

8. Using a fluffy brush, I applied Limit right at the edge where Blackheart meets with my skin. This helps to blend out Blackheart, and make a nice transition to my skin.

9. I lined my waterline and tightline using L’oreal Voluminous Smoldering eyeliner. On the lower lid, I applied Mugshot using an angled eyeliner brush, then Blackheart very close to the roots of the lower lashes.

10. Then, I created a winged eyeliner on the upper lash line using L’oreal Super Liner Ultra Sharp Tip.

11. I curled my lashes and applied Buxom Lash mascara on both top and bottom lashes.

12. For extra drama, I added false lashes for extra length and volume. These falsies were samples from my friend, which is currently in production.

13. I filled my brows using a mix of Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde and Brunette.

14. I applied Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation on my face, blending it using my fingers.

15. On my cheeks, I applied Revlon Cream Blush in Charmed Enchantment using a foundation brush.

16. Then, I applied MAC cream base in Pearl on top of my cheekbones, bridge of my nose, and cupid’s bow using my finger.

17. I applied MAC Please Me lipstick on my lips using a lip brush. Then, I added a little bit of L’occitane lip balm just to keep my lips moist since it’s so cold here in Canada!!!

18. My hair was set using a velcro rollers set and 1.5 in Chi curling iron.

Kirei Makeup Jilly Jan 2014 4

If you like this tutorial by Kirei Makeup, give a thumbsup on Asianfoodtrail Facebook Page for Kirei’s Makeup upcoming tutorial and send Jilly a tweet @Kireimakeup!

The Soft Rose Smokey Eyes tutorial and photo looks was picked up and featured in the Urban Decay e-mail newsletter as well, try this look now.

Kirei Makeup featured Urban Decay newsletter