Dinner at Red Lobster

Bob and I are huge fans of the TV series The Next Food Network Star. Last night was the Miami episode and the winner was to have his/her entree on the menu at Red Lobster. Last night Jeffery Saad's entree won and so Bob and I headed out last night to our local Red Lobster to try his dish. Wood grilled tilapia in a spicy soy broth with shrimp and scallops. It was wonderful. The dish was spicy but not too much and the broth was so good I used the biscuits to soak it up. I eventually asked for a spoon!

The recipe is available at the Red Lobster site but here it is for a quick preview:

Wood-Grilled Tilapia in a Spicy Soy Broth
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup chopped shrimp with tails, plus 4 whole, peeled and deveined
1 cup chopped scallops, plus 4 whole
4 shallots, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
16 ounces water
1 1/4 cups chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 teaspoon hot chile sauce (recommended: Sriracha)
1 tablespoon wasabi powder
4 (6-ounce) fillets tilapia
1 ounce red bell pepper (optional)
2 ounces fresh asparagus (optional)


Method:

In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons sesame oil over medium heat. To pan, add the chopped shrimp, scallops, shallots and garlic. Cook until lightly golden. Add the mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar and simmer about 5 minutes. Stir in the water and 1 cup cilantro and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the broth until reduced by 1/3, about 20 minutes. Strain liquid and discard solids. Reserve the liquid. Preheat grill or grill pan. Combine the remaining cilantro, the basil, green onions and carrot in a bowl. Set aside. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Grill until tender and flakes easily. Set aside.

Meanwhile, toss the whole shrimp in wasabi and season with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium heat. Cook the whole shrimp and scallops until golden on both sides. Set aside.
Place a teaspoon of the chile sauce in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle some of the broth into each bowl. Stir to gently mix the broth and the chile sauce. Lay 1 fillet of fish into the broth, then surround the fish with 1 shrimp and 1 scallop. Garnish with chopped cilantro, basil, green onions and carrot. Serve immediately.