Cooking Lesson #662: Fanny’s Fish Market Sea Creature House Salad

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? My weekly personal grocery bill has gone up nearly $75/week in the last year. That’s a big hit due to the continual rise in inflation. One of our restaurants opened under similar circumstance many years ago—higher prices are restaurant killers.
 
The success of Fanny’s Fish Market wasn’t about whole pieces of fish filets, jumbo shrimp and lobster tails. Fanny’s Fish Market was all about seafood infused sauces and meals. Our seafood sauce over a variety of pastas or salads mixed with bits and pieces gave plenty of rich seafood flavor at far lower costs. Seafood enhanced soups and chowders served in extra-large bowls with large slices of hot, cheesy garlic bread offered full meals at bargain prices.
 
Fanny’s opened on the pier at Foster City Estuary. It was an immediate success—profitable the first month it opened. With the restaurants’ healthy variety and reasonable prices you could (and many did) come in 3 or 4 times a week.
 
Here’s my home version of Fanny’s famous Sea Creature House Salad. The secret to our soups, salads and pasta dishes is a great thick piece of cheesy-buttered, toasted, crusty garlic bread.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Rest time: 5 mins
Yield:  4 personal salads / 1/2 cup dressing
 
Ingredients 
For the dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
For the salad
2 (5 ounce) packages American salad mix (lettuce blend with other seasonal ingredients)
3/4 cup sliced pitted black olives
3/4 cup thinly sliced red pickled pepperoncini
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion or pickled red onion
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup sliced and quartered cucumber
1/2 cup warm garlic seasoned croutons
1/3 cup “baby” cooked shrimp—71-count (tiny sea creatures)
 
Directions

1. Combine olive oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic and Parmesan in a food processor, and process until thoroughly combined.
2. Combine salad mix, olives, pepperoncini, onion, tomatoes, cucumber and croutons in a large bowl.
3. Top with shrimp.
4. Drizzle salad with dressing; toss to coat.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

ChefSecret:  You don’t have to buy a special spice mix to make it Italian. You probably have all the ingredients in your own spice cabinet. Feel free to adjust the ratio of spices and the yield to make whatever size of batch you would like to your taste. You’ll find this spice mix works with hundreds of other recipes from soups to pasta, grilled meat and marinades.
 
                                 Ed’s Special Italian Seasoning Blend
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Whisk all seasonings together in a bowl until combined. Better yet process through a spice grinder for a few seconds. Use immediately or store in a sealed container.

​Quip of the Day:  My doctor recently asked if anyone in my family suffered from mental illness and I said, "No, we all seem to enjoy it."
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

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                                                                  ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

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