The Superbowl Party…Both Healthy and Easy!
January 19, 2007
The Superbowl, the hailed ceremony for every pigskin fanatic in America. And regardless of who’s playing, every true football fan will be tuned in and looking forward to a
great game, accompanied by some great Superbowl snacks. With the holidays behind us and our New Year’s resolutions to get in shape and eat healthy before us, most of us don’t want to slave in the kitchen or ruin our diets, but there are plenty of easy and healthy ways to please the crowd.
“We all have our favorite game-day foods. But it’s always fun to try something new,” says Kim Wall, a chef and seafood expert whose company produces the Wisconsin favorite, Ma Baensch herring. “I love trying new recipes, especially those that you can prepare ahead of time, so when the game is on, you can enjoy the action and not be in the kitchen! A great reference for some healthy and easy recipes is www.mabaensch.com.”
One of the easiest game-day snacks is herring, because it’s perfect served cold and right from the jar with crackers. Another way Wall spices up her snacks is by substituting different types of seafood into her favorite dishes. “I make all kinds of easy seafood spreads and dips that are versatile and work with many types of seafood, like shrimp, crab, halibut, trout and herring. Everyone loves them and they don’t even know they’re healthy!”
Eating seafood on Superbowl Sunday is a tremendous health benefit that can help keep diets on track. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times a week, especially fish that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids like herring, salmon and albacore tuna. Omega-3s are key in the battle against heart disease and can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Plus seafood is low-calorie and won’t throw off New Year’s resolutions to eat healthy and get fit.
Here are some of Wall’s favorite game-day recipes. Enjoy!
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Marlin Nuggets with South Seas Dipping Sauce
1 lb. marlin steak
Cut into 1 inch nuggets
1 lb. sugar snap peas, raw, trimmed
South Seas Dipping Sauce—two separate batches
Green leaf lettuce
South Seas Dipping Sauce
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T housin sauce
1 T honey
1 T sesame oil
Combine ingredients for one batch of South Seas Dipping Sauce. Place marlin nuggets and dipping sauce in a Ziploc bag and marinate for at least one hour.
Preheat broiler on high. Line a shallow baking tine with foil. Pour marinated marlin nuggets on foil and arrange nuggets evenly. Nuggets should not touch and height should be even. Broil on high for three minutes. Remove pan and evenly turn nuggets with tongs. Return immediately to broiler and broil three additional minutes. Remove from oven.
To serve, prepare a platter lined with leaf lettuce. Place the second batch of South Seas Dipping Sauce in a bowl at the center of the platter and place nuggets around the bowl. Drizzle with dipping sauce. Sprinkle sugar snap peas amongst the nuggets. Serve with toothpicks to skewer nuggets and peas for liberal dipping.
NOTE: Do not keep fish warm as fish will overcook; this appetizer is to be served at room temperature.
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“The Best” Boiled Shrimp
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lemons, sliced
1/4 C hot sauce of your choice
3 T (more if you prefer) shrimp or crab boil seasoning
3 lb frozen shrimp* (10/15 count per pound)
Place onion, garlic, lemons, hot sauce and spices in large stock pot filled with water. Bring to a boil, and boil 15 to 30 minutes, allowing seasonings to impart their flavors into the water.
In a large bowl, prepare an ice bath (water and ice).
After water has been boiled, add frozen shrimp. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until shrimp are opaque. Remove shrimp and immediately plunge into ice bath to stop shrimp from continued cooking. After shrimp have cooled, remove from ice bath and place on ice in a serving bowl.
Shrimp can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. If that is the case, place shrimp in a sealed Ziploc bag and refrigerate after they’ve been cooled.
*Frozen, wild caught shrimp, product of USA is preferred, tail on, shelled and devained. Shrimp can be cooked from the frozen state; there is no need to thaw before cooking.
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Hot Buffalo Tuna Dip
3 (6 ounce) cans, solid white albacore tuna in spring water, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 C Ranch dressing
3/4 C hot pepper sauce, brand of your choice (more or less to taste)
1 1/2 C shredded Cheddar cheese
Heat tuna and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook until well-blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks, tortilla chips and/or crackers.
