300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (24 page)

Monkfish has long been known as “poor man's lobster,” so I decided to play up the similarity. Your microwave is great for cooking fish, and as for quick, let's face it—if this dish cooked any faster, you'd go back in time. Feel free to double or triple this. You'll just need to use a bigger plate (a glass pie plate will work beautifully) and add just a minute or two extra cooking time.

1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) butter

6 ounces (170 g) monkfish fillet

Lemon wedges

Put the butter on a microwaveable plate. Nuke it for 30 seconds at 70 percent power or until melted.

Place the monkfish in the butter and turn it over to coat both sides. Cover the fish with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Nuke for 1 1/2 minutes at 50 percent power. Uncover the fish, turn it over, and recover with the plastic wrap. Nuke for 30 seconds more at 50 percent power. Let it stand for a minute (or if you're making another serving, a minute or two more), remove the plastic wrap, and check for doneness. If necessary, re-cover and give it another 30 seconds or so and then serve with lemon wedges.

Yield:
1 serving, with only a trace of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 25 grams of protein.

Mock Lobster with Garlic

You'll notice a certain similarity to the previous recipe, but garlic changes the whole flavor.

1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) butter

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

6 ounces (170 g) monkfish fillet

Put the butter on a microwaveable plate. Nuke it for 30 seconds at 70 percent power or until melted. Stir the garlic into the butter.

Place the monkfish in the butter and turn it over to coat both sides. Cover the fish with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Nuke for 1 1/2 minutes at 50 percent power. Uncover the fish, turn it over, and recover with the plastic wrap. Nuke for 30 seconds more at 50 percent power. Let it stand for a minute (or if you're making another serving, a minute or two more), remove the plastic wrap and check for doneness. If necessary, re-cover and give it another 30 seconds or so and then serve.

Yield:
1 serving, with only a trace of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 25 grams of protein.

Sea Bass with Tapenade Cream Sauce

Here's another one of those recipes that would impress the heck out of you at a restaurant but is very little trouble to make for yourself at home.

12 ounces (340 g) sea bass fillet

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

1/4 medium onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons (16 g) tapenade

1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy cream

Salt and pepper

If the bass is in one piece, cut it into two equal portions. Brush with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil and put it under a broiler set on High, 3 or 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) from the heat. The length of time the fish will need to broil will depend on its thickness. I use fillets about 1 1/2-inch (3.8 cm) thick, and they take about 5 to 6 minutes per side.

While the fish is broiling, slice the quarter-onion in half lengthwise and then slice as thinly as possible. Put the rest of the olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté together for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tapenade, stir in, and sauté for a few more minutes. (Remember that somewhere in here you'll need to turn the fish!)

Now, stir the vinegar and lemon juice into the mixture in your skillet and let it cook down for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and let the whole thing cook down for another minute.

When the fish is done, place it on two serving plates. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste, spoon over the fish, and then serve.

Yield:
2 servings, each with 4 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 32 grams of protein.

Jalapeño Lime Scallops

I served this as a first course at a little dinner party, and everyone agreed they'd never had a better scallop dish, even at a restaurant. A sterling example of how a few perfect ingredients can combine to make something greater than the sum of the parts. By the way, you can use sea scallops instead of bay scallops if you like, but since they're bigger, they'll take longer to cook.

4 tablespoons (55 g) butter

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) bay scallops

2 medium-size fresh jalapeños

3 tablespoons (45 ml) lime juice

3 tablespoons (3 g) chopped cilantro

Guar or xanthan

Melt the butter in a big, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops and sauté for a few minutes, stirring often. In the meanwhile, split the jalapeños lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Slice them lengthwise again, into quarters, and then slice them as thin as you can crosswise. Add to the skillet and sauté the jalapenos with the scallops until the scallops are cooked through—they should look quite opaque all over. (And wash your hands! You must always wash your hands after handling hot peppers, or you'll be sorry the next time you touch your eyes, lips, or nose.)

Stir in the lime juice and cook for another minute while you chop the cilantro. Thicken the pan juices slightly with the guar or xanthan and divide the scallops between serving plates, spooning the pan juices over them. Scatter the cilantro on top and serve.

Yield:
4 main-dish servings or 6 first-course servings. Assuming 4 servings, each will have 6 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 29 grams of protein.

Chili-Bacon Scallops

Bacon-wrapped scallops are a perennial favorite, but that whole wrapping thing blows past our time limit. Here's the easy solution: Just sauté the two together! Chili powder adds a little extra kick. You can use sea scallops if you prefer, but bay scallops, being smaller, cook faster.

8 slices bacon

1 pound (455 g) bay scallops

2 teaspoons chili powder

This is so simple! Put your big, heavy skillet over medium heat and snip the bacon into it in bits about 1/4 inch (6 mm) wide. Let that fry.

Sprinkle the chili powder all over the scallops; I sprinkled both sides and then stirred them up to make sure they were evenly seasoned.

When the bacon bits are about halfway to done, add the scallops to the skillet and spread them out in a single layer. Let them cook for about 5 minutes, turning them a few times, until they're done through and the bacon bits are crisp. Serve with the bacon bits and pour the grease over the top!

Yield:
3 to 4 servings, assuming 4, each will have 177 calories, 7 grams fat, 23 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, and 3 grams usable carb.

Steaks, chops, and other simple slabs of protein are classic fast low-carb fare, and let's face it, they're very nice simply broiled. But sometimes you want a little change. Here you'll find some quick-and-easy ways to add interest to these familiar foods.

Steak with Horseradish Butter

Horseradish is a classic accompaniment to beef.

1 steak, 12 to 16 ounces (340 to 455 g), well-marbled—sirloin, rib eye, strip steak, or the like