Meat Glue – Know what you eat

Meat Glue – Know what you eat.

Creamy Crab Soup Recipe

Periodically we come across an interesting topic that is relevant
to our readers because we are most interested in what we eat or
what we feed our kids. This article is about meat glue and how it is
used in the food industry. Meat glue can also be used to deceive
a buyer into believing they are receiving what they thought they
were paying for.

I found this particular article in Forbes magazine (it includes
other relevant links) of particular interest because I like to be aware of what goes into my body. What I put into my body may not
necessarily be the most beneficial food that I am ingesting but
at least I am made aware of its quality and its risks.

I find this especially so when I am eating at a restaurant. I like to
know that what I am eating is what I am paying for. If it is other
than that I would at least like to know that I have a choice in the
matter. As an example real crab versus fish made to look and taste
like crab, ground and then glued together, or chicken made into
nuggets. Another prime example is chunks of meat glued together to
look like a single cut of fillet. Knowing is also important to those
who have different religious beliefs or may have an allergic reaction
to certain ingredients.

The importance of what we eat and where it is raised has become an
important factor at farmer’s markets (grow local, buy local, eat local)
as well as health food stores or stores inclined to support locally
grown foods and their healthy attributes.

Again this bit of information is not brought to you as a pro or con
issue but to keep you aware of a trend that is growing not only in the
U.S. but in other parts of the world. BTW you will find meat glue a
banned product in some other countries.

Forbes Magazine Article – Meat Glue. Yum Or Yuck?

Please feel free to forward this to others that may have an interest
in what they eat.
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Creamy Crab Soup

Here’s a dandy delicious creamy crab soup recipe from one of our
partners The Crab Place for the best tasting crab meat. We also
noticed a great substitution using one of our popularly suggested
products. The recipe calls for 4 cups vegetable stock – we suggest
using Vegetable stock by More Than Gourmet. You can order the
crab and the stock quickly and easily by going to the highlighted
links above or in the recipe below.   

Makes 4 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
2 cup diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 cups canned diced potatoes
4 cups vegetable broth Vegetable stock by More Than Gourmet.
1 cup heavy cream
½ pound The Crab Place Backfin Crab Meat
¼ pound The Crab Place Claw meat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of:
Nutmeg to make it more elegant or
CrabPlace.com Seafood seasoning to make it more rustic

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the
onion. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes, stirring every so often. Add
the tomatoes, potatoes, broth, and cream, and simmer slowly for 15 minutes.

Transfer the soup and the crabmeat to a standing blender and puree it
thoroughly. (Be very careful when blending hot liquids in a standing blender,
do not fill the blender more than halfway, and cover the lid with a towel.
The heat will push the lid off and you will be wearing crab soup instead of
enjoying it.)

Return the soup to the pot and the remaining butter. Boil it for 10 minutes.
Taste for salt and pepper, and add a pinch of nutmeg or CrabPlace.com Seafood
Seasoning. Serve immediately with crackers.

Recipe provided by Rebecca Bent
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and all the best in the new year.

Jules Silver and the Club Sauce Team

Blackened Tilapia with Cranberry-Mango Salsa

Ingredients:Serves 4 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 ½ lbs. fresh tilapia Blackening seasoning 1 ½ cups Cranberry-Mango White Girl Salsa ***

Preparation:Rub each side of the tilapia fillets with blackening seasoning.  Use a small amount if you prefer a milder fish, or use a heavier hand if you like your fish spicy! Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the tilapia filets, and sauté for 3 minutes on each side.  Remove to a warmed plate. Add the salsa to the pan, and heat for about 30 seconds.  Spoon the salsa over the tilapia and serve.

***Available at www.clubsauce.com

Notes:Serve with rice pilaf and a green vegetable.

Saffron Scented Tomato Seafood Soup

The simmering scent of saffron, roasted red peppers and tomatoes finished with tender pieces of fish, crab, scallops, shrimp, and clams fills the air like a bouquet from the sea. It is a rich-tasting, flavorful dish that is easy-to-do and can be enjoyed with a variety of seafood favorites. This is our take on a very special soup that can be enjoyed any time of year.

2     32 oz    Pacific Natural Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup or similar base
1  14.5 oz    Diced tomatoes, canned
1    5.5 oz    V-8 juice, can
1    1.5 oz    Glace de Fruits de Mer (seafood stock) More Than Gourmet***
1       5 oz    Whole baby clams packed in water, can
3                 King crab legs, pre-cooked, thawed
1          lb  Fish, firm white (mahi mahi, swordfish, red snapper) fresh or thawed
18               Raw shrimp, medium sized, deveined, tails on or pre-cooked, thawed
18               Sea scallops, medium size, thawed
Saffron threads
Sriracha sauce or Tabasco sauce, optional***
Dry sherry, optional

1 To prepare the fish, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel then slice into bite size cubes. Prepare the crab legs by cutting each into three or four section at the joint. This may be done with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Crack the crab leg shells or cut them open with kitchen shears to release the meat. Tear, do not cut the crab meat into bite size pieces. If you prefer you can leave a few sections cracked but do not remove the meat for presentation and easiness for removing the shell at the table. Rinse the raw shrimp making sure it is deveined and the shells are removed except for the tail. Open the can of clams and drain off half the liquid.
2 Combine the first four ingredients into a soup or stock pot over low-medium heat. Stir the ingredients making sure the seafood stock has completely dissolved into the mixture.
3 Increase the heat to medium and add the cubed fish. Lightly stir the ingredients so as not to break the fish but also making sure the soup does not boil. If the shrimp is raw it should be added now as well as the scallops.
4 Lightly stir the soup for 3 minutes then add the crab meat, any whole sections of crab, the clams and the remaining juices from the can. If the shrimp is pre-cooked you can add it now. Stir lightly several times and finish with a pinch or two of saffron threads. (you may crush the threads between your fingers before adding them or leaving them whole for an attractive presentation in the soup).
5 We like to add just a touch of sriracha sauce at this point for a little added spice but this is optional. Start with 3 or 4 drops of saracha and add more to taste. Stir several times and test one fish cube making sure that it flakes for doneness.
6 Plate the soup in individual bowls and serve or pour the soup into a large tureen with ladle to be served at the table.
7 Once the soup has been served each guest can then add one to two tablespoons of sherry to their bowl of soup for an added twist of flavor with a gourmet touch.

Servings: 8

Cooking Tips
***Glace de Fruits de Mer by More Than Gourmet can be purchased online at www.clubsauce.com or it may sometimes be found at a local gourmet or specialty food shop.
***Saracha sauce can be found at most gourmet, specialty and supermarkets in the Asian food section.
Additional serving suggestions: Add 3 or 4 small Yukon gold potatoes that have been quartered and cooked two minutes before serving. (these may be cooked quickly in a microwave oven while the soup is cooking). Consider adding a slice of store bought polenta that has been lightly grilled in place of potatoes after the soup has been placed in each bowl. Serve slices of toasted crunchy French bread along side or French bread that has been topped with a simple mixture of butter and chopped garlic, then sprinkled with Parmigiano cheese and lightly broiled and warm from the oven. Serve asparagus spears roasted in extra virgin olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt. These serving suggestions and many more recipes can be found at www.clubsauce.com

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