West Coast North American Cuisine

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West Coast North American cuisine, the foods of Californians, the people of Oregon, and Washington, have one thing in common.

They love seafood.

Makes sense, they live on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. And so many ethnic cultures have settled out on the West Coast, naturally, they have come up with many unique recipes, blending together ingredients not common to other parts of the world.

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Note: If any of these ingredients are not available locally where you live, and if they are in bold and linked, you can purchase them in our online ethnic foods grocery store by simply clicking on them. You will be taken to a page here at Ethnic Foods R Us where you can locate the ingredient(s) you need in order to prepare the recipe in true, authentic and traditional fashion.

Let’s get started, shall we? Help yourself to some awesome …

West Coast North American Cuisine!

Please note: For your convenience, you can click on the recipes listed below and be taken directly to a page with just that one recipe on it, in printer-friendly format.

You are certainly welcomed to read through this whole page, all the recipes are here as well, and there are some videos and pertinent information on background, history, customs, special notes, etc., so it is well worth the read.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order:

Californian Cioppino

California Sushi Roll Supreme

Grilled Tri Tip Roast with Oregon Herb Rub

Herb Spinach Cheese Tart

Lobster and Shrimp with Lime Butter

Sautéed Geoduck Clams

West Coast Cod and Shrimp

West Coast Cod and Shrimp

West Coast North American Cuisine: CA Cod and Shrimp dish

Cod fish and shrimp, cooked up with a savory blend of spices and ingredients … this is West Coast eating at its best!

Ingredients: (serves 4)

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer 20 minutes, until water has been absorbed.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a medium baking dish with the olive oil.
  3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Stir in the heavy cream. In a small bowl, mix the milk and cornstarch, and stir into the saucepan to thicken the heavy cream mixture. Remove from heat, stir in the shrimp and mushrooms, and season with dill, seasoning salt, and pepper.
  4. Arrange cod in the prepared baking dish. Pour the heavy cream mixture over the cod. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
  5. Cover, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly and fish is easily flaked with a fork. Serve over the rice.

Shrimp and Florida Spiny Lobster Tails served with

Hot Key Lime Butter

CA Key West Shrimp Dish

Another delectable West Coast dish, with shrimp and lobster, and the “key” ingredient: Key Lime Butter.

It’s tops when it comes to West Coast North American cuisine!

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Mix 1/2 cup of butter with hot pepper sauce and Key lime juice in a small bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; stir in shrimp and lobster tails. Cook and stir until shrimp just turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and white wine; continue to cook and stir until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are tender, about 5 more minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the Key lime juice mixture until melted.

Sushi is, of course, originally from Japan. But West Coast Americans, particularly Californians, have adopted sushi into their family of culinary loves, and adapted it to their own tastes, to where it can now be definitely counted among the “authentic” West Coast American foods.

So much so, that the following, one of the best homemade sushi recipes you will find anywhere, is named after the Golden State of California.

California Sushi Roll Supreme

ca roll

Ingredients:
Sushi Rice:
  • 2 cups sushi grade rice (it has to be sushi grade rice! No other rice will work for sushi)
  • 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions:

  1. Squeeze the lemon juice over the avocado slices – this will prevent it from browning before you can use it.
  2. Cover a bamboo rolling mat with some plastic wrap.
  3. Cut the nori sheets in half, crosswise.
  4. Lay 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic covered mat.
  5. Wet your fingers with water and spread about 1/2 cup of the rice onto the nori – make sure it is spread out in an even thickness all over.
  6. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the spread out rice.
  7. Now flip the sheet of nori over, placing the rice side down.
  8. Place 1/8 of the cucumber, crab stick pieces, and avocado in the center of the sheet, spread evenly along the length of the sheet.
  9. Take hold of the edge of the mat closest to you, making sure the fillings are held in place with your fingers and, using the mat, roll the sheet into a tight cylinder.
  10. Pull the mat away and set it aside, covered with a moistened cloth.
  11. Repeat steps 2 through 10, until all of the rice has been used.
  12. Spread the salmon roe out on a clean flat surface, and roll each California roll over the roe, coating each roll with an outside layer of the roe.
  13. Cut each finished roll into 6 pieces.
  14. Serve with pickled ginger on the side, and a small bowl for each person to mix some wasabi and soy sauce together for dipping.

 

Sushi Rice Directions:
  1. Put the rice into a medium sized mixing bowl and cover completely with cool water. Swish the rice around in the water, then pour the water off. Repeat this 2 to 3 times, until the water runs off clear.
  2. Place the rice into a medium sized saucepan with 2 cups of water, and turn the heat up to high. Cover the pan and bring to a vigorous boil. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to just a mild simmer, keep the cover on, and simmer-cook the rice for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it stand, covered and cooling, for 10 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, and rice vinegar, and heat in the microwave on high for 35 to 45 seconds.
  4. Transfer the rice into a large mixing bowl (wooden or glass is best) and then add in the vinegar mixture. Fold and combine thoroughly, making sure every grain of rice is equally coated with the vinegar mixture.
  5. That’s it. Now just let the rice cool to room temperature before using it to make your sushi or sashimi.

If you’ve never made sushi before, it can be a bit tricky. So, for any of you first-timers (or even those who have made sushi but without satisfactory results), here is a very short and well done video that will walk you through the process correctly.

This chef uses a slightly different array of ingredients (no crab meat) and her technique of applying the salmon roe is different than mine, but other than that, it is very much the same process as set forth in the above recipe.

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There are seafood soups, stews, chowders, and gumbos to be found galore in almost all regions of North America, but none of them can top seafood in a bowl dishes that are so prevalent and fabulously combined and prepared as those found in West Coast American cuisine.

Bar none.

Try preparing and tasting this Californian Cioppino, and I dare you to prove me wrong.

Californian Cioppino

Cioppino

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Melt the butter in a large stockpot, over medium-low heat
  2. Add garlic, onions, and cilantro. Sauté, stirring now and then, until onions are soft, translucent, and fragrant.
  3. Chop the tomatoes into big chunks and then add them into the pot, then add the chicken broth, water, wine, oregano, thyme, basil, and bay leaves. Stir well to blend the mixture together, put the lid on the pot, and let simmer for half an hour.
  4. Now add in and stir all the seafoods, bring to a rolling boil, then lower heat to where the Cioppino is cooking at a lively simmer, replace the lid, and simmer until the clams open—5 to 7 minutes should do the trick.
  5. Remove the bay leaves and any clams that did not open, then ladle your Cioppino into serving bowls. This soup goes great with fresh, warm bread to sop up the delicious juices—yummy!

West Coast North Americans love their seafood, but don’t get the wrong impression – meat is also loved, especially prime cuts of beef. There are some grilled sirloin steak recipes that are off the charts yummy found in West Coast North American cuisine, and we’ll be posting lot of them here.

But try this, among the best grilled sirloin roast recipes I’ve ever come across, made especially mouth-watering by the rub seasoning applied to the meat.

Grilled Sirloin Tri-Tip Roast with Oregon Herb Rub

rub roast

Ingredients:
For the Rub-

(enough for 2 lb. roast—adjust quantities according to size of your roast, keeping the same proportions)

Directions:
  1. Mix all the rub seasonings together in a mixing bowl, then put the rub in a tightly sealed container and set aside at room temperature.
  2. Moisten the roast with a thin film of olive oil, then coat the roast with the rub seasoning, rubbing it in well. Place rubbed roast in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours—overnight is best, for the maximum effect of all the flavors to come together.
  3. When you are ready to cook, lightly oil the grate and preheat your outdoor grill on high heat.
  4. Grill the roast on high heat only until all sides are well browned, then take it off the grill; you’ve now seared it so that the juices will stay inside during the longer cooking
  5. Turn the heat down to medium low, then return the roast to the grate and grill on medium low indirect heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, arrange the coals to the outside with a central opening, and place the roast in the center.
  6. Grill, turning the roast now and then, until desired level of doneness is achieved. I like to use a digital meat thermometer for this. For rare, the inside should be between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit; for medium rare, 130 to 135; for medium, 140 to 145, for medium well, 150 to 155, and for well done, 160F and above.
  7. Take the roast off the grill, let it set for about 10 minutes, then carve across the grain in desired serving thickness.

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