Toasting a healthy Thanksgiving: No butter, cream, antibiotics or turkey

A luxurious Wild Red King Crab Salad, dressed with Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice, includes sweet peppers, red onion and diced carrots.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Red King Crab Salad I just made for Thanksgiving is chilling in the refrigerator, and the Argentine Red Shrimp I plan to grill on the stove top are defrosting next to it.

This year, we didn't make our annual trek to the Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff, where we usually buy naturally raised turkey parts -- the flavorful dark meat -- instead of a whole bird.

But to satisfy the meat eaters in the family and a couple of guests I did buy a fully cooked Applewood Smoked Uncured Petite Ham from Whole Foods Market in Paramus ($7.99 a pound).

The 3.4-pound Niman Ranch ham was raised on a vegetarian diet without harmful antibiotics.

The ham is being heated in the oven now, and I've already roasted 2 pounds of fresh Brussels Sprouts with olive oil, sea salt and other seasoning.

That's not all

Meanwhile, my wife has prepared oxtail, barbecued chicken, rice with peas and cole slaw for our son, who is home from college, and two of his friends, who showed up unexpectedly and spent the night here.

I made the Red King Crab Salad from fully cooked legs my wife bought at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro on Tuesday (3.06 pounds at $19.99 a pound).

Each of the four legs, with meaty knuckles, was about 2 feet long.

If need be, we also can have baked organic sweet potatoes or mashed organic sweet potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil I made on Wednesday.

At dinner, we plan to toast our good fortune with a Bellini, a cocktail made with Prosecco and peach nectar, both from Italy.

Argentine Red Shrimp can be deveined or grilled on the stove top head and all. I plan to marinate them in fresh lime juice first.

Where fish lovers eat breakfast, Argentine Red Shrimp a la plancha

When I ordered Two Eggs Any Style with Whiting at Golden Grill in Teaneck, I received two platters, a large portion of broiled fish in a tasty gravy, above, and two eggs over easy with home fries, below.

Cholula Hot Sauce from a bottle on the table gave on my eggs a Mexican accent.

Editor's note: Sunday began with a bountiful breakfast of eggs and fresh fish, and ended with a dinner of jumbo Argentine Red Shrimp grilled on the stove top at home.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

North Jersey is crowded with bigger and fancier places to have breakfast, but none equal Golden Grill in Teaneck.

That's especially the case, if you love fish and believe there's nothing lovelier than a delicious fillet with your eggs and home fries.

On Sunday morning, I took my wife and our guest from out-of-town for a filling breakfast in the modest storefront on Queen Anne Road.

This West Englewood section of Teaneck attracts food lovers with everything from the bustling Golden Grill to a French patisserie to several kosher places, including a bagelry and a coffee house.

More than fish

Besides whiting, you can order a homemade fish cake, sardines, chicken livers or other items with your platter of eggs or breakfast sandwich at Golden Grill.

Breakfasts are served with toast, terrific home fries or grits or both, and a small glass of juice.

When you order whiting, it will come fried unless you ask for it broiled, as I always do.

My breakfast of two eggs over easy, home fries, whiting fillets and juice was $7 (hold the toast). Tea was $1.40.

My eggs, whiting and home fries have been served on a large oval platter, but I got a bonus on Sunday -- two round plates, one with more fish than usual.

Golden Grill is known for generous portions at modest prices. Service is casual.

Breakfasts, such as this Spanish Omelet with hot sauce, usually are served on large oval platters ($8.95).

A vegetable omelet with added spinach and sausage ($9.95).

Most of the seating at Golden Grill is in booths.

Add a little heat to your breakfast with Cholula Hot Sauce from Mexico.

A portion of the menu.

Details

Golden Grill, 1379 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-1078. 

Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch until 3:30 p.m. Free street parking.

Previously frozen Argentine Red Shrimp, thawed and rubbed with fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic, cooking on a stove-top grill. They were done after about 7 minutes on each side.

The grilled shrimp were delicious, shell and all. Inside, they couldn't have been more tender.

Long journey to my plate

Nearly 40 years after my first trip to Barcelona, I can still hear the gravelly voice of a cook in a casual lunch place open to the street shouting, "Gambas a la plancha."

Shrimp on the grill, whose aroma you could smell as you walked by, were always a treat when traveling in Spain.

They were usually cooked in the shell, and you could peel them or eat everything, including the juice from head.

On Sunday night, I thawed and grilled a dozen of the Argentine Red Shrimp I bought at Fish First Inc., which runs the seafood counter inside the International Food Warehouse on Essex Street in Lodi.

I was afraid the frozen jumbo shrimp would be tough after grilling them on the stove top, but they were as tender as could be.

I sprinkled them with sea salt as they coked after marinating them in fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic.

Next time, I'll use granulated garlic to avoid the minced fresh garlic from burning on the grill pan, which straddled two burners turned to medium-high heat.

At Lodi warehouse, a good buy on wild jumbo shrimp from Argentina

Fish First Inc. operates the seafood counter inside the International Food Wine & Liquor Warehouse in Lodi.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When it comes to seafood, wild-caught is your best choice, especially in shrimp.

That's why I jumped at the chance to buy a 4.4-pound box of wild Langostino from Argentina at the International Food Warehouse in Lodi this morning.

The seafood counter is operated by a friendly South Korean fishmonger under the name Fish First Inc., and his motto is, "Eat Fish, Live Well!"

You could argue with describing these head-on jumbo shrimp as langostino, a type of lobster.

But you can't argue with the price, $10 a pound. A 2-kilo box was $44.

At Costco Wholesale, farmed Tiger Shrimp from Southeast Asia run about $15 a pound, and there is no information on what they are fed or where they are raised.

I just bought wild-caught Gulf Shrimp on sale for $15.99 a pound at Whole Foods Market in Paramus.

Good until 2017

The Argentine Red Shrimp I bought today were caught in July and frozen, and they have a use-by date of July 2017, according to the box.

I'll probably thaw some for dinner soon, rubbing them with fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and a little sea salt, and grill them on my stove top, head and all.

They were listed in a flier that came with today's newspaper, and prices are supposed to be good through Nov. 10.

The colorful carton is in several languages. 

Another good buy are 5-ounce packages of non-organic and organic greens and salads at $1.99 each. But look carefully at expiration dates. I bought Fresh Attitude Arugula with a use-by date of Nov. 2 and an Organic Girl Salad with a use-by date of  Oct. 30.

Olive oil 

Despite the name, the International Food Wine & Liquor Warehouse has few, if any, bargains on wine, beer or spirits.

The store does stock tins or bottles of extra-virgin olive oil from Italy, Greece, Spain, Lebanon and other countries.

But often price signs are missing, and tins don't provide any information on whether the oil is from one country or a blend from several Mediterranean sources.

Today, I saw one 3-liter tin for under $20 that was called "Mediterranean Jewels," but also said, "Product of Italy."

Details

Fish First Inc., 370 Essex St., Lodi; 201-291-2320. Call for hours.

International Food Wine & Liquor Warehouse, 370 Essex St., Lodi; 201-368-9511. Open 7 days.