It’s not found on many contemporary menus, except on buffet lines.
That’s not to say it wasn’t a good dish — it’s just out of fashion. I heard from a reader recently who’d dearly love to order it again but can’t find it. He wasn’t interested in a recipe, but his inquiry made me curious about creating a version of the dish that wasn’t so heavy.
Classic Newburg dates to the late 1800s and is made with a sherry cream sauce. Modern recipes still use a lot of butter, eggs and cream, with all types of seafood and seasonings that might include paprika, nutmeg and lemon.
DO YOU HAVE A CLUE?
A reader is looking for a recipe for baked beans that came from a Hawaii chef’s mom and ran in the newspaper sometime ago. It started with canned pork and beans. I can’t find it in our archives. If you have a copy, please get in touch.
This version creates a faux cream sauce using yogurt, which provides a tang like lemon. It’s not the same, but it provides a creamy option for those who like their seafood that way.
But first, if you know of a place that serves classic Newburg (not on a buffet), please let me know and I’ll pass it on.
Seafood Newburg Lite
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup minced onions
- 3 lobster tails (12 ounces), shelled, cut into bite-size pieces
- 12 ounces bay or sea scallops
- 4 ounces shrimp, shelled
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons sherry
>> Sauce:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon butter (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
To make sauce: Fill bottom of double boiler half full with water and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer. In top half of double boiler, whisk yogurt with egg yolks and sherry until well combined. Stir constantly until sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in paprika, nutmeg and salt; taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in butter, if using, then lemon juice. If sauce is too thick, add more sherry or a little skim milk.
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium- high. Add garlic and onions; saute until onions soften. Add lobster, saute lightly. Add scallops and shrimp; saute until shrimp are pink. Remove seafood to serving dish, leaving any liquids in skillet.
Add mushrooms to skillet and saute until liquid is absorbed. Add sherry and saute until that liquid is absorbed. Add mushrooms to seafood in serving dish. Top with sauce. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (with added butter): 300 calories, 13 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 230 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,000 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 30 g protein
Write “By Request,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com. Nutritonal analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.
