Category: SEAFOOD

SEAFOOD CASSEROLE EXTRAODINAIRE

It’s ALMOST Christmas and Santa Claus is coming to town. If you have kids, or are just a big kid at heart, you can track Santa’s progress as he travels around the world on NORAD.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I really intended to stick with this recipe as it was written, really I did! But, as I read it more closely I felt some changes coming on. You know that feeling you get when you realize hubby won’t like ingredient 5 or your son would hate ingredient x, etc… The more I messed with the recipe the further it got from what the intended.

So here is their recipe as written:


BLEND IN THE BAYOU
8 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 – 6 ounce cans crabmeat, drained and flaked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup cooked rice, prepared
4 1/2 ounce jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
  • In a small saucepan, cook and stir the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in remaining butter until tender.
  • Stir in the shrimp, crab, soup, rice, mushrooms, garlic salt, pepper sauce, cayenne and cream cheese mixture.
  • Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish.
  • Combine crackers crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over top.
  • Bake, uncovered 25 minutes or until bubbly.
and here is the new recipe as made and enjoyed and savored as the plates were licked clean!














SEAFOOD CASSEROLE EXTRAODINAIRE

inspired by Taste of Home’s Blend in the Bayou

8 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large bunch green onions, chopped

4 large mushrooms, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 8 ounce package crabmeat, chopped & flaked
2 – 6 ounce cans white albacore tuna, drained and flaked
1 can cream of celery soup or soup substitute
3/4 cup cooked rice, prepared
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese
1/2 sleeve crushed butter-flavored crackers ( I used Keebler herb and butter)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a small saucepan, cook and stir the cream cheese, soup and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until tender.
  • Stir in the tuna, crab, soup, rice, mushrooms, salt, pepper sauce, chili powder and cream cheese mixture.
  • Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish.
  • Sprinkle crackers over top.
  • Bake, uncovered 25 minutes or until bubbly. 
  • Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more.

Honey & Hoisin Grilled Trout – Fire Day Friday

This is a recipe I posted on my blog back in 2010… it’s just one of those dishes that never got the recognition it deserved, so I thought to myself.. why not bring it back?  Feature it just one more time so everyone can see I don’t just eat Tilapia – my fish love goes way deeper than that!
This is a very simple, very light dish.  Easy to assemble, takes about 15-20 minutes to grill… the longest part of this recipe is just the marinating time.  Simple!  What more can you ask for on a busy week night….??

Honey & Hoisin Grilled Trout
Ingredients:
1 – 3/4lbs trout fillet (mine had the skin on one side still)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 large clove of garlic, minced or pressed 

Directions:

Mix everything but the fish together in a small bowl.  Place the fish in a shallow dish or a Ziploc bag.  Pour the marinade over the fish and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.

Preheat your grill to 375 (medium, medium-low).  Tear off a square of aluminum foil (make sure it’s big enough to make a packet around the fillet) and spray it with non stick cooking spray.  Place the fillet in the middle of the foil and seal into a packet.  Place on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the fillet.  Remove from grill and let rest for 3 minutes.  Carefully open packet and enjoy!!

Fire Day Friday; Grilled Shrimp Po’ Boy

Ok, ok… so I didn’t fill the bun up with enough shrimp before I took the picture… BUT.. just because it might not be the best picture does not mean that it wasn’t the best grilled shrimp po’ boy I’ve ever had.  Oh, no!  These sandwiches were downright DEE-licious.  And, let’s not forget simple.  You don’t have do to too much to make this really stand out.  I kept this very simple, but feel free to jazz it up if you want.  I know that traditional po’ boys are usually made by frying shrimp or oysters or whatever you have on there, but honestly, I like to try to keep things as healthy as I can, so I went for the grilling method.  Who needs all the bread any, right?  I mean you’ve got all the bread you need in the bun 🙂  Plus…you get to use your grill if you make them this way!!

Grilled Shrimp Po’ Boy
Created by Jenn’s Food Journey
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
36-48 large frozen shrimp, thawed and tails removed
1-2 Tablespoon basil olive oil (you can use extra virgin olive oil)
salt and pepper
shredded lettuce or cabbage (I used coleslaw mix)
cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used about 1/2 cup)
hoagie buns or French sandwich rolls or even hot dog buns
fiery remoulade – recipe to follow
metal or wooden skewers (please soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes)

Directions:
In a large bowl, add the shrimp and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Allow to marinate for 1 hour.  Thread shrimp onto skewers.

Preheat grill to 375 degrees.  Place the skewered shrimp directly over the fire and grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until shrimp is cooked through.  Carefully remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Carefully remove shrimp from skewers.

To build your po’ boy – add a butt load of shrimp and top with cabbage/lettuce and tomatoes.  Drizzle on fiery remoulade.  Enjoy!

Fiery Remoulade
Created by Jenn’s Food Journey
Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon chili paste
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lemon juice 

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  Enjoy!

 

COD POCKETS

COD POCKETS adapted from The Magic Pumpkin
For 4 People
1 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry box = 3 POCKETS people
3 cod fillets
breadcrumbs
ground ginger
Juice of 1 lemon 
salt
white pepper 
sesame seeds
  • Unroll the pastry and divide into 3 wedges.*
  • Rinse and dry cod fillets gently. 
  • In a bowl put the bread crumbs, ginger, salt and pepper, blending well.  Pour into a shallow dish
  • Dredge the cod fillets in the seasoned bread crumbs making sure to coat them evenly.
  • Sprinkle each filet with a VERY small amount of lemon juice. 
  • Wrap the fillet and seal all edges.
  • Lay the packetson a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with sesame seeds. 
  • Use a beaten egg wash.
  • Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.  Serve Warm
*What I actually ended up with was 2 big and 2 small portions.

Fire Day Friday: Grilled Shrimp with Grapefruit BBQ Sauce

I’ve been on quite the shrimp kick lately.  You see, there was a time where I was hesitant to purchase it, because, living in the desert, we can’t get a lot of fresh shrimp.  Well I had a bad experience with frozen shrimp once, hence the hesitation.  I broke through that though, and finally started cooking with shrimp again.  And boy am I thankful I did.  I adore shrimp… there is so much you can do with it.  And it’s at it’s best when grilled.  At least, that’s my opinion… and that counts for something, right??

This wasn’t the best concoction ever, but it was good.  Believe me, we ate the hell out of this…there were no leftovers 🙂  I liked the sauce, but surprisingly, I liked it much better on the shrimp than by itself… and that is an odd thing for me to say, trust me.  Nevertheless, this is definitely one to try!

Grilled Shrimp with Grapefruit BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Robin Miller
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
36 extra larges (31/40 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks
10 cherry tomatoes
6 Tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 – 1 teaspoon chipotle puree
wooden or metal skewers (if using wooden, soak in water for at least 30 minutes)

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the grapefruit juice, ketchup, mustard, sugar, cumin, chili powder, olive oil and chipotle puree until well combined.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce.  Place the shrimp in a shallow dish and pour the remaining marinade over top of it.  Toss to make sure all shrimp are coated with marinade.  Cover and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours. 

Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.  Thread the shrimp onto the skewers.  Thread the peppers and tomatoes on their own separate skewers, or thread them together with the shrimp, it’s up to you.  Place directly over the fire and grill until shrimp is pink and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side.  My tomatoes only sat on there for about 4 minutes all together and the peppers were done in about 8 minutes.  Baste the shrimp with sauce at least twice during the grilling time.  Remove from grill and serve over rice.  Enjoy!

TRY A NEW RECIPE: Caribbean Crab and Rice

This is a truly Caribbean recipe. A one pot meal, using what’s readily available: Seafood! It’s rather easy and fun to eat!

I usually use mangrove crab like this guy
but didn’t have any and it wasn’t really crab ‘season’ so i opted for Alaskan king crab which you will have easier access to anyhow. However they were cooked. I usually make this recipe with raw crab.
Although they were clean I still washed them with water and lemon.

Here is the recipe. It makes 2 servings only. It’s my recipe and I usually cook for one.

-4 crab quarters
-2 cups brown rice
-2 cups fresh spinach
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 celery stalk, chopped
-1 tbsp parsley, chopped
-1 tbsp chives, chopped
-1/3 white wine
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-2 tbsp curry powder
-1 tbsp oil or butter
-1/2 habinero pepper
-1 tbsp Caribbean green seasoning
-Salt & Pepper to taste
-1 1/2 to 2 cups water

First I seasoned the crab with the Caribbean Green Seasoning
Then added the onion, celery, parsley, chives and habinero

Heat oil or butter
Add crab and chopped veggies. (when using raw crab I sautee the crab first then add the veggies later). The veggies i had (except the onion) were bought fresh then frozen.Stir. The veggies will give off some liquid, time to add the white wine
Add spinach and cover
Once the spinach is cooked, time to add water, soy sauce and curry
and rice
Stir in rice and cover
cook rice as directed
and voila! Caribbean Crab and Rice. The fun part besides the taste is getting the crab out of the shells

Bon Appetit


Fire Day Friday: Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Now that summer is almost here, I like to grill shellfish. The seafood is fresher and grilling it brings out the best in it. This spicy marinade packs the heat of summer into these grilled shrimp.
Grilling Tip: You know how they always say to soak your bamboo skewers for 30 minutes before grilling, right? And you probably know how sometimes that works and sometimes it does not. Sometimes, the skewers still burn off. You can use a “grill shield” like the one I am using here or you can make you’re own by folding up a piece of HD aluminum foil several times to protect the skewers.
Spicy Summer Grilled Shrimp
1 lb medium count shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined
3 oz clarified butter, melted
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz sriracha sauce
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp turbinado sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ shallot, finely minced
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Mix the marinade ingredients together. Add the shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, fire up your grill to 450f or medium-high. 
Place the shrimp on skewers and grill 2 minutes per side.
They are done when the tails turn pink.
These disappeared with my 22 y/o son’s friends devouring them as fast as I could get them off the grill.

BAKED WHITE FISH ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

2 teaspoons peanut oil    
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 small kiwis, cleaned and sliced thin
2-4 white fish, cleaned and scaled, 2 pounds each
salt & pepper to taste   
3 tablespoons white wine    
3 tablespoons CHAMPAGNE DRESSING (or substitute fish or chicken stock)  
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 lemon, sliced

  • This will work with other whole lean fish and cuts or ‘roasts’ of halibut or pink salmon.
  • Adjust the cooking time according to the thickness and density of the fish.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Spray baking dish well with PURE.
  • Rinse the fish well inside and out, pat dry, season lightly with salt, pepper and paprika and lay side by side in a shallow baking dish.
  • Layer lemon slices loosely over fish and season again.
  • Pour  the stock, dressing and ending with the butter over each filet.
  • Make a loose tent of foil over the tail of the fish and place in the oven.
  • Bake, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time, until a skewer easily enters the thickest part of the fish, 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

BAKED WHITE FISH

2 teaspoons peanut oil    
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 small kiwis, cleaned and sliced thin
2-4 white fish, cleaned and scaled, 2 pounds each
salt & pepper to taste   
3 tablespoons white wine    
3 tablespoons CHAMPAGNE DRESSING (or substitute fish or chicken stock)  
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 lemon, sliced

  • This will work with other whole lean fish and cuts or ‘roasts’ of halibut or pink salmon.
  • Adjust the cooking time according to the thickness and density of the fish.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Spray baking dish well with PURE.
  • Rinse the fish well inside and out, pat dry, season lightly with salt, pepper and paprika and lay side by side in a shallow baking dish.
  • Layer lemon slices loosely over fish and season again.
  • Pour  the stock, dressing and ending with the butter over each filet.
  • Make a loose tent of foil over the tail of the fish and place in the oven.
  • Bake, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time, until a skewer easily enters the thickest part of the fish, 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

    CRAB PUFFS for TAILGATING TIME

    Last week Martha posted her puffs recipe with her shrimp filling and it made me think of my crab salad and it was a good thought!  The crab salad was an awesome filling!

    PUFFS recipe from Martha at Seaside Simplicity
    1/2 cup water
    1/4 cup butter or margarine
    1/2 cup all purpose flour
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 eggs
    • Heat oven to 425 degrees. 
    • In a medium saucepan heat water and butter until boiling. 
    • Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. 
    • Stir in flour and salt. 
    • Cook over medium heat until mixture leaves sides of pan in a smooth compact ball, about 2 minutes, stirring vigorously. 
    • Remove from heat. 
    • Add eggs one at the time, beating vigorously until smooth and glossy. Do not under-beat! Drop by teaspoons full onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. 
    • Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
    • Once puffs are cooled completely split and stuff with crab salad when ready to serve.
    This recipe makes about 20 puffs.
    CRAB SALAD
    8 ounces Louis Kemp Crab, finely chopped
    1 stalk celery, finely chopped
    1/3 cup minced red onion
    salt and pepper
    mayo (about 1/4 cup)
    • Mix crab, celery, onion, salt and pepper together until well blended using enough mayonnaise for desired consistency.
    • Place a large scoop of crab salad in each puff.

    Crab Salad Nigiri Sushi

    I first saw this crab salad nigiri sushi that my blogger friend Pikko had made on her blog Adventures in bento making . I thought I’d give it a try for a gathering at my husband’s work one evening. Pikko’s are much prettier, I’ll have to keep practicing. Her creation was a hit though. I put them in a deviled egg carrier to bring them in. Since we were all hanging outside behind the shop it didn’t have to be fancy.
    First off my rice cooker died on me. How frustrating. It would turn on and keep warm, but the cook button wouldn’t work. I went to check it and there it sat, all that water still hanging out on top. I transferred it to a pan and cooked it on my stove top, forgot to time it, but it turned out fine! Once in the bowl I added the already prepared sushi vinegar while it’s still warm. I don’t add much sugar at all to my sushi rice (personal preference).

    Using the stick version of the imitation crab. Chop up the crab and add mayo, I added a little wasabi powder to it, but not enough for it to be too much for those who don’t like it. I am a wasabi fan!
    It took a little while to get used to handling the sticky sushi rice, having a bowl of water on hand to help. I hand made the rice balls (I am using a rice ball maker next time, sounds like a good investment). A little adjusting on what size to make them. With scissors cut the nori sheets into strips, being careful to cut them straight because it will show if you cut it crooked.
    Wrap the strips around the rice, sealing it with water. With a tiny baby spoon I filled the cups with the crab salad. Those little spoons come in handy, good thing I saved them!
    I topped some with srircha, some with wasabi and left some without, because I know Maranda would like it plain. I have to tell you this it was funny. A couple showed up later, they came riding in on their motorcycles all noisy, just to make an entrance. (The owner’s brother and his girlfriend). She is acting all tough in her leathers. Someone is telling them what we have to eat. Now for a few of them this was the first time they’ve tried sushi. He pointed out the sushi, she says “No I only like real sushi”. Okay, alright then, now I was good, and I only said “this is real sushi”. Then I let her do her thing. After eating some 7 layer taco dip, she did try a piece and loved it. No wasabi for her, she doesn’t “do ” wasabi. Then she ate another one, then said “I wish we were here earlier and didn’t miss most of the sushi” She ended up eating the last one too. I just smiled to myself. Maranda and Wade did bring it up later, and we laughed about it.
    Thanks Pikko it was a hit.

    You can check out more of my food trials and ethnic ventures at The Tiny Skillet . Or check out The Tiny Bento for my bento lunches that are so popular in Japan!
    Have a great weekend!!

    SALMON FILLETS with TANGY MUSTARD SAUCE

    Sorry no pictures – just posting the recipe for a new friend!
    4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
    4 tablespoons FRESH minced tarragon
    Four 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
    Salt and freshly ground pepper
    2/3 cup whipping cream
    1/4 cup Dijon mustard
    2 tablespoons creamy prepared horseradish
    • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
    • In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with 2 tablespoons of the tarragon and rub it over the salmon. Let stand for 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
    • Spray baking dish lightly with PURE.
    • Bake salmon fillets for 15-20 minutes or until just barely done (varies with thickness).
    • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the whipping cream, mustard, horseradish, the remaining olive oil and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
    • Spoon over the salmon and return to oven for 5 minutes.

    aprons 3