Hot Crab Dip
December 24, 2007 at 3:13 pm | In Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood | Leave a CommentI doubt there’s a pantry in the South without a can of Old Bay Seasoning in it. I use it in a lot of dishes other than steamed shrimp: as a salt substitute in my tuna salad, and in place of salt and paprika on grilled or broiled chicken. In this dip, it adds just the right amount of its signature flavor.
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar (6 oz. by weight)
3/4 C good mayonnaise, such as Hellmanns
1 1 /2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat, picked over carefully to remove cartilage
assorted crackers for serving
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In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 of the cheese, the mayonnaise, Old Bay Seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Fold in the crabmeat. Spoon the mixture into a 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and a little additional Old Bay.
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Bake in a 350 oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble around the edges. Serve with crackers or pita chips or bagel chips.
Andrea’s Crab Cakes
December 7, 2007 at 2:42 pm | In Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood | Leave a CommentWe have a lot of appetizer buffet get-togethers out here on the Cape and Andrea inevitably is asked to bring this flavorful favorite dish as her contribution. They’re usually the first plate to disappear from the table, so those into arriving ‘fashionably late’ are sure to miss out!
1 stalk celery diced small
1 sm. onion diced small
1/2 small green pepper diced small
1/2 c dried bread crumbs
1 egg 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp prepared mustard (I used Grey Poupon and would add more the next time)
1 tsp seasoned salt
2 c or 1 lb. crab meat
- Use foil shells or clean and prepare 10 crab shells or use small baking dish. Spray with Pam.
- Saute celery, onion, and green pepper in pan with olive oil. Cool.
- Mix remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and then mix in sauted vegetables when they are cool. Place in shells or baking container. Brush with butter (I topped with fresh bread crumbs and butter).
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Panhandle Clam Chowder from The Owl Cafe
November 23, 2007 at 1:43 pm | In Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood, Soups & Stews, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
My friend Pat and I enjoyed a girls afternoon out of day-after-Thanksgiving shopping in Apalach yesterday and we had lunch at my favorite restaurant over there, The Owl Cafe. I’ve never ordered anything that wasn’t perfectly done, and the clam chowder they served was no exception. I tracked down the recipe, picked up a sack of fresh clams at Seafood-2-Go and made a batch this morning. Every bit as good as the original.
If you can find clams still in the shell by all means use them as they really add so much to the flavor of the broth, and since they pop wide open while simmering it’s no trouble at all separating the clam meat.
3 1/2 C water
5 dozen cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 to 3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 carrots coarsely chopped
1/2 C coarsely chopped onion
2 small celery ribs, coarsely chopped
2 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 1/2 C heavy cream or half and half
1 1/2 C milk
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t dried thyme
- Bring 2 cups of the water to a boil in a large soup pot. Add half of the clams, cover and cook just until they open, 5 to 8 minutes; remove the clams to a platter as they open. Return the water to a boil and repeat with the remaining clams. Strain the clam broth through 4 layers of dampened cheesecloth to remove any sand or grit (or a strainer lined with a coffee filter; slow, but it works in a pinch if you’re out of cheesecloth); reserve 4 cups of the broth. Remove the clams from the shells and coarsely chop them.
- In a skillet, melt the butter until foamy. Add the flour and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until the roux is lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wipe out the soup pot. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add the carrots, onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 minutes. Add the potatoes, raise the heat to moderate and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot along with the reserved clam broth, the cream, milk, pepper and thyme. Simmer over low heat until the potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the roux and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the clams and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Laddle the clam chowder into soup bowls and serve piping hot.
Serve 8
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2007 at 4:08 am | In Appetizers, Blogroll, Breads, Chefs, Cooking, Desserts, Drinks, Food, Food TV, Meats, Pasta, Rice & Beans, Pickles & Preserves, Poultry, Recipes, Salads, Seafood, Soups & Stews, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Oyster & Artichoke Soup
November 14, 2007 at 6:42 am | In Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood, Soups & Stews | Leave a CommentThis soup is reason enough to head for New Orleans. I can never get enough of it or gumbo when I’m there.
1/2 C butter
2 bunches scallions, sliced thin
3 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 9-oz. pkgs. frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and quartered
OR 2 14-oz. cans artichoke hearts, washed, drained and quartered
3 T flour
1 1/2 qts. chicken stock or broth (4 cans Swanson workd fine)
cayenne to taste
1 t salt
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t dried thyme
1 qt. oysters, drained and chopped (liquor reserved)
1/3 C dry sherry
1 C half and half
1 C milk
- In a heavy 4 or 5 quart pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallions, celery and garlic and saute until soft taking care not to let them brown. Add the artichokes. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir to coat the vegetables well, but do not let it brown.
- Gradually add the stock, stirring occasionally. Add the cayenne, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 hour.
- Add the oysters, oyster liquor, and sherry and simmer for 10 minutes. Do NOT allow the soup to boil.
- Stir in the cream and milk. Cool and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Before serving, reheat the soup slowly over low heat.
Serves 8
Mary Anne’s Crab Cakes with Sweet Curry Red Bell Pepper Sauce
November 13, 2007 at 4:30 pm | In Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood | 2 CommentsThis is probably Mary Anne’s most requested recipe and she’s kind enough to serve it often. The sauce is fantastic, with a delicious flavor that tastes complicated but which actually goes together in literally seconds. You’ll find yourself making it frequently as it works so well with so many foods. Super easy and delicious.
Sauce:
1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 t minced garlic
salt & freshly ground pepper to tate
1/2 roasted red bell pepper (jarred ones are fine)
1/2 t sweet curry powder
Crab Cakes:
3/4 C bread crumbs
12 oz. lump crabmeat, cleaned
1 jalapeno chili, seeded & chopped
2 t freshly squeezed lime juice (about the juice in 1/2 lime)
2 T cooking oil
1 1/2 T chopped fresh parsley
3 T diced red bell pepper
2 T chopped fresh chives
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
To Make the Sauce:
- Puree the mayonnaise, roasted red bell pepper, garlic and curry powder until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To Prepare the Crab Cakes:
- Combine the bread crumbs and parsley in a small bowl and set aside. Place the crab in a medium bowl. Fold in the red bell pepper, jalapeno, chives, and lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in 1/4 C of the bread crumb mixture and 4 T of the sauce.
- Divide the crab mixture into 18 equal size portions (or whatever number you feel comfortable with depending on the size you wish to make each cake) and form into patties. Dredge the crab cakes in the remaining bread crumbs.
- Cook the crab cakes in the cooking oil in a hot saute pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Top each crab cake with a small spoonful of the sauce and serve warm.
Serves 6
Salmon Patties
November 6, 2007 at 6:00 pm | In Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood | Leave a CommentThese make a quick, tasty and nutritious weeknight meal. Another great way to work those Omega 3’s into your diet! A dab of freshly made tartare sauce or good mayo makes a nice flavor when serving. Try a rice pilaf and fresh salad as sides.
1 15-oz. can salmon
1/2 C bread crumbs, plain or flavored
1 stalk celery, finely minced
3 slices onion, finely minced
2 eggs, slightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste OR substitute Old Bay Seasoning & McCormick Lemon Pepper to taste
EVOO for cooking
- Drain salmon, break up to an even consistency and put in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands, lightly as you would meatloaf so as not to overwork.
- Form into 4 or 5 round patties. Preheat a skillet to medium heat, add 2 T EVOO, heat and add patties.
- Cook for 3 minutes per side, remove from pan and serve .
Oysters Parmesan
November 4, 2007 at 6:00 am | In Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Seafood | Leave a CommentOne more oyster recipe in honor of the Apalachicola Seafood Festival which wraps up for another year at noon today. This is great served with hot crusty, freshly toasted garlic bread.
1 T EVOO
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 t dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 t dried oregano, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t red pepper sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1 pt. shucked oysters w/liquor
1 C Italian style bread crumbs
2/3 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese (NOT the stuff in the green can)
- Heat the EVOO in a non-stick skillet. Add the onion and saute until softened taking care not to let it brown. Sprinkle lightly with some salt to help soften. Add the thyme, oregano, garlic, red pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the oysters; heat over medium heat for several minutes. Add the reserved liquor. Fold in the bread crumbs.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased casserole and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Oyster Stew Supreme
November 3, 2007 at 3:47 pm | In Appetizers, Cooking, Recipes, Seafood, Soups & Stews | Leave a CommentThe Apalachicola Seafood Festival is the largest and longest-running seafood festival in Florida, and it’s always the first weekend of November. So in honor of the awesome Apalachicola oyster, here’s my favorite way to cook some up when I’ve had my fill of raw ones. I wanted an over-the-top comfort food oyster stew and this is what I came up with. Don’t let the list of ingredients intimidate you – it actually goes together quite quickly.
2 slices bacon, diced
1/2 C butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T Wondra flour
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 healthy pinch of cayenne
1/2 t dried thyme
1 8-oz. bottle clam juice
1/4 C dry sherry
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
16 oz. shucked oysters with their liquor
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C parsley, finely chopped
- Saute diced bacon in a non-stick soup pot over low heat until rendered. Add butter and heat until melted.
- Add onions, celery and garlic and continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasinally, until translucent, taking care not to let them brown.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, pinch of cayenne, thyme and Wondra flour or other fine white flour, whisking steadily to make a light roux. Cook, whisking steadily, for several minutes.
- Slowly whisk in clam juice, whisking until smooth, then sherry, again whisking until smooth.
- Whisk in cream, whisking until smooth, then whisk in evaporated milk, whisking until smooth. Raise heat slightly, stir while bringing just to where it starts to boil, then quickly lower the heat and whisk until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in oysters with their liquor, several dashes of Worcestershire sauce and the chopped parsley.
- Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until oysters curl at the edges indicating they are heated through.
Savory Sauteed Shrimp and Mushrooms
October 26, 2007 at 1:25 pm | In Cooking, Food, Recipes, Seafood | Leave a CommentThis is delicious served with black beans and rice as side dishes. My husband raves about this recipe which I made up while looking for an alternative to chicken to accompany rice and beans.
1/2 C butter
6 mushrooms, sliced thin
3 scallions, sliced thin, green part included
1 tomato, diced
1 t crushed fresh garlic
*1 T fish sauce (see note)
1 fresh lemon, juice of
1/3 C dry Vermouth
1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled & deveined
1 dash of Old Bay Seasoning
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Melt butter in large skillet. Add mushrooms, scallions, tomato and garlic. Saute over medium heat until limp.
- Add fish sauce, lemon juice and vermouth. Simmer for several minutes to allow flavors to develop.
- Add shrimp and cook until just pink, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with Old Bay and season to taste with salt and pepper.
NOTE: Fish sauce, also called nam pla or nuoc cham, is a salty, light-brown liquid made from fermented anchovies. It’s a cornerstone of southeast Asian flavors, but use it sparingly, as its flavors are strong. Look for it in Asian markets or in the international section of your grocery store, and keep it in your pantry away from heat and light (it’ll keep a long time). If you can’t find it, substitute soy sauce.
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