Recipe of the Month: Seafood Dressing

 This recipe comes from Chef Kolby Kash...just in time for the holidays! See his website 

Ingredients:

A pan of day-old cornbread (if you need to use fresh cornbread, crumble it up on a cookie sheet and bake it for a few minutes until it is dry and crispy.)

2 large celery stalks, chopped                                                                                                                            1  small onion, chopped                                                                                                                                  1  red bell pepper, chopped                                                                                                                             4 Tablespoons butter                                                                                                                                            1  can Cream of Chicken soup                                                                                                                       2  cups shrimp/seafood stock (or chicken stock)                                                                                           Seafood seasoning                                                                                                                                           1 teaspoon garlic powder or paste                                                                                                                     1  egg                                                                                                                                                                1  lb peeled and deveined shrimp, chunked                                                                                                        1  lb of lump crab meat (or 12 oz crawfish tails

Get the butter melted and saute the vegi's. Add the garlic and seafood seasoning (or salt and pepper).  Add the can of Cream of Chicken soup and one can of seafood stock( I made my own with the shrimp shells). Bring that up to a boil then simmer. 

Crumble the cornbread in a large bowl. Whisk the egg and add it to the cornbread. Pour in the vegi/soup/stock mixture.  Season the shrimp and add those and the crab (I used crawfish tails) to the mixture of cornbread. Add more seafood stock as needed to get it good and moist. Taste and add seasoning as needed.

Pour mixture into a greased 9 x13 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until golden brown.                                                                                                                                           

Recipe of the Month: Easy Shrimp Crab Chowder

 I was craving some Shrimp Chowder and after "googling" a few recipe's and getting the gist of what others were using, I threw this together. Most of the recipe's called for 1lb of Shrimp. I had 3lbs and used it all!  You know how you order something from a restaurant and get just a few shrimp? Why skimp if you're making it yourself!

2       Cups peeled and cubed potatoes.                                                                                                                              Put them in a large pot and boil until they begin to soften

2      Stalks celery, chopped                                                                                                                            1/2   Onion, chopped                                                                                                                                            1     teaspoon minced garlic                                                                                                                         1/2  stick butter                                                                                                                                                                            In a skillet melt butter, cook celery, onion and garlic until vegis begin to soften

Drain cooked potatoes, add 

1/2  stick butter                                                                                                                                                     4   Cups   seafood stock                                                                                                                                      1  Tablespoon Creole seasoning                                                                                                                     1    Cup fresh or frozen corn                                                                                                                               1    Cup heavy cream                                                                                                                                      2   cans 6oz crab                                                                                                                                              1     Teaspoon salt                                                                                                                                         1/2   Teaspoon paprika                                                                                                                                        

Bring to boil.  

Add   3lbs peeled and deveined shrimp.  Cook until shrimp turn pink (just a few minutes). Turn off and let rest for 20 minutes.                         

Recipe of the Month: Black Eye Pea Stew

 We've made this three times during this past winter and taken to a party once and it received acclaim! Not
much to the recipe, just some good old comfort food on a cold winter's day! Sorry, no seafood in it...

Ingredients:

1   lb dried Black Eye Peas                                                                            2    32oz  boxes chicken stock                                                                  2-3 stalks celery, chopped                                                                          1  medium onion, chopped                                                                           1   lb bag frozen collard greens                                                                    1   lb ground or link smoked sausage                                                                  Creole seasoning                                                                     

Soak a 1lb bag of Black Eye peas - pour in a bowl, cover with water and soak overnight in the fridge.

The next day, drain and rinse the peas and put in a pot.

Cover with about one and half box of chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours

At about one hour take a potato masher or mallet and "smash" up some of the Black Eye Peas

Add bag of  Collards to pot

In a cast iron skillet brown the sausage, add to pot.

Brown the celery and onion, season with Creole seasoning, add to pot 

Season as needed again with Creole seasoning. Add Chicken stock to cover. Simmer covered for another 30 minutes. 

Recipe of the Month: Citrus Shrimp Tacos

This recipe comes from Olive Amelia, and establishment in downtown Fernandina Beach, 206 Centre Street It was very flavor able-I think I'll be prepping my shrimp "just to eat" with this marinade! Check out their Recipe page for ways to add more flavor to your meals..

Get ready to elevate Taco Tuesday to a whole new level with Citrus Shrimp Tacos! Bursting with bright flavors and fresh ingredients, these tacos are a fiesta for your taste buds.

Shrimp Marinade:

• 
  1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined
  
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar
•  3 tbsp. Salt Sisters Key West Seafood Rub

Avocado Mash:

• 1 – 2 avocados
• Dash of sea salt
•  2 tsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar

Avocado Mash Directions:

1. In a bowl, mash the avocados.
2. Sprinkle salt to taste and drizzle the Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar.
3. Mix together.

Slaw Ingredients:

•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 cups purple & green cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
•  1 tbsp. Savannah Bee Orange Blossom Honey
•  3 tsp. Salt Sisters Key West Seafood Rub

Slaw Prep:

1. Combine and allow it to marinate for a few hours or overnight for the best flavor!

Directions:

• Prepare your shrimp by patting them dry with paper towels.
•  Season shrimp with the Key West Seasoning, Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil, and Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar.
• Marinade shrimp for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
•  Heat 2 tbsp. of Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the marinated shrimp to the pan.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Assembly:

1. Warm tortillas for the best results.
2. Take a warm tortilla and spread the avocado mash.
3. Place your shrimp, then top with the slaw.
4. Finish with chopped cilantro.

One bite and you will be picturing yourself on an island in paradise!

Recipe of the Month: Blackened Fish with Cajun Cream Sauce

 The recipe calls for blackened red snapper, but I've been using blackened Red Drum - those Snapper are hard to find in the back water!  I picked this recipe up off of Facebook, specifically, the page Cookery Gems:

For the blackened Redfish: 

Melt a stick of butter in a pot                                                                                                                      Pour a few tablespoons of blackening seasoning onto a plate.                                                                          Cut your Redfish fillets in quarters (or thirds, depending on size of fish) pat dry with paper towel               Get a cast iron skillet "white hot" - no Oil in the skillet  

Drag the fillets thru the melted butter, coat with the Cajun seasoning and place in the white hot skillet...        Sear the fillet - you will see the fish cooking, changing from opaque to white. When it is halfway cooked, flip it over and sear the other side. If your guests don't like a lot of seasoning, you can sprinkle the blackening rather than coating it. Remove from skillet and set aside, keep warm.

For the Cajun Cream Sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil                                                                                                                                                     2 cloves garlic, minced                                                                                                                                      1 small onion, finely chopped                                                                                                                          1 red bell pepper, finely chopped                                                                                                                      1 cup heavy cream                                                                                                                                          1/2 cup chicken broth                                                                                                                                         1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning (be careful about the amount of salt in it -you don't want too much)                       1/2 tsp paprika                                                                                                                                                     Salt and pepper to taste (again, watch the salt)                                                                                                 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese                                                                                                                                    2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley                                                                                                                                    

In the same skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Saute' the garlic, onion, and red bell pepper until softened, about 5-7 minutes. 

Add the heavy cream and chicken broth. Stir in Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until melted and combines.

Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley

Plate the blackened fish and spoon Cajun cream sauce over the top. 

NOTE!  With the Blackenening Seasoning, the Chicken Broth, the Cajun Seasoning and then the suggested Salt, this can get TOO Salty!  Keep tabs of how much salt is going in - you may want to use some salt-free ingredients.

Recipe of the Month: Grilled Bluefish on Cedar Plank

 Bluefish get a bad rap in that they are a bit "fishy" but if you know how to prepare them they can be
delicious! Here's an age-old recipe for grilling Bluefish.

The key is to prep the Bluefish!  Immediately after you catch them, bleed them by cutting their gills and then put them on ice. When you get home, filet them off the bone and skin and cut out any dark meat. Place them in a bowl of buttermilk overnight.

The next day:

Soak 4 cedar planks in water for one hour, remove and rub one side with olive oil

Baste both sides of fileet with lemon juice

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Get grill hot at 400 degrees

Lay filets over the cedar plank and grill for about 5-7 minutes

Remove from heat.  Thow filet's away and eat the Cedar planks. 

Recipe of the Month: Butter Beans and Shrimp

I saw this recipe pop up on Facebook and thought it looked like some real "comfort food"!  It was at a really cool site, boudreauxsrbackyard.com  I cooked it, it was outstanding!

Butter Beans and Shrimp

Ingredients:

2   tbsp oil

2   tbsp flour

1    lb large lima beans, cleaned and soaked (I used frozen, follow directions)

2    lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (save tails to make shrimp stock)

1    onion, chopped

2    stalks celery, chopped

4    cloves garlic

2    chilis (optional)(you won't taste 'em cooked), chopped

2     quarts of water (make shrimp stock out of tails)

1     cup cream

2    tbsp vegetable base

1/2   bunch of green onions, chopped

1    tbsp parsley, chopped

2    tbsp shrimp dust (I tried three stores and couldn't find this, hence the shrimp stock)

2    tbsp Creole seasoning (there was enough salt in my seasoning that I didn't need to add any)

      White Rice

      Sausage

Directions:

1.   Wash beans and soak them overnight

2.   Heat oil over med. heat and whisk flour, cook until light brown in color

3.   Add in trinity, garlic, chili's, stir and cook until soft

4.    Add in beans and water (shrimp stock)

5.   Stir in Creole seasonings, vegetable base and shrimp powder

6.   Simmer for 3-4 hours until beans are tinder. Add liquid as needed( I cooked the frozen beans          for about 30 minutes. The package called for about 25)

7.   Add in heavy cream and simmer 20 minutes

      It was about along here that I cooked my rice

8.   Add in shrimp, green onions and parsley and cook 15 more minutes

      It was about here that I cooked the sausage

9.    Serve over rice with a side of sausage

Recipe of the Month: Cast Iron Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

 From the Southern Cast Iron Magazine, Summer 2016, Hoffman Media

 6-8 Cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 8 medium peaches)

1 1/2 Cups fresh blueberries

1/4 Cup bourbon

2/3 Cup + 1 tsp sugar, divided (1/3cup, 1/3 cup, 1 tsp)

2 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Vanilla Ice Cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, bourbon, 1/3 Cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in cold butter with forks until mixture is crumbly. Add cream, stirring gently just until dough forms. 

Spoon fruit mixture into 10” cast iron skillet; top with crumbled dough. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp sugar.

Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Recipe of the Month: Mahi Mahi and Shrimp Tacos

 I've fished with Chef Anthony Alejandro a few times and when he let me know he was coming back to the island for the Pentanque tournament in November, I asked him if he had any recipe's he could share, and he sent me this: See more of Chef Anthony's fine food HERE

Fish Prep

8 oz Mahi Mahi (I do all "backwater" so I used some fresh Redfish)                                                     8 oz Shrimp, peeled and deveined (16-20 shrimp)                                                                                  1 Tbs dehydrated pineapple juice powder (I checked two South American grocery stores here in             town for this and they didn't have it. Chef Anthony advised to substitute 2oz pineapple juice)         1 tsp Salt                                                                                                                                                  1 tsp granulated Garlic                                                                                                                          1 1 tsp Chile powder                                                                                                                                  1 Tbs Olive Oil                                                                                                                                        1 Tbs Chipolte puree ( I found this at one of those South American stores..it was labled "salsa" but       the lady assured me it was puree. It was).                                                                                            2 Tbs Butter                                                                                                                                              2 doz corn soft totillas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Cut the fish into 2 oz portions.  Mix the Pineapple, salt, chile powder and garlic powder together then mix into the fish thoroughly and let marinate in the fridge for 10 minutes.  In a separate bowl mix the shrimp with the Chipolte puree and chill in the fridge.

Basquez Sauce (this is some good stuff!)

1/2 Cup  Mayo                                                                                                                                     1 Tbs Lime Juice                                                                                                                                 1 Tbs Chipolte puree                                                                                                                           1 Tbs Valentina Sauce                                                                                                                         1 tsp granulated Garlic

Mix together and chill. 

Toppings                                                                                                                                                        Cabbage - fine julienne                                                                                                                                 Cucumber - peeled, seeded, chopped                                                                                                           Cilantro - chopped                                                                                                                                       Tomatoes -diced                                                                                                                                            Cheese -shredded                                                                                                                                          Lime wedges                                                                                                                                                  Salsa

Heat grill to high and brush with olive oil. Cook the Mahi portions on high to pre-cook (I cooked the Redfish in a cast iron skillet) Heat a skillet on high and melt the butter. Add the shrimp (marinated in the Chipolte puree) and cook for about 3 minutes.  Warm the tortillas and serve with the fish, shrimp, toppings and plenty of Basquez Sauce. ENJOY!     

                                                                                      

                                                                      

Recipe Of The Month: Trout Almondine

 Whenever I've seen this on a restaurant menu I tended to shy away from it because I didn't know what it was!  Donna Givens sends this tasty recipe in, via her husband John, angler,  who I run in to at the bait shop on occasion. It's easy to prepare, doesn't need a whole lot of ingredients and as mentioned, very tasty! Thank you Donna! I "fun" fished today and lucked up on this 21" Seatrout so the fish was FRESH for this recipe!

Makes 2 servings

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds(toast on stove top: 1 T butter, almonds - watch it! Be careful not to burn!) I did this first and set aside.

2 Trout filets

1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Salt and pepper both sides of Trout, then dredge in flour, shake off excess.

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

Heat in non-stick pan on medium heat a few minutes on each side until opaque white. Set cooked filets aside.

In same pan stir in

4 tsp butter, 

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

1/3 cup chopped parsley.

Toasted Almonds.

Cook until hot then ladle over Trout. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Month: Garlic Parmesan Crusted Fish

 I fished with the Coffey's a couple of weeks ago and we got to talking recipes and Tracy B described what sounded like a good one. They caught some fish and planned to use it so I asked if they could send it to me and here it is..Tracy B Coffey's.....

Garlic Parmesan Crusted Fish

6 Fish filets

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 big cloves of freshly minced garlic

Juice of half a lemon

Parsley

1- 11 x9 baking dish

Step 1- preheat oven to 425. Rub 1 tbsp of oil on fish so the seasoning will stick better and season fish with salt and pepper.

Step 2- on a separate plate combine Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and pinch more of salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the mixture and press into it so the mixture covers.

Step 3-place the fish in the baking dish and sprinkle a little more of the Parmesan/crumb mixture over the top of the fish. Then squeeze the juice from half the lemon over the top of the fish.

Step 4- bake fish till flaky or 20-25 minutes. The breadcrumbs should be a little browned. Finally, sprinkle some parsley overtop and serve.