From the Sea to the Table

This past week, my husband and I were on vacation at the beach with my parents.  Brent wanted to go deep sea fishing, which I was a little worried about, since I often deal with motion sickness.  But, since I'm such a good wife, I went with him ;)  We had so much fun!  I did not get sick at all (although I would recommend taking Dramamine one hour before leaving just in case) and I caught 6 fish!  Unfortunately, you could only keep certain fish, but we ended up with 3 nice fish (1 seabass, 2 porgies) to bring home.  The fish were delicious!  I have posted this recipe before, but it makes a great Cajun style seasoning for fish.  Hope you enjoy seeing pictures from our adventure!

Cajun Seasoning for Fish

1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
lemon juice
parsley

Mix first five ingredients.  Pat onto fish.  Over medium-high heat, add oil and 2 tbsp butter to skillet; melt.  Add fish, cooking on first side for about 4 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).  Add 1 tbsp butter to skillet, flip fish to continue cooking on other side.  Cook an additional 4 minutes.  Top with lemon juice and parsley.

Cajun Baked Catfish

Like many other New Year's resolutions, my household is trying to be healthier this year.  That means there will be even more fish on our table.  This weekend, I ate at an Atlanta restaurant and had the best catfish I'd ever had, so I was inspired to come home and make some myself.  This is a great recipe with items that you probably already have in your pantry.

Cajun Baked Catfish

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs

4 catfish filets (1 lb)

In a small bowl, combine first 7 ingredients.  Brush over one side of fish.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over the fish, pat down.  Repeat on the other side.  Place fish in a greased 9x13 baking dish, skin side down.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until fish is flaky.

Shrimp and Grits

I always wanted to attempt a shrimp and grits recipe, but I have to admit, I was a little intimidated.  I tried out this Paula Deen recipe and it turned out pretty good.  I'll definitely make a few changes next time and I've put a few changes from the original recipe in here, so if you try it out and have some ideas, please comment and let me know what you did differently!

Shrimp and Grits

1 c stone ground grits
salt and pepper
1/4 c butter
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces
4 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parsley
1 c green onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
Cook grits according to package directions, adding salt and pepper to taste.  When done, remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheddar until melted.  Keep covered until ready to serve.
Fry the bacon until brown and crispy, then drain.  Once cool, chop into small pieces.
Add shrimp to 1 cup of bacon grease and saute over medium heat until they just turn pink, about 2-3 minutes.  Do not overcook the shrimp!  Remove from heat and immediately add the lemon juice, parsley, green onion, and garlic.
Pour the grits into a serving bowl.  Top with shrimp mixture (I spooned out the shrimp and then just added a little of the liquid) and sprinkle with bacon.

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

This is another great shrimp recipe that's really quick and pretty easy.  Brent and I had never had shrimp scampi before, so we weren't sure how it was supposed to look, but it was really good!  

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 stick butter
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
8 oz whole grain angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
In a medium saucepan, melt butter with mustard, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice.  Place shrimp in shallow baking dish (I used a pie plate).  Once butter is melted, pour sauce over shrimp.  Bake at 450 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until shrimp is done.  Serve over angel hair pasta.  I served with sauteed squash as a side dish.

Cornbread Crab Cakes

This is another Southern Living crab cake recipe.  It's a little more involved and time-consuming if you make your own cornbread (which I recommend), but the difference is worth it.  They were delicious, but it does make 12 crab cakes, so unless you are cooking for a crowd I would recommend cutting the recipe in half.  

Crab Cakes

2/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise (I used fat-free)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp hot sauce (add a few extra dashes if you like hot)
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cups cornbread crumbs
1 lb fresh lump crabmeat, shredded or broken into small pieces
Saute bell pepper, green onion, and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool.  Combine bell pepper mixture, mayonnaise, parsley, eggs, hot sauce, Old Bay, and lemon zest in large bowl.  Fold in cornbread crumbs and shredded crabmeat.  Shape mixture into cake (about 2.5 inches each), place on lightly greased baking sheet.  Chill for 45 minutes.  Lightly coat cakes with cooking spray.  Cook crab cakes in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until lightly browned on each side (about 5-7 minutes per side).  Serve immediately.

It was also recommended to serve these with a jalapeno-cilantro sour cream.  I did not think it was necessary, the crab cakes were delicious on their own.  But if you want to try it, here's the recipe:

Jalapeno-Cilantro Sour Cream

1 8oz container sour cream
2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Mix together and chill until use (up to 3 days).

Panko Crusted Fish

Brent and I are trying to eat more fish and seafood.  This is a great recipe that you can use with any kind of fish!  I used tilapia filets, because that is what my store had fresh.  Feel free to try it with other fish and comment to let me know what you used!

Panko Crusted Fish

2 tilapia filets
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup unseasoned panko
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking pan with foil, then spray lightly with cooking spray.  In a shallow dish, combine melted margarine and lemon juice.  In another shallow dish, combine panko, garlic salt, and Old Bay seasoning.  Dip fish filets in butter/lemon mixture.  Drop into panko mixture, pressing the crumbs onto the fish with your fingertips.  Place filets in a single layer on baking pan.  Top filets with more panko mixture.  Bake 15 minutes, until fish is flaky.  Serve with broccoli. 

Bang Bang Shrimp

I do not like shrimp, but Brent loves it!  So when he was traveling for work a couple of weeks ago, he brought home 15 pounds of fresh shrimp frozen into 5 pound blocks.  We gave 10 pounds away, but today I am attempting to cook my first ever shrimp recipe.

Bang Bang Shrimp (adapted from the Bonefish Grill recipe)

1 pound shrimp, deveined and peeled
1/2-3/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Thai sweet pepper sauce (Asian pepper sauce)
10-12 drops hot sauce
2 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
Mix mayo, pepper sauce, hot sauce, and wing sauce in a medium sized bowl.  Coat shrimp in corn starch.  Heat oil in deep fryer until very hot (about 350 degrees).  Drop shrimp in, cook 3 minutes.  Do not overcook (I learned my lesson the hard way!), literally cook them 3 minutes in very hot oil.  Remove from oil (they should be very, very light beige in color), place on paper towel.  Drop into sauce, coat.  Serve immediately.