Article by Christine Budd
Easy Crab Linguine
Ingredients:
½ lbs. linguine, spaghetti or pasta of your choice
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup dry white wine
½ lemon, juice only
1 cup ready to eat crab meat
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted, boiling water according to package instructions.
Five minutes before the pasta is ready, set a large pan over low heat and melt the butter, add sliced garlic and sauté for 1 minute over very low heat without coloring it, then pour in white wine and lemon juice, turn the heat up to medium and let it reduce for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the cooked crab meat and take it off the heat. Drain the pasta once cooked and reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan with the crab meat and toss to combine, add half of the reserved of pasta water and Parmesan cheese, stir over low heat until the cheese melts and coats the pasta. If the pasta is a bit dry add a splash of pasta water. Your pasta dish should be loose but not swimming in sauce, just lightly coated. Salt to taste. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes:
I prefer using sliced garlic over pressed garlic in this pasta dish as it presents a milder taste and doesn’t overpower the crab.
Light Flounder Piccata
Ingredients:
4 flounder fillets, 17 oz. total
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil spray, about 1 tbsp. worth
1 tbsp. light butter
Juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tbsp. capers, drained
Sliced lemon, for serving
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Directions:
Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat oven to 200°.
In a shallow bowl, beat the egg whites. Place the bread crumbs in another dish. Dip each fish fillet in the egg whites, then bread crumbs.
Heat a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Spray a generous amount of olive oil spray on one side of the fish, and lay it in the pan, oil side down. Spray the other side of the fish generously to coat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until fish is opaque and cooked through.
Set aside on a platter in a warm oven until you make the sauce.
Over medium heat in the same pan, melt butter, add the lemon juice, wine, chicken broth and the reserved lemon halves, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
Boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced to half, about 3 - 4 minutes.
Discard the lemon halves, add the capers and spoon the sauce over the fish; place a slice of lemon on each fillet and top with fresh parsley.
Crab Stuffed Salmon
Ingredients:
1 lb salmon
1 lb lump crab
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp cream cheese
2 tsp grain mustard
1/2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 lemon
1 egg
1 green onion
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of oregano
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Beat together the egg, mayonnaise, cream cheese, grain mustard, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, and bread crumbs.
Fold in the green onions, parsley, and lump crab meat gently, cover and chill for about an hour.
Season the salmon filets with salt and pepper and slice salmon fillet lengthwise down the center to create space for stuffing.
Stuff salmon with crab meat filling and then place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top of the crab meat filling, sprinkle a little oregano and paprika, then place in the oven for about 16 minutes or until fully cooked through.
Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium-sized tuna steaks (fresh or frozen, each steak should be about 8 oz.)
Sesame seeds for encrusting tuna, plus more for garnishing
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup carrot matchsticks
1 cup sliced red cabbage
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Wonton or tortilla strips (optional, for garnish)
Carrot Ginger Dressing:
1/2 medium sized carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Directions:
In a Magic Bullet, blender or food processor, blend ingredients for dressing. Set aside. If you don’t have carrot or celery, you can just mix sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, ginger and soy sauce together but it won’t be as authentic as real sushi-style dressing. It will still taste great though!
Meanwhile, prepare veggies for the salad and divide evenly among four large salad bowls. Season tuna with salt and pepper before coating in sesame seeds.
Add olive oil to a large frying pan over high heat. Wait until oil is smoking, then add tuna steaks, searing for 30 seconds per side. Remove from heat and slice with a sharp knife, adding half of each steak to each salad.
Garnish each salad with sesame seeds and wonton strips, then add dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
You can substitute the vegetables for whatever you have on hand.
Sear the tuna on each side for 30 seconds.
Store the tuna, veggies and dressing separately in the fridge for up to 3 days, then assemble your salad fresh.
Sweet & Spicy Thai Glazed Mahi Mahi
Ingredients:
2 pieces mahi mahi, about 6 oz. each*
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (low sodium preferably)
1 1/2 Tbsp. white wine
1 1/2 tsp. sriracha
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp finely minced garlic (~2 med cloves)
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
Vegetable oil
Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Allow fish to marinade in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Heat a little bit of veg oil in a non stick skillet over med heat. Let excess marinade fall off fish (do not discard). Cook fish about 5 min on the first side. Flip fish and pour excess marinade into pan. Let it bubble and reduce. Glaze fish with sauce as it cooks on second side, 5 minutes.
*You don’t have to use mahi mahi. Any meaty fish will work: halibut, salmon, swordfish, even cod.
Bacon Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
5 strips uncooked bacon, chopped
1 lb. scallops
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons wine or lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, softened but not melted
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
Cook chopped bacon in a skillet until cooked.
Dry scallops with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the large skillet until very hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and immediately add scallops. Sear on high heat, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet.
Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice (and maybe 2 more tablespoons white wine). Scrape the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat, add softened butter (but not melted) - to create a creamy sauce. Add chopped bacon. Add back the seared scallops. Top with chopped parsley.
Garlic Parmesan Crusted Sheepshead
Ingredients:
For Sheepshead:
4 sheepshead fillets – skinless and boneless
1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Salt and cracked black pepper, to season
Garlic powder, to season
For Garlic Parmesan Crumble:
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper, to season
Squeeze of lemon juice
Directions:
Heat oven on to 400°and prepare your parmesan crumble.
For the parmesan crumble, add all the ingredients below and combine well. Next, put your sheepshead fillets onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and add your mayo using a brush to evenly spread on fish, then your salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add your parmesan crumble on top of your mayo topped fish right before you’re ready to put the fish in the oven.
Bake fish for about 12-15 minutes and then turn oven to BROIL for about 1 minute or so to really crisp up the parmesan crumble. Remember, the thinner or thicker your fillet of fish determines how long to bake them in the oven.
We served our sheepshead fish with jasmine rice, beans, and some fresh vegetables. I also sprinkled some green onions and red pepper on top to add that crunchy and fresh flavor to the dish.§
