Spicy Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients:

• tilapia fillets
• crushed red pepper flakes
• parmesan cheese
• mustard
• tobasco sauce
• Zatarain’s Season Fish-Fri (Crispy Southern Style)
• olive oil

First, rinse the tilapia fillets and pat dry.

Next, take a bowl and mix enough of the dry ingredients (fish-fri, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes).  Take another bowl and put in mustard and a few dashes of tobasco sauce (to taste).  Use only enough mustard to lightly coat the tilapia fillets.

Heat olive oil in skillet.  Use enough oil to cover bottom of fish fillets.  Don’t get olive oil too hot too fast or it will burn! Lightly coat fillets with mustard mix.  Then coat with dry season mix.

Place fillets in oil and fry; turning/flipping fillets and ensuring they are cooked thoroughly.  Remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb any remaining olive oil.

Serve and enjoy!!

Tilapia in Scallion and Ginger Sauce

This tilapia was served with a steamed rice/vegetable medley and home-style greens beans with bacon and potatoes. For this recipe you can easily substitute the tilapia with orange roughy, cod, sole, or flounder.
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup dry sherry or vermouth
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• red pepper flakes (optional; to taste)
• 1 pound tilapia fillets

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mix the sherry or vermouth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.  Place the fish fillets in a casserole dish.  Drizzle the marinade over the fish and bake for 12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Garnish as desired… I prefer to take some jalepeños and chop them up for some added “heat”.

Garlic/Peppercorn Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 pound shrimp, raw, peeled, tail off, thawed, 61-90 count
• Vegetable oil, as needed
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked/ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked/ground black pepper

Fill fryer 2 to 3 inches deep with oil and heat to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, salt. 1 teaspoon pepper, garlic, paprika and sugar into a bowl.  Beat eggs only slightly in another bowl.

Mix bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon pepper in a third bowl. Coat shrimp with flour mixture, then eggs, then bread crumb mixture, being careful to shake off excess between steps and not overcoat. Fry two to three minutes or until golden brown.

Servings: 4

AW’s Slammin’ Salmon Spread

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets minced up
• 2/3 cup Hellman’s mayo
• 2/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese; shredded
• celery – thinly sliced or finely diced
• apples – finely diced
• fresh lime juice (to taste)
• seasonings (crushed black pepper, paprika, cajun seasonings, etc.) – to taste

Mix all ingredients well and place in the refrigerator to chill. Good on any sandwich-style breads, pitas, crackers, celery sticks — you name it!!

Here are some various ways to enjoy this delicious spread… Enjoy!

Drunken Salmon

NOTE:  Everything in this recipe is done ‘to taste’….. but you’ll love trying it over and over until you find the right blend of seasonings for your taste!!!

Ingredients:

• salmon (not that canned stuff!!)
• apple or cherry wood planks (submerge in water for 3 hours prior to cooking)
• frozen stick of butter
• red onion
• sea salt
• fresh thyme
• Tony’s Creole Seasoning
• peppercorns
• dark rum
• brown sugar
• fresh dill

Take a skillet and heat up some rum and add brown sugar.  What you’re making is the ‘drunken glaze’ that will go over the fish just before serving.  This is best prepared a day in advance.  You’ll need to add brown sugar until you have a nice slightly thick, syrup-like glaze.  Pour off into a container and let it cool down to room temperature before putting into the refrigerator.  On the day you are preparing this dish, just take out the glaze and put it in a skillet and SLOWLY heat back up.

Heat up your grill and prepare for indirect cooking method (heat on one side).

Rub a frozen butter stick on the plank and coat it well (food side only).  Then lay down paper-thin rings of red onions all over the plank.  A sprinkle of sea salt and lay down a thin bed of stripped thyme.  Then a light sprinkle of the creole seasoning and lay down the salmon fillet on this bed.  I take the thyme sprigs and insert them into the fillets and other times I’ll simply lay them on top of the fillets.  Sprinkle on some crushed peppercorns (I like to heat them up in the oven first before putting them into the grinder… really helps in boosting up the flavor!) and a dash of the sea salt and creole seasoning and fresh dill.

Cover with foil and place on grill and cook to your desired done-ness (is that a word?!).

After putting the fish on your plate, take a spoon and scoop up some of the heated glaze and drizzle over the top of the fish.  I serve this dish with a mellow Argentinean white wine, spring salad, wild rice and steamed veggies (squash, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, etc.).

For added pizazz…. serve the fish while still on the planks!!

Crab Cakes with Spicy Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lump crab meat
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons red pepper (roasted and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons green pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 2 tablespoons horseradish mustard
• 3 eggs

Beat the eggs, add Old Bay Seasoning and mix in mustard, parsley, red pepper, green pepper, red onion, roasted red pepper and garlic.  Mix well and add breadcrumbs and crab meat.  Spoon out a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and saute in light oil.  Cook on both sides until golden brown.  Top the cooked crab cakes with pats of spicy butter (see below) and bake for 2 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spicy Butter:

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 1-1/2 tablespoons capers

Mix everything with your hands until incorporated.  Roll out on wax paper, about a 2-inch roll.  Freeze or refrigerate until hardened.

Cheddar Bay Crab Bake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 1-3/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine parsley flakes
• 1/3 cup crab meat (fresh or canned lump)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine baking mix, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, milk and 1 half of the melted butter in a medium bowl.  Mix by hand until well-combined.  Pat out the dough into a circle approximately 8 inches in diameter, with a slight lip around the edge, like a pizza crust.

Sprinkle the parsely over the top of the dough.  Be sure the dried parsley flakes are crushed fine.  Sprinkle the crab over the top of the dough.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the crab.  Don’t go all the way to the edge of the dough — leave a margin of a half-inch or so around the edge.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the cheese on top begins to slightly brown.  Combine the remaining butter with the garlic powder and brush it over the top of the bake as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Slice it like a pizza and serve hot.

Sesame Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ounce oil
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
• 6 large shrimp (16-20 count)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 ounce soy sauce
• 1 ounce white wine

Saute carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms in the oil on medium heat until soft.  Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Then add sesame seeds, soy sauce and white wine.   Stir and serve.

Crab Cakes with Lemon-Basil Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces crab
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
• 4 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• frying oil

Mix all ingredients together except for 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and dried parsley.  Mix bread crumbs and dried parsley together in a separate bowl.   Heat oil in frying pan.

Crab mixture should be moist.  Add more egg if needed.  Pat mixture together firmly in serving-sized patties.  Coat with breadcrumb/parsley mixture.  Deep fry until golden brown.

Lemon Basil Tartar Sauce:

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Hotter Than Hell sauce (optional)

Finely chop basil leaves and mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

Spanish Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 to 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Preparation:

In 12-inch skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter over high heat and cook shrimp with salt 2 minutes or until shrimp are almost pink, turning once. Remove shrimp and set aside. In same skillet, melt remaining butter over medium-low heat and cook garlic and jalapeno pepper, stirring occasionally for 1 minute. Return shrimp to skillet. Stir in cilantro and lime juice and heat 30 seconds or until shrimp turn pink.

Seafood Portofino

Sauce:

• 4 oz Butter
• 4 oz Yellow onion, 1/4″ dice
• 4 oz rue
• 16 fl oz milk
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 oz shrimp stock
• 1/2 fl oz old bay seasoning
• 16 fl oz white cooking wine
• 1 1/2 oz of Garlic puree

Start by getting your ingredients ready.

1. Dice the onion.
2. Make the roux (heat vegetable oil on medium/high, add flour, stir continuously until oil flour mixture browns). The amount of oil is about equal to the amount of roux required by the recipe. For instance, this recipe calls for 4 oz of roux. So 8 tbsp oil and 8 tbsp white flour. Set aside.
3. Melt Butter on medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
4. Add white wine. Turn up heat to high until boiling then back down to medium. Cook 5 minutes on medium.
5. Stir in roux, shrimp stock, and Old Bay Seasoning. Cook 3 minutes.
6. Add milk and heavy cream. Turn heat on high just until mixture starts to boil. Turn to medium/low, cover, and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. The sauce is now ready! It can be store for up to one week in the refrigerator. Makes 1/2 gallon

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Seafood Portofino

• 1/2 fl oz olive oil
• 2 oz of mushrooms
• 3 oz of portifino sauce (cold)
• Linguine precooked (hot)
• sprinkle fresh parsley
• shrimp 4 oz, crawfish 2 oz, scallops 2 oz and 6 mussels

1. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium flame.
2. Put mushrooms in cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add mussels and cook 30 seconds.
4. Add seafood. Cook 30 seconds. Flip cook 15 seconds more.
5. Add portofino sauce cook until bubbling throughout.
6. Move mushrooms and seafood to one side of pan. Add linguine to other side. Using tongs, coat pasta with sauce. (mussels should be open).
7. Plate and serve and enjoy!!

Ale House Shrimp and Pasta

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine
• 1 12-ounce package of mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Irish brown ale
• 1 package of white sauce mix whisked with 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-1/2 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• GARNISH: chopped scallions; freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until lightly browned and soft. Add garlic, cook, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant. Add ale, white sauce mixture and tomatoes.

Bring to a boil and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Add shrimp; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through.

Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Add shrimp and sauce; toss to mix and coat. When serving, sprinkle with the scallions and cheese.

AW’s Catfish Poppers

Prep (10 mins); Fry (6 mins per batch)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1.75 pounds catfish fillets, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• 1.5 cups japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
• vegetable oil
• spicy dipping sauce of your choice

1. Combine salt, cajun seasoning, and flour; whisk together the egg and milk. Dredge catfish pieces in flour mixture, and then dip in the egg wash. Dredge in breadcrumbs.

2. Pour oil to a depth enough to cover poppers when placed in fryer; heat to 375 degrees. Fry catfish pieces, in batches, for about 6 minutes or until cooked through (but not overcooked!!).

Catfish Lafitte

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper, divided
• 4 catfish fillets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• vegetable oil
• 12 unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup vermouth
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 very thin cooked ham slices, cut into strips
• garnish: lemon wedges

1. combine eggs and milk, stirring until well blended

2. combine flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour mixture; dip in milk mixture, and dredge again in flour mixture.

3. pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven (or deep fryer); heat to 360 degrees. Fry fillets for 6 minutes or until golden; drain on paper towels. Keep warm.

4. Peel fresh shrimp and devein.

5. melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; add shrimp and garlic; cook, stirring often, until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp, reserving drippings in skillet.

6. Stir vermouth into reserved drippings; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Add whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of green onions, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper; cook, stirring often, 12 to 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

7. Place catfish on a serving plate, drizzle with sauce. Top with shrimp and ham; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of green onions.

8. Garnish, if desired.

Maryland-Style Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

• 4 Pounds lump crab meat — cleaned
• 1 1/2 Cups green pepper — chopped
• 2 Cups yellow onion — chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1 Cup mayonnaise (if it ain’t Hellman’s, stop and go buy some!)
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 Teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon bay seasoning
• 1 Teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Cups bread crumbs

Saute peppers and onions in butter until onions are transparent. Completely cool mixture before adding to the crab meat. Add remaining ingredients except for the bread crumbs, stirring lightly to keep crab lumps together. Add the bread crumbs slowly until most of the moisture is soaked up. Scoop into 2-ounce portions and form into cakes, then lightly press into toasted bread crumbs. Saute in oil at 350 degrees F until cakes are brown and heated in middle.

AW’s Classic Fried Catfish

Prep (15 mins); Fry (6 mins per batch)

NOTE: For an extra crispy crust, use stone-ground yellow cornmeal.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 12 catfish fillets (about 3 3/4 pounds)
• vegetable oil

1. combine cornmeal, flour, red pepper, garlic powder and 2 teaspoons of salt in a large shallow dish. Sprinkle catfish fillets evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and dredge in combined mixture, coating evenly.

2. pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven (or deep fryer); heat to 350 degrees. Fry fillets in batches for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden; drain on paper towels.

Herb and Butter Cod

Flaky cod fillets baked with a medley of fresh herbs and mustard are a perfect entree for an early spring meal.

Wine pairing suggestion: Pair with either a light, tropical Sauvignon Blanc or a medium-bodied Pinot Noir.

Ingredients:

• 6 (6-ounce) cod fillets
• 1-1/2 sticks melted, unsalted butter (3/4 cup)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, dill, mint, chervil or basil)
• 1/2 cup grainy French mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the cod fillets in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
3. Pour the butter over the fish and season with salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle all but 2 tablespoons of the herbs on top of the fish.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until just flaky tender.
6. Remove from oven and place the fish on a serving platter.
7. Put mustard in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the herbed butter from the pan.
8. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons fresh herbs and pour over fish.
9. Serve at once!!

Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

• salmon
• cayenne pepper
• smoked seasoning
• fresh cracked black pepper

Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towels. Coat salmon first with smoked seasoning, then cayenne pepper, and finally with fresh cracked black pepper.

In a skillet, heat up olive oil and place fish in hot oil and cook until nice and crispy on each side. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped Shrimp Appetizers with Chili Dip

Chili Dip:

• 3/4 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
• 1 tablespoon chopped, pimento stuffed olives
• 1-1/2 teaspoon grated onion
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 hard cooked egg, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place mixture into a chilled serving bowl. Place dip in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp:

• 16 cooked shrimp
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 bacon slices

Prepare shrimp:

1) In a bowl, mix butter, chili powder and garlic.

2) Dip shrimp into mixture.

3) Wrap shrimp in half slices of bacon and fasten with small skewers or wooden picks.

4) Place on rack in broiler pan and broil 3 inches from broiler for about 5 minutes.

Serve with chilled chili dip.

Shrimp Cakes with Lime Aioli

These are delicate cakes without much to bind everything together; so form and cook the cakes with care. Should for some reason they fall apart, break them up further, then brown — now you have a delicious seafood hash!

Lime Aioli

• 3/4 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped lime zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Shrimp Cakes

• 1 small (5 to 6 ounces) sweet potato, coarsely shredded (about 1 cup lightly packed)
• 10 ounces shrimp; cooked, peeled and deveined, then coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• vegetable oil (as much as needed for cooking)
• twisted lime slices for garnish

To make the sauce, thoroughly mix mayo with remaining ingredients; reserve. This can be done 1 day ahead; store tightly covered in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving.

To make the cakes, thoroughly mix sweet potato and remaining ingredients, except for the oil. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours (recommended). Form into 8 flat cakes, about 1/4 cup each, pressing firmly. Generously film a large, nonstick frying pan with oil, then heat. Cook in batches over medium-low heat, adjusting heat as necessary. After bottom becomes richly browned, carefully turn each cake once. Total cooking time for each cake will be about 7 minutes. Don’t cook too fast or inside will be mushy. Cook until centers are just firm to the touch. Serve with sauce; garnish with lime slices.