Beer Battered Haddock

This is relatively simple to make and can be served as a main entree or used to make sandwiches. If you like the breading less crispy, just leave out the corn starch and baking powder.

Prep. Time: 10 mins.
Cooking Time: 15 mins.
Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp Lawry's
1 tsp paprika
t tsp baking powder
1/4 cup corn starch
12 oz. bottle beer
48 oz. Vegetable Oil
1 + 1/2 lbs haddock, cut into 2" x 3 " pieces


Directions:

Mix the flour, Lawry's, paprika, baking powder and corn starch in a large mixing bowl.

Add the beer and 1/2 cup water and whisk.

Pour the vegetable oil into a deep pot or fryer set at 350 °F and heat.

Dip the haddock pieces into the batter, shaking off the excess and place them in the fryer. Make sure to turn or separate the piece periodically so they don't stick to one another.

Cook for 5 mins.

Remove from fryer and serve.

Crab Cake Sandwich

Makes a great sandwich, or stand alone meal. The pancetta is optional, but it adds a little texture to the sandwich. I used a pre-made remoulade sauce, but you can make this from scratch also.

Prep Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 20 mins.
Servings: 4-6



Ingredients:
 
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Tabasco
2 chopped green onions
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup jumbo lump crabmeat
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup peanut oil
4-6 slices pancetta
6 ciabatta rolls
4 Tbsp remoulade sauce or dressing 


Directions:


Combine mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard and Tabasco in a large bowl and mix well. 

Add green onions, dill, parsley, bread crumbs, diced red pepper, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients well.

Gently fold in crabmeat and mix gently trying not to break up the crabmeat. 

Carefully divide mixture into 4-6 patties and dust with flour. 

Place patties into saucepan with peanut oil and saute on medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes. 

Carefully turn, add pancetta to frying pan and cook for 4 to 6 minutes on the other side.

Top each crab cake with a piece of pancetta and serve on a ciabatta roll with remoulade sauce.

Salmon Burgers with Hand-Cut Fries

This salmon burger recipe is an adaption of the salmon patties recipe. Fries were hand-cut with a multiple blade vegetable slicer set on 1/4". You'll also need a small fryer for cooking the french fries.

Prep. Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 25-30 mins.
Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:

Salmon Burgers
2 x 12 oz. Cans of Pink Salmon
3 Whole Eggs
1 Onion Chopped
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 cups Mayonnaise 

2 Tbsp Parmesan
4 Tbsp Yellow Corn Meal
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 cup Butter
1 1/2 Tbsp Tabasco
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
6 Kaiser Rolls

Topping
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Dried Dill

French Fries
2 Large Potatoes
48 oz Vegetable Oil
16 oz Peanut Oil
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Onion Salt
1 tsp Paprika
1 cup Water


Directions:

Before beginning, preheat the oven to 400 °F. Fill a small fryer with the oil and heat to 325 °F.

Pour all of salmon patty ingredients into a large bowl and mix well (a large potato masher helps).

Mold the resulting dough like mixture into approximately 6-8 patties.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 °F for 30 mins.

While the burgers are cooking, mix the flour, salt, onion salt, paprika and water in a mixing bowl to make batter for the fries.

Slice the potatoes using a vegetable slicer set on 1/4".

Place the sliced potatoes in the batter and coat them thoroughly.

Place the coated potato pieces in the fryer one-by-one until there are about 2 dozen cooking.

Fry for 6-8 minutes, then remove, drain and set aside.

Keep repeating until all of the potato pieces have been cooked.

In a small bowl mix the sour cream, lemon juice and dill for the topping.

Once the burgers are done, top with the sauce and green leaf lettuce.

Serve on toasted rolls with fries.

Fish Tacos

Fish tacos can make a fast and tasty meal when done right. The recipe below is a fairly simple version. You can of course add any combination of toppings to suit your own personal taste.

Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 15 mins.
Servings: 6-8


Fish

Ingredients:

1 cup Flour
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
1 cup Beer
1 quart Vegetable Oil
1 lbTilapia


Directions:

Heat the vegetable oil to 375 °F in a deep fryer.

Mix the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, egg and beer in a large mixing bowl and stir well.

Cut the fish into 3/4 inch pieces and dust with flour.

Coat the fish with the batter in the mixing bowl.

 Cook the fish in the fryer for 5 mins. or until golden brown.


Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Yogurt
1/2 cup Mayo
1 Lime
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Dried Dill
1 Medium Cabbage

Directions:

Mix the yogurt, mayo, cayenne, oregano, cumin and dill with the juice from the lemon and set aside.

Core the cabbage by cutting it in half, then cutting in a V-Shape from the base upwards on each half.

Chop the outer portions of the cabbage.


Place two to three pieces of fish on a single tortilla, then cover with cabbage, white sauce and salsa (optional).

Salmon in Lemon Dill Cream Sauce with Capers and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This relatively quick and easy dish makes a great meal when paired with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Prep. Time: 30 min.
Cooking Time: 25 min.
Servings: 4

Lemon Dill Salmon

Ingredients

4 x 6-8 oz. Salmon Fillets
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Fresh Dill
3/4 tsp Lemon Pepper
10 Tbsp Butter
1 Minced Shallot
1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
5 Tbsp Dry White Wine
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 Dried Dill
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1 Tbsp Capers
1 tsp Thyme


Directions

Place the salmon in a shallow dish and rub with 3 Tbsp lemon juice, dried dill and lemon pepper. Let stand for 15 mins.

Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a frying pan and saute shallot for 2 mins.

Add in 2 Tbsp lemon juice, vinegar and 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) white wine.

Simmer for 5-10 mins.

Add in cream, milk, fresh dill, parsley, capers and thyme and cook for 5 mins.

Add in 1/4 cup butter and set aside.

Heat remaining 1/4 cup butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Add in 1 Tbsp wine and salmon and cook for 8 mins.

Add in cream sauce and cook for 2 min. longer or until salmon is done.


Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 cup Cream
4 Tbsp Butter
3 Large (or 7 Small) Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
 8 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth


Directions

Peel the potatoes and cut in quarters

Boil them in the broth for 15-20 mins.

Drain and add in the cream and butter.

Mash until smooth with a potato masher.

Mic in 1 Tbsp olive oil and serve.

Seafood Risotto

Creamy, cheesy seafood. What more could you ask for? This one is fairly easy to make and is perfect on a cold winter day.

Prep. Time: 10 mins.

Cooking Time: 40 mins.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 Onion chopped

1 Shallot chopped

2 Cloves Garlic minced

5 ½ cups Fish Stock

½ cup Dry White Wine

½ cup Parmesan Cheese

¼ Cup Cream

2 Cups Arborio Rice

8 oz. Crab

8 oz. Shrimp

8 oz. Cod

8 oz. Scallops

1 bunch Italian Parsley

¼ tsp black peper

½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:

In a large pot, saute the onions, shallot and garlic for 5-10 mins. In the olive oil until the onions become translucent.

Add in the Fish Stock, White Wine, Salt, Pepper and bring to a boil.

Add the rice and simmer for 10 mins. stirring constantly.

While the rice is simmering, saute the shrimp, cod and scallops in the butter.

Add the crab meat to the rice and fish stock and cook for 5 mins. longer.

Add the shrimp, cod, scallops, Italian parsley and lemon juice to the rice and fish stock and cook for 5 mins. longer.

Add the cream and Parmesan cheese and stir until mixed completely.

Seafood Etouffee

Prep. Time: 20 mins.
Cooking Time: 1 hr. 15 mins.
Servings: 6-8
Wine Recommendation: Pinot Grigio


Ingredients:

3/4 cup Peanut Oil
1 cup Flour
1 large chopped Onion
1 chopped Green Pepper
2 cups chopped celery
2 cloves Garlic
14.5 oz. can Tomatoes
4 cups Fish or Shrimp Stock
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp Tabasco
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 lb Shrimp
1 lb Crawfish
1 lb Lump Crap Meat
1 bunch chopped Italian Parsley
1 Bunch Green Onions


Directions:

Mix the peanut oil and flour in a large pot.

Stir continuously over medium heat until the roux turns the color of peanut butter (approximately 10 mins.).

Add the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic and cook for 10 mins. longer while stirring.

Add the tomatoes, stock and spices.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 mins.

Add the shrimp, Crawfish, Crab, Italian Parsley and Green Onions and cook 10 mins. longer.

Serve over rice.

Salmon Croquettes

Salmon croquettes are simple, easy to make and delicious. They probably fall under the category of soul food and are a great idea when you don't have that much time to put something together. We made them with dirty rice as a side.

Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 25-30 mins.
Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:

2 x 12 oz. Cans of Pink Salmon
4 Whole Eggs
1 Onion Chopped
1/2 cup Flour
4 Tbsp Yellow Corn Meal
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 cup Butter
1 1/2 Tbsp Tabasco
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice


Directions:

Pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well (a large potato masher helps).

Mold the resulting dough like mixture into approximately 20 patties.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 °F for 25-30 mins.

Bread Pudding

This was our first attempt at bread pudding and it turned out really well. The only I might change is increasing the bread crumbs a little, but all in all it was really delicious.

Prep. Time: 20 mins.
Baking Time: 45 mins.
Servings: 6


Ingredients:

4 cups Bread Crumbs (preferably from day old French Bread)
2 Tbsp Butter (melted)
4 Eggs
2 cups Milk
3/4 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Break bread into small pieces.

Mix eggs, milk, sugars, cinammon, butter and vanilla in a large bowl.

Soak bread for five minutes in the milk-egg mixture.

Grease an 8" x 8" pan and add the bread crumbs.

Drizzle the remaining liquid over the bread crumbs.

Bake for 45 mins.

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

The name says it all...

Prep. Time: 30 mins.
Baking Time: 2 hrs.
(Also allow approximately 3 hours to cool)


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1/3 Cup Butter Melted
24 oz. Cream Cheese
14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Chocolate Chips
4-6 Tbsp Caramel
1 tsp Flour


Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 °F.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cocoa and butter in a medium sized bowl.

Press the graham cracker mixture onto the sides and bottom of a 9 in. pie or cake dish and set aside.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Add the condensed milk and beat again.

Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth.

Toss 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips in the flour and add into the cheese mixture.

Pour the cheese mixture into the prepared crust.

Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of chocolate chips on the top of the cake mixture.

Bake at 300 °F for 1 hr.

Turn off the oven and leave the cake in for 1 hr. longer.

Remove from the oven and drizzle top with melted caramel.

Refrigerate until thoroughly cooled before serving.

No-Cook Creamy Pasta Sauce

This a creamy, quick and easy sauce that we usually make mid-week when there's not as much time for cooking. It's best the first day, but can be re-heated for left-overs.

Prep. Time: 5 mins.
Cooking Time: 10 mins.


Ingredients:

8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes
2 Tbsp Basil
1/4 cup Butter
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Olive Oil



Directions:

Boil a medium pot of water for the pasta.

Mix the ingredients above in a blender with 2/3 cup of boiling water from the pasta and liquify.

Serve over spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

Blackened Catfish with Dirty Rice

The catfish part of this meal is obviously not vegetarian. The dirty rice, however, is. The amount of cayenne can be adjusted based on personal preferences. We prefer our food a little hotter, so if you like things mild, you may want to cut back on the cayenne below.

Prep. Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 45 mins.


Ingredients:

Blackened Catfish
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3/4 tsp White Pepper
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Oregano
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 lbs (or 3-4 large fillets) Catfish
2-3 Lemons (optional)

Dirty Rice
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 small Chopped Onion
1/2 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Green Pepper
1 Clove Garlic Minced
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 cup Long Grain Rice
2 cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth


Directions:

Dirty Rice
Saute the chopped onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in vegetable oil until the onion becomes translucent, approximately 5 mins.

Add the cayenne, salt, black pepper and cumin and saute an additional 3 mins.

Stir in the rice and cook 5 mins. longer.

Add the stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has evaporated, approximately 20 mins.

Blackened Catfish
While the dirty rice is cooking down, you can start on the catfish. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the paprika, sea salt, cayenne, white pepper, black pepper, thyme and oregano together in a medium size mixing bowl.

Add in 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and mix well.

Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan for approximately 5 minutes on high heat.

Place each catfish fillet in the spice mixture and rub the spices onto the fillet.

Place the coated fillets into the heated frying pan and cook for 4 mins. per side on high heat.

Transfer the blackened fillets into a large Corning ware or casserole dish and cook them in the oven for an additional 15 mins.

Serve garnished with lemon (optional) and with dirty rice as a side.

Vegetarian Chili

This chili is actually hearty enough that no one will probably recognize it's vegetarian unless you tell them. It's also fairly simple and straight-forward to make. Unfortunately we missed out on taking a picture for this one...


Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 1 hr.
Servings: 9 - 10


Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb Boca Ground Crumbles
4 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion
2 Green Peppers
2 Red Peppers
2 Yellow Peppers
1 Jalapeno Pepper
2 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth
2 x 32 oz. Can of Tomatoes
2 x 16 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 x 14 oz. Can Vegetarian Refried Beans
2 x 14 oz. Can Pinto Beans
8 oz. Sour Cream
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese


Directions:

Saute the onion, garlic and peppers until they're soft, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, oregano, cardamom, cayenne, red pepper flakes, refried beans and pinto beans, and bring to a boil.

Simmer for around 45 mins.

Serve over rice with sour cream and cheese (optional).

Alfredo Sauce with Cajun Chicken

This is really a two part recipe, one is the traditional alfredo sauce and the other is the cajun chicken. We've also made this with spicy shrimp before and it's turned out really well. The chicken is blackened, cajun style, and may be added in separately to the alfredo sauce. The pictures below show the sauce served over angel hair pasta, but it goes just as well over fettucine.

Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 40 mins.


Ingredients:

Sauce
1 cup Butter
3-4 Garlic Cloves
4 Cups Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1 Cup Parmesian Cheese
1 1/2 Cups Mozzarella
16 oz. Angel Hair or Fettucine.

Cajun Chicken
1.5 lbs. Chicken Breasts
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cayenne
3/4 tsp White Pepper
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Oregano

Directions:

Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often.

Add the Parmesan and simmer for 8-10 mins.

Add the Mozzarella and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce becomes smooth.

Serve over pasta.

Chicken (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the Parika, Sea Salt, Cayenne, White Pepper, Black Pepper, Thyme and Oregano together in a large bowl.

Add in the Olive Oil.

Add the chicken breasts in to the bowl and mix them in the spices until they are thoroughly coated.

Heat 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil in a large frying pan for 5 mins. on high heat.

Place the chicken in the frying pan and cook on each side for 1 min.

Put the chicken in a separate baking dish and place in the oven for 15 mins.

Cut into bite size pieces and serve over the sauce and noodles.

Seafood Okra Gumbo

We've tried a few different gumbo recipes and this one is probably my favorite. My wife is a pescatarian so no modifications are necessary. If you can't find fish stock, chicken stock can be substituted, but its definitely not quite as good. The filè powder is also optional if you can't find it. It does help to thicken the gumbo though, and this gumbo is a little thinner to begin with since it doesn't use a roux.

Prep. Time: 1 hr.
Cooking Time: 1 hr.


Ingredients:

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 lbs Okra
1 Medium Onion Diced
1 cup Celery Diced
1 Green Pepper Diced
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic
3 Bay Leaves
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cayenne
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Thyme
2 tsp Filè Powder
1/2 lb Cod
8 cups Fish Stock
1/2 lb Shrimp
1 lb Crawfish Tails
1/2 lb Lump Crabmeat
1/2 cup Green Onions
Dash Hot Sauce


Directions:

Cut the caps and tips off of the okra and slice into approximately 1/4 inch thick slices.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot, then add the okra along with the cayenne and salt.

Fry the okra, stirring constantly, for 10-12 mins.

Add the Onion, Celery, Green Pepper, Garlic and Tomatoes, along with a dash of Cayenne and cook for 15-20 mins.

Add the Cod and cook for 2 mins.

Add the Fish Stock, Bay Leaves, Paprika, Black Pepper, Oregano and Thyme and bring to a boil.

Simmer for 15 mins.

Add the Shrimp, Crawfish and Crab Meat and cook for 5 mins. or until shrimp are done.

Add in the Green Onions, a Dash of Hot Sauce and the Filè Powder.

Serve over rice.