Alley's Recipe Book: seafood

Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts

Seared Scallop Alfredo - total time 30 minutes

Several years ago, we went to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner (I think it may have been my birthday, I can't remember). What I do remember about the meal was getting scallops for the first time ever. I'm still not completely sure what they are from this Wikipedia answer... kind of looks like it should taste like an oyster or clam, but scallops are definitely better.

Back to the meal... it was like $30 for a couple scallops! I mean they were good... like, melt in your mouth like butter good... but that's about $7 per scallop!

It's not like scallops are hard to cook either. In fact, there one of the fastest, simplest things I cook. All you need is some melted butter, a pan, and some scallops. This recipe is fully from scratch (some times I "cheat" and use a jar of alfredo) and costs about $10-12 for 3-4 servings. That's like 50 cents per scallop and you get pasta with it. If that isn't proof that you can save money cooking at home, then I don't know what is!

There are zero veggies in this dish, so be sure to pair it with a salad or steamed broccoli for a complete meal (get your greens in!). :)

We ate quite a bit of seafood last week while we were in the Seattle area... salmon, Dungeness crab, black cod, mussels, and more. Almost got tired of it... almost... but when seafood is that fresh, you have to enjoy it while you can! I mean, we saw the salmon swimming upstream. We watched the fish get thrown around at Pike Place Fish Market. And we walked down the spit of the Dungeness crab refuge. You can't get fresher than that unless you caught it yourself!

Considering all the seafood, we didn't have my husband's favorite... shrimps! This recipe is so easy and flavorful and is almost a one-pot meal. And the fact that we're making the sauce from scratch and getting dinner on the table in 40 minutes makes it a perfect weeknight dinner! The cream in the sauce adds the perfect richness, the wine adds some complexity, and cooking the shrimp in the sauce means you keep all of that shrimp flavor. This is definitely one to keep in frequent rotation!

I love trying new things in the kitchen (and in life). So when I saw crab legs on sale at the grocery store, I figure this would be a great opportunity to experiment with cooking crab at home. Previously, every time I have used crab in a recipe it was always from a can. Since we are trying to get away from processed foods (there is something wrong with meat lasting five years in a can when cooked meat only lasts a few days in the fridge), I wanted to see how easy working with fresh crab could be.

Turns out nearly all crab legs from grocery stores or even seafood mongers are already cooked! Crab catchers typically boil and freeze them on the ship to ensure freshness. So really, you just need to reheat them or thaw and enjoy cold.

I decided to steam my crab legs after they thawed (steam for just 7-9 minutes). To go with the crab, I made some clarified and seasoned butter... the best way to eat crab is by itself with a little butter to get the full flavor. It is so easy and ready in a few minutes.

We spent a couple days in New Orleans with my husband's parents in October a couple years ago. Those were some of the hottest days in October I have ever experienced. Although I enjoyed the heat when I would normally be shivering in Ohio, I could only imagine what kind of heat the summer brought to New Orleans. Probably something unbearable.

The first thing we did when we arrived (after we set our stuff down at the bed and breakfast we were staying at) we were in search for some of New Orleans famous creole food. By the end of the weekend we had jambalaya, oysters, hurricanes, cajun everything, beignets, and more... but the first thing we had was crawfish po boys. That cajun seasoning will wake up your senses! Since I'm not sure I want to cook crawfish... and shrimp are much easier to get in the grocery store... here is my take on this traditional southern sandwich.

Cinco de Mayo is only a few days away! How do you plan on celebrating? We love all things Mexican food in our house, we have tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas on the regular. So I can't believe it was only three years ago when I was introduced to the idea of fish tacos! I was visiting my friend in Florida and the restaurant specialized in fish tacos... I was hesitant, but love to try new things especially while on vacation. White flaky fish, crunchy cabbage, and the tang of lime wrapped up in a tortilla... yum! So now they are in our rotation for Taco Tuesdays and other nights we feel like Mexican.

This meal is super easy! I had some pesto left over from the Chicken Pesto Shells, so I threw this quick pasta together after getting home late from work. It was done faster then going out to get something from a drive thru (certainly faster than the long lines at Chipotle).

2 cups bowtie pasta
.75 lb raw shrimp, pealed and deveined
.5 cup fresh mozzarella
.5 cup pesto
1 cup broccoli
.5 cup tomato sauce

1. Boil pasta for five minutes. Cover shrimp with pesto and cook in pan over medium low heat until shrimp turn pink.
2. Add broccoli and pasta to pan. Cook for three minutes. Add tomato sauce and mozzarella and cook until cheese melt completely.

Baked Crab Ragoons - total time 30 minutes

I love crab ragoons! They are probably the only Chinese food (American Chinese food, really) that I crave. That rich, creamy filling surrounded by crispy dough... so good, but so bad for you. Now you can have all of that flavor with less guilt and you can make it easily and quickly!

1 can crab meat

4 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat)

1 garlic clove, minced

12 wonton wrappers

olive oil spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl combine cream cheese, garlic, and crab meat.

2. Spray mini muffin pan with olive oil. Scoop 1 tablespoon of mixture into each wonton, fold up each corner, and place into muffin pan.

3. Spray with a little more olive oil and then bake for 20 minutes or until wonton edges get toasted brown. Let cool down for a few minutes before enjoying.

Salmon Burgers - total time 30 minutes

Since we don't eat a lot of red meat, we don't really eat traditional American hamburgers. Instead, we use ground turkey for when we grill out. And after trying veggie burgers a year ago, I love them! Another option is fish burgers, they are delicious. Any fish could work, but I love salmon in this recipe.

burger
1 lb salmon, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 egg
1 green onion
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil, divided
1 tsp red pepper flakes
.5 cup panko bread crumbs
salt & pepper

sauce
2 tbsp mayo
1 tsp relish
pinch of paprika
pinch of chili powder

1. Combine bell peppers, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add chopped salmon to the mixture. Heat pan to medium heat. Form mixture into patties and coat with panko bread crumbs.
2. Heat a teaspoon of sesame oil in the hot pan. Cook patties on each side for six minutes.
3. Mix mayo, relish, paprika, chili powder, and any left over green onion in a small bowl. Scoop on top of each burger. Toast buns in the pan for one minute after patties have been removed. Serve with spinach and tomato.

Carmalized Scallops - total time 40 minutes

I usually don't cook with scallops (mostly because good scallops are expensive), so when I do use them they are the main flavor of the meal (other strong flavors would dilute the special-ness). This is a pretty easy way to cook them, it just takes some time to actually cook.

sea scallops

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp butter

.5 cup white wine

parsley, chives, salt & pepper

1. Brown butter in a pan on med heat.

2. Press scallops into sugar making sure it is coated completely. Sear each side of scallop in pan for 2 minutes each. Reduce heat to mid-low, add wine, and cook each side for 10 minutes each.

3. Pour any excess wine/butter sauce over top of scallops. Sprinkle parsley, chives, salt, and pepper over top and serve.

Baked Shrimp Scami - total time 30 minutes

1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined

3 tbsp white wine

3 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

.5 cup onions, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

.5 cup panko bread crumbs

parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and devein shrimp, put in mixing bowl with wine, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Melt butter a bit in the microwave. Then add herbs, garlic, onions, lemon juice, and panko bread crumbs.

3. Lay shrimp in a casserole dish with the tail up. Pour any remaining wine/olive oil mixture on top, then add the butter mixture and spread evenly over top.

4. Put in oven for 12 minutes, then enjoy!

Shrimp, Bowties, and Creamy Tomato Sauce - total time 40 minutes

For an easy weeknight pasta dish with homemade creamy sauce, this recipe is a winner!

1 pound of pasta

1 pound shrimp

4 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz can of tomatoes, chopped

1 cup white wine

.5 cup cream

.5 cup parm, shredded

basil, parsley, red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

1. Prepare pasta according to directions. Cook shrimp in pan with garlic, salt, and pepper. Set pasta and shrimp aside.

2. Add tomatoes, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes to pan. Bring to a simmer. Add white wine and cream, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes. Gradually stir in parm, then shrimp and pasta. Cook for a few more minutes, then serve!

Crab Stuffed Shells - total time 50 minutes

Apparently you can stuff pretty much anything in a pasta shell and it will taste yummy! This recipe is nice and creamy with delicious seafood inside.

half a box of jumbo pasta shells

1 onion, chopped

12 ounces lump crab meat

12 ounces shrimp, chopped

1 egg

.5 cup mozzarella balls

.5 cup cream cheese

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 green onion, sliced

salt & pepper

To save time, I would definitely advise a jar of alfredo sauce. However, I read through the original recipe too quick to realize some of the ingredients were for making alfredo from scratch (I think I was focused on why mayo was in the recipe, ick.) If you want to make your own sauce, you'll need the following...

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp onion, diced

2 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

2 tbsp cream

.5 cup parm, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package. Peel, devain, and cook the shrimp and chop to small chunks.

2. In a medium bowl combine crab, chopped shrimp, chopped onion, 1 egg, 'squished' mozzarella, cream cheese, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix all ingredients together.

3. Drain shells and allow to cool to be able to hold them. Stuff each shell with a couple tablespoons of crab/shrimp mixture and place into a casserole dish.

Optional Step - Melt butter in medium pot, added diced onion and pepper, cook for a few minutes. Add a little bit of flour at a time, stir, and combine. Add milk while stirring. Add cream for flavor. Bring to a boil and set back to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add parm a little at a time while stirring. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens.

4. Pour sauce over shells. Put in oven for 30 minutes. Add green onions and serve!