Tag Archives: seafood recipes

Shrimp BLT Roll

I was craving a lobster roll, but that takes money, time and some real commitment.  This is the lazy girl’s lobster roll, but without compromising taste!  The shrimp are easy to make and if you are even more lazy and sometimes I am , I buy the shrimp already cooked, in which case you are whipping up this shrimp roll in minutes……..held back by how fast you can crisp up those slices of bacon!! The roll has a slight kick from the hot sauce the a fresh tangy taste from the lemon juice. This is a perfect quick summer dinner especially on those hot evenings when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen or at the grill!

From by the bay , wishing you some BLT food memories!

Maryann

blog shrimp roll

Shrimp BLT Roll

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 bay leave
  • 1 pound headless large shrimp ( 24 -26 per pound), cleaned and deveined
  • 3 thick slices slab bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
  • 1/2 cup high quality store bought mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 red tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 4 leaves soft green lettuce, such as boston or butter
  • 4 top loading hot dog buns
  • 2 scallions, ( use white and green parts), finely chopped

Directions

In a stockpot add about 2 quarts water salt and bay leave. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink. Strain removing bay leave and cool shrimp under cold running water to stop from cooking.  When shrimp are completely cool chop and place in bowl along with 1/2 of the chopped scallions.  In a small bowl add mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, mustard and pepper. Whisk together and pour over the shrimp. Fold sauce and shrimp together. To assemble sandwich open the bun and add 1 slice lettuce, 1/4 chopped tomato, 1/4 shrimp salad. Repeat for remaining shrimp rolls. Garnish each roll with remaining scallions and chopped crispy bacon. Serve immediately.

Julia’s Crabcakes with Cilantro Mayonnaise

blog best ever


Each summer our family would visit my mother’s sister Julia and her family at the Jersey shore. It was a big treat for all of us. We would spend our time running around outdoors and then come in to a wonderful meal. What better summer seaside meal then crabcakes. My aunt served them with tartar sauce and lemon.  So when my mom finally got around to getting the recipe, she named the crabcake as Julia’s Crabcakes (best ever made). This is no exageration. I didn’t  touch my aun’t recipe for the crabcakes. How can you improve on the best ever made?  I did add some cilantro mayonnaise and placed on a bed of sauté red peppers with fresh corn,  Yum!

From by the bay wishing you the best ever made food memories!
Maryann

blog crabcakes

 

 

 Julia’s Crabcakes with Cilantro Mayonnaise

Serves 4

1 lb lump crabmeat, pick for cartilage

2 eggs beaten

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

¼ teaspoon Worchester sauce

½ cup bread crumbs

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Juice of ½ a lime

½ teaspoon black pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cilantro leaves to garnish

Directions

It’s very important that the lump crabmeat is very well picked over for any cartilage. Add to a bowl. In a small sauté pan use 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the onion and pepper until very soft. Add to the crabmeat. Add the remaining ingredients except butter into the bowl. Form 8 crabcakes patties. Place on a tray and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge for an hour. Using a large skillet, melt butter and sauté  cakes until golden brown. Place on a bed of the red pepper and sweet corn sauté, add a little cilantro mayonnaise to the top of each cake and a few cilantro leaves. Serve remaining cilantro mayonnaise to the side.

Cilantro Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoons water

6 oz cilantro leaves

1 cup store bought mayonnaise

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

5 drops Tabasco

Directions

In a food processor combine olive oil, garlic and water. Add cilantro and puree. Add mayonnaise, Tabasco lime juice and zest and blend again. Remove and place in glass jar cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with crabcakes.

Lobster Roll with Tarragon

Last weekend I had guests out from the city visiting by the bay. So when I was thinking about  what to serve my friends so that they could really experience the waterside, of course lobster came to mind, the quintessential waterside dish. I love lobster rolls and I make it many different ways. Sometimes I just want the simplicity of fresh lobster meat , a toasted roll and melted butter and it’s delicious. This weekend I wanted to kick up the ingredients for my lobster salad with Old Bay Seasoning to add warmth to the taste of cool mayonnaise, fresh herbs such as parsley and the slightly licorice flavor of tarragon and  a touch of fresh lemon juice to brighten all the flavors. My friends were taking the train from Penn Station, I told them to come early and I would pick them up in Port Washington and we would head over to the pier to buy some fresh lobsters. Once by the bay, I steamed the lobsters and made my salad. After a walk to the beach, we came back to have a terrific lunch of lobster rolls on the deck. What a perfect day!

From by the bay wishing you perfect waterside memories!
Maryann
blog lobster roll

 

Lobster Roll with Tarragon

Serves 6

6 cups chilled lobster meat from 4 – 1  lb steamed lobster cut in chunks

½ cup celery, chopped fine

2 tablespoons scallions, chopped

¾ cup fine store bought mayonnaise

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

4 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

6 brioche rolls, top split

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Directions

To a bowl add lobster, scallion and celery. In a separate bowl , whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, parsley, old bay seasoning, salt , pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour over the lobster mixture. Blend well. Place in refrigerator covered until ready to use.

Melt butter and brush the insides of the roll. Toast in a 400 degree F oven 4 minutes until golden brown. Fill buns with lobster salad and serve.

Fresh Corn with Shrimp and Grits

I got up early the other morning and when straight to the farm stand. I just love this time of year, especially the corn. I found some beautiful ears of butter and sugar corn which is a mix of yellow and white kernels. I wanted the corn to be the star of my dinner that night so I decided to make shrimp and grits. In order to have the delicious corn taste enhance each part of the dish, I shucked the corn to mix into the dish at the end and also make a corn stock that I used to make the sauce for the shrimp as well as to cook the grits. I finished the dish off with some fresh basil from my garden. The results were terrific. Don’t be daunted by the steps, they are all easy and go quickly, so definitely try it out.

From by the bay wishing you butter and sugar food memories!
Maryann
Tip: when shucking the corn, I place a large bowl in the skin and shuck the corn instead the
bowl, with a knife. This makes for an easy clean up afterward.
blog corn shrimp grits
Fresh Corn with Shrimp and Grits
Serves 6
Ingredients for stock
6 large ears corn, shucked, kernels and cobs separate, keep 1 1/2 cups corn kernels for shrimp
4 cups store bought low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
Directions for stock
In a stock pot add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Remove the cobs from the stock and discard. Place remaining stock and corn into food processor and puree. Strain and keep stock to the side. You will have about 3 1/2 cups of stock. If you have less use less stock in the grits and add more water.
Note: This can be done in advance, earlier in the day.
Ingredients for grits
1 cup stone grounded grits
2 cups corn stock
2 cups water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons corn stock  or olive oil optional
Directions for grits
In a large sauce pan  4 cups of liquid in total – add stock, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add grits and cook uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes until liquid is absorbed into the grits, stirring occasionally so grits don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and add the butter and cheese, stirring well. Optional : Right before serving add 2 tablespoons of the corn stock or olive oil  to loosen the grits.
Ingredients for shrimp
2 pounds shrimp cleaned and deveined
4 ounces thick cut bacon, chopped into cubes
1 1/2 cups fresh uncooked corn kernels
1 garlic clove minced
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups corn stock
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
Directions for shrimp
Place a large saute pan on medium heat  and add the bacon and cook until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel. Set aside. In the same pan saute the shrimp until they turn pink, cooking on both sides. Do not over crowd the pan. Remove the shrimp and set aside. Leave about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and add the garlic, green onion and corn. Saute for about 2 minutes until softened, then add the corn stock and lemon juice bring to a boil and add the shrimp and bacon, mix well and remove from the heat. Serve on top of the grits and top with chopped basil.

 

Clams in Broth

If I want to watch my mother’s face light up when she is visiting, all I need to say is do you want clams for dinner? The answer is always a resounding yes! That would explain all my variations of clam sauce or clams cooked in broth. This is one of my favorite versions of clams, especially when I’m looking for light meal. I just skip the pasta and eat the clams and broth with a spoon and little bread. It makes a great appetizer for six or dinner for four. If you want to use as a meal for Lent – just omit the pancetta. Try it this weekend and watch the faces at your dinner table light up too!
From by the bay wishing you lovely clam memories!
Maryann
blog clams broth
Clams in Broth
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed and cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, cubed
1/2 teaspoons red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
28 ounce can whole tomatoes, with liquid
8 ounces clam juice
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
Directions

Place a large pot on a medium heat, add olive oil and heat for 1-2 minutes , add pancetta and saute until crisp, then add garlic and onion, saute until soft, about 5 minutes add chili flakes and pepper and saute another minute. Add to the pot the tomatoes with liquid breaking the tomatoes with the back of your spoon, next add the clam juice and thyme. Bring to a boil add the clams and cover. Cook until clams are open, discard any unopened clams. Serve immediately with bread or pasta.

Mediterranean Grilled Clams with Spaghetti

New York City and it’s outer boroughs are a wonderful place to grow up. This is especially true as a young child discovering New York City.  I often think of NY as a collection of neighborhoods strung together, each one unique to discover. It’s amazing how there are all these wonderful locations tucked away ,often, only discovered when someone who inhabits one of these special places, invites you to share in their special world. Rockaway Beach in Queens is such a place. It stretches on a peninsula along the Atlantic Ocean and is the largest urban beach in the United States. The streets are lined with small bungalow houses. Fun fact these bungalow’s are currently being used to film the new HBO show Boardwalk Empire – recreating the rows of bungalows that once existed behind the Atlantic City Boardwalk – another favorite location from my childhood…but that’s another blog entry. This one is about how , as a child , my family would visit one of those cute bungalow’s in Rockaway Beach. The days were filled with sun, sand and clams. We would dig for clams along the beach and then the clams would be cleaned and cooked. It seemed to me that there were endless buckets of clams to eat, the adults would sit drink and laugh and the kids would be running along the beach. It’s here that I ate my first of many clams right out of the shell. This along with memories of wet bathing suits, sand in the bottom of my two piece bathing suit along with great food, laughter and good company lead me to create my clam recipe that I share today with you.

Wishing you the happiest and clammiest of food memories!   Maryann

blog med clam

This is also know as clams in sand as the breadcrumbs in this dish resembles sand when thrown in around the clams , however you would like to refer to this dish it’s a wonderful dish that evokes the seaside. 


Mediterranean Grilled Clams with Spaghetti

Serves 4


To make clams and bread crumb topping:

1 cup toasted bread crumbs

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

¼ cup toasted walnuts, ground

¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

36 littleneck clams, cleaned 


Directions 


Rinse clams with water removing all sand. Fill sink with cool water, add clams and 2 tablespoons salt Let stand for at least a ½ hour. When ready to grill, rinse with cool water again. 


In the meantime in a large bowl, combine all ingredients except clams and mix well. Remove ½ of the mixture and set aside. Heat grill, place clams on grill until they open. Discard any unopened clams. Toss together with the breadcrumb mixture to serve. 


To make spaghetti

1 lb spaghetti cooked 

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

½ bread crumb mixture


Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Remove from heat and drain. Place spaghetti into a large mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Place onto a platter. Add the clams and bread crumb mixture on to of the platter of spaghetti and serve. 


Note: You can serve this as a clam appetizer by eliminating the pasta and serving the clams with just the bread crumbs. Serves 6.