Crab Dip in Endive or Tomatoes

12/22/2023

These are as simple as they are delicious! Easy to make and a real-crowd pleaser, these stuffed tomatoes (I also like to use endive and keep the dip in a container in the center of a platter filled with endive leaves so everyone can dip their own) are made with lump crab....but if you're feeding a crowd feel free to use crab claw.

Crab Dip in Endive or Tomatoes

Ingredients

4 head endive or 15-20 cocktail tomatoes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/4 cup mixed herbs (such as parsley, tarragon, basil, thyme, etc.), chopped
1 lb. lump crab meat, picked over and drained

Serves 15-25

Cut the root end off the endive so the leaves are roughly the same size. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, red onion, herbs, and salt and pepper. Gently fold in crab meat.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve dip in bowl and let guests scoop it out with endive themselves.

Crab-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Remoulade Sauce

3/1/2023

These came about because I had an abundance of cubanelle and poblano peppers in my garden and wanted to find a new way to use them. My boyfriend loves stuffed peppers, but with their smaller size (as compared to a bell pepper) I wanted to find a new use for them. I decided crab was the most luxurious way to go and I don't regret it at all!

*Note: Red Clay is a low country brand that makes a spice blend called Charleston Harbor. To me, it is reminiscent of Old Bay but with a kick, so when substituting I call for two different substitutions - I think the remoulade should have a kick, but not necessarily the crab. I'm sure you can find Charleston Harbor online too!

Crab-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients

Peppers

4 poblano peppers (or cubanelles), sliced in half lengthwise and seeded
8 oz. lump crab meat
2 Tbsp. panko
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. Red Clay Charleston Harbor seasoning (or Old Bay)
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper, to taste
parsley, chopped
Remoulade Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. Creole mustard (or spicy brown)
2 Tbsp. pickle relish
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Red Clay Charleston Harbor Seasoning (or Cajun seasoning)
1 tsp. horseradish sauce (or more if you like)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Serves 4
Total Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Peppers
Combine all ingredients except poblano peppers in a bowl - be careful with the crab, you don't want it broken up too much. Stuff poblanos with crab mixtures - they will be slightly mounded on top. Chill for an hour - this helps hold the mixture together.
Preheat oven to 400. Bake peppers for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish and serve immediately.

Remoulade Sauce
Combine all ingredients and chill for one hour before serving.

Maple Dijon Roast Side of Salmon

3/1/2023

This is such and easy a delicious main course! It's festive for the holidays, but is easy enough for a weeknight meal.

Maple Dijon Roast Side of Salmon

Ingredients

1 4 lb. side of salmon, skin-on, pin bones removed
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp. whole-grain Dijon
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 6
Cook time: 20 minutes

Remove salmon from refrigerator, on a pan lined with a sheet of oiled parchment paper, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour. Meanwhile, whisk together maple syrup and mustard.
Preheat oven to broil for about 10 minutes.
Brush salmon with maple-Dijon mixture. Broil about 7" from broiler for 8-10 minutes, until salmon is evenly caramelized. Lower oven temperature to 250 and continue cooking until salmon registers 125 in it's thickest part, roughly 10 more minutes.
Allow salmon to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to serving platter using the parchment paper as a hammock for transport. Gently slide parchment paper out from under salmon and serve immediately.

Curried Shrimp & Grits

8/4/2021

Here's a new take on Shrimp & Grits to add some bold flavor to your routine! The classic recipe is infused with red curry paste and made creamy with coconut milk instead of cream. It's easy, delicious, and great for entertaining!

Curried Shrimp & Grits

Ingredients

2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup stone ground grits
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 onion, minced
1" ginger, grated
2 Tbsp. red curry paste
2 lb. shrimp, peeled
1 15 oz. can cherry tomatoes
1 15 oz. can coconut milk
salt, to taste

Serves 4
Total Time: 40 minutes

Bring milk and stock to boil in a large pot; once boiling turn to low and add grits. Whisk to combine and continue whisking throughout cooking (it takes at least 30 minutes for stone ground grits to cook - you will know they are done when they no longer have a metallic taste).
Meanwhile, toss shrimp in salt and set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until softened, add ginger and curry paste and stir to combine. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, and shrimp and stir to combine. Salt, to taste. Allow to cook over low for about 10 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through.

Cleopatra Salad

1/18/2021

Here's my fun take on a classic Caesar Salad! It's a little friendlier on the waistline, adds an ooey-gooey soft-boiled egg, and has shrimp!

Cleopatra Salad

Ingredients

Salad

1/2 baguette, sliced
2 lb. shrimp, peeled
Juice of a lemon
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs , soft boiled
6 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 avocado , sliced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Dressing
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 anchovy fillet , finely chopped or minced
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp. Parmesan, grated
- Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Arrange sliced baguette on tray, drizzle with olive oil, and broil till toasted. Flip and broil the other side.
Combine all shrimp with garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper and marinate for 10 minutes while to prepare the other ingredients.
While shrimp is marinating, preheat a skillet over medium-high heat; add olive oil once heated. Then combine all dressing ingredients.
Sear shrimp on both sides; remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, dress the salad greens with the eggs, shrimp Parmesan cheese, and toasted baguette slices. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Seared Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil

1/18/2021

Summer fresh tomatoes are always best, but when I'm really craving something light and summery (even in the dead of winter) this is a great dish! Tilapia freezes well and is easy-to-find, while cherry or grape tomatoes are a good substitute for a homegrown tomato in the winter months.

Seared Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
4 6 oz. tilapia fillets
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs , soft boiled
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon zest
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4
Total Time: 40 minutes

Heat 1/2 the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Pat tilapia dry and salt and pepper on each side. When oil shimmers, lay tilapia pieces, presentation side down in the hot oil. Cook 3- 4 minutes per side, until fillets easily release from pan and can be flipped (if fillets stick to pan, they are not ready to flip - you need a good bit of oil and a very hot pan). Cook 3-4 minutes on other side until fillets release from pan. Set fillets aside until sauce is ready.
Add red pepper flakes and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and blistering, but still hold their shape, 9 to 12 minutes. Add in the white wine, stir, and allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer. Stir in the basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, sugar, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce into a bowl and set aside until needed.

Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream

1/18/2021

These fish tacos are delicious and quick to make. Pickle your vegetables in the morning or the night before so they are ready for dinner. These are great for weekend cooking, but easy and quick enough for a weeknight.

Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream

Ingredients

Fish

2-3 Tbsp. avocado oil
2 lb. medium-fleshed white fish, such as tilapia
1/4 cup taco seasoning (see mix in Fajita Chili recipe)
juice of 1 1/2 limes, divided (plus additional lime wedges for serving)
8 taco-sized flour tortillas (6-inch tortillas)
Avocado Cream
1 avocado, pitted, shelled, and mashed
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup cilantro
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
Pickles
1 bunch radishes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1/2 cup water
6 Tbsp, sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
Toppings
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 ear corn, kernels sliced off
2 jalapenos, sliced

Serves 4
Total Time: 20 minutes + more for pickling vegetables

About an hour before serving pickle the onions and radishes. Simmer vinegar, water, sugar and salt; add onion, spices, and salt when sugar dissolves. Place sliced onion in a bowl and sliced radishes in another; divide pickling liquid between onions and radishes.
Cut fish into bite-sized pieces. Add fish to a baggy and toss with taco seasoning and lime juice. Allow to marinate while you make the avocado sauce and begin heating your oil.
Using a fork combine all ingredients for avocado sauce until you get a smooth, light green paste.
When oil shimmers, add pieces of fish being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook fish until it easily releases from the pan, flip until pieces are cooked on all sides. Remove fish from pan and wipe pan with paper towel. Blister your soft taco shells in the pan.
Serve with pickled vegetables, avocado sauce, and toppings.

Shrimp Puffs

5/4/2020

Make these the day before, refrigerate, and bake off just before serving. These tasty little starters go great with cocktails.

Shrimp Puffs

Ingredients

1 canister refrigerated crescent dough
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 scallion, chopped
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 lb. baby shrimp, cooked and peeled
1/2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp. parsley, chopped

Makes 16 - 20 puffs
Cook time: 20 minutes

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a miniature-muffin tin with cooking spray.
Unroll dough and cut into 16-20 squares; squish squares into muffin tin.
In a medium-size bowl, mix the cheese, scallion, mayonnaise, shrimp and herbs. Place 1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture on top of each crescent square. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the puffs are golden and bubbling.

Tilapia with Corn & Leek Cream

4/28/2020

This rich and delicious leek and corn cream can be made a day in advance and heated on the stove the day of after you cook your fish. The secret to great fish is to cook with a generous amount of oil over screaming hot heat - this will help keep it from sticking. And watch out: fish cooks quick so it won't take you away from your guests for long!

Tilapia with Leek & Corn Cream

Ingredients

1/4 cup avocado oil (maybe more)
6 tilapia fillets
3 medium leeks, rinsed and sliced
4 cups corn, fresh or frozen
1 cup sherry
2 cups cream
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 6
Cook time: 45 minutes

Heat a large skillet over high heat; add oil and let come to a shimmer (there needs to be about 1/8" of oil, which is why you may need more depending on the size of your skillet. Pat your fish dry on both sides and salt and pepper. Carefully add tilapia fillets to skillet - this will probably take two batches for 6 fillets. Pan fry tilapia on each side - they are ready to flip when they easily release from the bottom of the pan. Once seared, remove and cover with foil.
Pour off about half of the oil and sautee your leeks until softened and beginning to brown around the edges. Then add your corn and let it cook until it starts to get a little color on it.
Deglaze with the sherry and allow the alcohol to cook off. Add the cream and allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from sticking or getting gloppy in spots; this should be a fairly loose sauce, it's not creamed corn. Wait until the end to salt and pepper, to taste.
To serve: lay tilapia on a bed of leek and corn cream and put a spoonful of the mixture on top too.

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

4/28/2020

Keep in Mind: scampi is easy to make, but it cooks super quick. This dish will need your undivided attention for just a few minutes while you cook the shrimp!

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 shallots, roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 cup unsalted butter
12-16 oz. shrimp, peeled
1 lemon, half juiced, and half sliced into rounds
1 cup pasta water
8 oz. angel hair pasta
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 2-3
Cook time: 10 minutes

The night before: peel thawed shrimp and grate garlic with a microplane (you could finely mince if you do not have a microplane). Mix garlic with 1 Tbsp. olive oil; toss in shrimp, cover, and let marinate overnight.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil; once it is at a rolling boil, add a handful of salt. Angel hair pasta is very thin and does not take long to cook, so I add the pasta right before I deglaze the pan.
In a small food processor, chop shallots with 1 Tbsp. olive oil until they become one, chunky, paste. If you do not have a small food processor, you can finely mince the shallots, or grate them.
In a medium-hot pan, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and shallot mixture. Sautee mixture until shallots are translucent and soft, do not brown. Add butter to pan and allow mixture cook with the melted butter. At this point I would add the pasta to the boiling water.
Deglaze pan with sherry and let the alcohol cook off (once alcohol fumes are no longer strongly coming off the pan, the alcohol has cooked off).
Add the shrimp mixture to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Juice 1/2 the lemon and add to the pan. Add the slices of lemon to the pan too.
Pull 1 cup of water out of the pasta water and set aside. Check your pasta for doneness and drain if al dente.
At this point, your shrimp should be pink, but not overcooked. Remove from heat (keep in mind that if you are using large or jumbo shrimp they will take a little longer to cook than medium, small, or baby shrimp). Using a slotted spoon remove about half the shrimp and set aside. Toss the drained pasta in the pan and coat with scampi sauce; thin with some of the pasta water if necessary (I usually use at least 1/4 cup of the pasta water).
Put scampi on a platter and top with the shrimp you set aside earlier. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

*Alternatively, you can serve this with garlicky toasted bread. In that case, I would serve it from the same bowl and dip my bread in the bowl- this is a great way to serve a crowd and use this recipe as an appetizer. I would leave the tails on if you are serving with bread.