This delicious recipe for Maryland Crab Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce by Emma Feigenbaum (she’s a chef on Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” on PBS) is quite simple to prepare once you have measured and assembled your ingredients and utensils.  Although not inexpensive… especially since I prefer fresh-cooked crabmeat from Whole Foods… it will definitely be a special treat for that special occasion.

Ingredients

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 large egg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
coarse salt, to taste 
1 cup fine saltine crumbs (from about 30 crackers)
1 pound smaller-size fresh crabmeat
1 pound larger-size fresh crabmeat, such as jumbo lump
4 tablespoons butter, melted (you can use salted or unsalted)

Directions

Place ingredients into a large bowl and stir until thoroughly incorporated.

Pick through crabmeat very carefully to remove shells and add the smaller-size crabmeat to other ingredients and mix.

Gently fold in the jumbo lump crabmeat and try not to break up the larger pieces.

Using your hands, place 8 crab cakes onto a greased cookie sheet.

Drizzle crab cakes with 4 tablespoons of melted butter.

Broil until golden brown.  Allow to rest for a minute and serve with a slice of lemon and homemade tartar sauce.

Homemade Tartar Sauce Ingredients

1 cup light mayonnaise
4 chopped cornichons
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix ingredients until thoroughly combined, chill, and serve with crab cakes.

NOTE: Cornichons are the French version of American gherkins (small pickles).

Always Enjoy!

I absolutely love Chef David Farrell’s New England Clam Chowder Soup recipe!  It’s so very simple to prepare and and a perfect recipe for this time of year.  

This is his version of New England Clam Chowder, from a recipe he learned while serving in the Canadian Navy.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup butter
2-3 ribs celery, diced
1-1/2 cups onion, diced
2-cups unpeeled potatoes, medium cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans baby or minced clams
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp thyme
1-tsp Italian herb seasoning blend
salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook bacon until brown and crispy (not totally crisp) over medium-high heat. 

Drain the bacon fat and set aside.  Chop bacon and set aside.

Add butter to the same saucepan that is still over medium-high heat until just melted.

Add the celery and onions to the pan and do not brown.  Stir for about 3 - 5 minutes until a little soft but not mushy.

Add flour to pan and stir for about 3 seconds and remove from heat to stir thoroughly until a paste forms on the vegetables (do not brown).

Place back on the heat and drain both cans of clam juice into the pan.  Stir until it turns into a thick paste.

Add about a cup of water and continue adding until you reach your desired consistency.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add cubed potatoes, evaporated milk, worcestershire sauce, thyme, bacon, and Italian herb seasonings.  Stir until well- incorporated.

Let chowder simmer for about 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked.  Stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent from sticking to bottom of pan.

When potatoes are cooked, add 2 cans of clams to pan and stir well.

Add more water to thin out chowder.

Turn heat up and bring to a boil… turn down and simmer for about 5-minutes.

Add salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty sour dough or whole wheat bread.

NOTE: Here’s my personal recipe for New England Clam Chowder soup… it is NOT for dieter’s!

Always Enjoy!

This simple and tasty Fish Taco Recipe by Chef Jason Hill would have been a bit strange to me about 5 years ago.  I was visiting my girlfriend in Florida and we stopped for lunch at a pretty popular Mexican restaurant since she knows that Mexican cuisine makes my mouth and tummy very, very happy!

So I had my eye and taste buds on beef enchiladas and was just about to order when she suggested that I try the fish tacos.  I said, “No thanks… that sounds fishy in addition to being disloyal to my favorite menu item.”

But she insisted that I try them and was immediately backed up by our server as to how delicious they were.  So since I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to sampling new recipes, I went ahead and ordered.

All I can say is that I was very pleasantly surprised.   I won’t say that I’d order fish tacos on a regular basis, but some folks swear by them.  Actually, I enjoy the shrimp or crabmeat tacos much better… but these are just fine for a quick meal.  Especially when you don’t feel like deveining shrimp or picking crab claws.

And here’s the Fish Taco White Sauce recipe, also by Chef Jason Hill, 
mentioned in the above video.

Always Enjoy!

This Coconut Shrimp recipe is an island favorite;  never has there been a recipe that combined seafood and coconut so well.  Bring your vacation home with our chef’s exotic coconut shrimp recipe.

Your Ingredients

20 raw shrimp , peeled & deveined 
2 cups (200 g) flour
3 cups (750ml) coconut , shredded
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) cream
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp salt
8 cups (2000ml) canola oil

Your Utensils

parchment paper
food thermometer
tongs

Step 1: Coconut Station

The coconut station consists of three dipping stations. In the first bowl, mix together 2 cups (200 g) flour, 1 tsp cayenne pepper and 2 Tbsp salt. The second bowl contains the egg mixture consisting of 3 eggs and 1/4 cup (60 ml) cream. The final bowl has 3 cups (230 g) shredded, unsweetened coconut.

Step 2: Shrimp Meets Coconut

Place 20 raw and peeled shrimp in the flour mixture and coat all sides. Next, place the shrimp into the egg mixture and cover completely. Finally, transfer the shrimp to the coconut and cover generously. Place the coconut shrimp onto parchment paper to prevent sticking before frying.

Step 3: Deep Fry

Heat 8 cups (2 L) canola oil to 350F (180C). Carefully place the shrimp in the hot oil using tongs. Be cautious not to burn yourself or expose any of the oil to open flames. Let each shrimp fry in the oil for 2-3 minutes. The coconut will toast in the oil, releasing its natural sweetness. Remove the shrimp and place on paper towels.

Step 4: Serve

Add a pinch of salt to taste and serve with some garlic aioli (I’ve included a link to a very tasty recipe below), cocktail sauce or by themselves.

Garlic Aioli

 Always Enjoy!

Chef Keith Snow creates a delicious twist on this classic recipe. Twice-Baked Potatoes with Jumbo Lump Crab Meat is a perfect appetizer… and not just for the holidays.

Always Enjoy!

These delicious pan-seared sea scallops are prepared with Sesame Sweet Thai Chili sauce and Udon noodles. This recipe is super quick, easy, and healthy.

Always Enjoy!