Category: Culinary

Trout Amandine

Culinary, Fish, Southern Cooking

When I think of trout amandine one thing comes to mind my family’s summer vacations to Glacier National Park as a child and relishing this dish at Many Glacier Hotel

½ cup whole milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 trout fillets (5 to 6 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
½ cup sliced almonds
Juice of 1 lemon

Add the milk and the flour in separate bowls.  Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish in the milk, shaking off the excess. Then lightly dredge both sides of the fish in the flour, shaking off the excess.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. In two batches if necessary not to overcrowd the pan, cook the fish until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, around 3 minutes per side.

Remove fillets and ass the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, until the butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the almonds, and cook until warmed through, usually 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place a fillet on each plate and spoon the sauce over the top.

Grouper en Papillote

Culinary, Culinary School: Classical French Techniques, Fish, Southern Cooking

Parchment paper
4 skinless Grouper fillets
Asparagus either whole or chopped depending of thickness
A combination of fresh rosemary, sage and chives
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
juice of ½ lemon and lemon slices
freshly ground black pepper and garlic salt
4 teaspoons butter or olive oil

Heat oven to 400°. Measure four 24 inch long sheets of parchment.Fold each sheet in half, and starting from the folded side, cut a large half-heart shape.

Open one heart on a work surface and place one quarter of each of the ingredients on the parchment and top with a fish fillet. Repeat with the other three pieces of parchment and ingredients.
Season each with garlic salt and pepper and a pat of butter or olive oil on top.

To seal, tightly roll the edges towards the fish to ensure no juices leak out while cooking.

Place packets on baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the packages are slightly browned and puffy.

Pecan Crusted Grouper

Culinary, Fish, Southern Cooking

No matter how you pronounce “pecan” this recipe is a home run!

¼ cup pecan meal or finely ground pecans
¼ cup panko crumbs
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound of skin-on grouper fillets, cut into 4-ounce servings
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3tablespoons minced shallot
¼ cup white wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the pecan meal, panko crumbs, Old Bay, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.

Pat the fish fillets dry, then brush the flesh side with about 1 tablespoon oil. Place each fillet flesh-down in the pecan/crumb mixture and press lightly to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and foaming. Place the fish in the skillet with the pecan coating down. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.

Using a fish spatula or whatever you have, turn the fish skin-down, careful not to dislodge the pecan coating. Place the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the fish is white and cooked through.

While the fish is baking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan and add the shallots. Cook for a few minutes, until the shallots are translucent. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the mustard, then add the chopped pecans and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring, until the butter is melted.

Place each fillet on a dinner plate and divide the sauce over the fillets

* White fleshed Grouper is perfect for this preparation, but you could always substitute a different white fish such as Tilapia, but I really wish you wouldn’t. *

Pan Fried Soft Shell Crabs

Culinary, Seafood, Southern Cooking

4 soft-shell blue crabs
About 2 cups buttermilk, or just enough to cover the crabs
A few shakes of Tabasco
All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place the soft-shell crabs in a shallow dish. In a bowl, combine the buttermilk and Tabasco. Pour the combination over the crabs and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Place the seasoned flour in another shallow dish. Remove the crabs from the buttermilk. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip off. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour.

Place a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, slip in the crabs. Fry them for a few minutes until the undersides are lightly browned, then turn them over and fry the other side. Serve warm.

Cornmeal Crusted Catfish

Culinary, Fish, Southern Cooking

Oil for frying
2 pounds catfish fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons crab boil seasoning
2 large eggs
½ cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 cups coarse-ground cornmeal
Tartar sauce

Heat 1 inch of oil in a Large, deep-sided cast-iron skillet fitted with a frying thermometer to 375˚F.

Rinse the catfish fillets and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Cut the fillets in half lengthwise.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside. Combine the flour and crab boil seasoning in a bowl. Beat the eggs with the half-and-half and hot sauce in a second bowl. Place the cornmeal in a third bowl. Dip a piece of catfish in the flour, shaking off excess, then into egg wash, allowing excess to drip away. Roll the fish in cornmeal and slip it into the hot oil 2-3 pieces at a time. Fry the fish for 3 minutes, carefully turn them, and fry for additional 3 minutes more, until golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in a 200˚F oven to keep warm while you continue to fry batches of fish.

When all the fish is fried, serve immediately with tartar sauce on the side.

Florida Frogmore Stew

Culinary, Seafood, Southern Cooking

* No frogs were harmed in the making of this stew. *

1 ½ gallons water
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 pounds kielbasa, cut into ½ inch slices
10 to 12 ears of corn on the cob
4 pounds of shrimp in the shell
4 pounds stone crab (these are usually pre-cooked)
onions and  new or red potatoes

Cook onions and potatoes until softened. In a large stock pot over medium high heat, add the water, lemon, salt and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring it to a boil.

Add the sausage and gently boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add corn on the cob broken into 3 inch pieces and continue cooking an additional five minutes. Add shrimp and stone crab and cook an additional three minutes longer. This is just enough time to cook the shrimp and heat up the pre-cooked stone crab. Remove from heat, drain immediately and serve.

Frogmore Stew (Lowcountry Boil)

Culinary, Seafood, Southern Cooking

8 to 10 quarts water At least ½ cup Old Bay Seasoning
16 small red potatoes about 1 inch in diameter, not peeled
8 ounces kielbasa, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut into thirds
16-24 fresh shrimp, preferably with head on, you may want more
2 pounds of Crawfish or 8-10 Stone Crab claws or even Snow Crab

Optional: Clams, Mussels, other seafood.

Fill a large stockpot two-thirds of the way with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, add the Old Bay, and simmer for 5 minutes until the water is well seasoned.

Add the potatoes, kielbasa, and onions and adjust the heat to maintain simmer; cook until the potatoes are about fork tender. Add the corn and simmer until the kernels are slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the shrimp and crawfish or crab and cook until the shrimp becomes pink, and both the shrimp and crawfish or crab are lightly fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes. Strain the solids from the cooking liquid and transfer them to an oversize platter or paper-lined table.  Eat and enjoy.

Garnishes: Butter for the potatoes and corn, drawn butter, cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, hot sauce.

Butter Poached Scallops

Culinary, Seafood, Southern Cooking

This is an easy technique for butter poaching several types of seafood.  With the example of the scallops in this recipe it illustrates the technique.  Can just as easily be used to make butter-poached shrimp, lobster tails, etc.  Butter-poaching is a nice addition when you make shrimp & grits.  Make sure you use some of the poaching butter in the grits to impart the subtle shrimp flavor.

12 Scallops

1 ½ (Approximately) Cups Of Unsalted Butter

Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Arrange scallops in a saucepan just large enough for all the scallops to fit snuggly in one layer. Add water to just cover scallops. Pour water into measuring cup and pat scallops dry with paper towels.  Season scallops well with salt and pepper.

Melt an equal amount of butter to the water in measuring cup.  Melt butter in saucepan at 185 degrees, do not overheat.  Add scallops, turning once, until they are cooked 2-4 minutes.  If necessary test a scallop by cutting in half; it should be opaque in the center.

Transfer scallops to warmed serving plates.  Drizzle scallops with a little butter.  Serve immediately.

Salt Baked Shrimp

Culinary, Seafood, Southern Cooking

3 pounds rock salt
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 head garlic, cloves smashed and skin removed
1 jalapeño, sliced, with seeds
2 lemon wedges
2 pounds large head-on shrimp

Mississippi Comeback Sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 475˚F.

Combine the rock salt, coriander, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, jalapeño, and lemon wedges in a large bowl  and mix well.

Pour half of the salt-spice mixture into a large, oven-safe baking dish and place it in the oven to preheat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the salt becomes hot. Remove from the oven, lay the shrimp in the salt, and add the remaining salt to cover the shrimp.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 8 to 12 minutes, until the shrimp are just cooked through. Using tongs, remove the shrimp from the salt and transfer to a plate. Serve with a bowl of Comeback Sauce for dipping.

Hot Pepper Shaved Ice Oyster

Culinary, Mental Health, Oysters, Southern Cooking

1 standard 5-ounce bottle Tabasco or favorite hot sauce
¼ cup simple syrup
1 cup water

Simple Syrup

Pour 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir until sugar is dissolved completely.  Cool.

Directions 
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour into a wide and shallow container and freeze. When thoroughly frozen, scrape with a fork to create a shaved ice.