Recipes

Mom's Cookbook -

One of the best parts of the journey are the dinners that are being prepared.  Mom and Jay have decided to try to eat alot of seafood (go figure - they're travelling along the Gulf of Mexico!) but you'll find a few things besides seafood posted here.  Every once in a while, I'm lucky enough to get a morsel and things seem to be tasting pretty good!


AND ONE REALLY IMPORTANT THING - as we all know - Mom doesn't really measure anything so the ingredient quantities are real guesses in some of the recipes! 

CRAB STUFFED FLOUNDER

2 whole small flounder
4 steamed blue crabs
1/4C diced onions
1/4C diced celery
2T butter
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/2C chicken broth or white wine
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare fish by cutting along the lateral line of the fish.  Run a filet knife along the bones to lift the fish and create a pocket between the bones and the fillet. 

Pick meat from the crabs and set aside (if you snack on the crab meat, you'll need more than 4 crabs!)

Prepare stuffing by sauteing the onion and celery in butter till soft.  Add crab meat, bread crumbs and seasoning.  Add broth or wine as needed to make a moist stuffing. 

Stuff both pockets, allowing stuffing to create a small mound.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. 

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until fish is light and flaky. 


Shrimp-stuffed Portobello Mushroom

2 medium portobello mushrooms
2T butter
1/4 C onion, diced
3/4 lb medium shrimp, cooked and diced.
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/2 C smoked gouda, shredded

Remove stem from mushrooms.  Place in baking dish.

Saute onion in saucepan.  Add shrimp and bread crumbs.  Toss lightly to combine. 

Remove from heat and add cheese.  Continue stirring until cheese has melted. 

Put mixture into mushroom. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until mushrooms are fully cooked.



Crab-stuffed Portobello Mushroom

2 medium portobello mushrooms
2T butter
1/4C diced onions
1/4C diced celery
1/4 C diced mushrooms
1/4 C bread crumbs
1 cup crab meat
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
2 T chopped parsley
1 egg, slightly beaten
2-3 T Parmesan cheese


Saute onions, celery and mushrooms.  Add Old Bay Seasoning and bread crumbs.  Add crab meat and egg, mixing rapidly.  Remove from heat.  Add 2 T of cheese.

Stuff mushrooms and sprinkle remaining cheese on top of stuffing. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until mushrooms are done. 



Garden Style Fish

We were lucky and caught a Pompano while fishing near Destin.  Pompano is a firm-textured fish with a light flavor.  Jay filleted the fish and then cut each fillet in half.  We used the larger (upper half) of both fillets in the Garden Style fish.  Each piece was approximately 1/2 lb in size.   You can use just about any vegetables that you'd like, but it helps to have the vegetables partially cooked before you place them in the foil packs.

2 pieces of fish
1/2 C broccoli florets, slightly steamed
1/2 C cauliflower florets, slightly steamed
1/2 C onion slices (separate the rings), sauted
1/2 C mushrooms, sauted
Sliced smoked provolone cheese

Line a baking dish with foil.  Use enough excess foil to fold over fish.  Lightly oil the foil with olive oil.  Place fish on foil.  Place vegetables on top of the fish.  Season with salt, pepper, Old bay or other spices to taste. 

Close foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.  Put a single layer of cheese on top, close the foil and return to the oven.  Bake for another 15 minutes or until fish is light and flaky.