dijon crusted salmon.

I pin fish recipes all the time with the full intent to make them. And then, I just never do. I am particular about the kind of seafood I want – I’d rather have none than previously frozen or farm raised.  Fresh and wild-caught is where it’s at, friends. Don’t settle for mediocre seafood.

Anyway, I happened to see some wild-caught fresh Alaskan Coho salmon this weekend, and decided we’d have fish for supper. It was a nice treat and Matt and I both loved this.

Dijon Crusted Salmon.
adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything 

2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1/8 cup dry bread crumbs
1/8 cup very finely chopped pecans
2 (6 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 and prepare a small baking sheet with foil and quick spray of Pam. Place two fillets of salmon, skin side down, on the sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, mustard and honey. In another small bowl, combine your bread crumbs and pecans. (pee-cans, say it with me.)

Brush a layer of the honey mustard on each piece of fish, season with salt and pepper, and top with breadcrumb/pecan topping.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish, as well as your desired doneness.

This is an easy, quick way to prepare fish at home, and baking (as opposed to broiling) did not leave my kitchen smelling like fish for 4 days… which, let’s face it, is another reason I tend to stay away from cooking fish indoors. I do think you could get away with skipping the butter in this, if you were so inclined.

A brief post is better than none, right? I mean, you’re here for the food not the personality,
jcristg

roasted shrimp.

Has anyone checked the weather for Michigan for the upcoming weekend? Bueller? Bueller? You may recall my January visit last year, which apparently fooled me into thinking that people exaggerated about the weather up there. It was mild and quite lovely, other than the one night of snow we got – more than enough to shut down Columbia for a few days, but a mere “dusting” to those Michiganders. It was pouring snow, and Christina was trying to get me out of the house to drive 30 miles to dinner and all I could think was that I didn’t want to die in a snowstorm. We persevered and I made it back to South Carolina in one piece. And then I was dumb enough to book another January trip — this time, apparently managing to hit a “real Michigan winter.” Excellent. All I’m saying is that I hope we all enjoy my second and last January trip to the Mitten because I’m sticking to the spring, summer and fall after this folks.

Anyway, my dear Rhiannon and I have been on the hunt for what we like to call “DUH suppers.” You know, the things you throw together randomly that turn out to be kind of really delicious. Things you see friends post on Instagram or blogs and say, duh why didn’t I think of that? Some nights you just don’t feel up to making a big production in the kitchen and just want something that satisfies without making a dishwasher full of dirty dishes. This is one of those recipes. Actually, when I told Tina I was posting this today, she couldn’t believe it had never hit the blog before – because I absolutely love to make these roasted shrimp. They’re good on salads, by themselves; as an appetizer or a main course. They work with fresh or – if you must – frozen shrimp.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
via Ina Garten

2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare a sheet pan with foil. In a small bowl, toss shrimp with enough oil to coat, and salt and pepper. Lay shrimp in one layer on the pan and roast 8-10 minutes, or until pink.

Now, that recipe I linked to has an Ina cocktail sauce that I’ve never made. But if her other sauces are any indication, it’s bound to be good.
Do you have any good DUH suppers? I need to hear them, if so.

Would it be too much to pack my electric blanket and then carry it with me everywhere we went?
jcristg

hot savannah crab dip.

Are you a Paula Deen fan, or a hater? I find most people tend to feel strongly one way or the other, though I’m not as big of a hater as I once was. Once you get past her put-on accent, she really does have some great recipes to try — not that you’d want to make them every day, lest you find yourself 400 pounds. I’m just saying, I tend to save her recipes for parties or special occasions, or even tailgates. Girl knows what she’s doing in a kitchen, that’s for sure.

There’s nothing worse than planning an elaborate holiday meal, and then realizing that people might want a little appetizer while you finish everything up. But then, who wants to spend a lot of time on something ELSE? No one, that’s who. Let me tell you – this dip will save your Christmas Eve and you’ll once again look like the culinary genius that you are. No one has to know it’s easy as pie.

Hot Savannah Crab Dip.
Paula Deen

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5-6 roasted garlic cloves or 2 cloves minced
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, free of shells
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Toss pepper jack with the crab. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake 40 minutes.

I took the leftovers to my parents this past weekend, and my dad reports this is delicious both hot and cold. Though the thought of eating it straight out of the fridge makes me cringe a little bit, you may like it too. Suit yourself!

Ho ho ho, Christmas is comin’…
jcristg

Honey Lime Shrimp

On Sunday, my husband decided he wanted me to pick up some fish at the grocery store for dinner that night. Now, I am not the world’s biggest fish fan. I can tolerate it in some cases, but most types of fish are unappealing to me (with the exception of shellfish, which I love – our collective love of shrimp is well-documented on this blog). So, I figured that I would just thaw out some frozen shrimp for myself, whip up a fun marinade, and call it dinner. For some reason, the thought of honey lime shrimp popped into my head – so, I made up a quick marinade, let the shrimp hang out in it for about 30 minutes, and ended up with a delicious meal!

Honey Lime Shrimp
serves 2

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey
juice of one small lime, or half a large lime (2-3 T)
zest of one small lime, or half a large lime
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.) In a large ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up. Place it in the fridge.

2.) Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that all the shrimp stay evenly covered in the marinade.

3.) When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.)

4.) Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

I am a big fan of these shrimp – the sweet honey got a little caramelized and crunchy in the hot pan, and the red pepper flakes and lime add just enough kick to cut through the sweetness. Best of all, they took about 10 minutes to make, start to finish… perfect for a quick weeknight meal! I served mine with a spicy corn dish on the side (super delicious recipe forthcoming), as well as some chopped heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper. You could serve them over brown rice with your vegetable of choice on the side, or pack them into some warmed flour tortillas with a little shredded romaine and some sour cream for shrimp tacos! They’d also make a delicious salad topper, or a lovely accompaniment to a beautiful grilled steak.

Shrimp: they’re the fruit of the sea!
Tina