This is my adaptation of a recipe I found on a Greek foods site, Krinos.com which I have cooked several times now; it’s a wonderful way to savor fresh Gulf shrimp and tomatoes. I’m also enjoying finding recipes where I can use the fresh herbs from my garden I planted several weeks ago and which are still thriving.  Amazing! Me – the original black thumb. Go figure.

1 1/2 lbs. medium large fresh shrimp, shelled & deveined
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/3 C EVOO
1 bunch scallions, trimmed & thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled &  minced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded, de-ribbed & diced fine
5 or 6 fresh Roma tomatoes, seeded & diced
1/2 C water
1 tsp dried or 2 T fresh oregano
1 C feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 C dry white wine
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 T fresh parsley, chopped

• Sprinkle the cleaned shrimp with the lemon juice and let them stand until the sauce is ready.
• Prepare the sauce: Heat the EVOO in a large skillet and saute the scallions, garlic and hot pepper until wilted. Add the tomatoes and water, lightly crushing them in the skillet with a fork. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Drain the shrimp and add them to the skillet. Add the oregano, salt & pepper, feta, and wine and cook the shrimp for about 5 mintues more over medium heat, or until pink and al dente. Remove, season to taste with additional salt & pepper, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve hot. Great over angel hair pasta or orzo.

Throw away all of your other pasta salad recipes; this one can’t be beat.
Found it on recipezaar and it’s fantastic.

2 (6-ounce) cans tuna, drained
10 oz. small shell macaroni
1 C frozen peas
½ C chopped sweet onions
¾ C chopped celery
3 T sweet pickle relish
3 medium dill pickles, chopped (optional)
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 C Hellman’s mayo
2 T tarragon vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Add the frozen peas to the pasta just before you take it off the stove to drain in the colander.
• In a large bowl, mix vinegar and mayo. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.
• Refrigerate for about an hour to chill before serving.
Serves 8

I’ve had this recipe copied in my home recipe file for so long I have no idea now where I even got it from, but it’s one of my favorite gumbos.  When fresh okra is in season, definitely give this a try.

1 qt. okra, cut into 1/2 in. pieces    
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs oil
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 qts. water          
1 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
2-3 lbs shrimp    
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup oil           
2 tbs Worcestershire
1/2 cup flour       
2 small boiled crabs
2 medium onions, chopped             
Salt to taste
1 bell pepper, chopped      
1 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
2 ribs celery, chopped      
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

• Peel and devein shrimp. Set aside in refrigerator. Boil shrimp shells in 2 quarts of water several hours to make a stock. Set aside.
• In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tbs oil and saute the okra about 1/2 hour. Set aside.
• In a large (6-8 qt.) heavy Dutch Oven make a dark brown roux with the oil and flour. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic and parsley and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and cook 15 minutes. Add sauteed okra, shrimp stock, crabs (broken into quarters), Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste. Add the peeled shrimp and continue cooking until the shrimp are done.
• Serve over steamed rice. This dish is best if cooked a day in advance and left overnight.

I doubt there’s a pantry in the South without a can of Old Bay Seasoning in it.  I use it in a lot of dishes other than steamed shrimp: as a salt substitute in my tuna salad, and in place of salt and paprika on grilled or broiled chicken.  In this dip, it adds just the right amount of its signature flavor.

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar (6 oz. by weight)
3/4 C good mayonnaise, such as Hellmanns
1 1 /2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat, picked over carefully to remove cartilage
assorted crackers for serving

• In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 of the cheese, the mayonnaise, Old Bay Seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard.  Fold in the crabmeat.  Spoon the mixture into a 1-quart casserole.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and a little additional Old Bay.
• Bake in a 350 oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble around the edges. Serve with crackers or pita chips or bagel chips.

We have a lot of appetizer buffet get-togethers out here on the Cape and Andrea inevitably is asked to bring this flavorful favorite dish as her contribution.  They’re usually the first plate to disappear from the table, so those into arriving ‘fashionably late’ are sure to miss out!

1 stalk celery diced small
1 sm. onion diced small
1/2 small green pepper diced small
1/2 c dried bread crumbs
1 egg 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp prepared mustard (I used Grey Poupon and would add more the next time)
1 tsp seasoned salt
2 c or 1 lb. crab meat  

• Use foil shells or clean and prepare 10 crab shells or use small baking dish.  Spray with Pam.  
• Saute celery, onion, and green pepper in pan with olive oil.  Cool.  
• Mix remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and then mix in sauted vegetables when they are cool.  Place in shells or baking container.  Brush with butter (I topped with fresh bread crumbs and butter). 
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

My friend Pat and I enjoyed a girls afternoon out of day-after-Thanksgiving shopping in Apalach yesterday and we had lunch at my favorite restaurant over there, The Owl Cafe.  I’ve never ordered anything that wasn’t perfectly done, and the clam chowder they served was no exception.  I tracked down the recipe, picked up a sack of fresh clams at Seafood-2-Go and made a batch this morning. Every bit as good as the original.  

If you can find clams still in the shell by all means use them as they really add so much to the flavor of the broth, and since they pop wide open while simmering it’s no trouble at all separating the clam meat.   

3 1/2 C water
5 dozen cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 to 3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 carrots coarsely chopped
1/2 C coarsely chopped onion
2 small celery ribs, coarsely chopped
2 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 1/2 C heavy cream or half and half
1 1/2 C milk
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t dried thyme

• Bring 2 cups of the water to a boil in a large soup pot.  Add half of the clams, cover and cook just until they open, 5 to 8 minutes; remove the clams to a platter as they open.  Return the water to a boil and repeat with the remaining clams.  Strain the clam broth through 4 layers of dampened cheesecloth to remove any sand or grit (or a strainer lined with a coffee filter; slow, but it works in a pinch if you’re out of cheesecloth); reserve 4 cups of the broth.  Remove the clams from the shells and coarsely chop them.
• In a skillet, melt the butter until foamy.  Add the flour and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until the roux is lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, wipe out the soup pot.  Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly brown and crisp, about 6 minutes.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.  Add the carrots, onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 minutes.  Add the potatoes, raise the heat to moderate and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot along with the reserved clam broth, the cream, milk, pepper and thyme. Simmer over low heat until the potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the roux and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Add the clams and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Laddle the clam chowder into soup bowls and serve piping hot.

Serve 8

This soup is reason enough to head for New Orleans.  I can never get enough of it or gumbo when I’m there.

1/2 C butter
2 bunches scallions, sliced thin
3 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 9-oz. pkgs. frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and quartered
  OR 2 14-oz. cans artichoke hearts, washed, drained and quartered
3 T flour
1 1/2 qts. chicken stock or broth (4 cans Swanson workd fine)
cayenne to taste
1 t salt
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t dried thyme
1 qt. oysters, drained and chopped (liquor reserved)
1/3 C dry sherry
1 C half and half
1 C milk

• In a heavy 4 or 5 quart pot melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the scallions, celery and garlic and saute until soft taking care not to let them brown.  Add the artichokes.  Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir to coat the vegetables well, but do not let it brown.
• Gradually add the stock, stirring occasionally.  Add the cayenne, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme.  Simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 hour.
• Add the oysters, oyster liquor, and sherry and simmer for 10 minutes.  Do NOT allow the soup to boil.
• Stir in the cream and milk. Cool and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• Before serving, reheat the soup slowly over low heat.

Serves 8

This is probably Mary Anne’s most requested recipe and she’s kind enough to serve it often. The sauce is fantastic, with a delicious flavor that tastes complicated but which actually goes together in literally seconds.  You’ll find yourself making it frequently as it works so well with so many foods.  Super easy and delicious. 

Sauce:

1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 t minced garlic
salt & freshly ground pepper to tate
1/2 roasted red bell pepper (jarred ones are fine)
1/2 t sweet curry powder

Crab Cakes:

3/4 C bread crumbs
12 oz. lump crabmeat, cleaned
1 jalapeno chili, seeded & chopped
2 t freshly squeezed lime juice (about the juice in 1/2 lime)
2 T cooking oil
1 1/2 T chopped fresh parsley
3 T diced red bell pepper
2 T chopped fresh chives
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

To Make the Sauce:

• Puree the mayonnaise, roasted red bell pepper, garlic and curry powder until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To Prepare the Crab Cakes:

• Combine the bread crumbs and parsley in a small bowl and set aside. Place the crab in a medium bowl. Fold in the red bell pepper, jalapeno, chives, and lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in 1/4 C of the bread crumb mixture and 4 T of the sauce.
• Divide the crab mixture into 18 equal size portions (or whatever number you feel comfortable with depending on the size you wish to make each cake) and form into patties.  Dredge the crab cakes in the remaining bread crumbs. 
• Cook the crab cakes in the cooking oil in a hot saute pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
• Top each crab cake with a small spoonful of the sauce and serve warm.

Serves 6

These make a quick, tasty and nutritious weeknight meal.  Another great way to work those Omega 3′s into your diet!  A dab of freshly made tartare sauce or good mayo makes a nice flavor when serving.   Try a rice pilaf and fresh salad as sides.

1 15-oz. can salmon
1/2 C bread crumbs, plain or flavored
1 stalk celery, finely  minced
3 slices onion, finely minced
2 eggs, slightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste OR substitute Old Bay Seasoning & McCormick Lemon Pepper to taste
EVOO for cooking

• Drain salmon, break up to an even consistency and put in a medium mixing bowl. 
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands, lightly as you would meatloaf so as not to overwork.
• Form into 4 or 5 round  patties.  Preheat a skillet to medium heat, add 2 T EVOO, heat and add patties.
• Cook for 3 minutes per side, remove from pan and serve .

One more oyster recipe in honor of the Apalachicola Seafood Festival which wraps up for another year at noon today.  This is great served with hot crusty, freshly toasted garlic bread.

1 T EVOO
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 t dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 t dried oregano, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t red  pepper sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1 pt. shucked oysters w/liquor
1 C Italian style bread crumbs
2/3 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese (NOT the stuff in the green can)

1. Heat the EVOO in a non-stick skillet.  Add the onion and saute until softened taking care not to let it brown.  Sprinkle lightly with some salt to help soften.  Add the thyme, oregano, garlic, red pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the oysters; heat over medium heat for several minutes.  Add the reserved liquor.  Fold in the bread crumbs.
3. Transfer the mixture to a greased casserole and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.