Saturday, August 14, 2010

Crab Stuffed Flounder and Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs

This year in Ocean City our family decided that everyone would have a different night to cook. I had Wednesday night and Denis and I made a fish dinner. I have never cooked flounder before because I'm not a huge fan but this was really delish. It was tough because I had to change the recipe for 12 people (I multiplied it by 3). The fillets that we had were thin so instead of cutting pockets as the recipe calls for I rolled them with the crab stuffing on the inside and baked it like a casserole, there was also some extra stuffing so I spread that on top too. Even though I didn't cut pockets in the fillets I included the original recipe below. The tomatoes we made were really easy and really tasty I would definitely make them again. We also served some oven fries with old bay and garlic cheese bread on the side.

Paula Deen

Ingredients

2 (10-ounce ) flounder fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Uncle Bubba's Crab Cake Mix, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Cooking Spray
1 (1-inch) slice of Crab Butter, recipe follows
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle flounder with salt and pepper. Using a fillet knife, carefully open the flounder by cutting along the left and right sides of the seam down the middle of the fish to make pockets. Lay cut sides back.

Stuff the flounder with the Crab Cake Mix, and press the sides down to cover the filling. Sprinkle with paprika.

Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place the fish in the dish and bake for 20 minutes. Without removing the dish from the oven, turn the oven to broil and broil for 5 additional minutes. When the fish is done, remove it from the oven. Slice a medallion of crab butter and place it on top of the grilled fish. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top for added color.

Crab Cake Mix

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 green onions, green tops, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 small green pepper, finley chopped
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 garlic powder
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
10 saltine crackers, crumbled medium to fine
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked clean of shells
1/2 pound claw crabmeat, picked clean of shells
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and saute the onions, garlic, parsley and peppers until soft. Let cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, heavy cream, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise together. Gently mix in saltine crackers and crabmeat. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside to stuff in flounder.

Yield: 24 ounces

Crab Butter

2 ounces claw crabmeat, picked clean of shells
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon seafood base
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Fold the crab, butter, seafood base, and onions together in a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Remove from the bowl and shape into a log on a piece of parchment paper. Roll up and place in the freezer. Reserve for flounder.


Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients

12 Roma tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 lenghtwise
1/4 cups olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup finely crumbled Gorgonzola or grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a teaspoon or grapefruit spoon, remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Place the tomato halves, cut side down, on paper towels to drain, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Using clean hands, gently toss the drained tomato halves in the oil mixture until coated. Marinate the tomatoes for 10 minutes.

In a small mix together the bread crumbs and Gorgonzola cheese.

Place the marinated tomato halves, cut side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Fill each tomato half with te bread crumb filling. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly softened and the underside of the tomatoes are brown.

Arrange the cooked tomatoes on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Beach Cookies

Since I have not been posting a lot lately (too many days at the beach) I am doing two posts today. I made these cookies for our family vacation at the Jersey Shore. Next summer I'm adding anchors and lighthouses!

Sailboats....
Crabs and Lobsters....
Shells....
Dolphins and Friendly Sharks....
and Seagulls.








A few of my favorite things....Nautical

I am obsessed with all things Nautical!! So since its August and we just got back from our family vacation I thought I would share some great pieces that are nautical and beach inspired.

FavorIdeas.com

I think this is a great idea for a beach/nautical themed centerpiece. You can even add some more shells, beach stones, or even some beach glass. To make it more nautical you could change the table cloth to Navy or White with navy stripes.



Happynotesandmore.net

This plate is called the "Preppy Crab" I just had to add this to the post.

Blue Crab Bay Co.

I found these placecard holders on a great site that is located on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. Lots of great seafood ideas, recipes and prepared products.

CookingEnthusiast.com

I love these, although I wish there was an anchor, I'm slightly obsessed with them. I didn't post any anchors, because I couldn't find any that were kitchen related and post-worthy.


Newport Nautical Decor

The starfish plates are a little more expensive, but you get a set of 12 large and medium starfish plates. Perfect for the below tablescape on the beach.




Pottery Barn

I know this is the second set of placecard holders I've posted but I couldn't help myself! I love them!

Martha Stewart Beach Themed Tablescape

The beach is my favorite place on Earth, and nothing beats a dinner party with this kind of backdrop. I thought this tablescape was so pretty with the small accents of red coral and the candle light. This is prefect!