Seafood Bake

   Lately I've been on a big seafood kick. For me, that usually means lots of shellfish. As far as I'm concerned, you just can't go wrong with shrimp and crab.

  The only problem is they can be quite fiddly, without a big payoff. Peeling shrimp and picking tiny bits of crab out of their shells...not the easy throw-together meal I was thinking of. But then I decided a casserole might be just the thing. Nothing too difficult, nothing too fiddly. Just something that is quick to assemble but still with a big payoff. 

 To make things easy, I used already peeled and deveined shrimp, and imitation crab. The rest of the ingredients were just regular items that you might already have in your pantry. 

 The whole thing came together in a matter of minutes, and guess what? It was DELICIOUS! 

I took inspiration from a recipe on a blog called Food52 but I didn't do it exactly as they had written it. (shocker, I know haha) I'm SO please with how it turned out!

 Now, I will say it does have lots of butter in it which makes it very rich, but you can scale it back and lighten it up a little, if you like. It's your kitchen, you do you! 

Hope you like it! 

 

 

 

1 stick butter, divided
2 ribs celery, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 (10oz) can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Old Bay Seasoning to taste
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1 lb lump or imitation crab meat
1 sleeve butter crackers, crushed

 

 

Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish. Set aside. 
Melt 4 tbs of butter in a skillet. Add celery, peppers, and onions. Saute until they begin to soften. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the soup, sour cream, and spices. Add the sautéed veggies. Gently stir in the shrimp and crab. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. In a small bowl, melt the remaining butter and stir together with the crushed crackers. Remove casserole from oven, remove cover. Sprinkle the casserole with the buttered cracker crumbs. Place back into the oven, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the crackers are golden brown. Serve with rice or rice pilaf and/or a nice crisp tossed salad.


 

Tips:
Wanna add other types of seafood? Go for it! I think scallops would be a great addition, and definitely lobster, if you’re feeling a little bougie!  I would even add small chunks of cod. By the same token, feel free to omit anything you don’t like. Not a fan of crab? Just use shrimp! Not a fan of shrimp? Just use crab!
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Baked Crab Dip

  Here's a super simple party dip that is perfect for all of your party hosting. It's easy enough to quickly throw together, and it's perfect for your next game day or movie night when you want something other than the same old wings. I like to serve it with butter crackers, but it's also fabulous when served with a hearty chip or even spread on slices of toasted baguette. It's also easy to make it in advance, and then pop it in the oven when it's time for guests. 

 Keep this one in your in your back pocket anytime you need a quick dip.

It's always a big hit! Love. 

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Old Bay® seasoning
1 tsp paprika (not smoked)
1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese, plus more 
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
1 lb lump crab or imitation crab meat

 

 

Simply stir together all ingredients except the crab. Be sure everything is well combined. 

Now, VERY GENTLY fold in your lumps of crab meat so as not to break them up. You want them to stay intact as much as possible. If you're using imitation crab meat, just chop it up slightly or shred it before mixing in. Taste it and adjust seasoning if needed. Pour into a casserole dish, then top with a little more shredded cheese. Place in a 350ºF oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, toasted baguettes, or bagel chips. 

 

 

Tips:

First, and foremost... SHRED YOUR OWN CHEESE. Like, from a block. Do not get the bag of pre shredded!!! It has a coating on it to keep it from clumping, and it just doesn't melt the same. Just buy a block of cheese and spend an extra two minutes shredding it by hand, or use one of those handy dandy rotary graters. It makes a world of difference! Have I ever lied to you before?

The other big tip is to make sure to include the lemon juice. Usually, I'm a little hesitant to add too much lemon in my cooking because thats all I can taste. In this case, however, it noticeably brightens up the flavor, so much so that I think it's one of the key flavor notes. Don't skip it!

Also be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you start. It just makes the mixing that much easier. 

And finally, feel free to use lump crab meant, but if that's too big of a splurge, imitation crab is great too. I usually don't mention specific brand names, but this time, I think it's warranted. I've tried several kinds of imitation crab meat and I think Gadre Surimi Style Snow Legs are the best. I just think they have the best crab flavor! Just sayin'!

Crab and Corn Chowder

 

 

 

 Every summer, all I want to eat is fresh Jersey produce. And if I’m not eating that, all I want to eat is seafood. So I figured, why not make both?
This recipe pairs fresh sweet Jersey corn with luxurious lump crab meat. It's a match made in culinary heaven! It's also rich and decadent but still light at the same time. It works perfectly as a first course as well as a main dish. Serve it with a crisp leafy salad, or better yet, some warm crusty bread. 
It just doesn't get any better! 




5 strips of bacon, cut into lardons
1 small onion, finely diced
3 ribs of celery, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups any kind of stock (chicken, seafood, vegetable, etc)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, or more to taste
3 cups corn, preferably fresh, about 3-4 ears)
1 pint half and half or heavy cream, plus more to taste
1 lb imitation or fresh lump crab meat
Chopped chives or green onions, for garnish


In a large pot, cook the bacon lardons over medium heat. When the fat is begins to render, add the onions, celery, peppers, and potatoes. Stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Now add the wine, stock, salt, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a low simmer. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the corn, give it a good stir, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Now add the half and half and crab meat. Gently stir and bring it back up to heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Garnish with chopped chives or green onions, if desired. Serve with saltines, oyster crackers, or warm crusty bread. 

Tips:
This recipe is perfectly adaptable to fit whatever ingredients you have on hand. The ingredients and amounts are just guidelines. For the bacon, any kind will work. Thick, thin, pancetta, guanciale, anything. For the aromatics, any kind of onions, any color bell pepper, any kind of starchy potato. And feel free to add as much as you like. Do you like a lot of potatoes? Add a lot of potatoes! Same goes for the stock. What kind do you have? Chicken stock? Perfect. Shrimp or seafood stock? Great. I made a stock from the fresh corn cobs and it was fabulous. You could even use bouillon. You do you! For the dairy, I used half and half because I think it’s the sweet spot between milk and heavy cream. If you only have heavy cream, go for it! If you want to use regular milk, I’d add a little melted butter, just to keep it nice and rich and velvety. 
For the crab, I'm fine with using imitation. I usually don’t mention specific brands, but in this case, my favorite is Gadre Surimi Style Snow Legs. But if you feel compelled to use fresh lump crab, all the better! Just be VERY gentle when stirring it into the soup so you can keep all those gorgeous lumps intact! Wanna add other seafood like shrimp or lobster? Why not?! 

Btw, not only is this a great chowder, but it's also fabulous as a pasta sauce. Just leave out the potatoes, and toss it with your favorite cooked pasta! Oooo.. that sounds kind of fabulous, actually. 

I think I need to make another batch!

Joey's Baked Crab and Corn Dip

  Usually, in January, I try to post recipes that are great for a party. Although I'm not a fan of football, I can appreciate a good party with lots of great food, so I figured I'd come up with a dip for you and your friends to enjoy while watching the game.
 My starting point was the idea of doing a creamy baked corn dip, but I didn't want it to be the same old Southwest sort of thing that has cheddar cheese and jalapenos in it. Then My Kristin suggested adding crab. Oh YUM!  Actually, I've been in kind of a seafood mood lately anyway, so this was perfect! I just grabbed a few other ingredients that I happened to have on hand, and here we are!
 It's actually kind of light, and not so rich as some dips that are laden with sour cream, mayonnaise, and shredded cheese. And it has a slight sweet/savory sort of hit that is a really nice change from all the hot sauce and wings.
 So the next time you have the gang over to watch the big game, or even if you're not, you should definitely add this one to your party repertoire. It's a winner!



1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
3 scallions, chopped
2 heaping tbs mayonnaise
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
12 oz (or more) imitation crab (or the real deal)
1 can whole corn, drained
sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, if desired
sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley for garnish, if desired


Using an electric mixer, blend the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in crab and corn. Place in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using. Bake at 350ºF for about 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with Scoops tortilla chips or your choice of chips or crackers.


Tips:
If you're using real lump crab meat, you really don't want to break up those gorgeous delicious lumps, so just gently fold them in. However, if you're using the imitation crab, you can just throw everything in the bowl and mix it up. They usually come in large chunks, so it's actually better to break them down a bit.
If you like a lot of something, add a lot! Want more crab? Want to add baby shrimp? Go for it!
For the photo, I didn't add the sprinkling of Parmesan cheese over the top, but I think it's a good addition because that salty note goes well to balance the sweetness of the corn and crab.
Also thanx to My Jeanie for the new casserole dishes!

Seafood Salad

Some people don't enjoy imitation crab meat, but I've always loved it. It's a good choice for people who have an allergy to crab because it's made from fish, usually Alaska Pollock, Snow Cod, or Whiting. No, I didn't know this off the top of my head. I looked it up, silly. Actually, I found it to be quite interesting. In order to make the faux crab, they mince the fish into a fine paste which is called Surimi, which means "minced fish" in Japanese. Then they cook it and add other ingredients to it to make it look and taste like crab. Usually, I just make seafood salad with it, but you can use it for a million other things. Well, it'll basically work with any recipe calling for crab meat. Makes sense, right? Use it for casseroles or quiches, salads or dips, or simply enjoy it on a sandwich with some leafy lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a little spritz of lemon. This is how I make seafood salad, but you can switch it up any way you please.
Enjoy!


2 cups imitation crab
1 4oz can medium shrimp, drained
1-2 scallions, chopped
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh herbs, such as dill or basil
salt and pepper
garlic powder
mayonnaise


Break up the pieces of crab and stir together with all the other ingredients. If you have a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment, just put everything in the mixing bowl and the paddle will break up the crab pieces while it stirs everything together. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Tip:
Use any kind of onion, or fresh herbs or even mustard to give it your own flair. Also feel free to vary the seafood. You can do just imitation crab or just shrimp or add any other types of diced cooked seafood.
These amounts are just guidelines. Use the Cass Quaile Method to decide how much of everything to add. In this case, she'd probably say "Do you like a lot of celery? Add a lot of celery. Do you like a lot of mayonnaise? Add a lot of mayonnaise."

Hot Crab Dip

Here's a quick and easy party dip. It only takes a few minutes to mix together and it's always a crowd pleaser. Serve it up with some Triscuits or other hearty crackers of your choice. Scrumptious!

8 oz cream cheese
2 tbs finely minced onion (or scallions)
1 tbs milk
2 tsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 (6 oz) cans crab meat, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a mixer, combine all ingredients except crab meat until well mixed. Stir in crab meat. Pour into a shallow casserole dish or pie plate. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with your choice of crackers.

Tip:
The key to this dip is the horseradish. Feel free to add more, if that should suit your tastes.