Easy Seaside Shrimp Spread

My mother used to make this recipe and it is so easy and so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 2 6-oz. cans tiny shrimp, drained
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 onion, finely chopped or grated
• carrot and celery sticks or snack crackers

Directions:

With an electric mixer on low, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in onions and Worcestershire. Mash shrimp with a fork; combine with cream cheese mixture and mix well. Serve with vegetables or crackers. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

Crab and Chorizo Fritters

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped dry-cured link chorizo (about 2.2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons sofrito*
• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat
• Canola oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Bring 1 cup water, butter, and salt to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until butter melts and salt dissolves. Add flour and cumin. Stir vigorously 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in chopped chorizo and sofrito. Gently stir in crabmeat.
2. Pour enough oil into heavy large saucepan to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 375°F. Working in batches, spoon dough carefully into oil by tablespoonfuls, flattening slightly with back of metal spatula. Fry fritters until cooked through and brown on both sides, turning once, and adding more oil as needed, about 5 minutes total.
3. Transfer fritters to paper towels to drain; serve.

*A Caribbean cooking base usually made of tomato paste, onions, peppers, and spices; it's available at Cuban markets and at goya.com.

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com

Watermelon and Scallop Ceviche

This recipe for watermelon ceviche from honestfare is just divine!

Prep time: 30 minutes. Cook time: about 2 hours marinating. Serves 3-4. Substitute with a soft fish of your liking if you prefer. Be sure to marinate protein until opaque and cooked through from the citrus. If using shrimp, it’s important to flash steam them until just pink before marinating.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bay scallops
• 1 cup lightly steamed and chopped shrimp
• 2 green cubanelle peppers sliced paper thin
• 1 1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced paper thin
• 1 1/4 cup pinkish white part of watermelon rind sliced in 1/4 inch think pieces
• 1/4 cup onion finely diced
• 1 shallot finely diced
• 1/4 cup scallions diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Diced jalepeño to taste
• Juice from 5 limes and 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Chop cubanelle pepper,tomatoes, onion, jalepeño, shallots and scallion paper thin. Roughly chop cilantro. Combine in large bowl and set aside.
2. Cut some watermelon into slices like you typically would and then cut away the sweet bright pink portion and reserve for some other use. Cut a strip (an inch or so thick) of the light pink/transparent white portion that sits about ¼ an inch above the green rind. Refer to image in post. Chop your light pink watermelon rind into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Add 1/2 cup rind to bowl of veggies and set rest of rind aside.
3. Clean and steam the shrimp until just pink. Remove from heat and run under cold water. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Rinse bay scallops and set aside.
4. Juice limes and lemon into a bowl. Add rice vinegar sugar and salt. Stir to disolve. Toss in scallops and shrimp. Add to bowl of veggies. Also add garlic powder and black pepper. Toss well.
5. Make sure all fish is submerged in juices, cover and allow to marinate in fridge for about 2 hours or until scallops are cooked through. (If substituting scallops with a more delicate fish, less marinating will probably be required to cook through.)
6. Once cooked through, add remaining watermelon rind, toss and enjoy!

Shrimp Cocktail with Lemon Dipping Sauce

This recipe would make a great appetizer for your Thanksgiving feast!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds pre-cooked shelled extra-large shrimp

Spicy Lemon Pepper Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning, salt free
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk thoroughly. Pour into small serving bowl. Serve chilled shrimp with dipping sauce on the side.

Courtesy of Food Network

Seafood Cioppino

Here is a fantastic and highly regarded recipe for classic Seafood Cioppino from Allrecipes.com.

Some reviews:

"This is without a doubt the best meal I have ever made. I made it for my family for mother's day and everyone loved it. I followed the recipe exactly and while this recipe is very adaptable, I wouldn't change a thing. Make sure to have bread for soaking the broth and have two big bowls for discarding the shells and tails."

"This is an amazing and perfect recipe. Didn't change a thing."
 
"I made this for Christmas eve and it was a huge hit with everyone! It was delicious and I had lots of leftovers. Will definitely make again."


Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
  
• 2 onions, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
  
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
  
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined
  
• 1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
  
• 18 small clams
  
• 18 mussels, cleaned and debearded
  
• 1 1/2 cups crabmeat
  
• 1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed
  

Directions

1. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot, add onions, garlic and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.
   
2. Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you add them). Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
   
3. Stir in the shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and crabmeat. Stir in fish, if desired. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until clams open. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread!