Steve & I have a godson named Jake. He's the oldest of the four
children of our friends, Kevin & Kirstin.
Jake's a really neat kid, and very special to us. He already knows what he wants to be when he grows up ... a trucker like his Daddy! In fact, he's been on several hauls with Kevin, and he seems to be a natural at it!
But more than anything else in the world, Jake loves to fish! It's a good thing he lives so near the water because he would go fishing every day, if he could. He has many fishing buddies, including his Daddy, PeePaw (who is his great-grandfather), Papaw (his grandfather), his Uncle Steve and his pal, Capt. Joe!
At five years old, he already has more in his tacle box than most
adults, and he knows exactly what each piece is for. And when it's
Christmas or birthday time, nothing pleases him more than a gift card
to the Bass Pro Shop!
Jake's favorite color is blue, his favorite music is the Beach Boys and Alan Jackson, and his favorite fish is a Red Snapper. He has a "hush puppy" dog that he named Fred, for Snowman's dog in his favorite film, Smokey & the Bandit.
Lately, Jake has started a new collection ... seafood recipes! That's
because he could eat fish every day (and usually does!). With anglers
like Jake and Kevin in the family, Kirstin has a freezer FULL of all
kinds of fish.
So I thought it would be fun to give Jake his very own seafood page on Cheddar Bay, and share some of his very favorite recipes. Whenever he gets something new he likes, I'll put it on this page for him. If you'd like to let Jake know what you think of his page, you can email him at: fisherman_jake@cheddarbay.com
Don't forget to check back often, because Jake has many WONDERFUL seafood recipes to share!
APPETIZERS
DEVILED CRAB
(Baked crab in a white sauce topped with homemade breadcrumb topping. Serves 6)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Dry mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
1/8 tsp. White pepper
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 c. Milk
1/4 c. Butter, melted
1 c. Dry Bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients (except for the sauce ingredients and topping).
To make the White Sauce: In the microwave, melt butter in a 4-cup glass measure on High for 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in flour then whisk in the milk. Cook on High for about 3-4 min. or until thickened, stirring carefully after each minute.
Mix sauce into crab meat mixture. Pour into a greased casserole. Mix together melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour or until browned and bubbly. Serve in individual ramekins, crab shells or ceramic shell.
HOT CRAB DIP
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 lb. crabmeat, flaked & picked clean
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 T. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish and lemon juice. Add the crabmeat, salt and pepper; combine well. Place in a lightly greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. (Can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated until baking.) Bake until hot and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with homemade Crostini or mild-flavored crackers. Makes about 3-1/2 cups.
Notes: Both Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard are salty, so go easy on the salt. The mixture will appear very thick when cold, but will thin out during baking. Add a little milk if you prefer a thinner spread. You may keep the dip hot on a chafing dish when serving, or just let it stand at room temperature. If desired, reheat in microwave.
Variations: Sprinkle top with sliced almonds or chopped pecans before baking. Substitute cheddar cheese for the Parmesan. Garnish top with chopped parsley or paprika for color.
SCALLOPS WRAPPED IN BACON
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. scallops
Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap each half around a scallop. Place in broiler pan with bacon ends, tucked under the scallop. Broil for about 10 minutes or until bacon is desired crispness. Serve on platter with toothpicks. Makes about 24-30 appetizers. Hmmmmmm! Double this recipe if using for a party, because they disappear QUICK!!!
ENTREES
BAKED FLOUNDER w/SCALLOP STUFFING
1/2 c. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb. scallops, chopped
salt and pepper
Lemon juice
fine dry breadcrumbs
6 flounder fillets
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. hot water
White Sauce
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 c. milk
Salt & fresh ground pepper
Lemon juice
In a 10-inch skillet, melt the 1/2 cup of butter. Add garlic and onion and saute until onions are translucent. Add scallops and cook 2 or 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Add sufficient bread crumbs to prepare a moist stuffing.
Place each flounder fillet dark-side-up on a flat surface. Placing the scallop stuffing in the center of each fillet, divide evenly among the fillets. Fold both ends of each fillet over the stuffing, overlapping the ends.
Pour the melted butter and the hot water into a 9x12 inch baking dish. Transfer the stuffed fillets to the baking dish and bake 20 minutes while you prepare a white sauce.
WHITE SAUCE: In a small saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in flour. Cook over low heat 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly. Then add milk, and salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Increase heat to medium, whisking constantly until the sauce is thickened. Cook several minutes over low heat, stirring.
When the flounder has baked 20 minutes, pour the white sauce over the stuffed fillets. Return the baking dish to the oven briefly and heat until the sauce begins to bubble.
BAKED LEMON HADDOCK
1 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
1 c. butter, melted
2 T. dried parsley
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Spray an 11x7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut fish into serving-size pieces, and place in the prepared dish.
Combine remaining ingredients; sprinkle over fish. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.
FILLET O' FISH SANDWICH
(like McDonald's!)
2 T. mayannaise
2 tsp. sweet relish
2 tsp. minced onion
Pinch of salt
2 plain hamburger buns
2 Mrs. Paul's square breaded fish
2 slices American Cheese
Tartar Sauce: In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, relish, onion & salt.
Lightly grill the faces of the buns in a skillet. Cook fish as directed on package for frying (not baking).
Spread tartar sauce evening on each of the top buns. Place a slice of cheese on eachof the obttom buns. Place cooked fish on top of the cheese slice on each sandwich. Place top buns on top. Microwave each sandwich on high for 10 seconds.
FISH 'n CHIPS
3 c. dry wheat breakfast cereal squares
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 pkg. garlic ranch dressing mix
1/8 tsp. salt
1 lb. Halibut fillets cut into 3x1-inch strips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Chips, recipe follows
Tartar Sauce, recipe follows
Fill fryer with vegetable oil to its maximum level, or fill a deep pot no more than halfway with the oil. Preheat fryer to 350°.
Fill a gallon resealable plastic bag with 3 cups wheat cereal. Using a rolling pin, lightly crush cereal into small crumbs. Set aside.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour, ranch dressing mix, and salt. Coat fish with seasoned flour mixture then shake off excess flour. Dip in eggs and roll in crushed cereal. Continue with remaining fillets. Carefully add 3 to 4 pieces in fryer and cook until golden brown and crisp. Repeat with remaining fillets.
Serve with tartar sauce and seasoned chips.
1 (1 lb) bag frozen crinkles fries
No-salt "season-all" seasoning spice
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange fries in a single layer on a sheet pan. Sprinkle liberally with seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Seasoning will act as a substitute for ketchup.
1/4 c. sweet relish
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper
In a small dish, strain relish and discard juices. In a separate bowl, combine strained relish with mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice. Stir thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fried halibut.
FRIED CATFISH
Enough catfish fillets for 3-4 per person
1 c. Yellow Corn Meal (to coat the catfish)
2 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Crisco or vegetable cooking oil (to cover fillets)
A deep fryer, or a frying pan
The secret to fried catfish is cooking it at just the right temperature to seal in the moisture and flavor. When you first drop it into the grease you want to seal it and then cook it.
Rinse the fillets thoroughly; pat dry with a paper towel. If using fresh catfish, skin the catfish before washing.
Roll the fillets in a mixture of corn meal and Seasoned Salt. (You can place the corn meal mixture in a plastic bag and just shake the catfish).
Drop into deep fryer at 325 degrees. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with macaroni & cheese, cole slaw and hush puppies.
HAWAIIAN SHRIMP SKEWERS
1/2 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 lb. bay or sea scallops
1 can pineapple chunks in juice
1 green bell pepper, cut into wedges
Bacon slices
Sauce
6 oz barbecue sauce
16 oz salsa
2 T. pineapple juice
2 T. white wine
Blend sauce ingredients until evenly mixed.
Skewer pineapple chunks, shrimp, scallops, bell pepper wedges and folded bacon slices.
Baste skewer evenly on each side and grill, cooking until shrimp are pink in color. Serve with rice.
SIDES
COCKTAIL SAUCE
1 c. of ketchup or chilli sauce
2 T. horseradish
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together in a non-metallic bowl.
HUSH PUPPIES
1/4 c. milk
1 egg
1/2 c. corn meal
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. garlic
1/2 large onion
Combine dry ingredients. Add egg and milk, then add onion. Stir well. Should be the consistency of bread batter. If too thin add more corn meal or flour. Drop by teaspoonful into hot grease. Cook until brown.
POTATO PUPPIES
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed potatoes
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs, well-beaten
Combine flour, pepper, salt & baking powder.
In a bowl, combine potatoes & eggs; then add flour mixture. Stir well. Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot 350° oil. Fry until golden
If you have a fishing site, Jake would love to send you one of his awards (seen below). Just email Jake at fisherman_jake@cheddarbay.com and let us know the URL address of your website.
