Packing tips and seafood recipes for cooking at the beach

My husband and I are heading to the Florida panhandle for a week of rest and relaxation. The Jeep is packed with beach umbrellas and chairs, bathing suits and flip-flops, a bag filled with books and magazines, and what I call “the seafood kitchen basket.”

The basket contains what I deem essential for cooking away from home. In our many years of vacationing at the beach, we’ve never stayed in a place whose kitchen was equipped with good knives, more than two towels, festive napkins or spices of any kind, so I bring all of that. I’m equipped to prepare leisurely breakfasts, sandwich lunches and seafood suppers.

I’ve already scoped out (via the Internet) nearby supermarkets and seafood purveyors. From earlier trips there, I already know about Sweet Home Farm Cheese in Alabama, where we load up with chunks of our favorites — Bama Jack, Perdido, Baldwin Swiss and Elberta — to enjoy during the cocktail hour. Usually the ice chest is packed with a couple of casseroles ready for the oven plus a couple of quarts of crawfish etouffee, but alas, I’ve not had time to prepare ready-to-eat food.

My husband, Rock, always rolls his eyes when I pack the car with enough food, liquor and clothes for a month’s stay. His philosophy on traveling is that “we are not going to a foreign country, the money is the same and there is always a Walmart nearby.”

I also am armed with a small file containing recipes I’ve snipped from Coastal Living magazine and a few seafood recipes from my files.

Barbecued Shrimp

Makes 4 to 6 servings
6 pounds large shrimp, heads on (don’t peel them)
2 sticks butter
3/4 cups olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or more, according to taste)
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
Rinse the shrimp in cool water and drain. Spread the shrimp in a large shallow baking pan. In a saucepan, melt butter, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and marinate for 1 hour. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times with a spatula. Do not overcook. Serve in a soup bowl with lots of hot French bread to sop up the sauce. Bring on the cold beer!
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Although I’m sure we’ll have to pay top dollar for crabmeat, my mouth is watering just thinking of crab cakes. Here are two recipes.

Crab Chops
Makes 6 servings

3 tablespoons butter
3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
20 saltine crackers, finely crumbled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
Cracker meal or bread crumbs for dredging
Butter and vegetable oil for frying

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Alternate adding the flour and milk, stirring constantly to make a smooth, thick bechamel sauce. Remove from heat. Add crabmeat, saltine cracker crumbs, egg, salt, cayenne and Tabasco. Gently mix together and chill mixture in refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Gently shape the mixture into 6 patties. Dredge them in the cracker meal or bread crumbs, coating completely and evenly.
Put about 1/2 inch of equal parts butter and vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties 2 or 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with tartar sauce.
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These crab cakes are bound with mayonnaise and buttery-style crackers. My husband likes these for brunch, topped with fried or poached eggs drizzled with hollandaise sauce.

Maryland-style Crab Cakes
Makes 6 to 8 servings

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttery cracker crumbs (such as Ritz, Captain’s Wafers or Escort), plus more
for dredging
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
Vegetable oil

Heat the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until soft and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
Combine mayonnaise, Worcestershire, mustard, parsley, Old Bay, baking powder, salt, egg, 1 cup of the cracker crumbs and the crabmeat in a large mixing bowl. Add the onions and bell peppers and gently mix to blend well.
Form the mixture into 6 or 8 plump patties and dredge in more of the cracker crumbs. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry, turning once, until evenly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and serve warm. (You can also bake them in a preheated 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes.)
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Before we unpack the car, Rock is usually off and running to the nearest seafood market to find trout, redfish or grouper to make these roulades.

Fish Roulades
Makes 6 servings

6 fillets of firm white fish such as trout, redfish or grouper, 6 to 8 ounces each
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and chopped
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined) or 1 pound lump crabmeat (picked over for shells and cartilage)
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup fine dried bread crumbs (more or less as needed)
1 cup half-and-half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently pound the fillets a bit to make them lie flat. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp or crabmeat and basil, and season with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add 3/4 cup of the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add bread crumbs and stir so that the mixture binds together. Remove from heat and cool.
Place a tablespoon or so of the mixture on top of the fish fillet and roll up like a jelly roll. (You may have to use a toothpick to hold the roll together.)
Place the roulades in a baking pan with the remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and the half-and half.
Dot with the remaining butter. Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce or citrus butter sauce.

Citrus Butter
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chips
Salt and cayenne to taste

Combine citrus juices, white wine, shallots, thyme and peppercorns in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce again by half. Whisk in the cold butter, a little at a time, allowing the butter to melt before adding more. Strain through a fine sieve. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.

Source: nola.com

Fish & Seafood with Bill & Sheila

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