Swai with Fig Couscous

Drizzle pan with olive oil

1 pack of Trader Joe’s Vera Cruz marinated white fish. Mild swai fillets in an olive oil marinade with tomatoes, green olives, chiles, onions and capers.

1 cup couscous

1 tablespoon of butter

1 teaspoon sun dried tomatoes

1 teaspoon pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon pine nuts

1 teaspoon mixed beryani spices (cardamom, black pepper, cassia whole, cloves, mace, bay leaves, fennel, cumin)

12 figs drizzled with honey

1/2 cup of water

Bake in the oven 25 minutes at 375 degrees

Creole Shrimp Gumbo

Probably south Louisiana’s most famous dish, there are almost as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks in south Louisiana. It is often made with leftovers or whatever is on hand in the kitchen: chicken, susage, duck, shrimp, or a combination of seafoods. The powder or okra as a thickener or it may be used as broth. File is made from ground sassafras leaves. It was used by the Choctaw Indians who lived in Louisiana. File is never put into the gumbo until the last minute of cooking. Boiling the gumbo after the file has been added will cause the gumbo to get stringy. For a casual party, make a big stockpot of gumbo, a big green salad, some crusty garlic bread, a pecan pie and be prepared for  a wonderful evening filled with fun and compliments

Creole Shrimp Gumbo

1 1/2 of shrimp

1 package of chicken, skinless boneless breast

3 quarts of water

1 cup of celery, cut into chunks

1 cup green onions, diced reserve some for garnish

1 cup of bell peppers

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

4 Tablespoons of flour

4 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons of butter

1/4 chopped parsley

1 lb of fresh sliced okra (may use frozen)

1/4 teaspoon  cayenne pepper , or to taste

1/4  teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 pound crabmeat

1 Tablespoon file powder, (optional)

4 cups of freshly made fluffy white rice

Yankee Style New England Clambake

From the Kitchen of: Jessica Brainard

Yankee Style New England Clambake

Traditional New England Clambake shore dinner for an enthusiastic crowd, Yankee Style.

The Fire:

Dig a 4 foot deep by 6 foot wide shallow pit in the sand on the beach. Wide enough to hold food for the size of your crowd. Gather Rocks, firewood, and seaweed. Line pit with stones, about the size of a head of lettuce, and build a bumper blazing fire in the  pit alternating firewood with more stones. The stones are heat and settle as fire burns down.  Light a fire and put the large rocks in the pit, let the fire burn for 4 hours. The heat in the stones must cook your clam dinner so get ’em HOT! While the fire burns, get your food ready. When the fire is ready, rake off embers, then cover stones with 6 to 8 inches of seaweed (rock weed’s dandy). Place the chicken wire over the pit. Cover the chicken wire with seaweed. Pile on food  clams first, then another layer of seaweed, lobsters, more seaweed, corn, potatoes, onions, and a final layer of seaweed. Cover with a tarp, wet burlap, or wet canvas. fasten edges down with stones, and pile sand on top to hold in the steam. You can also put the food into the potato sack (the old mesh style kind not the plastic kind). Leave the husk on the corn while cooking then remove the husk after cooking.

HUSK: Remove the stem and leaves with a knife. Seal with large canvas material and or a tarp and place large rocks on top so it won’t blow off. Let it steam for 1 hour. Season with pepper, salt & butter. Doneness test; Open the shell of the nearest lobster. If he’s ready so is the whole bake. Now open up the  with a little Yankee fanfare-pink lobsters, corn in husk, flavorful onions. Serve clams and lobsters with melted butter (in a clam shell for real atmosphere) Offer crisp relishes, and always watermelon, and complete your meal with potato salad or a tossed salad, toasted buttered rolls, and warm apple pie…This is great for coastal style family reunions. Check the weather report to make sure rain is not in the forecast.

Materials

1. Rocks/Hot Stones
2. Firewood
3. Lighter fluid
4. Large Canvas
5. Seaweed
6. Chicken wire
7. Potato sacks
8. Charcoal
9. Tarpaulin

INGREDIENTS

• Clams; Scrub well use sea water, if your near the ocean making sure all the sand is removed from the shells. Allow 2 quarts of clams for each hungry guest. (a bushel serves 15.)
• Oysters
• Fish; wrapped in paper, foil, or leaves to hold its shape and flavor.
• Lobster; Allow one pegged live lobster for each person.
• Corn; Strip back husks and remove the silk and replace husks.
• Sweet Potatoes; Use medium sweet potatoes, well-scrubbed. You bake em in their jackets.
• Crab;
• Sausage or franks; wrapped in foil or paper to keep fat from running on other foods.
• Onions; Baked in their skins.
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper

 

Savory Basting Sauce

1-cup of melted butter

2-Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

3- cloves of minced garlic

1/4 Tablespoons of crushed Red Pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Baste seafood, chicken, steaks or vegetables for grilling or broiling.

Seasoned Salmon Steaks

6-Salmon steaks (1 inch thick)

1/2-cup of butter

2- tablespoons

2-Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning

3-Tablespoons of lemon juice

1/2-Teaspoons of garlic powder

1/2 Teaspoons of grated lemon peel

a dash of cayenne pepper

HUSH PUPPIES

3 Cups of white or yellow corn meal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups of buttermilk

2/3 cups of water

Combine dry ingredients and onion. Add buttermilk and water. Stir just until corn-meal mixture is moistened. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls into deep hot fat or into a skillet used to fry fish. Fry till golden brown, turning once about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Service at once. Makes 70-80. Down South, you’d choose white corn meal…