Haddock with Ginger and Lime

Haddock with Ginger and Lime

1 cup water or chicken stock

4 haddock fillets

2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

1 Tbsp. honey

Italian parsley

Lime zest

In a medium sauté pan add 1 cup liquid and bring to a boil. Add haddock and lower heat to a simmer. Poach fish for 2-3 minutes per side, until fish is cooked. In a small dish, combine cornstarch and ¼ cup water. Stir to completely dissolve cornstarch. When haddock is finished cooking, remove from pan. Add ginger, lime, honey and cornstarch mixture to pan. Return pan to medium heat and stir until thickened and reduced by about ½. Spoon ginger sauce over haddock and serve. Garnish with lime zest and Italian parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info:

Calories 219; total fat 2 grams; saturated fat .3 grams; % calories from fat 7%; cholesterol 110 mg; carbohydrate 14 grams; protein 37 grams; fiber 1 gram

Angel Hair Shrimp

1/2 lb. Angel Hair Pasta
1 lb. shrimp, shelled, cleaned & cooked
1 stick butter, cut into chunks
1 Tbl. Minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 Tbl. flour
1 cup half & half
1 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package. In a large frying pan melt butter. Add garlic. On medium high heat saute until lightly browned. Add flour. Stirring constantly, cook for about 1 minute. Stir in half & half and basil. Heat until sauce starts to thicken. Add shrimp, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat until bubbly hot. Serve over pasta. Serves 4-6

Changes - I originally found two recipes for shrimp with sauce. One was served over Angel Hair, the other was served on it's own. I didn't like some of the ingredients in the Angel Hair recipe and I didn't like some of the recipes in the other recipe. So I decided to Think With My Taste Buds and pulled the ingredients I liked in each and combined them coming up with the above recipe. I did use store bought, pre-cooked and cleaned shrimp which cut the time for making this dish down to just a few minutes. I used fresh basil from my window garden but you can use dried but cut the amount in half. The half & half made the sauce so rich and creamy. I think the only change I would make to this would be to pour everything into a baking dish, top with a few panko bread crumbs and bake until hot. You could add a little cheese but this is really good as it is.

Crab Pesto

1 envelope dried Pesto mix
8 oz. pasta
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg (1 lb.) imitation crab meat, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix Pesto according to package. Cook pasta until tender. In a large bowl toss pasta, Pesto, olives, mayonnaise and imitation crab meat. Transfer to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with cheese. Bake until cheese melts.

I love Pesto and I love pasta salads but have never tried combining the two. The idea came to me in steps as I started making up my Pesto to go over some spaghetti. I first decided to add the black olives and then added a little mayonnaise to thicken and allow the pesto to stick a little better to the pasta. Then I spotted a package of imitation crab meat. It sounded pretty good so why not? Then I thought about adding the cheese and allowing it to melt. I have a best friend, Dusty, who loves any seafood and any pasta dish so she and her husband were perfect to test this one on. She called me later to tell me that it was perfect just the way it was but her husband Richard decided to spice it up by adding a little garlic and onion powder to his. The only other thing I might try adding would be some French fried onions on top of the cheese while melting. You can also use real crab or shrimp.

Shrimp Casserole

3/4 cups uncooked white rice
3/4 lb. medium size raw shrimp
1/4 cup butter
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to package. Peel and devein shrimp. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onions, celery and garlic. Sauté 10-12 minutes or until tender. Stir in soup, shrimp, salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Combine shrimp mix and rice. Pour into a 8 x 8 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese melts. Serves 4 - 6

Changes - Use cream of celery or cream of shrimp soup instead of mushroom. Use 1 1/2 cups of cooked chopped chicken instead of shrimp. When using chicken, you might want to use cream of chicken soup. You can also make this dish using imitation crab meat or tuna.

Seafood Chowder

2 cans cream of potato soup
2 can cream of celery soup (or 1 can cream of celery and 1 can cream of cheddar)
3 cups half and half
1 1/2 Tbl. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 lb. cooked peeled shrimp
1 lb. crab meat or imitation crab, chopped
1 small can clams, with juice
1/2 cup butter
salt & pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan over low heat stir together all ingredients. Simmer over low heat until hot. Serves 6

Changes - You can add sautéed onions and/or bell peppers. You can use bay scallops as a substitute the shrimp, crab or clams or even as an addition. If the soup becomes a little thicker than you want, add enough milk to thin it to your desired thickness. This is a great dish for any time of the year but especially on those cold winter nights.

Shrimp & Grits

2 cups cooked, cold grits
Egg wash, 1 egg beaten with 3 Tbl. water
2 Tbl. bacon drippings
2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and cooked
1 cup half and half
1 Tbl. cornstarch
2 Tbl. seafood seasonings (Old Bay, etc.)
1/4 cup white wine (or fat free chicken broth)

Cook the grits according to the package directions for making 2 cups. Pour into a shallow pan, refrigerate uncovered until completely cold.

In a large skillet heat bacon drippings on med. high. Cut grits into squares or wedges. Carefully dip into egg wash and place in skillet. Fry on both sides until lightly browned. In a saucepan combine Half and Half, cornstarch, seafood seasoning and wine. Cook on med. high until the sauce becomes slightly thickened stirring often. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp to sauce and simmer 2 more minutes. Place grit squares on a platter and pour sauce over.

Changes - You don't have to fry the grits but you will loose some of the taste if you don't. And for those of you who don't like good old southern grits, try this using rice or small size pasta such as elbow macaroni. Or one of my favorite orzo.

Shrimp Alfredo

1/2 lb. linguine, uncooked
2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 lb. uncooked , deveined, peeled shrimp
3 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese for serving

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Heat Vinaigrette in a large skillet on med. heat. Add shrimp. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Add garlic for the last minute of cooking. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon. Add cream cheese and broth to the skillet. Cook until the cream cheese is completely melted stirring frequently. Add shredded cheese and shrimp. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Toss to coat. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Changes - This is another dish I found while looking through a magazine. I made this and it's great but I did make it a 2nd time with some changes. I used the 1/2 lb. of shrimp, added a 16 oz. pkg of imitation crab meat, increased the chicken broth to 1 full cup and added 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. This one was just as good with more flavors. You can also add a can of drained crab meat or clams. Or change the dressing to Italian. A good one to get imaginative with.

Salmon Rolls

Salmon Rolls

1 refrigerator pie crust
1 can salmon
4 Tbl. milk
2 Tbl. lemon juice
2 Tbl. chopped onions
1 1/2 Tbl. chopped parsley
1 can condensed clam chowder soup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a piece of waxed paper dusted with flour lay out pie crust. Trim off edges of crust creating a rectangle and set aside. In a bowl flake salmon (be sure to remove skin). Add milk, lemon juice, onions and parsley. Spread evenly over dough. Roll up like a jelly roll. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 30 minutes. Cool slightly before slicing. Spoon heated soup over each slice when served.

Changes - Use crab meat or tuna instead of salmon. Use cream of shrimp soup instead of clam. Add chopped celery and/or bell peppers to salmon.