The surprise snowstorm earlier this week had me dreaming about spring break and warm weather.
Heather Holland
Nothing tastes better than fresh seafood while in the south, and my family and I had our share while visiting the Florida Keys in March.
I had a phenomenal Lobster Ruben at Parrotdise Waterfront Bar and Grille in Little Torch Key that was my favorite meal of the entire trip. If you like a traditional or California-style ruben, this is the sandwich for you.
These seafood dishes are easy to make, just be sure to use the freshest fish you can afford.
Lobster Ruben
2 slices sourdough bread
2 oz Thousand Island dressing
3 oz coleslaw
2 slices Swiss cheese
1 oz banana peppers
1 oz butter
6 oz breaded and fried lobster meat
Butter and grill bread on griddle. Dress both slices of bread with Thousand Island dressing. Top with coleslaw, cheese and banana peppers. Dice lobster meat and add to one half of the sandwich and close both ends. Cut in half and serve.
Williams Sonoma Crab Cakes
3 or 4 slices French or Italian bread
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup minced green onions
1 lb. fresh cooked lump crabmeat
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
Cayenne pepper, to taste
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Lemon wedges, for serving
Remove the crusts from the bread and discard. Cut or tear the bread into small pieces and put into a food processor fitted with the metal blade or into a blender. Pulse a few times to make coarse crumbs. You should end up with about 2 cups. Place the crumbs in a large bowl and set aside.
In a small sauté pan over low heat, melt 1 tbsp. of the butter. Add the green onions and sauté until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onions to the bread crumbs along with the crabmeat and parsley. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream and eggs until well blended. Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper. Slowly add to the crab mixture, stirring continuously so the bread crumbs are evenly moistened. Form into eight or 12 oval or round cakes about 1 inch thick. Put the flour on a plate or on a piece of waxed paper. Lightly and evenly coat each crab cake with the flour, shaking off any excess.
In a large sauté pan or fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter with the vegetable oil. When hot, fry the cakes in batches, turning once, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a warmed plate and keep warm until all the cakes are cooked. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Brandon Moore’s Lemon Apple Salmon
2 salmon steaks
1 ½ cups lemon juice
½ cup red delicious apples, cubed
Cook in skillet on medium heat. Cover salmon in apple and lemon juice mixture. Cover and flip salmon halfway through. Cook approximately 15 minutes.
Matt and Wendy’s Shrimp Scampi
2 pounds shrimp
8 tablespoons butter
4 large cloves garlic
4 tablespoons dry vermouth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 teaspoons flour
Dash of lemon juice (½ of a lemon)
1 pound linguine (or pasta of choice)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cook linguine according to package directions (al dente). Rinse, peel and de-vein the shrimp in cold water. Dry on paper towels. Sauté garlic and parsley in butter and oil for 1 to 2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic brown.
Add the vermouth, and then shrimp. Raise heat to medium-high and cook for 3 to 5 minutes stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
Add flour to slightly thicken the garlic butter. Add the lemon juice during the last minute of cooking. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
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