Wednesday's Chow - Baked Redfish

Oops. I almost missed my weekly recipe blog.  This is really good, easy recipe.  I love the taste of this fish, though I may actually red snapper instead, as that's easier for me to get.

Baked Redfish, also known as red drum.

Ingredients:

·         1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh or frozen redfish fillets, thawed

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         dash pepper

·         1 ground dill

·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1 small lemon

·         1/4 cup melted butter

Preparation:

Place fish in a lightly buttered shallow baking dish, skin side down. Salt fish. In a cup, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over redfish fillets and bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes. The baked redfish should flake easily with a fork when done.
Baked redfish serves 4 to 6. 

Wednesday's Chow - Opelousas Catfish Gravy

Well, this is the last Wednesday in Lent, but that means this Friday is Good Friday, a traditional day of fasting....which I probably won't do.  But I will not eat meat. 

So, keeping with my meatless dishes for Lent, here's one from Cooking in Cajun Country by Karl Breaux with Cheré Dastugue Coen, a cookbook I picked up while on my Cajun Country Field Trip earlier this month.


Opelousas Catfish Gravy
Cooking in Cajun Country by Karl Breaux with Cheré Dastugue Coen

Ingredients:

¼ cup cooking oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 mild banana peppers, seeded and chopped
1 (10-oz) can chopped tomatoes with chilies
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup fish stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup water
3 tsp Cajun/Creole seasoning
3 pounds catfish fillets
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
4 cups cooked rice

Directions:

Add oil to medium-size Dutch oven. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and banana peppers, and sauté until tender. Add tomato sauce, stock, water, and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 1 ½ hour over medium heat. Sauce will reduce by half. Add catfish fillets and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add green onions and parsley. Serve over ½ cup cooked rice per serving.

Serves 8.

Cajun Country Field Trip, part 1
Cajun Country Field Trip, part 2
Cajun Country Field Trip, part 3

Wednesday Chow - Rip's Cucumber Soup

If you've been following my blog, you know I spent this past weekend in New Iberia, Louisiana with a group of authors from Northwest Houston RWA.  If you haven't been following my blog, then just scroll down for the three diary posts.

One of the places we visited was Jefferson's Island and the Rip Van Winkle Gardens. I bought a cookbook there, INNcredible Cookin': Favorite Recipes from Louisiana's Best Bed & Breakfast Inns, Cottages & Guesthouses.  Here's the recipe Rip Van Winkle Gardens included in the book.

Rip's Cucumber Soup


Do not peel the cucumber before processing.  The skin is what gives the soup its lovely, pale green color.


Ingredients:

1 large English cucumber
3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 cups regular strength chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Rinse cucumber and trim off the ends. Cut off four pieces crosswise, about 1 inch think, and set aside for garnish. Cut remaining piece of cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Cut cucumber into chunks. Place cucumber chunks into a processor or blender.  Add the scallions and parsley and process until smooth.  Add chicken broth and process briefly.  Place sour cream into large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and blend well. Gradually mix in the smooth cucumber mixture. Cover and chill. When cold, serve with cucumber slices as garnish.

Wednesday's Chow - Hot Baked Fruit

Alas, we are still in Lent, so I'm not posting any recipes with meat in them or any dessert recipes. Though I guess this really could be a dessert recipe, it's not on the same vein as chocolate cake and could be used as a side dish.

Hot Baked Fruit


Ingredients:

Boiled water
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 (29 oz) can pear halves, undrained
1 (29 oz) peach halves, undrained
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, undrained
1 (17 oz) apricot halves, undrained
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, undrained
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup white wine or orange juice
1/2 tsp curry powder

Directions:

 Boil enough water to pour over raisins.  Soak for 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside. Drain fruit, reserving liquids. Mix reserve liquids together and measure out 3/4 cup of sauce. Set aside.

Combine the fruit and raisins in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Gradually stir in wine and curry powder.  Fold reserved sauce into fruit, mixing well. Cover and let stand 3 hours.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve warm

Wednesday's Chow - Salmon Patties

Salmon Patties


This is a recipe my mother-in-law, a GRITS (Girls Raised in The South) gave me when my husband asked if I knew how to make Salmon Patties. I had to get it from her twice, because I lost the first recipe. And of course, as a true GRITS, this recipe is different from the first …. I know this because I did remember the first a little bit and this one had more flour and corn meal. Which means she just makes it off the top of her head. At least she didn’t tell me “a handful of flour and dash of salt.”

Ingredients:


Large can of salmon
Chopped onion
2 eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup corn meal
Salt to taste

Directions:
Put enough oil in a skillet to make ¼ inch. Heat on medium. Mix all ingredients together in bowl and shape into patties. Fry until brown , 3-5 minutes each side.

Wednesday's Chow - Spicy Seafood Stew

Keeping with my tradition of not eating meat on Friday's during Lent, here's another seafood recipe.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for my March blog drawing.

Spicy Seafood Stew
Taste of Home Slow Cooker


Ingredients:


2 pounds potatoes
1 pound carrots, diced
2 jars (6 oz each) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1–1½ tsp ground turmeric
1–1½ tsp minced garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
¾ tsp salt
1–1½ cups water
1 pound sea scallops
1 pound uncooked, peeled and deveined medium shrimp


Directions:


In a 5-quart slow cooker, combined the vegetables, spaghetti sauce and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 4½ to 5 hours or until potatoes are tender.


Stir in water, scallops and shrimp. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or ntil scallops are opaque and shrimp turn pink.


Serve with noodles, rice or spaghetti.

Wednesday's Chow - Crab and Shrimp Casserole

Here's another seafood recipe for your meatless Friday meal.  BTW, did you know that Sunday's don't count as days in Lent?  If you count all days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, you'll have more than 40 days, but if you substract the Sunday's, you have correct days of Lent.  Sunday's are feast days and as such, you can celebrate the day by doing what you gave up....yep, that means you can have a piece of chocolate or soda pop!

Crab and Shrimp Casserole


Ingredients:


Oil
1 cup chopped green onions
½ cup bell peppers, chopped
1 4-ounce can deveined shrimp
1 7-ounce can crabmeat
1 tsp celery salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp margarine
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup water


Directions:


Preheat oven 375⁰. Grease casserole dish.


Place onions, garlic, and pepper in skillet with a little oil and sauté until tender. Add to remaining ingredients, reserving 1/3 cup bread crumbs. Mix well and pour into a greased casserole dish.


Cover with remaining bread crumbs and dot with margarine and cook for 30 minutes.

Anna Kathryn
http://www.aklanier.com/

Wednesday's Chow - Oyster Scallop

Today is Ash Wednesday and as such, it's a day that should be observed by fasting from sun rise to sun set.  I've fasted on a few Ash Wednesdays, but I'm not making any promises to fast this year.  However, I will observe the tradition of not eating any meat today (nor on Friday's during Lent).  So, keeping that in mind, here's a seafood recipe to share with your family during this season of reflection and sacrifice.

BTW, Lent is also a time to grow closer to God, either by giving up something or taking up something.  In the past, I've given up soda pop....and, okay, I can't think of anything else, because I doubt I've ever given up chocolate or sex....lol.  I am not good at doing a daily devotional reading (okay, I'm terrible at it!).  So, I think this year, I'll 'take up' doing a daily devotion or bible reading.

And, I think I'll post meatless recipes, as well as not posting sweet/dessert recipes, during Lent to help those who want to observe as I do.


Oyster Scallop


Ingredients:


4 tbsp butter, melted
2 cups soda-cracker crumbs (about 24 crackers)
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 pint oysters (about 2 dozen)
Reserve liquid
½ cup light cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce


Directions:


Preheat oven 350⁰.


Mix crackers crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper with butter. Drain oysters, reserving liquid.


Sprinkle 1/3 crumb mixture in 9-inch square baking dish. Add half the oysters, half the remaining crumbs, then rest of oysters.

Combine reserved liquid, cream and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over top. Sprinkle remaining crumbs.


Bake for 30 minutes.

Anna Kathryn
http://www.aklanier.com/