With spring not quite yet here, I thought I would make one more delicious soup to stave off the winter chill.  So on the menu for tonight is Herb Butter Salmon Bisque.  This great little recipe comes courteous of one our loyal SeaPak consumers, Carl W. Coffee, one of the winners of the SeaPak Recipe Contest.    The soup is surprisingly easy to make and is ready in only 30 minutes.  I think I’ll enjoy it with a green salad, for extra nutrition, and maybe a slice of toasted whole-grain bread. That will round it out and help me get ready for Spring!

 Enjoy this warm, wholesome meal with me tonight and let’s say “Sayonara, soup (and cold weather!)- ‘till next year!”    If you have a great soup recipe, I would love to hear it.  You can never have too many delicious soup recipes to get you through the winter months!

 Herb Butter Salmon Bisque

 Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes  Makes: 4 servings

• 1 (10 oz) package SeaPak® Herb Butter Salmon
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons flour, divided
• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• croutons, chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)

COOK salmon according to microwave directions. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

 MELT butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons flour. Cook and stir for one minute.

 WHISK in 3 and 1/2 cups milk. Cook over medium high heat until mixture slightly thickens, whisking frequently.

 PLACE salmon with all of the butter and herb coating in a blender or food processor (reserving a small piece of salmon for garnish if desired.) Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour and the salt and process until the paste is formed. Blend remaining 1/2 cup milk into the salmon.

ADD the salmon mixture to the saucepan with the heated milk. Cook until heated through and smooth, stirring frequently. Season with pepper to taste.

 LADLE soup into bowls. Garnish soup with 3 or 4 croutons, chopped reserved salmon and chopped parsley, if desired.

I like to add more own personal touch to the Salmon Nuggets by adding a dipping sauce.   Below is an easy Creamy Honey Mustard Dipping sauce that uses just 3 ingredients.  It is a mild creamy sauce that is sure to have an all family appeal.  Of course sometimes when it just adults for dinner I like to spice it up a little by adding a dash or two of red pepper flakes to the sauce.  If you want some other dipping sauce choices, check out SeaPak.com for more dipping sauce recipes.

I really wasn’t kidding about loving this new product.  I actually serve it at home at least once a week.  I am really curious to see how you and your family like it.  So give our new SeaPak Salmon Nuggets a try.  They are available at most Wal-Mart Super Centers and coming soon to other major retailers as well.  After you try them, let me know what you think.    Happy almost Friday everyone!

 Salmon Nuggets with Cream Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Prep time: 4 minutes – Cook time: 15 minutes – Makes: 3-5 servings

 Ingredients

• 1 (14 oz) package SeaPak® Salmon Nuggets
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Pinch of salt (optional)

Directions

COOK salmon nuggets according to package instructions.

STIR mayonnaise, mustard, honey and salt together in a small bowl.

REFRIGERATE sauce until Salmon Nuggets are done.

SERVE cooked salmon nuggets immediately with cold creamy honey mustard dipping sauce

Baja Tilapia Tacos

Italian Shrimp and Tomato Sauce Over Linguine

I can’t think of a better way to kick off “The Coastal Dish” than with my my good friend at FunnySpoon, who just happens to blog from right here on St. Simons Island.   FunnySpoon is an incredibly cool food site that can help you get a meal on the table when you are short on time and inspiration.  I love FunnySpoon because it is perfect for people who want great simple meals but don’t have the time for scratch cooking.    It is easy to navigate, the recipes are simple and reliable, and isn’t the name fun??

So, today, let’s welcome Carrie of FunnySpoon, and see what she has to say about our favorite topic – seafood! And, make sure you check out the FunnySpoon website and blog for more wholesome, quick and easy recipe ideas.

-Jenna

My family loves seafood! I feel fortunate because I know all the health benefits of seafood (those fantastic Omega 3’s that help with a healthy heart, lower blood pressure, brain & eye development in children, etc). Lucky for me, I don’t have to coerce them into eating the good stuff! However, as a working mother of two with a traveling husband, it’s not always easy for me to get a healthy nutritious dinner on the table. That is until SeaPak came into my life. Now, regardless of if I’ve planned ahead or not, I know I can quickly pull together a fantastic, heart-healthy dinner that my children will love and my husband will devour. I keep a couple of SeaPak products in my freezer at all times – pair those with some of the staples in the pantry and voila dinner is served!

Celebrate TGIF(ish) with this Mexican Scampi. It’s a fun twist on an old favorite that’s sure to please everyone at the table.

-Carrie, FunnySpoon.com

Mexican Scampi

Prep Time: 5 mins  Cook Time: 20 mins   Serves: 2-4

• 1 package SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi
• 1 can Hunt’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 5 oz. package of Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice
• 1 palmful of cumin (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro (or a palmful of dried cilantro)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

BOIL water and oil for rice. Add rice & prepare according to package directions.

PREHEAT skillet on medium high-heat and add shrimp. Prepare according to package directions.

ADD tomatoes and cumin after about 5 minutes of cooking. Add cilantro with about 1 minute left to cook.

PLATE rice, top with scampi mixture and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

SERVE alongside a salad, garlic green beans or broccoli. And a margarita for you! Enjoy!!

Cook’s Note:

Don’t like Saffron rice? This would be great served over pasta, too. I like to use the Barilla protein-enriched pasta just to be super-double-triple sure the kids are getting enough of the good stuff!

Let us know what you think about this recipe and any twists you’ve added to it. Bon Appetit!

The simple way to make this dish is bake some popcorn shrimp while making a box of macaroni and cheese.  Scoop macaroni and cheese onto plate and top with popcorn shrimp. However I like to dress it up a bit.  After I make the macaroni and cheese I put it into little individual baking dishes (which double as serving dishes), top with shredded cheddar cheese then melt it under the broiler before adding the shrimp and serving. Sometimes I even substitute butterfly shrimp for the popcorn shrimp.  I like to cut the tails off the butterfly shrimp before adding them to the top of the mac and cheese.   

My nieces like it when I serve this dish with ketchup.  Of course they like everything served with ketchup!  The gourmet in me just couldn’t bring myself to add “ketchup” as an optional ingredient to this recipe so I will leave any additional “toppings” to your discretion.

All you need to round out this dinner is a serving or two of fruits and vegetables.  I am planning on serving this with steamed broccoli and fresh baby carrots with ranch dressing.  Voila!  Another delicious seafood meal your family will love!  And the best part is it is ready in under 20 minutes!  So what are you making for dinner?

Popcorn Shrimp Mac N’ Cheese

Prep time: 5 minutes  Cook Time: 10 minutes  Makes: 4-6 servings

• 1 package (20 oz) SeaPak® Popcorn Shrimp or SeaPak® Shrimp Poppers
• 1 package macaroni and cheese
• milk and butter (if needed to prepare macaroni and cheese)
• shredded Cheddar or cheese of your choice

PREPARE the shrimp and macaroni and cheese according to package instructions

POUR macaroni into a serving dish, top with hot shrimp.

OPTIONAL PREPARATION

SPOON finished macaroni to small single serve baking dishes, top with shredded cheese and broil for 2 minutes.

TOP with hot shrimp and serve.

For this Friday I have a recipe that is as simple as it is delicious – Tilapia Lettuce Wraps.  You can think of these as an updated version of the fish sandwich.  I have done away with the bun and replaced it with crunchy fresh lettuce leaves then added a few simple vegetables.  I love this recipe because it is ready from start to finish in about 20 minutes.

And if tilapia isn’t your favorite seafood food you could easily replace the tilapia with some oven crunchy SeaPak Butterfly Shrimp (cut the tails off before adding them to the lettuce wraps) and have an equally delicious meal.  Happy feasting!

Tilapia Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 18 minutes Makes: 6-7 lettuce wraps

• 1 (14 oz.) package SeaPak® Tilapia Tenders
• 6-7 large large lettuce leaves (iceberg, butter or bibb)
• 1/2 cup seedless cucumber, cut into thin, 1-inch strips
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup prepared ranch dressing

PREHEAT oven to 425˚F.

PLACE the frozen tilapia tenders on a baking sheet and bake according to the package instructions.

PLACE one tender on each leaf of lettuce.

ADD sliced cucumber, diced onion, cilantro and ranch dressing.

WRAP and enjoy!

Plenty of restaurants and even fast food chains make fish and shrimp more accessible during the 40 days of Lent, which is wonderful for religious observers (or anyone interested in eating more seafood!).  But, don’t think you have to be limited to fast food fish sandwiches for the next 6 Fridays.  You can make your own deliciously easy seafood meals at home.

So, every Thursday during Lent I’ll be giving you an easy-to-prepare seafood meal to help you through your meatless Fridays.  My hope is it will help get you in the habit of eating more seafood even after Lent is over!  After all, seafood is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and protein.  I think the flavor of seafood makes it perfect for a variety of recipes, too, so we can eat more and not get tired of eating the same old thing!

So tune in tomorrow for our Lenten season seafood meal series!  And definitely let me know what your favorite seafood recipes you like to prepare during this season.  I love to hear from you!

With Valentine’s Day approaching you are probably contemplating a special meal with your beloved.  Instead of immediately reaching for the phone to make a reservation, consider making a meal at home together.  Often it is more affordable and more intimate, and best of all, with a few simple tips a homemade meal can be just a delicious as if you went out.

 Below is my suggestion for your Valentine’s Day dinner.  The meal starts with Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta for Two.  I love this recipe because it is so incredibly easy and you make it in about 15 minutes from start to finish.  The recipe calls for a little wine.  I like to use a good bottle of chardonnay so I can serve the remaining bottle with the meal.  If you and your valentine don’t drink or just don’t like wine, you could easily use 1/4 cup of the pasta water (from when you were cooking the orzo) in the place of the wine in the recipe.

Speaking of that orzo, this may be a pasta that is new to some of you.  It is a small pasta that looks almost like oversized rice.  I like it because it cooks so quickly and it is just fun to eat.  If you don’t have any orzo pasta you could substitute a different pasta like small elbow, small bowties or whatever you have on hand.

Finally, no Valentine’s Day meal would be complete without some dessert. So, I have included that too – Maple Baked Bananas.  It takes only a couple of minutes to assemble.  You can pop it in the oven when you sit down to eat dinner and it will be ready and waiting for you when you are done with dinner.  I like this recipe as is, but it is also pretty tasty poured over vanilla ice cream.  You can decide which way you like it best.

So there you have it – a gourmet meal that you can make with your sweetheart that is simple and memorable.  Give it a try and let me know if Grandmother was right.

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta for Two

Prep time 5 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes  Makes: 2-3 servings

•  1 (12 oz.) package of SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, frozen
• 1 cup orzo
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leave parsley
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 green onion, sliced (optional)

COOK orzo pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain then pour into a medium size casserole dish.

PREHEAT large skillet on medium high for 2 minutes.

PLACE frozen shrimp in skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add red pepper flakes and stir.  Continue sautéing for 1 minute.

ADD tomatoes and white wine to the skillet with shrimp.  Sauté mixture for 5-8 minutes until shrimp are fully cooked. Turnon the oven broiler to preheat. Remove skillet from heat.  Stir in oregano and parsley.  

POUR shrimp mixture into casserole dish over pasta.  Stir the shrimp mixture and pasta together.  Sprinkle feta crumbles over the shrimp and pasta.

PLACE casserole dish under the broiler for 2-4 minutes until mixture is bubbly and the cheese gets a touch of brown on top.  (Keep a close eye on the casserole while it is under the broiler.) Remove casserole dish from the oven.  Spoon into serving dishes.  Garnish with green onions if desired.  Serve hot.

Maple Baked Bananas

Prep Time: 3 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes

• 2 bananas
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon pecan chips

 
PREHEAT oven 350 degrees.

SLICE bananas into a small baking dish.

PUT maple syrup and butter in a small microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 35 seconds or until butter is melted.  Stir the mixture to combine.

POUR maple mixture over the bananas.  Sprinkle pecan chips over the bananas.

BAKE bananas for 20 minutes.  Serve warm.

But, not to worry – you don’t need to be sports fanatic to enjoy a good super bowl party!  Look at game day as time to hang out with friends, eat yummy football foods and watch all the entertaining, super-expensive commercials that people will be talking about on Monday at the office.

This year my contribution to the buffet bounty will be my Sassy Saucy Buffalo Shrimp.  This is a fun appetizer is a good choice when you don’t mind getting your fingers messy.  It also happens to pair well with the typical game day drink of choice – ice cold beer.  I like to serve it with some good thick cut potato chips because they are oh so good when dipped in the remaining sauce after the shrimp are gone.  Oh, and don’t forget the napkins because, as I said, this appetizer can get a little messy, but it is totally worth it!  So give it a try and let me know what you think.

Sassy Saucy Butterfly Shrimp

Prep time: 6 minutes  Cook time: 10 minutes  Makes 8 appetizer servings

• 1 (16 oz) package SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, or half a (32 oz) club package of SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, frozen
• 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce)
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 5 oz crumbled blue cheese (about ½ cup)
• Dash of garlic salt
• 2 Tablespoons milk, plus extra if desired

SAUTÉ shrimp scampi in a large skillet for 7 minutes.

While shrimp are cooking MIX cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, a dash of garlic salt and milk together in a bowl to make blue cheese dipping sauce. If desired add a little extra milk to make a thinner dipping sauce.

PLACE blue cheese dip in refrigerator until ready to serve.

ADD red hot pepper sauce to skillet with shrimp and stir well to incorporate.  SAUTE for another 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are fully cooked.

SERVE buffalo shrimp hot with blue cheese dipping sauce on the side.

This weekend is the Grammy’s and we are ready to do it all again.  The party is at my house so I am on appetizer duty.  I have the usual nibbles on stand by, pita chips and artichoke dip, a cheese tray and my signature “wow” appetizer of the night, Gorgonzola Shrimp Bites.

These three appetizers are perfect combination for our evening of TV watching.  The artichoke dip and cheese tray I can mostly assemble in the afternoon or the night before, leaving only the Gorgonzola Shrimp Bites to be made that night. What I love about these tasty treats is that they are so easy to make. And, the added touch of gorgonzola and apricot preserves definitely put these little beauties in contention for this year’s “best dressed” appetizer at the party!  So bring on the celebrities and the drama, my girlfriends and I are red carpet ready to go!  Give the Shrimp Bites a try and let me know what you think.  Would these tasty treats get your vote for “best dressed” appetizer of the year or do you have a better candidate in mind for your party table?

Gorgonzola Shrimp Bites

Prep Time: 2 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes  Makes: 16 appetizer servings 

• 1 (9 oz) package SeaPak® Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp – Oven Crispy or 1 package (8 oz) SeaPak® Butterfly Shrimp – Oven Crispy, frozen
• Apricot preserves
• Gorgonzola crumbles

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees. Bake SeaPak Butterfly Shrimp according to package instructions. Remove from oven. Turn oven up to broil.

SPOON apricot preserves (about 1/2 teaspoon) onto each shrimp. Top with Gorgonzola crumbles (about 1/2 teaspoon).

PLACE shrimp under broiler for 1-2 minutes (watching closely).

SERVE immediately.