At SeaPak we love reading great blogs. We also love foodies and aspiring foodies. So when our friend Scott Jones, former Executive Food Editor of Southern Living, started his own blog dedicated to all things food, we were beyond excited. It didn’t take us long to reach out to him and ask him if he’d share some of his seafood insight and a recipe with us. You’ll love what he has to say…and his recipe. Yum!

One of the things I most enjoy about food is its emotional connection to some of life’s most cherished memories. You know how you can be instantly transported to a specific place or time by the aroma of a simmering pot of soup, the pop and sizzle of a frying egg, or the taste of a certain dessert? I know I can. At least once a week I’ll see, smell, or taste something that takes me back to my childhood.

This time of year, those nostalgic nuggets typically involve childhood trips to the beach with my family. Growing up in Central Florida, the beach was never far away.

Whether for the day or a long weekend, every family activity seemed to involve a sandy spot on either the Atlantic or Gulf side of the state.

Here’s where the food comes in. As a budding food enthusiast, I always looked forward to our suppertime visits to a local seafood shack. My dad was (and still is) a real aficionado when it comes to spotting great, down-home joints. He went straight for the grilled fish sandwich, so long as it was fresh and local. Mom liked to splurge on either crab cakes or stuffed crabs. My sister and I were always partial to the fried shrimp basket. In fact, that’s how I learned to love things like hushpuppies and tartar sauce; or how to contrast the shrimp’s golden crust with a squeeze of fresh lemon. By the time I was in junior high, shrimp had become my favorite food.

Cut to the present.

Like most parents, my wife and I have struggled (mostly in vain) over the years to wean our girls off of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. This has been especially good fodder for our friends who find it a hoot that the children of a “foodie” (this is used in its derogatory form) have survived for years on little more than peanut butter sandwiches and various shapes of processed chicken.

All this said, I think there’s light at the end of the tunnel. During a trip to the beach last summer, both girls tried (and liked!) fried shrimp. And I’ve been slowly converting them to my favorite protein ever since. They’ve now had it grilled, boiled, and sautéed, but they always come back to the classic fried preparation.

Recently, we tried SeaPak Tempura Shrimp and Coconut Shrimp. While the girls enjoyed the slightly sweet exterior of the Coconut Shrimp, they went absolutely bonkers over the extra-crunchy Tempura batter. This, of course, got me thinking of ways to mix it up a bit, which is how the Tempura Shrimp Sliders came to be. That and the fact that our family always loves a good sandwich—whether po’ boy or grilled cheese, fork-and-knife or roll up. In fact, these tasty little shrimp sandwiches have caught on with adults too, who go for the tangy slaw.

What’s more, the Slider recipe is easy enough to allow the girls to help out mixing together both the slaw and spread. My hope is that this interaction in the kitchen (with shrimp!) will create the kind of lasting memories my daughters will carry into adulthood, and one day, think back to the good ol’ days of dad’s Tempura Shrimp Sliders.

Tempura Shrimp Sliders
Makes 4 sliders
Prep: 15 min., Bake: 14 min.

1 (8.2-oz) package SeaPak Tempura Shrimp
2/3 cup lite mayonnaise, divided
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce (included with Tempura Shrimp), divided
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 (16-oz.) package angel hair coleslaw mix
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 (8.8-oz) package King’s Hawaiian Snacker Rolls

Preheat oven to 450˚. Remove tails on Tempura Shrimp, and bake according to package directions.

Meanwhile, stir together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add coleslaw mix, and toss until well combined. Set aside. (May be prepared up to 8 hours ahead.)

Stir together remaining 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp. Sweet and Spicy Orange Sauce, lime juice, and chives. Set aside. (May be prepared up to 8 hours ahead.)

Spread bottom half of each roll with mayonnaise mixture. Place 2 pieces of shrimp on bottom half of each roll; top with coleslaw, and top halves of rolls.

As the last summer visitors to St. Simons Island head home and school-year routines begin, we are busy gearing up for the arrival of our Coastal Getaway Sweepstakes winners! All hands are on deck preparing for what is sure to be a fantastic weekend. Our winners are coming from all across the country – California, Florida and Pennsylvania – so we’ve pulled out all the stops to show them Southern hospitality and island charm.

While visiting St. Simons, the winners and their guests will stay three nights in the ocean-front Beach Club at St. Simons, where they can relax on the beach and soak up the sun. They’ll be welcomed to the coast on Thursday with snacks from The Boulevard Café – one of our favorite spots to grab a sweet treat.

Friday morning our guests will have the chance to learn seafood cooking techniques from the Chef at Coastal Kitchen, a delicious island restaurant overlooking the marina. Friday afternoon, the group will hop aboard the Lady Jane shrimp boat, the only certified shrimping vessel on the East Coast offering a hands-on, shrimp catching experience. Plus,they will get to try the freshest shrimp available – the ones they caught! YUM!

Saturday, a ride on the vintage St. Simons Trolley will take guests back to life in the Old South as they visit the many historic landmarks on our island. The trolley stops by Fort Frederica, the British fort built in 1736 to protect the new colony of Georgia, Bloody Marsh, where the British defeated the Spanish in a decisive battle, and the historic Avenue of the Oaks.

In their downtime, our guests will have the opportunity to climb the still-functioning St. Simons Lighthouse, explore our beautiful neighboring island of Jekyll, paddle around the island in a kayak with Southeast Adventures or uncover St. Simons’ dark secrets on the Ghost Walk.

On their final night, our guests will enjoy a delicious farewell dinner with SeaPak associates at the rooftop Ocean Lodge restaurant overlooking the ocean. We hope they are ready to have a SeaPak-filled, coastal experience!

We are so lucky to call St. Simons Island our home. We have had an outpouring of support from sponsors and partners, all eager to create a fabulous weekend. We’d like to say thank you to – Hodnett Cooper, Costal Living, The Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jekyll Island Authority and Southeast Adventures – whose contributions have made this weekend possible. And special thanks to our partners at Coastal Kitchen, Ocean Lodge and The Boulevard Café with whom we have planned weekend events. We are excited to welcome our visitors to our little piece of paradise.

If you were coming for a long weekend to St. Simons Island, what would you want to do in the Golden Isles?

With classes back in session, (soon, if not already!) families are looking to return to school-day routines and the busy schedule of afternoon events. For mom, this time of the year is more of a “New Year” than perhaps January 1st! The kids have new classes, new teachers, possibly even new schools, and it is a chance for moms to start new (or re-implement old) traditions to make the family function smoother.

When schedules become busy, one of the first challenges for mom is what to feed the hungry herd of children running off the bus who are ready for an afternoon snack. A great way to keep them happy is by skipping the sugary snacks and, instead, serving growing students a high protein mini-meal that will keep them full longer.

Slider sandwiches stuffed with crispy SeaPak Tilapia Tenders are the perfect solution. Topped with fresh green lettuce and a juicy slice of tomato, this snack is packed with flavor. If the crew prefers a shrimp slider, SeaPak Popcorn Shrimp can easily be swapped out for Tilapia Tenders to provide the same delicious hand-held nibble on-the-go. SeaPak Popcorn Fish even make a great substitution… the possibilities are endless!

Check out these recipes below for our favorite slider recipes. They will make moms New Year after-school routine something worth looking forward to!

Tilapia Sliders
1 (14 oz) package SeaPak Tilapia Tenders
1 package slider buns
Your favorite condiments: cheese, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, etc

Preheat oven to 425F. Place the frozen tilapia tenders on a baking sheet and bake according to the package instructions. Slice each roll in half to create a top and bottom bun. Place one fully cooked tilapia tender on the bottom-half of each bun. Top with cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato and sauce, as desired.

Popcorn Sliders
1 package SeaPak Popcorn Fish or Popcorn Shrimp
1 package slider buns
Lettuce and Tomato
Tartar sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. pickle relish

Preheat oven to 425F. Place the Popcorn Fish or Shrimp on a baking sheet and bake according to the package instructions. Slice each roll in half to create a top and bottom bun. Place 4 pieces of seafood on the bottom half of each bun. Add cheese, lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce or other condiments as desired.