Baked Lobster with Pesto Recipe

This baked lobster recipe is incredibly simple and delicious. The basic recipe also works well with crab meat or other seafood.

Ingredients

8 oz cooked lobster meat
2 red potatoes (skin-on), cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic-basil pesto, canned or fresh
1/2 cup chicken stock or fresh broth from lobsters
salt and red pepper to taste

Instructions

In a medium casserole dish, add olive oil and potatoes and stock/broth. Bake 10 minutes @ 350 degrees or until potato sections begin to soften.

Remove from oven. Add lobster meat and stir.

Coat with pesto, adding extra if desired. Sprinkle with flaked Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and return to oven.

Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serving Suggestion

Serve hot with a green salad, Pino Gricio and hot Italian bread, either buttered or brushed with a light pesto-olive oil mix.

Oyster Soup Recipe

Oysters are delicious, full of nutrients and widely available in most areas. This easy oyster soup recipe is perfect to serve for lunch or light dinner for 2:

Oyster Soup for 2

Ingredients:

18-24 fresh oysters, shucked, with juice (liquor)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water

sea salt and red pepper to taste

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring water and stock to boil.

Add vegetables, simmering until potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes).

Add oysters and liquor, simmering an additional 5 minutes.

Serve hot with crackers or fresh bread.

Valentines Day Dinner Ideas - Seafood Dishes

Seafood is always a popular choice for Valentine's Day dinners. Among the most commonly served seafood products are oysters, shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab and salmon. The following list includes several ideas for Valentines Day dinner appetizers and main courses:

Oysters

 - raw oysters on the half shell
 - steamed or roasted oysters
 - oyster stew

Shrimp

 - shrimp cocktail
 - stuffed shrimp
 - grilled shrimp
 - scampi

Lobster

 -  whole boiled lobster
 - grilled rock lobster tails
 - lobster rolls
 - lobster bisque

Crab

 - Alaskan king crab or snow crab legs
 - crab leg assortments; king, snow, Dungeness
 - fresh whole Dungeness crabs
 - Maryland blue crab crabcakes
 - traditional crab soup
 - stone crab claws

Scallops

 - bacon wrapped sea scallops
 - sautéed scallops

Salmon

 - smoked salmon dip (appetizer)
 - planked salmon
 - grilled salmon steaks
 - salmon chowder

Visit this extensive collection of seafood recipes to find the perfect meal for your next holiday dinner.

How To Cook Fish On a Gas Grill

Grilled Salmon

Grilling is a fast and simple way to cook fish. Most types of fish can be grilled whole, as fillets or steaks. Grilling helps retain natural flavors, fish oil, and moisture, without adding excess calories. Fish can be cooked on the grill un-seasoned or enhanced with marinades or spices.

According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association nearly 80% of households own an outdoor barbecue grill or smoker. During peak months (May - September), nearly 50% of grill owners grill foods weekly. Grilled fish and seafood is popular due in its flavor, simplicity, and appearance.

For cooking fish on the grill, a must-have tool is a grilling sheet, pan, or grid. No matter which term is used, these special grill accessories are essential for grilling fish and seafood. These sheets are also useful for grilling vegetables or other foods.

Most sheets or grids come in stainless steel or feature a porcelain coating. Some sheets come with a non-stick surface which helps prevent fish or other foods from breaking apart when transferred to serving dishes. After grilling, sheets, pans, and grids can be cleaned up by hand or in the dishwasher.

ASMI Releases Two New Cookbooks

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has announced the creation of 2 new seafood cookbooks.

ASMI Retail recently completed a 52-page cookbook featuring recipes from three of the nation's top celebrity chefs: Barton Seaver, Jerry Traunfeld, and Govind Armstrong. It marries their best Alaska seafood recipes with their professional insight on such topics as "sustainability," "entertaining" and "a chef's guide to selecting fish."

In the book, Alaska seafood is featured in various preparations of Alaska cod, salmon, pollock, black cod, scallops, crab, smoked salmon and halibut.

The cookbook will be used as a premium giveaway at consumer shows such as: Newport Mansions Wine & Food, Boston Wine Expo and Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, as well as a consumer prize in various Alaska Seafood promotions at supermarkets across the nation.

From ASMI's foodservice program comes the recipe book, Between the Bread and the Deep Blue Sea. The recipe book transforms classic recipes, such as Sole Meunière, Pollock Po' Boy and Halibut Cioppino, into sandwiches that use Alaska seafood.

Between the Bread and the Deep Blue Sea will be distributed at chef and foodservice trade conferences and trade shows, and is also available on ASMI's website.

How to Cook Quahog Clams

Littleneck clams

Quahogs (also known as hard clams) are among the most popular types of American seafood. These delicious shellfish are widely available and can be prepared in a variety of ways.

Smaller clams such as littlenecks, topnecks, and cherrystone clams are eaten steamed or on the half shell.

The largest quahogs are called "chowder clams". These are excellent in recipes such as clam fritters and New England clam chowder.

Stuffed Shrimp Recipe

Fresh Shrimp

This is a simple recipe that combines jumbo shrimp and blue crab meat from the Atlantic Coast. Locally sourced jumbo shrimp and blue crabs are available seasonally in states such as North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

For seafood enthusiasts living outside local harvesting areas, jumbo shrimp and lump backfin crab meat is available frozen from a variety of sources.

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh wild caught jumbo shrimp
1 lb Atlantic blue crab meat
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup crab seasoning
1 lemon (juice and pulp only)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup olive oil



1. Line a casserole dish with olive oil and place shrimp inside.
2. Mix egg, melted butter, mayonnaise, crab seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and onion.
3. Blend in crab meat.
4. Spread mixture over shrimp and bake at 400 for 5 minutes, until juices begin to boil.
5. Move to Broiler; cook until stuffing begins to brown lightly.

Smoked Salmon Dip

This is a simple and delicious recipe for smoked salmon dip or spread. This recipe works equally well when substituting fresh or frozen salmon for the smoked product.

Ingredients

4 oz smoked salmon
2 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons mayo or sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
optional - diced fresh celery, onion or jalapeno pepper to taste

Directions

1. Grill or broil salmon just until it begins to brown, remove from heat.

2. Mix cream cheese and mayo, adding just enough mayo or sour cream to thin the cream cheese. Set aside.

3. Crumble the salmon into a mixing bowl and mash with fork. Mix well.

4. Add small amounts of the cream cheese mixture, using only enough to act as a binder. Add the cilantro and any optional ingredients.

5. Serve immediately on toast or crackers or cover and chill for later use.

Beer Battered Catfish

Catfish is mild tasting and suitable for a wide range of recipes. The following recipe is for a classic meal of deep-fried beer-battered catfish.

Beer Battered Catfish

1 lb. catfish fillets
1/2 cup flour or seafood breader mix
1 egg (beaten)
1 bottle beer
1 small onion (minced)
1 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium mixing bowl blend flour, salt, and pepper or use seafood breader mix.

In a separate medium mixing bowl beat egg well, add beer and minced onions, mix well.

Cut the catfish into 2 inch cubes or strips.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or skillet.

Roll the catfish into the coating, then dip into the beer-egg mixture, then back into the flour mixture.

Place dipped catfish in heated oil, cooking until golden brown.

White Clam or Fish Chowder Recipes

Traditional white chowders are popular seafood dishes served in North America.

Classic chowder recipes combine a few basic vegetables with one or more types of fish and shellfish.

These traditional dishes are excellent for novice cooks due to their ease of preparation, versatility, and universal appeal.

For more information on how to prepare clam, oyster, fish, and seafood chowders, visit this collection of Seafood Recipes.

Cioppino - a Classic Italian Seafood Stew

Italy, known for its cuisine, also makes extensive use of fresh seafood. Cioppino is a classic Italian fish stew made with a mixture of fish and shellfish.

The meal is not only popular in the home country, but also wherever Italian fishermen have settled.

Depending on local species, the dish may contain fish, shrimp, crabs, mussels, or other seafood. Other ingredients include wine, broth, herbs, garlic, and butter.

Sicilian Fisherman's Stew

Wild Blue Mussels

A traditional recipe for Sicilian Fisherman's Stew

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped, with their juices
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 pounds fresh mussels in the shell
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat, add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the parsley and tomatoes. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer. Add 1 cup water and the wine.

Cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes.

Add mussels (in shell), cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.


recipe and photo credit: Fresh-Seafood.Net