Hot'N Tangy Crab Dip
1 pound crabmeat
1/3 cup half and half
12 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup white wine
1/8 teaspoon crushed Rosemary leaves
Sesame sticks
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Remove any remaining pieces of shell or cartilage from crabmeat. Combine cheeses and milk in top of a double boiler; place over hot water, stirring until cheese melts. Add crabmeat, wine, and rosemary leaves, stirring until well combined. Transfer to a chafing dish set on low heat. Serve with sesame sticks.
Yield: 3 cups dip.
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Mini-Crab Roll-Ups ½ pound blue crabmeat, fresh or pasteurized
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 package (8 ounces) Chive cream cheese, whipped
15 slices white bread
1 pound bacon
Remove any remaining pieces of shell or cartilage from crabmeat. Combine crabmeat, cream cheese, parsley and onion in a 2-quart mixing bowl. Mix well. Trim crusts from bread. Spread each slice of bread with a heaping tablespoon of crab mixture and roll bread in jelly roll fashion. Cut roll into thirds. Cut bacon slices in half. Roll one piece of bacon around each bread roll. Secure with wooden pick. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes, turning once during baking.
Yield: 45 hor d’oeuvres. BACK TO TOP
Crawfish Bowl
1 onion, quartered
6 cups hot water
1 lemon, quartered
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove garlic, halved
2 teaspoons red pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds whole crawfish
Tie onion, lemon, garlic, and bay leaf in a cheesecloth bag. Place cheesecloth bag in a very large Stew Pot, and add water, salt, and red pepper; bring to a boil, and boil 5 minutes. Add crawfish, and cook 5 minutes. Drain crawfish; peel and serve warm or chilled.
Yield: 2 to 3 servings.
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Dressed or Pan-dressed. A dressed fish is s whole fish that has been drawn and scaled; usually, it has also had its fins and often its head and tail removed. Dressed fish are ready to cook; they contain about 67 percent edible meat.
Chunks & Steaks. These pieces are cross-section slices of a dressed large fish. A chunk is usually 4 to 6 inches thick; a steak is 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Because the only bone is a piece of backbone, these cuts are about 84 percent edible. They’re ready to cook as purchased.
Fillets. The most common form of fish available, fresh or frozen, fillets are the fleshy sides of the fish, cut away from the backbone and ribs.
They’re practically boneless. A “butterfly fillet” is a double fillet formed by both sides of the fish, still joined by the uncut flesh and skin of the belly. A single fillet is just one side of the fish and is generally skinless. Both butterfly and single fillets are almost 100 percent edible.
OCEAN FISH
Fish is tender, so avoid overcooking it, which will make it dry and tough. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. To test doneness, insert a fork at an angle into the thickest part of the fish and twist gently. The fish will flake easily when done. Cook fish to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. for food safety reasons. SHRIMP
Shrimp can be purchased with or without shells. Shrimp that you buy may be light gray, pink or red. The color is not an indication of its freshness, only the type of water from which the shrimp was harvested. All types of shrimp turn pink once they have been cooked.
Shrimp should have a mild odor and firm texture when you purchase it. Store shrimp in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 days after purchasing. Shrimp may be frozen raw in the shell or cooked and peeled for longer storage. One pound of shrimp in the shell will yield only about one-half pound after peeling. It is important to devein shrimp before or after cooking, using a toothpick or a pointed knife.
CLAMS AND OYSTERS
Live clams, oysters and mussels are sold fresh in the shell, fresh shucked or frozen. If they are bought in the shell, they should be alive with the shell tightly closed. If they are fresh, any partly opened shells will close tightly when tapped. Shucked shellfish should be plump, shiny and fresh-smelling and come with little or no liquor (liquid).
CRABS
Crabs when sold fresh and uncooked should be alive and lively. Cooked crabs have a bright red shell. Soft-shell crabs, which are blue crabs that have shed their shell should have a bluish-gray color. Cooked crab meat should be clear white meat with touches of pink and little or no odor. Use crabmeat within a day of purchase.
SCALLOPS
You’ll find great variety in the size of scallops that are available anywhere near the coast . Most common are the large sea scallops, which have a sweeter more delicate flavor. Bay scallops are usually more tender. The types can be used interchangeably although cooking times will vary.
Scallops should be practically free of liquid, creamy pink in color and have a slightly sweet odor. Rinse well before cooking, as sand accumulates in the crevices. Store them loosely covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator and use within a day or two.
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