Article by Christine Budd
Memorial Day weekend means two things ... honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice serving our country and spending time with family & friends. Let’s toast to all of them with this yummy loaded Bloody Mary. The toppings are endless!
The Top Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
Bloody Mary-
1½ oz. of your favorite Vodka
3 oz. Tomato Juice
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 dash Worcestershire
1 Tbsp Tabasco
1 Tbsp Fresh Horseradish
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Garnish-
2 Medium Shrimp
2 Slices Bacon
2 Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Olives
2 Gherkins
2 Cherry Tomatoes
2 Pepperoncini
1 Sprig Fresh Dill
1 Celery Stalk
½ Carrot
Directions:
Fill a large glass half way with ice. Add all Bloody Mary ingredients and stir well with a bar spoon.
Garnish
Dust 2 pieces of shrimp with Old Bay seasoning and wrap with bacon. Put bacon wrapped shrimps on skewers and broil or grill until bacon is crispy – about 2 minutes per side.
Skewer olives, tomatoes, gherkins, and pepperoncinis. Add to glass along with dill, celery, and carrot.
Enjoy as you see fit!
Dog Beach Shrimp Bake
This recipe comes to you from the South Bethany, DE dog beach. Our dog and CF mascot Marlin met Miranda on the dog beach last year and quickly fell for her. They’ve spent hours chasing each other around the sand. One day I learn that Miranda’s owner Liz had a Shrimp Bake recipe that had to go in the Galley section. Sometimes what happens on the dog beach, can’t always stay on the dog beach!
Ingredients:
¾ cup rice
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. diced onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic
¾ lb. shrimp
6 oz. artichoke hearts, drained
1 6 oz. mozzarella, diced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Rice: melt butter and sautée diced onions on a low flame until they are clear. Add rice to the onion and butter, and stir until the rice is coated. Add 1 ½ cups of boiling water to the rice and simmer for about 30 minutes or until water evaporates.
Bake olive oil and garlic for 2 minutes at 450°F.
De-vein and shell the shrimp. Combine shrimp, artichoke hearts, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with olive oil and garlic. Transfer rice to a baking dish coated with canola or olive oil. Add all ingredients over the rice and bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 450°F. If using jumbo shrimp bake longer.
Spinach Stuffed Flounder
Ingredients:
Flounder Fillets. I like using medium-sized fillets that are about six ounces each, without skin, and of even thickness. Since you’ll be filling and rolling them, it’s important that they are sturdy enough not to tear during the prep or cooking.
Olive Oil, or another oil of your choice.
Old Bay Seasoning. You can also use cajun seasoning or your favorite fish seasoning.
For the Spinach Filling:
Fresh Baby Spinach. I like using fresh baby spinach the most because it is tender, has almost no stems, and a very mild flavor. If you have frozen spinach, you can use it instead.
Cheese. We’ll use a combination of three kinds of cheese: shredded mozzarella, crumbled feta, and cream cheese. You won’t believe how tasty this combination is! If you don’t like feta, parmesan can be used instead.
Directions:
Prepare the filling. Place the cream cheese, mozzarella, feta, and chopped baby spinach into a large mixing bowl. Massage the spinach and the cheeses with your hands until they are well combined (it should look like a thick paste). Set aside.
Season the fish. Place the flounder fillets onto a large board. Sprinkle the desired amount of Old Bay Seasoning onto each fillet.
Stuff the fish. Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions. Working one at a time, shape the portion of the stuffing into an egg shape and place it close to the tail of the fish. Then, starting from the tail, roll each fillet up jelly-roll style and place it seam side down on the baking dish.
Season again. Sprinkle some more Old Bay seasoning on top, and using a pastry brush, spread some olive oil over the fillets.
Bake at 350ºF for about 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
Grilled Salt-and-Pepper Black Bass with Curry Verde
1 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided, plus more for grill
1 Tbsp. vadouvan or other curry powder
1 green chile (such as serrano or jalapeño), finely chopped
11” piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1½ cups finely chopped cilantro, plus 1 cup leaves with tender stems
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, divided
Kosher salt
Two 1½–2-lb. head-on black sea bass or other whole fish, cleaned
8 scallions, 4 whole, 4 very thinly sliced on a diagonal
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Flaky sea salt
Directions:
Prepare a grill for medium heat. Heat ½ cup oil in a small skillet over medium. Once oil is simmering, stir in vadouvan and remove skillet from heat (it should foam a little). Let cool in pan.
Combine curry oil, chile, ginger, garlic, chopped cilantro, and 2 Tbsp. lime juice in a small bowl. Season curry verde with kosher salt and set aside.
Place fish on a cutting board and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels (inside and out). Using a sharp knife, make slashes crosswise on a diagonal along the body every 2” on both sides, cutting all the way down to the bones (this will help the fish cook evenly). Place fish and 4 whole scallions on a rimmed baking sheet; season fish generously inside and out with kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle fish and scallions with remaining ½ cup oil (this may seem like a lot, but it’s the best way to prevent the fish from sticking to the grate).
Clean and oil grate, then immediately place fish and whole scallions on grill. Grill, turning scallions occasionally, until lightly charred all over, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Continue to grill fish, undisturbed, 8–10 minutes. Lift up slightly from one edge to see if skin is puffed and lightly charred and easily releases from grate. If fish is not ready, let it grill another minute or so, then try again. Once it releases easily, gently slide 2 large metal spatulas underneath and turn onto second side. Grill until the other side is lightly charred and skin is puffed, 8–10 minutes, depending on size of fish.
Finely chop grilled scallions and add to reserved curry verde.
Toss sliced scallions, cilantro leaves, and remaining 1 Tbsp. lime juice with a pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl.
Spoon curry verde on a platter and set fish on top. Scatter scallion mixture over and sprinkle with sea salt.
Strawberry Shortcake
It’s strawberry picking season on the peninsula! I went to Magee Farms in Selbyville, DE to pick some beautiful red juicy strawberries this week and they screamed for shortcake.
Ingredients:
2 pints ripe, well-rinsed strawberries
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ cups butter
3 cups whipping cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Pick over and hull strawberries. Cut in half or slice, depending on size. Gently crush about a quarter of the berries with a fork to release their juices. Mix with remaining berries and the 1/2 cup of sugar, adding more sugar if necessary. Set aside, covered, for about half an hour to develop flavor.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Into a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder. Add 3/4 cup of softened butter, and rub into dry ingredients as for pastry. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Knead the dough for one minute on a lightly floured pastry board, then roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut an even number of rounds - 2 rounds per serving.
Use a little of the butter to grease a baking sheet. Place half the rounds on it. Melt remaining butter and brush a little on the rounds; place remaining rounds on top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and pull shortcakes apart. Brush the insides with some of the remaining melted butter.
Beat remaining cream until it thickens. Add vanilla. Beat again just until thick.
Place a bottom half of a shortcake on each plate. Top with a generous spoonful of berries. Cover with a top half, add a few more berries, and top with whipped cream. Serve immediately. §
