GRILLED TUNA STEAKS

from COOKS.COM

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1/2 c. lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. marjoram
4 (6 oz.) tuna steaks, about
3/4 inch thick each, skinned

Combine lime juice, garlic, and marjoram in an 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish and add the tuna. marinate covered for 3 hours. Grill over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with the marinade.

Greek Orzo and Grilled Shrimp Salad

with Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time:

18 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

4 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound orzo, cooked al dente
• 1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing shrimp
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 16 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions

Combine orzo, cucumber, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.

Heat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Divide orzo salad among 4 take-out containers or plates and top with 4 shrimp. Garnish with additional dill.

Indoor Oyster Roast for 8 People

Time: 45 Minutes

100 to 120 unshucked oysters, scrubbed clean
6 small lemons, cut into wedges
Tabasco, or other pepper sauce
Oyster knives
Oyster gloves, garden gloves, or kitchen towels for shucking

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Working in batches, arrange oysters in a single layer in a 12-by-16-inch roasting pan fitted with a flat rack. Pour 1/3 inch of hot tap water into pan, and bake for 7 minutes, or until oyster shells have begun to open.

2. Using gloves or tongs, transfer oysters to a table covered in newspaper for guests to shuck, garnish and eat while next batch cooks. Add water to pan as necessary, and repeat roasting until all oysters have been served, about 45 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Above: The oyster-shucking table, ready for guests and oven-roasted oysters
(Note: heavy-duty dishwashing gloves, another option for hand-protection)

Above: Oysters on a flat rack in the roasting pan. Pour in a half-inch water and into a preheated 475-degree oven they go!

Above: Down the hatch!

--Matt Lee and Ted Lee

Check out Matt Lee and Ted Lee’s favorite kitchen products in the Kitchen & Home Gift Guide.

Grilled Flounder

2 pounds flounder or sole fillets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Coat a piece of heavy-duty foil (about 14 in. x 14 in.) with nonstick cooking spray. Place fillets on foil; brush with lemon juice. Crimp foil, forming edges. Place foil flat on the grill (do not seal). Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 4 minutes. Combine Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions and salt; brush over fillets. Grill 3-4 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Blackened Red Snapper

This blackened red snapper is cooked with a coating of spicy homemade blackened seasoning and served with a flavorful Creole sauce. Serve this with or without the Creole sauce, or use your own sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 red snapper fillets, about 6 to 8 ounces each
* 3 to 4 tablespoons melted butter
* .
* Blackened Seasoning
* 1 heaping tablespoon paprika
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 2 teaspoons black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano

PREPARATION:

Creole Sauce

Mix the blackened seasoning ingredients well and funnel into a shaker.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush red snapper fillets all over with butter; sprinkle with blackened seasoning. Place, skin side down, in hot skillet; drizzle a little more butter over each fillet. Cook for about 4 minutes, until blackened; turn fillets carefully and drizzle with another small amount of butter. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with Creole sauce (see link above) or as is, with rice and a green vegetable.

Serves 4.

Grilled Salmon

You can use this method on pretty much any type of thick fish filet if salmon1 is not available. The herbs, wine2, and lime3 give salmon a fabulous flavor, while the foil tray makes clean-up easy and keeps your grill clean. If you cannot grill, bake the salmon in a very hot oven.

Prep Time: :10
Cook Time: :15
Ingredients:


* Vegetable oil spray
* 1-1/2 pounds boneless salmon4 filet about 1-inch thick (large end preferred)
* 1/2 lime5
* 2 Tablespoons white wine6
* 1 teaspoon mayonnaise (may substitute butter)
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

Preparation:
Preheat grill to high heat. Make a tray out of a doubled-length of heavy-duty foil large enough for the salmon7 filet, by folding a long piece in half and folding up all four sides, with the dull side up. (The shiny side reflects, so you want it down so as not to burn the food.) Spray the entire inside of the foil tray liberally with cooking spray. Place the foil tray on a platter or metal tray to transport to the grill.

Place the salmon filet in the foil tray skin-side down (or boned-side up if it is skinned). Squeeze lime8 juice over salmon and sprinkle with white wine9. Spread top of salmon with the mayonnaise10.

In a small bowl, mix together kosher salt11, onion powder, garlic12 powder, lemon pepper, oregano13, basil14, and dill weed15. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the salmon, then top with the sweet paprika16.

Place baking pan with foil tray on hot grill. Transfer the foil tray to the hot grill. Cook in a hot covered grill for 10 minutes per inch of thickness of the fish17 filet. Do not overcook or it will be dry and unpalatable. Turning is not necessary. Salmon is done when it turns a light pink color throughout and feels firm when pressed gently with the back of a fork. Whitefish is done when it turns opaque. This method works best with large, thick filets. Use a spatula to lift the salmon away from the skin to serve. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Note: If you are unable to grill the salmon18, preheat your oven to 475 F. Leave foil tray on the baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes, or until done.

Deviled Crab Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* 2 Tablespoons minced onion
* 2 Tablespoons minced green pepper
* 2 teaspoons minced parsley
* 1-1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* Dash Tabasco
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1 pound fresh or pasteurized crabmeat, either select or lump grades, picked over to remove all bits of shell
* 3 to 4 Tablespoons butter
* 1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
* Parsley sprigs
* Lemon wedges

Preparation:
Put the mayonnaise3 in a bowl and whisk in the onions, green peppers, parsley, mustard4, Worcestershire sauce5, Tabasco, cayenne, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Go very easy on the salt and pepper. Cover bowl and put aside for 15 minutes or so for the flavors to marry. Correct seasoning.

Gently fold in the crab6. Reserve, refrigerated, if you are doing this in advance.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small skillet and add the bread crumbs. Cook over low heat until just golden, adding a little more butter if it seems too dry. Scrape into a bowl and cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Arrange natural or ceramic crab or scallop shells or ramekins on a baking sheet. Divide crab mixture among containers, mounding it a bit in the center so that it looks generous. Sprinkle the crumbs over the crab mixture. Bake on the top rack of the oven until bubbly and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.

Yield: 6 to 8 as a first course; 4 as a main course

Louisiana Crawfish Boil Recipe

Ingredients Needed:

1 (35 to 40 pound) sack live crawfish*
1 (26-ounce) box salt for purging
Water
2 (1 pound) boxes/sacks crawfish or crab or shrimp boil seasoning (see column on left)
6 to 8 lemons, sliced in half
Small onions, peeled
Smoked sausage, cut up into large pieces
Whole mushrooms
Small red or new potatoes, unpeeled
15 to 20 ears of fresh corn on the cob, shucked and broken in halves
6 heads of garlic, split in half exposing pods
Whole mushrooms

* Use over-night delivery for live crawfish. You should order the crawfish to arrive the day before or the day of your crawfish boil.


Equipment Needed:
crawfish boiling potsAs you can see from the photo of the boiling pots on the right, John boiled up many sacks of live crawfish for this party.

One large boiling pot (60 to 80 gallon) with basket insert, and lid (you can use your deep-fat turkey fryer - will cook about 10-15 lbs of crawfish per batch)

Outdoor high-pressure propane cooker

Large tub or two ice chests (depending on the amount of live crawfish)

A large paddle for stirring the crawfish.

A large picnic table with plenty of newspapers to cover it, several rolls of paper towels, and a large garbage can.


Bag of fresh crawfish

How many pounds of live crawfish to order:

Plan on ordering about 2 to 3 pounds of crawfish per person or 4 to 5 pounds for a heavier crawfish eater. Some people are extra-heavy eaters. For them you will need 5 to 7 pounds.


Keeping Live Crawfish Techniques: Crawfish season is from late February to mid-May. You must keep the live Crawfish fresh and healthy. Keep them in a cool place and out of the heat. Your garage is the perfect spot until you're ready to boil.



When you receive your sacks of crawfish, simply take your sack of crawfish, hose them down, and place them back in a cooler (or the box the sacks arrived in) with a bag of ice. Do not take the crawfish out of the sack, leave them in the sack and hose the entire sack with fresh water.


If you use ice, be sure to drain them frequently. DO NOT let them sit in cold water for a long time or they will die! Keep live crawfish at 36 to 46 degrees F. for approximately 3 days with wet burlap sacks, towels, etc. on top. Let crawfish return to room temperature before using. Do not leave the crawfish outside if the temperature is freezing level or below!


When traveling with crawfish, a few of them will die naturally due to stress of being moved, etc.


Purging Crawfish:



The cardinal rule is to purge and thoroughly wash the crawfish before boiling them. Pour the sack of live crawfish in a plastic children's pool, large tub, or a large ice chest. Pour one (1) 26-ounce box salt over the top of the crawfish. Add water to just cover the crawfish. Gently stir with a large paddle to mix the salt and the water. Stir for 3 minutes, then rinse crawfish. NOTE: some people skip adding salt.



e careful not to let them purge too long. You do not want them to be dead when you add them to the boil. Throw away all crawfish that have already died (the dead crawfish should float to the top). You do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to add dead crawfish to the pot.


After purging and cleaning, don’t leave the crawfish covered with water, as they need air to stay alive. Keep the crawfish in a cool or shaded area until you’re ready to start cooking.


Boiling Crawfish: If you have not already done so, drink a cold beer.



In a large (60- to 80-gallon) pot over high heat, add enough water to fill a little more than halfway.


Squeeze out the juice out of the lemon halves into the water and throw the lemon halves into the water.


Add crawfish or crab boil seasoning (see left column).


Large pot of fresh boiled crawfishCover pot, turn on the burner full blast, and bring water to a boil; boil 2 to 3 minutes to allow the spices to mix well. NOTE: It needs to be hot enough to bring the pot to a rolling boil in about 15 minutes.

Using a large wire basket that fits into the pot, add onions, sausage, mushrooms, and potatoes. Maintain a boil and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add crawfish to the wire basket, stirring them a bit. Once the water starts a rolling boil again, boil 5 minutes. Regulate the burner so the rolling boil is maintained, but where the pot does not boil over.

Turn the burner off, keep the pot covered, and let the crawfish soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove wire basket from pot.

Remove the strainer from the water, and rest it on the top of the pot using two boards laid on the top of the pot as a rack. Let the crawfish drain.


Serving Boiled Crawfish: To serve the traditional way, cover a table (preferably outdoors) with thick layers of newspaper.

Spill the contents of the basket (onions, potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, and crawfish) along the length of the newspaper-covered table. They are best served steaming hot.

Makes 10 servings.

Blackened Catfish Recipe

Recipe ingredients:

6-8 - catfish fillets, thinly sliced
1 – teaspoon crushed dried thyme leaves
1 – teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 – teaspoon black pepper
1 – teaspoon salt
1/2 - teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 – teaspoon onion powder
1/2 - teaspoon paprika
1/2 – cup butter, melted
1/2 – white wine, dry cooking
lemon juice

Cookware and Utensils:

1 – cast iron skillet or large heavy skillet
1 – mixing bowl
1 – spatula

Recipe instructions:

As always the key to great cooking is to be prepared and to use quality ingredients.

Rinse catfish fillets under running cold and then thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.

Make your seasoning mixture by combining crushed dried thyme leaves, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika in a small bowl.

Brush melted butter lightly over catfish fillets and sprinkle with blackened seasoning mix. Repeat for other side. Be sure to completely coat each fillet.

Heat iron cast skillet until it is very hot, about 10 minutes. Pour the leftover butter into your skillet. Carefully place the catfish fillets into the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on both sides. This blackened seasoning mixture will produce some smoke so another way to tell when to turn over you fillets is when the smoke turns gray.

Serve finished fillets over a bed of white steamed rice. Add lemon juice to the top of each fillet. I also recommend Caesar or Garden salad with baked potato.

Shrimp and Grits

Recipe courtesy Martha Nesbit


Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
25 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 4 cups water
* Salt and pepper
* 1 cup stone-ground grits
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 6 slices bacon, chopped
* 4 teaspoons lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
* 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
* 1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.

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The Shrimp Cocktail

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Prep Time:
0 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
0 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 32 shell-on (21 to 25 count) tiger shrimp

For the brine:

* 1/4 cup kosher salt
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 cup water
* 2 cups ice

For the cocktail sauce:

* 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
* 1/2 cup prepared chili sauce
* 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* Few grinds fresh black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning

Directions

Using a pair of scissors or a serrated knife, make an incision down the backside of the shrimp, following the intestinal track. Eviscerate shrimp and rinse under cool water leaving shells intact.

Place cleaned shrimp into a bowl with brine and refrigerate mixture for 20 to 25 minutes. While shrimp are brining, place tomatoes, chili sauce, horseradish, sugar, pepper, and salt in food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate cocktail sauce until ready to serve.

Place a baking sheet or broiler pan under oven broiler and preheat for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from brine and drain thoroughly. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and dry on paper towels. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning, if desired.

Place shrimp onto a sizzling sheet pan and return to broiler immediately. After 2 minutes, turn the shrimp with a pair of tongs. Return the shrimp to broiler for 1 minute. Transfer to a cold cookie sheet. Refrigerate immediately.

Once shrimp have chilled, arrange with cocktail sauce in a martini glass or as desired.

Roasted Oysters

by Chef #407788 Evelinkamalinka

30 min | 30 min prep

SERVES 24

* 4 dozen fresh oysters, in the shell (Blupoints or other large flat shell oysters)
* 3 lbs rock salt or ice
* 1 cup diced tomato, drained
* 1 cup thinly bias-sliced green onion
* lemon wedge

1. Scrub oysters under cold running water. Spread rock salt on a heavy roasting pan or baking sheet. Arrange on dozen of the oysters, curved shell down, on rock salt so they are stabilized.
2. Bake in a 400 degrees oven, for about 10 minutes. Remove oysters when the shells open, as they pop and continue baking until are done. Repeat with remaining oysters.
3. Hold the roasted oyster with the oven mitt and the flat side up. Using a strong bladed knife insert the knife into the hinges of the shell. Twisting the blade, pry open the oyster, move the blade along the upper side of the sheel to free the muscle from the shell.
4. Remove and discard the upper shell.
5. Use the lower shell for serving the oyster.
6. Transfer to a platter lined with rock salt. Top each oyster with 1 teaspoon of tomatoes and green onions. Served with lemon wedges.
7. Makes 24 appetizers.

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

Sexy, Spicy, Hot Barbeque Shrimp

Wonderful play on a health dish! This is a great way to eat shrimp. Enjoy with an island or tropical style rice.


Gather together the following ingredients:

2 Pounds Large Shrimp in Shell

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Olive Oil

8 Garlic Cloves Crushed

4 Whole Bay Leaves

4 Teaspoon Fine Herbs (McCormick or Spice Island)

16 oz Bottle of Hot Sauce

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

Juice from 2 Fresh Lemons

Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add oil and other ingredients except of shrimp. Heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and let sit for 2 hours. (Can be made ahead and saved for a couple of days in refrigerator.) When ready to make shrimp, add shrimp to sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium low or low and simmer for about 20 minutes. (Stir frequently).

Can be used as a marinade or to baste when cooking on the grill!

Serve in a bowl with sauce and soak-up sauce with bread.