Category: fish & shellfish
Deviled Crab Hushpuppy Waffle & Pickled Seafood Medley ~ The New Southern Seafood Platter in Our State Magazine
| June 29, 2020 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, cornbread & hushpuppies, crab, fish, fish & seafood, fun food, lobster, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, Our State Mag, scallops, shrimp |
We love a seafood platter in the summertime — especially one that features fresh, local fish. Here, we imagined what a modern twist on this classic dish might look like with these Deviled Crab Hushpuppy Waffles and Pickled Seafood Medley!
Spicy Citrus Seafood Cocktail With NC wild-caught shrimp
| June 23, 2020 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, avocado, Bruce Julian Foods, Carolina Country, cook'n with NC goodies, crab, fish & seafood, fun food, garden goodness, gluten free, lobster, low carb, published, scallops, shrimp, wendy's signature recipes |
Spicy Citrus NC Seafood Cocktail
Published in Carolina Country Magazine July 2020
Who has time or desire to do much cooking during the lazy hazy hot days of North Carolina summer? Not me! Y’all, this seafood cocktail is light… so full of flavor with just a hint of fresh citrus, and only a little bit of fuss when it comes to cook’n. Loaded with a bounty of fresh seafood from our coast, you can enjoy this for a late morning brunch… for lunch… or right out of a jar in your porch swing watching the sun set!
This is one of those recipes where specifics and exactness isn’t important — you know, throw cook’n! Use all of one seafood or whatever combo you like. Go with your favorite vegetables and what’s in season. Add veggies you like to my recipe… as The Frugal Gourmet Chef Jeff Smith would say…
“Omit and substitute! That’s how recipes should be written. Please don’t ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute.”
And in keeping with my North Carolina company ingredients, I chose North Carolina’s Bruce Julian’s Blood Mary Mix to finish out my recipe! Just round up what you need and throw together some of my seafood cocktail… soon! You’ll be so glad you did… and so will your company.
And while you’re at it, be sure to make some of my Savory Bay Crackers with browned butter too. Followed up with a little dish of my No-Churn Cantaloupe & Coconut Ice Cream.
Come on over, and hang out with us in my fun facebook community too, where you will find this and lots of other goodies.
Light and spicy... with just the right hint of fresh citrus, the seafood cocktail features all sorts of North Carolina goodness!
- 2 quarts favorite Bloody Mary mix* or V8
- 1 bunch radishes, roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1-2 tablespoons horseradish
- 4 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- zest of 1 lemon, lime, orange and juice of ½ each, Cut the remaining halves into wedges for guests to squeeze into their cocktails
- cracked black pepper
- 2 pounds wild-caught North Carolina shrimp, peeled, cooked and cooled
- 1 pound bay scallops
- 6 small lobster tails
- 2 firm avocados, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 pound lump crab meat
- cilantro
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Combine and chill the spicy sauce ingredients.
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A few minutes before serving, add about four pounds of cooked shellfish of your choice (or use our suggestions above) and gently stir in the avocados and cilantro.
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Sprinkle with crabmeat and more cilantro.
*I used NC’s Bruce Julian Bloody Mary Mix.
Anytime is Deviled Egg time!
| April 8, 2020 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, bacon & belly, buttahhhh, cheesy, cook'n with NC goodies, corn, crab, duke's mayo!, Easter, fun food, gluten free, low carb, Mt. Olive Pickles, Our State Mag, party foods, product recipe development, published, sensational sides, wendy's signature recipes |
While recipe developer and food stylist at Our State Magazine, I was asked to give a classic deviled egg a North Carolina twist. These recipes inspired by our culture are fun to make and good to eat.
Seafood Bisque Casserole
| October 19, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under casseroles, crab, fish & shellfish, pasta, published, scallops, shrimp, wendy's signature recipes |
A warm bowl of bisque surely is soothing … but in a casserole? Oh, yes! Enjoy this seafood over pasta, creamy grits, rice,
Crispy Fish Sandwich With Roasted Tomato, Peach and Nectarine Jam
| August 18, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, condiments & accompaniments, fish, fish & shellfish, garden goodness, honey, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, peaches, published, put'n up... pickles & preserves, roasted goodness, sandwiches, tomatoes |
Enjoy those last summer tomatoes in this sweet n’spicy jam… roasted tomatoes, peaches and nectarines! Spoon over cream cheese or on crispy fish sandwiches.
Grilled Fish Tacos with Watermelon Pico de Gallo
| August 6, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, condiments & accompaniments, fish, fish & shellfish, grill thrills, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, published, watermelon, wendy's signature recipes |
This sweet and hot watermelon pico de gallo is the perfect topping for fresh North Carolina fish, shrimp or crab tacos. For the best texture, stir together just before serving.
Grilled Southwestern Romaine Salad with NC Shrimp
| July 29, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under cook & eat nekkid, corn, dressings, fish & seafood, garden goodness, grill thrills, low carb, published, salads, slaws and such, sensational sides, shrimp, stick foods, wendy's signature recipes |
Let your grill do the work on this one… dressed up or down as you’d like, grilled southwestern romaine with NC Shrimp is as quick a side as you can fix … but watch it closely, it is ready in a flash!
Summer Corn & Crab Salad with honey citrus dressing
| July 17, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under corn, crab, dressings, fish & shellfish, garden goodness, helpful household hints, honey, published, wendy's signature recipes |
Lazy hazy hot days of summer… nope, no cook’n around here! Throw together this no-cook fresh and light salad featuring fresh summer corn and the best crab you can find… like sweet lump North Carolina crab!
“throw cook” what ‘cha got ~ It’s Fall Y’all Clam Chowder
I’m a “throw cooker.” What does that mean? Well, that means I throw stuff together to create good food and teach others how to do that too. It’s pretty simple and just not that hard to do. Folks often ask me to share a ‘recipe,’ which is challenging, because I don’t use them per se. I do try now to ‘throw’ something on paper as a guide because I do love seeing others take my creations and make them… which is what you’ll find below today. So much of what you’ll see from me are concepts… ideas I have in this crazy head of mine I just go in the kitchen to make and see what happens!
Some of my best dishes are those where I simply open the fridge and see what bits and pieces of stuff I need to use and get out of the way in there. I usually share these creations because there’s just no way I can eat all the stuff (and why I’ve turned into my grandma and ‘hoard’ and recycle food jars!)… sometimes folks want “some more of THAT,” but these unique creations can never ever be exactly replicated again…
This gal can’t stand waste so you’re likely to occasionally see me throw something out here with ideas or ingredients that make you go… “do WHAT?” I keep a soup pot in fridge or freezer for soup days, and nothing is thrown out or composted without first pondering whether or not it’s fodder for ‘the pot.’ A perfect example in this recipe is slaw! Lordie, never throw out leftover slaw…. it’s just cabbage, and maybe a little mayo and/or mustard… so what if there’s a little pickle relish in there? That’s just cucumber, a vegetable. Cabbage always adds another layer of flavor (and that’s what we want to do when cooking… add layers of flavor till it tastes good). Folks g.a.s.p. at the sight of seeing me throw slaw into the soup pot… but just about every time there’s some slaw in a soup I’ve made, those are the concoctions that get the biggest rave reviews… so let slaw be one of your secret ingredients too!
Like most ‘throw together’ dishes, this chowder doesn’t need meaurements. That’s what THROW COOKING is all about… Cook’n what ‘cha got! And my mission in life is to get those of you who ‘think’ you need recipes outside of your comfort zone and turn YOU into throw cookers! I dream of creating a posse of TC’s across the nation… fearless folks who “cook what ‘cha got” with nary a written recipe in sight! What’s the worst thing that can happen? You mess up one pot o’ food? And that is so RARE, since something can always be done/added/tweaked to make something edible. The exception to this is burnt food… and nothing you do will make that fit’n to eat.
As for this Clam Chowder, you can delete any of these things or add stuff (such as carrots or other veggies, other fish/seafood, etc.) to make a wondermous “pot o’ something!” Open your fridge, take a look around at the bits of this and that you would like to get outta the way, and do the same in the pantry. Throw that stuff into your crock pot while cleaning up supper and throw in the fridge. In the morning while your coffee is perk’n, plug in your crock pot, turn it on low and come home to a home perfumed with something mighty good. Add a salad (or not), some cheese toast, cornbread, crackers or even Nabs…. crawl into your lounge-y clothes and make your family’s tummies happy… supper’s done in the 15 minutes it took you to throw all this stuff in a pot the night before…. now doesn’t THAT sound delicious!!
“It’s Fall Y’all Clam Chowder”
Recipe by: Wendy L. Perry, Inc. ©
Feel free to share with credit please.
*Be sure to think/shop/buy/support LOCAL folks and your local economy whenever possible! There’s probably a farm near you where many of these ingredients, from the veggies to the bacon, can be had. It’s a ‘good habit’ to get into… thinking ahead a bit and just takes a little “re-programming” a new shopping normal in the beginning, but once you’re there, you’ll remember just how wondermous fresh food from minutes away tastes instead of oceans and continents away!
INGREDIENTS: (in this particular batch)
- large sweet potato — diced
- few slices bacon, diced
- couple stalks celery with tops, diced
- part of a red pepper, diced
- few cloves garlic, chopped
- a couple of small turnips, peeled and diced
- sweet onion, peeled and diced
- leftover slaw (or diced cabbage)
- salsa (and/or crushed tomatoes)
…i had some tidbits of salsa in the fridge i wanted to get outta my way, one of them was a salsa with habanero, so today’s chowder has a little WOWza to it
- tall can creamed corn
- canned clams, or fresh if possible (a can or two per your preference, undrained)
- clam juice, clamato juice, tomato or V8, broth (chicken or vegetable)…your choice of what’s on hand
…i didn’t have any clam juice on hand today (but put on shopping list), so i threw in some chicken broth i had stashed in the freezer - seasonings
…today, i used some Tomato Powder and Homestead Seasoning from a favorite place to shop in Raleigh, Savory Spice Shop (link below). Other seasonings that work well in chowder are thyme, oregano, Old Bay or just whatever your family likes! - barbecue sauce
…i have a lot of tidbits of this, that and the other sauces in my fridge, because i’m a sauce junkie… putting some of this in the chowder just adds another layer of flavor
Throw all ingredients into a crock pot. Turn on low and let this slowly simmer all day till you come home from work. My crock pot decided to DIE on me today when I put this in, so I dumped into a stock pot, brought to boil, then cut back to slow simmer for about 30 minutes for some REAL ‘fast food!’
Total time from start to eat if done on stove-top… less than an hour! Good old simple food… food the way God meant it to be enjoyed… Nekkid!
This is the chowder go’n in…
…and the seasonings I used from Savory Spice Shop in Raleigh... drop by and tell Cindy I sent you! 
See if there’s a Savory Spice Shop near you here!
I hope this inspires you to peek into your fridge and see what YOU can ‘throw’ together! And when you do, please come back and share with us all…
HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!! now git in the kitchen and”Throw” somethin’ in a pot…
Print “recipe” here!
…i can almost smell salt air!
| January 21, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under fish & shellfish, salads, slaws and such |
Here it is, middle of February, and as typical here in North Carolina, we’re having a beautimous day approaching 80 degrees! A few windows have flung open to ‘air out’ the house, hopefully blowing out the germs from another visit from Mr. Winter Crud. I’m trying to pretend the fragrance of Vick’s Vaporizer that fills the air is actually salt air and close my eyes, visualizing I’m strolling down one of our beautiful North Carolina beaches.
One of my favorite warmish day meals is Shrimp or Seafood Salad. This is such an easy and f.a.s.t. treat to throw together and for me, gets better after a day or two in the fridge! I hope you’ll enjoy making this salad and enjoy eating it as much as I do! Now, I’ve gotta run and rinse the sand off my toes….
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Many recipes I post in my my blog will not give you exact measurements. I like to teach folks “throw” cook’n… throw some of this, that and the other together till it tastes like you like it! Those are usually the best dishes, so don’t be afraid! What’s the worst that can happen? You have “A” dish that’s not going to be a family fav? The other side of that is you *might* even create something you’ll be making for years to come! So, don’t be afraid just because there are no measurements here ~ let’s just throw down…
Start with fresh local shrimp if possible. Here in my neck of the woods, I can get peeled and deveined North Carolina Shrimp at Lowe’s Foods (where they have seafood markets). I stock up when on sale and buy 5# bags still frozen (just ask the folks behind the counter for those). That way, I can just grab out a few handfuls at the time to throw on a salad, in a quick stir fry or to make shrimp butter to top a steak just off the grill. Sometimes (as in this batch), I throw in some of that ‘fake’ crab, not a big fav of mine, but in this case, had a few extra folks coming and needed a quick stretch of the salad (and one in the crowd loves the stuff)! The shrimp need to be well drained…. so throw in the colander to thaw and drain.
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After draining, I take some paper towels and dab the shrimp to dry out as much as possible… then throw in a bowl.
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One of my fav kitchen tools are my Dollar Store scissors… I keep several pair handy (along with my wondermous Cutco Shears). The scissors are perfect for snipping things like the ‘crab’ in this salad.
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Celery is a ‘must’ for me in seafood salads… so just finely dice up as much as you like., then throw it in the bowl.
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A little red onion never hurts either, so throw that in too! I usually add some boiled eggs, again, as much or as little as you like… but didn’t use egg in this particular batch. Sometimes I throw in some pickle relish or cubes too.
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Any kind of pepper will do, but I like using white pepper in light salads!
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…and in my kitchen, the o.n.l.y. mayo is DUKE’S! End of story. Start with a couple of tablespoons and stir in… add a tablespoon at the time until the consistency you like.
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The is where you can play with seasonings…now y’all know I’m not one to measure, so throw in whatever herbs and spices you like with fishy wishy stuff. I sometimes grab a pack of Ranch Dressing mix and throw in a bit to mix with the Duke’s to ‘dress’ this salad. Even a dab of honey mustard is good in a seafood salad. Some herbs and spices that work well with shellfish are bay, basil, cayenne, coriander, curry powder, dill, marjoram, oregano, tarragon and thyme.
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And as ‘standard’ for many of us Southern cooks, we have to throw in some sugahhh because that just enhances everything… a little dab ‘l do ya!
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Mix it all up real good, and dish up! Garnishes that work well are parsley, chive or cilantro… I ♥ cilantro, so I often use that on my Shrimp Salad. Try to make this a day ahead, or at least a few hours ahead if possible and throw in the fridge. All those goodies will ‘marry’ and taste bunches better after ‘dating’ for a while! I hope this recipe has inspired you to throw together a shrimp salad real soon. And if you do, come on back here and tell us about it. And oh, can you smell the salt air where you are?
Creamy Fall (or anytime) Clam Chowder
| January 21, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under bacon & belly, Carolina Country, cornbread & hushpuppies, fish & shellfish, published, soups, stews, chilies chowders and such, sweet potatoes, wendy's signature recipes |
Don’t wait until fall to cook up a pot of this flavorful creamy clam chowder. And be sure to fry up a batch of Sweet Potato Hushpuppies to enjoy alongside it too.
A fun way to enjoy an old favorite… Crab Rangoon Stuffed Mushrooms!
| November 29, 2018 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, Asian, Christmas, crab, party foods, published, Toaster Oven, wendy's signature recipes |
You won’t go wrong making up a bunch of these Crab Rangoon Stuffed Mushrooms for your next gathering. You can bake in small batches in your toaster oven, or do a great big pan for larger crowds in your oven.
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