Category Archives: Fish

Oyster Stuffing

Bread, Chicken, Dinner Ideas, Fish December 15, 2025 Leave a comment

The history of oyster stuffing dates back to at least 1685, when it was first mentioned in the cookbook The Accomplisht Cook in London. Traditionally, the stuffing was placed under the skin of the bird, a common practice at the time. By 1796, culinary advice suggested stuffing the cavity of the bird instead. Different regions have their own preferred types of stuffing: Southerners often favor pecan, rice, or cornbread; Italians typically include sausage; and Germans enjoy dried fruit, potatoes, and apples. I personally discovered an oyster stuffing recipe many years ago and decided to try it. I am pleased to say that this stuffing is delicious, it does not have a fishy smell or taste. One of its advantages is that it can be served as a standalone dish. For the best flavor, I recommend using fresh herbs whenever possible. Enjoy your cooking experience and the unique taste of oyster stuffing.

SERVES 8—10

INGREDIENTS

  • 11 cups ½” cubed white French bread (about 14 oz.)
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 6 tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 6 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
  • 40 medium oysters, such as Bluepoint’s shucked (about 1 lb.), with 1 cup of the liquor reserved (I have used canned oysters)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ¼ cup madeira or port (a sweet wine)
  • ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 2 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme leaves
  • 2 tbsp. fresh chopped sage leaves
  • ½ tsp. Tabasco (or any hot sauce)
  • ¼ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp. ground cloves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 250˚F.
  2. Arrange bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake, stirring occasionally, until dried but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove bread cubes from the oven and let cool.
  3. Put bacon into a 12″ skillet; cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until crisp for about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from pan. Reserve 1 tablespoon of grease.
  4.  Add 4 tablesopoons of butter to bacon grease and heat. Add shallots and celery, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
  5.  Add oyster liquor, stock, Madeira or port, parsley, thyme, sage, Tabasco, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the bread cubes and oysters. Set aside to allow the flavors to come together for 10 minutes.
  6. Raise the oven temperature to 400˚. Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-qt. oval baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, drizzle with remaining butter, and continue baking until golden brown and crusty, about 15 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Crab and Flounder Dish

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Fish December 13, 2025 Leave a comment

flounder crabTraditionally we served fish for our Christmas Eve dinner. My mom loved her herrings in sour cream. Today, I will share my favorite dish and that is Crab Meat stuffed Flounder. This incredible dish can be served as a main entrée using the method below; or a side dish using smaller fillets; wrap a smaller flounder around a small scoop of crab meat mixture, secure with a toothpick. I have also served this crab mixture scooped on top of salmon or trout. You will enjoy this dish however you decide to serve it. Happy Holidays.

FLOUNDER FILLETS

4 to 5 Large fillets

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

flounder slicedSprinkle flounder with salt and pepper. Using a fillet knife, carefully open the flounder by cutting along the left and right sides of the seam down the middle of the fish to make pockets. Lay the cut sides back.

CRAB MIX

Ingredients

  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 minced red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons spicy mustard
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 10 saltine crackers, crumbled medium to fine
  • 1/2-pound lump crabmeat, picked clean of shells
  • 1/2-pound claw crabmeat, picked clean of shells
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. In a medium skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions, garlic, parsley and peppers until soft. Let cool.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, heavy cream, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise together. Gently mix in the Saltine crackers and crabmeat. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside to stuff in flounder.
  3. Stuff the flounder with the Crab Mix and press the sides down to cover the filling. Sprinkle with paprika.
  4. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place the fish in the dish and bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Without removing the dish from the oven, turn the oven to broil and broil for 5 additional minutes.
  6. When the fish is done, remove it from the oven.

*Optional: Melt ½ cup of butter and drizzle over fillets when finished baking.

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Appetizers, Chicken, Dinner Ideas, Fish, Fun Stuff, Salads, Side, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly May 20, 2014 Leave a comment

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Mu shu is is a dish of northern Chinese origin, possibly originally from Shandong. It is believed to have first appeared on the menus of Chinese restaurants in the United States in the late 1960s.  In its traditional Chinese version, mu shu consists of sliced or shredded pork, thinly sliced wood ear mushrooms and day lily buds.

My original recipe called for a rotisserie chicken, shredded, which can be used in this recipe, but I used shrimp. Instead of a Chinese pancake or tortillas, I used lettuce leaves to wrap the filling in.  The end result was a very satisfying and filling veggie, shrimp wrap. I used bagged coleslaw, and used my peeler to shred a small zucchini into strips.  The incredible taste comes from the other ingredients, the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Experiment with other vegetables like snow peas, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (canned), the resulting dish is exotic and satisfying, enjoy.

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry (I didn’t have any and used apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1.   Mix those ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk – set aside

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger

2.   Set those two ingredients aside

  • 1 (14 oz) bag of coleslaw
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions
  • 1 small peeled zucchini, sliced very thin with a vegetable peeler
  • any other vegetable you want to add

3.   Add those ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

  • About 12 Bibb lettuce  leaves rinsed, and dried.  if you don’t have Bibb lettuce, any long lettuce leave will work.
  • 1/4 cup chopped cashews (I used walnuts)

4.   Set the last two ingredients aside.

Directions:

  1. Heat a large wok or frying pan on medium-high heat, add the 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and swirl oil to coat pan or use a pastry brush.
  2. Add garlic and ginger to oil and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.
  3. Add soy sauce mixture, coleslaw, and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute stirring.
  4. Add shrimp and stir fry until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Coleslaw and veggies should be crisp tender at this point.
  5. Divide mixture among lettuce leaves, sprinkle with cashews and enjoy.

 

Fresh Water Fish

Dinner Ideas, Fish January 13, 2013 1 Comment

Salmon or Trout

Salmon or Trout

Everyone knows that fish is good for you. The fats in fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel, are thought to help prevent heart disease, and can even aid in preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s and strokes. Purchasing fresh fish is not difficult; your fish should smell sweet: any fishy or strong flavors means the fish is past its prime; do not buy it. Whole fish should look as they were just pulled from the water; bright eyes and firm flesh are signs of freshness. Fish fillets or steaks should be firm and bright looking, with no brown spots or discoloration. Ask the butcher how old the fish is.

Fresh fish should be stored in your refrigerator for only a day or two; it’s very perishable. Any longer than that, and wrap the fish well in freezer paper and freeze it. If you buy frozen fish or want to defrost any fish you froze, it can be thawed in the refrigerator, or under cold running water. Be sure to cook it as soon as it is thawed.

Here is a trick that I have personally never tried, but read about; thaw frozen fish in milk! Place the frozen fish in a bowl and cover with fresh milk, then cover and let sit in refrigerator overnight. The fish will have a wonderful fresh-caught taste. Discard the milk after the fish thaws.

Here is a recipe for Steelhead Trout, I have used this recipe for fresh and frozen Salmon too.

Steelhead Trout or Salmon

  • 1 lb Steelhead Trout or Salmon
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic sliced very thin
  • 1 clove of garlic to be grated or minced
  • 1 lime – grate the lime for zest then slice in half lengthwise and then slice into very thin slices from one half
  • 1 sprig of fresh Rosemary
  • ½ cup of Italian flat leaf parsley – minced
  • ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • Turn broiler on oven

Directions

  1. Place foil on broiler pan – fold up edges to create a rim and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Rinse fish – dry – rub olive oil on both sides of fish and lay on foil with skin side down
  3. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper
  4. Sprinkle with the grated lime peel
  5. Spread the thin sliced garlic cloves across the entire length of fish
  6. Mix the parsley, rosemary, and grated or minced garlic, spread across the top of the fish
  7. Layer the thinly sliced lime across the parsley mix
  8. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil on top of that
  9. Optional – drizzle 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar on top of that
  10. Let the fish sit while oven heats up
  11. Broil for 2 minutes just to get the herbs cooking – do not cook any longer you do not want crisp herbs.
  12. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and place a piece of foil loosely on top of fish and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Do not overcook – Eat healthy, eat well!

Salmon Cakes

Dinner Ideas, Fish January 1, 2013 Leave a comment

Salmon Cakes

Salmon Cakes

I just had the best Salmon Cakes I’ve ever tasted and they were pretty easy to make.  Any kitchen should have a mini food processor, such as a Cuisinart Mini-prep plus.  It does all the chopping for you.  Let me start my story with I was hungry and it was lunch and I am home from work to celebrate New Years Day.  So I had time to do this.  I purchased 3 envelopes of Chicken of the Sea Skinless & Boneless Pink Salmon at Walmart *(in the tuna area) the other day, mostly because I eat a lot of salad and like to add protein like tuna, crab or salmon to my salad – which will be another story another time.  So I had this salmon in my pantry and saw a recipe on the back of the envelope for “Simple Salmon Cakes”  I looked at the ingredients I would need and had almost everything I needed except for bread crumbs, but I did make a loaf of bread a few days ago in my bread maker and it was sitting there, and I knew I wasn’t going to finish the bread before it got hard, so I chopped the remaining loaf in my Cuisinart Mini-Prep plus into tiny, soft bread crumbs.  I only needed a cup, so I put the rest in a zip lock and put it in the freezer for another day.

I didn’t have “green onions” so I used my left over red onion and threw it in the Cuisinart and chopped it fine, I had mini bell peppers from another recipe so I did the same with them and chopped them fine. So there you go, you can substitute veggies with what you have.  I also didn’t have any lemon juice, but had lime juice and used that instead.  So here is the actual recipe:

  • 1 5oz pouch of Chicken of the Sea Skinless & Boneless Pink Salmon
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion (or red or scallions)
  • 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
  • Dash Cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
  • 1 medium egg (beaten)
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (fresh is best!)
  • 3 tablespoon butter (I sprayed the pan with “pam” and used 1 tsp of butter)
  • 1/4 tsp of seasoned salt – I didn’t use salt

Combine onion, mayo, lemon or lime juice, and seasonings in a bowl. Add salmon, egg and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs or more if mixture is too loose to gather into your hand, mixture will and should be soft and loose, not stiff and sticky.  Gather about 1/2 cup mixture in your hand and form into a loose ball, roll around in remainder 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs to form a crust and place on a plate while you do the same with the rest.  Heat skillet spray with cooking spray and melt a tsp of butter on skillet.  Add each cake and cook for 4 minutes on the first side on medium heat (electric stove is #5) while this is cooking – wash your dishes.  It is better to be busy instead of bothering the cakes while they cook.  After 4 minutes, flip over and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Finish cleaning your mess.  When they are done, you can eat on a plate with a tablespoon of mayo (I use Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil reduced fat)  and tablespoon of relish (I use Famous Dave’s hot and sweet) or put between bread and dress how you like.  These are really good – you can be creative and use this stuffing in mushrooms and bake in a 350 oven for probably about 20 minutes.  Enjoy!