seafood


Baked Scallops recipe

Now that we are sheltering in place, there is plenty of time to try new recipes! My family enjoys eating scallops, but I always cook them the same way; I sear them. I decided to try something new this time, I baked them.

Baked Scallops are delicious! This recipe was a home-run on the first try. It is really easy. So, if you like Scallops, this is an easy recipe to try. It’s much easier to bake them than sear them! Love that!

Ingredients:

  • Large Scallops-20
  • 8 pats butter
  • 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Season to taste: Paprika, Lemon Juice, Basil, Salt

Preparation instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425, ensuring the rack is in the middle of the oven.
  2. Grab an 11×13 casserole dish and place 8 pats of butter, evenly spaced apart, in the casserole dish.
  3. Evenly space 20 large scallops in the casserole dish, ensuring the butter pats are spaced apart too.
  4. Evenly spread 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan across the scallops
  5. Season to taste: evenly spread basil, salt, paprika and lemon juice on top of the scallops.

Baking instructions:

  • Bake at 425 for 16 minutes
  • Scallops should be white and opaque; 130 degree Fahrenheit internal temperature.

Serving instructions:

  1. Place scallops on dish. My kids typically eat 4 large scallops, while my husband will 6, and I eat 5. With a tablespoon, scoop up the buttery sauce in the casserole dish and pour it over the scallops on the plate.
  2. Serve with your favorite vegetable. We used frozen peas melted in butter because we are sheltering in place, and that’s what I had in the freezer. Under normal circumstances, I might serve with cauliflower, sliced cucumber, and/or peas. Peas are mild and sweet, so they do pair well with scallops!

Things you might need to make baked scallops for dinner:

If you want a side dish, try mashed potatoes or jasmine rice. You can pour the sauce from the casserole dish over the rice or potatoes. Yum!

This dinner felt fancy, and was a nice change during our shelter-in-place. Sometimes it is nice to treat yourself with good food when you are feeling down; like most of us are feeling during this unprecedented time.

Bon Appetite! I hope you love this dish as much as my family does 😊

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


Lemon shrimp angel hair pasta recipe

lemon shrimp angel hair pasta recipe

*So, I am not very good at indoor photography. My apologies for the poor quality photo, the food does look better in real life and it is quite delicious! This is a plate full of my own lemon shrimp with angel hair pasta recipe. I’m excited to share it with you!

Now that summer is fast approaching, I like to switch up my cooking so that I can offer my family lighter fare. There is something perfect about citrus based dishes on warm days. A month ago, my cousin gifted me a bag full of beautiful lemons from her backyard tree. With so many lemons on hand, I decided to get creative! My family loves pasta, and my middle child is a huge shrimp fan, so I decided to try and combine the two. Thankfully it worked, and the spontaneous recipe turned out to be quite yummy. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Summer Recipes: Lemon Shrimp Pasta Sauce

(Makes 9 Servings)

  • 2 Fresh Lemons
  • 1 Pound Pasta (I prefer Barilla Angel Hair Pasta)
  • 1 pound rock shrimp (or any shrimp you prefer)
  • Half stick of unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed or diced
  • Season to taste: oregano, basil
  • Top with Parmesan

Step 1: Cook shrimp in frying pan. I use olive oil to grease the pan. Cook thoroughly.

Step 2: While shrimp is cooking, cut the lemons in half and juice them using a citrus juicer.

Step 3: Melt butter in sauce pan.

Step 4: Combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil and cooked shrimp in sauce pan with melted butter. Stir to combine ingredients, and simmer over low heat while pasta is cooking.

Step 5: Cook pasta.

Step 6: Drain pasta.

Step 7: Place pasta on dish and top with lemon shrimp sauce.

Step 8: Top with 1-2 teaspoons of Parmesan.

Step 9: Serve and enjoy!

That’s it! This is a really easy pasta dish which is perfect for warm, summer days. It’s a light pasta sauce which is delicious and fresh. Enjoy!

Tools you might need to cook my lemon shrimp pasta sauce:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

 


Crab Macaroni and Cheese recipe

homemade crab macarani and cheese recipe

pictured: Cathy’s homemade Crab Macaroni and Cheese recipe

Have you ever wondered how to make crab macaroni and cheese? Well, it’s really easy! If you love comfort food, and you love shellfish, and you love mac and cheese, then this is the dish for you!

I love, love, love macaroni and cheese. I also love Crab! Together, they make a grown-up version of every kid’s favorite meal from a box; without the box, and using real cheese.

In order to make my Crab Macaroni and Cheese at home, I use my personal macaroni and cheese recipe, then I add crab. It’s really easy. If you prefer substituting something in lieu of the crab, you can switch out the crab for lobster or shrimp. They both result in really yummy, grown up versions of macaroni and cheese! Yum!

how to make crab macaroni and cheese

How to make Crab Macaroni and Cheese. Start off by making homemade macaroni and cheese. Here is my recipe:

Cathy’s homemade macaroni and cheese recipe:

  • 1 lb. box of Barilla Elbow pasta cooked (you can use any brand-this is my preferred brand)
  • 16 oz. shredded Kraft Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese.
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika

Mix together the cooked pasta, Paprika, and shredded cheese. Place mixture in a large casserole. Cover and bake at 375 degrees, non-convection, for 25 minutes.

While the macaroni and cheese is baking, you can cook your crab mixture. You will need:

  • 1 lb. crab (shelled) (I buy it pre-shelled from the butcher) (Sub: lobster or small shrimp if you prefer)
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup pure virgin olive oil (the real stuff tastes best!)
  • 3 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup chopped or diced onion (cut to your preference-I prefer diced)
  • 1 tablespoon Paprika

In a mixing bowl, mix all of these ingredients together until they are blended. Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and cook until the crab is done, and the butter is nicely melted.

crab macaroni and cheese recipe

After 25 minutes in the oven, remove the macaroni and cheese casserole, but leave your oven on, and the door closed. Uncover the macaroni and cheese. Smooth your crab mixture over the top of the macaroni and cheese. I always leave a section bare because my oldest daughter doesn’t like fish, so she only eats the plain macaroni and cheese. You can cover half, like I do, or you can put shrimp on one side, and crab on the other. The mixture is large enough to cover the entire top if you decide to not leave a portion blank.

When the top of the macaroni and cheese is covered by the crab mixture, cover the casserole dish and bake at 375 for another 10 minutes.

Before you serve the Crab Macaroni and Cheese, please let it cool for 5-10 minutes in the covered casserole dish, outside the oven. I leave the casserole on my cooktop. Then, serve it up!

My kids love my homemade Crab Macaroni and Cheese, I hope you do too! It is a delicious comfort food which is perfect for cooler weather. ‘Tis the season for comfort food!

This is also a great dish to make for holiday pot luck parties, or if you are throwing a large party at home. Although I serve it as a main course to my family, for a large party, it can be a hearty side dish in a buffet.

I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Kitchen tools you might need to make this recipe:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

crab macaroni and cheese