June 17, 2008
Enjoy Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer With Florida Seafood
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda and seafood on the grill. Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer, just fill your basket full of Florida shrimp, snapper, mahi-mahi, blue crab, clams and yellowfin tuna. Well, maybe it is not exactly how the song goes, but doesn’t it sound like a great idea? Florida’s seas have so much to offer this time of year -- swimming, sunning and seafood. Try these Florida seafood recipes and, as the song says, you’ll wish that summer could always be here.
Grilled Shrimp in Peanut Sauce
2 pounds Florida shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup fresh Florida lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Florida garlic, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh Florida ginger root, chopped
Place shrimp on wooden skewers and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. The sauce will be thick but thin enough to allow it to be brushed on the shrimp. Brush sauce on the shrimp and chill for 1 hour. Grill skewered shrimp 6 to 8 inches over medium coals for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 minutes or until shrimp are no longer translucent in the center. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 361, Calories From Fat 170, Total Fat 19g, Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 230mg, Total Carbohydrates 10g, Protein 39g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.77g.
Florida Pan-Grilled Red Snapper with Avocado-Strawberry Salsa
1 Florida jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 ripe Florida avocado, diced
2 cups Florida strawberries, finely chopped
1/4 cup Florida red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Florida cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh Florida lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
sea salt, to taste
4 6-ounce Florida red snapper fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh Florida lime zest
salt and pepper to taste
Stir jalapeno, avocado, strawberries, onion, cilantro, lime juice, sugar and sea salt together in a bowl. Cover and set aside. Salsa may be made several hours ahead and chilled. When making ahead, add the sugar, salt and avocado when ready to serve. Preheat stovetop grill pan over high heat. Pat fillets dry then brush both sides with the oil; sprinkle with the lime zest, salt and pepper. Lay fillets on grill pan skin side down and cook 4-5 minutes on each side, turning once, until cooked through. Transfer fillets skin side up to individual serving plates. Carefully remove skin; top with avocado-strawberry salsa. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 440, Calories From Fat 117, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 63mg, Total Carbohydrates 40g, Protein 37g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.06g.
Grilled Ginger Mahi-Mahi with Florida Tropical Fruit Salsa
4 6-to-8-ounce Florida mahi-mahi fillets
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 shallots, minced
4 slices fresh ginger, unpeeled, minced
1 clove Florida garlic, minced
black pepper to taste
Preheat grill or broiler. Arrange fillets in grilling basket or on broiler pan coated with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add minced shallots, ginger and garlic. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Remove skillet from heat. Reserve 1/2 of the ginger-shallot-garlic mixture; set aside. Brush fillets with remaining ginger garlic mixture. Grill or broil fillets 4 to 5 inches from heat for 6 minutes or until cooked through, turning once. Transfer fillets to plates and drizzle with reserved shallot-ginger garlic butter. Serve with Tropical Fruit Salsa or your favorite sauce. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 281, Calories From Fat 87, Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 6g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 172mg, Total Carbohydrates 8g, Protein 39g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.23g.
Florida Tropical Fruit Salsa
1 cup Florida mango, diced
1 cup Florida papaya, diced
1/2 cup Florida red onion, diced
1/2 cup Florida tomato, diced
1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tablespoon Florida garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Florida cilantro, fresh, minced
1 tablespoon Florida basil, fresh, minced
1 tablespoon Florida parsley, fresh, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 134, Calories From Fat 85, Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Total Carbohydrates 11g, Protein 0.78g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.02g.
Grill ‘Em Up Blues
12 medium soft-shell blue Florida crabs
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup fresh Florida parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon Florida lemon juice
Florida lemon wedges
Rinse crabs under cold running water. Place crabs in well-oiled, hinged wire grills. Combine remaining ingredients except lemon wedges and warm over medium heat in saucepan. Baste crabs with sauce. Place crabs on rack about 4 inches from moderately hot coals and cook for 8 minutes. Baste with sauce. Turn and cook 7 to 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Serve with lemon wedges. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 124, Calories From Fat 86, Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 0.78g, Trans Fatty Acid 0.21g, Cholesterol 36mg, Total Carbohydrates 0.64g, Protein 9g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0g.
Easy Grilled Clams
2 to 4 dozen Florida littleneck clams, rinsed well
Place clams on grill about 4 inches from coals or gas flame. Close cover and roast for approximately 10 minutes or until clam shells open. Check every few minutes for clams that have popped open. Carefully remove the open clams to an aluminum pan, reserving juices in shell. Serve clams in shells with melted garlic butter or vinegar sauce. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 50, Calories From Fat 10, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 45mg, Total Carbohydrates 3g, Protein 10g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.11g.
Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Mango-Banana Chutney
1 8-ounce jar prepared Florida mango chutney
1/2 cup water
1 cup bananas, diced
1 cup Florida mango, diced
1/4 cup seedless raisins
4 8-ounce Florida yellowfin tuna steaks
salt to taste
pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, combine chutney and water and heat to a simmer. Add diced bananas, mango and raisins to saucepan; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 30 minutes. Salt and pepper tuna steaks to taste. Lightly oil stove top grill and heat over high heat. Cook the tuna steaks to desired doneness, turning once. Cook for 2 minutes on each side for rare center; 3 to 5 minutes each side for medium center; 5 to 8 minutes each side for well-done center. Serve topped with mango-banana sauce. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 466, Calories From Fat 75, Total Fat 8g, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fatty Acid 0g, Cholesterol 89mg, Total Carbohydrates 52g, Protein 48g, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.03g.
So, let the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer roll with Florida seafood on the grill. For more Florida seafood recipes, visit www.FL-Seafood.com.
For more information:
Phyllis McCranie
(850) 488-0163
mccranp@doacs.state.fl.us
