Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

It has been a quiet Winter in our Florida rental home. In the past we have enjoyed so many activities available in New Smyrna Beach. There are weekly weekend events along the main thoroughfares of Flagler Avenue and Canal Street. We have attended antique car shows, art exhibits, wine tastings and Fat Tuesday parades. But this year we have avoided the crowds. But, when Valentine’s Day came around, we traveled back to NC for our Grandson’s birthday and then stopped in Charleston on the way back to Florida. We had a glorious warm and sunny day to explore this quaint town. One of the perennial favorite restaurants is called 82 Queen. They are repudiated to have the best crab cakes in Charleston. We had lunch in the courtyard.

I ordered the appetizer of Crab Cake with Bacon Sautéed Corn and Red Pepper Aioli.

It was delicious and it was fun trying to duplicate this at home. I think I came up with a good recipe combination using recipes found on line and adapting them to our tastes. The below recipe makes a lot. For the two of us I cut it in less than half. It is easy to adjust it to your needs.

Crab Cakes with Bacon Sautéed Corn and Red Pepper Aioli

Crab Cakes:

2 pounds fresh jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

1 1/2 cups panko

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped chives

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice and zest of 1 lemon, plus more lemon wedges for serving

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. For the crab cakes: Gently fold together the crabmeat, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, chives, Dijon mustard, seafood seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and the juice and zest of one lemon in a large bowl. Refrigerate the crab mixture for 15 minutes to firm up; this allows the breadcrumbs to absorb some of the liquid, helping the crab cakes bind together.
3. Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, dill pickles, capers, chives, zest and juice of 1 lemon in a medium bowl and mix until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Scoop heaping half cups of the crab mixture and pat into 2 1/2-inch wide patties. Lightly press them together so they do not fall apart while cooking. You should have 8 patties.
5. Heat 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crab cakes to the pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes, then flip using a flat metal spatula. Continue to cook until lightly golden, about 1 1/2 minutes then transfer the pan to the oven. Cook until the crab cakes are completely heated through, about 10 minutes.

Bacon Sautéed Corn:

• 5 slices of bacon , diced
• 1 16 oz. bag of frozen white shoe peg corn, thawed

Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Sauté corn in bacon dripping until soft, about 10 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

• 2 whole roasted red peppers ( I used Jarred roasted red peppers)
• ⅔ cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved, or more to taste
• 1 ½ cups light mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s® Light) 
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

Place roasted red peppers and basil in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped and combined. Add lemon juice; pulse 3 times. Scatter garlic halves over mixture; pulse to chop, 4 to 5 times. Add mayonnaise and sugar; pulse until smooth, 5 to 7 times. Season with salt and pepper.

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I’m embracing the Florida warmth, in spite of a string of several cool days.  We always gravitate toward seafood when we are here.  We have had fish soup, sautéed shrimp and salmon on the grill.  David found a recipe for these salmon cakes using canned salmon and Simply Potatoes Shredded Potatoes.  It is any easy recipe and made a delicious lunch one day.

We had two gloriously warm days this week while our Daughter-In-Law’s Mother, Darla, was visiting.  She shot this picture of a sea gull on the beach.  We soaked up several hours of beach time.

We are enjoying our side yard which is very large.  I’m looking forward to relaxing on the chaise with a good book.  Our rental property is perfect for us.  It is nice to be able to stroll into town for a meal at one of the fabulous restaurants, ride bicycles on our quiet streets or walk to the beach for some time in the sun.

The recipe makes quite a few salmon cakes (12) so you can enjoy them for several days or halve the recipe.  We will be going to the New Smyrna Beach farmers’ market this weekend so will be looking forward to local produce and fruit.  Strawberries will be coming out of Plant City soon, if the frost didn’t interfere.

 

SHREDDED POTATO SALMON CAKES (All Recipes)

• 2 cups Simply Potatoes Shredded Potatoes
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 pound cooked flaked salmon or a large can of salmon
• 3 green onions, chopped

 

• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped canned banana peppers
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I left this out)
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 cup oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Beat the eggs with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, and mix with the potatoes. Mix in salmon, green onions, capers, red bell pepper, banana peppers, mushrooms and bread crumbs. Form into about 12 patties about 3/4 inch thick.
2. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the patties for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels quickly before serving. Try to fry all the patties at one time, otherwise the mixture becomes stiff.

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David has been in the kitchen.  I bought the Spiralizer, but he has been the one to use it most often.  Shrimp dishes are his specialty.  We love shrimp scampi but sometimes all of that butter and pasta is way too much.  This rendition of shrimp with sauteed vegetables, including zoodles, is just the ticket.  It is flavorful and very satisfying.

There is a whole lot going on right now in our lives.  Our house in Florida sold.  We are there right now clearing out our belongings in anticipation of an estate sale at the end of the week. It is hard to let go of cherished household items, but I am doing very well.  The kitchen has been the hardest part.  I have absolutely no room in my Lake Lure Kitchen for more stuff!  So I have been strongly resisting keeping much.  I have made an exception for my beloved paella pan and a few platters, but that is it.  I wish all of you could be there, because I know I would find good homes for my extra kitchen accoutrements.

With all that is going on right now, I wish I were home in Lake Lure on our sleeping porch with a good book and no responsibilities.

We managed to get the herb planters going before we left for Florida.  It is so nice to have our herbs high above the ground so that our hungry deer do not bother them.  We have a great neighbor watering everything while we are gone.

Two varieties of parsley and sage decorate this planter.

We enjoyed this Shrimp Florentine dish so much.  The fresh spinach and zucchini noodles made this both delicious and healthy.  I need to let David plan meals more often.  He tends to cook healthier meals than I do.  I would be happy with just macaroni and cheese.

SHRIMP FLORENTINE WITH ZOODLES

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Zucchini, cut into noodle-shaped strands
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs

2 Tablespoons butter
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir zucchini noodles (zoodles), onion, red bell pepper, chopped garlic, Italian herbs and 1/2 teaspoon salt until zoodles are tender and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Transfer zoodle mixture to a bowl.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet; cook and stir shrimp and minced garlic until shrimp are just pink, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove shrimp to a bowl and deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce the liquid by half.  Add spinach, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; cook and stir until spinach begins to wilt, 3 to 3 minutes.  Add zoodle mixture and the shrimp and cook and stir until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.  Serve.

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We returned to Florida from North Carolina just before winter storm Octavia descended upon the state. Because the Southern states were being hit so hard with snow, ice and sleet, there was a danger that power outages would occur.  It was a comfort to see over 30 power company trucks with buckets traveling in convoy from Florida up I 95 to the affected states.  I’m sure there were more Florida utility trucks traveling north up I 75 as well.  We are definitely the United States of America.  It was also a comfort to me to watch the outside temperature gauge in our car rise from 16 degrees in NC to 75 degrees in Florida.

This bowl of pasta and shrimp was also a comfort to me the day after we got home.  I was in the mood for something citrusy and healthy but with a little heft to it.  After all, I was still trying to thaw out.

The dish is elegant and easy.  Rosy salmon, pale green leaks and fresh herbs are tossed with broad pappardelle pasta.  I adapted the recipe from Cooking Light Magazine.  I didn’t have all of the fresh herbs that they called for, but used what I had; which was parsley, basil and thyme.  It is nice to be able to keep small pots of herbs just outside my door.  The lemons came from our small tree.

This had the taste of spring to me.  For all of you who are suffering through this brutal winter, I wish you an early spring.  In the meantime, this recipe might help a little.  Enjoy.

PAPPARDELLE WITH SALMON AND LEEKS

I don’t know about you, but after the Thanksgiving holidays I crave food that is totally different from that table of white carbs and sweet desserts.  Also, for health reasons, David is trying to eat better.  So he has been on a seafood soup kick lately.  He spends his mornings at the gym and then comes home and throws something together like this Venetian fish soup.  Similar to bouillabaisse or cioppino, this fragrant fish soup is vibrant and alive with flavor.

Shrimp and fish fillets are the protein in this soup.  Combined with vegetables, clam juice, crushed tomatoes and white wine, you have a relatively light bowl of goodness.  If you wanted to add some carbs to the mix you could add a piece of garlic infused toasted baguette to the bowl before you add the soup.  But for lunch we liked it just the way that it was.

The recipe came from Food and Wine Magazine.  David adapted it slightly.  But I am showing it here as it was written.  I am fortunate to have him in the kitchen doing his healthy cooking.  Maybe it will offset all of the cookies I am getting ready to make.

VENETIAN FISH SOUP

1/2 pound large shrimp, shells removed and reserved
2 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 1/2 cups bottled clam juice
2 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in puree (from a 28-ounce can)
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
5 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt or more, depending on the saltiness of the clam juice
2 bay leaves
2 pounds moderately firm white fish fillets such as cod, halibut, ocean perch, orange roughy, or pollack (cut in pieces)
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the shrimp shells and the water in a small pot; bring the water to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.  Strain the shrimp stock into a bowl.  Discard the shells.

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat.  Add the carrots, onions, fennel, celery and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine; cook until it almost evaporates, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the shrimp stock, clam juice, tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, 4 tablespoons of the parsley, the thyme, salt and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes.  Taste for salt and, if needed, add more,  Remove the bay leaves.

Add the fish, shrimp, the remaining tablespoon parsley and the pepper to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Simmer until the fish and shrimp are just done, about 2 minutes.

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