Shrimp and Grits

This wonderful dish is served in the households of many Southerners, and comes from the shrimp fishing communities that stretch from Brownsville, Texas up through the Carolinas. As always we recommend you use wild caught American shrimp in making this recipe.

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

1 cup stone ground grits

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, extra sharp

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined,16/20 Size works the best

4 ounces apple wood smoked bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup scallions, chopped

one clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Delacroix Island Creole Seasoning

sea salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

Steps:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the grits and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well with a whisk. Reduce the heat to lowest possible setting and cook the grits until all the water is absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Keep covered until ready to serve.

 

1. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crisp, and train on a paper towel. Add the shrimp to the bacon grease in the skillet and sauté over medium heat until they just turn pink, about three minutes. Do not overcook! Immediately  add the Delacroix Island Creole Seasoning, lemon juice, parsley, green onions, and garlic. Stir, and remove from heat.

 

1. Pour the grits into small serving bowls. Pour the shrimp mixture over the grits. Garnish with chopped bacon, and shredded cheese. Serve immediately.

Grilled mojito mahi-mahi with honeydew-lime compote

3 pounds mahi-mahi filets

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ounce Key Lime Margarita Chicken and Seafood Rub

1/2 cup fresh key lime juice

2 teaspoons lime zest

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon white rum

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon seeded and finely slivered  jalapeño pepper

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely slivered fresh mint

1 large honeydew melon, seeded and cut from the rind, diced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

fresh mint sprigs and lime segments for garnish

Steps:

1.        portions of mahi-mahi filets into eight individual 6 ounce pieces

2.        brush the mahi-mahi filets with extra virgin olive oil, and season generously with key lime Margarita chicken and seafood rub.

3.        Place fish into a nonreactive glass dish, and reserve under refrigeration until it is time to grill.

For the compote:

1. Combine the lime juice, lime zest, water, rum, sugar, jalapeño pepper and ginger  in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about five minutes. Cool, then strain reserving the syrup.
3.  Combine diced melon, red bell pepper, slivered mint in a large, non-reactive bowl. Pour syrup over the melon and allow to marinate refrigerated for at least one hour.
4. Grill the mahi-mahi filets and top with honeydew compote just prior to service.

Serving suggestions: Serve with steamed white rice and black beans

Alice Shoals Curried Shrimp

Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Preparation & Cooking Time: 30 to 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Potato, Peeled, Cut into ½-inch cubes

1 Small Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeds Removed, Cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large Onion, chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, Diced

4 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Habañero Pepper, Seeds Removed, Minced -Optional to add heat to the dish*

2 Cups Shrimp or Lobster Stock

¼ Cup Vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon  Alice Shoals Jamaican Style Curry Powder

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Cayo Hueso Caribbean Style Wing Sauce

½ teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves

1 Bay Leaf  

½ teaspoon  Black Pepper, Freshly Ground

1 Pound Shrimp( 16/20 Size), Peeled

1/4 Cup Scallions, Chopped

Steps:

1. 
   In a large pot, combine the potatoes, squash, onion, garlic, habañero, oil, curry powder, salt, hot pepper sauce, thyme, bay leaf and black pepper. Saute 3 minutes, Add stock.
2. Bring to a simmer, over medium heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender. Mash some of the potatoes to thicken the sauce.
3. Fold in the shrimp, and bell pepper. Cover the pot, and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp are just cooked. Remove from heat.
4. Fold in Chopped Scallions just before serving, if desired.

   Serve curry hot over steamed white rice.

* Please see Iggy’s tip on working with Habañeros prior to preparing this recipe.

Boca Chica Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

Boca Chica Crab Cakes

Regretfully, one of our favorite dishes, the crab cake, often falls victim to the use of fillers. You will find such crab cakes served by those unscrupulous people wishing to cash in on the dishes popularity. We have never been big fans of restaurants that use cheap fillers around Iguana Isle because we think crab cakes should be mostly lump crabmeat and not breadcrumbs, fish scraps, or the worst case offender  imitation crabmeat!  Taste our version, and you be the judge, but the only thing that should be served full of filler in our book is a sandwich( 3:1 Ratio of Meat & Cheese vs Bread is appropriate)!

Crab cake Ingredients:

1 Pound Lump Crabmeat

1.5 Ounce Onion, minced

1.5 Ounce Green Bell Pepper, minced

1/2 teaspoon Loggerhead Bay Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon Cayo Hueso Caribbean Style Wing Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Whole Grain Mustard

1 teaspoon fresh Cilantro, chopped

2 Ounces Panko breadcrumbs

1 Egg

Kosher Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients, and gently fold together to incorporate the ingredients.
2. Portion crab cakes using a ring mold*, and pan sear on both sides until golden.
3. Serve with Remoulade sauce, and fresh lemon wedges.

Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon Sweet Pickle Relish

1 teaspoon Capers

2 Ounces Onion, minced

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon Loggerhead Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon fresh Cilantro, minced

1 teaspoon Whole Grain Mustard

Steps:

Combine all ingredients, and mix well. Chill in refrigerator until service.

Note* See our tips from Iggy regarding how to prepare a makeshift ring mold if you do not have a set around the house.

Bermuda Fish Chowder

Ingredients:  

1 Pound Red Snapper Filet, 1″ cubes  

6 Cups Fish Stock  

2 Bay leaves  

1 Garlic Clove, Minced
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 mediums Celery stalks, chopped
1 medium Carrot, chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 large Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 Cup White Wine
2 teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1-1/3 teaspoon Tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground white pepper.  

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce *see note  

Steps: 

  

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.  

Mix in tomato paste, garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf, paprika, thyme, pepper, salt. Mix Well.  

Deglaze with Wine.  

Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  

Add Snapper, and allow to simmer 10 minutes.  

3. Discard bay leaf. Mix in hot pepper sauce, and serve immediately.  

Note* The use of sherry pepper sauce is a Bermuda tradition that first became popular with British sailors looking to offer flavor to their foods and has been in use on the island for hundreds of years. While a brand called Outerbridge’s is the most famous of all Bermuda Sherry Pepper Sauces it is not always easy to get your hands on a bottle. We have provided a recipe so you can make a Caribbean Sherry Pepper Sauce  of your own.  

*Caribbean Sherry Pepper Sauce  

2 fresh Habañero Chilies  

4 Thai Bird Chilies  

4 Medium Garlic Cloves, Peeled  

2 Cups Cream Sherry  

1 sprig Fresh Rosemary  

1 sprig fresh thyme  

1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns  

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg  

3 Allspice Berries  

1/4 teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds  

2 Bay Leaves  

1 Each Cinnamon Stick  

1 Cup Dark Rum  

Mix all ingredients in a large jar, shake well, and place in the refrigerator several weeks to steep. Strain, and reserve liquid.

Caribbean Style Paella

Serves: 8-10 people

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1 Cup  Ham, Chopped

1 Cup Spanish Chorizo Sausage, sliced into medallions

2 1/2 Cups White Onion, Diced

1 1/2 Cups Green Bell Pepper, Diced

1 1/2 Cups Red Bell Pepper, Diced

6 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Pinch Saffron threads

3 1/2 Cups Parboiled Rice

4 Cups of Chicken Broth

3/4 Cup Caribbean Style Lager

1/8 teaspoon Annatto powder

2 Pounds fresh Clams

1 Pound Shucked  Oysters

1 Pound  Mussels

2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

2 Pounds Shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 1/2 Pound Scallops

1/2 Pound Crabmeat

4-8 Medium Lobster tails, meat removed from shell

and chopped

1 Whole Chicken, Cut 8-Way

Garnish:

1 bunch Asparagus

1 cup of Green Peas

1 Pound Mixed Sweet Peppers, Roasted  

 Steps:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Sauté the ham and chorizo sausage
2.  Remove chorizo and ham and set aside.
3. Drop the onion, green pepper, and red pepper in the remaining oil and cook until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté briefly.
4.  In a separate large covered pot, add the broth, beer, clams,oysters, mussels,  saffron threads and annatto powder. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, or until the shells open.
5. Fry chicken pieces in the remaining oil, until browned on both sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
6. Add the chicken, ham, chorizo, and rice to your pot that has the sautéed vegetables. You should now have everything in the pot EXCEPT the seafood.
7.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer on the stove for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked. (The rice should still have a little liquid remaining at this point).
8.  Sauté the shrimp and lobster in small batches using just a touch of olive oil, and enough chorizo sausage to impart color.
9. When sautéing the seafood, you want to under cook it just a bit. Shrimp and lobster will be pink; scallops will become white and more firm in texture. Remove each batch as you go and keep the seafood covered and warm so that it does not dry out.
10. Fold 1/2 of the seafood into the rice mixture, and transfer to large serving platter.
11. Garnish with remaining seafood, asparagus, green peas, and roasted peppers.

Curried Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 # Fresh Shrimp, Peeled and deveined

2 Tablespoons Alice Shoals Jamaican Curry Powder

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 large Tomato, Diced

1 Large White Onion, Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped

1/2 teaspoon Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold®

1/2 Cup water

1/2 Bunch Green Onion, Chopped

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Sea Salt To Taste

Black Pepper, To Taste

Steps:

1. Rinse and drain shrimp, reserve
2. Heat large sauté pan, add butter, onion, bell pepper, Garlic and sauté until Onion just starts to soften.
3. Add Curry Powder, Shrimp, and sauté for approximately 8 Minutes
4. Add Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold®, Water, and stir to incorporate. Add cold water to Cornstarch to form a slurry paste, and incorporate into sauce, stirring briskly, to prevent lumps. Allow to reduce to thicken sauce.
5. Add Tomatoes and adjust Seasoning with Salt & Pepper.
6. Remove from heat, add Chopped Green Onions, Stir
7. Serve over hot white Rice

Caribbean Lobster Cakes with Spicy Lobster Reduction

Lobster Cake Ingredients:

1 Pound Lump Crab Meat, picked over for shells

1/2 Pound cooked Lobster meat, chopped

1/4 Cup chopped Scallions

1 Tablespoon fresh Lemon juice

3 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon Whole Grain Mustard

1 Each Large Egg

1/2 Cup Panko (Japanese style bread crumbs)

1 dash Caribbean Style Hot Sauce

¼ teaspoon Loggerhead Bay Seasoning

1 Clove Garlic, minced

¼ Cup diced Red Onion

1 teaspoon Amelia Island Blackening Spice

½ Cup Cocoa butter Powder, or Clarified Butter

1 Cup Red Onion, julienned

1 Cup Fennel, julienned

¼ Cup matchstick Carrots

½ Cup Red Bell Pepper, julienned

½ Cup Lobster Stock

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

1 Pinch Paprika

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Cognac

1 teaspoon cold Unsalted Butter

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

Mix Mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Tabasco, bay seasoning, and lemon juice together. Fold crab, lobster, scallions, panko, onion, garlic gently into mixture until ingredients are incorporated evenly.

Portion into 3 oz cakes, and reserve in the refrigerator until service.

Mix lobster stock, and heavy cream in small sauce pan over medium heat. Add cayenne, paprika, Worcestershire, and reduce by 2/3. Remove from heat, and add cognac, and 1 teaspoon butter. Whisk to incorporate evenly. Reserve for service.

Heat large skillet over medium high heat while you generously sprinkle lobster cakes with blackening spice, and cocoa butter. Place into skillet, and brown on both sides. Remove from skillet, and reserve.

Add 1 teaspoon clarified butter to hot skillet. Sauté Red Onion, Carrot, Fennel, and Bell Pepper until vegetables just start to wilt. Season with salt & pepper, and remove for service.**

To plate place seared lobster cake on plate, and drizzle with lobster stock reduction. Top with small amount of fennel slaw, and serve.

**Don’t be afraid to break out some remoulade sauce and potato rolls to make one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever have…

Caribbean Style Coconut Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cream of Coconut

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 Cup Beer, Caribbean Style Lager

1 Cup Sweet  Shredded Coconut

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

1 Pound Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tablespoons Caribbean Hot Sauce

Steps:

1. Marinate the Shrimp in the cream of coconut up to 24 hours prior to cooking for best result, but a minimum of 2 hours.
2. In a bowl, whisk together hot sauce, beer, flour, and coconut. Allow to sit for approximately 20 minutes.
3. Heat deep fryer to approximately 370°F. When oil is hot, dredge the shrimp in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the shrimp in the batter and then deep fry until golden. Remove and drain.

Mustard Sauce For Stone Crab Claws

Every year people get a little excited as Stone Crab season approaches, and that just happens to be one of the treats to living in South Florida. The fact is there’s a restaurant in Miami that is only open during Stone Crab season, and the waiting list for people to get a job there is that talk of the town in the Hospitality Industry. I guess there’s something to be said for a place that shuts down a few months a year, and just about everyone working there is pulling in great money. If you’re looking to try your hand at Stone Crabs just grab some of our Bayou La Batre Crab Seasoning, mix up a cup of Mustard Sauce, and Start cracking claws! we often have people asking how to make this sauce so we posted the recipe for the original. This is the recipe for the sauce that is still served at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Colman’s dry mustard, or to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon A-1 Sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

Steps:
Place the mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, A-1 Sauce, cream and a pinch of salt. Mix until well blended. If you’d like a little stronger mustard profile simply whisk in 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard. Chill the sauce, covered, in the refrigerator until serving.
Yield: 1 Cup