The Chesapeake Bay Watershed includes more than 400,000 acres of land and thousands of miles of open bay, rivers and streams, making the Chesapeake Bay the largest estuary in North America. The region is famous for seafood including blue crabs, oysters, clams and fish.

The following selections of traditional Chesapeake Bay seafood recipes include examples of crabcakes, soft crabs, oyster dressing, oysters, clam fritters and fish chowder.

Oyster Dressing

Ingredients:

1 pint shucked oysters
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
4 cups bread crumbs
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Drain oysters, reserve liquor. Remove any shell and chop oysters.

Cook celery and onion in butter until tender.

Add oysters and oyster liquor to vegetables; cook for 10 minutes.

Combine oysters, cooked vegetables, bread cubes and seasonings in a large bowl; mix thoroughly.

Add additional oyster liquor as needed.

Bake dressing in a greased casserole for 30 minutes or until edges are brown.

Clam Fritters

Ingredients:

12-18 shucked and chopped clams depending on size
1 egg
dash of baking powder
1/4 tsp. yellow or spicy brown mustard
2 tbsp. milk
seafood breader mix OR flour with a dash of salt and pepper

Instructions:

Shuck the clams, catching the juice in the bowl. You should end up with a pint of clams or more. Rinse the clams in their own juice. Use scissors and remove stomachs from the clams. The remaining parts of the clams may be cut up into small pieces with scissors or chopped in a food processor.
Add the clams, egg, baking powder, about 2 tablespoons of milk and mix.

Blend in the breader mix or seasoned flour and stir until the batter becomes thick like pancake batter.

Heat a cast iron skillet on relatively high heat and add enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

Spoon the batter mix into the oil when the pan is hot enough.

Cook until brown and then carefully flip the fritters.

Serve immediately on hamburger buns with ketchup and mustard or just eat them as is.

Crabcakes

Ingredients:

1 lb. crab meat
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. dry mustard or yellow mustard
1 tsp. crab seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Mix eggs, mayo mustard, seasonings and Worcestershire sauce.

Blend in crab meat and bread crumbs.
Form into cakes and place on a platter lined with wax paper. Chill crab cakes for 30-60 minutes before cooking for best results.

Fry in a hot cast iron skillet until golden brown or broil in the oven until brown, flipping once.

Fried Soft Crabs

Ingredients:

6 soft shelled blue crabs
Seafood Breader Mix
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup peanut oil

Instructions:

Preheat broiler.

Shake crabs and breader mix in a plastic bag.

Saute soft crabs in peanut oil with high heat until brown, turning once.

Rockfish Chowder

Ingredients:

1 lb rockfish fillets
5 potatoes
1 onion, sliced
2 cups of evaporated milk
2 cups of water
1/4 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Rinse fillets and cut into small pieces.

Pare potatoes, cut into small pieces and boil 5 minutes.

Add sliced onion and fish. Cook until fish is done, about 20 minutes.

Add milk, water, butter salt and pepper.

Simmer a few minutes and serve hot.

About the Author

The author writes for Hampton Roads Virginia, Fresh Seafood and Virginia Saltwater Fishing.

(ArticlesBase SC #1301425)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Chesapeake Bay Seafood Recipes

An Authentic Seafood Gumbo Recipe, in order to be categorized as authentic, would have to contain certain key ingredients.

Among those would be first of all, the type of seafood used, in particular, the type of shellfish used. Generally, any shellfish common to the area would be sufficient. In the south Gulf Coast area, gulf shrimp, blue crab, scallops and oysters would be adequate. In the northeast, lobster could be thrown in. Some people think the crawfish would be a necessity to make it an authentic seafood gumbo recipe, however, crawfish were used primarily for bait up until about 40 years ago, at which time it started to become an entree.

The next item of authenticity would be the sausage. Yes, sausage in the seafood recipe is a must. Not only does it have to be a sausage, it must be Andouille Sausage, a type of smoked sausage found in the south.

Third, a roux, is required. Roux is nothing more than a mixture of lard, oil, or butter mixed with equal amounts of flour. The roux is a thickening agent very critical to the gumbo recipe and must be continually stirred while heat is applied. Be careful not to burn the roux, but also keep the heat applied until the right color and mixture is obtained. The coloring may be anywhere from a light peanutty color to a dark chocolaty brown. The ideal coloring for a gumbo roux is a deep red, just on the verge of burning.

Next, the Holy Trinity of Gumbo, chopped celery, onions and bell peppers. I guess this is one place where there is such a thing as a holy trinity!!

Lastly, the ingredient the name gumbo is derived from, is okra! Yes, to have your authentic seafood gumbo recipe, okra is a must. Okra is also a thickening agent, but be careful not to overcook, as it will become mushy.

About the Author

There’s a history to this thing between gumbo and okra, but I won’t get into it here, however, if you’d like to know more about the history of gumbo, you’re welcome to visit my site at: http:www.squidoo.com/authenticseafoodgumborecipe and while you’re at it, for a FREE authentic recipe from a New Orleans chef as well as 8 more plus videos, visit my site at: http://www.gumborecipe.info.

(ArticlesBase SC #1420432)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Authentic Seafood Gumbo Recipe