Pan Seared Basil/Thyme Scallops with Basil Pasta

Tonight’s meal is a variation on my classic basil pasta dish. This has evolved enough to be its own animal, but still very simple and incredibly satisfying. This is my Pan Seared Sea Scallops on a Bed of Basil/Olives/Sun Dried Tomatoes with a side of peas. Prep work involves dicing up some sun dried tomatoes, mincing up some kalamata olives, chopping up some feta and fine shredding some Parmesan. If you have fresh basil, chop up some of that too. Tonight I just wanted to crank out dinner, so I used dry basil. My original was always dry, but of course fresh is better. I actually like a mix of the two. Get some water boiling with a little olive oil. Meanwhile, heat up your cast iron skillet and toss in four or five cloves of garlic and a handful of fresh...

Pan Seared Haddock with Pear and Jalapeno Chutney

For Tuesday night’s meal, my dinner partner provided me with two ears of sweet corn, several pears and a head of broccoli, all from local farms. What a fun challenge! Thus I give you a Pan Seared Haddock Topped with a Pear and Jalapeno Chutney, served on top of a bed of Mexican Cauliflower Rice. Mexican Cauliflower RiceIngredients• 3 cups cauliflower rice , cooked or uncooked• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil• 1 cup cheddar cheese , finely shredded• 2 tablespoon lemon juice• 1 cup peas , cooked• 1 cup corn , cooked. I mixed olive oil with cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder, coated 2 ears of corn and grilled it till slightly blackened...

Don’s Creole Sauce

With slightly cooler weather amongst us Sunday night, I cooked up one my favorite heart-warming meals, Creole Sauce served with Pan Seared Rockfish. I worked up this recipe about 10 years ago after having a delightful Creole sauce in Aruba. It is very simple to make and packed with flavor. You can serve it with any fish, pan seared, broiled, poached or grilled. Grilled shrimp is also great with this. As a bonus, all of the ingredients are usually in my pantry or fridge, so today all I had to do is swing by Shady Lane Seafood for the Rockfish. Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 cup chopped onions1 chopped celery stalk1 cfup diced red, yellow or orange bell peppersFreshly ground black pepper1 tablespoons chopped garlic1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (any...

Haddock and Shiitakes with a Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce

After putting up the boards for the night, and loading a kayak for the next water activity, we settled in to prepare a light and easy meal, Pan Fried Haddock and Shiitake with a Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce, served with Steamed Broccoli. Prepare the sauce first, as the fish cooks quickly. Melt about 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Thin slice a shallot and add to the butter, caramelize. Add a couple/few cloves of minced garlic. I put in some diced red bell pepper here, but that’s optional. Stir in the juice and zest of one lemon, add 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and a handful of chopped parsley. Turn off the heat. The fish is patted dry and cut into small sections and dredged in about 1/2 cup of flour with a lot of fresh cracked and garlic powder. Add a little salt if...

Don’s GyroBurgers

For a pre-paddle Wednesday night dinner, we cooked up what I call GyroBurgers, one of my favorite things to grill. Ingredients Olive oilOnion (we like sweet onion or Videalia) minced.Bag of baby spinachoregano1/4 lb of crumbled feta cheese1 package of ground chicken or turkey (we like chicken better)1 tbs grill seasoning, we like McCormic’s Chicken1/3 cucumber, slicedSour cream or Greek yogurthandful of Kalamata olivesBuns (we like potato buns, anything works)Sliced roasted bell peppers. We use jarred bell peppers. Instructions In a medium mixing bowl and put in the spinach, (if it is frozen, defrost it and drain it) onion, garlic and oregano. Add the crumbled feta, chicken and seasoning and mix it up by hand. Pour in a drizzle of olive oil, and keep mixing it....