Luxurious Lobster Bisque & Other Unique Lobster Recipes That Are a Must Try This Summer

Are you looking for a dinner that isn't just the same beef, pork, or chicken dish? Maybe you're planning to cook a fancy dinner for you and your significant other. Lobster is a great way to take your dinner plans to the next level. But rather than going with the typical lobster tail and butter, why not consider one of the following recipes?

Cape Cod, MA - Part #2 & Seafood Summer Dishes

Cape Cod was a beautiful dream, the one you love to come back again and again. My friend told me that if I come to Cape Cod in October, I can pick enough wild mushrooms for next three years. I don't remember the last time I picked forest mushrooms, but I surely love to cook, dry, and marinade them. This would be a treat to cook mushrooms from the place as unique as Cape Cod!

Old-Fashioned Stuffed Baked Clams

This is quite an old-fashioned recipe but I really love it! A very simple appetizer but full of flavor. Make sure that you use fresh clams as this will provide the best result.

Oysters on Ice with Shallots, Red Wine Vinegar, and Lemon

Raw oysters are one of those shellfish that you either love or hate. They do, however, have a reputation as an aphrodisiac, which has helped increase their popularity. If you have never eaten a raw oyster before, make sure that you squeeze lemon juice on it and watch to make sure it contracts before you eat it.

Friday Night Feast: Hot & Juicy Crawfish with Beer

Whether you refer to them as crawfish, crayfish or craw-daddies, these 3 to 5 inch crustaceans, the small fresh water version of a lobster, make a perfect picnic dinner with friends when paired with cold beer. For dark beer lovers I suggest Samuel Smith Imperial Stout - strong in taste, may be a little overwhelming for crawfish, but still good. For girls who like something nice and soft - Italian Ale is a perfect match. Contessa Italian Pale Ale is my favorite, it is bit fruity and very smooth.

Green Curry, Coconut, Garlic & Ginger Clams

This recipe is one of my favorite spicy seafood dishes - there's nothing better than eating this with your family for a relaxing night at home. Serve with chilled white wine. I personally like it with good riesling like Zind Humbrecht or Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg. Enjoy!

Greenshell Mussels with Herbed Breadcrumbs, Au Gratin - Makes an Elegant Appetizer

In North America, blue mussels, the most common variety, grow on pilings, bulkheads, piers, and even on some bridge anchorages. The aquacultures mussels (like those in Europe) are grown on ropes suspended in the water. Blue mussels are harvested from the clear sea waters off the New England coast, while a relative also grows in the northern waters of the Pacific.

Shrimp with Lemon & Garlic Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta and Giveaway

There's just something about the experience of eating a plate of noodles that makes you want more.

Shrimp with Lemon and Garlic Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta is one of the favorite Italian way of serving pappardelle. This sauce can also be used with any other fresh or dried broad noodles. Bear in mind that, other than during springtime when fresh English peas are at their peak of season, you are best off making this dish with frozen peas; look for a good brand of frozen petite peas, which should have excellent flavor and texture in the finished sauce.

Bass-Terre, Maine, Part Three and Lobster Salad with Scrambled Eggs for Breakfast

Goose Cove and Bass-Terre are the very Best of Maine and one of the most beautiful and relaxing places in the world. What a place. We stayed there for one week, and had one of the most memorable vacations ever. It was hard to tear ourselves away from the deck, with its gorgeous view and lovely breezes. Even at night; the stars are spectacular. When we did leave the deck, we went hiking, biking and kayaking and eagle spotting, all within minutes of this home. We went to Bar Harbor as well, but couldn't wait to get back to the Quiet Side and our vacation home. We like to cook and have had some great meals. Please, enjoy my recipe of the Lobster salad we had for breakfast on our last day.



Ingredients:

• 1 live lobster, about 1 1/2 lb.
• 1 cup cooked fresh corn (or 1/2 can corn)
• 1 small onions, chopped 
• 1 Tbsp. capers
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Champagne or white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Organic, free range eggs - scrambled

Directions:

Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lobster, headfirst. Cover and cook until the lobster is red, about 7 minutes. Transfer the lobster to a large bowl filled with ice water and let cool completely. Remove the meat from the claws, knuckles and tail, and discard the shells. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper until smooth and blended.

In the medium bowl, combine the lobster meat with corn, onions, capers and mayonnaise mixture and gently toss to coat the lobster and vegetables evenly. Serve on the toast with organic scrambled eggs.

Have a good breakfast!

Maine, Acadia Park, Part One and Perfect Boiled Lobsters

We took a week off and ventured in the Acadia Park, Maine, wandered in the rocky forest, as well enjoyed some ocean breeze and lakeside sunset.


Small lobsters under 2 pounds are the most delicate and desirable. Larger ones tend to be tough. The tail carries the great part of the good meat. The white flesh of the claws and the body, the roe, and the liver of the lobster are all edible. The shell of a live lobster is a mottled green and red, which turns to a bright red when cooked.

There is a great difference between the North Atlantic Coast lobster and the so-called lobster or Langouste of the Gulf and the Pacific Coasts, the most obvious deference being in the claws. An Eastern lobster has large, meaty claws, while the Langouste's are small.

Boiled Lobster
Bring a large pot of sea or salted water to a rolling boil. Add two tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If sea water is available, even better, skip the salt.  Grasp the life lobster by the middle of the back and push it into the boiling water headfirst. Cover the pot and simmer 15-20 minutes. The lobsters will be a clear, bright red when done.

To serve boiled lobster, which may be eaten hot or cold, arrange lobster halves on serving plates or a platter, removing the claws and cracking them lightly with a nutcracker. Discard the dark vein, spongy tissue, and the sac near the head, but save the green liver and coral, if any. They are considered a delicacy. Hot boiled lobster may be served with melted butter, parsley butter, Hollandaise sauce, or a Sauce Mousseline.

Crab Cakes and Dragon Egg

There are so many different crab cake recipes that it boggles my mind. It's impossible to improve a good crab cake, and sometimes simple is better. This is standard delicious crab cake that can be dressed any way you might feel like eating it. For the occasions when you need to go a little fancier, you may dress your crab cakes with the poached egg or cherry tomatoes with herbs and the dressing of your desire.



Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds crabmeat
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 finely diced onion
• canola or olive oil for frying

Directions:

Working with your hands, blend the crabmeat and 1 cup of the panko in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, mayonnaise, celery, and onion, and mix with your hands until well blended. The mixture should be quite moist, but not runny. Form patties about the size of hockey pucks, adding more panko if needed to obtain the desired consistency. Press the patties into the remaining panko, coating both sides, and place them on waxed paper. The patties may be refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the hot skillet in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until crisp and brown on both sides, turning once.Remove from the pan and keep hot on a baking sheet in 200F oven until serving.



The Guardian of the Dragon Egg

Mussels in White Wine Sauce with Onions and Tomatoes - The appetizer that should be in every cook’s repertoire!

I of the things I admire about French cooking is the fact that inexpensive foods are given the same loving treatment as the luxury items, and frequently turn out to taste even better. Take mussels. Probably the most popular mussel dish is "moules marinieres", a classic French recipe using wine, garlic, shallots, parsley and butter. This dish is easy to make, and tastes divine. The only different thing with my variation is that I added fresh tomatoes to the sauce. I love it this way. See for yourself when you try this recipe.



Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 1/2 lb. mussels, well scrubbed and debearded
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3-5 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

(On the photo: Boston lettuce for my salad that I had with mussels)

Tip: To clean mussels, scrub the shells well under running water. The beard, a fibrous tuft near the hinge, should not be removed until just before cooking. Grasp it close to the shell and pull on it with a firm tug. Today, with so many farm-raised mussels in the market, beards are less fully formed and are easier to remove. Once the mussels have been thoroughly cleaned, remove and discard any shells that are open or broken and that do not close when tapped.



Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Then add the onion, garlic and cook until the onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Turn up the flame to high and add the mussels. Pour in the white wine, bay leaf, fresh parsley, salt, ground pepper and stir for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes until all the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that did not open.
Serve the mussels in large bowl with the broth and baguette slices for dipping.

Baked Skate with Lightly Roasted Tomatoes

Skate is a flat seawater fish lives in cold and temperate waters on the bottom of the see where its coloring – a gray or brown back with lighter spots and black dots – camouflages it on the sea bed. Skates lay eggs in rectangular cases with “tassels” in each corner, with when washed up on the beach are known as “mermaids’ purses”. When alive, skates contain little ammonia, but after death they produce a lot more. The smell of ammonia should disappear when the skate is cooked; if it doesn’t, the skate is not fresh.

Skate wing is a fairly inexpensive fish. It may be hard to find as it is not very popular. Try local Farmers market or Fish market. It is a delicious flat fish you may only see in French restaurants.
The Skate have a simple bone structure, so even people nervous of bones can cope with them. The best way of eating most flat fish is pan-fried with a little lemon, parsley and browned butter – stronger flavors will overpower the delicate flavor of these fish. Good rich sauces for this fish include hollandaise, parsley, and lobster sauce.

This is a first time I am cooking the skate. Simple recipe but heavenly delicious! These skate wings are baked with butter. When you bake them watch the edges as they tent to burn. Cover them with foil and the skate will cook quite quickly. I served my skate wings with roasted tomatoes, capers and mustard sauce.



Unusually delicious!

Total Preparation Time: Less than 15 minutes
Actual Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Number of Servings:  2 (only because it’s so good)

Ingredients:

• 2 Skate wings from Madara's Seafood
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp bread crumbs
• salt and fresh ground pepper, paprika
• dill, parsley, tarragon (and any kind of herbs of your choice)
• 1 pound of small tomatoes on vine
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake the tomatoes for 20 minutes or until lightly roasted.

Place the skate wings in an oven dish and sprinkle with lemon juice, pepper, salt and the chopped herbs. Drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cook it in the oven at the same time as tomatoes for 20 minutes.