Blackened Cod with Mango Salad

I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and it wasn’t pretty…  My hair is dull, I have deep, dark circles under my eyes and my complexion is no longer fair;  it’s officially white with blue undertones.  I need a tan so bad – everybody looks better with a tan (Not to worry; I always wear sunscreen!)

So I’m still in “beach” mode and aside from craving sun, sand and Tequila, I also wanted a dish that would be both fresh and light. 

This blackened cod tastes like sunshine; that’s the best way I can describe it!

Coconut Shrimp with Honey Mustard Sauce

Coconut shrimps are a delicious and healthy snacks to serve at your next party.  

You can prepare the shrimps in advance and freeze them to bake them later.  Coat the shrimps with the coconut mixture, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze flat.  Once the shrimps are frozen, place them in an airtight container and freeze for later.  You don't even need to thaw the shrimps before baking them in the oven!

How-to: Shuck Oysters

Valentine’s day is tomorrow!  One of the most perfect dish to serve your sweetheart (aside from mountains and mountains of chocolates) are oysters.

The legend has it that Casanova, the 18^th Cenury lover who admitted to seducing 122 women in his memoirs, would eat 50 oysters every morning for breakfast.  Now the question is:  are oyster really aphrodisiac? 

A team of American and Italian researchers think so!  They found that oysters are rich in rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones.  Now although the science may prove that on a chemical level oysters are aphrodisiac, I believe that the ritual has a lot more to do with it…

Lobster Tails

I love lobster but I have to admit that this was the first time I actually cooked lobster tails.   I had no clue how to prepare them so I asked my favorite East Coaster C.  She gave me this quick and easy recipe to cook lobster in the oven.  It’s AMAZING!

C. recommends cooking the tails at 375°F instead of broiling them.  This method may take a few more minutes but your patience will be rewarded with juicy and tender tails.

Crab Cakes with Secret Sauce

These crab cakes are easy to prepare and this recipe can be doubled or tripled if you wish to make more cakes to freeze.  Make sure you cook the crab cakes before freezing them.  To heat up, cook the thawed cakes for 10 minutes in the oven at 350°F.

If you’ve never worked with crabmeat you can purchase pre-packaged chunks of crabmeat at your grocery store of fish market; Any grade of crabmeat will work for this recipe but I prefer to use claw crabmeat; it’s the least expensive option and most flavourful grade.  If you choose frozen crabmeat, make sure to fully thaw it before you make the cakes.