Monthly Archives: May 2013

Maine Lobster- A Healthy Ingredient to Enrich Your Dining Experience

When we talk of seafood in Maine the first name that comes to our mind is that of a Maine lobster. It is one of the greatest seafood delights that are found all across the world. It does not only excite our taste buds but is good for your health as well.

It is at times truly said that you have to lose something to gain something. While you think of a perfect diet, you at times need to compromise with your taste to get a good health. Health conscious people living on salad and boiled diet often forget that they have to satiate their taste buds as well. Taking seafood dinner will ensure that you do not sacrifice anything in order stay in good health.

Three are a number of seafood items with which you can cook a tasty dish for yourself. Maine lobster, however, is known to be one of the most common and most popular seafood items that can be made into a number of tasty dishes.

Image Source: bit.ly/16vmI9k

Image Source: bit.ly/16vmI9k

Maine lobster is an aquatic creature that comes with five sets of legs and a large crusher claw. It has a slightly smaller reaper claw. It is generally found in the cold water of the Atlantic coast that comes from the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Seafood dinner options are regarded to be the best alternatives to your dull and boring healthy food items.

Maine lobster is classified into two categories. One is the hard shelled lobster and the other is the soft shelled lobster. As far as the soft shelled lobster goes, summer is the perfect season for it. The soft ones are sweeter in taste but they possess lesser meat than the hard shelled ones. It is this time of the year when the local market is full of this seafood creature. It contains a lot of nutritious elements. It contains a good amount of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Seafood in Maine mainly comprises of Maine lobster. Cooking a Maine lobster will help you get a lot of health benefits. Moreover, preparing seafood dinner with Maine lobster will help you derive all the health benefits of this seafood item.

It is also known to provide protection against heart diseases and keeps the individual out of reach of certain type of cancers. Therefore, with Maine lobster, apart from satisfying your taste sensations, you can get a lot of health benefits.

Ways in which Shrimp can be made Tastier

Shrimps are a delicious form shellfish and people who love seafood definitely enjoy eating shrimp cooked in various styles. Shrimps have a distinct flavor that is delicate yet strong. These sea creatures are highly delectable and can be prepared in various ways.

Image Source: bit.ly/141Vobq

                                                      Image Source: bit.ly/141Vobq

Shrimps are not too difficult to cook at home if they are deveined and de-shelled properly. However, if you do not know how to devein a shrimp or how to remove its shell without spoiling its shape, you should buy deveined packaged shrimps that are ready to cook.

Here are a few tips on how to cook shrimp. These methods are common but they enhance the flavor of the shrimps.

Boil

First take a cooking pot and add water. Bring the water to a boil and then add the shrimps. If you want, you can keep the shells for flavor but make sure that they are deveined properly. Boil the shrimps for about three to four minutes and then take them out of the water. You can serve the shrimps warm or chilled. If you want to serve the shrimps chilled, then drain the water properly and put the shrimps on a cookie sheet put them inside a refrigerator. This will stop the shrimps from cooking.

Pan fry

You can pan fry your shrimps instead of deep frying them. It is a safer way of preparing them especially for people who have just started cooking. After deveining and de-shelling the shrimps dip them in a little milk. Then, dust the shrimps with bread crumbs or seasoned flour, heat some olive oil in the pan and fry the shrimps in it till they are completely white, for about three to five minutes.

Sauté

To sauté the shrimps you must first pat them dry. Then, in a pan heat some oil about quarter of a teaspoon. Then, season the shrimp and add it to the pan. Sauté the shrimps till they are half done, do not overcook them. You can tell when the shrimp is half done, by the color of it, the body of the shrimp should be whitish and the tail should be a little on the pinkish side.

There are many other ways of cooking shrimps. Shrimps are really flavorful and can be added to staples like rice to enhance the flavor. Shrimps can be curried, grilled, roasted or even baked. To know more about shrimp recipes, click here.

Add Clams to a Dish to make it Tastier

Image Source: bit.ly/10R0kOG

                     Image Source: bit.ly/10R0kOG

For those who love seafood, a dinner or lunch menu will be incomplete without a seafood dish. Apparently, clams are a big favorite with seafood lovers. There are many types of clam dishes you can make at home to serve your guests; one of the best is Paella with Seafood, Chicken, and Chorizo. To make this dish you require:

• 2 pieces of chicken legs

• 2 pieces of chicken thighs

• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

• ¼ of a cup of extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika

• 1 Spanish chorizo sausage

• Freshly ground pepper

• Kosher salt

• 1 diced Spanish onion

• 4 crushed garlic cloves

• 1 cup of Spanish rice, short to medium grain

• 1 can or 16 ounces of drained and hand-crushed whole tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon of saffron threads

• 4 peeled jumbo shrimp, (keep heads and tails on)

• 2 split lobster tails

• 3 cups water, warm

• 6 scrubbed littleneck clams

• ½ a cup of frozen and thawed sweet peas

For Garnish:

• Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

• Lemon wedges

To prepare the dish, first, wash the pieces of chicken and pat them dry. Then take a bowl, and mix the paprika and oregano with some pepper and salt. Rub this spice mixture all over the chicken pieces and marinate it for about 30 minutes so that the flavors penetrate the meat properly.

Then, take a wide shallow skillet or a paella pan and heat olive in it over medium-high flame. Place the chicken pieces and cook till they are brown on all sides. Add the chorizo and cook till the oil is vibrant red in color. Remove the chicken and chorizo on to a plate with paper towels on it.

After that, make a ‘sofrito’ by sautéing the onion, garlic and tomatoes. Cook these ingredients till they are caramelized a bit and the flavors bond well. Season the mixture with pepper and salt. Then fold in the rice and stir so that each grain is well coated. Add the saffron to the rice and pour some water into the pan and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. As it cooks, move the pan gently so that the rice cooks evenly. Do not stir constantly or cover.

Image Source: bit.ly/199TvPy

                                         Image Source: bit.ly/199TvPy

To this, add the lobster, shrimps, clams, chicken and chorizo. Give the paella a good couple of stirs so that all the pieces are tucked in, then let it simmer without stirring till the rice is done, this will take about 15 minutes. Then, add the peas to the paella and cook for another five minutes until the paella looks moist and fluffy. Allow it to rest off the flame and serve it with lemon wedges and a garnish of parsley.

This dish tastes much better with the additions of clams in it. The clams bring out the typical seafood flavors in the dish that is dominated by proteins like chicken and chorizo.

Excite your taste-buds with Luscious Lobster Tails

Image Source: bit.ly/12xCz22

Image Source: bit.ly/12xCz22

Since decades lobsters have been considered gourmet cuisines enticing taste-buds of a million foodies. These shellfish can be cooked either as whole or in parts; the tail portion of lobsters is mostly considered as a major ingredient for luscious seafood cuisines. It has been found that the tail of a lobster makes it easier to access the maximum percentage of lobster meat. Lobster tails are tasty and are easy to cook. They make impressive delicacies for family members and sometimes can be tried out as a gourmet dish to serve your boss.

Though, you may have heard a lot about lobster recipes it seems that you have barely tried making them on your own. Actually, you don’t seem to have an idea on cooking lobster tails. To start with the tail portion of the shellfish, you have to first thaw them especially if they are frozen. You can use your microwave oven to defrost the frozen tails.

Now, there are three primary ways of cooking lobster tails; grilling, boiling and pan searing. Remember, the ways through which you intend to cook lobster tails will have an impact on how well you prepare them.

Image Source: bit.ly/16BPkwM

Image Source: bit.ly/16BPkwM

Grilling lobster tails

Let us first start with the grilling process. Remove any debris or charcoal from grill before you start cooking. Turn on the grill at medium heat. You can even set up a charcoal grill if you want. In that case it is necessary that you set the charcoal chimney.

You can either keep the lobster tails as whole or split them lengthwise. Ensure that you leave the flesh inside the shell.

Next, brush enough butter on lobster tails and season them properly with pepper, kosher salt and lemon juice.

Grill each side for 3 minutes or so. Start the process with the meaty side downwards and flip on to the shell side after a while. The shell-side will take longer time to cook.

Image Source: bit.ly/16kxoY2

Image Source: bit.ly/16kxoY2

Boiling lobster tails

Pour at least 6-8 cups of salted water inside a large pan. You can either add normal salt or sea salt if you want. 

Don’t take out the shell from the meat. When it comes to boiling, it is essential that you retain the shell.

 

Now drop lobster tails inside the pan of boiling water and simmer the flame
Cook lobster meat for 10 minutes if each tail weighs 10oz (each oz of lobster meat is known to take 1 minute of time for cooking); regardless of the number of lobster tails, the cooking time tends to remain constant at 10 minute in case each tail weighs 10oz.

Take a kitchen shear and crack open the shell to make the tails simpler for eating.

Serve the boiled tails with lemon juice and clarified butter

Pan searing lobster tails

Extract the tail meat by cutting lobster tails lengthwise. Take the meat and leave the membrane behind. Slightly slit the meat on top.

Take non stick pan and heat olive oil, say about a tablespoon of it. Now place lobster tail meat inside the frying pan and cook for 3 minutes (note: the time is considered for each side). Cook till the lobster meat turns opaque.

If you are not too interested in cooking lobster tails at home then you can make a deal with online merchants selling these shellfish to a bigger customer base. They even render ready to serve lobster dinner meals. So, order for your meal now and visit here to learn more about exciting offers on lobster dinner.

Cook a Lip Smacking Dish of Shrimp for Your Family

Image Source: bit.ly/YGEUXz

Image Source: bit.ly/YGEUXz

Shrimps are loved by foodies all across the world. Cooking shrimp is fast and easy. This little crustacean is extremely delicious to taste. There are large numbers of recipes with shrimp. Therefore, if you are planning to try out a seafood item this weekend, you can easily go for shrimp. Not only are they loved by all foodies but they also will bring about a change of taste in your taste buds.

So if you are looking for an easy to cook shrimp recipe this weekend for your entire family then you can try out the Cajun shrimp. It not only is a delicious preparation but is easy and simply to prepare. Let us look how:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tsp. rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp. oregano
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. worcestshire sauce
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • French bread for dipping
  • Cooked white rice to serve on
  • 1 lb. large shrimp

Method:

  • First of all you need to melt 1/2 of butter in a skillet. Then you need to add onion and the rest of the ingredients together with the shrimp.
  • Next you need to cook it for 1 minute, stirring it constantly. After that you can add the remaining of the butter and the chicken broth.
  • Now you need to cook it for around 2 to 5 minutes. Now is the time to stir in the beer. After that you need to cook for around 2 minutes or until shrimp is done completely.
  • Well, finally you can now put skillet on the table with the bread and rice. Now it is time for everyone to serve themselves.
Image Source: bit.ly/17Ze1kC

Image Source: bit.ly/17Ze1kC

This was one mouth-watering recipe of shrimp that will be loved by your entire family. This recipe will turn your dull and boring weekends into something extremely delicious and will bring in a fresh air of a difference to your taste buds. Whether your family is a seafood lover or no, they are sure to love this recipe of shrimps. On your part, it will take no time to prepare at all. This recipe is extremely easy to make and prepare.

Therefore, if you are pleased with this seafood recipe and want to find out one delicious recipe find from an online store.

Make Mother’s Day Celebrations Special with Seafood Dinner

Image Source: goo.gl/tbBp4

                                                   Image Source: goo.gl/tbBp4

Lobsters are loved by seafood lovers and non seafood lovers alike. So, why not try out a lobster recipe for your mom on this mother’s day? It will not only make it a grand celebration but will also make your mom feel extremely special as you took out so much time and effort to cook something for her.

Let us take a look at a seafood recipe that will set the tone perfectly right for a mother’s day celebration this season:

Mother’s Day Lobster Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • Parsley, chopped
  • Lobster claw knuckle meat, cooked, cubed
  • Egg, beaten
  • Ricotta
  • Mozzarella, shredded
  • Parmesan, grated
  • Onion, minced
  • Garlic, minced
  • Shallot, minced
  • Premade Alfredo sauce
  • Lasagna pasta(no boil kind)
  • Spinach
  • Basil, chopped
  • Sea salt & FGBP
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

  • First of all you need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  • Next, in a large pan fry onion, garlic and shallots in olive oil over medium-high heat until they turn translucent and aromatic. Then, remove them from the pan and let cool.
  • Now, in a large bowl you need to combine vegetables, ½ cup mozzarella, ½ cup parmesan, ricotta, egg. Then, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
  • After that, oil a casserole dish with butter or Pam.
  • Now is the time to create some layers. For this you need to spread 1-1 ½ cups of alfredo sauce evenly. After that, you need to make a single layer of lasagna noodles.
  • Next, you need to spread 1/3 of the lobster meat and 1/3 of the cheese mixture evenly with a spray of chopped basil.
  • Then, add 1/3 of the spinach and top it with another layer alfredo sauce. On top of that another layer of lasagna noodles. You need to repeat this step 2 more times ending with a pasta layer on top. After this you need to add a small layer of sauce on it.
  • Then, all you need to do is to top the last layer with the remaining cheese and chopped parsley.
  • Now, cover loosely with aluminum foil and set it to bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and keep it for another 5-10 minutes until the top is golden brown.
  • Then, remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
  • You can finally, season with fresh chopped basil, a few cracks of black pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil.

You can find this and more jaw dropping recipes online. Yes, you are just a click away for more mothers day dinner recipes. If you have any further query, click here.

Maine lobsters- Feel the richness of Atlantic Waters on a Palate

Image Source: goo.gl/YLyfw

Image Source: goo.gl/YLyfw

Homarus Americanus otherwise known as the Maine lobster has now topped the chart of gourmet cuisines. Lately, Maine has been producing the finest quality lobsters that come with large and fleshy claws. Having known the fact that these crustaceans are more delicious than other varieties available in different parts of the world people take fancy towards this special Class Crustacea breed because of their taste and meatiness.

The Maine lobster takes pride in revealing a distinct and sweet flavor; in fact its sweetness has made it popular seafood amongst connoisseurs. Belonging to the crustacean family, the homarus americanus unveil delicate white flesh that can be considered a vital ingredient for a wide array of seafood recipes. In today’s era lobsters are regarded as delicacies, much unlikely of what used to prevail during older decades when these crustaceans were considered food of the poor.

Lobstering has now become a popular source of living for Mainers, taking pride in serving the world with the greatest and best quality lobsters. In fact the region is considered haven for these special shellfish variety thriving mostly in cool deep waters generously provided by the Atlantic coasts.

The types of fishing technologies used for catching these exotic sea creatures are strictly eco-friendly so that people here can help protect the habitat and growth of lobster count along the coasts of Maine. Today, several associations have formed, in an attempt to protect the well-being of this rare lobster breed. According to reports, Maine has the strictest of legal norms reigning over lobster harvesting methods practiced across the region.

There are certain conservation techniques that Maine lobstermen have to follow in order to maintain the ecological balance of the marine world. Ecologists have primarily made it a point to ensure that Maine lobsters are able to thrive in a healthy environment.

It was during the 1840s that New York and Boston had started trading lobsters to cater the massive demands for these delicious shellfish; until then, lobsters were mostly served to prisoners and the poor. Thus, lobstering became a specialized segment of harvest. Since it is difficult to keep lobsters alive without water, the industry had branched out a new segment for canning which started to flourish gradually. The Maine lobster is mostly found all the way from Labrador in North to North Carolina in the south.

The Atlantic waters are where these crustaceans thrive best. It has been found that Maine picks usually bear a greenish brown color and only a few bear a blue hue. Blue lobsters are very rare to find. Occasionally some in reds and yellows can also be found.