Wayfinder's Galley

Seafood

Fish Cakes

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For a great, family friendly recipe, give these tasty fish cakes a try!!

For a great, family friendly recipe, give these tasty fish cakes a try!!

So, for the past few years I’ve cooked an Irish meal a day during the week of St. Patrick’s Day.  I blame Muscle & Fitness! They had an edition come out that had something like, seven healthy St. Patty’s day recipes.  Me being me, I made every single one.  Unknowingly, an annual tradition had begun.  With every new year, though, I try at least one new recipe.  I came across fish cakes on year two of this tasty tradition. 

They’re really good!  There are rarely any leftovers in our house. Even the little one goes back for seconds with these.  Not as dense as salmon patties and crab cakes, they’re lighter and more “fluffy”.  And this is a great recipe to re-purpose leftover fish and/or mashed potatoes!!

Fish Cakes

For a great, family friendly recipe, give these tasty fish cakes a try!!

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs seasoned white fish
  • 1 pack of instant potatoes
  • 1 stalk green onion
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 cups bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Lemon for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook the white fish. You can poach, broil, or bake (with the latter being my favorite). I typically use cod or whiting, season with a lemon herb seasoning, and bake at 400 for about fifteen minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Let cool for a minute before flaking.
  2. Make the instant potatoes per package instructions, or use your favorite mashed potato recipe. It goes without saying that the real deal is the better route. That's why leftover potatoes are great for this! To keep simple and easy, I just use these to make it more of a quick fix with little hassle. Let cool.
  3. Chop the green onion, celery stalks, and onion.
  4. Coat the bottom of a skillet in oil and place over medium high heat. It's time to fry!
  5. In a large bowl, combine the flaked fish, potatoes, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, chopped vegetables, garlic, and dill and mix well. With the bread crumbs, I prefer the more finer ground option. I've made them with Panko (pictured) and it becomes a bit more messy when frying due to flaking.
  6. Make firm patties out of the mixture and coat with the remaining bread crumbs.
  7. Fry approximate 2-3 minutes per side or until golden. Squeeze fresh lemon over the top and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 444mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 33g
© Cody
Try this quick DIY sauce on the side!

  • 2 tbsp light mayo
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp fresh dill
  • 1 lemon wedge squeezed
  • cracked black pepper to taste. 

Shrimp & Grits

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A Southern staple, this flavorful Shrimp and Grits can be enjoyed at any meal!

The thick, creamy, stone ground grits are spooned over a Cajun hot sauce and topped with shrimp, Andouille sausage, and bacon.

 

This is my spin on the classic favorite.  The thick, creamy, stone ground grits are spooned over a Cajun hot sauce and topped with shrimp, Andouille sausage, and bacon. Anywhere I’ve been that served grits, I tried them.  Some were good, some weren’t, and some were so inconsistent that the quality depended on the day.  I like my grits thick, sweet and buttery, yet salty and savory!! I don’t want them bland and runny to the point of watching little particles spin in the liquid every time the spoon hits.  Also, I don’t enjoy fishing for solo shrimp in a sea of grits.  There’s a reason those things are caught with nets! So, this version provides ample opportunity to ensure each bite is full flavor; rather it be from the meats, shrimp, cheesy grits, sweet bursts of tomato, or the crisp pop of green onions. 

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

A Southern staple, this flavorful Shrimp and Grits can be enjoyed at any meal!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs of Large or Jumbo Shrimp (peeled, tail off)
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 2 Andouille Sausage links
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar (medium/mild)
  • 1/2 cup yellow stone ground grits
  • 1/2 cup white stone ground grits
  • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 green onion stalk, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp Zatarain's Cajun Hot Sauce
  • 2 tbsp butter (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt (optional)

Instructions

  1. Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat.
  2. Bring 1 quart of water and a teaspoon of salt (optional) to a boil in a separate pot. Slowly stir in grits, reduce heat to low, and let cook (covered) for approximately 12 minutes. Stir often.
  3. Remove cooked bacon from skillet and let cool. Add chopped Andouille sausage to the same skillet over medium heat. Prepare the sausage to your likeness and remove from skillet.
  4. Using the same skillet that you cooked the bacon and sausage in, saute the shrimp over medium high heat for about three minutes per side, or until done. For extra flavor, immediately add 1 tbsp butter once removed from heat, sprinkle some Cajun seasoning, and toss; allowing the butter to melt and coat the shrimp.
  5. Return to pot and remove grits from heat, add 3/4 cup of cheese and butter (optional), stir well, and cover.
  6. Chop bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and mix with Andouille sausage.
  7. On the plates, drizzle hot sauce in the shape of a 'z'. Spoon the grits onto the center of the plate. The grits should spread, pushing the hot sauce along with it.
  8. Add the bacon, sausage and tomatoes.
  9. Top with shrimp. Garnish with green onions and remaining cheese.

A Southern staple, this flavorful Shrimp and Grits can be enjoyed at any meal!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 467Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 425mgSodium: 2189mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 53g
© Cody