In celebration of National Seafood Month, we are sharing three fabulous seafood recipes along with wine pairing suggestions. We partnered with Birmingham, Alabama-based seafood shop Snapper Grabber’s Land & Sea‘s Chef Tim Hughes and Co-owner Pam Scott who has been busy hosting events and cooking classes to spread the word of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership’s Healthy Heart Pledge. The roots of this initiative have spread across the Southern region and encourage people to eat seafood twice a week for their heart health. So, if you’ve already heard about this initiative, it’s likely due to their hard work!
“We love providing the community with food that is always fresh and extremely healthy. Seafood is high in protein and low in calories, total fat and saturated fat. It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals and has been shown to have numerous health benefits,” says Pam of Snapper Grabber’s, who explains that although seafood is easy to prepare, many people are afraid to cook it, so she and her team take a proactive approach. “We always go the extra mile to educate our customers about the health benefits of eating seafood and, more importantly, we then share recipes and teach them how to prepare it if they are unsure. If we can make it easy for them, we know they’ll be back!”
Here, Chef Tim has shared three wonderful seafood recipes — Grilled Stuffed Rainbow Trout, Baja Shrimp Tacos and Traditional Spanish-Style Mussels — along with his wine pairing suggestions for each. Enjoy!
Grilled Stuffed Rainbow Trout
“I love this Rocky Mountain recipe because it’s simple and healthy,” says Chef Tim. “The flavor is really delicious without being complex. In fact, it’s one the kids will enjoy for that very reason.”
Suggested wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc, Gruner Veltliner
Grilled Stuffed Rainbow Trout
Ingredients
- 4 Carolina cut Rainbow Trout fillets
- 1 cup Julienned onions
- 1/4 cup fresh dill minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme minced
- 4 cloves garlic cut in half to make 8 pieces
Instructions
- Open the trout and season both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
- Evenly distribute the onions on one side of each of the four fish.
- Sprinkle the dill and thyme on top of the onions taking care to distribute evenly.
- Place two pieces of garlic on top of the onions and herbs, placing one piece at the head area of the fish and one near the tail area.
- Wrap each fish tightly in aluminum foil and rotate 90 degrees and wrap tightly in a second piece of aluminum foil.
- Place on the grill with lid down or in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Let stand for four minutes after cooking.
- Unwrap carefully and enjoy with your favorite side or salad!
Nutrition
Baja Shrimp Tacos
“Baja Shrimp Tacos are simply divine! They are beautiful to look at, healthy and delicious to eat, and easy to prepare,” says Pam. “They were such a hit when we served them on the food truck that we decided to serve them in our new café.”
Suggested wine pairing: South African Chenin Blanc, or if you prefer a red, Spanish Bobal
Baja Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Baja Seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
Lime Crema
- 8 oz. sour cream or mexican crema
- Zest of 1 lime
- Juice of 1 lime
Pico de Gallo
- 4 Roma Tomatoes seeded, finely chopped
- 1 Small Onion finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers seeded, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Salt to taste
Baja Shrimp
- 48 peeled & deveined gulf shrimp
- 1 pack flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- Queso Fresco cheese
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup of oil, peanut, vegetable or EVOO
- Saute shrimp for 1 minute, add nice amount of Baja Seasoning, continue to cook shrimp until translucent and cooked through
- Assemble tacos:
- Add lettuce to warm tortilla, place 6 shrimp on top of lettuce
- Add pico, lime crema, top with cheese
- Garnish with lime wedges
Nutrition
Traditional Spanish-Style Mussels
“This dish is simply phenomenal, especially in the fall and winter with its deep, rich flavor profile. It’s the perfect quick meal to please the palate and warm the body,” says Chef Tim.
Suggested wine pairing: Muscadet for the white wine lover, or a bierzo if you like a red
Traditional Spanish-Style Mussels
Ingredients
- 2 lbs New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels
- 1 quart seafood stock purchase seafood stock from Snapper Grabbers, or you may use a chicken stock & wine combination
- 6 ounces bacon lardons
- 1 Tbsp fresh minced dill
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh minced thyme
- 1 large or 2 small shallots
- 1 Tsp. crushed red pepper
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 baguette for crostinis
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the mussels into a large pot, cover with lid and bring to a full boil. Add the mussels to the boiling mixture, cover with lid and let boil for 4-6 minutes or until all mussels are open.
- NOTE: Do not cook longer than six minutes. If some mussels remain closed after six minutes you'll want to discard them.
- Dip mussels and broth into shallow serving bowls and serve with buttered & toasted baguette slices for dipping.
Nutrition
Head to your favorite local seafood shop, grab a bottle of vino and treat yourself to a divine — and heart-healthy — dinner!
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And when you’re ready to whip up some other tasty dishes, check out our recipe section. It’s filled with all sorts of amazing flavors!
