Travelling to the Maritime provinces this summer might not be an option, but there’s no reason to deprive us of some of the seafood dishes we would enjoy on a trip to those provinces.
This week’s recipes are three that can be prepared in Prairie kitchens, using seafood items we might have been stockpiling in our freezers or being lucky enough to find at local grocery stores.
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Seafood Casserole
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 lb. fresh or frozen scallops
1 cup fresh or frozen oysters and juice
milk
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 cup light cream
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cooked lobster
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups soft, buttered bread crumbs
Bring chicken broth to a boil and add scallops. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add oysters and juice. Cover and simmer until edges of oysters curl. Strain off liquid and measure. Add enough milk to make 2 1/2 cups of liquid.
Heat butter in a frying pan and add onion, mushrooms and green pepper and saute until onions are transparent. Remove from heat and stir in flour.
Gradually add the liquid to the pan and stir to blend well. Return to heat and cook until smooth and creamy, stirring almost continually.
Add the cream, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Reheat and add scallops, oysters, lobster and shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into a greased 2 litre baking dish. Sprinkle with crumbs and bake at 375 degrees F until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Serve with biscuits.
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Scalloped Scallops
1 1/2 lbs. scallops
1/4 lb. butter or margarine
4 cups bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. chives
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Grease a large baking dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix butter with seasoning and lemon juice. Add bread crumbs and mix.
Make alternate layers of crumbs and scallops, ending with the bread crumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
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Canned Salmon Chowder
3 tbsps. butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups diced potatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried dill weed
2-16 oz. cans salmon, bones removed
1-12 oz. can evaporated milk
1-15 oz. can creamed corn
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt and pepper and dill. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Stir in salmon, milk, corn and cheese. Cook until heated through. Serve hot.
Joyce Walter can be reached at [email protected]
