12 January 2013

Saturday done right...

It's rainy season here. It rains more than usual from October thru March-ish. It's like pretend Winter and I don't complain a bit about it because it makes my holiday cooking (and all other cooking for those 6 months) a bit more bearable in my un-air-conditioned kitchen. This is a big deal, y'all.

Today we had sunshine and rain.  So we swam and stayed inside.
So if your "winter" is cooling things off there like it is here, here's a story of warmer times in younger days to warm you up if needed and a recipe to do the same (even if yours is only pretend winter too)...

My "we-were-on-a-break-but-got-engaged-2-months-later" boyfriend, my best friend Cara, Eric, Justin, Garnet, Katrin, Melissa, and I were in Miami for Spring Break. We were doing some community outreach type work, using our Spring Break for a good cause. We had one evening to kill and we were soooo close to the Keys. Y'all Florida just rocks when it comes to beaches and awesomeness, goodness I miss it. Time was against us and our bellies were beckoning us to stop and eat. So we only got as far as Key Largo down US1 before stopping for dinner. Hole in the wall, wish I had a picture of it, sand for the parking lot, mermaid mural on the wall.  It was everything we were hoping to find.  She, chipped and faded by the sun and salty air, welcomed us like the Sirens of legend to partake in the yummy-ness that was certain inside her cave of a restaurant. Once we walked in, I only remember two things. 1) We are hilarious and 2) the bisque.

They only had a few bowls left. I'm not even sure who didn't get some at the table but I sure as heck wasn't one of them. You know that moment- "I'm sure they'll like what they get. There's lots of other stuff on the menu." You console yourself and glow a bit from the small bit of luck- or maybe that was the tan from the week's work? No matter. I vaguely remember laughing. With people as funny as our friends, it's hard to remember anything but....the bisque.

So here I give you, for your consideration on your Saturday whether cold or warm, snowy, rainy, or sunny...

Seafood Bisque

1 pound of seafood- shrimp, fish filets, clams, cockels, or even what I've come to use...the bag of "dory filet" in the frozen food department. This recipe is great for that! The saltier the better.
3 cups of "seafood stock" (from boiling the seafood of your choice)
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
(or 1 tsp of dried)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper (I'm always way heavy handed on the salt) 
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8oz cream cheese (cut up or scooped out in chunks)
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp melted butter

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Boil your seafood in at least 3 cups or more of water. Set aside saving at least 3 cups seafood stock.

In a large pot, add 3 cups seafood stock, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire Sauce, and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Next stir in chunks of cream cheese until melted then add milk.
In a small separate bowl, blend together flour and melted butter then add to the bisque. Stir a bit then add seafood. (for my white fish filets I just separate them so they're in chunks in the pot). Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. Serves 6-8 (or a family with 2 adults and 2 preschoolers and a baby for 2 nights).

PS- add this easy peasy garlic bread recipe to your meal and you may start telling your family that the kitchen's all out.

It is not the same salty, inhale-able goodness found with our mermaid in Key Largo, but what is? WHAT IS?! This'll fix you and your Saturday up right, guaranteed.

7 comments:

  1. 1. I hate to correct, but I wasn't a part of that excursion sadly...I was probably in bed or something lame... :(
    2. For anyone reading, THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING!! I've made it a few times and...WOW! Yummo.

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    1. Um. You were TOTALLY there. And I've got like a gazillion witnesses to the fact.

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    2. We have photos from other parts of that trip, but I did NOT go to the keys that night. I woulda remembered that. Promise. It must have been your other tall, blonde best friend!

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  2. Enjoy your rainy season cooking! Our starts around the end of May and I always look forward to the (relative) coolness in the house. Did you know Thailand actually has a winter? Usually in December we will have almost a full week of days where the high is 85 and it feels like it might snow. Unfortunately we didn't get a winter this year and we are headed back to hot season soon.

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  3. I still want to try this!! We just don't do much seafood 'round these land-locked parts. Maybe in Amurica next month! :) Or maybe you could just snap me a little picture next time and send it my way and then you have an official guest post on M2M!! :) Please do! :)

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    1. The night I made it AND the night we ate it for leftovers I fully intended to take pics for this post. And then (though I know it's difficult for you to picture this) it got busy getting dinner ready and sitting everyone down and then getting up for napkins, then etc, etc. ;) The first night we had your garlic bread with it so the pic would have been ultra yummy. It's still rainy season and it definitely gets made more this time of year. When I do, I'll send it to you!

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  4. I remember the pot of this you made for your going away party... pretty awesome!! It just so happens we were given some shrimp and the temps are dipping down into the 40's tonight. Maybe I'll just get 'r done!!

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