Earl's Easy Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Earl's Shrimp Skewers

My brother-in-law Earl, who lives in Alabama, is one of the most talented people I know. He can build anything: furniture, the floor the furniture sits on, and the house that encloses it all. Earl has a boat and he fishes. He casts his fishful hopes in and around the waterways of Mobile and in the Gulf of Mexico. He seems to have an internal radar and can find a school of Redfish in Mobile's Dog River. He calls these spots where the fish hang out "the honey holes." 

I've never seen Earl eat or serve fish that he didn't catch himself.  Not only is he a perceptive and adept fisherman, but Earl also cleans, seasons, and cooks his fish. He cooks not in the kitchen, though. He's outside on the patio, frying that fish in a deep fryer that I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he built himself. 

Earl with his catch

My sister Tracy sent a photo of their main dish at last Sunday's dinner. Shrimp skewers. She might have been showing off the serving plate (nice plate, Sis) but I couldn't take my eyes off those shrimp and called her for the recipe. I don't know if Earl caught the shrimp and grew the onions, tomatoes, and peppers featured in the recipe. But I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Recipe: Earl's Easy Grilled Shrimp Skewers (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 dozen large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 large green onion, sliced in chunks

1 large onion, sliced in chunks

1 large tomato, sliced in chunks

1 3/4 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (or similar)

8 wooden skewers, soaked in warm water for a minimum of 30 minutes

Directions

1. Whisk together Worcestershire sauce and olive oil; brush vegetables and both sides of shrimp with the liquid ingredients.
2. Season vegetables and both sides of shrimp with the Creole seasoning. 
3. Thread vegetables and shrimp on skewers, alternating shrimp with chunks of pepper, tomato, and onion.
4. Place skewers on grill; turn each skewer after 1 1/2 minute and cook the other side of the shrimp for an additional 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the shrimp skewers from the grill and serve. 

Oven-Fried Alaskan Pacific Cod

I have a profound appreciation for Alaskan sourced wild fish. Alaskan salmon flesh is deeply, salmony pink and muscular, the halibut flesh is tender and sweet, and the cod: exquisitely pale and nearly translucent when raw, becomes satisfyingly dense and flaky when cooked. My favorite way to cook wild cod is to oven fry it on 350 degrees so that it cooks gently. It took me years, literally, to get it right with cod. Gone are the baking-on-high-heat days and the deep-fry days. These methods, in my experience, ruins the delicate cod flesh and makes it tough and tasteless.

When cooking and eating cod fish, its origin makes a difference. I have discovered wild-caught Alaskan Pacific cod. This cod is caught in the Pacific ocean in Alaska and is processed in Anchorage. It's a product of the U.S.A., and when it comes to sustainable seafood, that's a good thing.

I purchased 24 ounces of Copper River Seafood's Alaskan Pacific Cod, which is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Good places to look for sustainable seafood include Whole Foods, which now sells only sustainable seafood, Safeway, Wegman's, Walmart, and Target. These stores are the current supermarket leaders in their offerings of sustainable seafood.

Give this recipe a try the next time you cook cod. You'll love it, I'm sure.

*Note: I was not compensated in any way for this post (I just believe in sustainable seafood!)

Give the cod portions an egg bath

Bread with cornflake crumbs or cracker meal

Bake on 350-degrees for 15-20 minutes

Enjoy the tender flakiness of your cod

Recipe: Oven-Fried Alaskan Pacific Cod (Serves 4)

Ingredients

 1 1/2 pounds Alaskan Pacific cod (frozen, individual portions or fresh cod cut into 4-inch pieces)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

2 cups corn flake crumbs, crushed finely or prepared cracker meal crumbs

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

1. Dry cod on several layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Beat eggs in medium to large bowl
3. Divide cod in four batches; dip each cod piece in egg and coat both sides thoroughly. 
4. Place egg-coated cod pieces on clean cutting board (used only for meat and/or seafood). Season the cod liberally on both sides or place crumbs in a large, shallow dish and add seasoning to the corn flake or cracker meal crumbs. 
5. Coat both sides of the fish with crumbs.
6. Spray a large baking dish or grill pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place fish in pan and evenly space fish (do not crowd the pan--use two pans if needed). 
7. Bake fish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Remove fish after cooking time and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Dad's Pride-of-Mobile Fried Oysters for #SundaySupper

My dad's fried oysters are like no one else's. It's some sort of alchemy the way his oysters turn out so tender, velvety, and golden--as if conjured rather than fried. I get this goodness just once a year now, in December, when my husband, son, and I visit my hometown of Mobile, Alabama. The ingredients for Dad's fried oyster recipe couldn't be simpler. Just cornmeal, eggs, salt, pepper and shucked oysters.  There's parsley in my oysters but not in Dad's. He would want me to say that. He'd also want me to say that the "Pride-of-Mobile" title was all my idea, that everyone down there fries oysters the same way. (Hence, the title.)

I have watched my father fry oysters for breakfast--always for breakfast--for 40-plus years. I was usually the one in the kitchen with him because he needed someone to gather and prep ingredients and to listen to and heed his admonishments. Get the oil hot but not smoking. We wouldn't want to burn the house down. Keep the frying pan handle pointed away from you. Dry the oysters on paper towels before bathing them in the egg. Careful now. Putting wet oysters in hot oil will cause spattering and popping. 

When I'm home, I still help Dad in the kitchen. He cautions and directs.  I listen and do. And try to avoid catastrophe. 

So Dad, I made these oysters by myself, in a month with no "R" in the spelling, and have lived to write about it. Thanks for teaching me to appreciate good seafood and to cook it properly--and without burning the house down. Happy Father's Day!

Dad in his kitchen.

Dad's Pride-of-Mobile Fried Oysters (Serves 3)

Ingredients

16 ounces fresh shucked oysters, divided

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 sprig parsley, minced (optional)

1 cup whole-grain cornmeal 

Grapeseed or canola oil

Sprig of "Purple Ruffles" basil for garnishing (optional)

Directions

1. Place oysters on clean dish towel or on several paper towels. Place another clean dish towel or paper towels on top of oysters and pat very gently to remove moisture.
2. Place drained oysters in beaten egg. Using your fingers or silicon tongs, turn oysters over to coat both sides.
3. Remove oysters from beaten egg and place on a clean cutting board or plate. Season oysters with salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Pour cornmeal into a resealable, gallon-sized plastic bag. Add minced parsley to cornmeal and shake to evenly distribute the parsley. Place half the oysters in the bag and seal. Invert and manipulate bag to coat the oysters--avoid shaking the bag vigorously, which could tear the oysters.
5. Heat 1-inch of grapeseed or canola  oil in a 10-inch skillet. Place half the oysters in hot oil and fry them for 50 seconds to one minute per side until golden brown. 
6. Place fried oysters on paper towels to drain for a minute. Fry the remaining oysters and drain on paper towels.
7. Plate oysters, garnish with basil, and serve plain or with condiments.

This post is part of a Father's Day tribute by bloggers in the #SundaySupper group. For more father-and-food memories and recipes, click on the links below. If you're interested in participating in posting for #SundaySupper, check out the group on Facebook and on Twitter.

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Father's Day Brunch:

• Dad's Omelette Bar Small Wallet Big Appetite 
• Peanut Butter and Honey for Father's Day Breakfast Yummy Smells 
• Healthy French Toast In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Sausage McFelix Breakfast Sandwich Diabetic Foodie 

Dad's Favorite Soup, Salads and Bread:

• Phil's Pasta Tuna Salad The Watering Mouth 
• Simple German Potato Salad and Wiener Wursts German Foodie
• Roasted Beet Soup Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Dad's Cornbread Magnolia Days 

Father's Day Favorite Mains:

• Greek Burger Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Dad's Favorite Roast Beef Mrs. Mama Hen 
• Sonoran Hot Dogs Damn Delicious 
• Paska Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks 
• Bacon Stuffed Jucy Lucy Burger Are you Hungry?
• Spicy Roasted Salon in Coconut Sue's Nutrition Buzz 
• Dad's Pride-of-Mobile Fried Oysters Pescetarian Journal
• Smoked Baby Back Ribs Girl in the Little Red Kitchen 
• Grilled Pork Tora's Real Food 
• Beef Tongue in Tomato Sauce Basic and Delicious 
• Bibim naeng myun KimcheeMom
• Chicken Biryan Soni's Food for Thought
• Black Beans, Corn and Rice Mama's Blissful Bites
• Curry Fish with Mixed Vegetables MyTrials in the Kitchen

Dad's Sweet Tooth:

• S'mores Pudding Pie Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Bread and Butter Pudding Cositas Bonitas  
• Tin Roof Sundae Ice Cream famfriendsfood
• Coconut Cream Pudding Chocolate Moosey
• Rich & Fluffy Banana Pudding Parfait The Meltaways 
• Black Forest Cheesecake Cravings of a Lunatic
• Macadamia Nut Cookies Pippi's in the Kitchen Again
• Peach Cobbler Bars Juanita's Cocina  
• Iced Cookie Bars That Skinny Girl Can Bake
• Pudim Molotoff, Portuguese Meringue Pudding Family Foodie

Wine Pairings for Father's Day ENOFYLZ