Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Seafood cocktails during summer season



Seafood Madness
is here to show you delicious seafood recipes perfect for summer.

These light and refreshing appetizers are great for summer. Martini or margarita glasses are best for the shrimp version, but keep the portions small. Buy cooked, deveined shrimp and jarred mango slices. Colorful diced bell peppers are usually available at the market – these make an attractive garnish for many dishes. If you choose to boil raw shrimp, instructions should be followed for the recipe. Jumbo lump crab is best as it is virtually free of shell or cartilage.

There are two seafood cocktail recipes which you will surely love for this summer season.

1. MINI CRAB COCKTAILS WITH MANGO CREAM

Ingredients:

* 1/3 to 1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
* 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 4 tablespoons mango juice (from a jar of sliced mango)
* 3 tablespoons cream or half and half
* 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
* 3 tablespoons jarred diced mango
* 2 to 3 tablespoons diced mixed bell pepper or seeded, diced tomatoes Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Rinse crabmeat under cold water and drain. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl or mini food processor combine cream cheese with mango juice, cream or half and half and lime juice. Stir in diced mango and bell pepper or tomato. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Place a spoonful of crab in the bottom of each serving container followed by the cream mixture. Repeat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 6 servings.

Note: (PER SERVING) Calories 124 (58% fat), Fat 8 g (5 g sat), Cholesterol 49 mg, Sodium 363 mg, negligible Fiber, Carbohydrates 4 g, Protein 8 g

2. TEQUILA SHRIMP COCKTAILS

Ingredients:

* 1 pound deveined cooked shrimp (31 to 40 count), tails removed
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
* 1 tablespoon light olive oil
* 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1/2 to 2/3 cup pico de gallo
* 2 tablespoons diced mango
* 1 small avocado, peeled and diced
* 1 teaspoon minced parsley
* 6 tablespoons tequila (optional)

Procedure:

1. Place cooked shrimp in a glass bowl. Sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian dressing mix.
2. Add olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Toss to combine.
3. Gently mix in pico de gallo, mango, avocado and parsley. Divide among serving glasses and refrigerate.
4. When ready to serve, add tequila if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Boiled shrimp: Bring about 6 cups water to a boil. Add shrimp (thawed or frozen) and return the water to a boil. This takes about 6-8 minutes. When water boils, cover, remove from heat and let stand 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water, peel and devein.

Note: (PER SERVING) Calories 177 (46% fat), Fat 9 g (1 g sat), Cholesterol 153 mg, Sodium 549 mg, Fiber 2 g, Carbohydrates 6 g, Protein 20 g

Consumers show more demand and interest with seafood

Overall consumption has fallen but research points to increased demand for certain species.

While overall seafood consumption restaurant owners and some research confirm that consumers are showing more interest in different types of fish and shellfish. A menu research firm, Datassential, lists more than 80 seafood items that are appearing on more menus now versus a year ago. Many of those items, such as branzino and striped bass, are starting from quite low base, appearing on fewer than 2 percent of all menus monitored by Datassential. But others, such as tilapia and grilled salmon, have shown nonstop growth in recent years. Oysters appear on 3.6 percent more menus now than a year ago, and octopus had a strong showing on menus over the past five years, appearing on 17.7 percent more menus now than five years ago and 7.4 percent more menus than a year ago. Forbes even put octopus on its list of top food trends for 2013, noting that introducing the mollusk to the market increased nearly 40 percent between 2010 and 2012.


Note: Supporting data for this study were based on real accounts of well-known chefs and restaurants all over the world. It was found out that there is a “huge increase” in seafood sales in the past years. Even the United States’ Food & Drug Administration’s Dietary Guidelines studied and agreed with that. According to them, that is the result of health-conscious consumers recognizing fish and shellfish as a source of high-quality protein and other nutrients which are essential in their healthful diet.