Crab and/or Shrimp Dip Base

Crab and/or Shrimp Dip Base

When Mom owned a small Seafood Market in Ocean Park, Washington, she used this as a "base" for making Crab and Shrimp dips to sell in the market. We often had some on the counter for people to sample (I must say, some people made pigs of themselves!)

3 pounds, whipped cream cheese (preferably Philadelphia brand)

1 small jar Old English or Pimento cheese spread

2-1/2 Tbs dried minced onion, reconstituted in water

2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbs Lemon Juice

2 Tbs Mrs. Dash No Salt seasoning

1 tsp lemon pepper

Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a large mixing bowl (a stand mixer is best, especially for this large amount). For each cup of base, mix in about 1/4 cup each of sour cream and mayonnaise, and blend in 1/4 cup of salad shrimp or crabmeat. 

You can also use this base to make smoked salmon dip by adding about 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely flaked smoked salmon instead of shrimp or crabmeat.

Back Row, L & 2nd from L: Mom & Aunt Peggy
with friends in Oysterville, WA about 1937-38

Halibut Olympia

This is a very simple and tasty way to prepare Halibut, which can taste fairly bland otherwise. The final Panko-crumb and cheese mixture adds a nice crunch to the recipe.

Halibut Olympia

Four 6-oz Halibut fillets

3 tablespoons lemon juice 

Topping:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 cup prepared mustard

(Dijon, champagne, stone ground or other interesting mustard)

3 Tbs chopped green onion (optional)

1/2 cup Italian-flavored* Panko crumbs

Additional 3 or 4 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x13 pan. Place halibut in pan, sprinkle with lemon juice. Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes until almost done (almost opaque, but not quite).

While fish is baking, mix topping ingredients in a small bowl, and mix Panko crumbs and additional Parmesan in a separate bowl.

Remove halibut from oven and spread with topping mixture, and sprinkle Panko-Parmesan mixture over topping. Return fish to oven for additional 4 to 5   minutes until the mixture on top started to bubble or brown slightly and the crumbs begin to brown.

*The Italian-flavored Panko crumbs are excellent, but if you don't have them the plain will work fine

December 1945: Mom, Gram & Gramps on the Right; Aunt Peggy back left

Ocean Park Crab and Seafood Smoked Salmon

Brother Rick cutting the fish

Ocean Park Crab and Seafood Smoked Salmon

Dry Brine:  equal parts, by weight, of brown sugar and non-iodized salt

We used fairly large fillets of Salmon (PBO: Pin Bones Out), cut across into pieces about 2-1/2" to 3" wide. The tail end we sometimes split lengthwise to make it the same approximate size as the other pieces.

Ready for an hour of refrigeration

Rinse, pat dry, pat on dry brine, placing pieces in a plastic container as you go. Cover (we used foil--don't know what happened to all the lids!) and place in refrigerator for one hour. Remove, rinse off brine, pat dry once more and place back in (rinsed and dried) container and place in refrigerator overnight to form pellicle.

Next day we smoked, using a mixture of Apple and Alder chips. The following is an example of one day's schedule, however it is what worked for the large commercial (albeit home-made) smoker we used at the store. It was made from an old stainless steel refrigerator, with a square burner unit on one side and a circulating fan on the other side. Times would, of course, need to be adjusted for a smaller smoker.

Oven Temp:            Time              Action  

80°                             9:15               A&A* Fan On 

80°                             10:00             A&A       ""

95°                             11:00             A&A       ""

96°                             12:00             A&A       ""

97°                             12:45             A&A       ""   Oven turned to 120°

127°                          1:30               A&A       ""    Oven to 130°

134°                          2:15               A&A       ""    Oven to 140°

144°                          3:00               A&A       ""    Oven to 150°

150°                          3:40               Oven to 165°, smoker off

160°                          4:15               Top rack out

                                    4:30             All out

(* A&A = a mixture of Apple and Alter Chips)

The finished product

So there you have it. A simple recipe, but loved by many. We hadn't shared it with anyone until now, but since both Mom and Rich are dead and the House including the Smoker room we had set up in the shop are sold now, I figured it was time to share the recipe--more of a method really.

Smoked Salmon Dip

Mom in the "uniform" she had to wear when
working at the Hyatt House in Burlinggame, CA

When Mom owned a Seafood market in Ocean Park, Washington we sometimes made this dip for customers to sample. Unfortunately, some customers thought “sampling” meant standing next to the bowl and eating all of it.

Smoked Salmon Dip

1 pound cream cheese (preferably Philadelphia brand)

1 Tb dried minced onion, reconstituted in about 1 Tb of water

1 Tb Mrs. Dash No Salt seasoning

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 Tb Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 pound smoked salmon

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. If consistency is too thick, additional sour cream and/or mayonnaise can be added. Serve with a fairly sturdy chip (I like Tostitos white corn chips).

Slug Pie (aka Earthworm Casserole)



Treeva and Teena with friend Tarry Ray
near Willapa Bay, Nahcotta, WA



Actually this is just a Tuna Melt, but when my nieces were young and I fixed them lunch I'd ask "What would you like, Slug Pie or Earthworm Casserole?" (I also told them they'd never really met their "true" Aunt Sherrie, that I was from the planet Zeckarahr and we'd done a "cultural exchange" many years ago ... of course that was true.)

Tuna Melt

1 can good-quality tuna, drained (preferably solid, water-pack)*

1 celery stalk, diced

Salt, Pepper and/or Seafood Seasoning

Mayonnaise

English Muffins, split, toasted and lightly buttered

Medium Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Mix Tuna, celery, seasonings and Mayonnaise. Spread on English Muffin halves and top with slices of cheese. Place on foil-lined pan under broiler (or in toaster oven set to broil) until heated through and cheese is bubbly. One can usually makes enough for 6 muffin halves.

*To make a "deluxe" Slug Pie, use canned Salmon

Individual Prawn Pizza

This is my variation on an appetizer Lobster Pizza I had at Red Lobster. Ingredient portions can, of course, be increased to make a larger pizza using Boboli or other type of pizza crust. The Red Lobster’s crust was a thin, crispy type. This recipe is for just one pizza, which is adequate for a single meal, but you can increase amounts and use larger pans if you want to make these for appetizers.

Individual Prawn Pizza

Gordita Tortilla

Basil Pesto

Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

Diced and drained Roma or vine‑ripened tomato

7 or 8 cooked, peeled and deveined prawns, cut into pieces

Shredded mozzarella cheese*

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line pizza pan with foil; drizzle a small amount of olive oil on foil, then use paper towel to rub onto foil. Lightly sprinkle the foil with coarse salt.

Place gordita tortilla on foil. Spread a thin layer (about a soup spoonful) of pesto thinly over the tortilla. Spread (or grate) the Parmesan cheese over the pesto layer. Spread chopped tomato and  prawns evenly over crust. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is crispy; cut into slices and serve.

* I just use one of those packaged string cheeses when I need a little grated mozzarella, but watch out for your fingers when grating it!

Rick with Treeva and Teena

Crab and Shrimp Pasta Salad

Unless you catch your own, crab is expensive. Adding it to this pasta salad is a good way to satisfy the craving without breaking the bank! The addition of the less expensive pink shrimp helps enhance the seafood flavor of this dish, which is one we sold sometimes at Mom's seafood market in Ocean Park.

Crab and Shrimp Pasta Salad

8 oz small seashell macaroni, uncooked

1 Tb vegetable oil

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tb lemon juice

6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (reserve 2 yolks for garnish, if desired)

1/2 pound fresh crab meat

1/2 pound fresh cooked shrimp (small pink "salad shrimp")

4 stalks celery, sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

optional: 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well and place in a large bowl. Add vegetable oil and toss gently to combine. Cover and chill thoroughly.

Combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream and lemon juice in small bowl; stir well. Set aside.

Add chopped eggs, crab, shrimp, celery, onion, plus red pepper (if desired) to chilled macaroni. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. If desired, sieve reserved egg yolks through a strainer to garnish. Makes about 10 servings.

Mom and Dad July 5, 1951
Nahcotta, WA

Cheesy Clam Fritters

There are probably thousands of clam fritter recipes. This one is good, especially for those people who may not like to be overwhelmed by the taste of clams. The corn and cheese mellow out the flavor of the clams--and of course if perhaps you don't have enough clams to make fritters for a crowd, these extra ingredients provide a flavorful filler.

Cheesy Clam Fritters

1-1/2 cup minced clams

   (fresh razors are best, but canned minced clams can be used)

1-1/2  cup cheddar cheese, grated

1  cup whole kernel corn, drained

    (not "Niblets" as they're too crunchy in this recipe)

3 Tbs butter, melted

3 Tbs flour

2 eggs, separated

Mix clams, cheese, corn, butter, flour and egg yolks together.  Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold whites into clam mixture.  Drop by large spoonfuls into hot oil, heated to 375 degrees.  Cook until golden brown on both sides.


Mom showing off one of her clams, May 1979
(friend Carol Fish still looking for a clam!)



Clam Fritters

These are more like croquettes--light and crispy on the outside.

Clam Fritters

2 cups ground clams (or chop finely in food processor), drained

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 cup cracker crumbs

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

2 cups ground clams (or chop finely in food processor), drained

3 egg whites

Mix together clams, cornstarch, cracker crumbs and seasonings. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into clam mixture. You may not need all of the egg mixture--you want the fritter batter to be light and not too "doughy" (if you end up with too thin a batter you can add a bit more cracker crumbs and/or ground clams if you have them).

Heat about 1/2-inch oil in skillet. Drop batter by spoonfuls (I use a soup spoon) into hot oil. When first side is browned, use two forks to flip and fry the other side. They should be fried fairly quickly so that they don't absorb too much oil, but you do want them to be cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce. Makes about 10 to 16 fritters.



Grandpa Don Christy, who taught us all how to clam
(blind in one eye and bad vision in the other, but boy could he spot a clam!)



New England Clam Chowder

For about five years I helped my Mom run Ocean Park Crab and Seafood Market in Ocean Park, Washington. One of the favorite items we sold was Clam Chowder. Many people tried to finagle the recipe from us, wanting to know why it was so good. My usual response: "We drag the clam through it twice!"


Of course Mom made me promise never to give out the recipe, even after the store was gone, so this recipe is not quite the same, but it is pretty much the recipe we use at home. To make the chowder less starchy, we use both Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes, and since most people don't have access to fresh razor clams, the recipe call for the chopped sea clams usually available at "the big box" stores. If you are not a member smaller cans and bottled clam juice can be used. And if you do have your own fresh clams, that would be ideal--but of course that would mean you probably have your own recipe for chowder!

New England Clam Chowder

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into about 3/4" pieces

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into about 3/4" pieces

51-oz can Chopped Sea Clams

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp dried dill weed

6 thick slices bacon, diced

1/2 sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia), finely diced 

3 stalks celery, diced

4 Tbs butter

3 to 4 Tbs Flour

1-1/2 to 2 cups half-and-half

Place potatoes in a large pan; strain juice from canned clams over potatoes to cover. Bring to boil, add salt and dill weed. Cook until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in Dutch oven fry bacon until cooked, but not too crisp.

Remove bacon from Dutch oven, reserving pan drippings. Add butter and saute onion and celery until limp, but not browned. Add flour and continue cooking for several minutes. Add potatoes and clams to onion mixture and continue cooking until potatoes are very tender. Add half-and-half and simmer until hot--do not boil after adding the half-and-half. Stir in reserved bacon and serve with crackers, oyster crackers or (my favorite) seasoned croutons.

NOTES:

For those who are lactose intolerant, you can substitute non-dairy creamer mixed with water for the half-and-half. This recipe makes about one gallon of chowder. You can refrigerate any leftovers for several days; it does tend to thicken, so you may need to thin it with additional half-and-half when reheating.



My limit of Razor Clams