Cyclops Kitty

This is a very flavorful sauce that can be used with crab meat or lobster, grilled duck, and goes very well with cucumber salad.

Serves: 2  Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice or tangerine juice
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
1 tablespoon good soy sauce
1 tablespoon black sesame oil
5 tablespoons canola oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
How to make it

Combine lime, lemon and orange juices in a saucepan and bring to a boil until approx. 2 tablespoons of liquid remains.
Place the citrus reduction in a mixing bowl and whisk in the rice vinegar, green onion, ginger, garlic and soy sauce.
Slowly whisk in the oils and follow up with salt and pepper to taste.
Correct seasonings adding more vinegar or salt if needed.

The mixture of the sour cream, cheese, seafood, spices and salsa make this a very pleasing and delicious main course.

Serves: 6   Time:  35 minutes

Ingredients

12 6" flour tortillas
4 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
2 cups flaked blue crab meat - picked thru to remove shells
20 to 25 steamed medium shrimp, halved
1 medium onion chopped (approx 1 cup)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/4 cups tomatillo salsa
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin powder
How to make it

Heat an ungreased medium skillet over medium heat and soften tortillas one at a time for 15 seconds per side.
Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 13x9 baking dish with Pam or some other nonstick cooking spray.
Combine 3 cups of the cheese, the crabmeat, shrimp, onion, most of the Old bay (leave about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to add to the salsa), and the 1/2 teaspoon cumin in a medium bowl and mix well.
Spoon a 1/4 cup of the mixture on each tortilla.
Fold the sides of the tortillas and then roll to enclose all the filling.
Arrange seam side down in the baking dish.
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over med-high heat.
Add flour and mix well.
Stir in chicken broth gradually and cook stirring continually until sauce thickens.
Add sour cream and mix well.
Remove from heat and stir in the bell peppers and then spread over the enchiladas.
Bake until bubbly - about 30 minutes or so.
Take remaining Old Bay seasoning and mix it well with the tomatillo salsa, then pour it over the top of the enchiladas.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted, remove from oven and serve!

I personally cannot stand pre packaged curry powder. Freshly ground is the way to go for the best flavor. Here is a recipe I have been using for years to make my own.

Serves: many   Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin seed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon whole cardamom seed without the pods
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
How to make it

Mix all ingredients in a blender for 2 to 3 minutes until finely powdered.
Store in airtight container in a dark place.
Makes about a 1/4 cup or so of curry powder.

This is the bomb....

Serves: 4 Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. lump blue backfin crabmeat picked thru to remove shells
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. minced onion
2 slices white bread, cubed, crusts removed
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. lemon juice (1 lemon) separated
1/2 tsp. salt
Few dashes pepper
2 tbsp. butter
2-3 medium sized Jalapeño peppers, deseeded and chopped
paprika for sprinkling
5 slices bacon cut into quarters
20 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied with tail shells removed
How to make it

Preheat oven on broil to 500F.
In medium size pan melt butter, mix in flour.
Slowly add milk stirring constantly to keep mixture smooth and free of lumps.
Cook, stirring over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
Mix in onion and bread cubes.
Allow to cool for about 30 to 45 minutes
Fold in mayonnaise, 1tbsp. lemon juice, jalapeño and salt and pepper.
In another pan, melt butter until lightly browned.
Add crabmeat and toss lightly.
Combine with sauce mixture.
Spoon crabmeat mixture evenly into the opened butterflied shrimp.
Sprinkle paprika over top and fold shrimp to enclose the crabmeat filling..
Wrap each with 1/4 slice of bacon and push 5 each on 4 bamboo or metal skewers making sure to keep bacon firmly wrapped around the shrimp.
Place skewers on broiling pan and broil for 7 to 8 minutes, rotating the skewers every 2 min or so. Make sure bacon is slightly crispy and shrimp are cooked all the way thru.
Remove from broiler and drizzle with remaining tbsp. lemon juice.

Great dip for oysters, clams, shrimp and fritters

Serves: 8   Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup key lime juice or regular lime juice (fresh squeezed0
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey
3 or 4 tablespoons water
3 minced cloves garlic
2 trimmed and sliced thin scallions
2 or 3 very thin rings of scotch bonnet chili pepper
How to make it

Combine lime juice, fish sauce and honey in bowl and whisk until honey dissolves
Stir in remaining ingredients and correct seasonings by adding more lime juice or honey to taste.
Serve immediately.