Panko Pecan Pan-Fried Flounder

I LOVE breading fish and chicken with pecans. The final product is so crunchy, and has amazing flavor. I usually just make this on a whim, using whatever ingredients I have lying around (Italian style breadcrumbs work really well, too), but this time I decided to really give it my all so that I could share a recipe with you!

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 4 fresh Flounder fillets
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the breading:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 oz. chopped pecans
• 1 cup whole wheat Panko crumbs
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil

Directions:

In a shallow baking dish, mix together the buttermilk, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the Flounder fillets, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour, taking out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking them.

In a shallow dish, add the flour. Season with the salt and pepper.

In another shallow dish, crack the eggs, and whisk till creamy.

In a third shallow dish, mix together the pecans and Panko crumbs.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge 2 of the fish fillets in the flour, then shake off the excess. Dip into the egg, and then cover with the pecan/Panko mixture. Cook the two fillets for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish is white and flaky inside. Repeat with the other 2 fillets, adding the remaining tbsp. oil before cooking them.

Serve immediately, and garnish with fresh dill if desired.

Perfectly paired with my Cold Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing.

Effortless Broiled Shrimp

These shrimp were so simple & juicy. I recommend buying the freshest, most plump shrimp you can find... if they were previously frozen, I don't recommend making them this way. When shrimp have been frozen, the shell sticks & it very difficult to remove if you cook them without peeling them first. Last minute (literally), I decided to whip up a quick dipping sauce for the shrimp. I used a couple tablespoons of vegenaise, a squeeze of a lemon wedge, and a good amount of Sriracha pepper sauce... mixed it up & it was ready! Hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did. :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 1 lb. fresh, never frozen, plump shrimp with shell & tail still attached (remove legs)
• 1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
• Flaky salt for finishing

Directions:

Turn broiler on high, and let preheat - about 10 minutes. Wash shrimp. Lightly coat broiling pan with cooking spray. Line shrimp (with skins & tails on) onto the broiling pan. Drizzle with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt & black pepper. Broil for 2 minutes. Remove from oven, turn shrimp over, and sprinkle with more sea salt & black pepper. Broil for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and place shrimp on a platter. Finish with flaky salt. Serve with your favorite shrimp dipping sauce or the sauce I described above. Enjoy!!!

Simple Ceviche

This recipe is from a friend of my family's that is from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico... It is absolutely the best ceviche I've ever had, and to make it even more exciting - it's one of the easiest things I've ever made!

You will need:

• The freshest fish you can find. Redfish is amazing, so is Grouper or Red Snapper, but really any light white fish will do. Make sure that it doesn't smell 'fishy' at all.
• Lots of lemons to juice.
• Vidalia Onion (or white onion)
• 1 Datil Pepper (or any other hot pepper you can find...jalepeno, fingerhot, etc.)
• Fresh Cilantro
• Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

Cut fish into pieces about the size of the end of your thumb. Dice onion. Slice hot pepper into tiny slivers (you don't have to use the whole pepper). Place onion, hot pepper & fish pieces into a small shallow dish (2:1 fish to onion ratio). Squeeze lemon juice to just cover the mixture. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Mix & let sit till the fish is starting to turn white. Meanwhile, wash & soak the cilantro. When fish is turning white, mix again. Lightly massage & finely chop cilantro. When fish is completely white, mix-in cilantro and sprinkle with a little more salt & pepper. Serve with saltine crackers or tortilla chips. Enjoy!!!!

Note: Seriously, this is one of the best recipes I've ever made. After you've made it a couple of times, you'll probably want to experiment a little bit. You can use scallops, octopus, shrimp... Just make sure that any seafood you use is SUPER fresh. Also, it's fun to add chopped garlic, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. Have fun! Let me know what you think in the comments!