theCooksCorner

Crabmeat Loaf

Incredients :
1 large block cream cheese
1 can crabmeat, drained
1 jar chili sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Procedure :
Place a block of cream cheese on a nice plate. Over this, pack drained crabmeat. Pour chili sauce over this (don\’t use all of the jar). Place paper towels around loaf to sop up extra liquid before serving.

Sprinkle parsley over chili sauce before serving with assorted crackers.

Western Cedar Plank Salmon

Incredients :
1 fillet of fresh salmon (about 1/2 pound for each serving)
1 cedar plank (no more than 1/2 inch thick)

Procedure :
Soak cedar plank thoroughly to prevent burning.

Place the salmon on the plank skin side down and season to taste (garlic salt, dill weed, and black pepper work well).

Place the plank with the salmon on a covered grill on low. You want the plank to smolder on the bottom and create smoke but not to flame up. The cover will retain the smoke and also prevent flame-up. It will take 30 to 45 minutes for a good size fillet of salmon. The plank will get hot enough to cook the salmon through. You do not need to turn the salmon. Enjoy the natural smoky flavors!

Tequila Shrimp

Incredients :
2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chili sauce

Procedure :
Shell and devein shrimp; chill.

Combine remaining ingredients and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

Place shrimp on skewers. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Sweet Bourbon Grilled Salmon

Incredients :
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kentucky bourbon
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salmon fillets
Snipped fresh chives

Procedure :
Combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, sugar, bourbon, pepper and garlic powder and stir to dissolve sugar. Add oil.

Marinade salmon fillets for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Grill.

Spicy Lime Grilled Prawns

Incredients :
48 large tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined
4 limes, zested and juiced
4 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
Skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes if wood)

Procedure :
Place the prawns and lime zest in a large, non-metallic bowl. Place the lime juice, chile pepper, garlic, ginger, and onion in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. You may need to add a little oil to facilitate blending. Pour over the bowl of prawns, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread prawns onto skewers, piercing each first through the tail, and then the head. Brush grill grate with oil. Grill prawns for 5 minutes, or until opaque, turning to cook evenly.

Southwestern Shrimp Grilled in Cornhusks

Incredients :
16 large dried cornhusks
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 3/8-inch slices
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 jumbo shrimp (about 1 lb), peeled and de-veined
Charred Chile Salsa (recipe below)
1 ripe Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut lengthwise into eighths
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
4 lime wedges for garnish

Procedure :
In a large bowl, cover cornhusks with boiling water, set aside until pliable, about 1 hour. Prepare grill.

Insert wooden pick horizontally through each onion slice to secure for grilling. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill onions, turning until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Remove wooden picks.

Drain cornhusks and open flat. Overlap wide, flat ends if 2 cornhusks to make a boat-shape package. Repeat to make 8 packages. Divide onions among cornhusks and top each with shrimp and 2 tablespoons Charred Chile Salsa. Fold cornhusks edges firmly around filling and tie ends with kitchen string.

Place packages on grill. Cover and grill, without turning, until shrimp is opaque, 10 to 12 minutes. To serve, open each plate. Garnish with avocado, cilantro and lime wedges.

Serve with remaining salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Charred Chile Salsa
1 ear corn, husked
1 red bell pepper
3 large ripe plum tomatoes
8 tomatillos, husked
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 small white onion, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 dried New Mexico chiles
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (no stems!)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black peppers to taste

Prepare a grill. Brush corn, bell pepper, tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and onion with oil. Thread garlic on a metal skewer. Grill vegetables, turning until charred, 5 to 15 minutes.

Lightly grill chiles, turning often, about 1 minute. (Do not burn) When vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel, core and quarter bell pepper. Peel tomatoes and garlic. Core tomatillos. Stem and seed chiles. In a food processor, coarsely chop bell pepper and chiles. Add tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, onion, cilantro, lime juice and brown sugar and coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl. Cut kernels from corn and stir into salsa. Add salt and pepper.

Salsa will keep, covered, in a refrigerator up to 1 day.

Makes about 2 cups.

South Seas Shrimp and Mango

Incredients :
1 pound raw jumbo shrimp
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon hot cayenne pepper sauce
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 large ripe mango, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 green onions, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

Procedure :
Place shrimp in large resealable plastic food-storage bag.

Combine mustard, oil, juice, hot sauce and orange peel in small bowl; pour over shrimp. Seal bag; marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes.

Alternately thread shrimp, mango, bell pepper and onions onto four 10-inch metal skewers. Place skewers on oiled grid. Grill over high heat 7 minutes or until shrimp are opaque, turning and basting once with mustard mixture. (Discard any remaining marinade.)

Makes 4 servings.