Oysters casino. Credit: Vanda Lewis.

Mariner’s Menu
Oysters Casino, Snapper Fillets, Stuffed Clams, and More

BY VANDA LEWIS & JOYCE TAYLOR

Mariner’s Menu, North Carolina Sea Grant’s popular online seafood guide, features blogger and photographer Vanda Lewis’s pictures with hundreds of recipes that Joyce Taylor developed. Enjoy these fall treats — and visit MarinersMenu.org for more. 

OYSTERS CASINO

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a skillet, fry the bacon until brown. Remove the bacon, and drain it on paper towels. Discard all but 1 1/2 of tablespoons of bacon grease. Add onion, green pepper, and celery to the skillet, and sauté until tender. Remove the skillet from the heat, and add the lemon juice, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and bacon. Mix well.

In a lightly greased baking dish, arrange the oysters, and then spread the bacon mixture on top. Bake until the oysters are done and the topping is brown, for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Striped Bass Tacos with Creamy Guacamole. Credit: Vanda Lewis.

STRIPED BASS TACOS WITH CREAMY GUACAMOLE

Prepare creamy guacamole (below) and chill.

Lightly salt the fish. Sprinkle it generously with pepper.

Heat the oil in a large skillet to 375° F. Add the butter and melt.

Add the fish, and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the fish chunks over and repeat. Drain them on paper towels.

Place each serving of fish in a tortilla. Sprinkle on a light amount of cabbage. Spoon on the guacamole, and garnish it with cilantro.

Creamy Guacamole

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, onion, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, salt and garlic. Mix it well. Gently mix in the avocado. Cover and chill.

Snapper Fillets Sautéed with Mushrooms. Credit: Vanda Lewis.

SNAPPER FILLETS SAUTÉED WITH MUSHROOMS

Lightly salt and pepper the fish. Dredge it lightly in flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and heat. Sauté the fillets until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the fillets over and repeat, cooking until done. Transfer the fillets to a warm platter.

In the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over high heat. Add the mushrooms, and sauté them until the liquid is gone and the mushrooms are browned. Arrange them over the fillets, and sprinkle with lime juice and parsley.

Easy Stuffed Clams. Credit: Vanda Lewis

EASY STUFFED CLAMS

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, and then remove it from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients except paprika, and mix it well. Add enough of the reserved clam liquid to moisten the clam mixture.

Fill the shells with the mixture. Sprinkle paprika over the top. Bake it until hot and bubbly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

 

For hundreds of free seafood recipes, visit: MarinersMenu.org

from the Autumn 2022 issue of Coastwatch magazine