Mariner’s Menu
Crab Imperial, Grilled Striped Bass, 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 summertime treats — and visit MarinersMenu.org for more. 

CRAB IMPERIAL (above)

Remove any shell and cartilage from the crabmeat. In a large bowl, mix the egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, oregano, mustard, and Tabasco. Gently mix in the crabmeat.

Place in a lightly greased 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Bake at 350° F until the mixture is lightly browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Freshly Grilled Striped Bass. Credit: Vanda Lewis.

FRESHLY GRILLED STRIPED BASS

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

In a small bowl, combine butter, Worcestershire, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Brush fish on both sides with the mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Place fish on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip over and repeat, cooking until done.

Triggerfish with Pineapple Salsa. Credit: Vanda Lewis.

TRIGGERFISH WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA

Place the rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler. Prepare the Pineapple Salsa (below) and chill.

For the fish marinade, in a small bowl combine the orange juice, lime juice, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Place the fish in a dish, cover with the marinade, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the marinade.

Brush the fish with melted butter. Place the fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil until golden brown and the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, about 8 minutes. Serve with Pineapple Salsa.

Pineapple Salsa

In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple, onion, red pepper, lime juice, basil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Chill until ready to serve.

Shrimp with Fennel. Credit: Vanda Lewis.

SHRIMP WITH FENNEL

Peel and devein the shrimp. Reserve the shells. In a small saucepan, bring the water, 1/2 teaspoon of fennel, pepper, and shells to boil. Simmer uncovered until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain and reserve the liquid.

In a medium skillet, sauté the shrimp in 3 tablespoons of butter, sprinkling with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of fennel. Remove the shrimp to a serving dish.

Make a sauce by whisking together in a skillet the reserved shell liquid, lemon juice, and remaining butter. Pour it over the shrimp.

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

from the Summer 2022 issue of Coastwatch magazine