Mixed Seafood Fried Rice

In case you hadn't noticed—maybe you haven't been here in a while or maybe this is your first time visiting—I'm craving fish and seafood hard lately. I can't seem to get enough of it. While I am happy to eat it absolutely any time of the year, there's something about the Lenten season that brings it to the forefront. I'm sure it's the fact that I watch too much tv, and all the fast food places are advertising their fish sandwiches at every commercial break (because I'm not Catholic). Whatever the reason, I'm taking full advantage of it and working daily to satisfy that craving.

The other day at the market, I was passing a little freezer case, one of the kinds that's open like a table, not shelves enclosed by doors. There amongst the packages of frozen mussels, clams, and lobster tails, there were a few packages of a cooked seafood mix that were labeled as "paella mix". It included individually quick frozen octopus, squid, mussels, shrimp, and surimi (aka fake fake crab legs or pollock). This triggered a memory of seeing Nigella use a bag of frozen seafood to make a speedy seafood supper once upon a time. I remember wanting to make that; into my cart it went. Okay, into my cart went 2 packages, because if you're gonna do it, you might as well do it right.

One package is still hanging out in the freezer awaiting it's seafood supper fate a la Nigella Lawson. The other package made its way into a big batch of fried rice. Does that sound strange?

Hot Crab Dip

I think I may have burnt myself out a bit going fast and hard for pretty much all of November and the first half of December.  So I've been taking it easy lately.  And let me tell you - it feels good.  I've still been cooking.  And eating (as if that weren't an option).  But I'm getting started on my resolution goal early.  I'm going to force myself to slow down.  If it kills me.

I want to remember what it was like to take time to smell the roses... or taste the crab, if  you will.  How about you?  Do you have any goals set for yourself going into a new year?  I don't like to call them resolutions.  I mean, resolutions seem made to be broken.  I prefer goals.  Goals are attainable.

It may seem little, but along with slowing down the pace (on posting, not on living), I want to eat more appetizers.  Ridiculous?  Perhaps.  But true, nevertheless.  Here's a notch for my belt.  Dips.  I love dips and spreads.  That may just be because I'm a bread-freak.  Dips and spreads are made so that we have an excuse to eat more bread, and for that, I am totally down.

Hot Crab Dip

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Keywords: bake appetizer cream cheese crab Christmas Easter New Year Super Bowl Thanksgiving American

Ingredients (~2¼ cups)

• 12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ c. mayonnaise
• ¼ c. sour cream
• ½ c. freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 Tbs. green onions, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Tabasco (or other hot sauce)
• ¾ tsp. Creole seasoning (like Tony's or Zatarains)
• 12 oz. lump crabmeat
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat together cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Stir in next 7 ingredients until well combined. Fold in the crab, breaking it up as little as possible. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a small casserole dish.

Slide into preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until lightly golden on top.

Serve hot with sliced French bread (or baguette, crackers, chips, toast points, etc.) and a bottle of hot sauce and some lemon wedges on the side for those who want them.

adapted from You've Got to Taste This

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