I needed to feel the salt water on my skin...the cool breeze on my face...
I closed my eyes and listened to the water lap around me...the scent of salt water was almost intoxicating... I love it.
I made a toast to my departed loved one....
felt the sand shift beneath my feet....it was a reminder of how quickly things change.
It was good for my soul.
Before coming home, I picked up some fresh shrimp and a few blue crabs...
I've never tasted a blue crab before.
I cut the large shrimp with kitchen shears, removed the vein...
made a marinade of
1/3 c olive oil
2 TBS sherry
2 cloves of garlic minced
salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
I let these chill for 2 hours
Grilled the shrimp for about 3 1/2 minutes per side... basting with a mixture of melted butter, lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning.
I used the same basting sauce on the blue crabs...
They were pretty tasty. I had planned on making a dipping sauce but didn't... they had plenty of flavor by themselves..
The blue crabs were tasty too.... A lot of work but tasty.
I think I could handle living on a beach.. or at least closer to an ocean. :)
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45 comments:
My heart has always been more attracted to the mountains then to the ocean but perhaps I need to reconsider given my love of sea food! You have once again created a culinary masterpiece! Have a great weekend!
Well if you ever decide to come to California Jeanie, we'll make you feel right at home. Of course, wherever this was at seems pretty perfect to me! :) I LOVE crab meat!!
Dave~
Glad you got away and got a little breathing room...the beach is always a good get away!
You need to try some soft shelled crabs. They're harvest while they're molting and in the soft state. You remove the lungs, face and sand gland and cook them whole...yum! I doubt that you can find them. If you can't, I'll get you some next spring.....let me know
Must have been quite a trip, from the dried out heartland, to nothing but water.
Only time I go to the beach is on a trip, every number of years. Eventhough the beach is perhaps twenty miles from here.
d.
Oops, just red the full message, the trip was because of the departure of your loved one. An unfortunate trip. Good to hear the visit to the beach was good for your soul.
Very nice pictures. Glad to see your healing.
As a Maryland boy I can't imagine not having blue crab. It is by far my favorite sea food, not to mention Old Bay! They are a lot of work but the richness of the backfin meat is well worth the effort. I am so spoiled by blue crab that I almost never eat any other crab, so I very rarely visit Joe's Crab Shack, Red Lobster etc, because they are not on the menu.
If you choose to join us at Memphis in May, I will do up a big ol' pot of North Atlantic Blues, grill up a few more and if we are lucky even a couple of peelers (soft shells).
I have to admit from the looks of your photos you know how to fix up some tasty crustaceans.
Thanks for sharing!
Redheart Marc
Nice, I never thought of blue crab on the grill! I usually boil or steam them. I know what you mean about the smell. sound and feel of the Gulf. I'm about a mile from the Gulf, hate being away from the salt smell for long. Sorry about your loss, the water will sooth it though.
hold on a minute girl u can visit , but we ain't letting go of you just yet , lots of smoking and grilling knowledge left to pick from yer brain , glad you had time to relax and recharge , welcome home , Jim Wade
hey jeanie,
glad your back,
have you ever had those soft shell crabs?
i have always wanted to try them but never have.
Hi Jeanie, I love the beach too, it has a calming effect & is good for the soul. I am up getting ready to pu 2 pork butts on, 17 lbs, at 1 am. Sure wish I had that shrimp & crab plate right now, a good mid-night snack! Good photos. Don
Looks like a real feast and glad you had a soothing experience. When I lived in South Jersey, crabs were a regular food item and I always thought I used more energy getting to the meat than I got from it. I think it was mostly about the beer drinking that went with them anyway.
Fine looking plate there Cowgirl!
I'm glad you had a good time and got to feel that salt and sand. Who needs a dipping sauce? That looks yummy.
Take Care...
RO thank you! It's good to see ya. :)
I love the mountains too. I guess I get to see them more often than the ocean...and like you, I love fresh seafood. Hope your fall hunting is going well. :)
Dave thanks! :) I've been to California maybe twice and flew over it once. I was in the LA area...it was a bit crowded for me. I'd love to see other areas though. I did get to go fishing off the coast of Catalina Island... it was so nice. :)
I love crab meat too.. It is one of my favorites! :)
Capt. Ron those sound wonderful! I've heard of soft shelled crabs but have not tried those either. I will look for them in the store next spring, see if they are available here. Thanks so much for your kind offer. :)
(((HUGS)))
Thank you Donald, the trip was a long one but I needed to be there.
Loved the time I spent at the water.
You are so lucky to live 20 miles away. :)
NotBob, thank you! Also thank you for your friendship and support elsewhere. I've never solicited for anything and never will. It's not my way.
(((HUGS))) for being such a good friend...
Marc that sounds so tempting! I'd love to go to Memphis in May sometime.. I can imagine how much fun that would be. So many talented smokers like yourself. I would learn a lot!
A pot of blue crabs and I would be in heaven. :)
Thanks for the offer Marc, I will definately consider it. :)
Mark R thank you! You are so lucky, I wish I lived closer to the ocean. Think I'd be on the water at least once a day... :)
Bet your boiled and steamed crabs are tasty! Thanks again Mark. :)
:) Jim thanks! Thanks for bringing a huge smile to my face too. :)
(((HUGS)))
Rocco how have you been? It's nice to see you. I've not tried the soft shell ones but hope to one day. Thanks! :)
Don it sounds like you are going to have a nice feast today! I think I smell the pulled pork right now. :)
I haven't stopped thinking about your cajun crackers too.. I need to make some soon!
The beach was nice.. wish I could have been there for a nicer reason but it did my soul some good.
Thanks Don!
Larry I didn't know you lived in South Jersey. Crab and cold beer would be something I'd like to try! :) Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong part of the US. :)
David thanks so much friend! :)
Thank you Mrs JP! The water was so refreshing. I think I should go there more often. :)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Nice crabs.....never seen the blue one's
Thanks Marc, they were small but tasty. :)
Growing up as a kid in Jersey, one of the things I looked forward to every summer was going crabbing with my uncle and cousins. We would use handlines and catch bluecrabs by the basketfull. You just brought back some great memories. Glad you got some ocean therapy. I could use some salt air myself about now.
AZdesertFarmer, your childhood sounds great. To catch bluecrabs with handlines must have been fun.
I imagine the feast that followed was amazing! :)
I would enjoy trying that someday. :)
Glad to hear the post brought back good memories for you!
This was my first taste of bluecrabs, I really liked them.
Hope you are able to head to the ocean sometime. I know I just got home but would love to go back for a longer stay.
Thanks so much for stopping by! :)
Hi Jeanie:
Too bad we can't claim you here in Northern California. One and a half hour from the ocean and about the same from the beautiful Sierra's. Plus a lot of room here to start a new ranch and new beginnings! Of course we do a lot of bbq here also and do a pretty good job of it! One thing we could use here though is a great resturant with your all around cooking skills!
Hi Jon, Good to see you. :)
Your area sounds perfect. Just the right distance from both water and mountains. I imagine your climate is nice too...
I've not been to that part of California.
Room for a small ranch too huh?
It's starting to sound really good! lol
I'd be too busy enjoying the beach and mountains to work in a resturant but I'd definately continue cooking for friends. :)
Thank you Jon!
Forgot to mention that S.F. is just an hour or so away along with the great ocean fishing available. Like you mentioned, it is nice to feel the cool ocean breeze on your face. You must know we have some of the best tasting crab here, right? Ha! Plus a lot of activities here with wild game hunting and maybe entice you with some white water trips also?
Jon that sounds so nice. Fresh seafood (crab is my favorite), fishing and even hunting. I didn't think about the availability of hunting ground there.
I suppose you don't get Oklahoma weather either? Tornado season is not my favorite time of the year. :)
I have never tried white water rafting. It does sound like a lot of fun though.
Next time I'm out your way I will check out the northern part of the state. Sounds really nice!
Thanks again Jon. :)
The shrimp and crab look tasty! Would have responded sooner but I've been hiding up in the mountains for the past four days. Had to get out of this desert for a while. I know what you mean about the sand and surf, it has a very soothing feeling. Sounds like your coping with your loss well, or as well as one can. It's alway's tough. Saw your post about the contest, voted for you, don't you even think about stopping. Oop's, did I type that out loud :), Another Chris
Chris welcome back and thanks! :)
4 days in the mountains really sounds great. I hope you had a nice vacation. :)
The ocean was soothing...and I am doing ok, keeping busy helps keep my mind off things.
Thanks for voting in the contest, I appreciate it. I'm also glad to hear you enjoy my blog. I probably will still be here in a year..unless I strike it rich and buy a deserted island. :)
I have enjoyed meeting so many people from around the world through my blog. There are a lot of good people in the world.
Going to try to get one more campout in next weekend. Wish I were going to the mountains like you did!
Thanks again Chris.. welcome back, it's nice to see you!
Jeanie, Jon's right...Northern California is the place to be. From the Bay Area north it just gets prettier and prettier. My parents were from Fort Bragg there by the Mendicino coast, smack in the middle of redwood country. And if you just keep going north, by the time you get to Washington, you'll think you're in a picture post card!
Dave~
Dave I just googled Fort Bragg and the Mendicino area.. looks beautiful!!
You and Jon have just about convinced me to take a good look at northern California.
The only place I have been was the Los Angeles area (which was too crowded for me. I'm sure LA is nice... but not for me.
I should have explored the state a bit more while there.
Thanks for the info! :)
I think Dave and I are going to convince you to come to Northern California for an extended visit! I had spent many years in Ft. Bragg, but have relocated to the Sacramento area since. I do miss seeing the ocean everyday and my next door neighbor that had an unlimited supply of fresh fish as he worked on a commercial fishing boat. I think I took it for granted while I was there, but it is nice to get out of the city life here and get back to a slower pace and nature for a few days every year. The Sacramento central valley area is very attractive due to the short time to the mountains or the ocean as I mentioned previously before, and we are close to a lot of outdoor activities here. We just may see some photos on your blog in the coming years with some fresh venison or bear meat from a snowshoe hunting trip in the Sierra's - ha!Plus if you make a trip here, be sure and take a couple of days for some camping, fishing, and hiking in the redwoods along the Northern part of Hwy 101 as it is a lifetime experience! I do hope you get some rain in your area as I have friends and family in east Texas and Oklahoma.
haha... Jon you are right! You two have almost convinced me to pack up and move. :)
It sounds like you had it made..living so close to the ocean and being friends with a commercial fisherman.
As much as I love fresh seafood, sometimes I wonder how I ended up here. :)
If I make it back to your state I will definately take a look at the northern area, and do some camping.
Thanks for the advice. :)
Now I'm day dreaming of snowshoe hunting in the Sierras. lol Sounds great to me!
Thanks Jon...
Ok first off I'm sorry for your loss. Second as much as i'd like for you to live in pensacola... or by some other old beach. i have a few names for you. Katrina, Ivan, Andrew, or going old school....Camille. you can come visit but buy a lake house...lol Buddy
Thanks Buddy :)
I've thought about hurricanes. Keep thinking that they are bad but you have at least a week of warning, compared to living in tornado alley where they pop up on you in a second. Not sure which is worse.
Both destroy lives and property.
I think I was born at the wrong time.. I would love to be a barnstormer and just fly around the country, see it all. :)
I always wanted to be a bush pilot in the far north too.
So many choices.... lol
The seafood all looks great Jeanie. It's been awhile for me, since I've had any of that. I've never been to any ocean yet, but it is definitely on my list of things to do someday.
Mark I hope you make it to the ocean! I know you will love it. :)
Eat some fresh seafood while you're there too!
Thanks Mark... :)
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