Half Moon Bay Fish Market

One of the secrets to making a fabulous meal with seafood includes a trip to a favorite fish market for fresh choices.  Cannot count the number of times that we've left the beach, headed for home and have made shopping at the Half Moon Bay Fish Market a regular stop.

Great shop owned for many years by the same family - family photos and memories tacked up all over the tiny market.  They have thought of everything -

Great people to help - always friendly.  They treat us like long lost friends whenever we come in, even tossing in a few extra oysters on occasion!

Blue Point Oysters are always on the menu... (not mine, but Tom's!)

Fresh local dungeness crabs live, also cooked and cleaned ready to take home and dip in melted butter. (YUM!)

Salmon fillets, or whole salmon for the more adventuresome.  Not this girl - I don't like the bones! (or the heads)

Live crabs and lobsters available, as well as fresh squid, prawns, and jumbo shrimp!  We frequently pick up fresh clams here too for clam linguine and yummy clam chowder.

On several occasions we've also picked up the most incredible Ahi - melt in your mouth with just a light searing on the outside.

They have it all do you don't have to make another stop. Lemons, seasonings, fresh baked bread from Half Moon Bay Bakery...

Specialty private label sauces to complete your meal...

Forget the wine?  Half Moon Bay Fish Market has a nice selection to choose from, most of which are local California wines.   They even sell fresh flowers for the romantics!

Stop by and see our friends next time you take a drive down California's Hwy 1 past Half Moon Bay.
Phone: 650-726-2561
Website:
http://www.bizglimpz.com/HMBFishMarket

And to show off your seafood creations, 

how about these fun serving pieces?

Polished Fish Servers

Scallop Appetizer Dish

Large Oyster Shaped Serving Platter

Fun cocktail napkin boxes!

Coastal Themed Wine and Cocktail Glasses

Specialty Salmon Sliders on Cornbread Rounds! Seafood Heaven...

While perusing this months' Coastal Living Issue, I came across their article "3 Tasty Simple Sauces".... hmmm... maybe we could try one of these recipes for the weekend?

Started out using their recipe for "Fish Sliders on Cornbread Rounds with Red Pepper Mayonnaise", then Tom and I did our own interpretation.  Not too many ingredients different, just gave it our own spin!  I will give you all their recipe and our "fixes"!

 For the fish sliders....

1 pound Salmon Filets (Coastal Living used Halibut) -Gave us an excuse to go down to our favorite fish market in Half Moon Bay....

3/4 tsp paprika

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Dash of ground red pepper

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 large eggs

3 Tablespoons of Milk

2 cups of Italian Style Bread Crumbs (CL used panko -Japanese style breadcrumbs)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup olive oil (CL used veggie oil)

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Whisk eggs with milk in another shallow bowl.  Place breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. Dredge both sides of fish filets in seasoned flour, and then dip in egg mixture.  Dredge in breadcrumbs, and then place in frying pan - after oil is hot.

2. Place fish in hot oil mixture (butter and oil), cook two minutes on each side or until golden. (doesn't our salmon look pretty?)

Cornbread Rounds...

I totally cheated on this part  (hey, at least I am honest!) and  used a boxed mix of cornbread with some extra Bisquick thrown in, as my kitchen is too small to keep cornmeal on hand. The other extra ingredient that we added was fresh chopped rosemary from our small deck garden.  The perfect touch!

Here's CL recipe if you want to make cornbread the real way!

1 1/4 cups of yellow cornmeal

1 1/4 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1.Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together eggs, milk and butter; add to the dry mixture, stirring just until moistened.  Pour batter into a lightly greased 15 x 10 (we used 9 x 13 pan) jelly roll pan, spreading to the edges of pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, let cool completely in pan on wire rack

3. Cut cornbread into rounds using a 2 1/2 inch cutter. (I used a wine glass!) Place cornbread rounds on a lightly greased baking sheet, broil 1-2 minutes until browned, then flip and brown the other side.  Be very careful, these will burn quickly.  Don't walk away and forget about them!

Can you see my cornbread rounds waiting to go under the broiler while Tom is finishing up the fish? He's such a good sport, and we have such a great time cooking together.

Coastal Living had a great recipe for Red Pepper Mayonnaise, but we tried something a little different - 

Sun Dried tomatoes with fresh basil and rosemary..

Mix together:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 small garlic glove

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, the ones packed in olive oil. Drain some of the olive oil off before adding to the mayonnaise mixture

Then stack your sliders! Spread the mayonnaise on the broiled cornbread rounds, add lettuce, and your fish - we also added yellow heirloom tomatoes (soooo good!)

Voila'! Pretty little sandwiches - 

We served our complete dinner with a roasted combination of Yukon golds, red potatoes, a red pepper, tossed with a garlic glove, olive oil, and herbs de provence. So incredibly easy; mix all together, about an hour before roasting, roast at 425 for about 30 minutes, then serve!

 Accompanied by a side of Tom's yummy cucumber salad!  Of course, we had to open our special bottle of Testarosa Chardonnay that we got at the winery a few weeks ago...  

Wonderful Sunday dinner!

Crab Lasagna - Delish!

Step One: Find some wily rock crabs on the beach.  Take a big bucket and a rake. Wear your beach shoes, prepare to get muddy and wet.  (that's half the fun!)  The crabs hide down in the mud underneath the big rocks and seaweed. It takes a little skill  with the rake (or the rake handle) to find them. My dad is an expert crab "hunter"!  Alex and Tom didn't do too bad, I even found 2 all on my own....

Step Two: Cook them in the pot.  Water should be boiling, and crabs need to cook for 15 minutes.  Best tasting (we think) if you cook them in salt water.  Ours were still hanging on to the seaweed from the beach!

Step Three: Cool the crabs in clean fresh water, then lay them out to drip dry.  I love the barnacle hat that this one is wearing!

Step Four: Crack and clean the crabs. A lot of messy work, but so worth it for fresh crab.  We have to watch my mom, she puts more in her mouth than in the bowl.  Because these rock crabs came off of my parents beach, the price was exactly right too! FREE

Step Five: Make the Lasagna!

Ingredients:
Lasagna Noodles - cook and drain
Fresh Crab Meat (bay shrimp would be good too!)
Mix together:
1 can cream of shrimp or mushroom soup
1 package of cream cheese
1 pt. small or curd cottage cheese (or ricotta)
1 egg
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper (or lemon pepper)

3-4 sliced tomatoes
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Simply layer noodles, cheese mixture, crab in a 9" x 13" pan. Repeat layering until the pan is full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then take out and layer tomotoes on top, with cheddar cheese on top of the tomatoes.  Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with some crunchy french bread and a ceasar salad and voila' - Gourmet Dinner!

Recipes for Summer Parties - and A Contest!

Here's the scoop:

We're having a contest (sort of) at Caron's Beach House. I spent about 3 hours writing and sending out the "Beach Club Member"  newsletter this morning full of fun recipes to enjoy with friends, and then I got to thinking about all of the blog readers that may not receive the newsletter..  So, thought maybe I should extend the contest to all of the blog readers too!

Happy Summer!

School's out..graduations are done.. time for vacations,  it's that time of year when we want to invite family and friends over to spend time on the deck, at a sandy beach, on board the boat, or gathered around a roaring beach fire. Time to relax, kick back, enjoying the laid back feel of summer sun 
and sea breezes....

**We're having a contest!  We're inviting our friends to share their favorite appetizer, dessert or cocktail concoctions,  just drop us a line! The first 5 that we receive will win a $10.00 gift certificate  from Caron's + we'll publish your recipe on the next newsletter!  (or blog post with credit given to you and your blog)

I am so looking forward to trying ALL of them! (Tom is excited too!) Here's where to send your entry: thebeachclub@caronsbeachhouse.com



Enjoy one of the recipes from the newsletter - courtesy of Coastal Living Magazine!  **For more beach party recipes - check out our Beach Club Newsletter!

Greek Shrimp Bruschetta - Courtesy of Coastal Living Magazine So Easy - So Delish! Here's what you need to get started: 1/3  cup  olive oil, divided 3/4  pound  small fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 1/2  tablespoons  minced garlic 2  large plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped 1/2  cup  sliced green onion 1/2  cup  crumbled feta cheese 1/4  cup  finely chopped parsley 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice 2  teaspoons  minced fresh thyme 1  teaspoon  Greek seasoning 1  French baguette, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch-thick slicesHeat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté shrimp and garlic 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are cooked. Transfer to a small bowl and chill. Combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in shrimp. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Place bread slices on a baking sheet; brush bread with remaining olive oil. Bake at 375º for 8 minutes. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon shrimp mixture onto each bread slice. These look so easy to prepare - and delicious!  Could see how you easily impress your friends with your host/hostess skills -  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are not already a Beach Club Member, I am inviting you to join now! Exclusive Coupons Contests Recipes Entertaining Ideas Decorating Ideas New Product Announcements from Caron's Beach House Sign up on any page of our website - http://www.caronsbeachhouse.com Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend - see you at the beach!

Scallop Skillet inspired by Chef Staffan Terje and Coastal Living Magazine!

Scallop Skillet with Bacon, Endamame, Basil and Creamy Grits (we skipped the grits!) 

So... since I have had all of this time  (ha ha ha) to be creative,  I am teaching myself to cook all over again.  And, you all will be happy to know that I am not half bad at it either!
.
I saved the March Issue of Coastal Living, just for the scallop recipes.  I have not really ever cooked anything with scallops, thought I would give it a whirl, as we are trying to eat healthy and eat more seafood.  If this turns out bad, oh well, lesson learned!  Thank goodness Tom is not a picky eater.....

Step one: Rip the recipe out of the magazine and head over to the local Safeway seafood counter for some advice.
Step two: Refer to the recipe at least 20 times before leaving the store and still forget stuff...

What you will need: 
5 slices of bacon (I used thick sliced)
2 lbs of sea scallops (the big ones)
3/4 tsp salt - divided
1/4 tsp black pepper - divided
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup frozen edamame (soybean)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup grape tomatoes (I sliced mine in half, but you don't have to)
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

P.S. this recipe serves 8, I cut it in half for just us.  Still too much food, but I didn't want to ruin anything by trying to cut it even more.

Here's my best advice - follow the recipe exactly. Especially when cooking the scallops, they can easily be overcooked and become little rubber balls if you are not careful. I don't recommend a non-stick pan, it doesn't seem to work right. Also, have everything chopped, diced, measured and within reach so that you don't accidentally overcook any of this delish dish.

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving the drippings in the pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.

2. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Heat bacon drippings over medium heat until hot. Add scallops, 3 minutes on each side, then remove from the pan.

3. Add butter to the pan. Add onion and garlic, saute', stirring often, 2 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and edamame; cook 2 minutes or until crisp-tender, Add wine, and cook 30 seconds, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.  Add bacon, salt, pepper and the grape tomatoes; cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until tomatoes soften.

4. Return scallops to the pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.

Coastal Living served this with creamy grits, we simply made some nice linguine (saving calories) and arranged the linguine with the scallops on top.  I think it would be wonderful with couscous too.  We served it with some sugar snaps and mushrooms from our local farmer's market....

(sorry-difficult to get the photo just right!)

And while I am on the subject... we have a lot of pretty "scallop" merchandise on our site! Don't forget to check out all of the wonderful serving pieces - 

New on the site today!

Recycled Alabaster Scallop Shell Serving Bowl - 100% recycled with a swirling white water pattern

More food safe recycled glass - I love these small scallop bowls for collecting treasures too! 

How about this elegant serving piece? Scallop chip and dip all in one! Beautiful and manufactured by another one of my favorite companies concerned about sustainability - 

Big, bold bright - and absolutely perfect for this spring! Our Lime Green and Caribbean Blue Scallop pillow...

Thanks again for stopping by - have a great week and I will see you soon at the beach!