We’re in Mississippi at Gumbo Cove this week, working hard by day (5:15 and 6:30 a.m. starts for us today, The Grill-Meister’s being the earlier one, praise our deity!), and relaxing by the water in the evenings. Or relaxing ON the water, some evenings. Last night after work, we had time to drive the boat over to a public pier, walk along the beachfront for our daily power walk and then go for a 45-minute drive – all before making and enjoying a lovely dinner.
What was for dinner last night, you ask?
Maybe you didn’t ask. But I’m going to tell you anyway. That’s the point of this short post. (I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing frequent, short posts and need to rebuild that muscle. Thank you for sticking with me!)
Last night’s dinner was developed with an approach we deploy often, re-framing leftovers into something new and desirable. Like the TV Food Network show Chopped, but at home. I am the Duchess of Leftovers, my friends. Grilled mahimahi leftovers from a restaurant dinner on Monday got mixed with jalapeño pimento cheese from the grocery store, chopped fresh jalapeños and red onions, and then became a spread for water crackers. Delicious! (I know it sounds weird, but it passed the Grill-Meister test).
Broccolini from the same to-go box containing Monday night’s dinner got repurposed with a dash of red pepper and a marvelous North African pepper-flavored olive oil. OMG, what a kick!
Fish tacos that I ordered at a restaurant when we did our one lunch out this week were on the menu, too. (Why would there be three fish tacos on a lunch special? I could only eat one. I’m watching my girlish figure!) As soon as the friendly waitperson put the plate in front of me, I was thinking of what I would do with the leftovers for dinner. Those leftover trout tacos got an upgrade last night, with new tortillas and more and better fresh ingredients: avocado, red onion, chopped romaine, sliced fresh jalapeños, tomato and remoulade. Delicious!
But aside from my “Leftovers: Testify!” comments above, the real winner at dinner was the crab.
This was fresh crab.
Not just ANY fresh crab.
Fresh crab from our crab trap, right off the dock.
Do you see that small dot to the left of the dock? That’s the float that indicates the location of the crab trap. I baited it with chicken gizzards, which I feel is similar to caviar for the local crabs.
We did a traditional boil, SPICY. I love how blue crab becomes red crab, cooked. It sounds like a good title for a children’s book, doesn’t it? Red Crab / Blue Crab / Me Crab / You Crab!
Dear Readers, that crab from our trap that we cooked 2 minutes after harvesting was the best, the very best, I’ve ever had.
Was it because I knew their provenance?
Was it because of my fisherwoman’s pride? (The crab trap is my domain, thanks to my deep experience in childhood.)
Was it because they actually tasted better and fresher than any crab we’ve nibbled before?
Was it because we cooked them together with maximum spice and I cleaned them by hand using the methods my mother taught me during my childhood at the beach in Gilchrist, Texas, and I was reliving my childhood? (Happy heavenly Mothers’ Day on Sunday, Mom.)
Was it because my Zippy Cajun spice mix was a major factor in the flavor festival, which I added to make it like BBQ crab, along with little cups of drawn butter?
Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
YES! We are not crabby about the perfection of our crab!
The BBQ crab and the jalapeño pimento cheese mahimahi (JPCM) dip were our first course. That was the only course I got a picture of (because of course, butter and crab juice on my hands!) but that’s ok. The JPCM dip doesn’t look like ‘all that’, but again, it passed the Grill-Meister test. That’s harder than the culinary institute, to my way of thinking. He’s hard-core hard-to-please because of selective taste buds. I don’t mind; it presents a welcome challenge for a foodie-cook.
Tonight is equally special, because it is Sandwich Wednesday. You know, that day that The Grill-Meister makes a special sandwich, usually a panini, and I get treated like the queen that I am. 😁 I get to request the sandwiches, usually, and tonight it’s a BLT with red onion (BLTO) on wheat bolillos with homemade basil mayo. That’s why I have time to write this short post.
Assembly before the panini press:
And the finished product:
The basil mayo MADE that BLT, OMG! But that’s another post on a different day.
So, the theme of this post is: we’re not crabby, we’re happy.
© 2022, Glover Gardens
You know how you feel about beets. That’s how I feel about crab. Garbage seafood best used as Alligator bait. Heh.