Ranch Halibut

Ingredients:
1 envelope (1 ounce) ranch dressing mix
16 round buttery crackers (Ritz), crushed (3/4 C)
2 Tbsp butter or margine, melted
1 tsp lemon juice
1 lb halibut, marlin or other firm fish fillets about 1 inch thick, skin removed
1/2 C tartar sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp lemon peel

Directions:
Heat oven to 450. Line rectangular pan, 13x9 with foil; spray foil with cooking spray.

Mix dressing mix (dry) and crackers in a shallow bowl. Mix butter and lemon juice in another shallow bowl.

Cut fish into 4 serving pieces. Dip fish into butter, then coat with cracker mixture. Place in pan.

Bake uncovered 10-15 min or until fish flakes easily with fork.

While baking, mix tartar sauce, parsley, and lemon peel. Serve tartar sauce with fish.

Comments:
We really like the fish, but hated the tartar sauce (I don't think we like plain tartar sauce either).

Shrimp & Orzo Greek Salad

This is another easy one I did tonight. Once it was finished, I worried it would taste too "healthy" lol... but to my surprise it was absolutely DELIGHTFUL! So fresh and summery. It was such a pick-me-up refresher!

8 oz orzo
8 T green onion, chopped
24 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 lb shrimp
16 black olives, sliced
4 oz feta cheese

Dressing:
4 tsp lemon juice
8 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/3 tsp oregano
6 tsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1. Cool orzo according to package directions, then rinse in cold water to chill it.
2. Saute shrimp in a bit of EVOO
3. Make dressing
4. Chop veggies
5. Toss all together

4 Servings

Grilled Shrimp Scampi Linguine

This one was a first for me. I've never done scampi ANYTHING, and it was fun, easy, and took less than 30 minutes including prep!

Dishes You'll Need:
Large Pot
Large Frying Pan
Grill (or one of these, which is what I used)
Small Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:
1 lb linguine pasta
6 garlic cloves
a couple generous handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (eyeball it)
24-36 medium size raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine (eyeball it)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Preheat your grill on high.

Boil water over high heat in the large pot. Salt the water and cook the linguine until al dente (Steve told me that's 2 minutes less than the directions on the box). Heads up: you'll be using a couple of ladles of cooking water before draining the pasta.

While the water for the pasta is heating up, use your small mixing bowl to combine the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Put half of it in your large frying pan and put it on the stove. Throw your shrimp in the bowl with the other half of the olive oil mixture and stir it to coat evenly. Then transfer your coated shrimp to the grill, cooking about 2-3 minutes on each side until shrimp are firm and opaque.

While shrimp are grilling and pasta is cooking, go back to your large frying pan that's on the stove with your olive oil mixture in it. After it's been cooking for about 2 minutes (garlic will be lightly golden brown) add the wine and cook for another minute. Then add 2 ladles of the past cooking water and the lemon zest and juice and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the grilled shrimp, toss to coat the shrimp. Then add the drained pasta and toss to coat again. Divide the pasta and shrimp among 4 serving plates.

Lobster for the Poor

If you've ever tried to order a lobster tail to accompany your steak you know how expensive your meal can end up costing. Why pay and extra $25 for a lobster tail when you can make one just as fabulous at home for about $5-8? And while we're on the subject of cost, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Why would I spend 6 bucks a tail?" Well, about the only place I've found we can eat for about $10-12 is Wendy's or Cafe Rio. Or some other fast food joint. So it's been justified in the Vest home. But, maybe it's our love for all things seafood.

So, here's a super easy recipe for the shellfish lovers out there.

2 Lobster Tails (These can be purchased in your butcher shop. Watch for them to go on sale and then stock up, you can freeze them! - But make sure they're still frozen when you buy them. You don't ever want to freeze and then refreeze meat. Ever.)
Melted Butter (I like to add a little crushed garlic. And I rarely bother crushing whole garlic, it's a hassle, just buy the little "crushed garlic" bottles in your produce section. They're a lifesaver in many situations!)
Parsley

How To
Preheat oven to 400

Use kitchen scissors to cut the tail down the hard shell of the back (cutting the shell only, not the flesh. Leave the fan tail intact). Lift out the meat through the slit in the shell so that the flesh is sitting on top of the tail. It looks a little weird but trust me.

(Can you see how I've split the shell? Just pull the meat up and push the two sides together)

Put the tails on a broiler pan, meat side up. Brush with butter. Bake for 15 minutes, brushing with butter every 5 minutes or so. When you poke them with a fork they should be firm, not rubbery. Now give them one more brush of butter and a sprinkle of parsley.

That's it! A gourmet feast that took just 15 minutes!