Seafood-stuffed Lemon

2 large lemons
1 cup chopped or shredded COOKED seafood
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 full scallion, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 stalk of celery, diced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut each lemon in half the “short” way, so that each side can be cupped in a hand. Using a spoon, scoop out most of the fruit. Don’t dig deep!!!! If you cut into the rind, you’re likely to get some real bitter bites. The best way to do this is to just use a hand juicer to flatten the insides of the lemon. (I froze my leftover lemon juice in the ice cube tray, one tablespoon per cube.)

In a medium bowl, mix together meat, cheese, breadcrumbs, onions, celery, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

Stuff each lemon half as tight as you can with the stuffing.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

I used 5 large prawns, a handful of crab meat, and a handful of tuna (leftovers from sushi night, fried in a pan). I was originally planning to put an egg in the mix to hold it all together, but I forgot. The filling was plenty moist and held together well, though, so I left the egg out of the recipe. Unless your meat is really dry, I see no reason to add an egg.

I baked my stuffed lemons in my cupcake pan.

Creamy Rice with Artichokes, Mushrooms & Pasta Spools

Adapted from Creamy rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes by José Andrés, this recipe contains no fish or meat. Daring Cooks’ August challenge.

* 1 cuttlefish or substitute
* 2 Artichokes
* 6 Mushrooms
* 1 Bay leaf
* 1/4 c of white wine
* “Sofregit”
* 1 cup short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain)
* Water or Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
* 3-4 saffron threads (or ground turmeric)
* Allioli (optional)

If using vegan pasta, skip steps 1 & 2. Prepare your pasta according to directions, and add to the dish near the end.

1. Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3. If you use fresh artichokes, clean and cut into eighths.
4. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into fourths.
5. Add a bay leaf, the artichokes and the mushrooms to the cuttlefish.
6. Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
7. Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the pan get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
8. Add a couple spoonfuls/scoops of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit (I’ve used anywhere from 1/4 c to 2 c).
9. Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
10. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
11. Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
12. Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
13. Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.

Creamy rice with mushrooms, artichokes & pasta spools; this time, with more sofregit!

The first picture:
1. Vegan pasta loops shaped to look just like cuttlefish.
2. I cooked and ate my artichoke leaves and used the stock in place of fish stock.
3. I blended up my mushrooms in my food processor before adding them to the skillet (hence the excessive brown hue).
4. I’ve never owned white wine, and I found a “substitute” recipe that included lemon, vinegar and water.
5. I followed the instructions as best I could, and I used 1/3 cup of my sofrito because it tasted so awesome.

The second picture:
Steps 1-4 same.
5. I used 2 cups sofrito, and then I stirred in 1/4 cup of aioli.

1 lb crab meat
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (this is a Maryland seafood seasoning, but can be found at most grocery stores)
2 pieces white bread (break into small pieces)
1 tsp salt (or less)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup mayo
1 med onion minced
1 sm green pepper minced
1 celery stalk chopped
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 egg

Mix it all up shape into patties. (If patties feel too wet add a few more bread crumbs) Pan fry or broil until golden brown on each side (fried in olive oil is best).

From my girlfriend Jen. I haven’t tried it yet because my mother-in-law has offered up a competing recipe, and you don’t compete with my MIL.

Received from the recipe exchange… I can never afford shrimp, so I still haven’t tried this one.

8 oz Cream Cheese (room temp.)
1 Tbsp. Curry powder (approx.)
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1/2 Lb. shrimp (drained on paper towel)
1 Bunch green onions, chopped
2 Hard boiled eggs, grated

Mix together first three ingredients, and spread evenly on a plate.
Mix together shrimp, green onions and eggs, and layer on top of cream cheese mix.