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Soft Shell Crab Sandwich

So much has happened in life, guys! First and foremost, we moved to Maryland. If you are thinking “moving during a pandemic, what is that like?” I can tell you that the answer is pretty crazy. It was really stressful to have people visit our home. We would clean like crazy and then get everything sorted before and after anyone entered. We had been wanting to move to Maryland for a long time, and honestly, our dream house kind of just happened. It is a magical 200 year old dream house, so, I call this soft shell crab sandwich our welcome to Maryland sandwich.

What is life like here?

Much slower paced than in Richmond. We have more land and therefore there is more distance between us and our neighbors. We moved while everything was still in bloom (in the middle of July) and everything was just so beautiful.

I love soft shell crab. There is a sushi restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia named Ten that makes really delicious gluten free soft shell crab rolls. In my mind, crabs are basically the state dish of Maryland so it only made sense to make a gluten free soft shell crab sandwich once we were all settled in.

What will you need for your soft shell crab sandwich?

Not a lot, partially why I love this recipe!

1. Soft Shell crabs (this recipe is ideally for 4)
2. Buns! I used Schar gluten free hamburger buns and they worked nicely.
3. Coleslaw or cabbage that you will put as much tartar sauce on as you like
4. 1 slice heirloom tomato per sandwich
5. 3 cups rice flour
6. 2 cups water
7. Canola oil for frying
8. Hot sauce (optional)

How do you make them?

Again, so easy!

1. In a bowl mix together your slaw with tartar sauce. It is kind of up to you how much you want to use. I did just enough that when I stirred everything together, all the pieces were lightly coated.
2. Set aside your bowl with the slaw.
3. Heat up your oil in a dutch oven.
4. In one bowl, have 1 cup of the rice flour. In another, mix the 2 remaining cups of rice flour and water together to make your batter. If you are going to add hot sauce, now is the time to do it (in the batter).
5. Dip your crab into the flour, and then into the batter. Let a bit drip off, and then place in the oil once the oil is 375°F. You can fry two at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, or, until they are nice and golden brown.
6. Slice up your tomato while they are frying.
7. On the base of your bun, add the slaw, then once the crab is done, place it on top of the slaw. Then your tomato slice, and your bun on top! Tada!
8. Serve

Why should you make this soft shell crab sandwich?

For one, it is really easy, delicious, and gives those of us who have to eat gluten free an option to have tempura. it is a fun sandwich to have even if you have not moved to Maryland.

Looking for something similar?

Other fish based recipes:

Cajun Catfish click here
Linguine and Clams click here
Beer Steamed Mussels click here

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Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Welcome to my favorite roasted potatoes recipe of all time. One morning while we were decided what to have for breakfast, I decided to become experimental with the spices I put on my potatoes. I rummaged through my cabinet and found what I wanted to try. Za’atar and harissa. Occasionally, harissa can be found in a paste but I had the actual spice. So, here is my Za’atar / Harissa roasted potatoes recipe.

What will you need for this roasted potatoes recipe?

What I love about this recipe is that you can determine how much of each thing you use!

1. Potatoes
2. Harissa (the spice)
3. Za’atar
4. Hot Sauce (I use Franks- it is gluten free)
5. Parmesan cheese

See, so simple in its ingredients but so delicious in its flavor.

How do you make them?

I have made these potatoes for countless people and they all agree that they are delicious. I had a friend with a mouthful go “Ohhh yeahhh” when he took his first bite. I showed another friend how to make them and she was surprised how easy they are.

1. Set your oven to 400°F
2. Slice your potatoes pretty thin, the thicker they are, the longer they will have to be in the oven.
3. Drizzle olive oil on the potatoes. It is going to help your potatoes crisp up and have the spices stick to them.
4. It does not matter which order you do these in but decide how much harissa and how much za’tar on the potatoes. Sprinkle it on the potatoes.
5. Rustle the potatoes around on the tray to make sure that each of the potato slices has spice and olive oil on it.
6. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Once you remove them from the oven, decide how much hot sauce and parmesan you want and place on top.
8. Serve immediately!

Why should you make this roasted potato recipe?

As you can see, these potatoes are just the prettiest. The flavor profiles that you get are so packed with umami that you will just want to continue shoving them into your mouth. Be sure to make lots, they go quickly!

Looking for something similar?

These are a great side dish that would go well with the following dishes

Shakshuka recipe click here
Quiche click here
Lentils & Eggplant click here

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Recipe for Cajun Catfish

Initially when I made my migration from the Canadian depths of winter to Virginia, I wanted to learn more about Southern cuisine. I am by no means an expert and really only touched the surface of my learning but a few solid recipes I taught myself were shrimp and grits, and this cajun catfish. What I love about this recipe is that it is so simple, easy, the fish is flakey, delicious, and gets such a nice crisp because you broil it!

What do you need?

Another reason I love this recipe is because it is so simple in its ingredients. Once you have your spice mix made, it is only three ingredients. First, let us look at what we need for our spice mix:

1. 2 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika.
2. 2 tablespoons salt.
3. 2 tablespoons garlic powder.
4. 1 tablespoon black pepper.
5. 1 tablespoon onion powder.
6. 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper.
7. 3 tablespoon dried leaf oregano.

Now for your other ingredients:

1. Catfish filets
2. Olive Oil to drizzle
3. Enough spice to rub on both sides of your fish

How do you make it?

Again, so easy!

1. Mix your spices together in a container. The best thing is that it will keep so you can use it again! Shake them all up and make sure it is really mixed well.
2. Pat down your catfish filets with paper towel to make sure that the filets aren’t too wet. You want them to be dry.
3. Drizzle them with olive oil and make sure they are coated, but, aren’t drenched.
4. Pat your spices on and make sure they are covered on both sides.
5. Now, set your broiler to high.
6. Place your filets on some aluminum foil and place into the oven. Bake for 7 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, flip over. Bake for another 7 minutes.
8. Take out of the oven and serve it up!

Why should you make this cajun catfish recipe?

It has such a nice flavor! If you wanted to try changing it up a bit, you could always use smoked paprika instead. It is a crowd pleaser if ever I knew one, and honestly, just so delicious. It is the perfect stepping stone for learning southern cuisine.

Looking for something similar?

Beer Steamed Mussels click here
Linguine and clams click here

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Gluten Free Tomato Sauce

When the topic of favorite cuisine in the world comes up it is always a hard game for me. I love Mexican and Indian food so much, however, Italian food wins it for me every single time. Pretty sure in a past life I was some Italian who just ate themselves to death who know just dreams of pasta on a daily basis. When I first heard of Marcella Hazan’s famous cookbook, the recipe that everyone spoke of was her tomato sauce. I love her sauce, dearly, however I have adapted it some. Here is my recipe for gluten free tomato sauce:

What will you need for your gluten free tomato sauce?

This is SUCH a simple recipe that you are going to be so happy. Here is what you will need:

1. 1 24 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes (I like them whole)
2. 8 tablespoons butter
3. 1/2 cup of cream- I used light cream but you can use either light or heavy cream
4. 1 vidalia onion

That is it! As the sauce cooks, if you find it to be too acidic, you can add a tiny bit of sugar to break up that acidity and make it sweeter.

How do you make it?

The sauce is so simple to make, honestly, it is the easiest sauce I have ever made.

1. Slice your onion in half and make it nice and pretty.
2. In a large pot, place your tomatoes. I suggest using a wooden spoon. It helps with breaking up the tomatoes. I like a bit of chunkiness in my sauce so I don’t blend the tomatoes or anything like that. I just use my wooden spoon.
3. Add the butter, onion and cream.
4. You are going to let the sauce boil and really come together.
5. Once the oil has begun to separate from the top of the sauce, that is how you know it is ready. You should stir the sauce a few times but not too too often.
6. Pour it over your favorite pasta, I used gnocchi here, or use it on pizza!

Why should you make this gluten free tomato sauce?

This sauce is so easy! That is why you should make this sauce. Not only that but it is packed full of flavor. The onion gives it such a distinct flavor and I love the little bits of chunk of the tomato. San Marzano tomatoes are sweet and have such a full texture and taste. I had always read that Italian chefs swore that San Marzano tomatoes were the only ones the would use and now I know why. I can say I am a convert. I hope you make it and love it!

Looking for something similar?

This sauce would go great on my pizza crust! You can find that recipe here
Tomato Pie recipe here

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