12 ways to eat Seafood

Tony went on a fishing trip to Canada a few weeks ago and came back with I don't know how many pounds of fish. Sockeye salmon, rockfish, lingcod, halibut. I had to give things away to make room in our freezer before he returned home and it was completely stacked with fish. Him and Noah have also had luck with shrimping and crabbing this summer, so we've been eating lots of seafood lately. Before then, even though we both enjoy eating fish, we only very rarely cooked it at home. I had no idea what to do and started looking up recipes for inspiration. We now eat fish about twice a week and are really enjoying it. I didn't think I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to him going on the trip again next year. 

I am not a recipe follower. I look up a few different ones, figure out what they have in common, and play with what I have at hand. So if you're looking for recipes, you won't find them here. There are plenty of food blogs out there that will do a much better job at guiding you through the actual recipe. However, if you are like me a few weeks ago and didn't know how quick and easy it is to make a good weekday dinner, I'm here to hopefully offer some inspiration. 

From left to right, we have crab cakes, shrimp pasta, and crab grilled cheese sandwiches. I didn't have all the ingredients for the crab cakes, so they're not as flavorful as they could be, but they still tasted good. For the pasta, I used fresh tomatoes from the garden and zucchini, cooked it down with some lemon juice, and added shrimp; sprinkled with some parmesan cheese and done. I like how the simple flavors come out with a basic dish like this. The crab grilled cheese sandwiches have quickly become a lunch favorite on weekends. I got inspired by a Red Lobster commercial and looked up recipes. The first time we made them, we didn't have the Old Bay seasoning so they basically tasted like crab and cheese - which I thought was great. The seasoning adds its own flavor and completely changes the recipe. I liked it best with sourdough bread. 

Up next is baked fish and (sweet potato) chips, griddle fried fish and chips with homemade tarter sauce, and a fish burger. I've used both halibut and cod for our fish and chips recipes and am proud to say I can taste the difference now. I follow a NY Times recipe for the baked fish and chips and haven't tried a different one since I found it. I've used panko and regular breadcrumbs, baked it and fried on the griddle, and tried six or seven different tarter sauces. We tried making our own (two ways) and liked it, but found a locally made tarter sauce that we both enjoy. The fries in the middle have rosemary sprinkled on them - a simple way to fancy up fries. The burger is super easy too; we use tarter sauce and cabbage and toasted the bun. 

Pasta, pasta, pasta, I could eat pasta every day and so could the kids. Pictured are essentially two versions of cheesy noodles with salmon. Tortellini are always a hit at our house and I love it when the salmon chunks get covered in cheese. I usually use an Italian blend cheese. It's not included in the pictures, but normally we also add one green veggie to the mix - broccoli or peas for the most part. Not only is it healthier, it also looks much prettier with a pop of color. The last picture is of a fish taco, which tasted...okay. The fish was bland and the sauce didn't convince, but we'll try this again. I have never had fish taco before this, so I don't even know what it's supposed to taste like. Like I said, this is supposed to be inspiration only! 

Here we have salmon three different ways. First, seasoned with garlic and lemon and served with bread and cheesy broccoli. Second, on quinoa with tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach. And third, with rice and mixed vegetables, baked in Island Teriyaki sauce. I love this simple way of eating salmon. The seasoning can be different every time, and the sides can pretty much be anything you have at and and like. For the kids, this is great too; they just eat what they like. Quinoa bowls have become one of my favorite dishes recently, tasting like a full meal without the coma effect of pasta and bread. I try to make it really colorful, adding as many or as few different vegetables as I like. 

We still have lots of fish left in the freezer, what other recipes should I try?