Salmon Rillettes with Vinho Verde Wine

European travel is on my mind right now. It has been too long since I have visited and I can just taste it. I’m excited to say that my husband and I started making travel plans last night, but we need to get through the summer months first! Portugal in particular is a place I…

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Beach Eats: Grilled Royal Red Shrimp Kabobs & Gulf Shrimp Facts

Nutrition Contributor: Caroline Coker I was born in Mobile, Alabama, but also into Louisiana’s seductive food culture, as my biological father grew up in the restaurant business in New Orleans, and my aunts and uncles were (and a few still are) in the fishing and shrimping industry, working in Venice (not Italy), Grand Isle, and…

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Chef Frank Stitt’s Pickled Shrimp

  The best time to buy shrimp is right off the docks. Fortunately, we have fresh seafood on the Gulf Coast and fishmongers to buy from. I like to stop in to Destin Ice in Destin to pick up Stone Crab Claws, Royal Reds to boil, and white shrimp for this recipe, Pickled Shrimp. For…

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Shrimp & Grits A-Ya-Ya

  Shrimp & Grits A Ya Ya Served at Great Southern Cafe in Seaside, Florida and Pensacola Fish House in Downtown Pensacola, this is chef Jim Shirley’s signature dish. Ingredients Grits 4 cups chicken stock 2 cups grits, such as Dixie Lily 1 cup heavy cream 4 ounces unsalted butter One 14- to 16-ounce can creamed corn 1 cup…

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Chicken Adobo

Sunday was my birthday, and now that I am an empty nester it was a pretty quiet one. Since my husband has to be at his medical practice in Pensacola on Tuesday, we decided to celebrate on Monday by having a day date. We went to Destin Commons to see Lincoln (which was incredible and…

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Seafood Gumbo

We consume quite a bit of gumbo in my family, so its only natural that I would judge the Sandestin Gumbo Festival now in its 29th year. It has become one of my favorite winter events in South Walton. There is nothing more comforting than a steaming bowl of seafood, or chicken & sausage gumbo….

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Beach Eats: Baked Shrimp with Cilantro & Lime

Contributor: Caroline Coker Since I love fresh shrimp, whether seasonal royal reds, brown, white, or on occasion rock, and I was passing by Maria’s seafood in Pensacola today, like a moth to a flame I was sucked in to purchase the crustaceans. With it being royal red season (the very deep water, salty shrimp caught miles out…

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One Pot True Bolognese

I haven’t made Bolognese in years. It is has not been a go-to recipe for me. I am not sure if it was due to the thousands of other recipes running through my head, or because I thought that it was just another boring meat sauce. Either way, I am so glad that I decided…

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Boudin Balls & Spanish Wine

I am a big fan of tapas and small plates. One of my favorite memories of visiting Spain was the incredible bites served in the Spanish bars along with great wines by the glass. Tapas are basically snacks, appetizers or canapés, where just one can satisfy or several can become a flavor fest and a…

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The Best Fish Tacos

It doesn’t get any tastier than using fresh seafood in tacos, and here along the Florida Panhandle we have an abundance of the best in the Gulf. One of my favorites has become the invasive species called lionfish. They need to be speared by a pro, but can be bought and cleaned at the local…

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Conecuh Sausage topped Oysters Rockefeller

College football is back!  And, September 9 we celebrated our daughters wedding that had to be planned abound Alabama Football. Though it did take place on a game day, apparently it was not one to significant, so we were allowed to proceed with her wedding plans, and living on the Gulf Coast, oysters were a…

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Scalloped Gulf Oysters & Our Oyster Themed Wedding Photos

  I still have all things oyster on my mind after our daughters September 9 oyster themed wedding took place in Pensacola and Pensacola Beach with Hurricane Irma bearing down on south Florida. Portofino Island Resort accepted many evacuees, and we prayed for and donated to the victims that Saturday. We were were so thankful…

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