Time to Hit the Seafood Market – Simple Recipes for Healthy Meals

If there’s one thing that says spring loud and clear for foodies, it’s the sudden abundance of fresh seafood flooding the local seafood market. The early spring months bring live Dungeness crab, fresh king salmon, diver scallops and swordfish steaks, among other delectable seafood treats. Just thinking about the bounty of fresh treasures from the sea is enough to make your mouth water. If you’re lucky enough to live near a seafood market, this is the time to start making regular visits. If you live inland, you can still enjoy the ocean’s bounty. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can buy swordfish steaks, fresh king salmon, albacore tuna and a wealth of other seafood without ever leaving their living rooms.

When fresh seafood season rolls around, it’s always nice to have a few new recipes to try out. These are a few favorite seafood delights to grace your spring table.

Tipsy Dungeness Crab in Wine Garlic Sauce

Buy Dungeness crab at your local seafood market if possible, or order live whole Dungeness crab from an online seafood market that ships nationwide. Add 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic to 2 cups of Chardonnay in the bottom of a steamer pot. Bring to a simmer. Place 2 live crabs on a steamer rack in the pot and let steam above the wine and garlic for about 8 minutes per average pound – that is, if the crabs are about 2 pounds each, steam them for 8 minutes. Chill the crabs quickly in ice water. Crack and clean them. Serve with melted butter whisked with a few tablespoons of the pot liquor from the crab steaming.

Grilled Diver Scallops on Rosemary Skewers

Mix a teaspoon of finely minced rosemary with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over a dozen diver scallops and turn to coat on all side. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cut 8 12-inch rosemary sprigs. Pick the leaves off six inches of each sprig. Soak the rosemary sprigs in water for 20 minutes. Hold two rosemary sprigs together and thread 3 scallops onto them. Repeat with remaining sprigs and scallops. Grill over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Seared Swordfish Steaks

Coat two swordfish steaks (about 1 pound) with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the swordfish steaks for 3 minutes on one side. Turn them over and add 1/4 cup of dry white wine to the pan. Cook for three more minutes. Serve over orzo pilaf.

Looking for more fresh ideas with seafood? Ask for recipes at your local seafood market, or check out recipes at your favorite online seafood market.