Seafood

Easy Dill Tartar Sauce: An Easy Tartar Sauce Recipe That Happens to Be One of the Best

March 29, 2021 By Joi Sigers

Easy Dill Tartar Sauce: One of the Best

As I’ve said before on the food blog, one of my favorite tartar sauce recipes is from the Barefoot Contessa (The recipe is here… it’s outstanding.). I’m such a fan of that particular tartar sauce that I honestly stopped making any other version for over a year. But then, I got a little tired of having the same one each time, so I switched things up a bit. The result is honestly a tartar sauce I like just as well… something I never thought possible.

Don’t tell the Contessa!

My recipe calls for Duke’s Mayonnaise, simply because it’s the only one I buy and use. If it isn’t available where you live, simply use your favorite. The main thing is that you use mayonnaise and not salad dressing – it really makes a difference.

As for the sweetener – I’ve made this using sugar, stevia, and Truvia and there is no difference whatsoever. Use whatever sweetener you choose to use.

Gluten Free Fried Catfish Recipe: With Cornmeal (NO Flour)

October 20, 2016 By Joi Sigers

Gluten Free Fried Catfish (With Cornmeal) and Jalapeno Tartar SauceBefore I had to give up gluten/wheat for health reasons, fried catfish was one of my reasons for getting out of bed each morning. Even if I knew I wouldn’t be having any that particular day, I knew fried catfish still existed in the world and that was enough for me.

When I had to walk away from wheat, I had to walk away from most restaurant’s fried catfish because they included flour in the coating, which meant they were anything but gluten free. Fortunately, I know that fried catfish doesn’t need flour, so I can fry my own thank you very much.

And I do. OFTEN.

Like most home cooks, my favorite tried and true recipes often change a little – for example, one night I may want to add fennel to the seasonings while another night that sounds like a crazy train idea. I also vary with other seasonings and spices, including garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

The following recipe is my “framework” recipe for fried catfish, meaning that when you make your own, feel free to add more of this or less of that – make it suit your own tastes. The constants are the fish, eggs, milk, cornmeal, and salt. I also personally think seasoned salt is a must, but that’s just me… and, no adding seasoned salt plus Kosher salt isn’t too much salt. Seasoned salt is a favorite seasoning of mine – it just adds a certain something that floats my boat.

Something else that floats my boat is Old Bay Seasoning. Anytime I’m making fish or shrimp, I automatically reach for it. The flavor combination is stunning.

Gluten Free Fried Catfish with Cornmeal.

Cornmeal makes fried fish delicious and crunchy!

While you can (in fact, sometimes I DO) add 1/4 gluten free flour (rice flour works beautifully with fried fish) to the cornmeal – the cornmeal does a first class job all by itself. When it comes to fried fish, I want it to be purely fried fish. That is to say I don’t want it reminding me of fried chicken! I’ve had a lot of fried catfish in restaurants that looked and tasted kind of like fried chicken.

That’s a hard NO from me!

Gluten Free Fried Catfish with Jalapeno Tartar Sauce

If you season the fried catfish enough, it really doesn’t have to have any tartar sauce or freshly squeezed lemon – but they are delicious accompaniments. I almost always use the Barefoot Contessa’s Tartar Sauce recipe because it is the best I’ve found. When I’m craving a little something different, I leave out the capers her recipe calls for and add chopped jalapenos (from a jar) along with a little extra salt.

Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe: Gluten Free, Quick, Easy, and Crazy Delicious

July 25, 2016 By Joi Sigers

Bang Bang Shrimp

I have a confession to make – I’ve never had Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill, the restaurant who put Bang Bang Shrimp on the map. Given this fact, obviously, I am not trying to call this a “knock off” or “copycat” recipe. When I’ve worked with this particular recipe, I never judge it by how I think it “should” taste in comparison to anyone else’s Bang Bang Shrimp – I only measure it by the last time I made it – as in, Where could I make this even better?

Below are some tips I’ve picked up over the times I’ve made this dish. I made it yesterday and it was the best batch I’ve ever made – the recipe is below the tips, but the real “meat of the matter” is in the tips.

Be certain your oil reaches the appropriate temperature. It’s of the utmost importance.
Something else that makes a huge difference is this – make sure you cook the shrimp long enough. When you take one out to examine it, if the cornstarch coating looks wetter than it does crunchy, pot that guy back into the oil. A smooshie coating will ruin everything.
When making the sauce, the recipe below is my own personal favorite blend. Taste as you add ingredients and if you want more of a pronounced sweet chile sauce flavor, use more. If you want it to be less sweet, use less honey. Also, you could forgo the hot sauce entirely if you wanted to.
A lot of people say that Bang Bang Shrimp is fantastic served as an appetizer before the main course – but I… er… well.. if I’m going to spend as much money as I have to spend on shrimp, it’s going to be the main course and nothing but the main course.
If you were to cut the tails off of the shrimp, they’d make out of this world tacos.
They’re also great served with rice – leftover Sweet Thai Chili Sauce on the rice is a lovely, lovely thing.

*** My Bang Bang Shrimp is pictured in one of my red Rachael Ray Stoneware dishes. You can find a wide assortment of her stoneware on Amazon (below). I, legitimately, use mine on a daily basis.

Salina Capers: The Magical Ingredient in this Tartar Sauce Recipe!

July 18, 2016 By Joi Sigers

Salina Capers

April’s Eat. Feed. Love. box included a beautiful jar of Salina Capers (cultivated in volcanic soil and handpicked on the island of Salina in Sicily – how’s that for an epic bio?).

While I immediately fell in love with the jar and vowed to use and display it even after the capers were “long gone,” I had one teensy problem…. how was I going to make the capers “long gone?!”

Although it’s difficult for a foodie, let alone food blogger to admit, I’d never used capers before. Ever.

I went about using what would soon become a new obsession by sneaking them into some of my everyday recipes. I added them to my favorite egg salad recipe, to deviled eggs, and even into potato salad – the capers shined through in each and every dish I added them to. The flavor is just beautiful and, I have to tell you, capers and eggs make a special kind of magic when they team up. While the egg salad recipe (linked to earlier in the paragraph) is killer without the capers, it’s extra delicious with them.

However… as delicious as each of these were (and they were phenomenal), my absolute favorite way to use capers is in tartar sauce.

We eat a lot (a lot a lot a lot) of fish in our family. Whenever I read that experts recommend eating seafood several times a week, my first thought is always, “Is that all???” I actually was already a bona fide fish fiend long before learning how much healthier it is for you than other meats.

Recently I wanted to make some gluten free fired catfish nuggets with tartar sauce. The problem is, I had become completely and utterly bored with the tartar sauce I typically make. Serviceable and tasty… sure, but BORING.

So I turned to my first sources when I’m looking for can’t-miss recipes: Rachael Ray, the Barefoot Contessa, and Alton Brown. Ina Garten (the Contessa, of course) had a tartar sauce recipe that sounded like HEAVEN to me and called for…. you guessed it… my beloved new friends, capers.

I gathered up the ingredients and made what is, without a doubt, the best tartar sauce on earth. The capers make the difference and this particular tartar sauce will never be accused of being boring. It defies description – you HAVE to try it for yourself.

Below is the way I approached her wonderful recipe – click here to watch the Barefoot Contessa make this freaking amazing tartar sauce.

I hope you’ll head over to Eat. Feed. Love.’s website and grab a jar of Salina Capers – they are remarkable. When you begin using capers in your recipes, as with all new-ish ingredients, go easy at first until you’re familiar with the flavor, intensity, etc. Capers are absolutely remarkable and I’m kicking myself for not using them sooner. They add a delectable little tanginess to whatever you put them in and, trust me, they create a tartar sauce that’ll steal the show.

Oven Roasted Salmon: Easy, Quick, Gluten Free, and Sooo Delicious

April 6, 2016 By Joi Sigers

Roasted Salmon with Weber Thai Chili Seasoning

Salmon and Veggies Fixing to Get Roasted

Salmon isn’t just one of the most healthy options for dinner, it’s also one of the easiest and most delicious. While grilled salmon is something I’ve always been NUTS about, I’ve found that I love oven baked or “roasted” salmon just as much.

I usually roast my salmon with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper or salt and lemon pepper, but the last time I baked salmon, I used a coating of a new seasoning I found at the store – Weber Thai Chili Seasoning (gluten free… whoot!). Every single time I’m in a grocery store, I check three sections religiously, even if what I’m after is no where near them:

gluten free aisles
spices and seasonings
produce

I guess I’m afraid something will sneak in and I won’t know about it. I always check the Weber spices and seasonings because they are excellent at labeling their gluten free products. Big, proud, bold letters make this gluten free gal happy. I had actually planned on something entirely different for supper, but when I saw this seasoning, I gathered up salmon and veggies to accompany it.

The delicious Thai Chili seasoning was amazing with the salmon as well as the red pepper slices and asparagus. I’ve also used it with roasted new potatoes and, again, it’s a knock-out.

Side note: This is not a review of this seasoning (sponsored or otherwise)… I thought I’d point that out because it was beginning to sound like a commercial up in here. I just can’t help myself sometimes, you know. Cooking excites me and new “play pretties” get me all worked up.

You really don’t even need a recipe for roasted salmon

Simply preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season your salmon (and, in this case vegetables) with salt, pepper, and (if desired) a special seasoning like Weber’s Thai Chili Seasoning.

Place salmon, skin side down, on a non-stick baking sheet or line with foil for super easy clean up.

Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. If you’re roasting vegetables along with the salmon, check for their “doneness” earlier. I personally like for my asparagus to have a little crunch, so I actually took it out of the oven sooner than the salmon. Next time, I plan to use separate pans and allow the salmon to get a head start… keeping roasted asparagus “perky” while something else finishes cooking is all but impossible.

Look for Weber Seasonings in your store or on Amazon. This is one of the best seasonings I’ve had in a long time.