Frutti di Mare

(click picture for larger view)

For The Shell of It: Frutti di Mare is Italian for "Fruit of the Sea", representing a dish with a myriad of seafood flavors that is popular along the coast of Italy. While this dish can include all types of seafood, the most popular seem to be shellfish. Remember to clean and scrub the shells!

Preparation: In this particular dish I prepared it with shelled extra large fresh shrimp, large scallops and Cherrystone clams (named for Cherrystone Creek, Virginia). The seafood is prepared with garlic, shallots, white wine, pasta water. Next, sweet cherry tomatoes were added. Lastly everything is tossed with fresh basil, chili flake and angel hair pasta. Oh, and Italian bread is a must to help soak up that delicious broth.

Chicken Milanese

(click picture for larger view)

Chicken breast, pounded out to about one inch thick, breaded with panko. Next, I season the panko, with fresh herbs and seasoning. I fry the chicken on medium heat, four minutes on each side. The chicken is accompanied by a mix of Belgium Endive and Radicchio salad tossed with lemon and olive oil. This dish makes the avid chicken aficionado glee, and at the same time it is healthy, fulfilling and delicious.

Flounder Fish Tacos

(click picture for larger view)

For this particular recipe I reccomend a lighter, flakier fish like a tilapia or flounder. Prepared with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Lightly fried with a bit of vegetable oil. Then placed on a soft taco lined with tartar sauce, then topped with fresh mango (tossed in honey), chopped white cabbage, black beans, diced red onion and drizzled with sriracha sauce. Perfect for any summer day by the beach or at home.