Favorite summertime food for me! Seems as though I always order fish tacos when I’m out, so why not make up some blackening spice and whip up some Blackened Seafood Tacos at home instead! Easy, peasy!
Yikes! For the first time in three years I was having writer’s block! My computer keeps slowing down and then my “ADD” kicks in! LOL! Not really but it’s been frustrating. I also had a super busy week with work and lot’s of fun things going on. It was hard to decide what to write about! So here it goes… Our “foodie field trip” to Aurora, CO! Aurora is a very ethnically diverse area of our city which is pretty sweet as they have grocery stores and tons of hole in the wall restaurants that represent the cultures that are represented in their community. We just don’t have that in our little bubble so a twenty minute drive is nothing to experience something completely out of our comfort zone! We started out by visiting this Middle Eastern Market called Arash. Holy cow! That was neat. First of all the place was packed with people. I guess they bake all their breads on Thursday’s so everyone was stalking up. I bought a few bags of this beautiful homemade Pita bread. They also had an olive bar that was absolutely beautiful and cheap! $2.99 a pound for olives is crazy, my store is something like $6.99 a pound! We also had this adorable older Persian man tell us about their culture and how they make the bread etc. He even bought us his favorite dessert which was a saffron pudding knowing that we wouldn’t buy it. I’ll tell you this stuff is awesome. A yellow colored pudding packed with cinnamon, nutmeg and I’m sure twenty other things! I also, love that they sell meat that you just can’t buy at our big box stores! Overall, I’ll be making more frequent trips to shop there! We also wen’t to H Mart . Which is this enormous Asian market! I stocked up on staples (again 50% less than what I pay) and loved seeing the huge variety of fruits and vegetables that we just don’t see. The mushroom selection was crazy huge but their seafood department was outstanding! Tons of variety and then live Maine lobsters for $14.99 a pound. I have never seen lobsters so cheap in Denver. Period! I’m gonna have to plan something around lobsters as it’s just a giant treat to get them here! Can’t wait! We finished off our day having lunch at a Korean restaurant and Kabobs at this Afgan market! It was just a fun day and I’ll be making it a regular field trip for sure!
Along with the field trip, I had a few lunches out this week and it seems that I have been craving “Blackened” whatever! Maybe because it’s been so stinking hot that lighter foods just taste better. I have basically been eating blackened fish tacos all week and decided that I should just probably make it at home instead. So here it is! I experimented with blackening seasoning and came up with this version. I know there are a lot of ingredients but it has more complexity than the run of the mill blackening mix! I also made it so you will have leftovers that can be stored in an airtight container for your next dinner or two! This week I made Blackened Seafood Tacos but you can put the mix on just about anything. I was even thinking about making some pulled pork with it! I think that would be awe-SOME!
Enjoy your week!
- [br][b]For the Seasoning[/b][br]
- 2 tbs salt
- 1 tbs pepper
- 3 tbs paprika (not smoked)
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbs onion powder
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- [br][b]For the Tacos[/b][br]
- 1 1/2 pounds assorted seafood. I used Cod, shrimp and scallops
- Flour or corn tortillas
- shredded cabbage (or cole slaw mix)
- Fresh avocado slices
- Your favorite salsa
- Fresh cilantro
- Mexican Crema
- Put all ingredients for the dry rub into a small bowl and mix well. If you have a spice grinder or a food processor, pulse to a fine powder. If not, it’s ok. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- To make the tacos, liberally sprinkle the blackening seasoning on all sides of the seafood. Turn your grill up to 375 degrees and place the seafood on the grill. Grill for about 4 minutes and flip the seafood and grill for another 3 minutes or so or until they cooked to your desired temperature.
- To assemble the tacos, take your tortilla and put down some of the slaw mix and top with the avocado slices, seafood, salsa and fresh cilantro and a little Mexican crema.
Bread that is almost as tall as me. I guess in Middle Eastern households, they use this like we would use a fork! Eating with your hands, that’s what I’m talking about!
Ok, this is crazy! It’s a rare day in Denver when you see live “Lobstah” in a tank but what’s even crazier, it’s $14.99 a pound! That’s unheard of!
I have heard about this “Pork Belly” before and how good it tastes… but have never seen it anywhere! So when I saw it, I bought it. Three packages. Now, I need to figure out what to do with it!
I had to buy this. Katchup for grownups! Brilliant. It’s seriously delicious! Just had it on a brat! Whoa!
It seems a little slow but here are my first born for the summer!
Ouch! What a nice burn I gave myself while making today’s post! I’m such a klutz!