I've fallen in love with
Bubba's Special Sauce as an ingredient in recipes that call for canned tomatoes. I just substitute Bubba's for some or all of the canned tomatoes, and the final product is transformed from everyday ho-hum to zestily delicious with a peppery kick. That's one of the modifications I made to the original old seafood stew recipe I had in my file (the original called for plain canned tomatoes, and I substituted some Bubba's for half of the canned tomatoes and one of my favorite hot sauces for the red pepper flakes). This seafood stew is especially good if made with fresh fish and clams, but you can also use frozen fish fillets and canned clams if that's all you have. Serve with crusty Italian or French bread (or garlic bread!) and a tossed green salad for a hearty supper.
Ingredients1 lb fresh or frozen (thawed) catfish fillets
8 large fresh clams in shells, or 10 oz canned whole baby clams
1 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 jar
Bubba's Special Sauce1 can (14 to 16 oz) cut tomatoes
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1 cup bottled clam juice (plus 1/2 cup more if using fresh clams)
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel (make sure you avoid any of the white pith when peeling the lemon)
1/2 tsp crushed dried basil OR 1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh snipped parsley
1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Blues Habanero Reserve Hot Sauce (or substitute 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
4 oz. medium pasta shells, uncooked
If using clams in shells, wash them thoroughly and then place in a large bowl or pot, cover with 8 cups of cold water and 3 Tbs salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, rinse, and repeat the soak/rinse process two more times. This will wash away any sediment or grit and plump up the clams.
If using canned clams, drain them and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid, and set aside.
Prepare the fish by removing any skin from the catfish fillets. Cut fish into 1 inch chunks and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot, then add onion & garlic and saute until onion is soft but not browned. Stir in the Bubba's Special Sauce, canned tomatoes (undrained), tomato juice, clam juice, lemon peel, basil, parsley and hot sauce (or red pepper flakes). If using fresh clams, add the additional 1/2 cup of bottled clam juice. If using canned clams, add the reserved 1/2 cup of liquid from the can. Stir everything in the pot to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for half an hour. Stir in the fish chunks, clams and pasta shells. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the pasta shells are "al dente." Makes 4 hearty servings.
Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Today we bid farewell to one of my favorite dressings, Wahoo Willie's Carribean Ranch Dressing. Hailing from a popular seafood restaurant called Wahoo Willie's in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, this zesty dressing blended traditional creamy ranch dressing with Caribbean seasonings and peppers to create a deliciously rich and spicy salad dressing that could also be used for cooking and dipping. Sadly for fans of his creative and tasty recipes, Wahoo Willie's owner and chef decided to sell his restaurant and return to his first love, being a fishing boat captain. We wish him well, of course, but we'll miss his culinary creations including his Mango Vinaigrette (which sold out earlier this year) and his Carribean Ranch Dressing (and I never found out what the inside joke was with the intentional misspelling in this product's name).
Although his Carribean Ranch Dressing has now completely sold out and is no longer available, we're happy to report that his most popular product, Wahoo Willie's Jamaican Wing Sauce is still available, and you can find it on sale now at the Carolina Sauce Company online store. Get it while you can, as once we sell out of the award-winning Jamaican Wing Sauce, it will be gone for good!
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