A recent trip to my old hometown and one of its beloved art stores, Carolina Creations, put me in such a nautical mood.

Suspended from the gallery’s lofty ceilings were various sizes of hand blown glass sculptures of manta rays – bringing back memories of a tour through the Atlanta Aquarium this past fall. There I was, watching these amazing creatures gliding through the water overhead as I stood below, gazing through the Plexiglas above.

While in the art gallery, I fancied making a serious investment in creating an under-the-seas theme – perhaps in the master bath – with the glass replicas of manta rays, jelly fish, and sea horses floating around the high ceilings overhead.

Ahhh.

Instead, I found a new home for an existing piece of art featuring an ocean wave, and I might put some conch shells on the ledge of the narrow shower window. The giant, graceful rays will have to be in my imagination.

Keeping in step with our seaside vibe, a recipe I use year round for gatherings is my Hot Seafood Salad. Since the main ingredient is imitation crab meat, I don’t like calling it a Hot Crab Salad, but one could.

Back when imitation crab was first introduced to the grocery stores, I did not like it – plus it contained wheat. Now, most packages of imitation crab proudly display their Gluten-Free label.

Hurray!

With just a little prep work – “mise en place” – this hot hors d’oeuvre is always a crowd pleaser, which frequently brings requests for the recipe.

The secret is in turning the solid, leg style pieces of fish into crab-like stringiness. To do that, just place the intact contents of the package onto your cutting board. Using a sturdy, wide-tined dinner fork, comb through the long pieces of fish.

This is so much fun!

Following the long grain of the meat, the tines of the fork separate the fish into delightful crab-like wonderfulness. You may need to turn the fish over to “comb” the other side.

After that, you’re ready to cook. In no time at all, the mixture will be slightly browned and ready to eat.

My spices of choice are:

Old Bay

Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic

Crushed Red Pepper

The concept recipe below is easily adaptable to ingredients on hand. I usually use some colorful bell pepper – red, orange, or yellow – frozen green peas, frozen corn, and some fresh grated carrot to go along with the thinly sliced onion.

Check out the downloadable recipe here:

I can even see a finishing ingredient of some cream cheese to melt and “glue” this loose salad together. Appetizers are often so cheese-centric that I am happy not adding any with this recipe.

Whether you eat this Hot Seafood Salad on a cracker or simply by the forkful, you can be assured of a tasty treat that’s actually good for you – fish and veggies.

What could be better?

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In health –

Deidre