My man and I spent Valentine’s Day at the beach this year, having narrowly escaped the snow and rain that blanketed the Southeast. We LOVE seafood and our first stop when we arrived was the local seafood market. I picked out some grouper filets and my favorite, Smoked Tuna Dip, and we headed to the house. We’d brought some organic mushrooms, asparagus and sweet potatoes from home, and partnered them with the grouper for a lovely Valentine’s dinner. This was really a very simple meal and took about 45 minutes to 1 hour to prepare (mostly because the fish was so thick). I used the smoked tuna dip to craft a stuffing for the mushrooms (see Smoked Tuna Stuffed Mushrooms) and they were absolutely amazing! These recipes feed 2-3 people.
Gulf Coast Grouper with topping
- 1 – 2 lbs grouper filet
- 3/4 cup chopped peppers – red, yellow and/or green
- 3/4 cup chopped onions
- 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 tblsp olive oil
Chop the veggies. Rinse the grouper under cold water and pat dry. Place it in a pyrex casserole dish or pan that has been lined with foil.
Mix all of the chopped veggies together and pile on top of the fish. Add salt & pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Uncover and and bake for another 20 – 25 minutes until fish is done through (white and flaky).
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- 2 med sweet potatoes
- 1 tblsp agave nectar
- 1 1/2 tblsp Earth Balance buttery spread (or butter)
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into cubes. Boil for 20 minutes until tender. Drain the water off. Add butter and mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork. Add agave nectar and stir.
Steamed Asparagus with Goat Cheese
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 tblsp Goat Cheese, chilled
Bring water to a boil in a steamer or in a pot with a removeable steamer insert (see photo). Place asparagus into steamer and cover. Steam for 15-20 minutes until just tender (don’t overcook!). Remove, plate and crumble the goat cheese on top.
Serve with your favorite white wine and this will be a big hit.
And for dessert….. as if we needed it after this….. was a simple pound cake with chopped strawberries and a melted Hershey’s Dark Chocolate bar on top…. super simple!