Cold Weather Comforts:

Best Seafood for Hearty Recipes

When the weather turns bitter-cold, I gravitate to recipes that provide an extra-large portion of comfort and warmth. You know the recipes. Those dishes that you can enjoy while cozying up on the couch under several layers of throws and snuggies. 

Seafood is a protein pro for classic comfort food. We’ve gathered some of our most worthy options for your winter-warmer recipes. Whether it’s a cozy casserole or a well simmered soup, Cameron’s has the seafood to stand up to the coldest and dreariest days. 

 

Hearty recipes need hearty seafood… 

Classic comfort recipes really “work” their ingredients. If you think about it, most dishes that fall into this comfort food category are not gently cooked. These meals are usually, aggressively-so, baked, boiled, roasted, or simmered. Those are all cooking methods not meant for delicate food stuffs. So, we need seafood that’ll stand up to a bit of culinary abuse. 

 

Jumbo Lump Crab Meat 

Jumbo lump crab meat can really steal the show when you’re looking at crafting a home cooked comfy meal. This ingredient ranks pretty high on my hearty recipe list for a couple of reasons. One, it’s already cooked! You don’t have to subject your jumbo lump crab meat to all those aggressive cooking methods. Simply add the crab meat to your recipe right before serving. This works well with soups, stews, and pasta dishes (like this recipe for Asparagus and Crab Fettuccini). Second, the buttery-sweet flavor of the crab meat is already so perfect for cold weather dishes. Casseroles are elevated, thanks to jumbo lump crab meat (like this recipe for Creamy Crab Meat Casserole) and I absolutely love making crabby lasagna! Nestling the crab meat in between sheets of lasagna noodles with oodles of cream, cheese, and greens…yum!

 

Mussels and Oysters

Mussels are another comfort food show-stopper for several cold-weather recipes. Like jumbo lump crab meat, Cameron’s mussels are already fully cooked, further avoiding the rigors of “yet another recipe step”. The classic Belgium-style, or broth-steamed mussels, (served with a side of warm crusty bread for dipping-nom) is the epitome of comfort. Similar in style to the Belgium-style mussels are hearty stews, like Cioppino, a perfect base for a mussel-fueled meal. I even love making uber-comforting rice dishes featuring mussels, paella with mussels is perfect on those extremely cold evenings. 

Oysters are the heroes of the cold-weather soup, stew, and chowder category. The natural brininess of the oysters cuts the richness of any cream-based soup, while also rounding and balancing out the other ingredients with a boost of good-for-you protein. Bonus points are awarded to Cameron’s oysters because they’re already shucked! There’s only so much prep you want to do on a cold day. Check out this recipe for Oyster Stew for inspiration. 

 

Cod and Rockfish 

Cod is a cold water fish with a mild, sweet flavor, and large flaky white meat -perfect for the heartiest of meals. Pulling culinary inspiration from some of the world’s biggest fans of cod, folks who are no stranger to cold weather cookin’, I look to traditional Irish and British comfort food recipes. Shepherd’s pie-like dishes (aka. Fishermen’s Pie), using cod as the prime protein source, with it’s creamy mashed potato topping, would warm any belly. Cod is also the go-to fish for the iconic British casual comfort dish, fish n’ chips! We have a very tasty beer batter recipe that would be absolutely delicious with cod fillets. 

Rockfish, aka. striped bass, is another hearty fish option for classic comfy meals. Having a similar durability to cod, rockfish can withstand more aggressive cooking methods, especially baking and roasting. Casseroles, of any sort -noodle, potato, creamy, or vegetable-forward, are a great option for rockfish with limited risk of the fish “drying out”.  

 

Get Cozy & Order Seafood Online!

It’s cold out there! Brrrrrrrr. 

No need to brave those frigid temperatures when your seafood can come directly to you! Order all the crab meat, mussels, oysters, cod, and rockfish you need to fill your fridge and freezer with unlimited comfort-food possibilities. And, using our handy shipping guide , schedule your seafood to arrive when you’re ready! It is that easy. 

Do you have any delicious, comforting seafood recipes that you would like to share? Post your tasty creations on any of our social pages, InstagramFacebook or Twitter and be sure to tag us @cameronsseafoodonline.

About the author

Patterson Watkins is a professional chef with over 17 years of experience. With a robust career in restaurants, contract dining and catering (including 4 Summer Olympic posts preparing food for the athletes!) Patterson joined the Cameron’s Seafood team at the end of 2018 to concoct some delicious recipes with our premium seafood items as the centerpiece.

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