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Showing posts with label island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label island. Show all posts

Saturday, February 14, 2015

The Weekend Gourmet Dines Out for April Featuring Sea Island Shrimp House

This months The Weekend Gourmet Dines Out featured restaurant is a San Antonio favorite for the past five decades: Sea Island Shrimp House. For seafood lovers in the city, this is THE place to go for fresh Texas seafood. The food is consistently excellent, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is laidback and casual. For those reasons and more, loyal fans have been flocking to the restaurants six local locations since 1965! We love to take visiting friends and family here for relaxing seafood dinners, and everyone whos tried it loves it as much as we do. As a testament to Sea Islands popularity locally, they were selected 2013 Best of San Antonio Winner for Best Seafood Restaurant, as well as being selected San Antonio Express-News Readers Choice for both Seafood & Longtime Favorite Restaurant last year.
Our neighborhood Sea Island location recently had Michael and I out for a Lenten Friday dinner feast so we could try some of their signature menu items and share them with you. We were warmly welcomed the moment we walked in the door -- despite the restaurant being packed with hungry customers. We were quickly shown to our table and given menus to look over. First up on our tasting was one of Sea Islands signature appetizers, the refreshing and light Mexican-Style Shrimp Cocktail. 
Served with crispy tortilla chips, this chunky appetizer features huge chunks of sweet boiled shrimp, chunks of creamy avocado, onion, tomato, cocktail sauce, and cilantro. It is the perfect start to a meal...perfect for sharing. We were just getting started, though. Up next came a duo of fried entree classics: Crispy Catch platter and Fried Colossal Shrimp (my personal favorite). The food was fried up crispy and light...not the least bit greasy.
The Crispy Catch features two panko-crusted whitefish fillets, two stuffed shrimp, and two sides. The Fried Colossal Shrimp includes a half dozen sweet, jumbo-sized shrimp lightly breaded and fried up golden-brown. For shrimp lovers, this is the ultimate: huge butterflied shrimp fried when you order for maximum freshness. We werent done yet...there were still two more entrees coming out of the kitchen: Sea Islands signature Lemon Pepper Fish & Grilled Shimp...and the lighter-option Broiled Catfish Platter. 

The Lemon-Pepper Fish & Grilled Shrimp features Sea Islands house-blend lemon pepper seasoning. The fish and shrimp are breaded, then grilled instead of fried. This unique preparation results in lightly crispy, slightly smoky seafood. We agreed that we wish we had tried this sooner, because its bursting with tons of flavor! For those who prefer broiled seafood over fried, the catfish is seasoned with the same lemon pepper seasoning...proving you dont have to sacrifice flavor if youre trying to cut back on calories a bit. We were getting pretty full, but the manager came to our table with two of their house-made desserts to try.
We shared the decadent and fudgy Chocolate Decadence Cake and the sweet-tart Homemade Key Lime Pie. Both were perfectly made...and a perfect sweet ending to our meal. The cake was very rich, making it perfect for sharing. We especially love Key lime pie, and this version was pretty much perfect: graham crust, sweet-tart creamy filling, and a bit of whipped cream. We walked out full and satisfied, happy to have discovered some new menu items that we hadnt tried before. We snapped a couple of pictures of the restaurants colorful interior and exterior as we headed to the car.
If youre a seafood lover, I hope youll give Sea Island a try soon! Whether youre a local...or visiting San Antonio for a weekend getaway...its the perfect place to enjoy fresh seafood in a casual environment. It doesnt get much better than that! There are six Sea Island Shrimp House locations in and around San Antonio, which makes it convenient no matter which area of the city youre in.

Disclosure: Sea Island hosted our visit to facilitate this feature. All opinions expressed are my own, and all photographs are copyrighted by Michael K. Garcia. They may not be copied or otherwise used without prior permission.

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Monday, February 2, 2015

Summers Not Over Yet! Island Breeze Shrimp Salad

Things are really hectic for me this week. You see, I recently handed in my resignation letter at my day job when a fabulous, unexpected career opportunity landed in my lap. After more than 7 years at my current job, leaving was a very difficult decision...but the new company made me an offer I couldnt pass up. Its bittersweet...and also a bit stressful. As a result, I havent been cooking as much as usual this week. I did make a fabulous dinner salad that received two enthusiastic thumbs-up from Michael. For a salad to get that kind of reaction from him, you KNOW its a keeper! 

It may say September on the calendar, but its still pretty hot in Central Texas. Most nights a fast, healthy dinner is exactly what we want. This salad delivers on both counts...and its full of flavor. My Island Breeze Shrimp Salad is like a tropical vacation...for a fraction of the cost! Its full of flavors and textures, and its light on calories and fat. If you have a favorite Asian salad dressing recipe, feel free to use that. This was a fuss-free meal, so I went with a bottled dressing that we enjoy. 

Island Breeze Shrimp Salad
a Weekend Gourmet Original

Step 1: Marinate 1 lb. jumbo shrimp in your favorite Asian marinade for at least 30 minutes. I used Trader Joes Island Soyaki...but a mixture of soy sauce, citrus  juice, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil would approximate the flavor. Thread the shrimp on two skewers and sear then in a hot non-stick pan in a bit of olive oil until cooked on both sides.


Step 2: Add 5 cups red leaf lettuce to a large bowl. Toss with your favorite Asian salad dressing...I used Wishbone Light Asian with Sesame & Ginger Vinaigrette. Arrange half of the dressed lettuce on two dinner plates.


Step 3: Arrange the following ingredients on top of the salad greens: diced pineapple, diced mango, chopped strawberries, feta cheese, chopped macadamia nuts, and crispy wonton strips that I found in the Produce aisle at the local grocery. Drizzle a bit more of your dressing on top of each salad just before serving.





This salad is a perfect example of my favorite kind of food: lots of interesting flavors and textures. Sweet-tart fruit, salty feta, crunchy nuts and wonton strips...and sweet, tender jumbo shrimp! This is no wimpy salad -- its filling, but it doesnt weigh you down. Have fun with it...switch out fruits and nuts to fit your liking, or feel free to sub in seared chicken breast for the shrimp. Heck, you can leave out the meat entirely and have a vegetarian feast as well. Just do yourself a favor and make this before the weather turns cool where you are!!
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