Instead, I've been back in school and had an emergency trip to the vet.
So, I didn't get to make the dish I'd planned to share this week, I decided to indulge in a little trip down memory lane.
For me, the best part of this vacation was the long walks with Fenway on the beach every night. For most of the summer, dogs are barred from the beach, but every night from 6 - 8 they are allowed on leash. My silly dog who hates HATES getting his feet wet, and balks at walking in the rain, LOVES the beach. All he has to hear is me say, "Fenny, want to go to the beach?" and his tail starts wagging and his face breaks into a grin. From the moment we exit the car, he is yanking me toward the water. It's funny to watch him approach the water and then dance out of the way of the incoming waves.
Do we really have to leave? |
I took this video of him charging ahead of me. He loves to sniff the seaweed.
So on to food. Since I'm talking Maine and seafood and beaches, I thought I would share a favorite recipe from a few years ago.
One of our favorite places to eat a casual meal while we're here is the Maine Diner. I had a wonderful lobster roll for lunch there, but my favorite dish to get is their lobster pie.
The first time I ordered it, I was anticipating something along the lines of of chicken pot pie but with lobster. It turned out not to be nothing at all like that, but it was so much better.
After my first bite, I turned to my husband and said, "This tastes like Sam's fish."
Sam was an elderly man who cooked for my husband's even more elderly mother and aunt back when we were first married. They lived on a gorgeous estate on Cape Cod - 2 sisters and Sam and his wife.
My husband LOVED Sam's fish, so with my newlywed enthusiasm, I tried everything I could think of to replicate it. I bought every type of bread crumbs I could find, but the response was always, "Good, but not like Sam's."
Finally, in desperation, I told Sam my sad tale. He laughed and took me into the pantry where he shared his secret crust - Ritz crackers and butter. Yup. That was all. He'd smash the crackers, mix with melted butter, and layer onto the fish. So simple, but SO tasty. My marriage was safe!
So when I took that first bite of lobster pie this summer, and it tasted like lobster with Sam's crust, I was highly suspicious that I knew the special family recipe. In the name of research, I went into the gift shop and bought a cookbook of diner recipes which included the lobster pie. Sure enough - Ritz crackers and butter!
My Friday night dinner! |
It was very good. Yum.
I haven't made Sam's fish in many years (in the name of low cholesterol and all that jazz), but after we returned home, I decided to give it a try for old times sake (and to post here). So without further ado - the 4 step fish recipe.
1. Smash the Ritz crackers. I do it in a baggie with an ice cream scoop.
2. Melt butter in microwave and mix in the cracker crumbs.
3. Spread on the fish (I used haddock. Sam always used sole.)
4. Bake. You can broil briefly at the end if you feel the need to brown the crumbs, but be careful!
Enjoy!
I'm curious. Have any of you ever made this?
As you can probably tell from the photo above, the lobster pie uses fresh lobster rather than haddock and they cook it in a mini casserole dish. So.much.goodness.
I'll leave you with some more photos of my favorite beach,
And these from the Marginal Way.
Oh I hope your vet trip ended in a good way! I love the water. One of my favorite places to go is Lake Michigan. We live closer and I love that! Only a day and a half to go there and back and have just enough time. Maybe one day we will try a real ocean, but for now I'm happy with a yearly visit to my inland sea!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Katie.
DeleteNot sure yet about the vet outcome. Waiting on test results. :(
I love the idea of an inland sea. After all, it was humans who named them. We started taking two weeks in Maine because the 7-8 hour drive made it feel like you deserved more in between time.
We will say some prayers!
DeleteThanks,Katie.
DeleteI love these photos, Mary Cate. So peaceful and so...vast. And Fenway looks so happy.
ReplyDeleteThe Ritz topping. A classic. I always top my homemade mac and cheese with it, but you have opened my eyes to so many other uses. It would be yummy on fish. Except salmon, I'm not sure I'd care for it on salmon. But there are plenty of other fish in the sea, right. Yay, for Ritz topping.
It's a good memory of Fenway. Thanks, Mindy.
DeleteRitz crackers...a taste of heaven! I love using the crushed cracker/melted butter combo on a bunch of things!
ReplyDeleteBut, alas, in the name of eating healthy...and a husband who doesn't really like Ritz crackers...those treats are few and far between. But that makes them even more special, right?
And the beach! I grew up near Lake Michigan, so I share Katie's passion. But I love the ocean. I haven't been to the ocean for more years than I can count...oh, wait...it was 1979, so forty years ago. :-( One downside of living in the center of the country.
Great pictures and good memories, Cate! Thank you!
Funny, Jan. I used to make it for my husband, but in the name of eating healthy, I don't usually make it for myself.
DeleteWow -- that scenery! There's something so mesmerizing about the sky over a sea. I seem to be on a Maine setting reading binge lately. Used to be every book I picked up was set in either North or South Carolina but now it's Maine. Making me definitely long to see the ocean for myself and soak up atmosphere. Hoping all goes well with vet matters!
ReplyDeleteI could look at it all day, Kav.
DeleteUnfortunately, the news from the vet was not good.
Oh, no, Cate! I'm so sorry.
DeleteSuch beautiful pictures! I have never visited Maine, but I have always wanted to!! And I may just try that Ritz cracker crust on some fish!! I have used it on poppy seed chicken and it is fabulous!!
ReplyDeletePoppy seed chicken sounds interesting, Laurel. DO you have a recipe?
DeleteSo beautiful, Mary Cate!! And I love Ritz crackers and butter as a topping. We used it on most of our casseroles while I was growing up. :)
ReplyDeleteMy mother used crushed potato chips for that. Or those canned fried onions.
DeleteWe did the fried onions for the green bean casserole. But I never had crushed potato chips until I was an adult. I love that too!
Delete