A delectable shrimp and mussels dish. Don’t forget a baguette for dipping into this savory broth.

We made it to Florida

We made our way south to Jacksonville, Florida. A break from old man winter’s chill was much needed. We somehow found a Florida campground that had some availability. While we travel we tend to make last minute reservations. I learned to do this the hard way while on the road. Always expect the unexpected. We’ve lost money on last minute cancellation fees because our plans changed, or fall so in love with an amazing area that we’d rather spend a few more days there.

So when it came to Florida, apparently everyone in the United States wants to snowbird there for obvious warm reasons. Good luck finding more than just one night at a campground. We lucked out here! The park we found was a hop and a skip over to the ocean. Hanna Campground was all around fantastic! Mornings were worth getting up early for to catch a sunrise right on the Atlantic Ocean. Night walks on the beach were equally amazing on a clear night. The stars were phenomenally bright and I felt like I could spend a lifetime gazing at the moonlight that illuminated and danced atop the cresting waves. It felt so magical.

***“Don’t you feel you get value for your day if you’ve actually watched the sun rise?” – A.J. Vosse***

Seafood, my greatest food obsession

So I’ve always loved seafood, I mean almost any food for that matter but seafood is up there on my list of favorites. When you’re literally camping next to the ocean the seafood is so fresh and in much abundance! So here we are and when I say expect the unexpected, I truly mean it. We kept extending our stay at this park and just days before our final pre-determined departure date, my husband severely rolled and broke his ankle in two places. Yes, it was quite the doozy! With weekly follow up X-ray appointments and trying to stay immobilized as much as possible to avoid surgery, well, we became quite the campground residents.

With that being said, we probably consumed seafood for almost 7 whole weeks, I’m not kidding . We’re talking about massive lobster tails, fresh whole fish such as yellow snapper, red snapper, flounder, black bass, sea bass and swordfish. Fantastic crustaceans like snow crab, Dungeness crab legs, live mussels, clams, jumbo shrimp, large shrimp, little shrimp, scallops, and even alligator! I found myself in a massive seafood cooking glory of obsession! So it brings us to this Devine dish of jumbo shrimp & mussels in a spicy tomato broth.

There’s a first time for everything

I have never prepared fresh whole shrimp. Heads on, shells on, veins intact, this was a whole new learning curve. I like those challenges, in fact I look forward to them because I love learning something new. Now I can proudly say that I can butterfly and clean a pound of whole shrimp in under 10 minutes without the squirm. Yes of course at first I was freaked out and almost mortified about shrimp with their heads on, but holy smokes the flavor they give with cooking is out of this world!

I also never prepared live mussels before. It was interesting when they closed up their shells while in my hands as I cleaned and removed their beards. Yes, mussels have beards, ahoy matey! By the way, jumbo shrimp with their heads on could be difficult to come by depending where you’re at. Simply opt for a pound of raw shelled, deveined shrimp. You can quickly defrost frozen ones without the worry of a clean up and you can find them at almost all grocery stores. But if you can find some fresh ones, I encourage you to take the challenge.

Light a fire, pour yourself a glass and get cookin’

As, I have said many times my previous blogging, prep prep prep! Having the vegetables chopped and ingredients prepped ahead of time, I cranked up a fire. I poured myself a glass of Chardonnay and one cup for the boil as well, it was go time. An epic boil like this one, I thought, would be excellent cooked over an actual fire. Cooking over an open fire feels so primitive and instinctive. It’s not so simple to master the heat of an open flame but the challenge and flavor is worthwhile. I have this awesome dual purpose, 3 quart cast iron deep skillet which came with a shallow cast iron pan that acts as a lid. It’s a dreamy combo of a cast iron that meets almost all of my cast iron needs.

The tip for open fire cooking

A helpful secret to get the fire to maintain the perfect heat, under the grill grate I will lay out a bed of charcoal then nestle a log or two into the coals. You never want a raging fire directly underneath. You want the fire to be roaring next to what you’re cooking because it will act more as an indirect heat source. Notice the hot wood embers under the Dutch Oven? That’s what you’re looking for.

Let’s cook

Always heat your cast iron until it’s hot, this typically takes 5-10 minutes. If you’re unsure, splash a few drops of water in the pan. If it quickly sizzles, it’s good and hot. Then give the pan a drizzle of oil and add your onion, cooking until softened. Depending on how hot your pan is, this could take anywhere from 5-10 minutes, stir often to prevent burning, we want them to start to caramelize.

Next stir in the tomato paste and garlic. Continue to stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the dry white wine and bring to a simmer, allow this to reduce for 5-6 minutes. It’s now time to add your diced tomatoes, broth, hot sauce, old bay seasoning, parsley and 4 tablespoons of butter. Give it a good stir to thoroughly mix and cover. Let this boil for about 15 minutes to allow the flavor to develop.

Now add your shrimp and mussels, cover again and give it a little wiggle. Let your seafood to cook for 7-8 minutes. You’ll know it’s cooked through when the shrimp are opaque and the mussels have opened. Be sure to discard any unopened shells. And there you have it! I served it along side a whole grilled flounder. The broth is delicious for dipping a crusty baguette or grilled slices of sour dough. It’s even delicious over a bed of white rice.