Baked Lemon Grouper and Key Lime Pie -- A Great Finale to a Week at the Beach

We just returned from a wonderful week in Seaside, Florida that was filled with great days in the sun, beautiful sunsets and time catching up with dear friends.  One of the best parts of a beach vacation is gorging on as much seafood as you can within the week.  Even better is eating fish that was freshly caught by your husband, son and friends.  After a successful morning of fishing, our fishermen returned with fresh grouper, snapper and trigger fish.

Now there is a little bit of pressure when cooking the fruits of a fishing trip.  These guys worked hard for their catch, and the last thing you want to do is ruin it.  I like to keep my preparation of fresh fish fairly simple.  The following recipe is something I have made for years.

RECIPE:  Baked Lemon Grouper

serves 8

2 lbs fresh grouper (or other white fish)
Salt (to taste)
1 Tbs Lemon Pepper (a blend without salt)
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 stick of unsalted butter
2 lemons (sliced into rounds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place grouper in baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the fish with salt, lemon pepper and garlic powder.  (Spice quantities  can be adjusted to your preferences.)   Cut the butter in to pats, and place the butter on the fish (multiple pats per fillet).  On top of the butter pats, place the lemon rounds.  Any extra rounds can be placed around the fish.  Cover with foil, and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10-15  minutes (watch the fish to prevent over cooking).  When serving, remove the lemons, and spoon the pan juices on top.

I wish I had a picture of this fish coming out of the oven.  The grouper was a beautiful white with the contrast of the yellow lemons with the lemons giving a wonderful citrus aroma.  The flavors were even better.  The slight saltiness of the fish with the lemon and butter resulted in a very clean taste.  I think our rowdy crowd enjoyed it as there were no leftovers, and I did receive a marriage proposal from a happily married man as well as a couple of requests for the recipe.

Vacation is the perfect excuse to enjoy dessert with no guilt.  In my mind, calories don't count during this brief window of time (now my bathroom scale upon my return may disagree).  Now one of my favorite summer desserts is Key Lime Pie.  We found a delicious recipe for Key Lime Pie from the myrecipes.com site.  You do need a little lead time to make this recipe, as there is some baking and chilling time required.

The filling of this pie was creamy and tart, and was not overly rich.  The light meringue  added another dimension of sweetness.  I went the easy route and purchased a pre-made graham cracker crust, which turned out well.  It is important to bake the crust for a little while before adding the filling to ensure you get the desired crispness.

Our final meal together was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a relaxing week of fun and friendship.  Food is such a great way to bring people together and celebrate.