Henry's Fish En Croute and French Country Style White Beans

Food is an universal language.  I don't know how often I meet a stranger, then hear about his or her experience with Korean food.  That stranger now becomes a friend because we have shared the same flavor and spices of my birth country; food becomes the connection of shared experiences and hearts.   

Before I even met Henry Skipper, the CEO of the Mighty Eight Museum, I knew I would like him.  Any CEO who would humble himself to be in the place where the grunt work is done?  Yes, he would be alright with me.  And so he was.  Genuinely warm and sincere man, who can out-cook any seasoned chefs.  He looked quite natural in that white toque and his food, quite fabulous.  

Click here to read more about Henry Skipper on Miss Sophie's article on Savannah Morning News....  

 I have a theory — all men who like to cook are always fantastic cooks, and Henry Skipper proves my theory.

By day he serves as CEO of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, but when he gets home, he becomes a 
chef extraordinaire.....

Henry’s Fish En Croute
Recipe by Henry Skipper, CEO Mighty Eighth Museum
Used with permission
Serves 2

2 fish filets, approximately 1 pound (Salmon,
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
9 ounces of fresh spinach (steamed and drained)
2 shallots, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg with 1 tablespoon water

In a medium sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until soft (3-4) minutes

Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add flour to shallots and garlic and stir to combine. Slowly stir in white wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Add spinach, lemon juice, sour cream, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.

Roll pastry out thin. Place 1 filet on pastry and spread spinach mixture on top. Place second filet on top of spinach and cover with pastry. Seal edges and brush with egg wash. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Option: Top with your favorite seafood sauce.

Note: Henry’s favorite fish for this recipe is fresh local shad filets, but this recipes works well with any fish high in oil and of sufficient thickness to withstand the cooking time without drying out, such as fresh wild salmon.

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French Country Style White Beans 
Recipe by Henry Skipper, CEO Mighty Eight Museum
Serves 4

This recipe should be combined with roasted or grilled pork, Chicken, Lamb or Wild Game. The meat can be served over the beans

1 package of dried Porcini mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups of water
32 ounces chicken stock or broth
1 cube of Knor concentrated chicken stock
5-6 tablespoons butter, divided
1-2 packages shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 small bunches green onions, green & white parts, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon parsley
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 cans great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed well
2-3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Drain porcini mushrooms, reserving the liquid and discard mushrooms

2. In a stock pot, combine chicken stock, Knor concentrated stock cube and 1 ½ cups of liquid from the dried porcini mushrooms and reduce until slightly thickened, approximately 10-15 minutes

3. In a medium non-stick skillet, melt the butter. Add the shitake mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add the onions, jalapeno pepper and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Gently stir in beans, parsley and reduced liquid, bring to a simmer and remove from heat.  Taste for salt & pepper (Henry prefers truffle salt.) Transfer to a warm platter. Top with meat of your choice, spread fresh diced tomatoes on top and drizzle with olive oil.

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Crusted Tripletail

When I meet people who are passionate about the work they do,  I get inspired.  Captain Ray and Amy Golden are the owners and operators of Coffee Bluff Marina.  They are lovers of open sea and the fruit that it bears.  But above all, they are lovers of people, sharing their passion for fishing with others.  Read more about Captain Ray and his beautiful wife Amy on Miss Sophie's Wednesday column here.......

Captain Ray shared his favorite tripletail recipe; most delightful texture and flavored fish I have ever tasted. 

The buttery mixture of Panko and potato chips made a beautiful crust to contrast with this wonderful filets.  And accompanied with tomatoes, leeks, and peppers, it was just heavenly! 

I had Captain Ray hold the plate for this photo, but no, I took it right back afterwards.  And without an ounce of shame, I stood there in front of his bait shop, devoured every morsel of it.  

Crusted Tripletail

Recipe by Ray Golden

Used with permission

1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped

1 cup leeks, thinly sliced

½ cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 Tripletail filets or any other flat fish such as Snapper, Flounder or Tilapia, about 8 ounces each

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

½ cup Parmesan, grated

½ cup plain potato chips, crushed

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon green onions, thinly sliced

Lemon wedges

Combined the tomato, leek, green bell pepper and garlic in a small bowl and spread evenly around bottom of a cast iron skillet. Salt and pepper filets and place on top of vegetables. 

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, potato chips, cayenne, and paprika. Stir in melted butter.  Evenly top filets with crumb mixture. 

Place pan, uncovered on hot grill grate and close grill. Allow filets to cook approximately 20 minutes or until they flake easily or register 140 degrees in the center. Transfer cooked fish on to platter, surround with cooked vegetables, sprinkle scallions on top and serve with lemon wedges.

Note:  This dish can be cooked in the oven on a sheet pan using the same instructions

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Easy Shrimp Salad

Here is a super easy shrimp salad which I serve at Wednesday noon service lunch when I am pressing for time. Though I am very exact with measuring baking ingredients, this is one of those simple recipes that you can "throw together" yet yield great result.


Here is what I call our "house dry rub". We keep this on hand in our church kitchen to flavor and season just about everything! I know it requires a few more than a handful ingredients , but it is worth the effort and you will have great tasting rub.


We use peeled 41-50 count shrimp (number of shrimp per pound). This comes in a frozen 5 pound block (check your local seafood stores). To thaw the frozen shrimp, run cold water over the shrimp in a colander. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels, and toss the dry rub and gently mix.

You know how I love this 4-burner griddle. Get the griddle super hot, drizzle some oil, then saute the shrimp. Don't over crowd the griddle, lest the shrimp will steam. Quick saute in small batches is the best.


When shrimp is cooked, quickly spread them on a large sheet pan and cool. A little dab of Hellmann's mayo, sour cream, and salt and pepper is all you need for this scrumptious shrimp salad.


Serve it on a garden salad or on a croissant.

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Easy Shrimp Salad

Serves 2-4

1 lb of peeled raw shrimp (41-50 count)

2 teaspoon of dry rub (click here for recipe) or your favorite dry rub

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1/4 cup of Hellmann's Mayo

2 tablespoon sour cream

1/4 cup finely diced celery (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss together raw shrimp and dry rub. Heat a large frying pan to high until smoking point. Drizzle oil and coat the pan/griddle. Quickly saute the shrimp until cooked, 1-2 minutes. Do not over crowd the pan. Cool cooked shrimp completely. Add in a large bowl mayo, sour cream, shrimp, celery (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a bed of salad or on croissants.

Note: 10 lbs of shrimp will yield about 30 servings

Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage Gumbo for 300

This is one of my church family's favorite meal all year around. This recipe is much simpler than my previous recipe post. (Do you see how much improved the photos are?) With some prep work ahead, this gumbo is very quick and inexpensive meal to prepare for a large group and you can even splurge a little by adding jumbo shrimp. Sorry that I didn't have the time to convert the recipe to a smaller quantity for home cooks. I hope to do that for you next time I make this delicious one-pot meal.


Up to three days ahead, sausage can be sliced, onions and chicken meat diced. See how we store prepped foods in Ziplock storage bags? It saves so much room in the refrigerators and makes a clean up a snap. These sweet red peppers were cored and ready for quick chopping.


Shrimp is peeled, layered between the plastic films, and frozen several days/weeks ahead. The best way to quickly thaw frozen shrimp is to run cold water over in a large colander


Red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil is quickly sauteed with olive oil.


Then diced and onions and peppers are added and then minced garlic. Add diced chicken and sausages.


Homemade chicken stock is made from carcasses of rotisserie chickens up to three days and refrigerated. Solidified fat can be skimmed off. Add the broth, canned crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Bring it to simmer then add the roux.


Simple white or blonde roux is made with butter and flour to thicken the gumbo. A few photos are missing for adding crushed tomatoes; I got too busy with the food prep.



Simmer for a few hours, add shrimp and fresh chopped basil five minutes before serving. Serve with steamed rice and your favorite hot sauce. I always set some aside without shrimp for non-seafood eaters!

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Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage Gumbo for 300
Yields about 54 quarts = 216 cups
Served over rice, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup per person

12 Rotisserie Chickens(traditional flavor, do not buy lemon pepper or BBQ), skinned, de-boned, meat cubed into bite size
15-16 quarts of chicken stock made from chicken carcasses
3/4 cup of olive oil, divided
3 heaping tablespoons EACH red pepper flakes, dried oregano, dried basil (divided)
8 large onions, diced
6 lbs of Red Sweet Peppers, shown above or 12 red bell peppers, cored, diced
20 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped in food processor (with a bit of kosher salt, makes it finer)
3-#10 cans of crushed tomatoes
2-#10 cans of diced or whole tomatoes (use immersion blender to blend)
24 lbs of smoked beef sausages (used Eckridge brand), sliced 1/2-inch thickness
2 lbs of unsalted butter
4 cups of all-purpose flour
15 lbs of shrimp, 21-25 count, peeled
1 1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil
Red chili garlic sauce or Sriracha to taste (I usually have this available at the table)


1. Using three 20-quart stock pots, heat olive oil (1/4 cups each pot) and saute red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add diced onions and sweet peppers for about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic to stir.

2. Divide and add 15 quarts of homemade chicken stock (see note below), add sausage and diced chicken meat. Divide and pour canned crushed tomatoes and pureed diced tomatoes (for fresher tomato flavor; do not use all crushed tomatoes)

3. Add prepared diced chicken and sausage. While the liquid is coming to a boil, make white/blonde roux. In a large cast iron pot, melt 2 pounds of butter until frothy, add 4 cups of all purpose flour. Stir constantly incorporating the flour until well blended, about 4-5 minutes. Here is a great how-to video clip from Chef Susan.



4. When gumbo begins to simmer and liquid is hot, divide and add the roux to the pots. Be careful, not to burn yourself! Stir well. Bring it to boil, then turn down the heat low and let simmer for about two hours, stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes before serving add prepared shrimp and fresh chopped basil, stir to cook. Serve with steamed rice and hot sauce on the side.

Since sausage has enough salt, I do not add salt other thana little kosher when grinding/processing the garlic cloves.

Up to several weeks ahead:
*Peel shrimp, in half steam pans, aligned them in rows, layer plastic films between layers. Wrap well and freeze.

Up to three days ahead:
To make chicken stock (stock and diced chicken can be frozen weeks ahead, if need be, as well)

*Debone, skin rotisserie chickens (easier when still warm); discard all skin,
*Bones in two large stock pots and add about 30 quarts of water and boil until reduced to 20 quarts (onions, celery, bay leaf can be added, optional), cool completely and cover and refrigerate
*Chop white and dark meat to bite size, store in zip lock baggies, refrigerate
*Dice onion, bag, and refrigerate
*Dice sausage, bag, and refrigerate
*Core and wash sweet peppers, dry, bag and refrigerate

On the day of serving:
4 hours prior:
*Dice sweet peppers
*Process garlic with 1 tablespoon kosher salt to grind garlic to finer texture, set aside
*Thaw frozen shrimp by placing shrimp in a colander in a sink with running water; when completely thawed, drain well, set aside in fridge until needed
*Skim and discard solidified chicken fat from stock
*Chop fresh basil, set aside
*Follow above instructions for cooking
*5 minutes prior to serving, add shrimp and fresh chopped basil

*Most ingredients were purchased from Sam's Club

Shrimp Rangoon & Feature Interview

It would be nice to have the written recipe to go along with the video, wouldn't it? Well, here it is finally! Sorry so many of you had to ask for it.

And you already know me, but my friend, Julie did a wonderful feature interview of me. Blush....I am humbled by her kindness.

Check out Julie's site and the interview, here!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

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Shrimp Rangoon
Makes 50+

8 oz of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
2 tbsp. of Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. of Chopped green onions
2 tsp. of grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. of granulated sugar
2 tsp. of Fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. of Salt
1/2 tsp. of Pepper
1 pound(s) of par-cooked shrimp, finely chopped (or lump crab meat)
50 Wonton wrappers
1 quart(s) of Canola oil for frying
1/2 cup(s) of chopped water chestnut
1 Egg white for egg wash

Put softened cream cheese, cilantro, green onions, ginger, sugar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times until just combined.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in shrimp and water chestnut.

Using a pastry brush or a finger tip, put egg white on the edge of the wonton skin. Place one heaping teaspoon of shrimp mixture in the center of each wrapper, fold in half, pressing to sea the edges well.

Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with remaining wrappers and shrimp mixture.
Preheat oil in a heavy duty frying pan over medium-high heat until thermometer reaches between 350 degrees F to 375 degrees F.

Fry Rangoon in batches, 6-7 at a time, turning over a few times until both sides are crispy golden brown.

Drain Rangoon on a wire rack. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Here is another way to plate the Rangoon for sit down dinner appetizers.

Check out these great food blogs!

Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans