Named a Top 100 Seafood Blogger by Gulf Coast Seafood...Featuring Some of My Favorite Seafood Recipes!

I'm so excited to share some fabulous news with y'all today...I received an e-mail this morning informing me that has been named a Top 100 Seafood Blogger by Gulf Coast Seafood! Bloggers were nominated, and a panel of judges selected the honorees. I am so humbled, because I truly love Gulf seafood. I grew up less than an hour from Galveston, so I've been enjoying fresh-from-the-sea shrimp and fish my entire life. I learned some really interesting facts from their website: Gulf Coast Seafood is made up of five states located on the Gulf of Mexico -- Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. This region has been providing fishermen, chefs, and food lovers with great food for years. However, the industry is also an economic engine that powers the entire region. Did you know that the Gulf Coast produces 70 percent of the nation’s oysters, 69 percent of domestic shrimp, and is also a leading producer of domestic hard and soft-shell blue crabs?

It's no secret that I love seafood...especially Gulf shrimp! We eat seafood quite often, because it's naturally low in calories and fat AND it tastes great! I thought I'd celebrate my award by sharing some of my very favorite recipes featuring Gulf seafood that I've shared in here. They're all full of the big flavors that Michael and I crave...let's just say that they have a distinct Gulf Coast flavor.

(1) Texas-Creole Crawfish Potato Salad. This is literally potato salad on steroids, flavored with Creole mustard, bacon, and Louisiana crawfish tails. This chunky potato salad goes perfectly with fresh corn on the cob with your favorite BBQ. We served it for July 4th last year and loved it!

(2) Refreshing Chunky Shrimp Salsa. This tropical-inspired salsa is sweet and spicy thanks to mango, finely diced serrano chile, and diced Texas Gulf shrimp. The spice is tempered by the last-minute addition of avocado just before serving. Put this out with some tortilla chips at your next party...it won't last long!

(3) Down-Home Comforting Shrimp and Grits. I didn't grow up eating shrimp and grits here in Texas, but I sure do love them now! This down-home dish is elegant enough to serve company. The grits are studded with roasted corn and cheese, and the creamy shrimp sauce is studded with cooked bacon. This is seriously just good eating...try it once, and you'll be hooked too!

(4) Crispy Mardi Gras Fish Sandwiches. These spicy cousin of Louisiana po-boys are good eating! Toasted French bread, lightly breaded pan-fried tilapia or catfish, and a spicy homemade remoulade sauce equals a happy mouth. This is so much better than a fast food fish fillet sandwich, and it's ready to eat in about 30 minutes. Add some chips or cole slaw and dinner's ready in a flash.

These are some of my go-to seafood meals...not tell me how you like to enjoy seafood. Do you like to bake it, fry it...or something entirely different. We eat seafood at least once a week during the warm months, so I'm always looking for fun new ways to enjoy shrimp, fish, crab, and crawfish.