I decided to be a little generous for the holidays and give y’all six whole recipes in a single post. That’ll make about eight recipes so far this week. I owe y’all for neglecting to post regularly this year. Now we’re even. Happy Holidays! Now let’s get to the food. Preparing holiday dinner when catering to different diets can get a bit crazy. But it doesn’t have to be when dealing with Pescatarians. My go to Pescatarian Holiday Dinner is a Soul Food Fish Fry. I swap out the turkey for fried fish. Then cook up a meat free version of traditional Southern sides. I usually make a vegetarian stuffing. But this year I got creative and made some Stuffed Shrimp- which now has a permanent place on my holiday menu.
I’m giving y’all recipes for everything on this plate. Fried Fish- which is a simple recipe. Use my Homemade Fish Fry to season and coat your favorite fish, then fry it up. If you’re lazy (aren’t we all sometimes) season with Slap Ya Mama Seasoning, coat with cornmeal and fry. Now we have five more recipes to go- starting with my Southern Style Potato Salad. I’m cheating since that recipe is already on the blog (click the link). Alright, four more to go… Stuffed Shrimp. 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese. Candied Yams and Southern Style Meat Free Greens….
Is your mouth watering yet? Good, Keep reading. Here are the recipes for my Pescatarian Holiday Dinner. Starting with the Stuffed Shrimp. Everything is gluten free and meat free*.
Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra large shrimp (peeled & deveined, tail on)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Slap Ya Mama Seasoning (more or less to taste)
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour
- 1/2 tbsp Old Bay (more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion (white, chopped)
- 5 cloves of garlic (crushed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Wash the shrimp with lemon juice and water. Pat dry and season with the Slap Ya Mama Seasoning. Put in the fridge to marinate.
- To make the stuffing mix- In a large mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, Old Bay Seasoning and dried parsley. Stir everything together with a fork.
- Add 1 cup of water and about a half cup of canola oil. Add the oil a little at a time until the mix is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. The mix should be thick like cornbread mix.
- Add the mix to a cast iron skillet or non stick pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until a fork inserted comes out clean.
- While the stuffing mix is baking, heat the butter and olive oil in a non stick pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they start to caramelize. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
- Now add the vegetable bouillon to a cup of warm water and let it dissolve. Set aside.
- When the stuffing mix is done, let it cool for a few minutes before taking it out of the pan and putting it in a large mixing bowl.
- Break the stuffing mix up with a fork. Then pour in the garlic and onion mixture along with any butter and olive oil left in the pan. Now pour in the vegetable broth and mix everything with a fork. That's your cornbread stuffing.
- Add a little olive oil to a cast iron skillet or non stick pan. Add the shrimp to the pan, butterflied side down, tail up.
- Stuff the backside of each shrimp with the cornbread stuffing. You may use a cookie scoop to get equal amounts.
- Add a little water to the pan to keep the stuffing from drying out, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
SHOP THE RECIPE
Next up is my 5 Cheese Mac ‘n Cheese. To get a variety of cheeses for my mac and cheese without spending a grip, I cheat and use a cheese variety tray since it has just enough of each cheese. Then I add 2 cups of sharp cheddar. This would be the perfect dish to make with leftover cheese from a charcuterie board as you can use whatever type of cheeses you like.
5 Cheese Mac n’ Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten free elbows (or shape of choice)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup asiago cheese
- 1 cup colby jack cheese
- 1 cup pepperjack cheese
- 2 tbsp salted butter (pieced)
- smoked paprika
Macaroni Mix
- 1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 egg
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut/shred all of the cheese.
- Boil the elbow noodles al dente. Rinse and drain.
- To make the macoroni mix, beat the egg into the cup of milk and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet or baking dish, evenly mix the noodles with all of the cheese.
- Pour the macaroni mix over the noodles and cheese and mix until every thing is coated. Level the pan.
- Stick the pieces of butter in between the noodles and cheese, throughout the entire pan.
- Garnish the pan with a light layer of smoked paprika. This adds flavor and helps the dish to brown.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the macaroni and cheese until the cheese begins to bubble. Uncover the pan and bake a few more minutes to allow the cheese to brown a bit.
- Let the pan cool a little before serving as hot cheese will burn the ish out of you.
Notes
- To get a variety of cheeses for my mac and cheese without spending a grip, I cheat and use a cheese variety tray since it has just enough of each cheese. Then I add 2 cups of sharp cheddar.
- This would be the perfect dish to make with leftover cheese from a charcuterie board as you can use whatever type of cheeses you like.
SHOP THE RECIPE
Okay, so next we have my Southern Style Meat Free Collard Greens recipe. *I use fish grease in my greens as a substitute for the chicken grease that is traditionally used. But if you’re Vegetarian or Vegan then you can leave it out. Sub the fish grease with a drizzle of olive oil to add a little grease to the pot.
Southern Style Meat Free Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 2 lbs collard greens (washed and chopped)
- 1-2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp leftover fish grease (OPTIONAL)
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil and add a dash of salt.
- Add half the collard greens. Cover the pot and let the greens cook down.
- Add the rest of the greens to the pot and let them cook down.
- Season the greens with salt & pepper to taste. Add the liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. Stir the pot.
- Add the fish grease at this point, if you don't have any dietary restrictions. If you're Vegetarian or Vegan, then leave it out.
- Let the greens simmer on low for 3+ hours until they are tender and the flavor cooks in. If you don't cook the greens long enough then they'll be tough.
- Constantly check the pot to make sure the water doesn't boil out. Add more water as necessary.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- My measurements for the seasonings are just a guideline. I don’t measure when making greens. Add more or less to taste.
- Liquid Smoke will give the greens the same flavor as smoked meats like turkey legs and pork neck bones.
- Traditional Southern Greens are made with leftover chicken grease. I use fish grease to impart a similar flavor since I don’t eat meat. If you’re Vegan or Vegetarian you can use a drizzle of olive oil to add a little grease to the pot.
SHOP THE RECIPE
Last but not least, my Candied Yams recipe. Although I hope by now we all know that candied yams are actually made from sweet potatoes and not yams. If you don’t know, now you know. I boil my sweet potatoes before peeling as this makes it easier to peel & slice. If you’ve ever peeled a sweet potato then you know it’s a killer on the wrist. I also like to add a splash of orange juice to my yams to give it a citrus twist. You can do lemon juice instead. Or some lemon zest if you’re fancy.
Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 4-5 large sweet potatoes
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract (REAL not imitation)
- 4 tbsp salted butter (sliced)
- 1/4 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the sweet potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes to soften and make them easier to peel and slice.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into thick slices. You may also cube them if you prefer. Don't cut too small to avoid them turning into mush.
- Put the sweet potatoes in a baking dish.
- Add the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and orange juice. Stir everything together.
- Lay the butter pieces on top.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 30-45 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve hot.
Notes
- I boil my sweet potatoes before peeling as this makes it easier to peel & slice.
- I also like to add a splash of orange juice to my yams to give it a citrus twist. You can do lemon juice instead. Or some lemon zest if you’re fancy.
- Do not use imitation vanilla. Only real vanilla extract will do. I repeat- Don’t do it.
SHOP THE RECIPE
Whew child, that was a lot. I hope you guys appreciate a sis for doing this for y’all. I just planned your WHOLE Pescatarian Holiday Dinner for you. You’re welcome. Sorry for the subpar images. I didn’t photograph the dishes after cooking as I was hungry and tired, and just wanted to enjoy dinner with my son. I also wasn’t planning to post all of these recipes. But since the recipes were highly requested on Instagram, I actually had to take screenshots from my videos to get images. Did my best. Let me know if y’all have any questions! ❤️
