Family inspired Sweet Maple and Dried Cherry Glaze

Welcome back to the Chef's Blog. Michael LaDuke here and I wanted to take a second to answer a question from a reader, Diane.

Diane said she noticed the new Sweet Maple and Cherry Glazed Salmon and Shrimp in our new advertising, and would like the recipe. Thank you, Diane, for your question. I have the recipe below, and it also has been added to our Virtual Fresh Fish Cookbook on our web site.

The Sweet Maple and Cherry Glaze is part of our "American Seafood Adventure," where once a year the chefs and I bring recipes to you inspired from our travels and experiences across the United States.

The Maple Glaze is special to me because the recipe was inspired from my childhood. I am originally from Plattsburgh in upstate New York, right on the Vermont border. Every year when I was young and the sap started running from the trees, my parents would take my sister and me to local farms to get our seasonal stock of real maple syrup. From my dad's homemade pancakes to my mom's fried fresh bread dough, I have always loved the flavor of great fresh REAL maple syrup. My grandmothers even made homemade maple fudge, and a super sweet maple icing for their homemade birthday cakes. So maple syrup was not just a topping. It was a part of my childhood I will never forget.

So when I had the opportunity to use those memories to inspire a great fresh fish dish, Maple Glaze was born. Enjoy the recipe below, and remember, cooking great food is not just about the science of a recipe. It's about touching emotions and creating great experiences and memories. So have some fun with family and friends around the stove and at the table.

Good cooking. Please email us at chefsblog@redlobster.com or post to the blog any questions you have about preparing seafood or cooking ideas you'd like to share. Thanks for stopping by and seeing what's fresh today at Red Lobster.

Sweet Maple and Dried Cherry Glaze

2 cups Real Maple Syrup
3 TBSP Soy Sauce (Light if available)
1/4 cup Chopped dried Tart Cherries (usually found near dried fruits and raisins in the grocery store
1/2 Fresh lemon
1/4 to 1/2 cup White Sugar

Method
1. Combine syrup, soy sauce, and cherries in small sauce pot over medium heat.
2. Squeeze juice from half lemon in mixture and stir well.
3. Once mixture is heated, begin to add 1/4 cup of sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Taste glaze for sweetness. Different maple syrups will have different levels of sweetness, so it might be necessary to add additional sugar.
4. Once glaze is sweet enough, remove from heat and refrigerate. When completely cool, cover and store chilled.
5. Use at room temperature as glaze for grilled fresh fish.

A Seafood-Friendly Pantry

Hello it's Michael LaDuke and I'm back to talk about spicing up your kitchen cabinets. A seafood-friendly pantry gives you plenty of flavor profiles as you explore new ways to cook seafood.

First, be sure you have sea salt - it's the perfect marriage with fish - and freshly ground pepper. To keep the fresh flavor of dried spices, buy them whole and grind them in a coffee grinder just before cooking. (Chef Darryl keeps a separate grinder at home just for this because not everyone loves cumin-flavored coffee!)

Olive oil is a must for seafood. Extra virgin olive oil has the deepest flavor because it's from the olives' first press. If you're looking for oil with less flavor, use canola. Also, keep several favorite sauces in your pantry. I'm a big fan of Sweet Chili Sauce, found in the Asian specialty section of most markets. Its sweet flavor - with a spicy kick - is perfect for seafood.

Fresh citrus provides more great flavor. For an added flavor profile, grill a cut fresh lime or lemon and then squeeze it over your freshly grilled fish. Fresh basil is another natural for seafood. You might think of basil as an automatic pairing with Italian tomato sauces. But this naturally sweet herb enhances fresh fish and plays an important supporting role with spices such as garlic. I love fresh grouper brushed with butter and fresh basil. Add freshly grilled vegetables and you have a light, flavorful meal.

Finally, remember to keep your favorite white wine on hand. It keeps the fish happy - and the chef happy. That's all for now. Please post to the Chef's blog any questions or seafood suggestions you'd like to share. Thanks for joining us and come back soon to see what's fresh today at Red Lobster.

Summer Grilling Tips

Hello, Michael LaDuke here. I want to talk about grilling because as the end of summer approaches, folks are heading to the grill to cook now more than ever.

I recently visited Boston as a guest aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Seneca. The Seneca was just named "Best Galley" in the Coast Guard, and it was a real honor to share seafood tips with these young patriotic chefs. We talked about how the grill isn't just for burgers, hot dogs and steak. It's just as easy -- and a lot healthier -- to grill a great piece of fresh fish.

Try replacing burgers with a nice Grilled Salmon on a fresh Kaiser Roll with Chili-Spiked Mayonnaise. Turn hot dogs into Grilled Sweet Mustard Glazed Shrimp Skewers in a flour tortilla with fresh Pico de Gallo. And for the big event, replace steaks with a great Grilled Tuna with Blackberry BBQ Drizzle and Citrus Cole Slaw. You can find al these recipes in our Virtual Fresh Fish Cookbook on www.redlobster.com. A few tips when it comes to grilling seafood: First, keep the grill hot so your fish doesn't stick. And, remember, seafood cooks quickly, so keep on eye on it and don't overcook it.

That's all for now. Please email us at chefsblog@redlobster.com or post to the blog any questions you have about preparing seafood or cooking ideas you'd like to share. Thanks for stopping by and seeing what's fresh today at Red Lobster.

Welcome back to the Red Lobster Chef's Blog.

Welcome back to the Red Lobster Chef's Blog. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Darryl Mickler, the Executive Chef of Red Lobster. Darryl leads our team of world class chefs who create the great dishes you enjoy at your local restaurants, and I have had the privilege of working with Darryl for close to 15 years now.

Although Darryl and I have known each other for some time, and share the same passion for great food, we each bring different experiences and backgrounds to the kitchen, and this helps us as a team to develop a wide variety of fresh new dishes for our restaurants. Darryl is a student of food history and food science who combines classic culinary training with influences from his native Florida Gulf Coast (you'll love his Red Snapper Meuniere with Key Lime Butter).

Prior to joining Red Lobster Darryl was with Walt Disney World where he led numerous culinary teams in the resorts and parks, including opening Hong Kong Disneyland. Together we're creating Red Lobster's new Fresh Fish menu and all of the other great new dishes for you to enjoy.

Combining Darryl's and my experience and creativity not only allows us to produce more great food for you, but will also allow us to bring you more fun and informative facts on the Red Lobster Chefs Blog. From time to time Darryl will be checking in and answering your questions, giving us a glimpse of some of dishes in development, and also sharing his travels and experiences as well. As always, you can email us at chefsblog@redlobster.com or leave us a message below and we will do our best to answer as many questions as we can.

Thanks for stopping by the chef's blog. We look forward to seeing you back here soon. Don't forget to stop by your local restaurant and see what's fresh today at Red Lobster.

Hello and welcome to the Red Lobster Chef's blog.

My name is Michael LaDuke and I am the Senior Executive Chef at Red Lobster. In my role here, I get to design, develop and, most importantly, taste all the recipes that become the great, fresh seafood dishes you enjoy at your local restaurants.


That is not only the best job I have ever had, it is also the biggest! To get this done I have the privilege of working with a great team of chefs in The Red Lobster Culinary Center. This team combines over 100 years of experience from across the country and around the world, and you can learn about each member of our team here.

I am both proud and excited to introduce the new Red Lobster Chef’s Blog. I want to share with you what I have learned through the years when it comes to preparing great, fresh, healthy seafood. From buying fresh fish in your local market to serving great fresh seafood dishes, I will be providing tips, information and recipes to help inspire you to be a great seafood chef at home!

The Red Lobster Chef’s Blog will be three things: informative, fun and interactive! I, along with the Red Lobster Chef Team, want to share some of our culinary inspirations, and read some of yours. As I travel the country looking for new ideas and meeting new people, I will share these experiences with you in video casts, so you can see some of the “behind the scenes” work that goes into creating great, fresh dishes at Red Lobster. One of the first video casts will be of a recent trip to Boston where I had the pleasure of looking for great fresh seafood and lobster in Cape Cod, as well as cooking on the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca with some of their officers and Galley Crew.

So please email us with any questions or things you might like to see, and we will try to answer as many as possible in upcoming visits to the blog. Thank you for stopping by, and please come by your local restaurant to see what’s fresh today at Red Lobster.