Being based in Florida, we here at Quikstone Capital Solutions have a few dishes we’re really fond of and love ordering at our local restaurants. Restaurant owners are best served using local ingredients as they provide freshness and familiarity to their menu. Here are few Florida favorites to inspire you to keep your restaurant menu fresh.
Smoked Fish Dip
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flaked smoked whitefish
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
4 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 pinch Old Bay Seasoning
4 drops hot pepper sauce, or to taste
3 drops Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
3 drops liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
cracked black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Place whitefish, mayonnaise, and sour cream in the bowl of a food processor.
Season with Old Bay (Tm) seasoning, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and cracked black pepper.
Blend all ingredients until consistency reaches a spread.
Florida Shrimp and Clams over Rice
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound large Florida shrimp, peeled and deveined
20 Florida middleneck clams, cleaned
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
2 Florida tomatoes, diced small
2 Florida bell peppers, seeded and chopped (your favorite color)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ stick butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon seasoning blend (blackened, seafood or your favorite)
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 package yellow or Spanish rice
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare rice mix as directed on package.
Preheat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Add onion, peppers, garlic and sausage.
Cook ingredients until slightly caramelized, about 4 minutes.
Add shrimp, clams and seasoning blend.
Stir ingredients and cover.
Cook ingredients until shrimp are almost cooked throughout and clams have started to open, about 4 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes and butter.
Stir ingredients to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked rice.
Garnish with chopped parsley.
Alligator Fingers
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds alligator meat, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
Optional dipping sauce:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
Place alligator meat in a medium bowl, and mix with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate about 10 minutes.
Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch, and heat over a medium-high flame. Add to a large resealable bag the flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
Squeeze off excess liquid from meat, and add one handful of meat to the resealable bag. Shake to coat. Remove meat, shake off excess flour, and set on a plate. Repeat with remaining meat.
When oil is hot, place meat pieces into oil, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove to paper towels, and serve hot.
To prepare dipping sauce, mix together in a small bowl the mayonnaise, horseradish, brown mustard, and red wine vinegar.
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