Big Show’s Big Eats: Crab-topped grouper

Editor’s Note: Elite Series pro Terry Scroggins has long been known as a great cook. In this column, he’ll be sharing instruction on how to cook some of his favorite foods. See his other recipes for Pork tenderloinTequila chickenVenison kabobs, Mustard fried venisonBeer can chickenPeanut butter cup pieSmoked ribs with red pepper jellyShrimp-stuffed jalapeñosGrilled spaghetti.

There are so many great things about living in Florida, but one of the best is the availability of fresh seafood! There’s nothing better than being able to run down the road to Kyle’s Seafood and grab whatever seafood I’m hankering for. On this particular day, I went and grabbed some fresh grouper filets (you can find these at your local supermarket, too!), and then hopped down to my local supermarket for some crab stuffing (just about every supermarket with seafood should have some). Grilling grouper filets and topping them with crab is one of my absolute favorite seafood dishes to make. It will impress your dinner guests, and it’s so easy to do!

CRAB-TOPPED GROUPER

Ingredients: Grouper Filets, Crab Stuffing (3-4 ounces per filet), Seafood seasoning of choice.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Light your grill, and set a pizza stone on your grate. Then set another grate on top of the pizza stone. I use the pizza stone on my charcoal grill as a heat shield, but you can use any heat shield your grill is equipped with. This allows the filets to cook without direct contact to flames.  I then spray the grate with cooking spray (to keep the filets from sticking to the grill), and let it heat to 325 degrees.

Set your grouper on the grill and sprinkle your seasoning of choice. I use Seafood Magic by Chef Paul Prudhomme. Let each side of your Grouper cook for 9-10 minutes.

Flip your grouper over, and sprinkle with your seasoning.

Set your crab stuffing on top of the grouper and let cook for another 10-12 minutes. The Crab stuffing will spread across the meat and get a good “browned” look to it.

When done, remove your Crab-topped Grouper from the grill.

I serve my Crab-topped Grouper on a bed of rice, and garnish my plate with a few fresh jalapeños.

Terry Scroggins’ column, Big Show’s Big Eats, appears monthly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Twitter or Facebook.