Backfin Blue Cafe – Gulfport, FL

One of our Christmas presents this year from my parents was a stack of Creative Loafing deals to different local restaurants.  It was a really great gift idea because we’ve gotten a lot of free/cheap date nights out of them!  The only thing is you have to keep an eye on the expiration dates (usually you’ve got about a year until they expire, but some are only a few months…) 

Well last week we realized our Backfin Blue Cafe deal was set to expire, so we headed to Gulfport for dinner.  It’s a really laid-back town just west of St. Pete.  Usually when we go there, we’re by far the youngest people walking around (think most residents are retired…) 

The restaurant is in an old bungalow and the relaxed vibe makes it feel like you’re having dinner at somebody’s home.  Our table had reindeer salt and pepper shakers.  Being near the gulf, we decided to try out some seafood.  Lance ordered the Bacon Wrapped Basil Stuffed BBQ Shrimp and I had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi. 

Each was served with a simple house salad – then Lance had the mashed potatoes and I had the edamame salad with my entrée.  The coating on my fish was pretty generous – I definitely got my share of macadamias.  The edamame salad was pretty hearty – with chickpeas, corn, beans.  I couldn’t tell all the ingredients, but it was really tasty.  Lance’s mashed potatoes tasted homemade with some chunks and potato skins mixed in.  The shrimp was good, but the sweet BBQ sauce was a bit overpowering.  Overall, it was a great meal. 

We took a walk around town afterwards along the shore – most shops close up early, so there weren’t any open to wander through.  But we watched people fish off the pier and enjoyed the water views.  It’s not far from Tampa, but with the small-town atmosphere, it’s a nice getaway.    

Backfin Blue Cafe is located at 2913 Beach Blvd S, Gulfport, FL 33707.  They are open 4pm – 10pm Mondays, Wednedays – Saturdays, 4pm – 9pm on Sundays, and closed on Tuesdays. 

Lemon Mustard Chicken with Asparagus and Potatoes

This is a really easy dinner to throw together – all goes in one skillet.  I followed the original recipe from Damn Delicious, but next time, I’d cut up the chicken more and quarter the potatoes instead of halving them to make sure it all gets cooked through evenly – we had to put it in the oven awhile longer to finish. 

Lemon Mustard Chicken with Asparagus and Potatoes (adapted from Damn Delicious)

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ t dried thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 6 bone-in, skin-on thicken thighs (we already had boneless in our fridge, but I think bone-in would have turned out better…)
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 12 baby red potatoes, quartered
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.   

2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Rub onto both sides of the chicken. 

3. Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Set aside. 

4. Add quartered potatoes to the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place skillet in oven and bake 20 – 25 minutes, or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.  Add asparagus and chicken to the skillet. 

5.  Place in oven and roast until chicken is completely cooked through (with an internal temperature of 175 degrees F), about 30 more minutes.  The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken and size of your potatoes, so adjust accordingly.  

Steak Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa

 

Cherries are at their season peak right now here in Florida, so we bought a big bag of them last week.  Then, our neighbor Vimmi gave us even more since she was leaving town & had to clear out her fridge, so we had more cherries than we knew what to do with! 

This recipe was really easy and the salsa itself was amazing – the mix of sweet, tart, and spicy reminded me of this spicy cranberry cream cheese dip I made at Thanksgiving last year.  And the Trader Joe’s Habanero Lime tortilla shells were great – the bag said “medium hot”, but I’d really say they were just mild-medium…just a hint of spiciness.  I’d definitely make this meal again. 

Steak Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa (adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

Steak Ingredients:

• 1 pound sirloin tip steak
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 T Worchestershire sauce (I actually ran out the other day when we made meatloaf, so I omitted this ingredient…)
• 2 t. brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• ¼ t. red chili pepper flakes
• salt & pepper

Salsa Ingredients:

• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 T balsamic
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 t. honey
• 1 t. lime juice
• 2 cups cherries, pitted and cut in half
• salt and pepper

Rest of the ingredients:

• 1 onion, sliced thin (sweet onion would be better – we only had half a white onion)
• 1 T olive oil
• Pinch of sugar
• Flour tortillas (we used Habanero Lime from Trader Joe’s)
• Shredded cheddar cheese (pepperjack would have been good too)
• 1 t cilantro
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tomato

Directions:

1. Prepare the steak marinade.  In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic, Worchestershire, brown sugar, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, salt & pepper.  Season steak on both sides with salt & pepper, then place in a Ziploc bag with the marinade and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (it doesn't look very appetizing here, but I promise, it will be delicious!)

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cherry salsa.  In a food processor, combine basil, jalapeño, balsamic, garlic, honey, lime juice, salt, pepper, and half the cherries.  Process until nearly smooth.  Add the remaining cherries and pulse until chunky.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion slices, season with salt, pepper, and pinch of sugar, then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. 

4. Let steak sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Grill on high heat 2-3 minutes per side (we just used our George Foreman, which grilled both sides at once, so we didn’t have to flip the steaks…)  Let steak rest 5 minutes before slicing thin. 

5.  Heat your flour tortillas on a skillet to warm them until slightly toasty.  Assemble your tacos as you’d like & enjoy!