The Culinary Face of Casa Marina Inn

Meet Chef Aaron Webb, Executive Chef of Casa Marina Inn,  in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.  Chef Aaron, who has been with Casa Marina for nine years, was formerly with The Tavern at Phipps in Atlanta.  Here he shares some of his signature recipes of the Inn's area-famous Champagne Brunch that features over 30 dishes, and serves between 150-200 guests every Sunday.

Red Snapper a la Casa Marina Recipe

Ingredients:

1 - 5 to 7 pound whole Red Snapper

olive oil

salt

pepper

garlic powder

other favorite spice(s)  e.g. lemon pepper, cumin, etc. 

Preparation:

Scale and de-gill whole Snapper, scaled & de-gilled, leaving on tail and head.

Gently score the fish long way and cross ways with a sharp knife (forming large diamonds). Do not cut through the center bone.

Pour or brush olive oil in between scored crevices.  Season the scored crevices with salt, pepper, garlic powder and your choice of spices. 

Create a large ball of silver foil and stuff into the open base cavity of the snapper so that it will stand up firmly on an oiled cookie sheet. Cook at 325 degrees for 45 minutes; rotate fish then check in another 20 minutes for doneness.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

Serves 8-10 

Creamy Coastal Seafood Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup olive or vegetable oil

1 pound peeled deveined 21-25 count shrimp

1 pound of large scallops

1 pound diced filet of white fish (grouper, snapper, etc)

1 pound spiny lobster tail- uncooked and removed from tail, diced

6 vine ripe tomatoes, diced

2 Bermuda onions, julienned

1 roasted red pepper, cleaned and diced

¼ pound basil-leaves, picked and rough chopped

2 quarts heavy cream

½ Cup chopped fresh garlic

One bottle (650ml) chardonnay

Kosher salt

6 bunches curly parsley, washed, dried and finely chopped

3 lbs pasta (consider penne, cheese tortellini, cheese ravioli) ~ cooked al dente (just under cooked).This  keeps its texture and firmness while resting in the seafood sauce.

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, cover the whole surface area with a mild olive oil or vegetable oil.  Heat on high until almost smoking.

Put all seafood in the hot pan. Sauté until cooked on one side and turn all seafood over.

Add garlic, onions and tomatoes on top of seafood. Cook for about 8 minutes. Stir ingredients and add wine. Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes – to cook out alcohol.

Add basil, red pepper and heavy cream. Add roughly a small handful of kosher salt TO TASTE.

Simmer on medium heat to reduce by a quarter of original amount.

Add pasta and stir in chopped parsley. 

Serves 8-10

Chocolate Bourbon Bread Pudding Recipe

Ingredients: 

16 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 vanilla beans

1qt. heavy whipping cream

Plain white bread (baguettes)

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 cup bourbon 

8oz whole unsalted butter

Preparation: 

Combine yolks, sugar, seeded vanilla beans, and cream in a whisking 

bowl and whisk until mixed well.

Grease baking pan or casserole with butter.

Dice bread in 3/4 in. cubes and fill pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of bread.

Pour liquid mixture over bread and work well until absorbed.

Set pan in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight to macerate.

Preheat oven to 350, cover pan with aluminum foil and bake 45min-1hr 

until it reaches a cake like consistency.

Bourbon sauce

On medium heat in a sauce pan, dissolve brown sugar in bourbon. Be 

careful, bourbon may flambé. When sugar is dissolved, take off heat and whisk in remaining butter.

Drizzle over top of Bread Pudding.

Serves 10