TAMPA, Fla. — What's better than fresh fish?

How about fresh fish with shrimp and crab? 

• Harpoon Harry's Crab House

Executive Chef Eric Lackey at downtown Tampa's new eatery Harpoon Harry's Crab House took time to introduce us to one of their popular dishes.

Gulf Blue Crab Rock Shrimp stuffed Hogfish.

Here's the recipe and directions: 

Stuffing Ingredients

½ pound rock shrimp (cooked and diced)

1 large egg

2 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup celery (diced finely, you'll need one stalk)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)

1 pound lump crab meat

½ cup panko bread crumbs

Canola oil for searing

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 ½ tablespoons pickle relish sweet

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon purple onion (minced)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, and then mix all wet ingredients in another bowl.

(You might notice duplicate ingredients –hold back a little mayo and mustard for desired taste and wetness of cake)

Fold in dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and then gently add shrimp and crab and form into a cake. 

(Chef uses his hands.)

Sear off cake, and keep warm while preparing fish.

Get whole cleaned hogfish filet and dredge in seasoned flour and pan sear.

Set cake on a bed of your favorite starch, then top with fish by wrapping it around cake.

(Chef uses a rice pilaf that has quinoa folded in it)

Surround or top with sauce.

(Use a cream sauce of your liking, chef uses a lobster cream sauce- recipe below.)

Use black caviar as a garnish if you like and some nice vegetables.

Lobster cream sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick) 

1/2 cup yellow onions (finely chopped) 

1/4 cup celery (finely chopped) 

1/4 cup carrots (finely chopped) 

2 tablespoons shallots (minced) 

1 tablespoon garlic (minced) 

2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup cognac (or other brandy) 

Reserved shells from 1 to 1 1/2 pound lobsters 

4 cups shrimp stock (or canned low-sodium chicken broth) 

3 tablespoons tomato paste 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

1/8 teaspoon cayenne 

1 cup heavy cream 

Heat the oil, and melt the butter in a medium-heavy stockpot over medium-high heat.

Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook until soft--about 4 minutes.

Add the shallots and garlic, and cook until softened--about 2 minutes.

Stir in the flour and continue to stir until the mixture is a light blond color, about 2 minutes.

Add the cognac or brandy, and stir for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release browned bits.

Add the lobster shells, then stir in the shrimp stock.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the tomato paste, salt, paprika, and cayenne. 

Simmer uncovered, stirring often until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 1 hour.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium saucepan.

Add the cream and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer briskly until reduced to about 3 cups--about 15 minutes.

Use warm. (The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.)

Use with or as a finishing sauce for seafood.