Surprise and impress family and friends this Homecoming with warm, delectable seafood dishes.

Seafood is an acquired taste and nothing but the finest wines should be enjoyed with it. I recommend pairing these seafood dishes with a supple white wine Moscato or the earthy blush of White Zinfandel.

Seafood Sambuca

What you need:

• Ice cubes
• 4 ounces fennel
• 4 ounces carrot
• 4 ounces celery
• 1 pound shrimp
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 12 ounces scallops
• Salt
• White pepper
• 4 ounces sambuca
• 12 ounces heavy cream

What to do:

1. Slice the fennel, carrots and celery into thin 1/8-inch stalks and butterfly the shrimp. To butterfly a shrimp, gently cut down the middle of its back but do not cut all the way through. This opens the shrimp and makes it easier to season and sauté.
2. Blanch the fennel, carrots and celery. To blanch vegetables, bring a pot of water with 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil and add the vegetables. When they have a soft but firm texture, immediately remove them from the boiling water and place them in a bowl of ice- cold water.
3. Sauté the shrimp in the butter over high heat until they are cooked.
4. Add the scallops and sauté for 30 more seconds.
5. Season the shellfish with salt and white pepper, then remove them from heat and reserve in a warm place.
6. Deglaze the pan with sambuca.
7. Add the cream. Boil and reduce the cream until the sauce thickens and stir constantly with a wooden spoon.
8. Add the vegetables, scallops and shrimp to the pan and simmer until the shellfish is cooked for two minutes. Be careful not to overcook the scallops or they will have a rubber-like texture and will be impossible to eat.
9. Serve the vegetables and shellfish on a warm plate.

Crabs in a Shell

What you need:

• 1 cup cooked flaked crab
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 green onions, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 24 large mushrooms
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Wash mushrooms well, remove stems and set caps aside.
3. Finely chop about half of the mushroom stems.
4. Mix the cream cheese, crab meat, chopped stems, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, basil, garlic powder, green onions and lemon pepper in the large bowl.
5. Fill mushroom caps with the crab mixture.
6. Spray a mini muffin baking tin with cooking spray.
7. Place each mushroom cap in one of the muffin cavities. This will prevent them from rolling around and spilling.
8. Combine the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses in a small mixing bowl.
9. Top each mushroom with the grated cheddar and Parmesan cheese.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes.