Baked Fish Sandwiches with Modern Coleslaw

Hi!!!  *waving*  Do you remember me?  Well I’m back with a whole bunch of recipes to be posted and some fun stuff about the all the cool things I have been doing.  I need to pace myself though.  It’s been a while and I need to inch back in slowly…
To start I am giving you a recipe that has become one of our favorites.  So much so that in the past 2 weeks I have made it 2 time with different fish just to see how I liked it!  This recipe can also be made in about 30 minutes making it a real winner in my books!!!
My sister first made this for me when I was up in Toronto mid April for the girls Spring Break.  She got it from the LCBO Food & Drink Magazine.  Unfortunately we don’t get the magazine here in the US but we can get the recipes online.

Baked Fish Sandwiches with Modern Coleslaw (adapted from LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2011)
Serves 4
1 lb haddock or red snapper fillets, cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces (I used the frozen cod and tilapia from Costco and just used 4 pieces thawed.)
½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 large egg beaten with salt and pepper
½ cup dry plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
preheat oven to 425F

1.  Pat fish dry with paper towels. Dip fish in seasoned flour, shake off excess and dip fish in egg. Mix bread crumbs and parsley on a plate and coat fish. Reserve.

2.  Place fish on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown.  This should be about 10-20 minutes (I know that’s a huge range there but it will al depend on how thick you fish is).
3.  Serve the fish in a soft roll (I used the sandwich thins) with tartar sauce and modern coleslaw (recipe below) right on the roll.
Modern Coleslaw (adapted from LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2011)
2 cups slivered napa cabbage (I used regular cabbage)
1 cup julienned English cucumber (regular cucumber – English Cuke is about $2.50 here!!!)
1/2 cup slivered red onion
2 tbsp slivered basil (I used 1 tsp dried basil leaves) 
2 tbsp rice vinegar (I used seasoned rice vinegar) 
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine cabbage, cucumber, onion and basil in a large bowl. Sprinkle with rice vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of fish sandwich.

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Fish & Chips for #GoJunkFood

This month’s #GoJunkFood (a small twitter challenge) was chosen as Fish & Chips.  Truly this could not have come at a better time as I was craving me some beer battered and fried fish like you can’t even imagine and I was looking for an excuse, any excuse to make some.

Being from Canada which has a huge amount of British immigrants (my Mom being one!), we have a ton of Fish & Chip shops.  On of my fondest food memories from growing is the family going out and getting our Fish & Chips.  Usually we brought it home but we all went to the little shop and ordered our food and got it hot from the fryer wrapped up in unprinted newspaper.  I remember the smell of hot paper, grease (the good kind) and the fish in a very, very happy way…

Onto my Fish & Chips.  Now, I had to stay original with the fish because I really needed to satisfy my craving.  I did use cod this time.  Usually we use Grouper as it is a local fish but I wasn’t able to get any that I was happy with and there is no way I was paying for Halibut (my favorite fish for Fish & Chips) but I did put my own Southern spin on the chips.  I made Sweet Potato fries to highlight where I live now and the wonderful fall season!

Beer Battered Fish (this is the same batter I use for squash blossoms)

Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to at least 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of fish (thawed if frozen), I used cod but any firm white fish will do
2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for dredging
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup beer (I stole T.'s Yeungling for this one)
Coarse salt for finishing

Directions:

• While the oil is heating mix the batter ingredients until just combined. This batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.
• Dredge each piece of fish lightly in the plain flour and then dip into the batter and place gently in the oil. Do not crowd the fish in the oil, you may have to cook in batches. Cook turning once until a nice golden brown.
• Drain on a rack or paper towels and serve immediately

Double Fried Sweet Potato Fries (Ceramic Canvas)

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potatoes
Salt, to taste

Directions:

• Pour oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to reach halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat to 325 degrees F, use a deep fry thermometer to determine this.
• While the oil is heating, peel the potatoes (if you want to…I left the skin on) and cut into uniform sticks. Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of ice water to release some of the starch and to keep them from browning.
• Dry the potato strips thoroughly, this will keep the oil from splattering (very important step as the sweet potatoes seem to hold more water anyway). Fry them in batches so the pan isn’t crowded and the oil temperature doesn’t drop. Cook for 3 minutes until they are soft but not browned.
• Remove the potatoes with a long-handled metal strainer and drain on brown paper bags.
• Bring oil temperature up to 375 degrees F. Return the par-fried potatoes to the oil in batches and cook a second time for 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on fresh brown paper bags then place in a serving bowl lined with paper towels. Salt and serve immediately.

The Fish & Chips are part of the #GoJunkFood quest to take your every day bar food and put your own spin on it. Be sure to visit all of the other bloggers involved…

Elle at Elle’s New England kitchen
Paula at The Dragons Kitchen
Chris at Blog Well Done
Renee at Flamingo Musings

Thanks for letting me play guys and I can’t wait to see what next month brings!

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Oven Baked Fish Nuggets

I am always trying to feed my kids the healthiest things that I can.  Most week nights I have a ridiculously tigh schedule and sometimes we only have about 20 minutes for dinner.  On those nights they get leftover pizza or something but on the nights when I have a few more minutes I like to make these and they really love them.  Even if they do eat them with ranch dressing???

Oven Baked Fish Nuggets (inspired by Kalyn’s Kitchen)

Preheat oven to 450F

Ingredients:

1 lb of fish (cod, tilapia, halibut) filet, thawed if frozen
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
2 eggs, beaten with a splash of water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

• Cut your fish fillet so it is about ½ inch thick.  Then cut it into 1 inch wide pieces.  Pat them dry with a paper towel and set aside.
• Get out three large bowls.  Add in your flour, garlic powder and paprika to the first, the eggs and water to the second, and the breadcrumbs to the third.  Mix to combine all the ingredients in each bowl. 
• Spray a baking sheet with spray olive oil to cover. 
• Dip each fish nugget into the flour mixture.  Shake off excess flour and dip into the egg bowl.  Then dip into the bread crumbs and lay onto your baking sheet in a single layer.  Continue with the rest of your nuggets.  Give the fish a light spray of the olive oil spray and put into the oven. 
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until nicely browned.  
• Serve with tartar sauce or ketchup for dipping.

***The kids love fish stick night.  I have tried these using cod and tilapia.  Just about any firm white fish would do!

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Really fast Tilapia in Parchment…

Okay, I could have gotten really fancy there and told you that I made Tilapia en Papilotte, which I did but I really want you to try this and figure this title might not intimidate you and you could see how truly easy this recipe is!

I am submitting this recipe to Marye at The Restless Chipotle who is helping to change the way people think about fast food.  It DOES NOT need to come from a box to be fast food!  To see what she is trying to do and to check out all of the the wonderful entries from her last round of Real Food….. Real Quick up head to her site!

In total I think this took me about 5 minutes to pull together and that included going outside and cutting the herbs for it.

Tilapia in Parchment adapted from and inspired by Heart homecooked

4 Tilapia fillets
4 sprigs each of thyme, oregano (1 sprig of each for each pouch)
1/4 cup packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
8 slices of thinly sliced lemon, 2 for each pouch
4 tsp of butter, 1 tsp for each pouch
coarse salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Wash fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Place fillets on top of cut parchment paper (ehow.com and latimes.com have excellent "en papillote" step by step instructions) and top with butter, lemon wheel and herbs. Seal the pouch and cook for 10 minutes.

***you can skip the butter if you are watching your weight.  I added about 1 tsp of olive oil to mine instead of the butter and it is a 4 Point recipe based on a 6 oz. piece of fish.

 

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Tilapia with Cilantro and Lime

Loved this fish dish and yes I do eat my peas raw…

Cilantro and lime has proven to be one of my favorite flavor combinations. Something about the crispness and freshness of the two flavors together and how they bring something new out in each of them. This quick and easy recipe highlights all of the things I love and just shines on the tilapia!

I stumbled across this recipe but it was used on salmon and seeing as I didn't have any salmon on hand I rummaged through my freezer and came up with 4 tilapia filets. I try to always keep some on hand for a quick and easy week night meal. It worked out perfect for us this time and the tilapia went perfect with the herb and citrus and was on the table in less than 30 minutes. Now that’s my kind of meal!!!

Tilapia with Cilantro and Lime...adapted from One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 (6 to 8-oz.) Tilapia fillets (thawed if frozen)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:
1) Combine cilantro, oil, garlic and salt(do not add the lime juice. It will toughen up the fish). Set 2 tablespoons aside.

2) Pour remainder over fish in bowl. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Spray broiler rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place fish on rack. Brush with 1 tablespoon of marinade. Then broil 4 inches from heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fish is no longer translucent and flakes when touched with fork. Brush with remaining tablespoon marinade and top with the lime. Transfer to a serving platter.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Cilantro Lime Mahi Mahi

With mahi mahi on hand, I wanted something light and refreshing. Knowing my husband's love of cilantro, I went on to look for a marinade that had cilantro involved. I came across the following dressing and used that as a marinade to create the following dish...

Cilantro Lime Mahi Mahi
dressing recipe from AllRecipes

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil


Place the jalapeno pepper, garlic clove, and ginger into a food processor or blender; pulse until the jalapeno and garlic are finely chopped. Pour in the lime juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt, add the cilantro leaves; pulse a few times to blend. Turn the food processor or blender on, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt before serving.

Taking the above cilantro lime dressing recipe, I used it as a marinade for mahi mahi by allowing the mahi mahi to sit in the dressing for about 30 minutes. After marinating, I cooked the fillets on a grill pan until done and served them with pan roasted asparagus and chopped portobello mushrooms over steamed brown rice.

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Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

For this month's Wine & Dine event, my friend John prepared the following recipe. I love salmon and this was a great recipe for a marinade. He even used sake in the dish, making it a great pairing for our dinner!

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
recipe from Yahoo

4 salmon steaks (about 6 oz. each), skinned, or 1-1½ lbs fillet, skinned
1 1/4 cups soy sauce
1/3 cup sake, mirin, or sherry
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp minced or grated ginger root
1/3 cup vegetable oil
sliced green onions for garnish

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
To prepare the salmon: quickly rinse the salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
Divide each steak into 2 pieces by cutting along either side of the central bone and then discarding the bone; alternatively, cut the fillet into 8 equal pieces.
Place the salmon in a shallow glass or ceramic container and pour 1 cup of the marinade over the fish. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the fish occasionally.
Let come to room temperature before cooking. Prepare grill. Remove the salmon from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Place the fish on an oiled grill rack.
Position the fish 5 to 6 inches from the heat source, turning once and brushing with the reserved marinade several times, until the flesh is just opaque, 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
Serve the salmon at once with reserved marinade as dipping sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions. Makes 4 servings.

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White Balsamic Salmon Topped Salad

With the wonderful Chicago sunshine now making a slightly consistent appearance, I've been in the mood for salads. My favorite salad usually consist of fruit, nut and cheese. The only exception is if it's a salad topped with salmon. Salmon is one of my favorite fish and I especially like it over fresh greens without too many other ingredients to take away from it's flavor. Tonight, I made a salmon salad where I marinated the salmon in a white balsamic vinegar marinade.

I came across this white balsamic vinegar recipe and tweaked it slightly so the flavor was fairly subtle for my salad. I omitted the green onions and cilantro the original recipe called for. The result? Wonderfully seasoned salmon perfect with your favorite sides or on top of fresh spinach for a salad.

White Balsamic Salmon Topped Salad

marinade recipe adapted from AllRecipes

4 salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 cups baby spinach or preferred salad greens
sliced baby bella mushrooms
quartered cherry tomatoes
preferred salad dressing
(and any other salad toppings you prefer)

Season fillets with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Set aside in a baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, white balsamic vinegar, and sugar. Pour marinade over salmon; cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Arrange salmon on a broiling sheet. Place in a preheated oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Increase heat to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), turn fillets, and broil 5 minutes more.

Place salmon over bed of greens and top with your favorite salad toppings. Serve with your preferred salad dressing.

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Classic Ceviche

For this month's Chef Spotlight Dinner where we are highlighting Chef Rick Bayless, my friend Howard prepared this dish. This was an excellent ceviche where he used salmon.... so refreshing with a pretty pink color and perfect for the summer with an ice cold Corona!

Classic Ceviche
recipe from Rick Bayless

1 pound fresh, skinless snapper, bass, halibut, or other ocean fish fillets, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
1 medium white onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium-large tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
Fresh hot green chiles (2 to 3 serranos or 1 to 2 jalapenos), stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnish
1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives (manzanillos for a typical Mexican flavor)
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Salt
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice or 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
Tostadas, tortilla chips or saltine crackers, for serving

n a 1 1/2-quart glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. Use enough juice to cover the fish and allow it to float freely; too little juice means unevenly "cooked" fish. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, until a cube of fish no longer looks raw when broken open. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, olives and optional olive oil. Stir in the fish and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the orange juice or sugar. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Just before serving, gently stir in the diced avocado.

Make Ahead:
Working ahead: The fish may be marinated a day in advance; after about 4 hours, when the fish is "cooked," drain it so that it won’t become too tangy. For the freshest flavor, add the flavorings to the fish no more than a couple of hours before serving.

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Dinner Party Menu: Anna & Jeff (Sesame Soy Salmon)

To help break in my kitchen and get me back into entertaining mode, we had our dearest and closest family friends over - Anna & Jeff. I've known Anna since we were toddlers and Jeff since my freshman year in high school... and our friendship has spanned all these years. They recently set a date for their long awaited wedding and we wanted to celebrate that along with so many other blessings we had to share. For dinner, I prepared the following menu:

Cheese, Olive & Salami Platter
with crackers

Sesame Soy Salmon
with steamed brown rice & roasted asparagus

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
to celebrate Anna's belated birthday

Here is the recipe I used for the salmon, which I doubled to serve 4:

Sesame Soy Salmon
from MyRecipes.com

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh scallions

Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Brush half of soy mixture over salmon, and let sit 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat oils in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté salmon 3 to 4 minutes, turn, and brush with remaining soy mixture. Cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives.

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Crabmeat Stuffed Sole

I've been craving fish and tonight I prepared the following recipe which I found on Epicurious. It's a baked sole fillet stuffed with crab filling which I served with steamed brown rice and roasted asparagus. If you're not sure about fish and worry about the flavor, sole has a nice mild flavor, as does tilapia. Because it's mild, it makes for a nice canvas of other flavors like the crab and pepper just as in this recipe. The adaptations I made to the original recipe included using low fat sour cream in place of mayonnaise, green onion (instead of bell peppers) and using lemon zest and garlic in the stuffing (instead of preparing a separate breadcrumb topping).

Crabmeat Stuffed Sole
recipe adapted from Epicurious

For crab stuffing and fish:
1 cup crab meat (either jumbo lump or crabsticks, chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup finely sliced green onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 (4-oz) gray sole fillets
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 small garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Prepare stuffing and fish:
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Mix crab, mayonnaise, green onion, parsley, lemon zest and garlic; and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lay sole fillets flat with darker side up and season with salt and pepper. Divide stuffing among fillets, mounding on thicker half of each. Fold thinner half of fillet over stuffing, tucking end under to form a packet.

Arrange stuffed fillets on a baking sheet (I used my stoneware baking sheet) and bake in upper third of oven until just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

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Salmon & Fruit Spring Mix Salad

This week we're starting the Chinese New Year by changing our eating habits slightly. We decided to incorporate more meatless meals and seafood in our diet as my husband doesn't eat beef. Although it's not quite vegetarian, we're opting for pescetarian meals every other week. So you'll find some pescatarian & vegetarian friendly meals in my blog in the posts to come. You'll also notice that I'll be including Weight Watcher points in my recipe posts for those who may be following the Weight Watchers Program.

For lunch today, I made a filling salad with salmon. Salmon is one of my favorite types of fish since it works well with various marinades, especially those of Asian flavors. For my salad, I prepared a salmon fillet to place on a bed of spring mix lettuce greens. For color and sweetness, I added some fresh fruits which made it an even more filling and satisfying meal.

Salmon & Fruit Spring Mix Salad
serves 1

1/8 salmon fillet
cooking spray
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of dill seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cup spring mix lettuce greens
1/2 cup drained mandarian oranges
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 oz fresco Mexican crumbling cheese
2 tablespoons Asian sesame dressing


- Heat a small skillet over medium high heat.
- Season your fillet with salt, pepper and dill seasoning.
- Spray your skillet with cooking spray.
- Place seasoned fillet in the hot skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the fillet in the skillet.
- Top your lettuce with the cooked salmon.
- Sprinkle the oranges, strawberries and cheese around the fillet.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad.

Weight Watcher Points Value = 6 points


I've also submitted this recipe/post to Chefspiration's Healthy Choices Giveaway who's featuring healthy recipes. I chose to submit this recipe because it's not only colorful but combines a nice balance of fruit, vegetables and lean protein. Be sure to check out the upcoming round up on Chefspiration's blog!

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Poached Salmon

One of my favorite fish is salmon. I love the texture, meatiness and versatile way it carries flavors. My friend Yumi received a poacher over the holidays and took the opportunity to use it for this poached fish recipe. It was delicious!

Poached Fish (Salmon)
from Cooking Enthusiast

Poaching is a gentle cooking method, perfect for seafood, as it gives fish lots of moisture without masking its delicate flavor. Using a fish poacher makes poaching easier, as the rack allows you to pull the fish out of the hot liquid in one beautiful piece, while the poacher's shape allows you to use a minimum of liquid.

Making the court bouillon:
The traditional poaching liquid for fish, court bouillon is a broth made from simmering aromatic vegetables and herbs in water or stock, with the addition of lemon juice, vinegar or white wine.
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2" thick
1 stalk celery, sliced 1/2" thick
4 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 T coarse salt
10 whole peppercorns
1 cup white wine or 1/2 cup white wine vinegar or 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 quarts water, vegetable or chicken stock (unsalted or low sodium)
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Strain and cool. Refrigerate up to 3 days. Can be frozen up to 3 months.
Poaching the fish:

Use any firm-fleshed fish. Wipe the poacher rack with a little cooking oil to prevent the fish from sticking. Clean the fish. Leave head and tail on if desired. (See How to Clean and Fillet a Fish for more information on this step.)
Place the fish on the rack and set the rack in the bottom of the poacher. Ladle enough cooled court bouillon over fish to completely cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook the fish gently until done, 8 to 12 minutes. Check for doneness by making a small knife cut in the middle of the fish, parallel to the backbone. The flesh should pull away from the bone and no longer be translucent. When done, remove fish from poacher, allowing liquid to drain off. Remove the skin by cutting through it at the base of the head and peel down to the tail. Turn fish onto a serving platter and peel the skin off that side. Fish is now ready to serve. Horseradish Relish makes a wonderful compliment.

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Creamy Pasta with Salmon, Asparagus & Dill

Last year I scored the book, The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great, by Pam Anderson. I've used it as inspiration here and there but never really made an actual recipe from it. My Chef Spotlight Dinner served as the perfect time to use a recipe from it since we were highlighting health conscious chefs! For my dinner I prepared Pam's Creamy Pasta with Salmon, Asparagus & Dill.

Creamy Pasta with Salmon, Asparagus & Dill
recipe from Pam Anderson: The Perfect Recipe, page 208

Salt
1 pound dried pasta
3 cups asparagus, tough ends snapped, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup 2-percent evaporated milk
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for sprinkling
12 ounces cooked salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Ground black pepper
Bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using the time given on the package as a guide, cook, partially covered and stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until just tender. Add asparagus during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile, microwave broth, milk and garlic in a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup or small microwave-safe bowl until steamy-hot, 3 to 4 minutes; let stand for a couple of minutes.
Place butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over low heat. When butter melts, whisk in flour, then hot milk mixture all at once, whisking constantly until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in parmesan, salmon, lemon zest and dill. Add salt and black pepper to taste and simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.
Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.
Pour cream sauce over pasta, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Toss and serve immediately with a light sprinkling of parmesan.

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Grilled Lemon & Dill Salmon

One of my favorite fish is salmon because of the hearty texture and flavor. It's also a great fish that takes on both sweet and savory flavors really well. I prepared this dish for our Christmas Eve dinner and served it over a bed of fresh spinach with sliced almonds, crumbled goat cheese and a raspberry pomegranate vinaigrette. I loved this light salmon dish because it allowed me to use some of the fresh dill, thyme and parsley I have growing in my Aerogarden too!

Grilled Lemon & Herb Salmon
original Joelen recipe

2 salmon fillets
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoob chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Season salmon with salt & pepper.
In a baking dish, combine zest, juice, and herbs to create a marinade.
Place salmon in marinade for 20 minutes.
Heat grill pan and lightly coat with cooking spray.
When grill is hot, add salmon and cook until firm to touch.

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Steamed Lime & Cilantro Tilapia w/Dark Soy Sauce

One of my favorite fish dishes is from my Tita Cora. Tita Cora (aka 'Auntie' Cora, my husband's first Aunt) usually makes a steamed fish often for the holidays or just get togethers throughout the year. She uses various kinds of fish, but the flavors of lime, cilantro and ginger are always the same. Tita Cora is an amazing cook, as she should be since she had her own Filipino restaurant for many years.

This recipe is one inspired by my Tita Cora. I had some whole tilapia that have been scaled and gutted ready to use... so preparing similarly as Tita Cora was the first thing that came to mind. I don't know how often you cook or prepare whole fish as some folks don't feel comfortable with dishes that stare back at you. But having grown up around dishes that stare back at me, this is pretty normal to me and takes me back to my ethnic cooking roots.

Steamed Lime & Cilantro Tilapia w/Dark Soy Sauce
original Joelen recipe, inspired by Tita Cora

1/2 cube shrimp broth cube
1 thumb fresh ginger, sliced
2-3 cups water
1-2 small whole tilapia fish, gutted & scaled
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 lime, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil

- In a large bottom dutch oven or wok, add water, shrimp broth cube and sliced ginger.
- Place bamboo steamer on top of wok or metal collapsable steamer in your dutch oven.
- Season tilapia with salt & pepper on both sides. Place in steamer.
- Top tilapia with fresh cilantro.
- Place lime slices over the cilantro.
- Cover and let fish steam until done; 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and place on serving platter.
- While fish is on serving platter, in a small sauce pan, heat oil and soy sauce. Let it come to a boil to thicken and set aside.
- Pour mixture over fish and serve hot with rice.

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Citrus Flounder

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Aside from shrimp, I wanted to include fish on my menu. There is an abundance of seafood in Florida and the Caribbean so I chose on flounder. This is a flounder recipe where I used some citrus basil seasoning I had on hand... and to also capture how Florida is the citrus state.

Citrus Flounder
original Joelen recipe

2 lbs Flounder fillets
1 lemon, sliced
citrus basil seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour for dredging
egg wash
panko breadcrumbs


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a baking dish, place flour for dredging.
In another baking dish, place eggwash
In a third baking dish, place panko breadcrumbs.
Season flounder with citrus basil seasoning.
Dredge seasoned flounder in flour, then eggwash and finally in breadcrumbs to coat.
Place breaded flounder in single layer of a baking sheet.
Sprinkle with citrus seasoning blend and salt & pepper to taste.
Drizzle the top of the breaded fish with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until done.

Serve with lemon wedges and tropical salsa or finely diced fresh tropical fruits (pineapple, papaya, mangoes, etc).

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Carribbean Marinated Ahi Tuna Steaks

In my quest to make Carribbean inspired dishes, I came across this recipe of marinated ahi tuna. To add a twist of the tropics, I made a few substitutions... and it was delicious! Oh, and if you have any Florida and/or Carribbean inspired dishes you've made recently or in the past, I hope you consider submitting it to my Floribbean Holiday Party. The deadline is this weekend!

Carribbean Marinade Ahi Tuna Steaks
original Joelen recipe
inspired by this recipe from AllRecipes.com

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground crushed red pepper chili flakes
4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks

In a large non-reactive dish, mix together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice, parsley, garlic, cilantro, and crushed red pepper chili flakes. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn to coat.

Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat grill or grill pan for high heat.

Lightly oil grill grate. Cook the tuna steaks for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.

I served this with lime scented couscous & grill roasted sugar snap peas & grape tomatoes.

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Sauteed Herbed Salmon w/Creamy Leeks & Bacon

I have our second bedroom dedicated to my cook's library where I store all my cookbooks. It's such a great place because all of my the cooking & baking resources are at my fingertips. Sometimes surfing the web for recipes can be a bit mundane and I find pleasure in flipping through actual books. Tonight I decided to prepare a recipe from Rachel Ray's Express Meals cookbook. I'm not much of a Rachel Ray fan but I do love her creativeness in some of the dishes she has.

** I've also chosen to submit this recipe to the Bookmarked Recipes blogging event, hosted by Ruth's Kitchen Experiments every Monday. **

Super Herbed Sauteed Salmon with Creamy Leeks & Bacon

(a mouthful of the actual title in the book)
recipe is found on page 96 of Rachel Ray's Express Meals cookbook
(written as found in the book)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
3 large leeks, superdark green parts & roots discarded
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (eyeball it)
1 large pinch of red pepper flakes
salt & black pepper
3/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream
4 6oz portions salmon fillet, skin removed
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
crusty bread to pass at the table

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the EVOO once around the pan. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring, about 2 to 3 minutes. While the bacon is getting crisp, get the leeks ready.

To clean the leeks, cut each in half lengthwise, then thinly slice each half into half moons. Fill a large bowl with cold water, transfer the sliced leeks to the water and swoosh the leeks around in the water, and then let them sit without messing with them for a minute. Using your hands, skin the leeks from the water without disturbing the grunge that has settled to the bottom. Drain the leeks thoroughly, feeling them for grit. If you feel some, repeat the cleaning profess with a clean bowl of water. Don't forget to thoroughly wipe off your cutting board after chopping the leeks, otherwise the next thing you chop on the board will have sand and grit in it.

Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the skillet to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve. Don't wipe the skill out; there is lots of bacon flavor in there. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and add the leeks, half teh garlic, the thyme, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and cook, stirring occassionally for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and cook for 1 minute, then add the chicken stock and half and half or heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium low. Simmer the mixture for about 10 to 12 minutes, until tender and creamy.

While the leeks are cooking, start the salmon. Season the salmon on all sides with some salt & pepper. On a plate, combine the parsley, dill, the remaining garlic, and the lemon zest. Preheat a medium or large nonstick skillet over medium heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Once the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets herb side down. Cook the salmon about 2 to 3 minutes on the herb side, then turn the heat up to medium high, flip the salmon, and continue to sook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Add the reserved crispy bacon to the leeks and stir to continue. Divide the leeks among 4 serving plates. Top each pile of leeks with a portion of the salmon. Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze the juice over the fish. Service with some crusty bread on the side.

I served this with some goat cheese herbed mashed potatoes...

Goat Cheese Herbed Mashed Potatoes
original Joelen recipe

2 large yukon gold potatoes
2 oz. goat cheese
1/2 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 sprig fresh dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind
1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half, heated until warm

In a saucepan, add potatoes and cover with water. Boil potatoes until tender.
While potatoes are boiling, combine the goat cheese, parsley, dill and lemon rind in a bowl.
Mix everything in the bowl until fully combined.
Drain potatoes when tender and place back in sauce pan.
Add the goat cheese mixture and warmed cream/half & half to the potatoes.
Mash and stir until combined and slightly chunky.
You can add salt & pepper to taste, but I found it to be fine just from the saltiness of the goat cheese.

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Am I ever lucky to be living here!

Yah, I know I bitch like crazy about the horribly oppressive heat here, but I have to say that after 16 years here it's not that you get used to it (no one gets "used" to 90+ degrees every day) it's that you just learn how to best deal with it. Before I had kids I spent all summer inside. Either my car, my house or my place of work. With kids it's a bit harder but at least we have the pool and plenty of out door water type things to do. This is really not what this post is about so I'll get on with why I am so lucky to be living here...

Check this out!!!

Steamed clams with a garlic, herb sauce...It really doesn't get much fresher or better than this!!!

Yep...more of that great tasting corn!!!

We got these incredible looking clams from my favorite fish market Andy's Island Seafood. Click here to read my post about them! The fish is always excellent and this was no exception. We originally went in to get some fish for T. and I for dinner. The girls were having some friends in to sleep over and we would be ordering pizza for them but we knew that wasn't what we here eating. For our dinner we got 2 Hogfish. But my youngest daughter wanted some clams in the worst way. We left with Hogfish and clams!!!

I didn't get any good pictures of our Hogfish meal as I had a houseful of screaming little girls watching Disney's Camp Rock...It was true chaos!!!

Remember the teeth on the Mangrove Snapper? These are even worse!!!
Now check out the way it's jaw hinges!!! That is one scary fish!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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