This was quick and healthy. It's similar to a tomatillo salsa. We really enjoyed it. I will say the recipe makes a lot of salsa so unless you want to eat it with chips you should at least halve the recipe.
Instead of broiling the fish we put it on the grill to give it more flavor.
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit, Aug 2010 HERE.
This was billed as a 15 minute salad on the cover of BA magazine. Mine took a bit longer as I only had raw shrimp on hand but it was still pretty quick.
It was good but the dressing was a bit on the sweet side for my taste. I did like the mango, shrimp, avocado combo in a hot summer day. I'll try it again with a different dressing.
Recipe HERE.
This isn't a great picture of a fantastic dinner. I LOVE fish tacos and have made a few variations but this recipe is by far my favorite! I didn't add the taco garnishes the recipe suggested. We just stuck to the slaw and it was perfect. If I were to add anything it would be avocado.
Grilled Fish Tacos
The recipe is courtesy of Eating Well May/June 2010
6 servings, 2 tacos each | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes
This is a very refreshing summer salad that takes very little effort. The only cooking required is boiling the shrimp. I use Rick Bayless's method and simmer the juice and rind of one lime in water in a covered pan for 10 minutes, then add the shrimp. It gives it a lot more flavor.
One item that's a challenge to find is celery leaves. Seems the stores like to trim them off which is a shame because they really are a good addition to salads and stocks.
This dressing would also be great as a dip for vegetables.
Recipe courtesy of The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift
Crispy Cucumber Shrimp in Retro Goddess Dressing
Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a first course
Dressing
2 tight packed tablespoons of fresh tarragon leaves
3 large whole scallions
1 tight packed tablespoon of fresh parsley leaves
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Asian Fish Sauce
1 tsp dark spicy mustard
1 tbs white wine or cider vinegar
1 ripe Haas avocado
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Kewpie-it's Japanese and fantastic!)Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Combine everything in a food processor and blend till smooth.
Salad
8 oz cooked shrimp
1 medium cuke, peeled seeded and cut into pieces(I didn't peel or seed)
1 medium head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
1-2 tight packed tablespoons of celery leaves chopped.
Combine salad ingredients and toss with dressing.
Before I went on vacation I received a HUGE box from Nature's Pride Bread full of their new buns and rolls. I buy their bread so I was excited to get these. They aren't in my local grocery store yet but hopefully that will change. I think it's hard to find buns and rolls in the regular grocery store that don't have chemicals and the ones at the natural foods stores can be pretty expensive.
I used the Country White Deli Rolls for Eating Well's Crispy Fish Sandwich with Pineapple Slaw. We really liked this although my fish wasn't crispy. I don't own a non-stick skillet and the coating stuck to my oiled All-Clad. Other than that, Jim's only comment was the fish was pretty spicy without the slaw(I also may have overseasoned). I made my own Cajun seasoning since I don't cook a lot of Cajun and had all the individual spices on hand.
This is our second recipe from Steven Raichlen's Planet Barbeque
We loved this! With the sauce the flavors popped into a party in your mouth. Hot salty sour and sweet! I thought it required less cooking on our charcoal grill but on a gas grill 5-7 minutes is about right.
I served it with brown rice and baby bok choy stir fried in sesame oil with garlic and soy sauce.
Herb Paste
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and cut crosswise in 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup lightly packed Thai basil leaves
2 cloves garlic peeled and halved
1 tbs chopped corriander root or 2 tbs coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
1-2 Thai chiles or serrano peppers, chopped
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
2 tbs Asian(dark) sesame oil
Place the lemongrass through the salt in a mortar and pestle and pound into a paste. Work in the sesame oil. If you don't have a mortar and pestle use your food processor.
For the Fish
4 banana leaves cut in 8x8 squares(you can also use foil but it's not as fun)
2 firm white fish fillets
Honey Lime Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce or soy sauce (I used fish sauce)
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 Thai chili chopped
Mix everything
1. Prepare the herb paste and spread a spoonful on the banana leaf(to soften the leaf heat it over a burner for 15-30 minutes). Place fish on paste and spread another spoonful on top of fish. Fold banana leaf like you fold a burrito and secure with butcher string or a toothpick. Marinate 20 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Prepare a grill for direct heat on high
3. Grill fish packets 5-7 minutes on each side. To check for done-ness insert a metal skewer through the packet and let sit for 15 seconds
4. Serve the fish with the dipping sauce. Cut the string, open and enjoy.
This is fantastic even without the sardines! And healthy. I used the sardines since I've overcome my ambivalence. I actually like them now. I do prefer Crown Prince Brisling 
I marinated the stinkers in the dressing while I was chopping the vegetables. And I used grape tomatoes because regular tomatoes are gross when they're out of season. The salad was great in a pita or you could serve it on a bed of greens. Or just eat it as it is.
Recipe courtesy of Eating Well Magazine
The fresh, tangy elements of a Greek salad—tomato, cucumber, feta, olives and lemony vinaigrette—pair well with rich-tasting sardines. Look for sardines with skin and bones (which are edible) as they have more than four times the amount of calcium as skinless, boneless sardines. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh sardines available in your supermarket, try them in place of the canned sardines. Lightly dredge them in salt-and-pepper-seasoned flour and sauté them in a little olive oil. Serve with: Warm pita bread and a cold beer.
Bertolli was kind enough to send me two jars of their newest sauces, Four Cheese Rosa and Arrabiata. The Four Cheese Rosa is an alfredo with tomatoes and the Arrabiata is a spicy tomato sauce.
They came in some mighty fancy packaging with recipes!
Hmmm what to make first...
I got this recipe from Runner's World magazine of all places. They had a profile on Mark Bittman and he provided some healthy recipes. I'm trying another tomorrow.
I'm training for a 10K and just happened to pick up the magazine and boy was I ever glad I did. It's an excellent issue.
And this recipe was SO good! A DEFINITE repeater!!! My picture isn't pretty So I may take another tomorrow.
For those of you who have tofu troubles this is what I've learned. Buy extra firm and pat it dry when you take it out of the package. Then place some paper towels on a plate and place the tofu on the towels. Put a couple of towels on top of the tofu followed by a plate and a skillet or a can of vegetables or whatever. Let drain for at least 20 minutes.
Tofu is like a sponge and you have to get the water out so it can absorb whatever flavors you're adding.
I also used reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms for this dish. You can buy giant bags pretty cheap at the Asian grocery store.
The recipe is HERE.
Mom sent me some new cookbooks for my birthday and one of them is The New Portuguese Table by David Leite.
I love the pictures and the recipes look like they're right up my alley! I knew I had to make something from it right away.
It's out of character for me to choose this recipe because I have never liked the taste of fennel, black licorice and anise. My mom used to buy Blackjack gum because she knew my brother and I would never take it.
I've been trying to get over some food phobias and I've never had fennel bulb-just seed. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. But I will continue to try recipes with fennel in the future.
I did, however, like the fish very much!
Sea Bass with Fennel and Orange
Robalo com funcho e laranja
3 oranges
1/2 small bulb of fennel, stalks removed, cored and sliced thin
1 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbs cold water
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 6oz sea bass fillets
2 tbs oil (I used less)
1 small tomato peeled seeded and diced(I used canned)
Juice 2 oranges so you have 1/2 cup juice. Peel, segment and remove the membranes from other 2 oranges.
Combine orange juice and chicken broth in small sauce pan. Boil till reduced to 1 cup. Add fennel slices and cornstarch mixture and boil for another minute. Remove from heat.
Heat oil in non stick skillet over med-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and sear, pressing sown with spatula to prevent curling, until crispy. Flip and cook till opaque in the center.
Add tomato and orange segments to warm broth mixture and arrange over fish.
Xuxu is just another name for chayote squash but xuxu is way more fun to say.
If you haven't had chayote it doesn't have a squash consistency but has the texture of a pear and a very mild flavor. I like it raw in salads.
Stir fried with the chile lemon sauce shrimp and cilantro makes xuxu great! This dish is so easy and so healthy. It tastes very fresh. Except for the chayote I always have the ingredients on hand. Guess I'll have to start buying chayote and put this on a regular rotation.
Recipe from Gourmet magazine, Sept 2009 is HERE.
When I saw this in the September, 2009 issue of Bon Appetit I had to make it ASAP. My oh my is it ever good! We grilled the mahi instead of searing it. It really doesn't make a difference in the final product. I think this would be great with tilapia, halibut, scallops and even shrimp.
I'm definitely keeping the sauce recipe handy for more dishes. I bought white balsamic at Trader Joes because it was cheap but you could definitely substitute white wine vinegar.
Recipe HERE
I want to eat this ALL THE TIME!! It is so tasty and fairly easy. Don't be alarmed by the amount of Chile powder. Your dish will not be that spicy.
I used frozen shelled shrimp which was fine, but made a big mess while shelling. Think red splatter. Next time I'll thaw and shell my shrimp and brine in the refrigerator.
The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Splendid Table's How to Cook Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift. I put it on a bed of jasmine rice and served steamed broccoli on the side.
Plumped Ginger-Caramel Shrimp
Serves 4
Brine
1/2 cup kosher or sea salt (not iodized)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup medium hot chile powder (I used Penzey's Hot and it was tame)
2 qts warm water
1 1/2 lbs frozen shrimp in or out of shells
Saute
4 large garlic cloves
One 4-inch piece fresh peeled ginger(I used bottled and eyeballed it)
4 tbs canola oil(I used vegetable oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp fesh ground pepper
salt
4 tsp sugar
In a large glass bowl combine brine ingredients and add shrimp. Let brine at room temp while setting up the rest of the meal.
Drain shrimp and peel. Pat dry.
Chop garlic and ginger together in 1/8 in pieces.
Heat oil in 12 inch saute pan with straight sides. Add garlic-ginger mixture pepper and a sprinkle of salt Cook for 1 minute stirring with a wooden spatula. blend in sugar and cook until garlic is golden but not brown.
Add shrimp and stir till done. Turn out into a bowl. Taste for seasoning and adjust if you like.
Golden mole sauce doesn't photograph so well on a gold plate but that's what my boyfriend owns.
It was very good despite a mishap where I discovered he does not store the blade to his blender in the blender. Yeah I didn't look before pouring but luckily it only took a moment to notice broth pouring out the back of the blender so it wasn't a total disaster.
The recipe comes from Fish and Shellfish Grilled and Smoked by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig, which I've featured here before. I've made quite a few things from this book and haven't had a failure yet. If you like fish you need this book!
I served it with my standard light refried black beans. Just sautee a little garlic and red onion, dump in a can of black beans with the liquid and any seasoning you desire(I use cumin salt and pepper). Simmer and smash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a fork. I finish with lime juice and cilantro.
Here's the recipe for the fish. I made the salsa ahead of time and brought it to room temp before serving.
Grilled Halibut with Golden Mole Sauce, Salsa Fresca
Golden Mole Sauce:
3 tbs corn oil
1/3 cup shelled, roasted, salted, sunflower seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 yellow bell peppers seeded and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt
Heat oil in a large saucepanover medium high heat and add sunflower seeds through cinnamon. Sautee until onion is translucent 5-7 minutes. Add chicken broth. Taste and add salt as needed. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Keep warm until ready to use.
Salsa Fresca
Juice of one large lime
4 large ripe Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
3 Tbs olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Mix all of the above.
Fish
4 6-8 oz halibut filets
olive oil
salt and pepper
Brush fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a well oiled grill basket and grill over a hot fire until fish is opaque and beginning to flake when tested with a fork, about 4-6 minutes each side.
Serve fish on top of mole and topped with salsa.
Can also be made with other firm white fish.
Yeah I know I tagged this as vegan/vegetarian but read on.....
I confess I'm not a huge fan of green salads. I eat plenty of them, but I usually start with all the additions and nibble at the greens.
I bought a Mr Bento Lunch Jar and have been searching for tasty grain, noodle and bean salads for the main course container.
This recipe seemed right up my alley. It comes from Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I did replace the tofu with shrimp because I didn't want to bake. I used water instead of sake and skipped the extra sugar. And i used short grain brown rice.
It is really good and mild compared to the spicy dishes I usually eat. i'm thinking it would be a bitbolder with the sake. Next time.
Japanese-Style Rice Salad
MARK BITTMAN
Time: 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of rice
Yield: 4 to 8 servings.
1 1/2 to 2 cups short-grain brown or white rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallion
1 small or 1/2 large red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped or shredded celery
1/4 cup finely chopped or shredded carrot
1 cup firm tofu, preferably baked, optional
6 tablespoons miso paste
3/4 cup warm water or sake
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon mirin or honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or more to taste
2 sheets of nori, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds, toasted.
1. Cook rice in abundant salted water, as you would pasta, until it's just done; white rice will take 10 to 15 minutes, brown 30 or a little longer. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, then combine with vegetables and tofu in a large bowl.
2. Put black pepper, miso, water or sake, sugar, mirin or honey, and vinegar in a small bowl, and whisk together. Taste, and add more vinegar and a pinch of salt, if needed.
3. Combine rice mixture with miso dressing with 2 big forks, fluffing rice and tossing gently to separate grains.
4. Crumble nori over salad and sprinkle with sesame seeds, taste, and adjust seasoning or moisten with a little more dressing. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day, bringing salad back to room temperature before serving.
It's 115 degrees outside and I do not want to cook ANYTHING! When it gets like this I graze. Or make gazpacho.
But for the sake of the blog I managed to get my butt outside and grill some fish. I bought a large bag of cherries on sale and I have a bad habit of letting large amounts of produce go bad before I can consume it. I hate wasting food which is why I try to buy in small quantities.
This dish was definitely worth the trip outside to Hades. I'm not a dessert person so I was excited to find a savory cherry recipe. I even liked the fish with just the rub and no salsa.
I have leftover salsa and will probably use it on halibut or chicken over the weekend.
I first saw the recipe on my buddy Joe's blog, Culinary in the Desert, but the original recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, June 2008.
It's a pretty dish too isn't it?
We just got back from an Alaskan cruise (Holland America Line) and had a fantastic time. Even if you think you are not a "cruise person" I encourage you to try it. You will not be disappointed.
There was plenty of halibut and salmon on the ship but my boyfriend ate no halibut and had salmon only once. So I decided since it's in season I'd do halibut since he missed out.
I've had chimichurri on steak many times but never on fish. Yum! It's a great compliment. I need to buy more halibut too as it's so good on the grill!
I highly recommend the chimichurri recipe I blogged about HERE.
