Fishing Friend

A co-worker of my brother's recently went on a deep sea fishing excursion and gifted my little brother with some of his catch from the trip.  Since my brother doesn't cook, we ended up as the lucky recipients.  I wanted to find a great recipe to use the fish in and I thought this one sounded very unique.  The cumin and the chipotle were both very potent flavors, and although this preparation was tasty I think it would have benefited a less fresh fish.  The red snapper we were given was so fresh that we should have done something more simple with the filets that would have highlighted the freshness.  I would definitely make this recipe again using store bought fish though.  It was very tasty and super easy!

Baked Red Snapper with Chipotle Butter
Adapted from Cooking Light May 2003

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) red snapper filets
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely minced
• Lemon wedges

Preparation

1.  Clean the fish and cut into filets. (This was partially done by the fishermen and finished by my husband.  Forrest said it would have been a lot easier had he not had been using a bread knife!)



2.  Preheat oven to 400°.

3.  Combine first 4 ingredients;



sprinkle evenly over fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

4.  While fish bakes, combine butter and chile.



Spread butter mixture evenly over fish. Serve with lemon wedges.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Forgotten Fish

Salmon was an ingredient I cooked with more often when we lived in D.C. and I couldn't get my beloved crawfish and oysters as easily as I could in New Orleans. We have been back home almost two years now and I haven't tired of the accessibility of the succulent seafood of this region. I have been making recipes showcasing crawfish, oysters, crab and shrimp on a regular basis. But just because I have been neglecting Salmon for the more obvious choices, doesn't take away from the fact that both Forrest and I really like Salmon and its delicious flavor. I decided this recipe was a fun way to reintroduce the pink pesce back into our diets.

Salmon Croquettes
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2010

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, divided
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 (6-ounce) packages skinless, boneless pink salmon ( I used Cajun smoked salmon)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and next 7 ingredients (through egg),

stirring well.

Add panko; toss. Shape mixture into 8 (3-inch) patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

Combine remaining mayonnaise, juice, and mustard with parsley, capers, garlic, and salt, stirring well.

Top the cooked croquettes with the mayo mixture and serve.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Happy 300th Post

This is my 300th post on this blog. I can't believe I have that many recipes behind me. I have learned so much and ate A LOT. What a wild and exciting ride! I still have the emotional scars from some of the tougher recipes and can make my mouth water at the simple thought of others. I can't wait to get into my new kitchen and start the second chapter of this blog as a homeowner in her own custom designed kitchen! Watch out.

Baja Fish Taco Recipe
Adapted from Cooking Light December 2002

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 pound mahimahi or other firm whitefish fillets (I used catfish)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups presliced green cabbage
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
  
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2 ears of grilled corn on the cob, kernels removed from cob
  
• 8 lime wedges

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Brush mixture on fish using a pastry brush or a fork.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; sautê 5 minutes or until fish is done.

Cut fish into finger size pieces.

Combine chipotle powder, black pepper and sour cream in a medium bowl.

Add the cabbage and onions

and combine.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/4 cup cabbage mixture down center of each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas - top with corn; fold in half. Serve with lime wedges.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Catfish Dilly Days

When I was a young girl my Grannie always took my little brother and me to Piccadilly. No, not the major street in London, but the chain of cafeteria style restaurants found primarily in the South. It was my favorite place to dine with her and I got the same exact meal every time - The Catfish Dilly with macaroni and cheese, French fries, and the soft roll. Very balanced, right?

Later in life, even after Grannie had passed I found another partner to dine at Piccadilly with on a regular basis. After college, my old college roommate and I were in Grad school at different Universities and we wanted to find a way to keep in touch and stay current on each others lives. Lauren and I met every Tuesday at Piccadilly for lunch. Even though several years had passed and my palate had definitely matured, I still got the same meal from my childhood - The Catfish Dilly with macaroni and cheese, French fries, and a soft roll. What can I say? I like nostalgia, or maybe I just LOVE catfish. This recipe had a very similar crust to the Piccadilly catfish and I couldn't help but think of all the special meals I had at the caloric cafeteria with those two special people in my life.

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Catfish
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2010

Ingredients:

Catfish:

• 8 cups peanut oil
• 6 (6-ounce) catfish fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

1. To prepare catfish, clip a candy/fry thermometer to a Dutch oven; add oil to pan. Heat oil to 385°.

2. Sprinkle fillets evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place 4.5 ounces (1 cup) flour in a shallow dish. Combine remaining 4.5 ounces (1 cup) flour, cornmeal, cayenne and black pepper in a shallow dish. Combine 2 cups buttermilk and 2 eggs in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour;

dip in buttermilk mixture.

Dredge in cornmeal mixture; shake off excess breading.

Place 2 fillets in hot oil; cook 5 minutes or until done, turning occasionally.

Make sure oil temperature does not drop below 375°. Remove fillets from pan using a slotted spoon or spider; drain on paper towels. Return oil temperature to 385°. Repeat procedure twice with remaining fillets.

3. Serve filets hot with lemon wedges.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

You can tune a piano, but you can't tune a fish!

This week my husband told me he wanted tuna salad. I wasn't sure of precisely what kind of tuna salad he wanted. And knowing my unfancy, unpretentious husband it was probably a tuna salad that started with the opening of a can of Chicken of the Sea. But since he didn't specify, I decided to make a really special tuna salad. I didn't ever ask him to elaborate on what he was requesting, but he was elated with what I served. He said this tuna salad was amazing and he ate it atop a bed of baby spinach every night this week for dinner.

Tuna Salad
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients nocoupons

• 2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes, zest grated
• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
• 1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side.

Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce.

Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well.

Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Happy Appi

These little appetizers were extremely yummy, really pretty and fun to make. I love the mix of colors and combination of textures in this tiny treat. Give them a try - you won't be sorry!

Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche
Adapted from William Sonoma

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups white or yellow corn kernels (from
  about 2 ears)
• 1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup peanut oil, or as needed
• 16 small slices smoked salmon
• 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
  
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

Directions

Place the corn kernels in a food processor. Using on-off pulses, pulse just until a coarse puree forms. Do not overprocess.

Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the cornmeal and flour until smoothly incorporated.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter and eggs

until blended. Add to the corn mixture and stir to combine.

Stir in the salt and pepper. (The batter may be prepared up to a few hours before cooking; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.)

Place a large nonstick or well-seasoned griddle or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, brush with the peanut oil. Using about 2 Tbs. batter for each cake, ladle the batter onto the hot surface and spread to form cakes about 3 inches in diameter.

The batter should sizzle when it hits the pan. Cook until golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Then turn and cook until the other side is golden and the center is set, about 2 minutes more.

Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 150 degree oven until all the cakes are cooked.

To serve, place 2 corn cakes on each warmed individual plate. Top each corn cake with 2 slices of smoked salmon, a generous drizzle of crème fraîche and a sprinkling of chives. Serve immediately.

Nesting

I know I have been neglecting my blog. The truth is that life has given me a swift punch in the stomach recently. Things have been so crazy around here. Our landlord called and said he needed to break our lease because his wife was pregnant and they needed to move back into our condo before she was due. I didn't want anything to do with a pregnant lady living in a cardboard box so we quickly started looking for a new place to live. A couple days into the search my mom landed in the hospital. She is OK, but it was quite a scare nonetheless. Shortly after that drama we had to travel out of town for my little brother's college graduation, then my sister came in town for work and stayed with us and now Forrest is headed out of town for his little brother's college graduation. I will move as much as I can over the weekend in his absence and when he returns we will hustle to get the big heavy furniture out of the house utilizing the muscles of he and his friends. I won't be in the kitchen until at least the end of next week because as soon as I post this recipe I am starting to pack my pots into boxes for the move to the new place that will be sans electricity until then. So please be patient. I promise to return to the kitchen and this blog like gang busters!

And to hold you over I have decided to present a fitting recipe to help celebrate our soon to be new "nest"!

Potato Nests with Sour Cream and Smoked Salmon
Adapted from All You 2006

Yield

8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds large russet potatoes (about 2 large)
  
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced smoked salmon (2 oz.), plus a small amount for garnish
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Small parsley leaves
  

Preparation

In a large saucepan, bring unpeeled potatoes and enough cold water to cover to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer potatoes until just cooked, about 25 minutes.

Drain potatoes, let cool and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until cold.

Meanwhile, pulse smoked salmon and lemon peel in a food processor, scraping down bowl.

Add sour cream and process until combined.

Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease 32 mini-muffin-tin cups. Peel and coarsely grate potatoes.

Gently toss potatoes with salt and pepper in a bowl. Place about 1 heaping Tbsp. potato mixture into each muffin cup

and press against bottom and up sides (I used the top of a cocktail shaker to form the mixture into the bottom of the tins), allowing some mixture to extend above rim. (Do not spread mixture too thin or holes will form while baking.)

Bake potato nests until edges are dark golden, about 20 minutes. The original recipe recommended baking them longer. And although my oven is pretty true to recipe timing, I found my nest to appear a little overdone. They didn't taste bad, but they looked a little dark so I decreased the cooking time in this recipe to 20 minutes.

Cool nests in pans for 10 minutes. (Nests may be made up to 4 hours ahead, and I even made mine the night before and stored in an air tight container until the next day.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place potato nests on a clean, large baking sheet and bake until heated through and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer potato nests to a platter. Using a small spoon, dollop about 1 tsp. sour cream mixture into each potato nest

and top each with a tiny strip of smoked salmon and a parsley leaf. Serve right away.

Good Things Come to Those who Bait !

For someone who tries to cook relatively healthy (most of the time), it may seem strange that I have never featured fish on my blog. I love fish, but mostly I love fried fish! I am pretty sure that I can attribute that to my southern roots. The truth is that I don't actually ever cook fish. Fried fish is out of the question because I don't tend to deep fry anything. There have been several recipes featuring fish that interested me in the past. They have all been fairly healthy and I have attempted several of them and never really had much luck. I have struggled with the fish breaking apart in the pan and have never been overly pleased with the flavor. I found almost all of the fish recipes I have prepared to have a fishy overtone that wasn't very appetizing. The last time I cooked fish I swore it off for good. No more fish for me unless I was close to the Gulf of Mexico and eating it fried with hush puppies!

My pact didn't last for long. I came across a recipe in this month's issue of Cooking Light and the picture was so beautiful that I couldn't resist. I have never prepared salmon during any of my failed fish fiascoes and figured I should give it a try. Salmon didn't seem like it would have a fishy taste. I eat salmon raw at sushi joints, so how bad could this be? Well it wasn't bad at all. In fact it was delicious! The particular feature in the magazine was on marinades and it emphasized using a few important ingredients to maximize flavor. That is exactly what resulted from this marinade. This dish was amazing! The flavors of the marinade ingredients blended together to create a perfect medley. We couldn't get enough of this. All I can say is that I am glad there are other fish in the sea !

Maple Grilled Salmon

Cooking Light July 2008

Ingredients

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.

2. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).


4. Place fish on grill rack or pan coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness, basting occasionally with marinade. Remove fish from grill; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

This Salmon dish is so delicious that I forgot to salt and pepper the fish and didn't realize it until I was cleaning up after dinner!