Category: Fish

Cook In Israel Review & Giveaway

Orly Ziv, a nutritionist and cooking instructor from Tel Aviv Israel, is a cook after my own heart. In her debut cookbook, Cook In Israel, Orly showcases recipes that draw on her Greek Jewish Heritage, with flavors of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Her entire first chapter is dedicated solely to eggplant and tomatoes, ingredients which are central to my kitchen. Page after page, Orly’s simple, healthy and flavorful recipes are ones you would find on my dining table any day of the week.

Cook In Israel bears the subtitle “Home Cooking Inspiration” and that is precisely what Orly’s book is all about. In a warm family-oriented way that is customary for Israelis, Ms. Ziv welcomes you into her kitchen with open arms. Her book is clear, simple and straight-forward, with many step by step photos to help guide you along the cooking process. Orly shares family favorites, holiday dishes and an expansive array of vegetarian recipes that are mainstays in Middle Eastern culture.

What is most impressive to me is that Orly self-published this beautiful collection of recipes with masterful results. The typography, layout and picture-perfect photography can only be matched by her clear and concise style of recipe writing – a welcome change from most cookbooks (which include too much commentary).

As someone who relishes Middle Eastern cuisine, this book lacks traditional Israeli fare like “al ha-esh” bbq , shishkebab and other chicken & meat recipes. It is somewhat confusing that Orly only makes slight mention of the fact that her book is almost entirely vegetarian, with only two meat recipes, which in my opinion, are better left out altogether.  As someone who is not ready to give up her carnivorous ways,  this cookbook still offers countless recipes that are filling and flavorful, such as breads, fish, grains and legumes.

Vegetarian or not, Cook In Israel is a keeper after all.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Busy In Brooklyn is thrilled to be able to give away a copy of Cook in Israel to one of my readers!

To enter the giveaway, vote for my grilled portobello burger with sundried tomato aioli in Swap it or Top it Mushroom Contest from The Mushroom Channel. You can vote once per day until August 31, 2013. Each vote will include one entry into the giveaway. Just leave a comment below letting me know when you have voted.

Winner will be chosen at random on Sunday, September 1st, 2013.

SAMPLE RECIPES:

Apple Cake
Reprinted with permission from Cook In Israel by Orly Ziv, Home Cooking Inspiration

Ingredients:
2 green apples, unpeeled and diced
3 eggs
1½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sweet red wine
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Handful of raisins or walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F.
2. Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl by hand or in a mixer.
3. Pour the batter into a large, greased cake pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Fish with Green Tahini Sauce
Reprinted with permission from Cook In Israel by Orly Ziv, Home Cooking Inspiration

olive oil
2 tomatoes, sliced
4 tilapia filets (or any white fish)
½ cup boiled or canned chickpeas (optional)
1/2 cup tahini
½ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
2. Pour olive oil in a thin, even layer to coat the bottom of a baking dish.
3. Arrange slices of tomato along the bottom of the baking dish and top with the fish filets. Spread the chickpeas on top, if using.
4. Using a hand blender or food processor, mix the tahini, parsley, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, water and salt until smooth and green diluted sauce.
5. Pour the tahini sauce over the fish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
6. Remove from the heat and serve.

VARIATION: To make fish with red tahini sauce, mix together 1 chopped tomato with the tahini, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and salt as directed above (omit the cilantro). Leave out
the tomato slices and chickpeas from the recipe above, pour the red tahini sauce over the fish, and continue as directed.

Busy In Brooklyn Middle-Eastern Inspired Recipes:

roasted eggplant parmesan with feta
roasted eggplants with Israeli salad
summer tomato feta salad
malawach cheese pastries with dipping sauce
banana dates milk & honey smoothie
grilled chickpea burgers

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Fish Tacos with Broccoli Slaw


I’m not a huge fish person, so fish tacos are not something you’d normally find on my menu. Recently though, we’ve started cooking less meat in our house, and plain old chicken, even with endless preparations, gets kind of tired. My husband came home from work one day raving about the red snapper he’d had for lunch, so when I saw some fresh snapper at the fishmonger, I decided to surprise him with something fresh and different from our usual fare. I’ve been making it ever since, and not just with red snapper.

Fish tacos should be a light and filling dish, so I don’t like to fry my fish with a heavy bread crumb topping. Instead, I dust it with a light coating of flour, giving it the perfect golden crust that you just can’t get on it’s own. I wouldn’t even call this fried fish – it’s only lightly pan-fried in a little oil.

Panfried Red Snapper

4 red snapper fillets (or any white fish fillet)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of cayenne pepper
s&p, to taste
canola oil, for frying
lime wedges, for serving

Method:

Add olive oil, garlic and lime to a shallow bowl or ziploc bag. Place the red snapper in the liquid and marinate for 15 minutes. Remove from bag and shake off garlic and liquid. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk the flour with the spices. Dredge the fish in the flour and shake off, so that only a light coating remains. Pan-fry the fish in hot oil until golden on both sides.

Flake gently with a fork, add to fish tacos and serve immediately.

Ask any fish taco enthusiast and they will tell you that every fish taco needs 2 accompaniments – a sauce and a slaw. To make things easier, I combine the two. My creamy broccoli slaw is a great change from typical slaw recipes that use cabbage. It’s dressed with a delicious combo of sour cream, jalapeno and lime – the perfect complements to flaky fish.

Creamy Broccoli Slaw

1 12oz. bag broccoli slaw*
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup rice vinegar
juice of 1/2 lime
zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, finely diced
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
avocado slices, for garnish

Method:

In a bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over broccoli slaw and mix well. Serve with fish tacos, garnished with avocado slices.

*If you cannot find broccoli slaw, you can make your own. Shred 1 bunch of broccoli stems with 1 carrot and 1/4 head of red cabbage.

NOTE: For dairy free broccoli slaw, you may use additional mayo in place of the sour cream.

To assemble your fish tacos, heat up some soft corn tortillas in a dry pan, lightly browning on both sides. Holding the tortilla in the palm of your hand, fill with slaw and top with flaked fish and avocado slices.

1 year ago: linguini lasagna
2 years ago: blueberry corn pancakes

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Kani Caesar Salad with Nori Croutons

When the Kosher Connection team decided on “croutons” as the link-up theme for May, I was so excited to finally try out a recipe that I’ve been dreaming of developing for months now. Truth be told, I am not the biggest nori fan. I mean, I wouldn’t eat the stuff if it didn’t hold my sushi together. It’s got that fishy quality about it that’s just kind of, well, stinky. But you know what? when you use it to top off a kani caesar salad, it just sorta, goes.

Talking about dislikes, I used to have a serious aversion to surimi, those orange-colored mock crab sticks. But after I tasted this salad at my cousin’s house a few months back, I was hooked. You see, it’s all a matter of how you serve it. Pulling the kani apart into shreds and coating it in a spicy sriracha dressing takes it from what-is-this-spongy-orange-stuff-in-my-california-roll to what’s-in-this-amazing-salad?! Seriously people, kani salad has changed my outlook on surimi forever.

So that’s sorta how this happened. At first, I came up with the brilliant concept of a nori-flavored crouton. But who would want to eat a nori crouton on a standard lettuce salad? I knew I had to incorporate some kind of seafood to bring the whole sushi concept together, but it also had to have greens to hold up the whole croutons thing. Alas, I figured I would do a take on a salmon-caesar salad with a Japanese-inspired recipe. This Kani Caesar Salad combines the classic Caesar concept with the awesomeness of kani salad, with nori croutons and a sriracha caesar dressing to round it out. If you think this salad looks good, just wait until you taste the dressing. It’s got an amazing depth of flavor from the anchovies that is only made better by the Asian hot sauce, it’s heat  balanced by the addition of sweet rice vinegar.

So, if you’re looking to wow your guests with a nontraditional twist on a classic Caesar salad, give this Kani Caesar Salad with nori croutons a try. And don’t forget to check out the Kosher Connection Link-Up below for more fun & creative twists on croutons!

Kani Caeser Salad with Nori Croutons

2 heads romaine lettuce
1/2 package surimi (8 mock crab sticks)
6 oz. leftover bread, cut into cubes
2 sheets nori seaweed
1/4 c. neutral-flavored oil, such as canola
sriracha caesar dressing (recipe follows)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place nori sheets in the food processor and process until a dust forms. Place bread and nori into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss the croutons to coat with the nori dust. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until croutons are golden and toasted.

To prepare the salad, wash and dry romaine lettuce. Chop or tear the lettuce to desired size and place in a salad bowl. Pull the surimi sticks apart into shreds and spread over lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with nori croutons.

Sriracha Caesar Dressing:

2 cloves garlic
3-6 anchovy fillets
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp sriracha
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup canola oil

Method:

Add everything except for oil to the food processor. Turn the food processor on and slowly pour in the oil until a creamy dressing forms. Add more oil, if needed, to reach desired consistency.

NOTE: anchovies are what gives Caesar salad dressing it’s unique salty/umami flavor. If you’re scared away, start with 1 or 2. Alternatively, you can add a few shakes of fish sauce.

1 year ago: cream of leek soup
2 years ago: home-made fish sticks

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Teriyaki Salmon

I’m not one of those people who has an encyclopedia of recipes in their head. In fact, no matter how many times I seem to make a recipe, I still won’t remember it by heart. I guess that’s why I usually resort to making things up from scratch. I’m just too lazy to pull out my cookbooks and look them up! And between me and you, I always have to look up my own recipes on my blog to remember how to make them.

Every now and then though, a recipe will stick with me. Like those few phone numbers that you never forget. Or your kids birthdays that you almost always remember (don’t you just love when the doctor asks you their birthdate and you mumble and stammer, trying to remember it?!) My Caesar salad dressing is one of those recipes. And then there’s this one. Yup, that’s about it.

This awesome, super easy teriyaki salmon recipe was given to me about 10 years ago by my boss at an antique silver company I worked at. That was way before I had any interest in food, and all I wanted were quick and easy recipes to make for my new husband that wouldn’t set my kitchen on fire. It was easy to remember because it called for equal parts ketchup, OJ, brown sugar and teriyaki sauce. You just make more for more fish, and less for less fish. Pretty easy to remember, even for someone like me!

So if you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner, or a side of salmon for your Shabbat guests, give this recipe a try. I promise you won’t forget it! ;)

Teriyaki Salmon

6 slices salmon fillet
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce*
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, orange juice and teriyaki sauce. Brush over salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

NOTE: Do not use a prepared teriyaki sauce/marinade, only plain bottled teriyaki sauce such as La Choy brand.

1 year ago: pumpkin banana bread
2 years ago: salmon cakes with lemon caper yogurt sauce

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Kani Salad


This kani salad recipe (courtesy of my cousin Chana, a great hostess!) converted me into a mock-crab fan. It’s that good. If you go back to this post, you can read in my own words how much I used to dislike those orange colored surimi sticks. I’d always pick them out of California sushi rolls. But not anymore. Does the idea of eating mock-crab freak you out too? Well then do yourself a favor and make this salad. Trust me, you’ll never look back!

I’m not the only one who’s gaga over this recipe. I had my friend Dina and her family over during the holidays, and I served this among the appetizers. I hadn’t known, but apparently Dina and her husband have sampled kani salad at just about every kosher restaurant in (and out of) town. They were excited to see how this recipe would measure up to their favorite. Not only did it measure up, it exceeded their expectations by far. In fact, they no longer order it at restaurants, they make it at home instead!

There’s just something about the stringy texture and spicy dressing that makes you want to eat it all up with chopsticks. And chopsticks are fun. So, if you’re looking for a colorful, spicy and delicious dish, give this kani salad a try!

Kani Salad

1 pkg mock crab surimi sticks, cut or pulled apart into thin strips
1 English cucumbers, jullienned (see tip)
1/3 cup mayo
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1-2 tbsp sriracha
2 tsp black sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup Rice Krispies or french fried onions

Method:

Add kani and cucumber to a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine mayo, rice vinegar, sriracha and sesame seeds. Pour dressing over kani salad and mix. Garnish with additional sesame seeds and Rice Krispies.

NOTE: Sriracha is an Asian hot sauce, typically made from chili peppers, vinegar, sugar and salt. I prefer my kani salad to be spicy so I use 2 tbsp.

TIP: The simplest method to julienne a cucumber is by using a julienne peeler. First, I cut the cucumber in half so that I can get shorter pieces (you don’t want your strips the entire length of the cucumber). Then, I peel the cucumber all around, once for the peel, and another time around the inside. I discard the rest. If you don’t have a julienne peeler, cut the cucumber lengthwise, and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumber in half so that you have 2 u-shaped pieces. Place the cucumber face-down on the cutting board and cut lengthwise into thin slices. Keep the slices stacked and cut the stacks into thin strips.

VARIATION: If it’s too hard for you to cut the crab and cucumbers into sticks, you can dice them up instead.

1 year ago: pan seared tuna steak
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