Tag: fish recipe

Sheet Pan Branzino

It’s back to basics here in the kitchen post-Chag. I was lucky enough to travel to Colombia for the holidays, so not much cooking for me – although I did eat – A LOT – and I’m happy to keep things simple, light and easy these days. It doesn’t get easier than this sheet pan branzino. I like to ask my fishmonger to butterfly the fish to take out the bones so it’s easier to stuff and eat!

Sheet Pan Branzino

2 whole branzino fish, butterflied
1 lemon, sliced
a few sprigs of thyme (or herbs of choice)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint grape tomates, halved
1/4 cup capers
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Open the fish and season the flesh with salt and pepper. Top with sliced lemon and thyme and close. Spread the grape tomatoes and capers around the fish. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Related Recipes:

Panko crusted salmon
garlic bread halibut
chili lime salmon

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Apple Honey Mustard Salmon

This recipe came to me last week when I was preparing my salmon and I’m so glad it did because it’s JUST. SO. PRETTY!! I definitely have a thing with decorating a side of salmon, and I love how the apples resemble fish scales!

I think a memory a lot of us have of Rosh Hashanah from our childhood is that moment when the fish head was brought to the table and WE. HAD. TO. EAT. IT.!! It always smelled awful and that fish eye just stared at us, as if to say, you killed me and now you’re going to have to eat me!!! I still have nightmares from those fish heads. Nightmares!!!

When people ask for recipes for the fish head, I usually just tell them that no recipe is going to make anyone want to eat it so just throw tons of lemon on it and stick it in the oven! Most of the fish stores have been storing the fish heads all year, so they’re definitely not fresh, and you can smell it a mile away. I don’t know what’s worse, the eyeball staring back at me or the smell coming out of it!

That’s the thing about fish that people don’t realize – it really should never smell like fish! It should smell like the ocean. If your fish smells fishy, it’s probably not fresh and it will probably taste fishy after you cook it. Moral of the story – BUY FRESH FISH. And don’t try and get fancy with your fish head ‘cuz nobody wants to eat it anyway.

But this here? This is the fish that you WANT to serve. It’s the dish that everyone is going to OOH and AHH over. And you’re going to be feel like a gourmet goddess for pulling it off. At least, until, we pass the fish head around!

May we all be blessed to be like the head, and not the tail this year!

 

Apple Honey Mustard Salmon

2 lb. side of salmon
1/3 c apricot jam
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp Dijon
2 tbsp honey, plus more for drizzling
salt and pepper, to taste
1 red apple, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green apple, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the apricot jam, mustards, honey, salt and pepper. Brush the mixture generously over the salmon. Decorate the salmon by overlapping the apples, alternating between red and green until the salmon is covered. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes, basting once with the pan juices during cooking.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: I prefer this recipe served fresh, but if you want to prepare it a day ahead, you can serve the next day at room temperature (reheating cooked salmon tends to make it fishy and dry).

 

Related Recipes:

honey fish roasted salmon
salmon en croute with creamed leeks
honey sriracha salmon
honey mustard salmon

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Kosher Shrimp & Grits

Before you go ahead and close your browser, no you did not make your way onto a treif blog, everything on here is still kosher! I can’t get over how real those shrimp look, can you?

So to be honest, I’m not really one for kosherizing treif dishes. Like I don’t do cheeseburgers with fake cheese or buttermilk fried chicken with soy milk. It’s just not my thing. But when I saw a package of grits at Shoprite last week, I just had to buy it. I’m a big fan of farina (the wheat version of grits, which are made from corn) and I love all things corn, so I was intrigued. I also mistakenly bought a package of mock shrimp instead of mock crab (we are obsessed with this kani salad in this house) so that’s how this kosher version of shrimp and grits came to be.

Now shrimp and grits is real Southern comfort food, and definitely more of a winter dish than a summer one – so I incorporated some fresh corn and a basil pistou to cut through the heaviness and lighten things up. A squeeze of lime in the creamy cheddar grits also goes a long way.

So, for an anti-tofu, real-food person, I have to be honest and say that the shrimp tasted amazing, but was definitely on the rubbery side. When I made this in my Instagram story, many readers suggested butterflying the shrimp by cutting it in half lengthwise, so I’ve made that suggestion below. But honestly, when I make this again, I’m just going to use kani (mock crab) since we are huge fans of that in this house (and ironically one of my readers messaged me that her dad, who is not religious, ate kani at her house and said it tasted just like shrimp!).

I’m stoked that I managed to plate this up all pretty for a blog post for you guys, its been great having a break, but I’ve missed posting!

 

Kosher Shrimp & Grits

Mock Shrimp:
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
10.5oz. pkg surimi shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
kosher salt, to taste

Heat the butter over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the shrimp and spices and saute until coated and heated through.

VARIATION: You may use kani (mock crab) or firm white fish, such as cod or halibut instead of the shrimp. For cod, dice into chunks and saute until cooked through.

Corn:
1 tbsp butter
Corn from 3 cobs
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter over medium heat and add the corn. Saute until tender and season with salt and pepper.

Basil Pistou:
1 bunch basil
1/3 c olive oil
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Grits:
1 c quick 5 minute grits
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c half and half or heavy cream
Juice of half lime

Prepare the grits last, right before serving. Bring the stock up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and and slowly stir in the grits. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, cheddar and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To assemble the shrimp and grits, divide the grits between 6 bowls and top with fresh corn, basil pistou and shrimp. Serve immediately.

Other Fish Dishes:

kani salad
spicy tuna melt twice baked potatoes
tuna pasta salad
fish tacos

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Sweet Chili Salmon with Wasabi Crust

It’s just one of those days. I got the kids out of the house on time for a change, and I was hoping to sit down early this morning to get a head start on work. But it was not to be. After making my rounds to the girls’ school, boys’ school and daycare for the little one, I was finally on my way back home when my daughter called me to say she had left her lunch. Oh, Mommyhood.

As a blogger, recipe developer, food photographer and full time mom, it’s hard to set a schedule for myself because kids are just so unpredictable. On the one hand, I’m SO thankful to have a job where I can make my own hours and work around my Mommy duties, but on the other hand, there’s so much to do and so little time. My husband is always telling me to hire help but I’m literally the worst delegator on earth. You know how they say if you want something done, do it yourself?  Well that’s kind of my M.O. I’m a perfectionist, and rather than dealing with someone doing something that is not up to par with my standards, I’d rather just do it myself. Can any of you relate?

I’m the same way in the kitchen. If I’m having lots of guests or prepping for big holiday meals or a cooking demonstration, the reasonable thing to do would be to have someone help me. But stubborn me just does it all myself because God forbid someone will slice something the wrong way. (Insert hands-over-eyes emoji) I know I’ve gotta learn to let go and be more flexible, I’m just not sure how. Ideas, anyone?

In the meantime, I’m going to go wake myself up with a big handful of spicy wasabi peas. It’s one of those snacks that I used to eat with abandon, and then suddenly one day, I found that I couldn’t look at them anymore. It’s been a while, but they’re back on my addictive snack list – I even put them on my salmon for an amazing spicy crunch!

This salmon recipe is super quick and easy – perfect for a weeknight dinner with some rice, and pretty enough for company with a side of sushi salad. Chop sticks optional.

Sweet Chili Salmon with Wasabi Crust

4 slices salmon fillet
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup wasabi peas (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place salmon fillets in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and soy sauce. Pour sweet chili sauce generously over the salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Pulse the wasabi peas in a food processor or blender and spread generously over the salmon before serving.

VARIATION: for a hint of sesame flavor, you may brush the fillets with a bit of sesame oil instead of olive oil.

Related Recipes:

spicy roasted edamame
teriyaki salmon
kani salad

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Pepper Crusted Tuna with Pineapple Guacamole & Herbed Crema

I used to hate raw fish. It make me all squeamish. Raw meat too. I mean why would you want to eat raw food, possibly swimming with parasites, if you could eat it cooked, am I right? I was fine with a runny egg or two. Or three. But not the real proteins. Put a fancy plate of beef tartare with a raw egg in the center in front of me and I was out the door.

But then sometime about a year or two ago, I decided I was done being afraid of food and I wanted to try everything. I’m still not a fan of beef tartare but I’ve come to love raw sushi. It’s so much fun to be able to order off the entire sushi menu now, and not just the cooked rolls! You’ll be surprised just how easy it is to prepare pepper-crusted tuna sashimi at home. Just make sure you get the freshest, best quality tuna out there for this dish.

Pepper Crusted Tuna 

2 sushi-grade fresh tuna steaks
coarsely ground black pepper
kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Coat the tuna steaks evenly on all sides with a generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt. In a frying pan, heat the olive and sesame oil over high heat. Sear the tuna steak for a few seconds on each side, just enough to form a crust, but not to cook the fish through.

For a medium-rare steak, cook for 1 minute per side.

NOTE: to make even rectangular or square slices, first cut your tuna steak into strips and sear each one individually. Slice thinly against the grain.

Pineapple Guacamole

2 avocados
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small or ½ large jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, minced
½ small red onion, diced small
⅓ cup finely diced fresh pineapple
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
cilantro, optional

Peel and dice 1 avocado. Add to a bowl and mash. Peel and dice the second avocado and add it to the bowl without mashing. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix to combine. Adjust seasoning, as necessary.

Herbed Crema

1 cup sour cream
handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, or a mix
1 clove garlic
1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Related Recipes:

pan seared tuna steak
persimmon guacamole
jalapeno crema

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