Fall Update

It's been a busy, fun-filled fall for our crew.  Here are some highlights & what we've been up to. 

National Charity League - volunteering & cultural events with Big & Middle

Substitute teaching at the middle school and high school (mostly to hang out with my kids)

Going to all the assemblies & field trips - Little was Molly Pitcher in Walk Through the American Revolution

Spectating all the fall sports . . . Middle did awesome as the number 1 runner on her middle school cross country team and team MVP.

Little continued gymnastics and joined the Running Club that I started this fall.  I think maybe I'm having the most fun out of all these awesome kids.

Big & her tennis team went to CIF semi-finals and had a great season - I loved every minute of living vicariously through her tennis team matches.

I wanted to share a versatile recipe / cooking method for fish.  The idea came from Half Baked Harvest and I've made it with both salmon and halibut.  One key for success is to make sure your fish filets are all similar in size / thickness so they cook evenly since it's hard to check on them when they are wrapped in the parchment packets.  You can substitute the packet ingredients - I have made them with shredded Brussels sprouts on the bottom instead of the thinly sliced potatoes.  Your picky eaters can even customize their own packets with what they prefer to eat.  I think the addition of the feta, dill & arugula at the end really make the dish delicious.

Baked Fish in Parchment Paper (serves 4)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 T fresh dill (plus more for serving)

1 small russet potato very thinly sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 small zucchini thinly sliced

4 fish filets, skin removed (6-8 oz each) - we like salmon or halibut

1 lemon thinly sliced

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives

crumbled feta cheese

fresh arugula for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, chopped dill, paprika, and one pinch each of salt & pepper.

Tear off 4 pieces of parchment pieces about 12-16 inches in length.  On one half of the packet, arrange one -fourth of the potato slices in an even layer (about the size of your fish) and season with salt and pepper.  Layer on the one-fourth of the zucchini slices and season with salt and pepper.  Place one fish filet on top of the zucchini and drizzle with the olive oil mixture and top with two lemon slices.  Scatter a few olives around the fish.

Repeat that layering with the remaining parchment & ingredients.  To seal the packets, fold the bare half over the fish & fold the open edges twice.  Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until the potatoes are tender, 18-20 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer packets to plates.  Open carefully & serve with crumbled feta, arugula, and more dill on top.

Another Island Inspired Fish Dish

 One night on the Big Island, we enjoyed an amazing meal at Meridia with some excellent company (and delicious freshly baked bread).  When we got home, I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner one night and he said "a mediterranean fish dish" and I came up with this meal inspired by what Middle and I shared at Meridia.  Hope you enjoy!

Some recipe notes:  If you have the time, marinate the fish for about 30 minutes - 1 hour before you make the rest of the meal.  This sheet pan method will work with other combinations of protein (chicken thighs are great) and vegetables.  I have had bad luck when I use too much of the marinade/vinaigrette because the veggies are also going to release some liquid and when it all sits in too much liquid, it's mushy.  Leave out anything your people don't enjoy, add other vegetables, whatever - it's very versatile.  The feta gets melty of you sprinkle it on during the last 5 minutes of cooking but I have picky people so we put it on the side.

Mediterranean Halibut (serves 4)

4 halibut filets (mine did not have skin)

Marinade/vinaigrette ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Vegetables:
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small zucchini, cut into smallish pieces (see photo)
asparagus
1 cup kalamata olives, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained

For serving:  
feta cheese
arugula

Start by heating your oven to 425 and whisking your marinade ingredients together.  Divide the marinade in half and put half in a pan and add the halibut.  Put the other half in a large bowl and add your chopped vegetables, beans, and olives.  Stir to combine.  

Remove the vegetables from that bowl with a slotted spoon and spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  On another baking sheet prepared with olive oil spray or foil, place the halibut.  Put it all in the oven for 10-12 minutes.  If you have thicker vegetables, they may need to stay in a little longer but your halibut should be just cooked through in that amount of time.  Adjust cooking times according to your preference of how "done" you like things.

We like to eat the fish and veggies over a bed of arugula and with a sprinkle of feta cheese on top.

Blackened Red Snapper

During the time we spent in Hawaii this summer, I realized how much my girls love eating fresh fish.  I make salmon on regular rotation at home, but don't venture into many other kinds of fish but in Hawaii, they order fish on the menu all the time.  I know we don't always have access to fresh out of the ocean (hours ago) fish here in CA, but we have friends who fish and we have Sprouts and I am determined to make more kinds of fish dishes for my family.  A friend of my husband's fishes off the coast of Baja CA and Mexico and gave us some amazing looking fish filets and this is what we did with the red snapper.  I think it could be easily adapted to other kinds of fish  and it's nothing super creative or outlandish (I had every ingredient in my pantry minus the fresh fish) so I hope you experiment and enjoy!

We enjoyed it with a rice pilaf, steamed green beans, and white wine.  Perfect summer treat!

Blackened Red Snapper (serves 4)

Ingredients:

 

1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 red snapper filets, halved
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup minced parsley 

Combine the spices in a bowl to make a rub and spread evenly over the red snapper.  Put the lemon juice in a sauce pan and heat until simmering.  Remove from heat and add butter and stir until melted (can add the pan back to the heat if the butter doesn't melt).  Add a little salt to the butter & lemon mixture, especially if using unsalted butter.

Heat the grill to 500+ degrees and oil the grates.  Add the snapper and leave about 4-5 minutes to blacken with the spices.  Flip and cook the other side 4-5 minutes.  Adjust cooking times accordingly based on the thickness of your fish filets.  

Plate the fish, drizzle with the lemon butter mixture and sprinkle with parsley.

Food for Some of the People

Recently I wrote about that dreaded question: "What's for dinner?"  and last weekend I came up with a new recipe that went over well with some of the people.

Since I've been staying home from work this year, we eat dinner together at home about 5 nights a week.  Usually one weekend night and one weekday night we'll either go out to eat or to a friend's house or something.  Of those 5 nights a week, often we have 1 where one of the kids is missing (at a friend's or an activity).  I've been trying to embrace that by cooking the thing that particular kid doesn't like to eat.  For example, if Big is gone, I'll typically make a pot of soup or stew or if Middle is gone, I'll make salmon.  

One of those nights happened last weekend and I made a new salmon recipe that I had been wanting to try.  It was a big hit and in particular, this would be great on a weeknight because it came together and cooked so quickly.  I made some modifications to the slaw (recipe below is what I made) and I kept the jalapeños sliced so that Little could pick them out.  The original recipe also calls for a cast iron skillet which I didn't use but I bet you could make this on the grill in a cast iron skillet pretty easily.  I recommend making the slaw first so it has a chance to set and for the flavors to combine while you make the salmon (or earlier in the day and store in the refrigerator).  I served white rice with the fish & slaw and it all tasted great together.  

Crispy Honey Ginger Salmon (serves 4)
from Half Baked Harvest.

4 salmon filets (skin on)
1 T sesame oil
2/3 cup honey
2 T sambal oelek (red chili condiment - it's usually by the Thai curry pastes)
2 T soy sauce
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime

For the slaw:
2 T lime juice
2 T rice vinegar
3 cups of cabbage, shredded (or coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine the honey, samba oelek, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lime zest, and lime juice. Preheat the broiler.  Rub the salmon all over with the sesame oil.  Heat an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.   Pour the sauce in the skillet and allow it to barely boil (simmer) for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the salmon, skin side up.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for 2-5 minutes, watching closely until the salmon skin is crisp.

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the slaw and toss to combine.  

Top 10

What to make for dinner . . . the ongoing question.  I've been trying to be good about meal planning so I'm not faced with this dilemma every night but a couple of weeks ago, I asked my husband before he left for work what he wanted for dinner.  He said, "How about some scallops? And some arugula?"  I thought of a recipe from Cooking Light that I made a few years back and came up with some tweaks.  Instead of arugula, I bought a bag of baby kale from Trader Joe's instead and added the white beans and pancetta.  If you're not a kale fan, try baby spinach as a substitution.

Anyways, his idea and this dish turned out great.  So good, in fact, that my husband declared it one of the Top 10 meals.  I said, "top 10 that I've ever made?" and he said, "no, top 10 ever."  That is high praise from my husband!  I hope you like it as much as he did!  Another bonus (beside it being delicious and high in protein) is that it's really quick to the table so make sure you have everything ready to go when you start preparing the dish.

Scallops with wilted kale and white beans (serves 2)

1 pound scallops
1 cup chopped onion
4 oz diced pancetta
olive oil
1/4 tsp. red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken broth (I used low-sodium fat free)
1 (19 oz) can cannellini beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained 
8-10 oz fresh baby kale leaves
2 T fresh basil, thinly sliced (chiffonade)

Brown the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon.  
Sprinkle the scallops with salt. Add them to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add a little olive oil and the onion to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add pepper and garlic and cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and cook for 1 minute (most of the liquid will evaporate). Stir in broth, beans, the browned pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Add kale; cook 1 minute or until wilted.  Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil.  Serve scallops over the kale mixture.

Fish Tacos

I have a hard time thinking of creative ways to prepare fish.  One of my girls' favorite meals is salmon - just plain ol' grilled salmon but they will also eat it if it's marinated in teriyaki sauce and baked.  So, I tend to use that as my default for eating fish.  But . . . these fish tacos were a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  Usually, I order beer battered deep fried fish tacos but here, the cilantro sauce is perfect and I didn't miss the deep fried batter.  

To make it even easier, the second time I made these, I just had my husband grill the halibut with salt and pepper and then tossed it with the warmed cilantro sauce.  The girls liked the halibut plain but the green sauce is so, so good. 

I had one pound of halibut and it made enough tacos for 4 of us with some leftover.  How many tacos this exactly makes will depend on how full you fill the tacos.

Fish Tacos
Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe via Baked Bree

1 bunch cilantro
juice from 5 limes
1/3 c. olive oil (plus 2T for cooking)
small white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1/2 T garlic powder
1 T cumin
1 T paprika
salt & pepper
2 lbs halibut
1/2 cup white wine
corn tortillas

Toppings:
salsa
avocado
sour cream
cheese (Cotija or shredded jack)
shredded cabbage
more limes & cilantro

Put the cilantro, lime juice, 1/3 c. olive oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno (seeded), garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt & pepper in the bowl of a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.  Put the puree in a bowl and set aside.

Chop the halibut into small pieces (sometimes I stick it in the freezer for about an hour first to make it easier to chop).  Dry well with a paper towel.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Preheat a saute pan with 2 T of olive oil.  Add the halibut and cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until the wine evaporates, about 2 minutes.  Add the cilantro mixture and cook for another minute to heat through.

Heat corn tortillas in a hot dry pan (or oven in a foil packet or microwave).  Add the fish mixture.  Top with any of the toppings listed above or anything else you like on a fish taco.

Crispy Fish Nuggets

I've been trying lately to make kid-friendly food for the whole family and to also feed my family more fish.  When I saw this in the most recent Cooking Light, I bought the ingredients that day.  My husband and I loved these (especially with the tartar sauce from Trader Joe's that has jalapeno in it) and the girls ate them dipped in ketchup but didn't love them.  Cod is really healthy for you - aside from the general benefits of omega-3s in your diet, it packs a whopping 22 grams of protein and only 100 calories in a 5oz serving.  It's a "lower  mercury" fish as well which is important when you're feeding kids.

A few recipe notes:  I found great frozen Alaskan cod at Sprouts.  I don't like my cutting boards being smelly from fish so I cut my cod filets into pieces while they was still nearly frozen solid (no runny fish juice).  The more uniform the size of your nuggets are, the more evenly they'll bake.  Toasting the panko makes it crispy instead of getting soggy at all.  

Crispy Fish Nuggets (4 servings)

from Cooking Light October 2013

1.5 lbs cod, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 T chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup all purpose flour

 2 T water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add panko and thyme and toast for 2 minutes or until golden brown, shaking pan often.  Add salt and pepper to the panko mix.  Make 3 shallow bowls:  One with the flour, a second with the water and egg, and a third with the panko mix.  

Take a piece of fish, dredge in the flour, dip in the egg mixture, and coat with the panko.  Place it on a greased baking sheet (I lined mine with foil and sprayed with olive oil spray).  Repeat until all the pieces are done.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the outside is lightly brown and crispy and the inside is moist and flaky.  Serve with tartar sauce.

Smoked Salmon over Potato Cakes

Normally when we have salmon, my husband grills it.  I've only recently discovered how much I like smoked salmon and when I saw this recipe in a recent Cooking Light, I really wanted to try it.  It was a perfect light summer supper but would also be  an awesome idea for brunch or a luncheon.  I thought that some of the traditional toppings like creme fraiche and capers would also go really well.  I had a bag of frozen hash browns (just potato - no other ingredients) and thawed out the correct amount.  

If it's too hot to turn on your oven, try a crock pot recipe instead and remember this for when it cools off a little!!

Smoked Salmon over Potato Cakes (4 servings)
from Cooking Light

6 cups grated peeled baking potato
1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
5 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
cooking spray
3.5 ounce package of smoked salmon
dill sprigs

Place an 8 inch round metal cake pan* in the oven.  Preheat oven to 425 with the pan in the oven.

Combine potato and onion in a large bowl.  Combine salt, pepper, cheese and eggs in another bowl, stirring well.  Combine egg mixture and potato mixture.  Remove preheated pan from oven  and carefully coat with cooking spray.  Place potato mixture in the pan and pack down slightly.  Bake at 425 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand in pan 10 minutes.  Invert potato mixture onto a plate.  Cut into 8 wedges; top evenly with salmon and dill (1 serving = 2 wedges = 391 calories).

*Instead, you can use ramekins.  I made large 2-cup ramekins but you could also divide it between smaller ones.  Reduce cooking  time by 10-15 minutes if you do this.

Pappardelle with Scallops & Pesto

This is one of those great recipes that only uses a couple of store bought ingredients to create an impressive (and easy) main dish.

Pappardelle with Scallops & Pesto (serves 2)

8-10 scallops

8 oz pappardelle pasta (wide ribbons)

a small jar of pesto

salt, pepper, and olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook the pappardelle according to package instructions.  While it's cooking, heat 1/2 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Rinse the scallops and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put scallops in the pan and don't move them for 2 minutes (this helps to develop the crust on the scallop).  Turn them over and cook another 1-2 minutes or until the scallops are barely opaque.  

Drain the noodles and toss with a few tablespoons of the pesto.  Arrange the scallops over the pasta and drizzle with a little more pesto.  Serve immediately.

Spicy Baked Salmon

I know that eating fish is healthy.  I know how to cook a few different preparations of fish.  I even like different kinds of fish (a miracle you will appreciate if you knew me as a kid).  But, I rarely think of it and make it for my family.  Good thing I have a husband who reminds me . . . and usually barbecues it up.  Last week I tried to recreate a honey/tabasco salmon that a friend made for me once and the result was a big hit.  The top crust was a little spicy for the girls but they liked the salmon a lot.  It was a good combination of flavors and easy to cook in the oven.

Spicy Baked Salmon (2 servings)

appx 1 lb salmon fillets
1.5 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1 T orange juice
1 T honey
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
dash of salt, few grinds of pepper
red pepper flakes and tabasco - amount depending on how spicy you like things

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients (except for the salmon) until the honey is dissolved.  Place the salmon in a shallow baking dish lined with foil.  Spray the foil with a little olive oil spray or cooking spray.  If your salmon has skin, put the skin side down.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush or drizzle half of the honey mixture over the salmon.  Bake for about 6 minutes and then brush or drizzle the rest of the honey mixture over it.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your salmon) or until the middle of the salmon is just opaque and the top flakes with a fork.

Seared Salmon on Baby Spinach

This recipe is easy enough to pull off on a weeknight when you don't have much time (or energy) and fancy enough to make for company.  I think I first made this dish for my husband on Valentine's  Day after we decided Valentine's Day is the worst evening to eat at a restaurant.  

The recipe is originally from Bon Appetit, April 1999.  A friend gave me a bunch of her Bon Appetit issues after we got married and reading through them was a big influence on my early days of cooking.  I still find little cut out recipes from the pages of her magazines in my cookbooks and cooking notebooks even though now, Epicurious is where I usually go for Gourmet or Bon Appetit recipes. 

I've made it without the tarragon before and it was a mistake - a great flavor that really makes the dish.  Try to find it fresh when you make this dish.  It's easy to double for 4 but if you're not going to go out, think about making this for you and your Valentine!

Seared Salmon on Baby Spinach (serves 2)

2 7-oz skinless salmon fillets

2 T butter

3 large shallots, sliced

1 1/2 T chopped fresh tarragon

3 oz baby spinach

1/3 c. dry white wine

1/4 c. whipping cream

salt & pepper

Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper.  Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the salmon and saute until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.  Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in the same skillet.  Add half of the shallots and half of the tarragon and saute 30 seconds.  Increase heat to high and add half of the spinach and toss for 30 seconds.  Add remaining spinach and toss until wilted.  Divide between 2 plates.

Melt the last 1/2 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the rest of the shallots and tarragon; saute 30 seconds.  Add wine and cream and boil until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Return salmon to the skillet and simmer for about 1-2 minutes.  Arrange salmon atop the spinach and top that with the sauce.

Teriyaki Salmon & Zucchini

I try to eat more Omega-3 fatty acids while I'm pregnant but sometimes I have a hard time preparing fish. I was intending to make this on the stove top this week but in the end, asked my husband to grill the fish outside.

I love homemade teriyaki sauce. This version isn't as thick as the bottled or restaurant versions, but it's light and flavorful. The zucchini goes nicely and I served it all with steamed jasmine rice. Even little girl ate a few bites!

Teriyaki Salmon and Zucchini (serves 2)

2 salmon filets, skin removed
2 zucchini sliced thinly
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1 c. teriyaki marinade (recipe follows)

Put salmon and 1/3 c. teriyaki marinade in a large ziplock bag and marinate for 20 minutes. Discard marinade and grill salmon until cooked through and flaky or heat a non-stick skillet or grill pan and cook on the stove top over medium heat until cooked through - about 5 minutes/side.

In a skillet, (you can use the same one as the salmon but take the salmon out first), saute the zucchini for 3-4 minutes. Add 2-3 T of the teriyaki sauce and cook until the zucchini is done. Serve the zucchini over or next to the salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds and additional teriyaki sauce.

Teriyaki Marinade (makes 1.5 cups)

1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 T dried onion flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Roasted Salmon & Leeks in Phyllo

Growing up, we ate very little fish at home and I detested it. The way I began eating it seems a little backwards - I started with sushi and worked my way to eating cooked fish. When I was a waitress at the Rusty Pelican, I got to try all sorts of fresh fish prepared all sorts of ways and that is probably the single reason I like fish today. After we got married and I decided that I would begin cooking fish at home, I began with salmon. It seemed easy to prepare and easy to tell when it was done. I even remember the first salmon recipe I attempted.

This recipe doesn't have many ingredients, takes only about 20 minutes, but looks really impressive (and tastes great). The only trick is working with the phyllo dough. Last night, I had to throw away a few sheets because they tore as I was trying to peel them off the roll. Oh, and don't forget to take the phyllo out of the freezer in plenty of time. I've made that mistake before. This was as good as I remembered it to be - the salmon was moist, flaky, and the vegetables tasted great with it. My daughter liked eating the "paper."

Roasted Salmon & Leeks in Phyllo (serves 4) originally from Cooking Light May '04

1/2 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut leek
1/2 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut carrot
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick, skin removed)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed and divided
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400°. Cook leek and carrot in boiling water 1 minute; drain. Combine leek mixture, tarragon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, tossing gently. Sprinkle salmon evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover the remaining dough to prevent drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat layers twice, ending with phyllo. Gently press phyllo layers together. Lightly coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray.

Arrange 1/4 cup leek mixture along center of 1 short edge of phyllo, leaving a 4-inch border; top with 1 fillet. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon juice. Fold long edges of phyllo over fish.


Starting at short edge with 4-inch border, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Place wrapped fish, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat wrapped fish with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo, cooking spray, leek mixture, salmon, and juice.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned, and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.

Happy New Year!

Los Mariscos del Dia

We're in Costa Rica on vacation and I've been doing a lot of cooking in our condo. So far, I've made these eggs, these enchiladas, and a variation of this pasta (only mozzarella cheese and no sausage). My biggest grocery story quandry was figuring out which bag of dairy-looking-white-stuff was sour cream for the enchiladas.

Yesterday I went down to the marina near us to a little gourmet import food shop to inquire about buying some fresh fish. After a bit of a go-around (there's nowhere good to buy it in town, we only have frozen fish so just thaw it out, what about eating chicken), the owner told me he had wahoo in the back that was caught the day before and he'd clean it for me. We had four filets of wahoo (also called ono, especially in Hawaii) and I used a really easy preparation that I've had a lot of success with in the past.

Here's what you do: Melt 1 T of butter per piece of fish (4 in my case), take it off the heat and add half as much lemon juice (I used 2 T of lime juice because I had no lemon). Then, dip the fish in it and sprinkle cajun seasoning (or roll it in the seasoning) to coat the filet. At this point, we grilled it and it was awesome. For salmon at home, I often put it in a hot pan on the stovetop until both sides are seared and blackened and then finish it in a 350 degree oven (until it's opaque and flakes with a fork in the middle).

I served it with coconut rice and a salad - delicious!

Green Coconut Curry with Scallops

You know that I love coconut milk and here's another type of coconut recipe - a Thai curry. I've made this probably 5 or 6 times for company this last year and it turns out great every time. The recipe comes together quickly in one pan and I serve it over jasmine rice (tonight, brown jasmine rice). I'll add a couple of photos soon but the header above this post is a picture of the ingredients (minus the scallops). Hope your company likes it as much as mine did!

Green Coconut Curry with Scallops (2 servings)

12 ounces sea scallops
3/4 c. canned unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tsp. Thai green curry paste (depending on how spicy you want to make it)
1/2 red bell pepper cut into 2 inch strips
Garlic clove
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T soy sauce (or fish sauce)
1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
Hot cooked jasmine rice

Saute bell pepper, ginger, garlic and green curry paste for 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Add the scallops, lower the heat a little, and cook until just opaque (time will depend on how large the scallops are). Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, soy sauce, green onions and half of the cilantro. Put the rice in 2 bowls, place scallops on top and divide the sauce in half in each bowl. Sprinkle with the rest of the cilantro.

I think basil might be good instead of the cilantro and if you want it spicier, add some minced jalapeno when you saute the bell pepper, ginger and garlic.

Scallops with White Beans & Spinach

Scallops are super easy to cook and end up looking pretty impressive. What attracted me to this recipe was that my husband loves both sauteed spinach and scallops, it was high in protein (34g/serving), and it pulled together in less than 15 minutes.

If you don't cook scallops regularly, they're done when they are firm to the touch and they are beginning to crack and are opaque. Try not to overcook them - the timing in this recipe worked well for me. For best results with searing, pat them dry with paper towels before cooking and only turn them once.

I bought scallops at Costco for the first time (in the fresh seafood section) and I would buy them there again. I bet this recipe would be good with sauteed jumbo shrimp in place of the scallops. I halved the number of scallops but used the same amount of beans and spinach. The original recipe called for 2T of chopped fresh basil stirred in at the end (off the heat) but the basil I was planning to use was all wilty and moldy - gross.

Scallops with White Beans & Spinach (from Cooking Light 3/09) - 4 servings

2 T olive oil (divided)
1 1/2 lbs scallops
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp. red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken broth (I used low-sodium fat free)
1 (19 oz) can cannellini beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained
6 oz fresh baby spinach
1 tsp. dried basil

Heat 1 T of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the scallops with salt. Add them to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add the rest of the oil and the onion to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add pepper and garlic and cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and cook for 1 minute (most of the liquid will evaporate). Stir in broth, beans, and basil and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Remove from the heat. Serve scallops over the spinach mixture.

Seared Ahi

Today I was at Whole Foods and it was crowded with people buying food for Valentine's meals. Luckily, they had plenty of sushi-grade Ahi tuna available. I bought 2 tuna steaks to serve with salad for dinner. We ended up slicing it and putting it on the salad with a good sesame miso dressing that I bought at Whole Foods. I've prepared ahi exactly the same way every time for the last few years.

Ahi rub:
2 T sesame seeds
2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice seasoning
1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning OR kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine the ingredients and rub the mixture all over the outside of the Ahi steaks. Sear them on a hot grill for 2 minutes per side for rare (longer if you don't like your tuna pink in the center).

This amount of rub should be enough for 2 eight ounce servings. For presentation, I cut the steaks into 1/4 inch thick slices (like in the photo).