Sea Bass Topped with Bacon, Tomato and Breadcrumbs with Roasted Potato and Asparagus

• This recipe came up on a whim while using up left over ingredients from the sip and swap.  The best improvisations were broiling the potatoes last minute for a crisp exterior (along with dicing them small), and adding bread crumbs as part of the topping for the fish.

Roasted Potatoes

• Cube potatoes into small 1/2 inch pieces.  Cook in salted boiling water till fork tender (maybe 20 minutes).
• Drain and place onto quarter sheet pan.  Drizzle with good amount of oil and bacon drippings.  Stir to coat.
• Place in 425 degree oven on the top rack.  During the last few minutes of cooking, broil on high till crisp.  Season to taste

Tomato and Bread Crumb Topping

• 3 strips bacon, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 TBSP finely chopped leek or onion
• 3 TBSP chopped parsley
• 4 TBSP bread crumbs

Add 3 TBSP water and bacon to cold pan.  Turn the heat to medium high.  Cook bacon till crisp.  Remove bacon with slotted spoon.  Save some drippings for the fish and potatoes.

Add tomatoes and onion.  Cook until tomatoes start to soften, then add garlic, adding water to avoid burning the garlic.  Once tomatoes start to blister, add bread crumbs, parsley and cooked bacon.  Season to taste, salt probably not necessary since bacon is used..  Set aside and keep warm.

Sea Bass Preparation

• Sear fish on medium-high heat on its best looking side in a good amount of oil to prevent sticking. The goal is to get a nicely browned flesh.  Too much oil will prevent that, too little will result in sticking.
• Place in 350 degree oven for a few minutes till almost cooked through
• Flip the fish over and finish on the stove

Asparagus

• Cut asparagus into 1/4 inch coins and simply saute with salt, pepper and thyme

Assembly

• Place roasted potatoes and asparagus side-by-side on the bottom of the dish.
• Top with fish and spoon tomato bacon mixture on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mahi Mahi in Parchment

Minimal prep and cleanup to create this moist fish with  a healthy side of veggies.  Easier than steaming!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Mahi Mahi fillets
• 1 large leaf of green chard, chiffonade
• 4 baby carrots, cut into 6 matchstick pieces each
• 1/3 zucchini, diced
• 4 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
• 4 baby tomatoes, cut in halves
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 inch knob peeled ginger, thinly sliced into matchsticks
• 1 green onion, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp agave

DIRECTIONS

1. Divide the green chard into 2 equal portions and place on 2 sheets of parchment paper
2. Place once mahi mahi fillet over each bed of chard. Pepper to taste.
3. Top fillets with carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini ginger and garlic
4. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil and agave in a small town and spoon over the fillet and veggies
5. Top with green onion
6. Place a second sheet of parchment on top of each fillet.  Proceed to fold the sheets together to form a packet, with no gaps or holes
7. Place packets onto a baking sheet
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes
9. Once done, open the packets on a plate and spoon the sauce over the fish and veggies

Easy Citrus Ginger Soy Salmon

This salmon really is simply seasoned and topped with a simple vinaigrette.  Great with a green salad

INGREDIENTS

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• splash orange juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS

• To make the vinaigrette, whisk all ingredients except the salmon fillets in a small bowl
• Season salmon with more salt and pepper
• Heat a small fry pan with oil and place salmon in flesh side down.  Cook for a few minutes till nicely browned
• Flip fish over and spoon a bit of the vinaigrette over the fish before placing the pan in a 375 degree oven.
• Baste halfway through cooking with the vinaigrette
• Once the salmon is cooked, remove from the oven and spoon over remaining vinaigrette over the salmon

Mixed Paella

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chicken thighs or legs (skin-on, bone-in
• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage
• 4 shrimp
• 6 clams
• 8 oz fish fillets, cut in 1 inch chunks
• 16 oz whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 TBSP sweet paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup rice
• 1 tsp saffron

Season chicken with oregano, salt and pepper and cook till all sides are browned (but not fully cooked)  Remove from pan.  Then cook chorizo till browned.  Cook shrimp till almost done.

Remove chorizo and shrimp, then add onion, garlic, paprika till onion caramelized.  Then add tomato, season with salt and pepper.  Let cook about 15 minutes

Add rice, then saffron.  Add water and simmer for 10 minutes.  Do not constantly stir, just shake the pan a few times

Tuck in the fish and clams, let cook till the seafood is almost done.  Then reintroduce the chicken, chorizo, shrimp and add peas

Cedar Planked Sesame Soy Salmon

First made for 4th of July 2015

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 whole salmon side fillet

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak one cedar plank in water for a few hours, or according to the directions.  Too long will inhibit the smoking, too short will cause a fire!

Whisk the marinade ingredients together and top the salmon.  Let sit for about an hour

Lay the salmon, skin side down on the plank, place on the grill and cover till done (about 12 minutes)

Seafood Stew (modified Ciopinno)

Using up left over fish in the freezer, I pay homage to the City By the Bay, making cioppino.  What I have hears is that ciopinno did not originate from Italy as the name may suggest.  It is a San Francisco dish created by fisherman who wanted to make use of the leftovers from their catch.  The very nature of using whatever is around lends to the variety of seafood that is in the dish.  Apparently some purist believe that a fish stew is not cioppino without the one of the Bay Area’s best catches, dungeness crab.  Therefore, I will be calling this simply a stew.

INGREDIENTS
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large can of stewed tomatoes, no salt added
1 can of chicken broth
1 c white wine
bay leaf
handful of basil
salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs thyme
a bit of oregano
handful parsley
chili flakes
assortment of seafood (shrimp, clams, fish, calamari)

soften onion and garlic for about 10 minutes
add wine until alcohol evaporated, then add the rest of the inredients except for the seafood
simmer for about 1 hour
add seafood and serve immediately

*Cleaning Shellfish*
remove shellfiish

Red Curry Fish

I had left over coconut milk and defrosted ono (again), so I tried this quick recipe of fish simmered in curry and coconut milk.  I was able to again make used of our fresh herb garden in the back yard.

8-12 oz fish fillets
1/2 can coconut milk
healthy spoonful red curry paste
kaffir leaves
knob of ginger
basil leaves
cilantro
fresh chili pepper
fish sauce
salt
chicken broth

Heat oil on medium and add curry paste.  Stir till fragrant.
Add coconut milk, ginger, fish sauce and kaffir leaves and bring to a gentle boil.
Boil till a layer of oil form on the top.
Add fish chopped into 1 inch cubes, chilis and enough broth to cover.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes until fish is done.
Add a bit more coconut milk for desired consistency
Remove from heat and ad basil and cilantro
Serve over rice

Seared Shrimp with Rice Noodles and Herbs

This is a really easy summer dish that doesn’t require a lot of cooking over a stove, so you’ll stay nice and cool!

10 cooked jumbo shrimp
Rice noodles, cooked and set aside
Cucumber, julienned
Carrot, Juliened
Greef leaf lettuce, shredded
Cilantro
Basil
Mint
Prepared fish sauce
Ground peanuts

Assemble all ingredients into 2 serving bowl.  Serve prepared fish sauce on the side for the diner to add based on their taste preference.

If you are unfamiliar with prepared fish sauce, it’s fish sauce diluted with water, sugar, vinegar, garlic and chili

stir-fried chili shrimp

I took a turn to Chinese food today, and it seems like I’ll be going in this direction for a bit based on my mood today. I browsed through a Chinese cookbook I picked up on a trip to Singapore with my mom, aunt and uncle back in 2007, “Authentic Recipes from China” published by Tuttle.
I was intrigued by a shrimp dish after with sweet, tangy and spicy facets. The sauce consisted of ingredients I usually have on hand, and I had a bag of tail-on shrimp in the freezer that defrosted nicely and quickly under cold water. It was quick, easy, very flavorfuland husband approved!

A small amount of vegetable (snow peas, broccoli, bok choy) to serve as a bed for the shrimp

Shrimp Prep
3/4 lb shrimp
1 egg white
1 t cornstarch
1/4 c water
pinch sugar
pinch salt

Sauce
capful sake
1/2 t chili sauce
2 T ketchup
1/2 t sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 T chicken broth

Other ingredients
1 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
pepper to taste

1. Combine shrimp, egg white, water, cornstarch and pinches of salt and sugar in a bowl. Set aside
2. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl
3. Heat the wok on high and stir fry vegetable of choice till cooked to you preference. Transfer to a serving dish
4. Heat the wok on high and add shrimp. Cook till the shrimp start to turn pink
5. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry until fragrant
6. Add the sauce and continue to stir fry until shrimp is cooked
7. Add salt, pepper and adjust ingredients to taste
8. Pour shirmp over the vegetables
9. Serve immediately

pan seared ono with sake-soy sauce

B has been a fan of meatier fish: mahi, swordfish and shark. When we saw that Costco had individually wrapped frozen ono for a reasonable price, we had to take some home. Ono was a selection served at our wedding. It came with a lemongrass cream sauce. It was supposed to be served with rice, but it got ruined and wasn’t served at all!

Anyhow, I stumbled across a recipe that used sake in the marinade. We had a set of sake that was given to us as a gift, so I took the opportunity to use it for diner tonight.

Marinade
1/4 c dry sake
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
grated ginger
OJ

Fish
2 Ono fillets

1. Combine the marinade ingredients with the fish and marinade for 20 minutes at room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Heat non-stick skillet on high
4. Remove fish from marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Sear fish till one side is golden brown (about 2 minutes)
6. Transfer to oven till the fish is cooked
7. Meanwhile concentrate sauce in a small sauce pan, adding OJ and sugar to taste (I had to use a sieve to remove the proteins from the fish floating in the sauce to make a clearer sauce)
8. Plate the fish and spoon over sauce