Category: Fish

An Easy, No-Cook Dinner: Deconstructed Shrimp Salad Rolls

Deconstructed Shrimp Salad Rolls

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp tahini or peanut butter
  • 4 Tbsps sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 10-15 shrimp (pre-cooked)
  • 1/2 pkg rice vermicelli (~115g or 4oz)
  • 6 cups kaleslaw or coleslaw vegetable mix (or sliced kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli stalks, etc.)
  • 3 Tbsps roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • handful fresh mint or basil (sliced, for garnish)

Instructions
 

  • Boil some water in a pot or kettle. Place vermicelli in hot water and let sit for 5 minutes, until tender (or per package directions). Drain vermicelli and let cool.
  • Mix together soy sauce, tahini/peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and red wine vinegar until smooth.
  • In a large, shallow bowl or platter, place the kaleslaw/cole slaw mix. Top with vermicelli. Place shrimp on top of vermicelli, then drizzle the dressing over the bowl. Sprinkle with mint or basil. Serve.
Keyword Peanut Butter, Peanut Satay Sauce, Rice Vermicelli, Salad Rolls, Shrimp, Vietnamese

And now for the details…

Hi there folks! It has been awhile yet again, but I am coming to you with a nice, easy, no-cook recipe for these hot, summer days!

This recipe was born from a discussion I had with my friend Krystal about ideas for meals that require little to no cooking for prep. Krystal is a dietician who specializes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery. A question she had gotten was about meal ideas that required little to no cooking. Fun fact for you folks out there who have never experienced a concussion or TBI: some things that we normally consider as simple as chopping vegetables or multi-tasking in the kitchen (and hoping not to burn something) is a daunting or unmanageable task when the brain is working so hard simply to heal and provide basic function after injury. And so, me and Krystal put our (healing) brains together and came up with some ideas. And as one of our ideas, this recipe was born.

This recipe is nice and simple, with not too many ingredients to manage, and no cooking required, except to boil some water. Now, one could argue that you are technically cooking the noodles, since they are sitting in boiling water. Fair. But you do not need monitor them on the stove, just boil the water, pour it over the noodles, and then let them sit for a few minutes. And the joy of this is you do not even need a stove to do this. A plug-in kettle works just fine for the job!

We are also going sans cooking by using pre-cooked shrimp. If you want to get fancy, you could always purchase the shrimp raw and cook it and cool it yourself. But there are tons of options nowadays, particularly in the frozen aisle, for precooked shrimp. All you need to do is thaw, and it’s ready!

And so, to get started, boil that water! If you are boiling the water in the pot, once the water has boiled, turn the heat off and add the vermicelli straight into the pot. If you are using a kettle, place the vermicelli into some sort of heat resistant dish (I just used a piece of tupperware), and then pour the water over noodles. If any of the noodles are sticking out of the water, use a fork or spoon to gently press them into the water as the rest soften. Let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes or until tender. Double check the package of your vermicelli to make sure there are not some special different directions for prep needed for your particular noodles. Once tender, strain in a fine sieve, and let sit to fully drain and cool slightly.

As the noodles are “cooking”, draining and cooling, mix together the soy sauce, peanut butter or tahini, sweet chilli sauce and red wine vinegar and set aside. If you are using peanut butter, I would recommend either using the processed peanut butter. If you are using a “just peanuts” type of peanut butter, let the peanut butter come right down to room temperature, or you will end up with a fairly solid “sauce”.

If the shrimp is still slightly frozen, run them under cold water until thawed. Ensure the water is drained completely from the shrimp, even drying them on a paper towel before assembling in your dish.

In a large, shallow bowl spread out the pre-chopped mixed kaleslaw. The kaleslaw is completely a suggestion to make this recipe a little easier. Again, between Krystal and I, we discussed ways to make meal prep easier. And one of those ways is to buy your veggies already washed, trimmed and chopped. For some folks recovery from TBI, standing at a counter and chopping vegetables is just a wee bit too much for the brain to handle. Have you ever appreciated the level of concentration it takes your brain to keep you standing, carefully judging the distance to chop the produce to just the right size, all the while avoiding your fingers? I definitely have an appreciation for what my brain is capable of when it is operating at it’s “better”! If you want to chop your own veg, that is completely an option you can choose as well. Feel free to use any or all of kale, broccoli stems, brussel sprouts, carrots and/or cabbage, julienning or shredding the veggies so they are nice and small.

On top of the veg, we will add the drained and cooled noodles. Arrange the shrimp over the noodles. Drizzle the dressing over the entire dish. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on top and end with the basil or mint. If you want to chop the basil or mint, you can do that before your sprinkle, OR you can simply tear the mint or basil leaves as you sprinkle them over the top of the dish.

Serve and enjoy.

Happy eating.

Monkfish with Browned Butter Sauce

Monkfish with Browned Butter Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 fillets monkfish (approximately 6 oz each)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
  • 2 Tbsps butter
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tsp fresh tarragon (minced)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Liberally salt and pepper the fish fillets. Add oil to a  pan heated to medium heat and lay the fish fillets onto the oiled surface. Cover the pan and cook for 6-10 minutes (depending on thickness of fillets), or until fully cooked inside (~140ºF/60ºC), flipping the fish halfway through cooking. Transfer the fish to a plate and set aside. Add the butter and garlic to the pan and heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter has start to turn a golden brown. Add the wine and broth, stirring well. Allow the sauce to reduce by half, then add the whipping cream. Allow the sauce to cook for a 2-3 minutes, then add the tarragon, stirring in completely. Add the fish back to the pan, spooning the sauce over the fish. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.
Keyword Butter, Fish, Monkfish, Sauce

And now for the details…

So… monkfish. Have you tried this fish before? If you haven’t, I would say: no time like the present!

Monkfish has often been referred to as the “poor man’s lobster”, since it’s quite dense in texture, and a bit sweet in taste, a bit different from the typical flaky texture you get from many other white-fleshed fish. But I don’t love that reference, to be honest. It devalues the monkfish. Monkfish is similar to lobster in texture, but to think that the only thing it has to offer is as a cheap replacement to lobster is taking away the amazingness that is the monkfish! It doesn’t have quite the same flavour as lobster, it has a taste all unto itself: a bit sweet, salty, and of course there is no mistaking that it is in fact fish, but not an unpleasant fishy taste. And can we talk about the fact that you don’t need to shell it like you do lobster? BONUS!!!

Monkfish is a weird looking fish. I’m not sure which of our ancestors decided it would be okay to put this in our mouths, but they were certainly quite brave! Seriously, do a quick internet search for “monkfish” to see what these look like pre-fillet and you’ll understand what I mean. They are also aptly called “sea-devils”, which is nomenclature I can get behind. Could you imagine swimming and seeing one of these things drawing near??? Okay, I’m exaggerating, since you probably wouldn’t see them… From what I’ve read, they aren’t stalkers like a shark, and like to hunt by camouflaging themselves and waiting for their prey to draw near, but still!

An interesting bit of information I have found on these is that the only useable bits for the entire fish are the cheeks and the tail. If you’re not squeamish about watching a fish being filleted, check out this super cool video by Fish For Thought TV, where the gents break down an 18kg monkfish. They did some weighing throughout the process, and in the end, there was only just over 3kg of meat on an 18kg fish!

To get started with our cooking process, check out your fillets to make sure there is no membrane left on the fish. The fishmonger I had purchased my fish from had done a pretty great job of cleaning that fish before selling, and I had only a tiny bit of membrane left, and was able to remove it easily with my fingers, no knife needed! The membrane will cook to be quite tough and chewy, and considering the plump, meaty, juiciness of the fish, we definitely want to lose that membrane!

Next, salt and pepper your fillets quite liberally and let them sit for at least a few minutes. While you are waiting, get your other ingredients out and chop the garlic and set aside. This will allow you to move quickly through the cooking process, so you get to eating faster!

Next, add the oil to a medium- to large-sized pan. I suggested 1 tablespoon, but to be honest, you want just enough for a light coating on the pan. You can even use a paper towel to swish it around, coating the bottom surface, and soaking up any excess that isn’t needed. Heat the pan over medium heat, and then add the fish to the pan.

Cover the pan while the fish is cooking, lifting it only to turn the fish halfway through the cooking process. How long to cook the fish will totally depend on the size of the fillet. I used a temperature probe and aimed for an internal temperature of 140ºF/60ºC. It took my fillets about 10 minutes to cook through. The goal, like most fish, is for the translucent colour to turn opaque. Try to avoid overcooking the fish, since it can get dry and kind of tough if you cook it too long.

Once the fish is cooked through, take it out and place it on a plate to the side while you prepare the sauce.

Keeping the temperature the same, or just *slightly* higher, add the garlic and butter to the pan and let them cook, swirling the pan occasionally (as in, pick up the pan and swish it in a circular motion to get the butter and garlic to swirl around in the pan, then put it back down, repeating every now and again). This will go through a few steps here. First, the butter will melt down and encompass the garlic in a glorious hug. Next, the butter will kind of foam up, and the garlic will release that glorious smell. Then, both the garlic and the butter will start to brown and smell a bit toasty. That toasty smell is your cue to add the broth and the wine. When adding the liquid, things may get a little spurty. To minimize this, try to get the broth and wine to room temperature before adding, and stir well once you add them in. Let the sauce simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half, then add the whipping cream, stirring in completely. Let this come to a simmer and cook for another few minutes (1-3) until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the tarragon, then give the sauce a quick taste-test, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Next, add the fish back into the pan. This is just to reheat, not cook, the fish, so don’t leave it in for too long. Less than a minute for sure. Spoon the sauce up over the fish to help it reheat on all sides. Finally, transfer the fish to a serving dish, and then spoon the sauce over the fish, and serve!

Happy eating.

Beautiful Multicoloured Salmon and Tuna Poke Bowl

4 Comments

Tuna and Salmon Poke Bowl

Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

Rice

  • 1 cup sushi rice (uncooked)
  • 1-2 Tbsps seasoned rice wine vinegar

Salmon

  • 60-110 g sushi grade salmon (cut into 1cm pieces)
  • 1/2 tsp chilli oil (can substitute with hot sauce, sambal olek, or sriracha)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice (approx 1/8 of a lemon)
  • 1/2 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar

Tuna

  • 60-110 g sushi grade tuna (cut into 1cm pieces)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste

Bowl

  • 3 mini english cucumbers (cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • 1/4 cup chopped savoy cabbage
  • 2 Tbsps fresh cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp pickled ginger
  • 1/2 sheet roasted nori (cut into matchstick-sized pieces)
  • 1/2 cup edamame beans
  • salt (to taste)

Instructions
 

Rice

  • Cook the sushi rice according to package instructions. Once cooked, sprinkle 1-2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar, mixing in and fanning the rice to cool. Once cool, place in two serving bowls. 

Salmon

  • In a small mixing dish, mix 1/2 tsp chilli oil or hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar and lemon juice, then toss the salmon in this mix, sprinkling with a pinch of salt. Place salmon on rice in bowls. (Stack over one part of the bowl, do not spread.)

Tuna

  • Mix wasabi and 1 teaspoon soy in a small mixing dish, then toss tuna pieces in this mix, spoon out into rice in bowls, next to the salmon, allowing excess soy to fall back into small dish. Discard excess soy.

Bowls

  • Arrange the rest of the ingredients around the fish on the rice: cabbage, cucumbers, ginger, nori, edamame, cilantro. Whisk together 2 tablespoons soy, 2 teaspoons vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, and 1/2 tsp chilli oil or hot sauce. Drizzle the bowls with the dressing. Serve.
Keyword Poke Bowl, Salmon, Tuna

And now for the details…

When I’ve got a protein craving (yes, I get cravings for protein… I am a bit of a protein-aholic), the protein I want most is raw tuna. And so when I was shopping yesterday and walked past the sushi section and saw a dish of tuna and salmon sashimi, I grabbed it, drooling a little, thinking what a delicious treat it would be once I got home. I ended up getting home closer to dinner time, though, and decided to turn the sashimi into the full meal deal, and make a poke bowl.

Poke bowl restaurants exploded in the 2010’s, and you can often find them all over the place. But admittedly, the bowls we get there and what I have created here is not super accurate to its origins. Poke originates from Hawaii, where you can find it everywhere, from poke shops to grocery stores to gas stations. But you won’t usually see the big, colourful bowls, permeated with vegetables and avocados. More frequently, the poke is dished out on its own, or onto rice, in to-go containers and served up with minimal accoutrements. And to be honest, it doesn’t need the accoutrements. Most of the poke we had in Hawaii is so delicious in its own right, it doesn’t need a bunch of stuff to go with it. Knocking my own bowl a little bit? I guess so. The additions I’ve put in do complement the poke, but they are added more to create a balanced meal, rather than be true to origin.

With that, let’s make that bowl!

Start out by cooking the rice. I have used sushi rice, but you could use any rice that suits your fancy. I’ve seen poke restaurants use brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice. Whichever you are using, follow the package directions to cook the rice. If you are using sushi rice, once it is cooked, sprinkle the rice with 1-2 tablespoons of the rice wine vinegar, carefully stirring the vinegar in, being careful to not break the rice apart. Place the rice in two serving bowls, spreading it so it covers the bottom of the bowl.

Next, we prepare the fish. We are going to use different marinades for each fish, so keep them separate. Cut the fish into small pieces, about 1cm in size. Putting the fish into the freezer for a couple minutes will help make them easier to cut.

First, the tuna: whisk together the wasabi paste and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Add the tuna pieces, and toss until the tuna pieces are covered. Transfer immediately onto the rice bowl.

Next, the salmon: whisk 1/2 teaspoon chilli oil or hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, and the lemon juice. Add the salmon pieces and toss to coat. Add a dash of salt to taste, then place the salmon next to the tuna on the rice bowl.

Place the cucumber, cabbage and cilantro around the fish.

Next, whisk the 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, and 1/2 tsp chilli oil or hot sauce with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle the dressing over the bowls, getting it over the veggies and rice. Finally, place the edamame, ginger and nori, then serve!

(No pickled ginger in the house? No problem, neither did I! This recipe from the New York Times is a super fast, super easy way to put pickled ginger together, with only an hour resting time!)

Happy eating.

Prawn Pasta in a Brandy Cream Sauce

6 Comments

Prawn Pasta in a Brandy Cream Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 onion (peeled, chopped fine)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled, chopped fine)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 8 giant prawns
  • 1 cup seafood broth (can use chicken or vegetable broth instead)
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 85 g cream cheese (6 Tbsps)
  • 1/2 medium tomato (cut in small pieces)
  • 250 g dry pasta (9 oz)

Instructions
 

  • Set a large pan on a stove at medium-high heat. Place the olive oil, onion, and garlic in the pan. Cook, stirring regularly until the onions have started brown slightly. Add the prawns, cooking for several minutes, then flip, and cook for several minutes on the other side. Remove the prawns to a dish and set aside. Add the brandy to the pan. Cook down until reduced by half. Add the broth. Turn temperature down to medium. Cook down for five minutes. Add the cream cheese in small pieces. Stir and cook until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Add the tomatoes Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce. Add the prawns back to the sauce. Stir to full coat the prawns. Drain the pasta. Add to the pan with the prawns and sauce, mix fully. Serve.
Keyword Cream Sauce, Pasta, Prawns, Sauce, Seafood, Shrimp

And now for the details…

Here we are people, the final day of my personal daily recipe post challenge! Quarantine is officially done after today, and my plan for tomorrow afternoon is to go grocery shopping! Yeah, maybe not very exciting to some, but when you’ve been in a house and haven’t been able to leave in two weeks, it’s pretty exciting. I’m also going to be going shopping for another friend who is presently in isolation and can’t leave their house (if you can’t pay it forward, at least pay it back!)

Today’s recipe is yet again thanks to the frozen fish we bought out of a random man’s truck. This time, I am using the giant prawns we bought. If you don’t have giant prawns, regular prawns will do just fine, but use a few more.

Start by heating the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat, and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have started to brown. Add the prawns to the pan. Cook until the prawns turn pink and brown slightly. Turn the prawns, and cook on the other side.

Remove the prawns to a dish on the side, and add the brandy. Cook down until reduced by half, then add the broth. If you can’t find seafood broth (I have only been able to find it very recently), use chicken broth, which is neutral enough that it won’t affect the taste of the sauce too much. Turn the temperature down to medium.

Cook the sauce for 3-5 minutes. Add the cream cheese to the pan, dropping it into the pan in small pieces, which will help the cheese melt easier into the sauce. Cook the sauce, stirring regularly, until the cheese has melted completely. Add the tomatoes.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta in heavily salted water according to directions. Once the pasta is almost done, add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce, then drain the pasta. Add the prawns back to the sauce and cooking, stirring, to coat the prawns with the sauce. Add salt and pepper the sauce to taste.

Add the pasta into the pan with the sauce, and stir until the pasta is completely coated with sauce. Serve immediately.

Happy eating.

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder (e.g. OXO brand)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and shredded)

Tuna

  • 450 g ahi tuna (1 lb, sushi grade)
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and shredded)
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Salad

  • 2 large carrots (peeled and shredded)
  • 8 cup romaine lettuce (torn to bite-sized pieces, can use any lettuce)

Instructions
 

Dressing

  • Whisk together 2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, chicken stock powder, 2 Tbsps olive oil, sesame oil, 1 tsp ginger and garlic.

Tuna

  • Whisk together 2 Tbsps olive oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, and 1 tsp shredded ginger. Dip the tuna piece into the olive oil mix, turning to coat on all sides, then coat with the sesame seeds. Set a dry pan on the stove to medium-high heat. Turn, searing on all sides. Remove tuna and slice.

Salad Assembly

  • Toss the lettuce with the dressing. Place the carrots over the lettuce. Place the tuna pieces over the salad. Mix the 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp ginger. Drizzle the soy mixture over the tuna. Serve.
Keyword Ginger, Salad, Salad Dressing, Sesame, Soy Sauce, Tuna

And now for the details…

There is something so right about tuna, sesame, ginger and soy. These flavours just seemed to be made for each other. Add in the slightly spicy kick of wasabi, and it is a match made in heaven.

The best part of this recipe? It can come together fairly quickly, too, so a great option for a weekday evening.

Mix together the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, and 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar. Dip the tuna into the olive oil mix, coating the tuna on all sides.

Next we will be mixing together the salad dressing. We are going to whisk the 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tsp powdered chicken stock, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 grated garlic clove, and some fresh ground pepper. I added some sesame seeds to the dressing as well for added texture.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over all the sides of the tuna. Place the tuna on a pan heated to medium-high heat, and turn the piece of tuna every couple minutes, searing the tuna on all sides. Remove the tuna and slice the tuna into pieces.

Toss the lettuce with the salad dressing in a large serving platter. Place the carrots over the lettuce. Top with the tuna pieces.

Finally, whisk together the 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and drizzle over the tuna. Serve immediately.

Happy eating.

One Pan Dinner – Pecan Crusted Fish with Roasted Vegetables and Potatoes

One Pan Fish Dinner

A complete meal, all on one pan for a minimal fuss and muss dinner!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large piece white fish (approximately 8 oz, mahi-mahi, cod, halibut, etc.)
  • 4 Tbsps olive oil
  • 6 shallots (peeled and sliced to 1 cm pieces)
  • 4 medium carrots (cut into large pieces)
  • 1 fennel bulb (trimmed and cut into eight)
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 12 baby potatoes (halved)
  • 3 garlic cloves (shredded)
  • 2 Tbsps mayonnaise
  • 2 tsps dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup pecans (roasted and cut into small pieces)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Place parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Place potatoes in one corner of cookie sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Place carrots and shallots in another corner of cookie sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place pan in oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir, place back in oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir (potatoes and vegetables separate), place back in oven for 5 minutes. Place fish on cookie sheet. Mix together mayonnaise, dijon, and garlic cloves. Spread over fish. Sprinkle nuts over the fish. Stir fennel in with shallots and carrots. Place back in oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir (potatoes and vegetables separate), place back in oven for 5 minutes. Check that fish is cooked to 145ºF/65ºC.
Keyword Carrot, Dinner, Fish, Potatoes, Shallots

Now for the details…

Day 9 of 14. Today’s daily recipe was inspired by friends of ours, who actually were the patrons of our most recent batch of groceries (in other words, they went out and got us groceries and dropped them off for us on our doorstep. We waved at them through the window!) Well before all this whole isolation-stay-at-home-to-flatten-the-curve had started, we had been talking about doing a cooking class to go through some basics. The first “theme” that my friend Andrea had suggested was “stuff you roast in the oven and learn to do other stuff with the oven real good too”. Fair. Being a Zoolander fan, this theme truly spoke to me.

And so, for our first ever (though virtual, cause we need to social distance y’all!) cooking class today, we did a one pan meal of pecan-crusted fish, roasted potatoes, and vegetables.

Let’s get started, shall we?

We start by preheating the oven to 425ºF/220ºC. When the oven is preheated, place the pecans in a pan in the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the pecans are toasted, but not burnt. Set aside and let the pecans cool.

Next, we move on to prepping our vegetables. We will keep our potatoes separate from the rest of the veggies. We do this in order to allow the potatoes to dry out slightly and get nice and brown and crispy. Cut the baby potatoes in half. Place them in one corner of a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir a bit to coat all that potatoey-goodness with oil, then sprinkle with salt.

Next, peel your carrots and cut into large chunks, about 1 1/2″ or 3 cm. Peel the shallots and cut into large slices. In another corner of your cookie sheet, place the carrots and shallots. Drizzle with the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and stir. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the dried thyme. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.

This will get the cooking started. But after 5 minutes, take the cookie sheet out of the oven, and stir (potatoes and veggies separate!) then place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again, then place back into the oven for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and stir the fennel into the veggies. Then place the fish onto an open space on the cookie sheet. I used mahi-mahi (again, we had some in the freezer that we bought out of the back of some dude’s truck), but any fillet of white fish should work.

We are going to dress our fish before placing back in the oven. Mix together the shredded garlic, mayo and mustard. Spread the sauce over the fish and smooth evenly over the fillets.

Next, chop the pecans and sprinkle them over the fish. Place the cookie sheet back into the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove one last time, stirring the potatoes, and the vegetables. If the vegetables seem a bit dry , drizzle a bit more olive oil over top. Place back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the fish registers at 145ºF/65ºC.

Remove, and plate. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Happy eating.

Mahi-Mahi with Orange Scented Beurre Blanc Sauce

Mahi-mahi with Orange Scented Beurre Blanc Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pieces Mahi-Mahi (or other white fish)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 Tbsps white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 shallots (peeled and chopped fined)
  • 1/2 cup butter (cold, cut into small pieces, plus 1/2 Tbsp to cook fish)
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 tsp orange blossom water
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

Cooking fish in sous vide (30-60 minutes)

  • Set sous-vide machine to 53.5ºC/128ºF, cook fish in water for 30-60 minutes. Sear on either side in a hot pan with butter after removed from water.

OR

    Cooking fish in oven (approximately 15 minutes)

    • Cook fish in buttered pan at 400ºF/205ºC, flipping halfway through, until internal temperature of fish reaches desired level of doneness. 

    Sauce

    • Place shallots, wine, and vinegar in a pot and place over medium-high heat. Allow them to boil down until almost no liquid remains. Turn heat down to low. Start adding the cold butter in small increments, whisking constantly between adds. Just before the last few pieces of butter, remove from heat, add last pieces of butter and whisk until smooth. Add orange juice and orange blossom water. Salt and pepper to taste. Strain sauce.
    • Plate fish, top with sauce. Serve.
    Keyword Beurre Blanc, Fish, Mahi-Mahi, Orange, Sauce

    And now for the details…

    Day 5 of the 14 day quarantine challenge, and I’m going a bit “fancier” here with fish and a beurre blanc sauce. We have mahi-mahi in the freezer that we bought out of the back of some guy’s truck (no lie) a couple months ago and figured we should try to use it up! I have been wanting to try out my Christmas gift, a sous vide, on fish. But I knew that if I was going to do that, it would need some kind of sauce, or it would be pretty bland. I was thinking about sauces that I’ve tried in the past, but most are roux-based and are a little too thick/robust with a fish like mahi-mahi. Why not a beurre blanc?

    Beurre blanc directly translates to “white butter”, which is very appropriate, since the sauce is basically melted, emulsified butter with some flavour. Don’t be discouraged by the “medium-hard” rating I have given this recipe. It is not too hard to do, but you do need to be able to give the sauce your undivided attention while cooking it.

    For the sauce in this recipe, I decided to flavour it with some fresh orange juice, and I used some orange blossom water. Orange blossom water can be found in your grocery store where you would find other middle-eastern ingredients, or in some specialty stores. It had a glorious smell to it, and when you aren’t using it for sauce flavouring, it is a great flavour addition to sparkling water, desserts, or cocktails.

    I chose the orange ingredients as a hat tip to Spain. We evacuated very quickly from what we had thought would be the trip of a lifetime… and while we were sad to leave, and stressed to get home, we left behind a country that is still struggling to combat the outbreak, and is now the second largest outbreak in Europe, after Italy. For a country that I had read about being so gregarious, generous, and tactile, I cannot even begin to imagine how this would affect day-to-day life. A particular moment struck me as we were seeking to make it home. We were on our way to the airport and needed to take the train. We were walking through the abandoned streets to get to the train station, and that’s when the moment hit. When I had been planning our vacation, I was so hoping we would get to see and smell orange trees in bloom while we were vacationing. And there were the trees: planted just outside the train station. They were in full bloom, with some full grown, bright orange fruits sitting in the boughs. The smell was intoxicating. The moment was a calm, joyous moment amidst chaos for me, and reflecting on it, I am holding on to hope. Hope for this confusing, scary time to pass us by. Hope for the countries so heavily affected to be able to achieve the supports they need. Hope for life to return to to a level of normalcy.

    Sorry for the emotional divergence… and thanks for humouring my verboseness.

    Let’s move on to cooking, shall we?

    We start with the fish for this one. I used my sous vide for the fish, and if you are going to cook the fish this way, set your sous vide machine in the water and set the temperature to 53.5ºC/128ºF and let it heat up. Add the fish (in plastic) into the water and let it cook for 30-60 minutes. If you are able, salt and pepper the fish before adding to your bag, but ours was already vacuum sealed, so I actually just cooked the fish right in its package, no flavour added. If you are cooking the fish without a sous vide, we will wait until the sauce is mostly ready, and cook the fish just before serving.

    Next, we will get ready for our sauce. If you are sous vide’ing the fish, wait to start the sauce until just when the fish is done.

    Before we begin cooking the sauce, remove the butter from the fridge, and cut it into small chunks (~3/8″ or 1cm pieces), and place the butter back in the fridge to stay good and cold.

    Chop the shallots finely, and add them to a pot with the white wine and white wine vinegar. Put the pot over medium-high heat, and allow the mixture to heat up to a boil and reduce, about 8 minutes, until there is almost no liquid left in the pot.

    Turn the temperature down to low, and take the butter out of the fridge. Now is where we will start adding the butter in small increments, which will form up your sauce.

    Using a large wire whisk, whisk constantly as you add in the butter pieces, a few at a time. Let the previous pieces almost fully mix/melt before adding the next few pieces.

    Continue this until you have only 3-4 pieces of butter left. Then, remove the pot from the heat, and whisk in the last few pieces of butter. Squeeze the 1/4 orange into the sauce, and the orange blossom water, whisking them both into the sauce.

    Strain the sauce to remove the shallot pieces, and set the sauce aside.

    Finally, the fish. If you are cooking in a pan, salt and pepper the fish on either side. Heat the 1/2 Tbsp of butter in a pan, and cook the fish on medium-high heat, flipping halfway, until the interior of your fish reaches your desires level of doneness. If you sous vide’ed your fish, do a quick flash-fry in the pan with butter on high heat to get a little brown sear on the fish pieces.

    Finally, plate your fish, drizzle the sauce on top, and garnish with some fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

    Happy eating.

    Linguine with White Wine Cream and Clams

    4 Comments

    Linguine with White Wine Cream Sauce and Clams

    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Course Main Course
    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 shallot (minced)
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1/2 cup white wine
    • 1+1/2 cups chicken broth (or seafood broth)
    • 284 ml canned baby clams (usually 2 cans, 142ml/4.8oz each)
    • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
    • 1 dash hot sauce
    • 1/2 cup cream cheese
    • salt and pepper (to taste)
    • 2 Tbsps parmesan cheese (grated)

    Instructions
     

    • Sauté the shallots on medium high heat in the olive oil until soft.
    • Add the white wine, and cook down until reduced by over half.
    • Add chicken broth and clams, stir. Add oregano and hot sauce, stir.
    • Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces, then add to the sauce. Allow to melt and stir into the sauce.
    • Cook the linguine. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce.
    • Cook until sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    • Drain the pasta, add to the sauce, and toss to mix.
    • Top with parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper, serve.
    Keyword Clams, Cream Cheese, Linguine, Pasta, Wine

    And now for the details…

    This dish was a family favourite. We were introduced to it by a family friend when I was young, and it quickly became a special dish in our household. We had it often enough, that after a bit of time my mom would not even bother pulling the recipe card out when making it, she had made it so often. We had a tradition in our household that on our birthdays, we would get to choose what we wanted for dinner. The amount of times that I would choose this dish as my birthday dinner are innumerable. Not… because of my age… but because… I liked it so much… I can’t remember how many times… Okay, I’m getting old. Regardless, this is a special dish in my heart, and any time I’m feeling homesick or want some comfort food, this is the dish I turn to.

    It’s also a fairly quick and easy meal to come together. So even though it was a special dish, it was still something that could come together on a school/work night in a fairly short amount of time. Pair it up with a simple green salad, and you’ve got yourself a great meal!

    Start everything off by mincing the shallot and sautéing it in a large pan on medium high heat with the olive oil just until the shallot has started to soften and turned translucent. Add the white wine to the pan, stirring to mix.

    We are going to let the white wine reduce until the liquid has almost completely boiled off. Just a small amount of liquid should be left in the pan.

    Next, add your chicken broth and clams. Yes, I am suggesting to drain the clams, and yes, this is an opportunity to use the clam juice to increase the “clamminess” of your dish. But to be honest, I actually find the clam juice a bit too salty (I know, it’s shocking, I’m calling something too salty, call the press) and not as rich in umami flavour as using chicken broth as your liquid source. It’s also important to use baby clams in this dish. I made the mistake once of not paying attention when buying the canned clams and ended up with whole clam pieces. The texture is just not the same as the small, juicy bites of baby clams.

    Stir, bringing the sauce back up to a simmer, then add the oregano and hot sauce. Just a few dashes of the hot sauce, we are not trying to burn our faces off (I mean, unless that’s what you are looking for, then have at ‘er), just adding an extra layer of flavour to the dish. Now is also a good time to start cooking your pasta so it is ready around the time as your sauce.

    Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces. This will allow the cream cheese to melt faster, and meld into the sauce a bit faster. A quick note on cream cheese: you can use low fat cream cheese, but I would recommend the full fat. The low fat cream cheese does not melt as quickly, and it takes quite awhile before your sauce looks homogenous without a whole bunch of white chunks floating around.

    Let the sauce simmer for a bit as you stir the melting cream cheese in. At this point, your pasta should be fairly close to being done as well. Before draining the pasta, add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce and allow it to continue to simmer until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. The addition of the pasta water helps the sauce to thicken, and will help it adhere to the pasta. Give the sauce a final taste test and add salt and pepper to suit your tastes.

    Once the sauce is ready, add the drained pasta to the pan, and stir to mix the sauce into the pasta. Transfer to a wide serving platter, and top with the parmesan and fresh ground pepper, then serve!

    Happy eating.