Creme Fraiche Mustard Sauce for Fish

My husband wanted a "mustard' flavor fish sauce, so he googled it and got one by Ina Garten on the Food Network. You can view the original recipe here.   I made some adjustments because I didn't have whole grain mustard.  I am not a 'sauce' person, but more of a purest when it comes to fish.

I am cooking for 2, and had one large piece of Halibut.  So, the ingredients I used were 4 oz of Creme Fraiche, 3T Dijon Country Mustard, 2 shallots (from the garden) minced, and 2 t capers.  Kosher salt and pepper.  I know this is way more than I need, so next time, I will make a smaller batch.  I kept thinking of what else I could use it on, it was that good.

Here's my lovely piece of Halibut, in a glass pan that has been sprayed with olive oil.  I sprinkled salt and pepper on the bottom of the pan, before adding the fish.

Slather the top of the fish with the sauce and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.  It was absolutely delicious.  Flavorful and tender.  I wanted to lick my plate. I served it with steamed asparagus and a green salad, with broccoli slaw, celery and watermelon in a Mango Chipolte dressing.  Alot of good flavors going on here!

Ceviche

Ceviche is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh fish, and it is very simple to make.  Depending on your personal taste, ceviche can be made with a wide variety of seafood.
I prepared a batch using fresh Red Snapper from the gulf.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds fresh snapper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
approximately 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
approximately 1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice (I used Key Limes)
1 avocado
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro (or parsley) chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small can sliced black olives (optional)
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (to taste)
salt and pepper
1 medium red onion, chopped

This dish must be prepared in 2 steps.  Plan for the first step to be hours before serving!
First, slice and cube the fresh fish, place in a bowl.
Cut lemons and limes in half, then squeeze the juice until you have enough to cover the fish.  The acid in the citrus "cooks" the fish.  You must allow at least 4-6 hours for this process, and be sure to stir the mixture occasionally so all the fish is exposed to the juice.  I prepared this mixture the day before I planned to serve the ceviche.

Prior to adding the remaining ingredients, drain the juice from the fish.
Add onion, chopped herbs, tomato, olives, avocado seasonings, hot sauce, and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings to personal preference.
I covered and placed the ceviche in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow the ingredients a chance to meld together.
Serve with chips, crackers, or romaine lettuce leaves.  Refreshing and delicious!  Try it!
(This mixture would be amazing as a fish taco!)

Roasted Salmon, Vegetables, and bacon-wrapped jalapenos with cheese

Roasted golden beets, kolrabi, carrots, and leeks plated with

bacon-wrapped jalapenos and roasted salmon with sliced almonds

Bacon-wrapped jalapenos:

jalepenos, stemmed, seeds removed, sliced in half lengthwise

pork sausage

bacon

cream cheese

Put small, quarter-size round of sausage in jalapeno half, top with cream cheese, wrap with half-slice of bacon.

Place on roasting pan.

Roast at 425 degrees for 20-35 minutes, depending on how crisp you want the bacon.

Vegetables:

Scrub and slice beets and leeks, using care to assure there is no dirt in the center of the leeks.

Scrub the exterior of the carrots and leave small ones whole.  I remove the top of the beets.

Toss in olive oil and spread on roasting pan.

Roast at 350 for 35-40 minutes, check for tenderness. 

Roast Salmon filet (skin on) with sliced almonds

Choose a filet of salmon, preferably wild-caught, that is firm, deep pink in color and smells like the sea.

Place on roasting pan, skin down.  

Use a dry rub, or simply salt and pepper.  Drizzle a small amount of olive or grapeseed oil down the center of the filet.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Roast at 350 for approximately 12-14 minutes, depending on size.  Salmon should be just barely cooked through for best flavor.  Avoid the temptation to over-cook!

Remove from oven and serve immediately.  

Tilapia with Blood Oranges, baked sweet dumpling squash, and salad

I love blood oranges.  Everything about them speaks to me:  the rich variegated color of the skin, the deep red-orange of the flesh, the aroma.  I spotted a display in Central Market and had to bring some home.  Now, what to do with them?  I love slicing the top off and baking them.  For this meal I decided to see how they performed alongside fish as an accompaniment.

Ingredients:
4-6 tilapia filets
grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
curry rub
1 tablespoon butter

Zest the blood orange and chop zest coarsely.

Slice the orange in thin cross-sections

Add oil and butter to pre-heated pan (medium heat)

Place tilapia in pan with one orange slice under and on top of each filet.

Season with small pinch of curry rub, salt and pepper.

Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.

Turn carefully by using two spatulas:  one on top to stabilize the orange slice and prevent breaking the filet, and one underneath.

Sprinkle zest over turned filets.

Turned filets

Side dishes:

Roasted sweet dumpling squash & arugula salad with sauteed onions & mushrooms

here is a sweet dumpling squash (I'd never seen one before)

A deeper orange than a pumpkin, and  a tougher skin

It tastes like a blend of pumpkin and acorn squash.  Very tasty!

Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp

Turn face-down in baking pan (use a pan with a lip, as the squash emit a lot of juice during roasting) lined with parchment

Roast @ 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Check skin for softness.

When soft, remove from oven and allow to cool.

Scoop squash out of skin and into a serving dish.  Use a fork to mash, or serve in loose chunks.

I serve the squash with a small dollop of butter, salt and pepper.

Saute sliced mushrooms, shallots, and scallions in small amount of olive or grapeseed oil until 

mushrooms are brown and onions are slightly caramelized.

Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly.

Dress salad greens with vinaigrette, then top with onion-mushroom mixture.

This meal is a beautiful, healthy, colorful feast for the eyes and the palette.  Enjoy!

FIsh Tacos with Mediterranean slaw and corn tortillas

This meal is super simple to construct, and it is VERY satisfying!
I'm not a "coleslaw" person.  At all.  I shiver every time I think about that old midwest-style slaw, drowning in that runny white "dressing".  Yech.  This is not your grandma's coleslaw.

First I want to put in a little pitch for my dry curry recipe.  It was previously published, but it is so good I'm going to post it again.  It is what makes this coleslaw recipe so darn delicious.

Make your own Curry spice mixture

Add caption

here is the mixture before grinding in a mini food-processor

Curry Powder:

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon cardamom seeds

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

2 dried red chiles, broken in pieces, seeds discarded

1 tablespoon turmeric

Toast the whole spices (coriander, cumin, fennel, cloves, mustard, cardamom and peppercorns) and the chiles in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan often to prevent them from burning. Toast for a couple of minutes until the spices smell fragrant. In a clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together to a fine powder. Add the turmeric and give it another quick buzz to combine. Use the spice blend immediately, or store in a sealed jar for as long as 1 month.

Yield: about 1/2 cup

* I made this about 6 months ago and it is still really good.

Fish Tacos

I bought a box of tortilla crusted tilapia filets at Costco.  They are delicious!  If you don't want to use these you can certainly sautee fresh fish, or use whatever else you have on hand.  I like to keep these fish filets in the freezer for times when I forget to thaw anything for dinner.  Cook as directed.

Tortillas

I live in San Antonio where the possibility of acquiring freshly prepared corn tortillas is very easy.  I have been told by a friend that Costco is now carrying corn tortillas that simply need to be pan-heated to finish, and they are quite delicious.  Wherever you get your tortillas, corn or flour, please PLEASE heat them in a pan, flipping at least once, to cook them.  DO NOT microwave them as this turns them into rubber discs.  Pan heating on high takes very little time, and they are 100% better this way.  If you can't get fresh tortillas, this is the next best option.  After heating, place them in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Coleslaw, or as my husband says, "Curslaw":

Ingredients:

one package of presliced slaw, found in any grocer case in the veggie aisle (don't use the liquid stuff!) Just get it for the veggies

5-6 thinly sliced radishes

curry mix

1/2 tsp turmeric (in addition to what is in the curry mix)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

handful craisins

approx 1/4 cup mayo

salt and pepper to taste

I'm guessing on the amounts of these ingredients because I almost never measure.  I "eyeball" it.  You can do the same.

dump the vegetables into a bowl

thinly slice radishes, then cut the slices in half

scatter in the veggie mix.  

You might be wondering why I'm putting radishes in the mixture.  Trust me!

Even if you aren't a radish fan, you will love them in this recipe!  They don't significantly spice up the mixture, but they add color and a lovely crunchy texture.  Just do it!

add mayo and curry mix, paprika, and turmeric

toss in craisins (raisins would work, too)

here's what is left of my curry mix.

I guess it is time to make more!

Place the fish filet on the tortilla, then top with the "curslaw".

Serve.  Delicious!

I hope you try this slaw recipe with fish tacos.  It is so deliciously satisfying.  Let me know what you think of them!

Vegetable & Hatch Chili Frittata, Lemon Tilapia Almondine served on a bed of wilted spinach

bag of freshly roasted mild Hatch chilis-yum!

It started with a quick coffee bean run into the local grocer (HEB).  As I approached the door I smelled the heavenly aroma of roasting chili peppers.  To me, this is one of the most wonderful smells on earth.  

Of course I had to buy some!  

Once home, I skinned and seeded several peppers (with plastic gloves on!) and chopped them.

I sauteed a combo of 2 types of squash, chopped garlic, & mushrooms and let them cool.  In the meantime, I mixed 4 eggs with a small amount of half&half, and folded the chilis into the eggs.  Once the veggies were cooled to just slightly warm, I mixed them into the eggs, and added about a half cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  

chilies folded into egg mixture

veggies folded into the mixture

cheese added, reserving a bit for the top of the dish

bake at 350 for 25 minutes, finish by broiling for approximately 5 minutes to slightly brown the cheese.

Lemon Tilapia Almondine served on a bed of wilted spinach:

Ingredients:

4 tilapia filets

one lemon, zest removed and chopped slightly, several thin cross-slices set aside

4-6 cups of baby spinach leaves, washed thoroughly and stemmed

small amount olive or grapeseed oil

1 pat butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds, pan toasted to bring out the flavor, cooled

Place spinach in a nonstick pan with a bit of water.

Cook until it "wilts".  Remove to a strainer and allow moisture to drain.

Place in a bowl in a warm oven until ready to serve.

zest the lemon

chop the zest.  Slice cross-sections of the lemon so there are at least 4-6 very thin slices.

After spinach has been wilted, return pan to the stove on a medium temperature setting.  Allow pan to warm, then add about 1-2 Tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil.  Add one pat butter for flavor.  As the butter melts, add the lemon zest.  

Once the zest warms and begins to sautee, place the fish filets in the pan.  Season by squeezing a small amount of lemon juice from the unsliced lemon, salt and pepper the filets, then place a lemon slice on each filet. 

 Allow to sautee for several minutes until the underside of the filets begins to turn opaque.  

Carefully turn the filets by using two spatulas:  one slid under the filet, the other over the top to hold the lemon slice in place and to prevent the filet from falling apart.  Carefully turn.  Once turned, season the other side of the fish with a bit of salt and pepper, and another lemon slice if you have enough. 

 Cook for several minutes until the underside appears opaque.  Now, gently turn the filet again using the same technique.  Lower heat.  

Bring plates to the stove-area.  Bring spinach out of the warmer.  Use tongs to arrange equal portions of the spinach on each plate.  

Now, gently transfer a fish filet, with the lemon slices, onto the bed of spinach.  

Garnish with a scattering of the sliced almonds.  Serve immediately. 

Note:  this dish would be excellent if a splash of a nice crisp white wine were added to the butter and lemon zest just prior to adding the fish filets!  Also:  any mild, flaky fish will work very well in this dish.

I eat a lot of tilapia because I know a local purveyor who raises the fish. 

Tilapia with lemon-garlic sauce, roasted beets, Peach-Tomato crumble

Today's meal came straight from the Farmer's Market.  I'm so thankful that we now have a large, vibrant market every Saturday at the old Pearl Brewery.  

Tilapia with Lemon-Garlic sauce.

Fish is the most basic "fast food".  The beautiful filets came from a local purveyor and were so fresh they didn't smell like fish.  

Ingredients:

zest of one lemon

Lemon, cut in half, sliced thinly to create 8 "wafers" (and lemon reserved for juicing over fish).

Butter

olive oil

3 garlic cloves, coarsely minced

4 tilapia filets

zesting the lemon

sauteing the garlic

zest is added to the garlic

fish are carefully added to the pan with thinly sliced lemon on top

In a non-stick skillet or saute pan, heat olive oil (about 1 Tablespoon) and melt 1-2 Tablespoons butter.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, then add half the lemon zest, saute another minute. 

Add fish filets, place one of the thin slices of lemon on each filet.  When the fish begins to turn opaque in color on the bottom, gently turn them over in the pan, taking care not to break the filet in pieces.  At medium heat, this will only take a few minutes. Once turned, lay the remaining lemon slices on fish, scatter remaining zest, and squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over the filets.  Saute until cooked through.  Fish will be opaque in color.  Don't overcook!  The fish will continue to cook even after you remove it from the pan.  It should be lovely and tender.  Serve immediately.

You might think this fish would be soaked in butter, but not so!  It had a buttery taste, but most of it was left in the pan after cooking.

Beets:

Beets were scrubbed, then sliced into 1/4 inch cross-sections, tossed in olive oil, then laid out in a roasting pan and lightly salted and peppered.  Roast in oven for approximately 30 minutes @ 350'F until slightly tender.  Serve.

Salad greens:

tossed with a light vinaigrette made of equal parts grapeseed oil and apple cider vinegar, a dash of turmeric, a dash of salt and pepper.  The mixture is emulsified and then tossed over the greens just before serving.  I like to plate the greens and serve the roasted beets on top of them.

Yum!

Dessert:

Peach-Tomato Crumble

This may not sound good, but trust me, it is!  I don't know what got into me this afternoon.  I started thinking about how the acidity of the tomato might enhance the flavor of the peach in this dish.  And the colors looked so good together!

Beautiful peaches and slices of tomato

tossed with Wholesome Organic Zero Carb Sweetener

This dish is sugar and gluten-free.  No one will ever know because you won't miss the flour or sugar!

Ingredients:

2 peaches, sliced

1 tomato, seeded and sliced

approximately 1/2 cup Sugar substitute, half directly on fruit, half mixed with dry ingredients*

1 cup Rolled oats

1/4 cup ground hazelnut flour

1/2 cup ground almond flour

3 Tablespoons vanilla flavored whey protein powder

dash salt

approx 6 Tablespoons butter, very cold

*if you are using a sugar substitute, add with caution.  Some have a much-sweeter taste than real sugar, some less.  The Wholesome organic zero calorie sweetener is about equal to (or slightly less) sweetness as sugar.  Here's a link to a bulk source on amazon: http://tinyurl.com/25uovu2

Slice peaches and tomato, toss with some sugar substitute, distribute in a baking dish that has been sprayed with a release agent.

In a separate bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients until well-blended

With a paring knife, shave bits of the butter onto the dry ingredients.  Mix into dry ingredients by hand by rubbing butter and ingredients together until well assimilated.  Pour over the top of the fruit.

Place in oven preheated to 350'F and bake until crust is golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Cool on rack.  May be served with ice cream or creme fraiche.  

This dish can be expanded to accommodate a larger number of servings.  Note:  I guessed at the amounts of these ingredients because I never measure it.  I just sort of "eyeball" it and go for it.  I guarantee you will have something good!  The family was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted.  I didn't mention the tomatoes but they noticed them immediately.  My theory was correct: the tomatoes amped-up the flavor of the peaches. 

dry ingredients

butter before being mixed into the dry ingredients

mixing....

mixed

adding the crumble mixture to the fruit

ready for the oven

after baking

plated, topped with a dollop of creme fraiche

Let me know if you give any of these dishes a try.  Enjoy!

Also:  here is a link to the Pearl Farmer's Market, in case any readers live in the San Antonio-area:

http://www.pearlfarmersmarket.com/

A link to the Hollywood Farmer's Market, another favorite of mine:

http://www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.net/