Herbed Tilapia with Tomatoes and Jalapenos over Chive Mashed Potatoes

Baked Tilapia:
2 tilapia filets
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Lemon pepper seasoning
Salt
2 Tbsp minced fresh herbs (cilantro, flat leaf Italian parsley, Rosemary)
about 5 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used baby heirloom tomatoes)
1 jalapeno, sliced (seeds removed)

Mashed potatoes:
3 medium red skinned potatoes, cubed
2-3 tsp butter
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (you can also use milk, cream or sour cream instead)
season with salt and pepper
1/2 Tbsp minced fresh chives

Start with potatoes, by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay two sheets of parchment paper on a flat surface. Place a filet of fish on each sheet. Drizzle with EVOO, season with lemon pepper and salt. Sprinkle with herbs. Top with tomato halves and jalapenos.

Fold and crimp the top of the paper closed. Then repeat for the sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until fish is no longer transparent.

Once potatoes are cooked, drain. Add butter and yogurt to pot. Return potatoes to pot and mash together. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in chives. Add more yogurt if potatoes need more moisture.

To serve, open parchment paper packs, plate fish over mashed potatoes. Pour over extra juices.

 

Grilled Mahi Mahi over Coconut Lime Cilantro Rice with Mango Avocado Salsa

It was raining on this Cinco de Mayo so we decided to add a little sunshine to our meal with this tropical dish.
 

Coconut Lime Cilantro Rice:

3/4 cup white long grained basmati rice
1 1/2 cups coconut water or juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp minced cilantro
1 green onion sprig, minced
Zest and juice from 1 small lime

Grilled Mahi Mahi:

2-8 oz Mahi Mahi filets
Chile con Limon (Chili with Lemon) seasoning

Mango Avocado Salsa:

½ mango, diced
1 small avocado, diced
1 green onion sprig, diced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
½ Tbsp minced cilantro
Juice from 1 small lime
Salt to taste

Start with the rice, by adding rice, coconut water, EVOO and salt to a rice cooker. Once rice is cooked, stir in cilantro, green onions, lime zest and juice. Set aside until ready to serve.

Season Mahi Mahi filets with seasoning and grill each side over medium high heat for about 8 minutes per side, or until it easily flakes.

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the salsa. Season with salt to taste.

Serve grilled fish over a bed of rice and top with mango avocado salsa.

 

Salmon Sliders

We had leftover grilled salmon, so for lunch the next day, we decided to make salmon sliders, or open-faced salmon sandwiches.

2 grilled salmon filets, about 6-8 oz

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup mayo

1 large slice of sourdough bread, diced (you can use regular breadcrumbs too)

1/3 small red onion, minced

½ small red bell pepper, diced

1 Tbsp freshly minced Italian flat leaf parsley

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Goat Cheese Pesto Spread:

4 oz goat cheese

½ Tbsp mayo

1 tsp pesto sauce

Baguette, sliced into ½” pieces  

Garnishes:

Fresh lime juice

Sliced avocado

In a sauté pan, heat ½” of oil over medium high heat. Oil should be about half way up the salmon patty.

While oil heats, use your hands to gently flake apart the salmon into a large bowl. Gently mix in remaining ingredients. Do not over mix or the salmon will turn to mush.  If the mixture is too wet, add more bread. If the mixture is too dry, add more mayo. Using your hands, form 2” patties.

When oil is ready, gently place each patty into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until they are crispy and golden brown. Remove patties from oil and set on paper towel lined plate, to soak up extra grease.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for spread.

Smear each slice of bread with goat cheese pesto spread and top with a salmon patty. Top each slider with a slice of avocado and squirt of fresh lime juice. Serve with an arugula salad tossed in a light vinaigrette dressing.

Helpful tips:

How do you know if your oil is ready for frying? Test by dropping a little bit of food into oil, if it sizzles, it’s ready!

Tuna Poke and Avocado Stack

Yesterday, my husband’s coworker asked him if we liked tuna. Of course! Then she went on to tell him her brother just came back from a fishing trip with several pounds of fresh Bluefin tuna. Would we like some? Again…OF COURSE!  And this was how this little beauty was created!

Top layer:
¾ lb Bluefin tuna (or Ahi), cubed
¼ cup soy sauce
2 green onion sprigs, chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (I used both black and white)
1/2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce

Middle layer:

½ red bell pepper, minced
1 ½ Tbsp minced red onion

Bottom layer:

1 avocado, diced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
Juice from one lime

Garnish:

Thinly sliced cucumber
Cilantro
Extra sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine cubed tuna with the rest of the ingredients for the ‘top layer’. In a separate small bowl, combine bell peppers and onion. In a third small bowl, combine ingredients for the ‘bottom later’.

Using a greased cylinder shaped measuring cup or 2 1/2” circle ring, add a layer of tuna mixture and gently press down with the back of a spoon. Then add a thin layer of bell peppers and onions. Lastly, add a layer of avocado and gently press down.

Take a small plate and layer a circle of thinly sliced cucumbers. Place the tuna and avocado stack in the middle of the plate and gently tap out. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serve with homemade tortilla chips.

Jalapeno Crab Stuffed Salmon

I wanted to do something different for dinner with my salmon, so I opened up my cupboard to see if any brilliant ideas would jump out at me. A can of crab and a can of diced jalapenos caught my eye. I love crab stuffed jalapenos, so I wondered what would happen if I stuffed that inside of salmon. Viola! Jalapeno crab stuffed salmon…delicious!

2 salmon filets

1 can of white lump crab, drained
2-3 oz of canned diced jalapenos
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 green onion sprig, chopped
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine crab, jalapenos, cheese and green onion, but do not over mix. Set aside.

Season filets with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in the middle of each filet. Stuff filets with crab mixture. Place filets on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn to broil, move fish to the top of the oven and broil for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Helpful tip: To know if your fish is cooked, it should easily flake with fork and no longer be translucent in the center.

Mahi-Mahi Skewers with Artichoke Vinaigrette Dressing

An elegant summer meal.

Inspired by a recipe found on http://dinanicola.tumblr.com/.

Skewers:
1 lb Mahi-Mahi, cut into 1” pieces
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
1 small red onion, cut into 1” pieces
Salt & Pepper

Preheat grill to medium high. Make skewers, alternating fish, peppers and onion. Brush with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Grill skewers and grill for 3-5 minutes, turning once.

To serve, drizzle dressing over Mahi-Mahi skewers. I also grilled asparagus and used this as a dipping sauce for that along with a sliced baguette.

The next day, I used the left over dressing for a bean and vegetable salad…yum!

Dressing:

4 Tbsp EVOO
½ tsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp minced cilantro

Juice from one lemon
6 oz jarred, quartered artichoke hearts, drained
½ Tbsp capers, drained
Salt & Pepper

In a blender, add ingredients above and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Sautéed Swai with Spinach Mushroom Rice

Swai is a farmed river fish from Asia, which is light and flaky, similar to catfish.

2 Swai fillets

2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

½ tsp minced parsley

Lemon pepper seasoning

SaltExtra Virgin

Olive Oil (EVOO)

Rice:

½ cup white long grained Basmati rice

2 Tbsp dried mushrooms

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach

2 green onion sprigs, sliced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a rice cooker, add rice, mushrooms, chicken broth and 1 tsp EVOO; cook until tender. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, drizzle EVOO and cook spinach until wilted. Add cooked rice to pan, add green onions and mix together; set aside.

(Note: if you don’t have dried mushrooms, sauté fresh mushrooms with spinach.)

In a large frying pan over high heat, drizzle EVOO and heat until oil starts to ripple. Season both sides of fish fillets with cheese, parsley, lemon pepper and salt. Fry first side for 2 minutes, flip fillets, turn heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, until crispy and flakes easily with a fork.

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Vegetable Stir Fry Rice

2 salmon filets
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Juice from one lime
1 cup white long grained basmati rice
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, peel of ribbons
½ yellow onion, sliced
About 5 asparagus, cut into ½” pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Sea salt
EVOO

In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice until combine. Marinate salmon for 30+ minutes.

Cook rice in chicken broth in rice cooker until done.

Preheat grill to med-high heat. Grill salmon skin side down until crispy. Flip filets and turn heat to med-low. Remove skin and cook until just flaky, but not over cooked.

In a wok or large sauté pan over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and cook vegetables, garlic and cilantro for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and drizzle with a few dashes of extra soy sauce. Add cooked rice and mix together.

Serve grilled fish over a bed of vegetable stir fry rice.

Note: If you’d like to spice this up a bit, add freshly sliced jalapenos to the vegetable stir fry or add pepper flakes when seasoning.

Ono with Vegetable Rice

Wahoo is also known as Ono. Ono is a mild tasting fish with a firm texture. This is a good fish to grill or saute on the stovetop.

2 Ono Filets

Lemon Pepper seasoning

Sea salt
1 cup white long grained Basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth
¾ cup frozen chopped spinach
1 can of corn, drained
2 green onion sprigs, thinly sliced
EVOO
10 asparagus spears, cut into 1” pieces
1 lemon

In a rice cooker, combine rice, broth, spinach and 2 teaspoons of EVOO. Cook until done. Mix in corn and green onions; set aside.

In a medium frying pan, heat a couple drizzle of EVOO over med-high heat. Cook seasoned filets, start with one side until the meat turns white half way up and then flip; cook until the other half turns white. Do not overcook or fish will be tough.

In a small pot, cook asparagus in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking; drain and set aside.

To serve, create a bed of vegetable rice, then add steamed asparagus and top with fish. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice.

Grilled Shark with Tropical Rice

This is a tasty and good-for-you dish that has a great combination of spicy and sweet flavors.

2 Thresher shark filets
Cajun seasoning
1 cup white, long grained balsamic rice
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped mango
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 tsp salt

In a rice cooker, combine rice, coconut milk, mango, onion and salt. Cook until done and rice is tender. Rice should be creamy and sweet with a hint of saltiness.

Preheat grill to med-high heat. Season each side of shark with Cajun spices. The filets I bought were about 1” thick so I butterflied them to make them thinner so they would cook faster. Grill them for about 4 minutes per side.

Serve shark over tropical rice. Enjoy!

Ricotta Lemon Potatoes with Grilled Swordfish

This dinner came together after I discovered an easy ‘make your own ricotta’ recipe in another blog. Whenever I think of a side dish with lemon, I think grilled fish. A heavenly pairing.

4-6 small red skinned potatoes

¼ cup fresh ricotta cheese (I made my own following this simple recipe)

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp minced fresh Rosemary
1 tsp minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp minced fresh chives
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
3- 1” thick fresh swordfish filets
EVOO

Lemon Pepper seasoning

Sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a few holes, toss in EVOO and bake in an aluminum covered casserole dish for about 50 minutes, or until fork tender.

In a small bowl, combine cheese, herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.

Heat a grill to med-high heat. Drizzle fish with EVOO, season both sides with Lemon Pepper and salt and grill each side for about 4 minutes, depending on filet thickness, or until fish is done.

When potatoes are done, pierce tops with a fork and squeeze both ends together to open. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then top with ricotta mixture. (If the potato is a little dry, add a slice of butter.)

Plate fish with a couple lemon ricotta potatoes. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Seared Tuna Salad

A light and tasty dinner on a warm summer evening.

2 Ahi tuna steaks
Lemon pepper seasoning
Salt
EVOO
Mixed green salad
Sliced red bell pepper
Shelled edamame
Chopped cucumber
Vinaigrette dressing
Lentil salad

Heat grill or pan to high heat. Brush tuna with EVOO and season with lemon pepper and salt. Over high heat, grill tuna for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness you might want to reduce or increase heat.

Prepare salad by starting with a bed of greens and top with veggies; drizzle with vinaigrette dressing. Add lentil salad and top with sliced, seared tuna.

Note: I just happened to have some lentil salad on hand so I threw it into the dish. I felt it added a little more substance so I’m not sure how much it really “matches” the dish.

Cajun Shark with Tropical Salsa

It’s the start of summer, which means even MORE grilling and tons of fresh summer fruits to cook with. This dish uses a sweet salsa of fresh pineapple, mango and avocado over spicy grilled fish….a delicious and healthy combo!

Servings: 2

2-½ lb Thresher Shark filets
Spicy Cajun seasoning
EVOO

Pineapple Salsa
½ cup of diced fresh pineapple
½ mango, diced
1 small avocado, diced
½ small red onion, minced
1 Tbsp minced cilantro
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
Juice of one lime
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Rice
½ cup basmati rice
1 cup coconut water (or 1of cup chicken broth)
1 tsp EVOO
½ tsp salt

Preheat grill to med-high heat. Drizzle EVOO over filets and rub with seasoning. Set aside.

Add ingredients for rice in rice cooker; cook until done.

For salsa, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Grill fish filets for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

Plate rice and fish and top with pineapple salsa.

Grilled Swordfish with Vegetables and Quinoa

2 swordfish filets
Fish seasoning: salt and lemon pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 small yellow squash, julienned
5 thin asparagus spears, halved
Salt
Freshly crushed black pepper

Grill seasoned swordfish over med-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side.

In a medium pot, bring broth and quinoa to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and cook for about 35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

In a medium sauce pan, heat a drizzle of EVOO over med-high heat. Sauté vegetables for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Plate with quinoa, add vegetables and top with fish.

Grilled Halibut with Crab Fettuccine

2 halibut filets

Juice from ½ a lemon

EVOO
1 tsp fresh parsley, minced
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
½ cup of imitation crab, chopped
Fettuccine
1 ½ cup of Cream Sauce (pre jarred from the store)
1 Tbsp red bell pepper, minced
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Marinate halibut in lemon juice, a drizzle of EVOO, parsley, salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.

Grill halibut over medium high heat, about 10 minutes, flipping half way through.

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain. Over the stove top in the same pot used to boil pasta, add cream sauce and crab. Heat crab all the way through. Add pasta and toss.

Serve halibut with pasta. Sprinkle pasta with parmesan and red bell pepper.

Grilled Swordfish with Herbed Vegetables

Fish:
2 - 1 ½” thick swordfish filets
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
EVOO
1 lemon

Potatoes:
2 medium red potatoes, cubed
1 large carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 Tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley, minced
2 rosemary sprigs, minced
2 green onion sprigs, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes, a couple dashes
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
EVOO

Boil potatoes and carrots with 2 garlic cloves, 1 rosemary sprig, salt and pepper for about 15 minutes. Drain and discard herbs.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a medium sized baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl, add potatoes, carrots, 2 garlic cloves, 1 rosemary sprig, green onions, parsley, pepper flakes, salt, pepper and EVOO. Toss well. Spread vegetables and herbs on baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes until veggies are brown and crispy.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Drizzle each filet with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill each side for 5 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Cut lemon in half, brush with EVOO and grill for 2-3 minutes.

Plate swordfish with roasted veggies and sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with grilled lemon.

Tuna Conchiglioni Pasta

Put it all together and this is what you get!


The hubby did a good job of grating the cheese!




1 lb Conchiglioni pasta
1/2 cup EVOO, split
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-6 oz can tuna in oil, drained
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
8 oz. frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed
2 Tbsp capers, drained
1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Lemon zest from half a lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over med-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tuna to the skillet, break apart into chunks. Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts and capers.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the pasta, the remaining 1/4 cup EVOO, and the parsley. Toss until all the ingredients are coated, adding a little pasta water, if needed, to thin out the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Baked Swordfish with Parmesan Risotto

My mom and Larry came to visit and they made us this delicious dinner!

4 swordfish filets
Sea Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
EVOO

½ bag of baby spinach
1 large garlic clove, minced
EVOO

2 cups of medium grain white rice
½ medium red onion, chopped
6 oz of white wine
4 cups of chicken broth
½ cup of freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat a few EVOO drizzles over medium heat. Add rice and stir until brown. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add wine and stir. Once the liquid is absorbed, add ½ cup of broth. Stir until liquid is absorbed and keep repeating until broth is all absorbed and rice is tender. Mix in parmesan cheese at the end. Add salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be creamy.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush both sides of fish with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat EVOO over high heat, until it starts to ripple. Add fish and sear both sides until brown. Move fish in frying pan to oven for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through.

In a small sauce pan, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add spinach and garlic. Sauté until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

Plate risotto next to a small bed of spinach. Top spinach with fish. Enjoy!

Crab Stuffed Sole with Spinach Rice

This is an easy dinner to make for a special night. It looks nice and tastes delicious!

3 sole filets, or tilapia
¼ red bell pepper, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can of fancy white crab, drained
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp chives, minced
Herbed goat cheese chunks
Bunch of asparagus
1 cup of long grained basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup frozen chopped spinach
1-2 sprigs of green onion, chopped
1 tsp EVOO
Lemon pepper
S&P

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season one side of fish with lemon pepper and salt. In a sauce pan over med-high heat, sauté peppers and garlic in a little EVOO. Once peppers are fork tender, move to a dish and let cool. When the dinner is almost done sauté asparagus in the same pan for 3-4 minutes until fork tender.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine crab, egg, bread crumbs, chives, goat cheese with cooled peppers and garlic. Lay fish seasoned side down. Top fish with crab mixture and roll. Add to casserole dish, seam side down.

In a 8 x 8 greased casserole dish, bake fish for 30 minutes, covered. Cook until fish flakes easily.

In a rice cooker, add rice, broth, EVOO and S&P. When rice is almost done, 10-15 minutes later, add spinach and green onions, mix together and continue cooking until done.

Plate rice, add asparagus and top with stuffed fish. Enjoy with a nice glass of white wine.

Yummy Camping Dinner: Salmon Foil Packet

I've heard this type of meal referred to as a "hobo packet" but we like to fancy it up by adding salmon! This dinner is so good that we usually have it twice in one week when camping. Basically, you add all your ingredients in a foil packet, throw in the fire to cook for 45 minutes and enjoy. The perfect camping meal!

Layer the ingredients you like:

Cooking the foil packets in the fire:


Open packet carefully so ashes from the fire doesn't get into your food:

Slide dinner out of foil packet and carefully onto a plate:


Ingredients (split veggies into two halves for two packets)
2 salmon filets
1 large red potato, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced about half as twice as the potato (not too thick or it won’t cook enough)
1 sliced mushroom (for my packet only, not for Ben’s since he hates mushrooms)
½ green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly crushed pepper
EVOO

Start fire with wood or charcoal. Wait until fire dies down a bit before adding foil packets to heat.

Lay a piece of aluminum foil on the table. Drizzle EVOO on the foil. This will prevent the food from sticking (hopefully). Start layer with potato slices, then salmon, minced garlic, S&P, the rest of the veggies and another layer of potato slices. Try to put the heartier ingredients, like the potatoes and carrots, on the outside of the packet since these will take longest to cook. Drizzle more EVOO over the top of the other layer of potatoes, to prevent the top from sticking to the foil.

Take two sides of the foil and crimp and roll down together, to make a tight seal. Repeat with the other two sides, or twist tightly to make a candy wrapper shape (like a Werther's). Add packets on top of hot wood or coal, covering packets with hot pieces of wood/coal. Cook for about minutes.

Carefully open packets so the ashes from the fire don’t fall into the dinner. Enjoy!

You can also make these packets with sausage, chicken or ground beef.