Oh Boy, Just Taste That Soy!

You want to keep eating that healthy fish, but you don't want to be bored, and you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. This meal is refreshing, easy and just different enough to stimulate those taste buds. Why don't you give it a try?

 

Asian Salmon and Soba Noodle Bowl

Recipe for four servings

1 salmon fillet per person (6 oz. each), in this case 4

1/2 cup low salt soy sauce

1 clove of garlic, pressed through garlic press

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1. Heat  the sesame oil in a skillet large enough to hold all four salmon fillets. Add the garlic and stir about 30 seconds. Add the salmon and then pour over about half of the soy sauce. Let it cook at medium high until the salmon is done and assumes some of the hue of the soy sauce. Add soy sauce as necessary to keep the salmon moist.

4 oz of soba (buckwheat) noodles

2.  In a pan large enough to accommodate the noodles, heat water to boiling. Put in the noodles and boil about 3 minutes until done. Drain.

4 cups of mixed lettuce

1 cup chopped cucumber

1/4 cup thinly sliced purple onion

1/4 cup bean sprouts

3. Divide ingredients equally into four noodle bowls, top with noodles and salmon. Drizzle over the top with a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of rice vinegar for each serving. Stir and serve. Then watch it disappear.



Not My Grandmother's Creamed Cod

My Grandma Margie made an absolutely delicious creamed cod that she served over mashed potatoes. It was a rich, warm, and cozy comfort food that filled all the empty spaces. I do have my grandmother's cookbooks, complete with notes, and I wanted to create a meal with the same embracing feel but that included more nutrition than cream and cod. This is the result. Mike loved it!

Vegetable Creamed Cod

Is it a Chowder?

1 pound salt cod, you know the kind that comes in the little wooden box, cut them into chunks

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup of sliced mushrooms, I used baby bellas

1 1/2 cup chopped broccoli

2 cups frozen corn

1/4 cup flour, cold water

4 cups skimmed milk

1/2 cup sour cream

ground black pepper

mashed potatoes (1 cup per serving)

1. Melt butter in soup pot, saute broccoli, mushrooms, and corn until vegetables are soft.

2. Mix the flour in about 3/4 cup of cold water. Put in a closed container and shake until there are no lumps. Pour the flour mixture over the vegetables in the pot. Stir in the sour cream. Add the skimmed milk. Heat until bubbling and thickened.

3. Add the chunked cod into the pot and cook until done. Stir in cracked pepper to taste.

Serve the hot creamed cod and vegetables over the potatoes.



Hear the Swordfish Call as You Walk in the Fall

Swordfish and Pasta Salad

Walk in the door after a brisk walk in the rich and fragrant colors of fall, and in no time at all create this salad that somehow bridges the seasons.

Serves 4 generously

3/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1  pound fresh swordfish, cut into cubes
1 large purple onion, cut into bite sized chunks
2 cups of mixed color bell peppers, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup good quality red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
2 cups bow tie pasta, cooked, al dente
3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
4-6 cups mixed greens


1. Heat half the oil and brown the swordfish cubes. Place into a large bowl. Then discard the cooking oil.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Add the onion and saute until just starting to go soft. Then add peppers and garlic and  cook until slightly soft.

3. Pour vinegar and the seasonings into the skillet. Heat through. Add the salt.

4. Pour all of this over swordfish in the bowl. Add the bowtie pasta and toss. Next add the capers.

5. Serve over fresh greens.

Enjoy the rich flavors and colors of this dish, a healthy dinner following your autumn stroll.

Welcome Autumn with a Toast and a Sea Bass Fish Roast

The leaves are turning and the cider is fresh and crisp as the wind. Here's a fish roasted with fingerling potatoes that catches the last flavors of summer even as it embraces the textures of autumn. Savor each bite of sea bass and potato roasted with garlic and oil and the pungent flavor of basil. Let it linger on your tongue.

Sea Bass Roasted Italian Style

2 pounds of fingerling potatoes ( I used white, red, and purple) I sliced them in bite sized pieces.

6 cloves of garlic, put through a garlic press

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup fresh basil leaves, slice thin

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds fresh sea bass ( or one fillet per person)

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup of white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix together potatoes, garlic, basil leaves, olive oil in a 13 by 9 poasting pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Roast in the oven for about twenty minutes until the potatoes are very close to done. Remove pan from oven and remove the potatoes from the pan.

4. Lay the fillets on the bottom of the pan. Pour the wine and lemon juice over the fish. Place the potatoes back on top of the fish.

5. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes or until the fish is done and easily flakes with a fork.

Serve and enjoy!

We served with an antipasto salad and homemade blue cheese dressing.

Fish in the Fall Is Great For All!

The nights are getting chilly, and while I certainly don't want to abandon the grill altogether, my thoughts turn to warm and cozy casseroles. The kind that make you feel all snug and warm as the rain streams in cold rivulets down the window pane. So.. why not try to make one with fish? Here's my first attempt.

Autumn Fish Medly

1. Grease a casserole dish and place a 6-8 oz fish fillet in it for each person you are serving. I had three fillets, 1 mahi mahi, one halibut, and one sea bass. Drizzel over them with just about a teaspoon of olive oil.

2.Thinly slice an onion and a green bell pepper and arrange around the fish. Sprinkle with fresh chives, thyme, and oregano; about a teaspoon or so of each.

3. Coarsely chop a mixture of olives. I used about a quarter cup of both green and black. These will add both texture and richness to your meal. Sprinkle on the fish.

4. Pour a 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes over the fish.  Add enough white wine to just cover. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a 375 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes. The fish will be opague and flake with a fork.

5. Serve over rice or quinoa with a crusty slice of bread to soak up all the juices.

Enjoy!

Great Fish for Game Day, Oh Yea!

As the season for fall sports gets into full swing, you want to enjoy your favorite team with some great game food. This recipe is an all time winner! It is true pub grub from the Brazen Head, on Lower Bridge Street in Dublin, a bar that has been in the pub business for some 800 years. Try this dish, then just sit back and enjoy!

Mussels in Garlic and Guinness

2 pounds of fresh mussels, scrubbed

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

1/2 cup Guinness

1/2 cup half and half

2 tablspoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter

lemon wedges for serving

Fresh bread for serving (I used a whole wheat baquette)

1. Put a stockpot over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the mussels and remaining ingredients and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the mussels open.

2. To serve, divide the mussels among shallow bowls and ladle the broth over them. Sprinkle with extra parsley and serve with a slice of lemon. Yes, it's that easy! And the fresh and delicious taste is one you won't soon forget.

Note: We served hot peppers fresh from the grill on the dipping bread to add a bit of spice to the meal. Also, to make this more hearty fare, just serve over pasta. There you have it: healthy, easy and delicious food for your next game.

 Move over pizza and wings you just got some serious competition.

Go Irish!

At the End of Summer, Some Still Like It Hot

It's the end of summer and the peppers are hot, and so is this salmon. I love the smell of salmon on the grill; put it on a cedar plank and it will plump up moist and delicious; top it with pepper jam and expect a sizzling treat for your taste buds. Now, you can buy many kinds of pepper jam, but I'm going to give you a recipe that will make about six jars. Enjoy the jam mixed with cream cheese on crackers or bagels. But save a half a cup of the jam to grill on a large salmon fillet and bask in the heat this jam can generate!

Some Like It Hot Cedar Planked Salmon

Make the jam anytime before you plan to cook the salmon: a day, a week, or a whole season.



Darlene's Pepper Jam

4 cup of chopped peppers - I use half hot peppers and half bell peppers, and I love a mix. My favorites are from stall 118 at the Rochester Public Market, but choose your own favorite hot peppers.

1 cup of cider vinegar

5 cups sugar

1 1.75 oz pkg of pectin (I like Sure Jell)

1. Have six jam jars (8oz or smaller) complete with lids in boiling water. Keep the water on a low simmer.

2. In a large pot put the four cups of peppers, cider, and pectin.

3. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.

4. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

5. Remove one jar at a time from the simmering water and ladle in the jam to near the top. Wipe the edges very clean.

6. Put on the two piece lids and tighten. Set the jars on the counter and listen for them to "pop." That mean the lids are sealed.

Now you have some delicious pepper jam!

Back to the cedar planed salmon.

1. Soak a cedar plank in some cold water for a half hour. Then place a salmon fillet (whatever size fits your needs). We had a bit over a pound and a half for three people. Plenty to eat and some for leftovers.

2. Place the plank with fish in a grill set on medium high for about six minutes.

3. Open the grill and spread a generous coat of the pepper jam over the whole top of the fish. I used between a third and a half a cup. Close the grill lid and wait for the salmon to finish. Ours took about another 20 minutes.

The salmon will be moist and succulant on the inside with a glittering finish and a bit of a bite. Try this for another great way to enjoy fish!