Turmeric White Fish with Chili Lime Cucumber

 Credit for this dish goes to The Splendid Table

This is a wonderful dish of vaguely Vietnamese origins, where it is more commonly served with dill than cilantro. Both work well in my opinion, or use a mixture of the two herbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger or minced ginger from a jar
• 2 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
• 4 x 125 g (4 oz) fresh fillets of hake, cod or monkfish
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 large shallots - sliced
• 2 garlic cloves – smash minced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chili-lime Cucumber:

• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 small red chili - sliced
• 1/2 garlic clove - finely grated or smash minced
• 5 oz cucumber - peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp cold water

To serve:

• large handful of cilantro or dill- roughly chopped
• 1 oz toasted peanuts - roughly chopped
• cooked rice or rice noodles
• lime wedges

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the fish sauce, ginger, sugar and turmeric with a good grind of black pepper. Add the fish fillets and turn to coat them in the marinade, then set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine all the chili-lime cucumber ingredients. Stir and set aside to blend.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, the shallots and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the shallots start to soften, then add the garlic. Fry for another 3–4 minutes. Scrape from pan to a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to a medium heat with the remaining oil. Add the fish and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Return the shallots and garlic to the pan and add a spoonful of the chili-lime liquid from the cucumber blend.

Lift the cucumber from the chili-lime dressing and divide it among plates, topping it with the fish and shallots. Scatter with the coriander or parsley and chopped toasted peanuts and spoon over a little more of the chili-lime liquid. Serve with rice or rice noodles and lime wedges, and the remaining chili-lime dressing for spooning over.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Baked Cod with Spinach, Onion, Scallion & Leek

I'm really quite fond of cod & spinach pairings. Here I've added some simple flavors of yellow onion, leek and scallion that compliment the aforementioned combination nicely. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ~1 lb fresh cod filets
• 1 lb baby spinach – coarse stems removed
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• 1 leek stalk - chopped
• 2 scallion stalks - chopped
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pat cod filets dry and season both sides with salt & pepper. Set aside. Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Heat 4 tbsp oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven that is oven safe at 375F. Once oil is hot, add the onion, scallion and leek (thoroughly cleaned) and saute until onions just start to brown.

Add the tomato paste and blend… scraping the bottom to release aromas.

Lower the heat and add the spinach. Toss to blend and season with salt & pepper. Tossing occasionally, wilt the spinach down and continue cooking so some of the liquid evaporates. Turn off the heat.

Transfer the mix to an oven safe skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Spread the mix out evenly an then add the cod filets (upside down) on top of the spinach blend. Drizzle each filet with a little olive oil and place cover on skillet. Place covered pan in oven for 10 minutes. After 10 min remove cover, flip the filets and drizzle a little more olive oil and salt. Bake uncovered for another 5-6 minutes until cod is cooked through.

Serve with a tossed salad to keep the dish extremely diabetic friendly.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Lemon Caper Cod (Snapper)

This is a wonderfully creamy fish dish with a bit of a fresh zing by way of citrus, giving the meal a very summery feel. The original fish for this recipe was Victoria Snapper, but cod filets work beautifully and are now my go-to for this dish. ;-)

The original recipe called for white rice (GI 72) and dates back to my pre-diabetes days. A better choice for this dish is a portion of our beloved Lemon Parmesan Barley with a low GI of 35.

Ingredients:

• 4  6 oz cod filets or 1.5 lbs Victoria Snapper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tsp dried coarse basil
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups fat free sour cream
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 385 F. Coat baking dish with cooking spray or a tiny bit of olive oil. Sprinkle fish on both sides with kosher salt and bake for 9 minutes or until the fish is just opaque.

Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the lemon juice, capers, basil and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and simmer for five more minutes or until heated through.

Pour sauce over fish placed on platter and serve or plate fish and serve sauce separately, depending on your mood. A green vegetable like fresh green beans or broccoli and Lemon Parmesan Barley compliment this recipe perfectly. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Maple/Dijon Cod & Green Beans Almondine

Sometimes things just work out for the best... I had to get creative because I found a recipe I really wanted to try but a winter storm prevented me from getting called-for ingredients. All I can say after tasting the outcome using different protein and vegetable is... 

Thank you, Blessed Mother... for that wonderful storm! :-)

Ingredients:

Fish:

• 2  6oz cod filets - thawed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp real maple syrup
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Coastal Blend – I get mine from The Spice & Tea Exchange
• 1 clove garlic - minced very fine

Vegetables:

• 12 oz fresh green beans
• 1 med yellow onion - cut up - I like full length strips to mimic the beans
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Toss vegetables and seasoning in large bowl, spread evenly on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.

During that time, rinse the filets and pat dry. Mix the ingredients for the cod coating and cover fish on all sides.

Remove veggies from oven, toss and spread to sides of the pan. 

Add fish to middle of pan and return to oven for 9-11 min depending on thickness of filets.

Serve with a green salad and consider my Dijon Chive Vinaigrette as a dressing.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Chef Michael R's Pollock Ceviche

Pollock is a somewhat odd textured and bland tasting white fish, but it's also a nutritious source of lean protein that is substantially more affordable than cod or halibut. Therefore, this tasty Ceviche recipe shows us how to improve on Pollock's texture and greatly enhance its flavor by cutting it into small pieces, “cooking” it with lip-smacking lime juice and combining it with crunchy and aromatic raw vegetables and herbs. And best of all it's naturally low in calories so you won't have to get your calculator out at the dining table!

Ingredients:

• 16-20 oz pollock, cut into ½” cubes (any other white fish will work equally well)
• 1/2 red onion, cut into 2 quarters and sliced thin using mandolin
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced tomato, seeds removed or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup frozen corn, cooked, drained, cooled
• 1/2 cup diced sweet peppers, color of your choice
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped fine. Start with ½ and add to taste.
• 1 cup fresh lime juice. (8+ limes) Choose light green for most juice

Preparation:

Salt the onions and let sit for 15 minutes to draw out bitter juice. Rinse well and squeeze dry.

In large mixing bowl combine fish, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, fresh jalapeno and lime juice. Mix gently until fully blended and fish is completely coated. Marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes. The longer you marinate the firmer and more “cooked” the fish will become.

Before serving, carefully fold in the cucumbers, tomatoes peppers, corn and cilantro and serve with Tostitos or other type white corn chip. If you have anyone who tastes soap when they eat cilantro, it works well as a garnish at the table as well.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Asian Steamed Cod & Coleslaw

This recipe shows off the versatility of cod as it is briefly marinated with Asian flavors and then steamed. Paired with my Asian Cole Slaw that was made prior, this makes for a quick and easy, delicious meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 6 oz cod filets
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar

Preparation:

Mix soy, mirin, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pat filets dry with paper towel and put in a ziplock bag. Add marinade, seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for an hour, flipping the bag every 15 minutes.

Heat your favorite steamer pot over medium heat. Once at temperature, spray a little cooking spray, add filets to pan and cover. Steam for 3-4 minutes, depending on thickness.

Serve with a generous portion of my Asian Coleslaw... YUMMM!!!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Skillet Cajun Spiced Fish with Tomatoes

 Credit for this delicious skillet goes to Gina Homolka at Skinnytaste.com

Cajun spices, tomatoes, onions and peppers give any white fish extra pizazz and a little kick. Super easy and quick... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 6 ounce pieces white fish fillets (flounder, fluke, cod, halibut)
• 3/4 cup onion - chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 3/4 cup diced green bell pepper - yellow or orange are okay, too
• 2 1/2 cups ripe tomatoes - chopped (canned are okay, too)
• 1 tbsp Cajun spice seasoning

Preparation:

In a deep skillet, cook onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes until soft.

Add tomatoes, peppers and spices, stir and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Lay fish fillets in the sauce, cover and cook on medium-low until fish flakes easily, approx 12-15.

To serve, place fish on plate and spoon sauce on top. Serve immediately.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Heavenly Halibut... or Cod... :-)

This one is adapted from AllRecipes.com where the recipe calls for two pounds of halibut. As fun as that much fish may seem, we eat lovely 6 oz portions in my home which seems to be quite enough protein. I'm therefore paring down to a 2-person recipe and leaving out carbs to make the dish diabetic friendly. I like to serve this dish with a vegetable like lima beans that have both a low glycemic index (46) and load (7).

Ingredients:

• 2  6oz halibut or cod filets
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp salted butter - softened
• 1.5 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp chopped scallions
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 dash sriracha sauce

Preparation:

Pat filets dry using paper towel, squeezing gently to remove excess liquid and coat lightly with olive oil. Place filets into your toaster oven's foil lined baking tray with the rack set so the filets are about 6" from the heat source, and broil on a low setting for ~8 minutes.

HalibutCod

Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a bowl.

Remove filets from the oven, coat with mixture and return to the oven for about another 2 minutes. Your cue to serve is when the topping is bubbling and slightly browned.

Serve with a side of diabetic friendly vegetables and a green salad of your choice.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Wondra Codfish

Most people know that I idolize Chef Gordon Ramsey for his skill and success, but when it comes to actual daily cooking and dishes that I can make myself, Chef Jacques Pepin is my go-to hero. Chef Pepin shows us how to cook good food from the comfort of his kitchen right in his own home. You can tell by looking over his shoulder that his kitchen is his happy & safe place and that it is a place of creativity and joy. Chef Pepin says he is not looking for people to walk away from his table with a "culinary experience", but rather with the little voice inside their head saying "Damn that was good food!"

Chef takes simple ingredients that most of us already use and blends them in ways that I have grown to trust. My first experience where I was a bit leery was when I made his Chicken Lyon where he adds ketchup to the sauce. Yes... it definitely works and has become a family favorite. 

Having built trust in Chef Pepin's ingredient choices, I was intrigued when I watched his video where he added julienned radish to a cod dish. Carolyn was skeptical as well, but in the end, his understanding of blending flavors to create what I termed greatness for the common man proved to be absolutely outstanding.

He did not title the dish in the video, but because this was my very first introduction to Wondra Flour,

I have decided to name it: Wondra Codfish  :-)

Ingredients:

• 2  6oz Cod filets
• Half & Half (or milk or heavy cream)
• Wondra Flour
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt & Pepper
• 1-2 scallions -cut ~1/4" pieces
• ~1/2 cup mushrooms - cut up
• 2 radishes - julienned
• ~1/4 cup black olives - quartered or halved depending on size you have

Preparation:

Okay so one thing to know here is that Chef used "whatever was in the refrigerator"..... Quantities of each ingredient are pretty much your choice. Chef Pepin is very accommodating in his recipes and actually urges us to make his work our own. You can get a rough idea from the pic below. Get all ingredients ready before you start the fish. The actual cooking is rather quick.

Pat the filets dry with paper towel and season both sides with S&P. Dip the filets in half & half and then Wondra flour. Heat olive oil in a skillet that has a cover. Cook in fryer on both sides until golden brown... couple minutes each side on medium high. Then lower heat, cover and cook fish through... couple more minutes. Set the fish on a warm serving dish or plate both servings. I lay pieces of aluminum foil over filets to keep them warm.

Add butter and a little more olive oil to the pan on medium. Add the scallion and mushroom and sautee for maybe a minute. Then add the olives and radish and toss for about another minute. Don't overcook... crunch is your friend here. :-)

Top the filets with the garnish and serve with a green vegetable of your choice. Enjoy!

Here is Chef Jacques Pepin's original video: Wondra Codfish

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Steamed Cod with Tomato and Broccoli - Signature Collection

This recipe was my very first introduction to Chef Jacques Pepin, and I am absolutely enthralled with this man's cooking. He takes the simplest of dishes and elevates them with ease. His methods are not hard at all and will make even the most average of cooks shine. :-) Chef Pepin's method of steaming fish found in this recipe has become one of my favorite ways to cook any of the white fishes.

Ingredients:

• 2 six ounce cod filets
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut up
• 2 tbsp Muffuletta (olive salad) or chives/scallions (room temperature)
• 2 tbsp butter
• extra virgin olive oil
• S & P

Preparation:

Salt and pepper the filets on both sides and coat with extra virgin olive oil. Heat a non-stick pan with medium heat and then place cod in pan. Cover and steam for 4 minutes.

Put diced tomato and some extra virgin olive oil in blender with salt-to-taste and puree. Pour into microwave safe measuring cup and warm for about a minute.

Melt the butter separately and add to the warm tomato puree.

Chef Pepin encourages us to tweak his work to make the dish our own, so I did. I like to make fresh broccoli florets with this dish and plate them in a ring around the fish in the sauce. I’ve found that the florets end up getting dipped anyway so this method saves an extra plate and keeps the broccoli warm.

Plating:

Pour half of sauce as a base into each shallow bowl type plate. Place cod in center of sauce and top with Muffaletta. You can also top with chives, scallions, or even chopped parsley, but I enjoy the rich contrast of the olive salad to the mild cod. Gently place broccoli florets in a circle around the fish. ENJOY!

Here is Jacques Pepin’s video: Scrod with Tomato

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Garlic Butter Baked Cod

Adapted from a recipe found in The Washington Post 

I absolutely adore the versatility of cod. In this recipe you will bake this delightful fish in some previously sauteed goodies. :-) In my opinion one can never have too much garlic, but in this dish, despite sporting seven cloves plus powder, the garlic flavor is not as overpowering as one might think because of its balance with all the other ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (may substitute extra-virgin olive oil)
• 7 garlic cloves - minced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes - halved lengthwise
• 1/2 cup dry white wine - Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 tbsp lime juice with 1/4 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt, plus more as needed
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1 to 1.5 lbs cod

Preparation:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When it stops foaming, add the garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the wine to incorporate, then stir in the lime zest, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, Aleppo pepper and salt to combine.

Stir in the parsley and basil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has reduced by about one-third, about 5 minutes. Taste, and add more salt as needed.

Meanwhile, pat the fish fillets dry and lightly season both sides with salt and black pepper. Nest the fillets in the sauce and use a spoon to baste the fish. 

Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil, transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake for 6 to 8 minutes more, until the fish is cooked all the way through and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will vary with the thickness of the fillets.)

Divide the fish among serving plates, spooning the sauce over, sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and parsley and serve with a lime wedge, if desired. Roasted Asparagus & Red Bell Pepper pairs very well with this dish.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!