Baked Pollock Bites with Spinach, Onion, Scallion & Leek

I'm really quite fond of pretty much any white fish & spinach pairing. Here I've added some simple flavors of yellow onion, leek and scallion that compliment the aforementioned combination nicely. In this version rather inexpensive pollock is elevated to Next Level. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 18 oz fresh pollock bites - other white fish like cod cut bite size works, also.
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 lb baby spinach
• 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:

Drain excess liquid from pollock bites and season in a bowl with salt, pepper, a touch of olive oil and 1-2 tbsp lemon juice. pepper. Set aside and 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 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.

Next add the pollock bites on top of the spinach blend and place cover on Dutch oven.

Place covered pot in oven for 8 minutes. After 8 min remove cover and drizzle a little more olive oil and salt. Bake uncovered for another 5-6 minutes until pollock is cooked through.

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

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Panko Crusted Pollock Bites

Pollock bites are so much fun to use for  experimenting/creating. Here I decided to try my trusted DMP (Dijon/Mayo/Panko) coating to create some slightly crunchy bites including Coastal Blend Seasoning from The Spice & Tea Exchange.

Ingredients:

• 2 pkgs - 12 oz total - Wild Alaskan Co. pollock bites
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Coastal Blend from Spice & Tea Exchange
• ~2 cups plain Panko
• avocado oil

Preparation:

In a bowl that will hold all bites mix Dijon, mayo, oil and coastal blend until creamy smooth.

Pat fish dry and cover with coating mix. Heat a generous amount of avocado oil in a pan large enough to accommodate all bites. Dip bites in coating, cover with Panko and fry over medium high heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown on most sides.

Serve with lightly buttered broccoli and a tossed salad... 'cause it's good for ya! 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Cumin Dusted Pollock & Berry Salsa

Not all my recipes are my own creations. Sometimes I see a dish so perfect I will make it as written and then only tweak it to fit my own pallet if absolutely necessary. This recipe I received from my friend Betsy Kelp Galloway in the Facebook group Wild Alaskan Company Community: What's Cooking Tonight? is just such a beauty. This refreshing meal of cumin dusted, pan seared Pollock Quick Cuts  served over a savory berry salsa is a wonderful way to make you smile on a hot summer day... or maybe at least make you dream of spring & summer when you're enduring the winter doldrums. 

I've made this dish using the original raspberry version, but have also done the same dish with blueberries. Both choices are excellent and feature a low glycemic index with raspberries at 30 and blueberries at 53.

Prepare fruit salad/salsa 30 minutes before mealtime so that flavors have time to meld.

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 6 oz containers of fresh raspberries or really any berry of your choice
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil and mint leaves – 50/50 ratio
• 1/4 cup red onion or shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peppers – I like yellow or orange for the color burst
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp coarse ground pepper

Preparation:

Prepare fruit salad/salsa by mixing all ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes to meld flavors.

Pollock Ingredients:

• 2 six oz pkgs pollock quick bites (other cubed white fish works, too)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation:

Properly thaw two 6 oz packages of pollock quick cuts and pat dry. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add pollock to skillet. Sprinkle evenly with cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook, tossing gently, for 3-4 minutes, being careful not to overcook fish.

While fish cooks, divide the fruit salad evenly on two or three serving plates depending on how hungry you are... Place equal amounts of the fish over each serving of salad and serve immediately.

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!

Pollock Tacos

Tacos, anyone? Use these ingredients or feel free to experiment on your own.

Tacos... just like hot dogs... are verrrrrrry personal!!! :-) LOL

Fish:

• 24 oz pollock bites - Wild Alaskan Company has the best, but any white fish cubed to bite size is good, too
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1tbsp salted butter

Mix dry seasonings in small bowl and set aside. Place thawed, cubed fish in a roomy bowl and toss with seasonings. Cover and place in fridge while you prep everything else to allow seasonings to soak into fish. When everything is ready, quickly fry in the oil and butter and serve immediately.

Garlic Lime Crema:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (1 lime)
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 -1/2 tsp sriracha sauce depending on heat preference

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and return to fridge.

Toppings:

• Soft taco shells… go small to play with different toppings
• 1/4 head red cabbage, shaved on mandolin
• 1 yellow onion, shaved on mandolin
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Lots of fresh cilantro destemmed
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges for that personal splash after assembly

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

One Pot Pollock

Yes...there's some pasta. LOL But only 8 oz in the whole dish. With pasta having a low to mid-range GI of 50-55 it's okay to splurge with a sensible portion. ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz uncooked short macaroni of choice
• 8 oz frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed.
• 1  28 oz can whole tomatoes in puree
• 1  small onion, chopped
• 4  cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 1sp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, (or to taste)
• ~12 oz pollock bites or cod
• shredded parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Add tomatoes to a large deep pot, cut and mash with potato masher, then add broth and uncooked pasta. Add remainder of the ingredients except fish. Make sure everything is submerged under the broth. Cover the pot with a lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove lid and turn down to medium heat. Boil continuously 5-6 minutes, then add fish and simmer another 5 minutes or until pasta is done and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally.

Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Shrimp & Pollock with Creamy Broccoli & Lima Beans

This dish is comfort food. Period. Great source of good nutrients combined with a very cozy flavor pallet, this dish will have everyone around the table smiling. Enjoy!

I know the dish looks like a pasta overload... In reality, pasta's glycemic index is in the low range at 52-54. The trick is to eat a sensible amount, which should be fairly easy considering the recipe only calls for six ounces of noodles in total.

 Ingredients:

• 6 oz pollock bites
• 6 oz lge shrimp - cleaned & tails removed
• olive oil
• splash of lemon juice - fresh squeezed preferred
• 6 oz frozen lima beans
• 6 oz broccoli crowns - cut up after cooking
• 1 lg yellow onion - diced
• 3 scallions - cut to 1/4" rings
• 1 15.5 oz can Cream of Shrimp condensed soup
• 1/3 cup half & half
• 6 oz egg noodles

Preparation:

Combine pollock & shrimp in a bowl. Add a dash of salt & pepper, a little olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. Toss to blend flavors and set aside.

Cook the lima beans and broccoli as you normally do. Cut the broccoli into small pieces. Set both aside.

Put on the water for the egg noodles... don't forget to salt the water.

Heat ~2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute until fish and shrimp are just done. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate with a cover.

Add a little more oil if needed and saute the onion over medium heat. Add scallions and after a minute add the soup. Rinse can with 1/3 cup half & half, add and blend. Add the vegetables, blend and season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Finally, add the shrimp and pollock back to the skillet, blend and cover. Simmer on low for a couple more minutes for everything to heat through.

Serve over egg noodles as shown top of post or with noodles on the side. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Lemony Pollock Bites & Two Bean Medley

Rainy days are the best for creating new things. We had just gotten back from vacation and there were only frozen and canned goods in the house. Weather was not conducive to a fun shopping trip, so I got out my Flavor Bible and found some fun pairings. In short, a new dish has been added to my line-up... ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz total pollock bites or other white fish cut bite size
• 3 eggs
• Wondra flour
• unseasoned Panko
• Florida Sunshine Citrus salt blend – Spice & Tea Exchange
• Citrus Pepper - FreshJax
• avocado oil

 

• 12 oz pkg frozen baby lima beans
• 15 oz cannellini beans, drained
• 2-3 cloves garlic – smash minced
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup julienned carrots ~1.5” long
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• Florida Sunshine Citrus salt blend – Spice & Tea Exchange
• Citrus Pepper - FreshJax

Preparation:

Fish: Pat fish dry and dust with Wondra flour. Beat eggs and season with citrus salt and citrus pepper. Heat a generous amount of avocado oil in a pan large enough to accommodate all bites. Dip bites in egg, coat with Panko and fry over medium high heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown on most sides.

Beans: Cook lima beans according to pkg directions and set aside. Saute onion and garlic until onions are just translucent. Add carrots and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add lemon zest and blend. Season mix with citrus salt and citrus pepper to taste. Finally add lima and cannellini beans and gently blend until evenly heated.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!