Posted on 05/06/2015 6:35:36 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Fish!
(A little early again this week, to get ahead of Mom's Day; but here is your weekly cookin' thread :-)
I am not much of a meat-eater; in fact, I was largely a 'veg/fish-itarian' until I met and married my husband.
I like a good hamburger now and then, or my husband's barbecued pork chops; and I like chicken pie and chicken and dumplings. But I'm not one to go into a restaurant and order a 'slab o' meat'. Steak, for instance, isn't near the top of my list.
But I do love FISH! along with all the other 'beautiful swimmers'.
We have two recipes that we 'go to' when we have some really good fish.
The first recipe is one originally designed for Bluefish; but it works with any firm, oily fish (I'm not sure where we found it, but it may have been in a Chesapeake cookbook). I personally think the sauce would make a great, simple pasta sauce, leaving out the fish:
Bluefish baked with Tomatoes and Capers
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 T. chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1-1/2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with juice (3 cups) OR 1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 Cup dry white wine
3 T. capers, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
4 Bluefish fillets, 6 to 7 oz. each.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a heavy pot, heat the oil and saute the onions, celery, garlic and green onions until limp.
Add tomatoes, wine, capers, thyme, bay leaf, and lemon juice. Simmer 45 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
Make a layer of 1/2 the hot tomato sauce in the baking dish. Arrange the fish on top. Spoon the remaining sauce over the fish.
Butter one side of a sheet of waxed paper that is cut to fit the top of the baking dish.
Place the paper, butter side down, on top of the dish.
Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes.
Remove fillets to a heated platter. Spoon the sauce over, and serve at once. Good over rice.
Second Recipe: here is a recipe we first received from either one of Jacques Pepin's books, or his television show. My husband thought that Jacques made it look so easy, that he tried it. Somewhere I have a pic of husband proudly showing off his rendition of this Stuffed Salmon in Pastry; but you don't have to do it so fancy. It can be done in the pastry with small fillets for individual portions; and the fish and stuffing alone would also be wonderful 'en papillote'.
But for a big shindig, the entire whole-fish presentation is impressive, and not very difficult to pull off:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/stuffed-salmon-in-flaky-dough-recipe.html
I think I've seen more detailed instructions on how to simulate the fish's scales, using a small round cutter, so that it looks more like this:
http://www.cakestudent.com/decorating-with-puff-pastry/
-JT
One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread, please send a private message.)
-JT
Warming seems to be the sticking point.
It has to warm all day without turning the rice into concrete.
/johnny
LOL!
I could do without the ‘F’ word - I’m an old lady - but I never thought about a seafood pot- or shephard’s- pie!
-JT
My 3 favorite fish are salmon, grouper and halibut, all on the grill. We can never find grouper in Michigan. Halibut in season is great on the grill, take the steaks and marinade in a soy/lemon juice/ spices marinade is just delicious.
Rice spoils easily at warm temps; maybe companies don’t want the liability of a rice warmer like you describe because all it would take is for someone to give the rice a stir with a tainted spoon and then leave it in the warmer for someone to get sick.
Honey-Dijon Salmon
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 1/4 tsp melted butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 T. honey
1 T. Dijon mustard (or your favorite spicy, brown mustard)
dash pepper
2 salmon filets (4 oz. each)
1/4 c chopped walnuts
Mix first 3 ‘til smooth. Stir in honey and mustard.
Place each filet on heavy foil. Drizzle with mixture. Fold foil and seal tightly.
Grill, covered over medium heat for 15-20 min. or ‘til fish flakes with fork. Serves 2.
**You can also bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
The social situation right now keeps me from seeing which brand right now.
Bummer.
But I don't think liability is a big concern to that particular population.
/johnny
I never use an electric cooker for rice; I just cook it on the stove.
But I recently purchased an item from a company that imports food and cooking implements from Thailand. I would suggest that the Asian folks probably know most about rice cooking, and suggest that you look into a website like that.
Here is a very good one, with many recipes for Thai food:
-JT
But with the current situation, I don't have much choice but to get some labor saving devices.
I don't like it, but I have to do it.
Heck, I got a microwave this month for the first time in my life. Ever. I feel like a loser. I've never had to use one before, and I use this one almost every day.
/johnny
I usually saute these days in a combo of olive oil and butter with diced garlic. Just barely cooked. Fresh Ono and Opah are the favorites and the cats just love the Ono blood meat.
What about making it in the morning/evening, and then steaming it in a sieve over hot water (with top on) when you want to eat it?
-JT
That's what I'm looking for. Easy, easy, easy, not more than one pan to clean.
/johnny
The best fish meal I ever had, was Grouper in a restaurant on Connecticut Avenue in D.C. This was back in the 1980’s; a great and kind Lady had taken me out for a respite, when my Grandmother had just died.
It was a shared meal that I will always remember, because of the kindness and communion behind it.
-JT
Fresh water striped bass filets are to die for. Beer batter them and deep fry or else dip in milk and pat with seasoned bread crumbs and fry in olive oil until done. Awesome.
When we visited Alaska about 15 years ago, I had halibut broiled with lime zest and shredded fresh ginger. It’s a wonderful combination and I also grill it (on foil sprayed with Pam) with those additions.
I love salmon grilled (again on sprayed foil) with lemon slices and fresh dill.
Tuna steak grilled and topped (at the end of grilling) with your favorite BBQ sauce is a favorite of ours.
Basic recipes but delicious and healthy paired with a salad and green vegetable or corn on the cob.
I had a good grouper sandwich on the gulf side of FL. Not cheap though (6 bucks, and that was in 2000).
Not a fish recipe, but I’m trying this tonight.
I have this obsession with making yeast breads of all kinds, so I frequently end up with more bread than I can give away. I’m having guests for dinner Sunday night, so thought I’d practice with this recipe. Bread puddings are ridiculously easy too. (The opposite of that crazy salmon recipe!)
Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1/3 cup nut-flavored liqueur (recommended: Di Saronno or Frangelico)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
7 cups large dice cinnamon challah (or plain challah or brioche plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon) (about 10 ounces challah)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange a rack in middle.
Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, liqueur, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until egg is broken up and mixture is smooth. Evenly distribute bread and walnuts in a 2 quart baking dish, pour custard mixture over bread, and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring about 8 cups water to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Evenly distribute remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over bread pudding. Set the filled baking dish into a larger roasting pan and add enough of the hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until custard is set and top is lightly browned, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from water bath and let sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature.
“Heck, I got a microwave this month for the first time in my life. Ever. I feel like a loser. I’ve never had to use one before, and I use this one almost every day.”
Hey, don’t feel that way. I realize that as a chef, you feel like you are ‘cheating’. But saving time and energy so you can get other things done, or so you can rest, is all good.
What about a machine with a timer on it that you could have everything set up ahead of time and turns on and cooks just prior to you wanting to eat? Like a regular rice steamer even with a separate timer that you add on?
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