Chili Lime Fish Tacos

This is a dinner time favorite, healthy and packed with lots of flavor. 

Fish Filling
1 lb. tilapia filets
2 TBS. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 lime juice
1 TBS. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Slaw Topping
3 TBS. lime juice
2 green onions, chopped
2 TBS. cilantro, finely chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 c. cabbage, finely sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Assembly
Corn tortillas, fry in pan flipping once
Shredded cheese
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Avocado
Slaw

Dilled Salmon Cakes w/ Champagne Caper Vinaigrette

If you like crab cakes, you must try these salmon cakes.  They are delicious with a nice, simple salad.

1.5 cups leftover baked salmon, or 1 (14.75 ounce) can salmon, drained and flaked

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup dry potato flakes

1 small, minced finely, or processed in food processor

4 green onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon Bon Appetit seasoning (or celery salt)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil
Brianna's Champagne Caper Vinaigrette (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix salmon, eggs, garlic and herb seasoned dry bread crumbs, dry potato flakes, onion, garlic, dill weed, Bon Appetit, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into 2 inch balls, and flatten into patties about 1/2 inch thick.               

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. In batches, cook patties about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.   Serve with crusty bread, fresh mozzarella, and a nice simple salad - we did lettuce and tomatoes, topped with Brianna's Champagne Caper Vinaigrette.  Yum!

Sweet Gingered Dijon Salmon

Hello, easy and delicious salmon recipe....Where have you been all my life?  Oh, that's right, I just invented you, and now I am going to be famous.  Mmmmmmmm.  This salmon is delicious, and can be made in under 20 minutes!  Serve with Carrot Quinoa Pilaf (recipe coming soon) and steamed vegetables.

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 c. Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. finely minced ginger

4 (6 ounce) boneless salmon fillets

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1.Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source; prepare the rack of a broiler pan with cooking spray.

2.Season the salmon with salt and pepper and arrange onto the prepared broiler pan. Whisk together the brown sugar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl; spoon mixture evenly onto top of salmon fillets.

3.Cook under the preheated broiler until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Ancho-Glazed Salmon & Sweet Potato Fries by Guest Chef Amanda

I can vouch for Amanda on this one - I've made it and it has QUICKLY become a household favorite! Try it, you'll like it! 

Makes: 4 servings
Start to finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ancho chili pepper or chili powder
2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
Nonstick olive-oil cooking spray
4 skinless salmon fillets (5-6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place on the greased rack of a broiler pan. Coat sweet potatoes with cooking spray and sprinkle with half the spice mixture. Broil 10 minutes, turning once halfway though.

2. Rinse and dry salmon; coat with remaining spice mixture. In a large skillet, cook fish in hot olive oil over medium heat for 4 minutes per side, or until it flakes easily with a fork.

3. Sprinkle sweet potatoes and salmon with cilantro before serving.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

1 lb. large shrimp (peeled)

Marinate shrimp for 10 minutes in:

1 egg white

1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup walnuts

Mix:

3 TBS. flour

3 TBS. cornstarch

1/3 c. cold water

Mix:
1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. honey

dash of black sesame seeds

4 cups vegetable oil for frying

Heat oil in skillet until very hot.  Dip marinated shrimp in flour mixture one by one and deep fry for 1-2 minutes, or until pink.  Set the fried shrimp on a paper towel.  Using existing oil, turn heat to medium high and fry walnuts until the color darkens.  Set aside.  Drain oil.  Stir the mayo and honey together and pour over shrimp and walnuts (I only used about 1/2 the sauce).  Add black sesame seeds to garnish and serve with rice.

Pad Thai

We LOVE Pad Thai at our house, and this was a great, authentic recipe.  We modified it to our liking, but you can make your own substitutions - like leaving out the chicken and shrimp and adding tofu if you are vegetarian.  You can also add more spice if you like.

4 TBS. vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
8 oz. raw shrimp
4 oz. cubed chicken, cooked
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded or thinly sliced carrots
1 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 pkg. Pad Thai Rice Noodles (cooked, drained and rinsed according to stir-fry directions)
1 c. fresh bean sprouts

Sauce:
4 TBS. lime juice
3 TBS. fish sauce
1 TBS. tamarind paste
4 TBS. sugar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (or more, if you like)
(Mix well together)

Garnish:
chopped peanuts
chopped cilantro
chopped scallions
slice of lime

Heat large pan over high heat.  Add 2 TBS. oil, garlic, shallots, carrots and shrimp.  Cook until shrimp is opaque; set aside.  Add remaining oil and 2 eggs - then scramble.  Add zucchini, chicken, sauce and noodles.  Toss until combined.  Add shrimp and bean sprouts.  Toss well.  Garnish, and serve immediately.

Alaskan Salmon Chowder

It's soup season!  With all the rain we've been having from Tropical Cyclone Ida, we've been doing a lot of soup.  Here's a different one to try.  It's delicious, and tastes similar to clam chowder.  This is also good to make ahead of time, since the flavor is better after it sits a while.

1 can Alaskan Salmon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
1 onion, chopped
2 TBS. oil
2 tsp. minced garlic (or one fresh clove)
2 c. chopped carrots
2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
2 c. chicken broth
1 pint half & half
1 c. evaporated milk
16 oz. frozen corn.

Place oil, onions and garlic in a large stock pot and cook until translucent.  Add chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, and dill weed.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes become tender.  Add salmon, half &half, frozen corn and milk.  Stir until heated through.  Let sit overnight, all day, or serve  with warm rolls.

Feta Tomata Tilapia

So I know how to spell tomato, but I like the sound of feta tomata better! This one is a great fish recipe. Yum.

1/3 C. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes (Italian flavored)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 tilapia fillets (or other white fish)
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender (about 15-20 min). Add tomatoes and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper to your liking then broil on high 4-6 in. from heat until they are almost done (about 5 minutes). Remove from oven and top with tomato mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and cook until the meat flakes easily with a fork. Pour balsamic vinegar over the top. Serve warm with fresh steamed veggies.

Parmesan Shrimp & Avocado Pasta

½ pound fettucini (prepared al dente as directed on package)
3 TBLS Olive Oil (you can use vegetable/canola oil if you don’t have olive, but olive is best)
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tails pulled off (prepared as directed, run frozen shrimp under cool water for 3 minutes)
3 TBLS chopped fresh parsley (or you can use dried, but fresh is best)
3 Cloves Minced Garlic (or use the pre-minced, and follow as directed on jar)
½ of small red or green jalapeno chili pepper (seeded and minced), or if you don’t want that, use ½ TBLS of ground chili pepper spice
¼ dry white wine (this is cooking wine, not drinking wine, they sell it in the cooking aisle, near the oils/vinegars)
1 ½ C. Heavy Whipping Cream
2 ripened dark green almost black colored avocados halved, pitted, diced
2 C. fresh grated parmesan (save ½ c. of this to top the finished product)
4 TBLS. Fresh cilantro washed & chopped (you have to use this fresh, don’t buy the dry spice)
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
Salt & Pepper, added until you can taste it.

Bring separate pot of water to boil for the pasta. In a large sauce pan, add in all ingredients, except for fettucini and shrimp on medium heat (don’t boil) until ingredients are blended well and simmering (almost a boil). In your first pot of boiling water, add dried noodles and set timer. Run the frozen shrimp under cool running water as directed. Strain water from noodles when complete, drain water very well. Add shrimp to simmering sauce. Stir 1-2 minutes until blended and shrimp are warmed in sauce. Add fettucini noodles and toss in sauce. Put finished pasta dish on plates and top with freshly grated parmesan. Serve with salad, parmesan bread, fruit, and fresh peach cheesecake.