Tilapia

Tilapia is an affordable, easy to use, quick to cook fish. A great way to get lean protein.
I take a medium-sized non, stick pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. I then saute about a cup's worth of my favorite veggies that I've diced rather small. For example, onion, red pepper, zucchini and a clove of garlic. I cook these veggies just for a few minutes then lower the heat to medium. Place the fish fillets right on top of the veggies. For this particular dish I used Just over a pound of fish in three filets. Add a bit of liquid - broth, water, wine, a combo of two or more of these - then cover and let the fish gently cook. As it cooks you can see it change from that opaque, gray color to white. As it cooks, you can add more liquid if needed.
When the fillets are completely white in color, that's a sign that they are probably cooked. You can shut off the heat and leave the cover on the pan. The fish will continue to cook a bit while you gather the plates and silverware. Enjoy this with a side of your favorite rice/grain and a veggie.

Vermicelli with Bay Scallops and Roasted Hazelnuts

V and her husband, G, came for dinner and I tossed together this easy and flavorful pasta dish. We were only four people but I purposely cooked the whole package of pasta in order to make lunches to take to work. I wasn't sure what kind of dishes I would make but I always come up with something.

In order to make the dish pictured above I used the following:

*Enough vermicelli for four. This will depend on how much pasta you all want. In some dishes, the pasta is the star and the meat or fish is just a compliment. But a conservative amount for four is 12-14 oz.
*5-6 garlic clove, chopped
*generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, almost half a cup
*1 cup hazelnuts, roasted and smashed
*1 1/2 pounds bay scallops, thawed and patted very dry
*salt and pepper to taste
*red pepper flakes
*large handful of flat-leaf Italian parsely, chopped
*grated parmesan cheese

Make sure your scallops are thawed. I thawed them in a strainer set over a bowl in the refrigerator. They stay in the refrigerater until a couple of minutes before I add them to the pan.

Fill your pasta cooking pot with lots of water, a healthy drizzle of olive oil, and a large pinch of salt and start heating it on high.

Roast the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. To remove the skins, while they are still hot wrap the hazelnuts in a clean dish towel, bundle it up and gently rub the contents all around in the towel to loosen the skins. A minute or so of this is enough. Open the towel, let the hazelnuts cool then pick them off the towel, leaving the skins behind. Once the hazelnuts are cool, I put them in a zipper sandwich bag, seal it, then gently crush the hazelnuts by rolling and pressing on the bag with anything heavy - a can of tomatoes, my mortar, the bottom of a frying pan, etc. I don't want meal but I want small pieces.

Chop the parsely and the garlic and set aside.

If the water is boiling and you are done with the hazelnuts, toss in the pasta and continue. Vermicelli and bay scallops are quick to cook so you don't want to be fiddling with something else when the time comes.

Into your largest, non-stick skillet goes a generous amount of olive oil. No skimping with this dish, please. The oil, when mixed with the juices from the scallops will make a great "sauce." Heat this on medium low. You just want to simmer the chopped garlic. Add the garlic to the oil and let it cook slowly. Again, a simmer. The garlic will talk to you but it won't sizzle. Take the scallops from the refrigerator and dump them onto paper towels and pat very dry.

Just as the garlic begins to show any color, check the pasta. If it's almost al dente, continue with cooking the scallops. If the pasta still has time to cook, take the garlic and oil off the heat. If coninuing, add the scallops to the pan and toss to combine. Add salt, pepper and the red pepper flakes. Remember how you patted those scallops dry? No matter how dry you think they are, they're not. A minute after being added to the pan, they will give off plenty of juice which equals plenty of flavor. The pasta should be close to done. You don't want the scallops to cook more than a couple of minutes, really.

Once the pasta is done I don't even bother to drain it. I reach in with tongs and pull out what I need, letting it drain over the pot then add it to the skillet. This way I can better judge the pasta to scallop ratio and only add as much pasta as I need. Toss everything together, sprinkle with parmesan, toasted hazelnuts and parsely and dish it up. With just a little bit of prep, you can have a fabulously delicious pasta dish.

Fresh Fig Grilling Sauce

I couldn't resist the fresh figs at the store. They were calling to me. I was listening. Once I had them home I ate a few. Dead on ripe.

I had fresh shrimp. I wanted to use the grill. Had a taste for something sweet and spicy. I wondered if I could use the figs for the sweet and some crushed red pepper for the heat. I turned a few ingredients into a great sauce for grilling. Great because the carmelization from the figs caused by the heat of the grill had a taste and smell akin to barbeque sauce. And that color. Let me tell you that the color only intensified as the marinade waited for me to use it.I used:

5 oz. fresh Mission Figs
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
sat to taste

I marinated the shrimp in the sauce for about an hour before grilling. I grilled some shrimp directly on the grill but the majority of them in the kabob baskets. I wanted to see what the difference would be. Shrimp grilled directly on the grill tasted great but most of the that great sticky, carmelization was left on the grill grate. The shrimp in the kabob baskets got nice bits of crispy carmelization that came back into the house with me for us to eat. Really tasty. I will be experiemtning with figs for a grilling sauce again soon.

Pan-Seared Scallops with White Wine Reduction

Pan-searing scallops can be intimidating. The main fear, I think, is overcooking. But you have to give it a try, just do it. You will be surprised that it is so easy. And you will love the results. You don't have to top them with a reduction or anything else. I've included the instructions for what I did recently. You can use any reduction, sauce, vinaigrette, etc. that suits you.

For the scallops, you will need the desired number of big scallops, kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, and oil for searing. The first thing to keep in mind when pan-searing scallops is that everything happens very fast so have all ingredients prepared and tools at the ready. The second thing is understand the needs of the scallops.

They need to be dry. Whether you purchased them fresh or thawed them from frozen, pat them dry with paper towel before searing. If you patted them dry then went off and prepared other things before searing, pat them dry again. Right before you put them in the pan, season them with salt and pepper.

They need hot oil. Use an oil with a high enough smoke point (not olive oil). I used vegetable oil. A thin layer covering the entire bottom of the pan will do. Medium-high heat will do the job but be patient and let that oil get hot. Look for the oil to shimmer then right after that come the faintest wisps of smoke. That's your signal. Gently place the scallops in the pan.

They need their personal space. Even if you have to sear in two batches, keep space between the scallops. Crowding them will result in steaming them.

They need their privacy. Once they are in the pan, leave them alone. Don't walk away but don't shake the pan or pick them up every five seconds. Let them sear.

They need to get gone soon. About a minute later you will see the edges of the bottoms begin to brown. Using tongs, lift one a bit to see if the bottom is nice and golden brown and crispy. If so, turn over all of them. If not, set it back down and wait a few more seconds. Once all of them are flipped, give them about a minute on the second side, if that, then get them out of that pan. Set them aside and quickly make the reduction in the same pan.

For reduction:

• scant quarter cup of white wine
• heaping tablespoon shallot, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp butter or your favorite substitute

This all happens very quickly so have ingredients ready. Once you have removed the scallops from the pan. Reduce the heat to just above low and set the pan off heat. Add the shallots and begin moving them around and removing any good bits form the pan. Please take care because that pan is still hot and things might sputter. Add the wine and continue to stir. Return pan to heat. Add mustard and butter and continue to let the whole thing reduce while you keep stirring to incorporate everything to a lovely smoothness.

Drizzle the reduction over the scallops and serve immediately. See, that was easy. And isn't it delicious? Now go teach all of your friends.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

I've been waiting to try my kabob baskets since we got our grill. No skewers involved. Sure, sometimes you want skewers for the sake of presentation. But when you just want to grill shrimp or veggies or chunks of tofu or potatoes and you don't want to mess with soaking and loading skewers, these baskets are great. It's the same concept as a fish basket, only each one is long and narrow. No sticking or trying to flip over skewers while the items simply spin around the skewers. The baskets are non-stick and they were easy to clean with hot soapy water and a kitchen sponge.

I used pretty big shrimp that I marinated first and it turned out great with a slight bit of improvisation.

For the marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut
3 large cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
3 shakes toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp minced shallot
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold all of the shrimp. I marinated the shrimp for only about an hour before cooking. I don't want the lime juice to "cook" the shrimp before I can get it on the grill.

I then lined the kabob baskets with six shrimp. These go right onto the grill except for the handle - leave that off the grill. Now, you can certainly leave the grill open and cook the shrimp but I didn't want to loose all of that heat. But closing the lid onto the kabob basket only turned the edge of the grill into a fulcrum for a shrimp kabob see-saw, leaving the shrimp hovering somewhere inside the grill. So I propped up the lid only about an inch with my tongs (I wasn't using them any longer). I suppose you could also use a flat rock or an empty tuna can, etc. As long as you remember to wear an oven mitt before handling whatever you are using to prop the lid.I cooked the shrimp, turning once then back again, until they had just turned pink all over. They keep cooking after you remove them from the heat anyway. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp and the heat of your grill. You can also see big slices of eggplant on the grill. Any excuse to grill eggplant. Any at all...

So what are you all grilling?

Coconut Lime Shrimp Pancakes

This recipe is directly inspired by Haalo's Goat Cheese and Red Capsicum Pancakes at Cook Almost Anything At Least Once. We never make pancakes, simply don't crave them. These were tempting because they are savory not sweet. Last week I made a version with reconstituted dried mushrooms finely diced and ricotta instead of red pepper and goat cheese (recipe at bottom of post). They were so delicious.

I wanted to participate in Rachel Rappaport's Coconut & Lime Blogiversary Contest and knew that these pancakes would be a great vehicle for coconut and lime. So this will be my submission.

Here's what I used:

1 egg
5 ounces lite coconut milk
4.5 ounces self-rising flour
1 6 ounce can tiny salad shrimp
2.5 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
1 tablespoon Spicy Cilantro-Garlic Paste (it's so easy to find places for it!)
1 tablespoon mashed potato
zest of one small lime
sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

Notice there is no salt. Self-rising flour already has salt (and baking powder) so don't add any to the recipe before you at least taste things. I found both versions of this recipe plenty salty from the flour alone.

Lightly whisk the egg with the coconut milk. Then add the remaining ingredients except flour and gently combine. Slowly add the flour to the egg mixture and incorporate.
I used a 1/4 cup measure scoop per pancake. I cooked these in a lightly oiled, large non-stick skillet on medium heat. I didn't want the outside brown while the inside was still doughy so I didn't mind cooking them a bit slower. I cooked until they were golden on each side. I can't tell you what makes a good condiment or side dish for these because we ate them immediately. Once they were cool enough to handle, we didn't even bother with a fork. They are delicious. What I like best is that no one ingredient stands out. Each pancake had a subtle taste of coconut, shrimp and lime. Just really tasty.

Here are the ingredients from last week's dried mushroom version:

1 egg
5 ounces skim milk
4.5 ounces self-rising flour
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and finely diced
1 tablespoon mashed potato
1 tablespoon scallions, very finely sliced
2.5 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Tiny Shrimp Salad

Salads. Versatile, convenient, easy to make, with so much potential to be healthy. All kinds of salads can be made quickly, allowing for plenty of experimentation and flavor. You don't need globs of mayo or blue cheese dressing either. Basically you need the main ingredient, a source of fat, and a source of acid.

This will serve four for a lite lunch on a bed of greens, stuffed inside a whole wheat pita, with crackers, or on toasted slices of baguette. Serve along side a cup of soup. It's a great option for a picnic or potluck too.

2 6 oz. cans tiny shrimp, drained
1 heavy tsp dijon mustard
2 ribs celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
couple dashes rice wine vinegar (or freshly squeezed citrus)

Here are some additional suggestions for ingredients. Remember, use what you like.

• crushed peanuts
• crushed red pepper flakes
• minced fresh herbs
• slivered almonds
• diced apple
• your favorite hot sauce
• a flavored oil
• a flavored vinegar

Combine all ingredients. Eat. Simple, huh?

Salmon Patties

Nana B. would be proud. In fact, she is proud because I called her and told her I made salmon patties. Actually, any patty would make her happy. Nana B. loves to make patties - salmon patties, cauliflower patties, zucchini patties, meat patties.

I, too, love patties of all kinds. They are easy to make and you can make a big batch at one time and freeze for convenience later. Food from the freezer should be just as homemade as the food you make and eat immediately. Plus, patties encourage experimentation and creativity. Admittedly, my salmon patties, veggie patties, etc., are rarely the same patty twice. So let's get started so I can stop saying patty. I topped these with a yogurt-cilantro sauce and that recipe is here too.

2 cans of salmon (The cans I have are an odd size, about 7.85 oz. I used two - drained - with the little bones removed. The bones, however, are perfectly edible and mash up like butter. The cat got a nice helping of salmon and I gave the mashed bones to her.)
1 heavy tbsp light mayo
1 heavy tsp dijon mustard
1 rib celery, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp slivered almonds
3 heavy tbsp Salmon Rub
dash of coarse salt
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (use those stems, lots of flavor!) **
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (more for dusting)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Combine everything except the egg. Taste for seasoning then add the egg and re-combine. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes so the mix is easy to work with later. I formed medium sized patties then lightly dusted each side with additional breadcrumbs. In a non-stick pan on medium heat I fried these in just enough olive oil to keep the pan form getting dry. Kinda slow, kinda low is the way I do these. You need to get things hot enough to cook the egg and warm the ingredients through, but they will quickly darken if the heat is too high.

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce

**I realize that people either love or hate cilantro. You can easily replace the cilantro with any fresh herb - parsley, basil, mint, tarragon, etc.

1 cup non-fat, plain yogurt
1/4 cup cilantro, finely diced
1 green onion, finley sliced
1 small garlic clove, smashed then minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
juice of 1/2 tiny lime
2 level tbsp natural peanut butter, softened in just enough hot water to smooth into a paste
pinch salt

Simply combine all ingredients then use to top the patties. Or eat with a spoon!

Salmon Rub

Spice rubs and spice mixes are only limited by your imagination and sense of adventure. Both items can be pricey in the stores. Yesterday I spotted two brands that were over $20 lb. Would you buy a pound? Probably not but the individual jars for sale were $7. Why spend it when you probably already have the ingredients? Pick up a tin of one of these celebrity rubs and read the back. Every day, normal ingredients that a food enthusiast probably already has and a food newbie can easily get.

Most rubs, especially salmon rubs, include brown sugar to give it that nice carmelization taste and feel. Next, people want salt - especially on meat and fish and especially with sweet. I also vote for the heat as the third component to any rub but many people would veto that. The rest, I think is up to you.

I created this rub based on a past rub I made but didn't record. It's a little different but very tasty. Surprisingly, a very little bit of salt was sufficient and a very tiny bit of the right heat satisfied the heat tolerance of all the diners. We used it on salmon that we cooked on a cedar plank on the grill. We also dusted sweet potatoes with this mix before roasting them. Really, really tasty.

3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp + 1 tsp sambar powder
2 tbsp unsweetened, grated coconut
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ancho chili podwer
1/4 tsp salt

Mix everything in a bowl. Apply generously to the flesh side of a nice piece of salmon before you grill it.

Garlicky, Spicy Shrimp with Crusty Bread

Here’s a quick and delicious dish that incorporates the fresh, green flavors of parsley with the sweet juices of shrimp. With a hunk of crusty bread to scoop up the chopped garlic, you have an easy Summer dish you will want to eat again and again. I love it and S makes it for me often.

1.5 lb medium raw shrimp,peeled (de-veined if you like)
1/3 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. coarse
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more for me!)
a loaf of crusty bread

Pile together parsley and garlic, sprinkle with salt and coarsely chop. Heat oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottom skillet on medium heat. Add parsley/garlic mixture, bay leaves,crushed red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant and sizzling (2-3 minutes). Add shrimp and cook till it loses ts translucence. Season with salt to taste and scoop out shrimp with slotted spoon into a bowl. Pour the juices from the pan into a separate bowl, slice up the bread and dig in. If you like, you can give each guest a personal bowl of garlicky, shrimpy, olive oil goodness or just share one bowl fondue style.