Fish Tacos

I made fish tacos this week to satisfy a mexican food craving. I combined a few recipes and the end result was a delicious and flavorful taco. Although it is not pictured, the cilantro-lime crema is ESSENTIAL. Adapted from Cooking Light. Serves 4.

TACO INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pound flakey fish (tilapia, red snapper)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cabbage
cilantro-lime crema
8 corn tortillas

Mix together the lime juice, orange juice, and taco seasoning and pour into a large ziploc bag. Add the fish to the bag, and seal the bag, taking all the air out. Marinade for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, head the oven to 425 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Take the fish and place in a single layer on the cookie sheet and bake for ~9 minutes, or until flakey.

While the fish is in the oven, make the cilantro-lime crema by stirring together the following ingredients.

Cilantro-Lime Crema Ingredients
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Once fish is cooked and cilantro-lime crema has been prepared, heat the tortillas according to package directions. Flake the fish and place into hot tortillas, top with shredded cabbage, and lime crema. Serve with any other toppings (guacamole, salsa, etc.) and enjoy!

Crook's Corner Shrimp and Grits

Crook's Corner is a locally owned restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC and I've been eating their shrimp and grits ever since I've been able to chew. This is their signature dish and deservingly so- its rich and creamy and salty and lemony with a little kick. It makes me proud to be a southerner.

I've been craving it recently, and since I now live 5 hours away from Crook's I can't get it whenever the craving hits. I found their recipe online and ohhhh myyyy goodness. It was the best dinner I've made in as long as I can remember. It tasted just like the real deal and only took 20 minutes start to finish. This just went into the recipe vault where it will stay in regular rotation forever. If you like food, you need to make this. Tonight.

GRITS INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cooking grits
1 cup grated cheddar
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon Tobasco
1/4 teaspoon pepper

SHRIMP INGREDIENTS
3 slices bacon
1 lb. medium shrimp, deveined and peeled
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Tobasco

To make the grits: Add the water, chicken broth, half-and-half, and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Whisk in the grits and reduce heat to low/simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add the cheeses, butter, Tobasco, and pepper and stir. Keep warm.

To make the shrimp: In a large pan cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside. Keep 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the pan and add the sliced mushrooms, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour- add them and the garlic to the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until shrimps are lightly browned. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and tobasco and cook another 2 minutes until sauce has thickened.

Stir the grits before serving. Once ready, pour the grits in the bottom of individual bowls and place even amounts of shrimp on top. Serve with a slice of lemon to squeeze on top. Serves 4.

Salmon with Red Pepper Pesto

This is a very healthy, flavorful, and quick dinner! It was on the table in 10 minutes- start to finish! The red pepper pesto is very easy to make and would taste yummy on almost any fish or chicken. Mmm-mmm-mmm.

INGREDIENTS
- 4 (6oz) filets of salmon
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- salt & pepper

Lightly grease (with spray or olive oil) a grill pan and place on medium-high heat. While warming up, prepare the salmon filets by sprinkling each side with salt and pepper. Place in grill pan and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

Meanwhile, put the red peppers, tomato paste, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Once fish is cooked through, plate and dollop the pesto on top. Serve and enjoy!

Arugula, Caramelized Onions, and Tuna Salad

I just spent the past weekend in Asheville, NC with my mom, aunt, and cousin. At our last dinner we were discussing each of our favorite meals we've had while traveling and my aunt mentioned a variation of this salad that she and her friends had a number of years ago on a trip to Europe. She made it sound so delicious that I made it for dinner the night I came home from our mountain trip. You could put any fish or steak on this salad and it would be equally delicious. I chose tuna because it looked the best at the grocery store. Easy and beautiful meal!


INGREDIENTS
1 bag of arugula
1 or 2 red onions
2 large (4 baby) portobello mushrooms

12-16 ounces fish or steak (no bones)

Worcestershire sauce

Balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

Parmesan

Olive oil

Thinly slice the onion and mushrooms. Head some olive oil in a hot skillet and throw in the onions and begin the caramelization process... stirring every so often. Continue to cook the onion until about halfway caramelized. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar (the sweetness of the balsamic aids in the flavor and the caramelization process). Once almost finished, add the mushrooms and continue to cook together until nice and sweet.

Meanwhile, spread the arugula on a serving platter and sprinkle top with salt and pepper. Shave parmesan (lots!) on top and set aside. 

While the onions are still cooking sprinkle both sides of the tuna/steak/whatever with salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, and a bit of balsamic. Heat a grill pan (or an actual grill) to medium/medium high and sear the steaks. Cook to your liking. Remove from grill and slice. 

Sprinkle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place the caramelized veggies on the platter and add the sliced tuna in the middle. Have guests serve themselves taking a bit of everything. Mmmm. 

Insanely Good Crab Cakes

I’ve had crab cakes stuck in my head ever since having them at a friend’s birthday dinner in Wilmington, NC a few weeks ago. I’ve never made them before but wanted to try them out. I searched through Cook’s Illustrated online and found these lil guys and I liked that they had barely any “filler” and were mostly just crab. They were wonderful and the dipping sauce was incredible. A friend said that these cakes ‘rivaled restaurant crab cakes.’ Cook’s Illustrated strikes again. 

Crab Cakes

• 1 pound jumbo lump crab 
• 4 scallions, green parts only, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 2-4 tablespoons dry fine bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

In a medium bowl combine the crab, scallions, parsley, red pepper, Old Bay, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir, but be careful not to break up the crab pieces. Carefully fold in the egg and stir just until combined. Add more bread crumbs if necessary. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 (or more) hours. 

Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. 

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce (from chipotle in adobo)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Stir together all above ingredients. Taste and add any more of anything thats needed. 

To finish the crab cakes….

Preheat the oven for 200 degrees. Put 2 layers of paper towels on a cookie sheet. Remove the crab from the fridge and pack into 12 patties. Dredge in flour and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and place the first 6 crab cakes in the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes (until golden brown) and flip, cooking another few minutes. Transfer to the cookie sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Remove the leftover oil and wipe the pan clean. Pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and fry the rest of the crab cakes the same way. 

Serve over a bed of mixed greens with a lemon vinaigrette and a side of the dipping sauce. 

Pineapple Glazed Salmon

I saw a recipe for pineapple glazed chicken with a jalepeno salsa in last month’s Bon Appetit. It sounded pretty good, but I didn’t have the motivation to make it… but when I went to my favorite grocery store (in Knoxville, that is…) today and saw they had fresh salmon, I thought I could swap the fish for the chicken. There were a few other ingredients that I did not have, so I substituted or completely left those out. It turned out really well, and the salsa is a great salsa for fish, chicken or even to eat with chips. Yum. Adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2010.

• 2 salmon filets
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• about 1/2 cup pineapple, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 small avocado, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, cook the pineapple juice and brown sugar in a small saucepan until it begins to boil and thicken. Turn off heat. Glaze the salmon with the sauce, using a pastry brush. Salt and pepper the salmon and place in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop the pineapple, avocado, onion, cilantro, and jalepeno and place in a bowl. Stir together with lime juice. Taste for salt and pepper. 

Once fish is cooked through (but not overdone), remove from oven and place on a plate. Dollop a good portion of the salsa on top. Serve and enjoy!

*** This recipe would also be really great grilled. 

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

• INGREDIENTS
• Filets of salmon, de-boned (enough for 3-4 people)
• 1 small garlic clove, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat a grill (or grill pan) and when ready, place the salmon on and cook until however you prefer your salmon to be cooked, making sure to flip it halfway so that it cooks evenly and you get nice grill marks on each side.

Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.

Once fish is cooked, remove and plate. Dollop a bit of the lemon butter sauce on the top of each filet and watch it melt… mmm. Serve and enjoy!

(Adapted from Gourmet, July 2006)