Baked cornmeal-crusted fish

Perfect for fish tacos, or just with tartar sauce. Crispy, but not greasy.

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 cup milk
4 grouper fillets (or other firm white fish, such as tilapia)

Combine cornmeal, salt, and papria in a shallow dish, stirring well with a fork. Place milk in a shallow bowl.

Dip each fillet in milk; dredge in cornmeal mixture. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven at 450° for 10 minutes or until fish is done (flakes easily), turning once.

Garlicky sardine and tomato pasta

This recipe is for fish-lovers, like myelf. It is not for people who only like 'fish that doesn't taste like fish'. The sardines, tomato and lemon are beautiful together. And did I mention the sauce is ready in the time it takes pasta to cook?

1 small can sardines in olive oil
5-10 Tbsp tomato paste
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp hot sauce (opt)
green olives (opt)
lemon slices
hot pasta

In a small frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp of the sardine oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic for two minutes, turning down the heat if it starts to brown. Add5 tbsps of tomato paste and turn heat up to med-high. Dilute with 1/4 cup water. Add the sardines and stir gently. Once heated through, taste and add more tomato paste/water if desired. Add hot sauce and/or olives if you want. The squeeze of lemon just before serving is not optional. It's delicious.

Serve over hot pasta.

Fish with tomato, olive and Tuscan lemon sauce

To be completely honest, the lemons don't have to be from Italy. But my friend just came back from a lemon grove in Tuscany and it sounded so much cooler as a title!

2 firm white fish fillets
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 16oz can crushed tomatoes
Pinch of oregano
about 12-15 green olives, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Hot pasta or rice

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over med-high and brown one side of fish. Don't cook all the way through - just until over half is white. (You will finish steaming it in the sauce.) Set aside.

Add another tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until translucent. In the same pan add chopped tomato with liquid. Add green olives, oregano, a little salt and pepper. Scrape bottom of pan to get flavorful brown bits mixed into sauce. Place fish fillets on top of sauce, browned side up. Cook over low/medium heat about 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Squeeze lemon over top and serve with pasta or rice.

Spicy fish stew with greens

Oh wow. If you like fish - this is incredible. If you don't like fish, skip this one. Very quick to make. A perfect lunch on a cold day.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup of fresh chopped tomato
1/4 cup frozen spinach or other greens (thawed)
2 tsp of tomato paste
2 tsp fish bouillon
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 lb of fish filets (I used salmon, halibut, mackerel and cod), cut into 2-inch pieces
Tabasco to taste
pepper
salt

Heat olive oil in a large pot or over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté four minutes. Add parsley, tomato, tomato paste and cook two minutes.

Add fish bouillon, red wine, spinach and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add Tabasco, pepper and salt to taste.

Serve hot with good French bread.

Salmon baked with leeks and fennel

I was given this recipe this weekend and could not wait to try it. It was even better than I imagined when she told me about it! I had to make a few adjustments based on what we had on hand, so this really is a very flexible recipe - and so quick to make! The leeks and fennel worked together really well.

2 salmon filets
2 leeks
1 bulb fennel
1/3 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
1/2-1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp butter
salt
freshly ground pepper



Trim the leek of the thick green stalks and the root end, then slice into thin rounds. Slice the fennel. Rinse both well. In a sauté pan or skillet on moderately high heat, melt the butter. When the butter foams, add leeks and fennel. Cover over a moderate heat until the pieces sweat and soften.

Prepare the fish by rinsing it and patting dry with a paper towel. Place in a ceramic, glass or cast iron baking dish. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a small bowl, stir together crème fraîche and Dijon mustard. Remove leeks and fennel from heat and stir in cream mixture. Pour over top of salmon.

Bake in preheated oven at 375° for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Mom's fish creole

This is a recipe based off a memory from a dish my mom used to make and called 'fish creole'. Internet searches yielded no such recipe that resembled my memory's, so improv it was.

3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 lg can chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp creole seasoning
1 tsp hot sauce
4-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
salt
pepper
1 lg white fish filet, cut into 1 inch pieces
3-4 sardines (opt, but good!)
cooked white rice

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add onion, celery and green pepper. Cook until onion is soft, about five minutes. Add tomatoes, creole seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire, sugar and black pepper. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in sardines. Add fish pieces. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Taste and season as needed.

Serve ove hot rice.

Sweet-n-sour sea bream

2 sea bream filets
1 tsp flour
2 tsp butter
2 yellow peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, sliced into 8-12 wedges
1 can pineapple chunks or rings, with juice
oil for frying
hot white rice

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice from can
1/4 cup ketchup

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add pineapple chunks to the sauce and set aside.

Heat a dash oil in a large frying pan. Stir fry peppers and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and keep warm.

Pat fish dry. Sprinkle with 1 tsp flour. Melt 2 tsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully turn fish over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Serve the fish over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over the top.

Baked aloco with spicy fish sauce

Aloco is a traditional recipe from Côte d'Ivoire, where I grew up. It's traditionally deep-fried, but we wanted a baked version... so we can justify eating piles of it! For a lunch or snack, you can make it with the spicy fish sauce.

several very ripe plantain bananas (mostly black, and don't be afraid of a few moldy spots)
salt
one onion, chopped
three tomatoes, chopped
one chile pepper, cleaned and chopped, OR Scotch Bonnet hot sauce
1/2 tsp bouillon
3-4 canned sardines, bones 'n all
oil



Cut the ends off the plantains. Make a cut down the length of the plantain and pull off the peel. (This is much easier than if you peeled it like a banana.) Cut the plantains in half lengthwise. Cut again into 1/4 spears.

Place plaintain slices on a large plate and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp water. Cover with another plate. Microwave on high for 10 minutes,adding water as needed so they don't fry out. When they are soft and bright yellow, place them in an oil baking dish. Brush lightly with oil.

Bake in preheated oven at 425° for 15 minutes, then broil until browned.

Don't worry about getting each one evenly browned. The best aloco (in my opinion) is a piece that's dark brown and caramelized on one side and soft and deep yellow on the other.



The sauce

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a frying pan. Cook the onions until soft and beginning to brown. Add tomatoes, bouillon, fish and hot pepper - lots of it! Cook on high, stirring often, until 1/3 of liquid evaporates. Serve alongside the aloco.

Sea bream meunière

So good. So fast.

2 sea bream fillets (about 3/4 inch thick)
pinch black pepper
pinch salt
1 tsp flour
2 tsp butter
fresh lemon juice

Pat fish dry, and sprinkle both sides with black pepper and salt. Sprinkle with flour. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully turn fish over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot.

Sesame & soy seared tuna

Super simple, very quick, and so so good.

2 albacore tuna steaks, frozen
soy sauce
sesame seeds
1 tsp olive oil



Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over med-high heat.

Sprinkle seseame seeds in a small plate. Pour a thin layer of soy sauce in small plate. Dip each side of one tuna steak in soy sauce, then in the seeds to coat. Place in skillet, then repeat with second steak.

Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steaks. These were about 1 1/2 inches thick and cooked for 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second. Don't overcook it. Tuna steak can be cooked like beef steak - nice and rare if you want.

Tuscan sea bream with tomatoes & zucchini

I have been trying to reproduce a meal my husband had and loved five years ago. Unfortunately, I was not present at the meal so have been compiling the recipe from his memory. (Yeah. It's as ridiculous as it sounds.) In one of my attempts, this was the result. We both loved it. Loved it. And it only took about 25 minutes!



2 sea bream filets (or other firm white fish)
1 Tbsp red pepper pesto (or could use sun-dried tomatoes)
fresh parsley (5-10 fluffy tips)
3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I LOVE Kirkland Rustic Tuscan Seasoning)
pinch salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium cast iron skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over high heat. Add crushed garlic, Italian seasoning and salt. Place filets in the skillet and cook 1 minute, then carefully flip. Cook one more minute. Spread pesto down the middle of the filets. Top with parsley. Gently spoon chopped tomatoes around the filets. Bake for 20 minutes.

2 zucchini, quartered and sliced thinly
Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
olive oil

In another skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over high heat. Add zucchini, seasoning and salt. Cook, stirring often until edges start to turn bright green and flesh is tender. (Don't overcook to mushy.)

Serve seam bream hot with zucchini on the side.

Aloco (fried plantains)

Aloco is a traditional recipe from Côte d'Ivoire, where I grew up. It's sold from small roadside restaurants and is served with a spicy tomato-onion sauce and grilled fish. For a lunch or snack, you can make it with just the sauce - or eat the aloco by itself with salt. Oh yeah - this is most definitely finger food!

about 1 1/2 cups oil
several very ripe plantain bananas (mostly black, and don't be afraid of a few moldy spots)
salt
one onion, chopped
two tomatoes, chopped
one chile pepper, cleaned and chopped, OR Scotch Bonnet hot sauce
1/4 tsp bouillon



Cut the ends off the plantains. Make a cut down the length of the plantain and pull off the peel. (This is much easier than if you peeled it like a banana.) Cut the plantains in half lengthwise. Cut again into 1/4 spears. Cut into bite-sized pieces.




Place a frying pan with high sides over high heat and pour in enough oil to cover the bottom well - don't be stingy. Once hot, add a piece of plantain. It should bubble, but not brown immediately. After a minute or so, it should be bright yellow. This means your oil is the right temperature.

Add plantain pieces to cover the bottom of the pan, but not crowd them. Stir every 2-3 minutes, flipping each piece as they begin to brown. Take your time cooking them - reduce heat if needed. Each batch should take about 8-10 minutes.



Don't worry about getting each one evenly browned. The best aloco (in my opinion) is a piece that's dark brown and caramelized on one side and soft and deep yellow on the other.

As the aloco browns, remove using tongs and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Repeat with remaining plantain pieces.


The sauce

Using the leftover oil from the aloco, cook the onions until soft and beginning to brown. Add tomatoes, bouillon and hot pepper. Cook on high, stirring often, until 1/3 of liquid evaporates. Serve alongside the aloco.

Basil shrimp scampi

Oh. yum.

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/6 cup butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt to taste

Rinse shrimp and set aside. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add shrimp, green onions, wine and lemon juice; cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Add chopped basil and salt before serving.

Sweet and sour fish

Mmm...my favorite recipe of the sweet-n-sours

2lbs tilapia, cod, halibut or any other whitefish (cut into 1” chunks)
1 green pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced into 8-12 wedges
1 can pineapple chunks or rings, with juice
oil for frying



Breading
2 cups flour
6 Tbsp oil
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups water

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice from can
1/4 cup ketchup



First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add pineapple chunks to the sauce and set aside.

In a bowl whisk together flour, 6 Tbsp of oil, baking powder, seasoning salt, and cayenne pepper. Add 2 cups of water, whisking until the batter is smooth. Dunk fish into batter to coat.

In a deep frying pan over medium-high heat, fry fish pieces in batches for four minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven.

Heat a dash oil in a large frying pan. Stir fry green and red peppers, carrot and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and heat.

Serve the fish over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over the top.

Willie Rae's fish tacos

My favorite item on the menu at Willie Rae's!

Oil for frying
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 cup water
1 pound fresh tilapia (or other white fish), cut into 8 strips
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/6 head green cabbage, shaved or very finely sliced
1 chopped tomato
Lime wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro
Cilantro jalapeño tartar sauce

Pour 1/2 inch oil in a fryer or pan and heat to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, paprika and cayenne. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and water. Dip the tilapia pieces in the egg wash, and then roll in the cornmeal. Fry about three minutes per side, until lightly browned and cooked through, and then drain on paper towels.



To assemble the tacos, warm the tortillas in a dry pan or directly over the flame of a gas stove; do not let burn. In the center of each tortilla, place a dollop of the tartar sauce (about 2 teaspoons) and about 1/4 cup shaved cabbage. Top with two pieces of fried fish. Garnish with a spoonful of tomatoes, a squirt of lime juice and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.

Ceebu jen (Senegalese fish and rice)

There are about as many variations for spelling ceebu jen (thieboudienne, thiep bu dinenne, ceebujenn...) as there are to making it. This rice (ceeb) and fish (jen) recipe is the national dish of Senegal and can also be made with beef (ceebu yapp). If the dish looks familiar, it's because it's a descendent of paella.

Ingredients for 4 people:
2/3 to 1 cup oil
3 cups broken or small round rice
3-6 Tbsp tomato paste
4 wedges of cabbage, about 2 inches at thickest point
4 carrots
2 potatoes, sweet potatoes or other tubers, peeled (opt)
1-2 small eggplants (opt)
1-2 zucchini (opt - not authentic, but we like it)
1-2 onions sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
salt
pepper
dried red pepper flakes
Scotch Bonnet hot sauce, or the hottest you have
fresh lemon wedges
fish

A word about the fish. I used four filets of smoked herring that worked really well for flavor. You can also use fresh fish, whole or filets. (If you live near an African market that sells dried, smoked fish - that's the jackpot. Add just a small handful along with the veggies.) For quantity, that's up to you. Traditionally the Senegalese would use less fish than the average American meal because of high prices and over-fished waters.

Moving on...Below are two cooking methods. The Pro version is more authentic if you're using whole fish, but the Amateur version is the way I've modified it.

Pro version: Crush together garlic, parsley, pinch of salt and pepper and dried hot pepper. Rinse the fish. Make 3-4 holes in the fish and stuff with seasoning mixture. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add sliced onions and pinch of salt. Cook for five minutes.

Amateur version: Heat oil in large saucepan. Fry fish filets until golden. Add onions and garlic, chopped parsley, dried hot pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes.

Dilute tomato paste with 1/2 cup water and add to pot. Add 6 cups water and largely chopped vegetables. (I put the cabbage wedges on top to keep them from breaking up too much.) Let simmer over medium heat until veggies are tender. Remove veggies and fish and 1/2 cup liquid.

Use the remaining broth to cook the rice. Add rice and cover. Reduce heat and cook until all liquid is absorbed and you begin to smell the rice on the bottom of the pan toasting.

Once cooked, Spread the rice out on a large platter. Arrange the fish and veggies in the center, then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 broth over top. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Normally you eat from this common bowl, not from individual plates, with your right hand. The hostess will divide up the fish and veggies on to each person's rice portion in front of them. Take a piece of fish or veggies and some rice in your right hand. Squeeze to make a ball and pop it into your mouth.

Bisimilahi!

Tuna salad

I think tuna salad gets a bad rap. Sure, it can be mushy and flavorless. But it doesn't have to be. This recipe is very flexible and can be easily adapted to your tastes and preferences.

1 can tuna, packed in water, drained
2 hardboiled eggs, cooled and chopped
1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped
2 Tbsp red or purple onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
-- OR, if you live in France: finely chopped cornichons + 1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp yellow mustard
1-2 Tbsp sweet pickle / cornichons juice
pinch of cinnamon (I know it's odd, but very good)

Optional add ins: chopped celery, chopped carrot, chopped cucumber...

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve on crackers, dry-toasted sandwich bread or wrapped in a pita. For extra crunch, layer thin slices of Granny Smith apple on the sandwich.

NOTE: I also use this same basic recipe for egg salad. Just substitute 3 more hard boiled eggs for the can of tuna.

Baked beast of a salmon

Salmon with garlic mayonnaise (aïoli) served with grated carrots and sliced cucumber salad

I probably could have come up with a more appetizing title for this recipe, but that would fit as well? We bought a whole salmon (minus head and innards) that weighed about 3 lbs. It barely fit in our little oven! What a beast. A delicious beast.

3 lb fresh salmon* (bones in - better flavor and more calcium)
5-6 thin lemon slices
4 pats of butter
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

Rinse the salmon well under cold water. Layer the lemon slices, garlic and butter inside the fish. Place in a large baking dish and bake in preheated oven at 475° for about 20 minutes.

Here's an excellent guide from Beyond Salmon:

Check the fish for doneness by inserting a knife between the backbone and the top fillet and lifting the fillet slightly off the bone. If the flesh does not want to separate from the bone, cook the fish a few minutes longer and check again. Remember that the fish continues to cook after it’s off the heat, so it should be removed from the heat when a trace of translucency still remains in the center and you encounter a bit of resistance near the backbone bone when you try to lift the fillet.

Once your fish is done, cut along the backbone to separate into two flat halves. Cut each half into serving size. Serve with garlic mayonnaise. What a beast.

* If you buy a frozen fish, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge.

Cornmeal pan-fried fish

We buy inexpensive frozen fish and doctor it up at home.

4 white fish fillets, thawed
1/3 cup cornmeal
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper OR dill
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat.

Pour milk into a bowl. In wide-bottomed bowl, mix dry ingredients. Dip the fish in the milk, then roll in the cornmeal mix until well-covered.

Cook the fillets in the frying pan 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Flip halfway to ensure even cooking. Fish should flake easily with a fork when it's done.

Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. (Also really good for making fish tacos!)