Pan-Seared Tilapia

Usually I steam fish for dinner (Chinese-style, and not as elaborate as my previous post because frankly, I'm too lazy) but I like experimenting and seeing how V responds to fish cooked in different ways.  She likes it steamed and deep-fried, so pan-fried wasn't too much of a risk.

This recipe was nice because she could help, too.  I let her help me coat the fish with flour (which I now consider essential for pan-fried fish because it prevents the fish from sticking to the pan.)  She ate almost an entire filet by herself.  I didn't even have to use butter at the end.

Thanks to AppleChef for this delicious recipe!  I'm grateful for fast seafood recipes.

Pan-seared Tilapia

INGREDIENTS:

4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Rinse tilapia fillets in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish; gently press each fillet into the flour to coat and shake off the excess flour.
2.	Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook the tilapia in the hot oil until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 4 minutes per side. Brush the melted butter onto the tilapia in the last minute before removing from the skillet. Serve immediately.

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

The challenge:

1. Food for a bridal shower
2. Not too heavy (she was watching her weight for the wedding)
3. Elegant/interesting enough for a wine-tasting themed party

The answer: Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad, thanks to the powers of Pinterest and DJ, RN.

Yummy, summery, and moderately healthy?  We served it with tortilla chips but you could probably just eat it with a fork.

Thanks to Gina of SkinnyTaste!

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

• 1 lb jumbo cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped*
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 hass avocado, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 limes, juice of
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion.

In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

I steal recipes sometimes.  This recipe wasn't meant for me but when I saw it on my news feed I knew I'd wanna try it.  It comes from my lovely friend Jessica who gave me permission to post it.  I used raw peeled shrimp instead of clams because I'm lazy, but I'm very confident that the clam version is delicious!

Thanks Jess!  Can't wait to see you in August!

Jessica's Linguine with Clam Sauce (in her words)

1 box linguine (I like de cecco or barilla linguine fini)
1/2 cup ev olive oil
...6 or more garlic cloves
...1/2 t red pepper flakes (spicy!)
2 lbs littleneck clams, scrubbed (or be lazy and buy geisha brand canned)
1 cup dry white wine (Pinot grigio)
1 lemon plus additional slices for garnish
3 T butter
flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Parmesan optional.. Some people frown on cheese with seafood... Not me! :)

Boil noodles in salt water (as salty as ocean water) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a deep saute pan with a lid. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, saute but don't let garlic turn color. Add the clams, wine, parsley and lemon juice. Cover and cook until all the clams are opened. Throw away ones that don't open...
Add hot drained linguine to the pan, finish with butter and salt and pepper to your liking. Toss the pasta with the clams and sprinkle parsley, serve with lemon slices on side and drizzle of olive oil... You can also sprinkle with parm and breadcrumbs next day and put under broiler... Yum! (remove clam meat from shell before broiling) :).

Flounder in Lemon and Wine Sauce

I know what you're thinking: why would you eat flounder?  That fish in The Little Mermaid is so cute.

My answer: That character is NOT a flounder.  That's just his name!  He's actually an Atlantic tang blue surgeonfish.

And now you're thinking that I'm crazy because I needed to look that up after consuming flounder to clear my conscience.  Except now I think it's one of those fish that's not sustainable or something.  *SIGH*

Regardless, this recipe is tasty.  And you don't have to use flounder.  I usually don't use recipes on display at the grocery store but this one looked legit.  It tastes kind of fancy and not too citrus-y.

 Flounder in Lemon and Wine Sauce

• 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 4 (6 ounce) flounder fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 2 stalks green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 15 mins

1.  Mix bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
2.  Dredge fish fillets in the crumbs mixture, shake off any excess.
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet large enough to accommodate 4 fillets in single layer.
4. Add the flounder fillets to the skillet and saute them until done, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
5. Transfer the fish to a large serving plate, cover to keep warm.
6. Add wine, garlic, lemon juice and orange juice to the pan, stir to mix for about 1 minute or until the sauce is thicken.
7. Add green onion and butter and quickly remove from heat.
8. Pour sauce over fish, garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately with steamed rice and your favorite steamed vegetable.

Chinese Steamed Fish

The first time I tried to make this dish I went all out.  I bought a fish that had been swimming in a tank mere hours before we consumed it.  The Asian grocery store scales it and everything so all I had to do was follow the recipe.  It seemed simple enough, and I was patting myself on the back for being so Chinese.  W was gonna love it!

Of course that fairy tale ended as soon as I started seasoning the fish.  I think I was adding salt or something on the outside and I swear the stupid thing jumped a little.  I, in turn, jumped a mile and swore really loudly (I don't swear often, I promise).  I stuck it in the fridge until I had the nerve to finish prepping it.  The fish tasted okay, but it wasn't the tender, flaky, steamed goodness that I had wanted.

I finally decided to attempt the recipe again, but this time I used cod fillets.  What can I say?  I'm an ABC.  The results were better, but I probably over-cooked it a little.  We still ate all of it, and I think with practice it'll be a nice staple.  I wish fresh seafood was more readily available, but at least I can improvise.  There are probably simpler ways to prepare this but I appreciated the details of this recipe.

Thanks to Steamy Kitchen for the recipe!
Chinese Steamed Fish

1 pound whole fish (or fillets 1″ or thicker) yields the best results
(A)
4 stalks, scallions – cut into 3″ lengths
3″ piece of ginger – slice into “coins”
small bunch of cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine to pour on fish prior to steaming (or any cooking wine like dry sherry)
salt & pepper
(B)
2 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper if you don’t have white)
fresh chilli – thinly sliced (optional)
(C)
2 stalks, scallions – cut into 3″ lengths
2″ piece of ginger – finely julienned to the skinniest, thinnest strips you can possibly manage without a microscope
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Equipment: shallow pan to hold fish & large pot or wok for steaming. If you don’t have a fancy steamer or steamer insert, take a shallow-ish bowl and invert to use as a stand. Or…3 shot glasses inverted.
1. Clean & Stuff: Clean your fish, pat dry. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Take half of (A) and stuff inside the fish. If you are using fillets, skip this.
2. Make your bed: Take the other half of (A) and lay it in a shallow pan. If using fillets, just use all of (A) for the bed. Lay the fish on top of the bed. If fish is too long, cut in half. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine on top of the fish.
3. Steam: Add 2″ of water to your large pot, cover and boil. When it is boiling, uncover and wipe the inside of the cover clean of any condensation (all this condensation will drip back down on your fish, diluting the flavor) Put your fish pan inside, propped up with a small inverted bowl. Steam the fish on medium (see below for cooking times).

• Whole fish 1 lb: check at 12 minutes, add 2 minutes for every 1/2 lb
• Fillets 1″ and thicker: check at 10 minutes, add 2 minutes for every 1/2″ more thickness
• Fillets less than 1″: check at 7 minutes
• Super thin fillets: check at 5 minutes

Check to see if its done at the times indicated.  Poke your chopstick at the flesh near the top fin. If flesh flakes easily near the top fin, then its done. If flesh sticks together still, then add 1-2 more minutes to cooking time. For fillets, just gently poke at the flesh in the middle. Timing really depends on the thickness of your fish.  Also check to make sure you haven’t run out of steaming water.
4. Aromatics: Towards the end of the steaming process, you’ll want to start preparing the aromatics that garnish the finished dish. Take a microwave-safe bowl, add (B) and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside. When fish is done steaming, carefully lift the fish out onto a serving platter, discarding all of the cooked cilantro/ginger/scallions and the fish juice in the pan. Pour the hot (B) over fish.
Now we’ll work with (C): In a separate pan or wok, heat up cooking oil until you see smoke. Add the ginger and scallions, fry for 10 seconds to “pop” the flavors. Pour this cooking oil + herbs over the fish. You’ll hear a very satisfying sizzle!