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Fish

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Spanish-Style Halibut

Ingredients

  • 1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 (6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets
  • 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
  • 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

Preparation

  • Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Set aside.
  • Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over fish. Add fish to drippings in pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan, and keep warm.
  • Add 2 teaspoons garlic to pan, and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in bacon. Add spinach to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until the spinach begins to wilt. Serve with fish

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Microwave Salmon with Orange Sauce

This super simple recipe is full of flavor; and it's cooked in the microwave oven, so it's quick. In the picture, it's served with Potato Basmati Rice Casserole.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless salmon fillets
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 5 Tbsp. orange juice
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • dash white pepper

Preparation:

Place fillets in 2 quart microwave safe baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Pour over fish. Cover casserole with plastic wrap, venting one corner, and microwave on HIGH 3-6 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork, rotating dish once during cooking time. Let stand for 4 minutes before serving. 4 servings

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Grilled Spicy Mahi on Cilantro Vegetable Slaw
 

Ingredients

  • ½ - ¾ lb of mahi mahi, cut into two fillets (of course you could use whatever other fish you like, just tweak the cooking time)
  • 5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • ½ Tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp chipotle chili powder (or any other kind of chili powder, use what you have)
  • ½ tsp of brown sugar
  • Dash (about ¼ tsp) liquid smoke
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno, cut in half (leave all the seeds in for a super hot dish or de-seed half or all of the pepper to reduce the heat level a bit)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage (I used red but you could use green)
  • ½ cup corn kernels (estimate because I cut the corn off of 1 cob)
  • 3 oz julienned green beans (or if you’re lazy like me use your food processor’s ‘shred’ disc)
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion (I also used the ‘shred’ disc since I had it out)
  • 2 tsp fat free sour cream

Preparation

  1. Combine vinegar through garlic in food processor and process until combined. I used my mini chop at this step, but you could also just do it by hand. I’d probably avoid using a big processor here though because it’s a smaller amount of ingredients.
  2. Set aside 1 Tbsp of the liquid mix. Pour half of remaining liquid over fish (I put mine in a snack bag) and place in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes.
  3. While fish is marinating, steam corn and green beans for a few minutes until slightly tender. When done steaming place in fridge to cool down (or dunk it into ice water, your choice). Options: On the stove or in the microwave (I’ll admit I used a steamer bag in the microwave because I didn’t want to bust out my whole steamer).
  4. In a bowl place shredded cabbage and red onion, then pour over remaining half of liquid. Add in 2 tsp of fat free sour cream, and mix together well.
  5. Remove fish from marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the fish over medium to medium high heat, covered, for four minutes per side or until done (grill less for a thinner fish). Add cooled corn and green beans to cabbage/onion mixture and mix well. Split vegetable slaw mix into two plates, and then place cooked fish on top. Lightly drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp of liquid (that you set aside earlier) over the fish.
  6. Is the fat free sour cream completely necessary and could you omit it if you really wanted? Of course. Honestly I didn’t seed my jalapeno at all (which is why I recommended you might want to think about deseeding at least half of the pepper) and this stuff was spicy. I wanted to tame the heat a bit so I added in the sour cream although I would call it a happy necessity because I really liked the way the finished slaw mix turned out with the addition of sour cream.

Serves 2

There are many common methods used to cook fish; the most popular are described below. There's one important point to make about cooking fish: leave it alone! When you place the fish in the pan or on the grill, let it cook undisturbed for 2-4 minutes before you touch it. The fish will develop a nice crust and will release perfectly when it's ready to turn.

Grilled Fish


The sturdier and fattier fish, including grouper, salmon, tuna, swordfish, and shark, grill beautifully. Make sure that your grill is very clean and oil it lightly before adding the fish. Then leave the fish alone! If the grill is properly preheated and prepared, the fish will develop a nice crust and will release when cooked. For more delicate fish fillets, using a grill basket will make grilling any type of fish much easier. Just be sure to remove the fish from the basket as quickly as possible so it doesn't stick. I like Nigella Lawson's method for cooking thinner fillets on the grill; she simply puts a sheet of heavy duty foil on the grill and cooks the fish on that. Don't cover the grill as the fish is cooking; the cover traps too much of the smoke and overseasons the flesh.

Steamed Fish


A bamboo steamer is a great investment if you like this method of cooking fish. To steam fish, place water or stock in a large saucepan and add seasoning ingredients; everything from lemons to ginger will work. Bring the liquid to a simmer, place the fish in the steamer(s) and place over the simmering water. Do not let the liquid boil; this will cook the fish too quickly and it could overcook in seconds.

Microwaved Fish


The microwave oven will cook fish very well as long as you follow a few rules. First, make sure that you rotate the fish halfway through the cooking time so the fish cooks evenly. If the fillets are of uneven thickness, fold the thinner parts under each other so the fish is about the same thickness throughout. And standing time is very important; let the dish stand on a flat surface according to the recipe so the food finishes cooking.

Broiled Fish


Broiled fish can be really delicious, especially if you season the fish well before cooking. Be sure to preheat the broiler before adding the fish. Make sure the fish is 4-6" away from the broiler and watch carefully. Thinner fillets (1/2") probably won't have to be turned over; thicker fillets (1") should be carefully turned halfway through cooking.

Roasted Fish


Baking at a high oven temperature really concentrates the flavors of fish and helps the sugars on the surface caramelize for superior flavor. Roasting is baking at temperatures above 400 degrees F. You can season the fish with just about anything you like before roasting.

Poached Fish


Fish is poached in a flavored liquid called a court bouillon. Just about any aromatic herb or vegetable can be used in the poaching liquid. There's one important rule for poaching: do not let the water boil! The liquid should be barely simmering. If the water boils the outside of the fish will overcook quickly.

Crockpot Fish


Most crockpot recipes call for adding the fish toward the end of cooking time. At high temperatures, 1" pieces of fish will cook in about half an hour. Be sure to carefully follow the recipe instructions when cooking fish in a crockpot or slow cooker.

Baked Fish


Baking is one of the easiest ways to cook fish. Just follow the recipe instructions for cooking, covering, and standing times.

Sauteed Fish


Using just a bit of olive oil and making sure to preheat the pan are the two tips for a perfectly sauteed piece of fish. Also remember to let the fish cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop a nice crust. Be sure not to crowd the fish; cook it in batches rather than overcrowd the pan. The best way to saute thin fillets is to cook over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, then turn, cook for another minute or two, then remove the pan from heat and let the residual heat cook the fish. Cook thick fillets 5-6 minutes on the first side, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes longer.

Fried Fish


Deep fried fish is usually battered, then gently lowered into 375 degree oil and cooked for about 4 minutes per side, turning once and carefully.

En Papillote


Cooking fish encased in parchment paper or foil is a wonderful way to get the best results. The paper or foil holds in the moisture, concentrates the flavor, and protects the delicate flesh. Follow the folding and cooking instructions carefully. The packets can be cooked in the oven or on the grill.

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