Fish Tawa Fry

Fish Tawa Fry

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

Since the time we started bringing Tilapia fillets, I have always grilled them. I am fish lover and its been a while since i had fish curry. Since i am trying to not eat too much coconut, I didnt want to make our traditional fish curry so I came up with this one. Turned out awesome. Reminded me of my favourite fish curry from Nandini restaurant in Bangalore that i use to have frequently around 10 years back.


Ingredients
500gm Fish
1 Big Onion
2 Tomatoes
1 Spoon Tamarind
1/2 Spoon Black Pepper
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Coriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
4-5 Garlic cloves
1 Spoon Ginger
Coriander Leaves

Method

• Marinate the fish with 1/4 Spoon Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and Salt.
• In mixie, add tamarind, onion and black pepper leaving 6-7 aside. Grind to fine paste. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in tawa and add in fish pieces. Let them cook for a minute.
• Flip the fishes and cook for another minute. Take out of the tawa and keep aside.
• In same oil add in onion paste and saute it till the raw smell from it goes away and you can only smell pepper in it.
• In mean time grind tomatoes, garlic, ginger in mixer and make paste.
• Add tomato paste, jeera powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, remaining black pepper and salt to onion and cook for 5 minutes with constant stirring.
• Add in fish and lightly mix everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Notes
I used cleaned boneless Tilapia fillets each cut into four pieces but you can use any fish in any form but boneless has its own fun :)

Fish Otak-Otak

Fish Otak-Otak

Ingredients:
200 g tenggiri fish (Spanish Mackerel)
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup coconut cream

Ingredients to be blended:
5 shallots
3 cloves garlic
4 candle nuts
1 stalk lemon grass
1 sm pieces dried shrimp paste (belacan)
10 fresh chillies
1 tsp turmeric powder

Method:
1. Cut the fish and debone them. Put all the meat in a blender or pound until fine, smooth and fluffy. Add some water, salt and cornflour in the mixture.

2. Blend all the blended ingredients in a blender.

3. Mix the blended ingredients, curry powder, coconut cream and 1 beaten egg  with the fish paste.

4. Put the mixture in  an aluminium foil and cover all the edges.

5. Steam or bake them for 15 - 20 minutes.

6. Serve hot with rice.

Oven-Baked Fresh Salmon

Oven-Baked Fresh Salmon

This past weekend, Mr.S. took me and the kidlets on an impromptu field trip to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery so we could see all the salmon jumping about. It was quite incredible...salmon, salmon everywhere, as far as the eye could see! We were all pretty much in awe. I even took a few photos while we were there:

If you get a chance stop by there. Kidlets will love feeding the fish in the "nursery" tanks and watching the fish jump up the fish ladder.

So to celebrate all the salmon in the American River, Mr. S. and I decided to cook up some salmon for dinner Wednesday night. Can you say yum?! (Salmon is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which is good for your cardiovascular health.)  I stopped by and picked up a nice big piece of fresh salmon at Sunh Fish and cooked it up in a no-frills manner: olive oil, a few pinches of herbes de Provence, lemon slices and a boatload of garlic (we love garlic!). We then tented it up in foil and chucked it in the oven. In less than a half hour, we had some wonderfully moist and flavorful salmon dressing up our plates. Keeping with the healthy theme, we also made some roasted delicata squash and a mushroom and asparagus quinoa pilaf...but more on that later this week. ;)

Oven-Baked Fresh Salmon

Ingredients

1.5 lbs fresh (wild) salmon - you can cut these into smaller individual fillets or roast it as one giant fillet

Extra virgin olive oil

Herbes de Provence

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

3 small lemons (2 sliced, 1 in wedges)

Aluminum foil


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil on it and spread it out.

3. Place salmon on the middle of the foil sheet, skin side down. Lightly coat the fish with olive oil.  Season with a few pinches of herbes de Provence, several minced cloves of garlic, some Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Squeeze some fresh lemon across the top.

4. Place slices of lemon across the top.

5. Fold the sides of the foil upward and over, creating a small tent-like packet. Make sure everything is covered and all the sides are sealed tightly.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes (or more if you have really thick fillets), until salmon is fully cooked.
Tip: cook the fish 10 minutes for each inch of thickness.

7. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to plates. Serve with lemon wedges.

Pesce al Sale - Whole Fish Encased in Salt Crust

Pesce al Sale - Whole Fish Encased in Salt Crust

I remember once Mr.S. commenting that he loved that my friends were such amazing cooks...and you know what? So do I! I'm a lucky girl indeed. Last night, I had the pleasure of dining at my friend Lacy's new house. When I got there, I found out she had picked up some whole branzinos at Sunh Fish and was going to cook them in a salt crust. I was totally excited since I'd been dying to try this method for quite awhile. The technique turned out to be quite simple. The salt crust essentially steamed the fish and the fish came out amazingly moist (and not overly salty at all). I think I may have to do this one for Mr.S. soon!


Pesce al Sale

Ingredients

1 (3 lb. box) coarse Kosher salt
5-6 large egg whites
3 (1 lb.) fresh whole branzinos, scaled & gutted (leave the head and tail intact)
3 fresh lemons, 2 thinly sliced and 1 cut in wedges
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. In a large mixing bowl, incorporate salt and egg whites together. What you want to end up with is a sand-like consistency.

 

3. Rub the exterior of the fish down with olive oil.

4. Stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon slices, herbs and garlic (optional).

 

 

5. On a large baking sheet, evenly spread out a thick layer of the salt paste. You want it to be around 1/2 inch in thickness.

6. Place the fish on top of the salt bed. Then cover it with the remaining salt mixture, making a salt shell. You want all of the fish covered. Firmly press the salt mixture into the flesh.

 

7. Roast for 20-25 minutes. (Until thermometer reads 135 degrees.) The crust will turn golden brown and hard.

 

8. Remove baking sheet with fish from oven. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

9. Tap the salt crust with the back of a heavy spoon. The mound should crack and come apart. Lift the larger pieces of salt crust off and brush away smaller pieces. Gently using a knife or small spatula, peel off the skin of the fish. Lift the exposed fillet off the fish and transfer it to a serving plate. Then lift the tail and pull upward, lifting off the bones from the bottom fillet. Extract the bottom fillet from the skin and place on plate.

 

 

10. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Sunh Fish...& Whole Grilled Branzino with Lemon and Thyme

Sunh Fish...& Whole Grilled Branzino with Lemon and Thyme

1900 V Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. (916) 442-8237.
M-F 8-5pm, Sat & Sun 9am-3pm. Accepts plastic.

When my friend, Cate, decided to throw a sushi party two years ago for her birthday I accompanied her to Sunh Fish on Broadway to pick up a few seafood items. I had heard about Sunh Fish before but had never stopped in there. The seafood we got there was great and I kept meaning to get back over there again, but life got busy and I never did. Flash forward to this year, I read about Sunh Fish moving to 19th and V Street into the old Verge Gallery. It was now within walking distance from my cottage! But did I ever get there? Nope...not until this week and I could kick myself that I haven't visited sooner.

Earlier this week, a chef acquaintance of mine had posted a tantalizing photo of some plump Tiger shrimp and creamy looking stone ground grits on his Facebook and noted that the shrimp were from Sunh Fish. Mr. S. and I had just been lamenting recently that there was such a limited selection of places to buy good seafood at in Sac; so when I saw that post, I decided to shoot the chef an email and ask if Sunh Fish sold whole fish retail and whether the fishmongers there would gut and scale the fish for you. I got an enthusiastic, "Yes!" back. So on my way home from running errands Thursday afternoon, I popped in there. Sunh Fish has a nice (free) parking lot, so you can swoop in and out easily. As I entered the building, I immediately noticed that the "store" area was one big room- warehouse big! There was an office to the left and then a large display case housing sushi-grade sashimi and salmon. Also in the case were fresh diver scallops, mussels, about four different kinds of prawns and an assortment of other delectable seafood. Walking up, I was immediately greeted with a friendly smile and an offer of assistance. I knew I wanted a whole fish to grill but I wasn't really sure what kind, so I asked the gentleman behind the counter for some recommendations. He suggested the Branzino (aka loup de mer, a European sea bass that has firm meat, not too many bones and is sustainable). I bought two, which came out to roughly two pounds. While I was waiting for him to scale and gut my purchase, I chatted with an elderly Japanese lady (a fellow customer) who had nothing but rave reviews for the store and suggested next time I try out a few of the oysters. I also wandered over, perused the cold case on the adjacent wall and noted that they carried several different kinds of tobiko and other sushi odds and ends. As I was checking out, the gentleman that had been assisting me was kind enough to answer my numerous questions about grilling fish whole and offered a few helpful cooking tips.

So if you're thinking of cooking up some seafood, I would highly recommend paying Sunh Fish a visit- excellent, quality seafood and phenomenal service. Plus they're open 7 days a week.


RECIPE
Here's some quick instructions and tips on how to cook whole Branzino. The prep, cooking and clean up turned out to be quite simple. Although we had a bit of an issue with the fish sticking a bit to the grill, it tasted fantastic - light, flaky and fresh. We'll definitely be opting to cook fish whole more often...maybe next time we'll try the salt crust method.

Grilled Branzino

Ingredients

2 one pound whole Branzinos, gutted and scaled
extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 bunch of fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
kitchen twine

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill (medium-high heat) or if using charcoal, start your fire. Word to the wise- make sure your grate is extremely clean and be sure to rub it down with LOTS of oil (or use an oiled fish basket). We thought we had used enough oil on the grill but the fish skin still stuck. Boo! Next time we'll have to use more.

2. Rinse the fish under cold water (inside and out- be careful of the dorsal fin, it's spiny and sharp) and pat dry. Cut vertical slits into the side of the fish, about 1 inch apart. Turn fish over and repeat.

3. Rub the fish inside and out with olive oil.

4.Season the inside of the Branzino with salt and pepper. Then gently massage the outside of the fish with salt.

5. Place lemon slices and thyme sprigs in the cavity of the fish.

6. Cut two pieces of kitchen twine for each fish. Tie them around the thickest part of the fish to secure the inside ingredients from falling out.

7. Place the fish horizontally on the grill over direct medium-high heat.

8. Rule of thumb: grill the fish about 8-10 minutes/a side per 1-inch of thickness.

9. Place a spatula under the fish (or use two spatulas- one on top, one underneath) and flip the fish over.

On the grill...skin stuck a little

10. To check for doneness: insert a metal skewer or a small knife into the thickest part of the fish's flesh, if it's done it should have some give and slide in easily. The skin should look crispy and the flesh will be moist and flaky.

11. Remove from grill, allow to rest for 4-5 minutes. Serve warm with lemon.

The Aftermath

Sambal Fish With Tomato Sauce

Sambal Fish With Tomato Sauce

One of my favourite way of cooking fish is to deep fry and top it with the spicy and aromatic home-made sambal sauce. Besides fish, other seafoods such as prawns, clams, squids, etc. can also be cooked.

Ingredients:
1 Jenahak fish
5 red chillies
5 dried chillies
5 shallots
1 big onion
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
some corn flour
oil for frying

Method:
1.  Pound the chillies with small onions until fine. Slice the big onions. Clean the fish and cut open it. Rub the fish with some salt and corn flour.

2. Heat up a wok. When it is hot, pour half a cup of oil.

3. Put in the fish when the oil is hot. This is to prevent the fish from sticking on the wok.

4. Fry until both sides of the fish turns golden brown. Put on a plate,

5. Heat up a wok with some oil. When it is hot, fry the pounded chillies and big onions until fragrant. Add in one tablespoon tomato sauce.

6, Put the fried chillies on top of the fish. Garnish with some coriander leaves. Serve with hot rice.

Grilled Spicy Tilapia Fillets

Grilled Spicy Tilapia Fillets

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

I had not cooked this fish anytime earlier and its been while since we had fish. I wanted to switch to diet that has more fish and vegetables instead of any other meat (chicken, prawns or crabs) so we got this from Costco. They sell it skinless and boneless big fillets so i instantly thought of trying grilling them. Yesterday we had barbeque planned and so it was perfect time to experiment.


Ingredients
2 Tilapia Fillets
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
3/4 Spoon Coriander Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/2 Lemon
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Apply salt, red chilli powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, garam masala and lemon juice to the fillets.
• Massage the fillets by rubbing these spices and lemon juice for couple of minutes. Keep aside for 45minutes to an hour
• Heat the grill and apply oil spray on both sides on the fillets and grill them for about 3-4 minutes each side.

Notes
If you don't have grill, you could cook them on pan over medium heat too. Grill gives nice finish.
I served this with mint chutney that i made from fresh mint from my patio garden as starter and ate most of it :) In fact out of two fillets only half i could save for next day and click photo :) I used that half in salad with the mint chutney as dressing. Perfect lunch :)

Ikan Haruan Porridge

Ikan Haruan Porridge

Ikan Haruan or 'snakehead fish' contains medicinal value and is good for those patient after an operation. It helps to heal the wound faster. It is good for both the men and women who have gone for surgery. It aids in healing the internal wounds.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice grains
4 - 6 cups water
1 snake head fish (ikan haruan)
2 cm ginger
2 shallots
1 spring onions
1 tsp salt
1 cube anchovy stock
sesame oil for frying

Method:
1.Clean ginger and cut into fine strips. Wash rice grains until the water is clear. Pour the rice grains in a slow cooker on high heat and boil with water until the rice is cooked and soft. This will take about 4 hours. Add in salt and anchovy stock.

2. Wash fish with some salt. De bone the fish and cut into small pieces.

3. Wash and clean spring onions, ginger and shallots. Slice them finely. Fry shallots and ginger until golden brown. Put them aside.

4. When the porridge is cooked, mix in the sliced fish. Cook for a few more minutes. Serve the porridge  hot. Garnish the porridge with spring onions, fried shredded ginger and shallots.

Fried Fish With Fresh Chillies

Fried Fish With Fresh Chillies

Ingredients:
1 piece fish
5 red chillies
5 small onions
1/2 tsp salt
some corn flour
oil for frying

Method:
1. Rub fish with some salt and corn flour.

2. Heat up a wok. When it is hot, pour half a cup of oil.

3. Put in the fish when the oil is hot. This is to prevent the fish from sticking on the wok.

4. Fry till both sides of the fish turn golden brown.. Put on a plate,

5. Pound red chillies with small onions until fine.

6, Heat up a wok with some oil. When it is hot, fry the pounded chillies until fragrant.

7. Put on top of the fish.Serve with hot rice.

Grilled Fish

Grilled Fish

Ingredients:
2 slices fish
 6 red chillies
3 dried chillies
4 shallots
1 lemon grass
1 tsp tamarind juice
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp oil
a pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar

Method:
1. Grind together all the chillies and shallots.

2. Heat up a wok with some oil. When it is hot, fry the blended ingredients with lemon grass .

3. Add in tamarind juice, water, salt and sugar. Stir-fry for a few minutes.

4. Season the fish with some pepper. Place some banana leaves  on the aluminium foil. Put the fish on the aluminium foil. Pour the fried chillies on top. Cover the aluminium foil and grill on top of a stove.

5. The fish is cooked when the foil expand. It will take about 10 - 15 minutes.

Steamed Fish With Asam Pedas Sauce

Steamed Fish With Asam Pedas Sauce

2 slices kurau/jenak fish
1 lady's finger (okra) (cut into slices)
1 red chili

Asam pedas paste
2 red shallots
1 cloves garlic
2 red chillies
1 dried chillies
1 small piece shrimp paste (belacan)
1 candle nut (buah keras)
1 tablespoon tamarind juice
1 stalk lemon grass
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp oil
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar

Method:

1.Blend chillies, shallots, garlic, candle nut , slice lemon grass and shrimp paste together until very fine.

2. Steam fish slices with lady's finger and slice chillies for 6 minutes.

3.Heat up oil in a pot or wok and fry the pounded ingredients till aromatic. Add in tamarind juice,salt, sugar, water and let it boil for 3 minutes.

4.Pour the gravy on top of the fish. Serve with hot rice.

Sweet And Sour Tilapia Fish

Sweet And Sour Tilapia Fish

Ingredients:
1 tilapia fish
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
oil for frying
2 cloves garlic
2 cm ginger

Sauce:
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
1tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp corn flour

Method:
1. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
2. Coat the fish with corn flour.
3. Mix all the sauce ingredients together. Take out and put on a plate.
4. Heat up a wok with 2 tablespoons of oil and fry chopped garlic and ginger till fragrant.
5. Add in the sauce and let it boil. Pour on top of the fish. Garnish the fish.
6, Serve with rice.

Steamed Patin FIsh

Steamed Patin FIsh

Patin or also known as cat fish is a famous fresh water fish. The flesh is smooth and juicy. It is often cooked in restaurants.

Ingredients:
1 Patin fish
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light sauce
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 cm ginger
1tbsp sesame oil
some celery
some lettuce leaves

Method:
1. Clean the fish and cut open it. Rub some salt over the fish and steam it for 7 minutes.
2. Clean and slice ginger into strips. To prepare the sauce, heat up a wok and put in some sesame oil. When it is hot, fry some sliced ginger and chopped garlic till aromatic.
3. Pour the fried ingredients over the steamed fish. Garnish some celery and lettuce leaves on top of the fish.
4.Serve hot with rice.

Tandoori Prawns / Shrimps

Tandoori Prawns / Shrimps

Ingredients :

• 7-8 Pieces of Jumbo Prawns
• ¼ cup Yogurt
• 1 tsp Tandoori Masala
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Garlic and ginger paste
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Method :

Mix yogurt, salt, tandoori powder, chili powder, coriander powder, garlic/ginger paste, olive oil, and turmeric powder together. Then add shrimp to the yogurt mixture and marinate for 4 hrs or overnight. Grill the shrimp on a grill pan or on an outdoor grill until done.Garnsih with coriander leaves and serve.

Indian Summer : Pepperfin

Indian Summer : Pepperfin

Wow, after that jag of autumnal weather I thought for sure I'd be making roasts, soups and various comfort foods by mid-October but it looks like Mother Nature decided to throw us a curve ball and plop us into an Indian Summer. The weather in Midtown's been lingering around the comfortable high 70's/low 80's and the canopies of trees with their thick green leaves are holding strong. In fact most of the plants in my yard are still looking pretty joyous, take a look:

So going with the weather, instead of a typical October stick-to-your-ribs heavy stew I ended up making a refreshing dish of pepperfin for lunch today. It ended up being perfect-- light and quick and it tided me over until dinner time.

Viva la summer!

Pepperfin

Ingredients

4 oz fresh albacore tuna, sashimi grade

2-2.5 t. lemon juice

6 tsp regular soy sauce (not low sodium)

2/3 tsp sesame oil

dash or two of chili oil (optional)

sliced fresh  jalapeño

Instructions

1. Slice tuna into 1/8-1/2 inch pieces, against the grain.

2. Arrange on plate. Garnish with jalapeño slices.

3. Mix sauce ingredients in bowl. Spoon sauce over fish.  Serve.

* I will confess I did dump all of the sauce over the fish "Mikuni"-style after the photo was taken. :)

Pomfret Fry

Pomfret Fry

Ingredients :

• 2-3 Fresh Pomfrets , sliced into 4-5 pieces
• 3 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder or as requires
• 1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder or as requires
• Salt As per Taste
• Water as required
• Oil for shallow frying
• 1/2 Cup Barik Rawa / Sooji.

Method :
 Mix Red chilli Powder, turmeric powder ,salt, add little water to make a thick paste.Now apply this paste to pomfret slices making sure that it coats each piece well.Keep side for 20-30 minutes. Now heat oil in pan. coat each pomfret piece with rawa / sooji and shallow fry till crisp. Serve hot as side dish with rice & fish curry.

Fried Fish Paste

Fried Fish Paste

Making fish paste is a laborious work. It is worth the work because of the texture  and chewy texture. The taste is fantastic.Nowadays there are a lot of fish paste sold in the markets but they are not as fresh and good if you know how to make it.

Ingredients:

1 kg Spanish Mackerel (ikan tenggiri)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp salt
1/2  cup water

Method:
1. Wash and cut open the fish on both sides.

2. Scrape out the flesh with a spoon.

3. Pound the fish flesh with corn starch, salt and water mixture.

4. Keep pounding the fish till it is not sticky but shiny.
5. Divide the fish paste into small oblong size and fry in a wok till golden in colour.
6. Serve on a plate.

Thai Fish Baked in Banana Leaves

Thai Fish Baked in Banana Leaves

“Fish in the hands of a skilled cook can become an inexhaustible source of gustatory pleasures.”

~Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin

I'm always looking for food recipes where I can get Mr. S.'s kidlets interested in food, so imagine my delight when both kidlets expressed an interest in what I was cooking last Wednesday. What drew their interest to my fumbling in the kitchen? Banana leaves. They were enamored with the idea of cooking with them. Although banana leaves can be found at pretty much any Asian market in South Sac, for two kidlets growing up in the suburbs and eating mainly mainstream American food; the idea of cooking with banana leaves seems exotic. So once I had the sauce whipped up, I enlisted their help in wrapping up the fish in the leaves. Now if you've never cooked with banana leaves before, they're great for steaming or grilling fish. The leaves keep the fish moist and tender. Now while cooking, the leaves impart a green tea-like fragrance...it wafted about making the kitchen smell wonderful!


Thai Fish Baked in Banana Leaves ( from About.com )
Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2-3 fillets fish (I used fresh pink snapper from Oto's)

• 1 pkg. banana leaves (if frozen, thaw for at least 1/2 hour)

Marinade/Sauce:

• 1 shallot

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, sliced

• 2 tsp. ground coriander

• handful of basil leaves

• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce

• 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into slivers with scissors, or 1 tsp. lime zest

• 1 fresh red chili, sliced & seeds removed

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• juice of 1/2 lime


Instructions:

1. Place all marinade/sauce ingredients in a food processor and process well.

2. Place fish fillets in a large bowl and add 1/2 the marinade. Reserve the rest for later.

3. Slather the marinade over both sides of the fish, then let it sit in the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes.

4. When fish is done marinading, spread a banana leaf approximately 1 foot square on a working surface (you will have to cut the leaf). Place one fillet in the center of the leaf.

5. Fold both sides of the leaf over the fish, then fold both ends to create a square "packet". Turn it seam-side down to keep sides from opening (or secure with a skewer, like I did). Do the same for the other fillets.

6. Place packets in a glass casserole dish or pie plate (to catch the drippings in case packets leak) and bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees, or longer depending on the thickness of the fillets.

7. After 15 minutes, open one of the packets. Insert a fork into the center of the fillet (the thickest part) and gently pull back. If inside flesh is opaque and no longer transparent, the fish is cooked. If not, return to oven for another 5-10 minutes.

8. Over low heat, warm up the reserved sauce/marinade.

9. To serve the fish, scoop several spoonfuls of rice onto the side of the fish. Spoon some of the sauce over the fish, then add a sprinkling of basil and/or garnish with diced red/yellow/green bell peppers.

Happy New Year! : Fish en Papillote

Happy New Year! : Fish en Papillote

I hope everyone's having as wonderful of a New Year as I am. Mr. S. and I rang out 2010 by making a spontaneous day trip to SF yesterday. We perused all the little shops in Nihonmachi (Japantown), slurped up some noodles at a ramen-ya and closed out the afternoon by exploring Fort Point out by the Presidio. We decided to spend NYE at home with his kidlets and leave the drinking and rabble-rousing to the amateurs; but we did manage to stay up until midnight and greet the New Year with horns, poppers and LOTS of laughter. 1/1/11 started out great as well...we all slept in (even the dog) and Mr. S. made an amazing breakfast of eggs, beef hash, thick bacon, SPAM, and OJ/milk/coffee. Mmm! And yes, I did say SPAM. Shhh, it's my dirty little secret! I would not eat green eggs and ham...but I sure as heck would eat fried eggs and SPAM!  ;)

Anyhow, what better way is there to start a new year than with a clean slate and a little "present."  Fish en Papillote aka Fish in Parchment Paper is delicious, easy and involves very little clean up (yay!). The nifty part is that you can use this basic cooking method and switch out the type of fish, veggies and/or sauce and each time you'll have a different dish. If you haven't had Fish en Papillote before, you're in for a treat! The first waft of aroma you inhale when you "unwrap" the package is heavenly. Now get to it, time's a wastin'!

(Right out of the oven)

(Unwrapped & ready to eat!)

Fish en Papillote


Ingredients

Parchment paper

4 (6 to 7-ounce) portions of Alaskan cod (low in fat and calories, high in protein)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 large carrot (I like to use a vegetable peeler and "shave" long slices off, it looks prettier than chunks)

1 lemon, sliced or wedges

3 to 4-inch knob of ginger, grated

4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced

6 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

6 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce


Instructions

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

- Rip off 4 pieces of parchment to form packets each about 12-inches long.

- Season fish with salt and pepper.

- Place a piece of parchment in a shallow dish then in the center of the paper stack 1/4 of the green onions/ shiitakes/ carrot peels, sprinkle with grated ginger and minced garlic and top with fish.

- Combine the honey, vinegar and soy sauce and pour 1/4 of the sauce over fish.

- Fold over the top of the parchment then roll the sides in tightly to form a sealed pouch.

- Repeat with remaining parchment sheets and ingredients.

- Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet and roast in hot oven for 20 minutes. (Sometimes the parchment paper will turn brown...no worries, it's fine as long as it's not burning)

- Serve on a plate with a side of lemon.

- To open: you can slice the packet open with a sharp knife or carefully unwrap it, your choice. Be careful, the steam will be very hot.

Makes 4 servings.


( Recipe adapted form RR's Ginger-Garlic Fish in Parchment )

Fried Fish Slices With Oyster Sauce

Fried Fish Slices With Oyster Sauce

Fish is a popular dish. Always choose fresh fish to cook. Most types of fish deteriorate very quickly, especially oily and shell fish. Fresh fish should have a pleasant fishy smell, bright eyes and red gills. It must be firm to the touch too.

Ingredients:

200 g fish flesh

1 plant spring onions

1 Bombay onion

2 cm young ginger (sliced)

oil for frying

 

Seasoning:

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Method:

1. Clean the fish. Use a sharp knife and cut the flesh of the fish thinly.
2. Season the fish with salt, pepper powder and cornflour.
3. Clean and cut Bombay onion into quarters. Cut spring onions into 3 cm in length.
4. Heat up a wok and deep fry the prepared fish. When cooked, drain the oil with some kitchen paper.
5. Heat up another wok with 2 tbsp oil. Fry the Bombay onions, sliced ginger and spring onions.
6. Put in the fried fish fillet, oyster sauce and 4tbsp water. Fry till well mixed.
7. Serve on a plate.

Note: Fish suitable for fillets are fish with less bones. You can use dory, tenggiri (spanish mackerel), siakap(asian sea bass or giant perch), etc,