Fish Wrapped in Parchment

 

I'm always looking for new ways to cook fish.  I love to saute it, bake it, broil it and grill it.  This is a very easy way to put together a delicious meal in minutes.  You can really do it with any kind of fish.  I used tilapia, catfish, salmon.  Pick your fish and get busy.

Season your  fish with salt and pepper, then your favorite fish seasoning.  I use dill for salmon, garlic and basil for catfish, and rosemary seasoning for this tilapia.  Cut out large parchment hearts, put your fish inside along with a drizzle of olive oil and thinly sliced lemon. 

Wrap the parchment starting at the top of the heart.  Add a tablespoon of wine or water to the packet and then seal it by folding the end under.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!  Serve with your favorite sides.

Roasted Salmon With Green Herbs

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE salmon.  I love salmon sushi, I love it grilled, sauteed in a skillet, roasted in the oven, but usually I like it with salt and pepper only.  I was weary to try this because I am a fan of plain salmon (maybe a little dill, but not loaded on both sides with herbs!).  I got Ina Garten's latest cookbook when it came out and saw this recipe in it.  Now Ina is my favorite of favorites, I cook from her cookbooks (and I have all of them) regularly and some of our family favorites are her recipes.  I know if I make one of her recipes..I'm gonna be happy.  And that is good for everyone!  :)

My boys love salmon too.  Not quite as much as me, but they do and they gobbled this down.  Marcus asked why there was a bug on his, but once I told him it was a scallion he was fine with it.  These boys crack me up sometimes!  I served it with roasted cauliflower.  Oh my goodness another yummy dish from her new book.  Look for the post, you won't be disappointed.

Start by removing the skin.  (Get it done for you, it's a pain!)  I got it off, but it was not pretty.  Then season it with salt and pepper.  Whisk olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle it evenly over the salmon.  Let it set at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Next, in a small bowl stir together scallions, dill and parsley.

Coat both sides of the salmon with the herbs and pour the wine around the fish.  Roast for 10-12 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes.

Slice and serve!  YUMMY.

 I chose to serve it with her oven roasted cauliflower, which I made first.  I will be posting the recipe next!

HERB-ROASTED SALMON
Serves 6

1 large (2 to 2 1/2 pound) salmon fillet, bones and skin removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 scallions, white and green parts, minced
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup dry white wine
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. Place the salmon fillet in a nonreactive roasting dish and season it generously with salt and pepper. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle the mixture evenly over the salmon. Let it stand at room temperature to marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3. In a bowl, stir together the scallions, dill, and parsley. Scatter the herb mixture over the salmon fillet, turning it so that both sides become generously coated with the green herbs. Pour the wine over and around the fish fillet.

4. Roast the salmon for 10 to 12 minutes, until almost cooked in the center at the thickest part. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut the salmon across into serving pieces and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Seared Tuna in Tomato-Basil Sauce, Green Beans with Lemon Butter, & Avocado and Lemon on Toasted Rustic Bread

Talk about YUM!  This meal is delicious!  I know I've been saying that a lot lately with these posts, but I've been trying a lot of new recipes and have been pleasantly surprised!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Prep work makes your life easier when you cook.  If you have all the ingredients ready to go before you begin, it makes the recipe that much easier for you.  It is less likely for you to burn, over-boil, or forget about something when you are prepared.

A definite asset to this dish is the Avocado and Lemon on Toast.  Oh my goodness is it good.  And so simple.  Cut open two avocados and slice a loaf of bakery bread.  I chose french bread.

Line up the sliced bread and brush with olive oil.  Toast in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Once you slice the avocado, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice then top with salt and pepper.  (I mixed the oil and juice to make a dressing to pour on top.)

Boil water and add green beans.  Blanch the green beans until crisp, 4-5 minutes.  Drain and return beans to the pan.  Add butter and lemon zest.

Cut 1 1/2 pounds of ahi tuna (one inch thick) into one inch chunks.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sear in a pan for 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan, place on a plate and tent with foil.

 

Wipe out the pan with paper towel and add two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add one cup of yellow onion and saute for 6-8 minutes.  Add two cups halved cherry tomatoes and wine, simmer until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, 3-5 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer another 5 minutes.  Add fresh basil, stirring until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Take your bread out of the oven and put on a plate.

To serve, put tuna chunks on the plate and add tomato-basil sauce to the top.  Put the avocado spread on the toasted bread (you will be amazed at how yummy this is!).  And add some lemony green beans to your plate!  Enjoy!!

I found this in my Martha Stewart Dinner at Home cookbook, but it is also online on her website.  Click here to see the full recipe:  Seared Tuna in Tomato-Basil Sauce and Green Beans

Fish Tacos

These delicious tacos are so easy to make, you will wonder why you never made them before!  I had never made fish tacos.  For some reason I thought it sounded like fish and taco did not go together.  I'm so glad I have decided to try it!  Here is what I did:

I had a package of catfish fillets from Costco in the fridge.  The recipe I was going by said to use some sort of white fish.  We love catfish and I figured it would hold together well in a taco.  I cut the fillets in strips using a pair of kitchen shears.  Then I halved those strips, coated them with salt and lemon pepper rub on both sides and put them  into a skillet with about two tablespoons of olive oil.  Cook on both sides and put onto a paper towel to collect any extra oil from the fish. 

Here are what my fish strips looked like when they were finished cooking.  You could easily do it on the grill too.  Yum.

For the tortillas, I simply place them on the burners of my gas stove to cook/brown them.  I use whole wheat tortillas, but you can use whatever your family likes.

Brown rice in the rice cooker is always easiest, but you can make it on the stove top as well.  I started this before the fish since the rice takes a good 20-25 minutes to cook.  I added some fresh lime juice and cilantro to it for added flavor.

Toppings:  chopped Roma tomatoes, fresh lettuce, fresh cilantro and a sour cream lime sauce.  The sauce was amazing.  Who knew that 1/4 C sour cream and 2 tablespoons of lime juice with added salt and pepper could make such a delicious sauce?  It was very refreshing.

Once it's all on the table, the family couldn't wait to dig in!  Everyone gets to make their own and add what they like to their fish taco.  I really enjoyed this meal.  Great as leftovers the next day too!

Here's mine loaded up.  It was SO good. 

Give it a try.  You may be surprised at just how easy it is to make this delicious meal!