Sasha's Kitchen: Tilapia Fish Tacos with Peach-Mango Salsa

Peaches are one of my favorite foods of the summer. I incorporate them into just about everything - grilled peaches with barbecued meat, salads, pies, cobblers, you name it. They are also a key component of my fruity salsas in the summer months. Recently I made some delicious tilapia tacos with a savory peach salsa that was delicious and healthy - full of vitamin C.

Sasha's Peach-Mango Salsa
1 mango diced
2 large peaches, diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
2 T lime juice
1/2 diced jalapeno pepper

Sasha's Tilapia Fish Tacos (serves two)
2 filets of tilapia, skinned
1/2 cup mirin or sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 T sesame oil
2 T fresh ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Marinate the tilapia for about 12 hours (a whole day is usually good). Then grill or bake the fish. After the fish is cooked to your liking, break it up into small pieces with a fork. This should be very easy as it will just fall apart. Serve in corn tortillas with salsa and a bit of fat free sour cream and lowfat cheddar cheese.

Sasha's Kitchen: Tilapia Fish Tacos with Peach-Mango Salsa

Sasha's Kitchen: Miso Glazed Salmon with Passion Fruit-Ginger Glazed Carrots

I really find cooking, and especially baking to be cathartic. When there are other things that are really giving me trouble or that I am struggling with in my life, it provides such a good release, and distraction. Sometimes the more I bake, the more it helps relax me from some of the other things going on. People wonder why I cook so much even during the week, and really that's the explanation. Anyhow, recently I tried this new salmon dish - it sounds complicated - miso glazed salmon with passion-fruit-ginger glazed carrots and creamed mashed potatoes, but it's really not that difficult. It makes a lovely, full dinner with side dishes, and is do-able on a busy week night. The ginger glazed carrots came out really well for my first time making them, as I was quite pleased. I may try to fine tune this recipe in the future to see if I can make ginger glazed carrots without any butter at all - but they were oh, so good.

Sasha's Sockeye Salmon with Passion Fruit-Ginger Glazed Carrots and Creamed Potatoes


1/3 cup white miso paste
1 T sesame oil
1 T canola oil
1 T honey
3 T rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
sesame seeds
1 lb mini carrots
1 cup passion fruit juice (you could also use orange juice)
3 T butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 T sugar
2 T grated ginger
2 lb bag new potatoes or small red potatoes
1 /2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
 4 T creme fraiche or fat free sour cream

To prepare the  miso glazed salmon, combine the miso, sesame oil, canola oil, honey, rice vinegar and soy sauce with a whisk. Using a brush, coat the salmon, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and bake/broil the salmon as desired.

To prepare the carrots, in a saucepan, add the carrots, fruit juice, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil. Then simmer until reduced and the carrots have a nice glaze to them. The liquid should be mostly gone at this point and the carrots should be cooked al dente - this process takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

To make the potatoes, cook the potatoes by adding to a large pot and covering with water, adding a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil and boil for about 10-15 minutes. Then mash the potatoes with a fork or (as I did ) in the KitchenAid stand mixer. Mix in the fat free sour cream or creme fraiche, garlic and chopped parsley.

Sasha's Kitchen: Miso Glazed Salmon with Passion Fruit-Ginger Glazed Carrots

Sasha's Kitchen: Hawaiian Style Ahi Poke

Ahi Poke was one of my favorite dishes from the time I spend in Hawaii several years ago on our honeymoon. I've occasionally gotten it outside of Hawaii since but it's never really the same as it was in Maui but if the ahi tuna quality is good, it can still be delicious. This is my husband's favorite Hawaiian dish, and although I have made plenty of sushi, I've never given Ahi Poke a try. But, I came across this recipe in one of my favorite Jamie Oliver books. The result was fresh and delicious since I used high quality sushi grade bluefin tuna. Not quite the same as locally caught Hawaiian ahi during my honeymoon, but still healthy and delicious. The tuna for this recipe is basically raw, but it does cook slightly (or at least change chemically) due to the lime juice in the recipe. Now that I know how delicious this recipe was, I plan to try some Hawaiian poke recipes in the future until I can get back to the lovely 51st state.

Jamie Oliver's Asian Infused Tuna (Ahi Poke) (adapted from the original recipe in The Naked Chef Takes Off)
1 lb tuna (bluefin if possible) - sushi grade
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
juice of 4 limes, to taste
1/2 diced jalapeno (Jamie uses a bit more)
3 T sesame oil
4 T coconut milk
handfull of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 T sesame seeds
pinch of freshly chopped ginger
soy sauce to taste (I added about 1/2 tsp)

Finely dice the tuna and mix with the res of the ingredients. You should serve immediately, on either toasted french bread (like Jamie suggests) or on crackers, which is how I served it.

Sasha's Kitchen: Hawaiian Style Ahi Poke

Sasha's Kitchen: Salmon En Papillotte Salad

This is a healthy salmon salad that is just delicious, and is the perfect meal for a weekday dinner that is both health and satisfying. Next time I make this, I might try adding some crunch string beans as well. The combination of the tangy fruits and avocado with the salmon, salad and dressing is scrumptious and the perfect after-work meal that doesn't take to long to prepare. The En papillotte method of preparing salmon results in a moist and delicious fish that is preferable to many other methods of preparation which dry out the salmon. It's also quite easy, as well.


Sasha's Salmon En Papillotte Salad
2 6-8 oz filets of salmon, skinned
mesculin field greens or other mixed greens
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup of sweet corn
juice of one lemon, plus 2 T lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced
1/2 cup canola oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
parchment paper

First, season the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Combine the lemon juice and zest of one lemon in a mixing bowl. Use this to coat the salmon filets and wrap the seasoned salmon with the parchment paper. Fold in 2 sides of the parchment paper, then fold in the other sides so that all the edges meet at the top, then twist the edges together to seal. Take the packages of salmon and place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes at 350.

Combine the lettuce, avocado, mango and corn into salad plates. Add the salmon. Top with a dressing made of canola oil, balsamic vinegar and the remaining lemon juice. Enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Salmon En Papillotte Salad

Sasha's Kitchen: Coconut-Lemongrass Sole with Pineapple-Mint Salsa

A healthy fish recipe to start the new year. I made this recipe using sole, but you could use any whitefish, such as halibut or Chilean Sea bass. This is a simple, tropical inspired fish dish, which was perfect for a busy week night. My favorite way to cook sole is a sole meuniere, which involves a thick butter and white wine sauce. But this is almost as good and much healthier. This was my first meal that I made after returning from vacation in Mexico where the food was nothing special (we stayed at an all-inclusive place, so there was a lot of it, but nothing to brag about). Today was the first day back at work for the new year after a long vacation over the holidays, always a tough day to come back from vacation!

Sasha's Coconut Lemongrass Sole with Pineapple-Mint Salsa


2 filets of sole (or halibut, flounder or chilean sea bass)
1 1/4 cups of light coconut milk
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 T lime juice
1 tsp sesame oil
2 T diced lemongrass
1 cup diced pineapple
2 T diced mint
1 diced green pepper
1 tsp lime juice (for the salsa)

Combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and diced lemongrass to make the marinade. Season with salt and pepper.  Add the fish and allow to marinate for 4 hours.

Combine the diced pineapple, mint, lime juice and diced pepper for the salsa. Set aside. Cook the fish - you can add a little but of butter if you like (I didn't this time though).  I cooked the fish at 300, for about 30 minutes. Top with the pineapple-mint salsa.

Sasha's Kitchen: Coconut-Lemongrass Sole with Pineapple-Mint Salsa

Sasha's Kitchen: Wasabi-Crusted Tuna with Orange-Ginger Sauce

I have been meaning to try encrusting fish with wasabi powder for some time, since I have tried some delicious wasabi crusted fish at restaurants. I was originally considering using salmon, but I realized that the asian flair would work better with tuna (in my opinion anyhow). I decided to encrust the fish with a mixture of wasabi and Japanese style panko bread crumbs, which are the best kind of bread crumbs to use for just about anything. I paired the tuna with a carrot-ginger sauce, to which i also added a pinch of wasabi powder for a bit more intense flavor. This was a really rewarding meal - not that difficult to make, but a really spectacular culinary result that makes it sound much more involved than it actually was. I love the way the various Asian and American influences jive with the tuna in this dish. It was a great combination of flavors!

Sasha's Wasabi Crusted Tuna with Orange Ginger Sauce & Paprika Potatoes

For the Tuna:

2 medium-sized tuna steaks (I used blue fin tuna)

1 T rice vinegar1 T wasabi powder
Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp soy sauce
1 T water
1/2 T diced garlic

For the Sauce:
3 minced shallots
1 T minced ginger
2 T orange zest
1 cup dry white wine (cooking wine is fine)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
pinch of wasabi powder

For the Potatoes
New potatoes
sugar snap peas
2 T of paprika
1/4 cup orange juice

To prepare this dish, combine all of the ingredients for the fish marinade except for the panko and mix well. Coat the tuna steaks with this mixture, before dredging them on all sides so they are covered with the panko. Cook on a grill pan with some canola oil on both sides until they are cooked the way you like it (personally, I prefer mine to be medium), which depends on the thickness of the tuna steaks.


To make the sauce, combine the shallots, ginger and orange zest with a bit of olive or canola oil and cook until the shallots are soft over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the white wine and cook for about 5 minutes, allowing the wine to reduce (the alcohol will burn away). Add the orange juice and heavy cream and cook on low to medium heat, simmering, until the sauce is reduced and has thickened a bit (this isn't an incredibly thick sauce, as I did not want to use butter or cornstarch). When the sauce is done, add the sesame oil, soy sauce and wasabi to taste. The sesame oil is key - it adds another wonderful Asian flavor to this dish.

To make the potatoes, cut up some new potatoes and add to a pot with the sugar snap peas. Cook in some canola oil with plenty of paprika and a bit of orange juice until the potatoes are done - which could take about 25 minutes.

Sasha's Kitchen: Wasabi-Crusted Tuna with Orange-Ginger Sauce

Sasha's Kitchen: Lobster Paella

Eric made a delicious looking Spanish paella which he shared in a recent guest post, which inspired me to create my own version of this dish. I must confess that I don't have the guts to prepare live lobster, so I used a fresh lobster tail from Fresh Direct instead. My favorite aspect of this paella dish was the incorporation of the lobster, as well as the saffron, which is my absolute favorite luxury spice. I always keep saffron on hand in small pouches (you only need a little, which is good because it is quite expensive) - the flavor is exquisite and it is absolutely essential in making the sofrito portion of this dish. This time, I used saffron that my mom brought back from her trip to Spain in June. The following recipe was created by me, after analyzing several recipes from the Food Network.  I used a spicy chicken sausage in lieu of chorizo, since I don't eat pork, but feel free to use chorizo instead if you prefer. This recipe makes a large amount of food (probably 6 servings), and I don't suggest cutting it in half since it requires so many different ingredients.

Sasha's Lobster Paella
3/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken cutlets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 chorizo sausages, or spicy chicken sausage variants
1/2 of a large spanish onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
handfull of fresh parsley, chopped
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes, cut up
3 cups arborio rice (or Spanish rice)
5-6 cups of low sodium chicken stock (I used organic store bought stock, but you could also make your own if you have time)
generous pinch of saffron threads
1/2 lb of shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 8 oz lobster tail
lemon for seasoning
1 T paprika
1 T dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

First, combine the paprika, oregano and some salt and pepper to taste and rub the chicken on all sides with this spice mix. Cook the chicken in a pan in olive oil and set aside. Using the same pan (you can add more olive oil if you need to), cook the chorizo or chicken sausage and then set aside.

Next, make the sofrito in a deep pan. Saute the spanish onion, garlic and parsley for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the tomatoes and cook for another minute or two.  Add the arborio rice at this point, and mix well to coat the rice. Add the saffron threads and about 4 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the stock reduces and the rice cooks, absorbing the liquid. Next, add the chicken (cut up into small pieces first), the shrimp and the chorizo. Stir, as the ingredients will mix and the shrimp will cook. You will likely need to add another cup or so of chicken stock to keep the rice from sticking. Continue cooking until the rice has the right consistency (don't overcook or it will become sticky) and the shrimp are fully cooked. Next, add the meat from the lobster tail and allow that to cook for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and garnish with parsley and a bit of lemon.

Sasha's Kitchen: Lobster Paella

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Seafood Paella

Jenn and I went to Spain last summer and had amazing seafood Paella at a few different places and I've been dying to attempt to make it myself ever since we returned. Luckily my Mom let me borrow her giant Le Creuset pot and some real Saffron, 'the world's most expensive spice by weight'. You can actually see a strand of it in my picture above right on a piece of chicken in the lower left hand corner. It's red and stringy.

Anyway, I made way more food than Jenn and I could eat in a night so we'll be having Paella quite a lot this week but I can think of worse tragedies to befall on us. It also came out exactly how I was hoping. I used the Paella recipe in the Joy of Cooking as a reference but didn't agree with a lot of their decisions.

Ingredients (serves 8 supposedly):
1 lb. bag of mussells (scrubbed and de-bearded)
1 lb. of shrimp, de-shelled and de-veined
2 chicken breasts
5 oz. of chopped chorizo sausage
5 oz. chopped baby bella mushrooms
1 vidalia onion minced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1.5 red peppers, chopped
2 cups of arborio rice
4 cups of hot broth (mine was from cooking the mussels plus some chicken bouillon)
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Better than Bouillon chicken base
Konriko's Creole Seasoning
Pinch of dried Saffron

So the Joy of Cooking recommended cooking the chicken ahead of time and adding mussels and shrimp at the very end right before serving. I decided this seemed like a terrible idea as I wanted to cook the rice in the broth from the mussels to begin with. So the first thing I did was to steam the mussels in 3 cups of water and 1 cup of white wine with a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic and some chopped cilantro. I had Jenn do a coarse chop of the veggies in the food processor (we just got one) and then I cooked the chicken breasts with half the veggies in some olive oil and seasoned them with some Konriko's Creole Seasoning. I made sure the chicken wasn't overcooked as you're supposed to bake the whole shebang in the oven for 15 minutes at the end at 350 degrees (I also pre-heated the oven). Once the chicken was almost done I took it out and Jenn sliced it and I set it aside.

Then I took the other half of the veggies and cooked them with the shrimp and some more creole seasoning. For whatever reason I put Cajun spices on everything. I took out the shrimp and the mussels when they had opened and set those aside separately since I didn't want to over cook them and decided I'd add them at the very end and let the rice heat them when serving. I also set aside the wonderful broth from the mussels and added a tsp. of chicken bouillon.

So then I put all the cooked veggies and the sliced, mostly cooked chicken in the pan and slowly added the rice and broth, stirring often. I made it as if I was making risotto as it's the same type of rice. You want to coat the rice with a little fat (olive oil in this case) and then slowly let it soak up the broth. Although knowing that it was going to cook more in the oven I just got it started, stirred and then stuck it all in the oven saving the mussels and shrimp for the end.

When it came out all the rice was at the bottom so I had to stir it again but it was perfect. If you want to adjust the recipe it's just 1 part rice to 2 parts broth. If you make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I think it's one of the best things I've ever made.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Seafood Paella

Sasha's Kitchen: Food & Wine Pairing: Maple-Glazed Tuna with Potato-Pear Salad and Wagner Vineyards 2007 Riesling

Last  night we had a wonderful three course Saturday night dinner.  I made a wonderful bruschetta using black truffle oil for the appetizer, and then we had a recipe from Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook, New American Table, maple-glazed tuna with pear potato salad.  For dessert, we had my newest cupcake recipe, some pretty little coconut cupcakes.  For today, I'm writing about the tuna, but the other recipes will appear on the blog soon.  The truffle oil was such a nice addition to my cooking and well worth the $15 I spent on the bottle.  I plan to use it in making truffle creamed spinach next week.

At any rate, I am a huge fan of Marcus Samuelsson's culturally infused style of American cooking, with all the cultural influences from his own background as many of the different cultural and culinary traditions that make of America.  I'm not sure that this recipe has too many of those unique influences, but it is still a great recipe.  The salad was the perfect pairing for the sweet glaze on the tuna.

Wagner Vineyards' 2007 Dry Riesling, from a wonderful Seneca Lake winery in the Finger Lakes Region was a great pairing with the fresh fish and the sweetness of the maple-mustard glaze. I love so many of the finger lakes wineries because of my affinity for excellent Rieslings - and they make some of the best in the world.  Wagner's Riesling was crisp with plenty of citrus, and hints of apple or tropical flavors as well.  It was a nice smooth Riesling with a gentle sweet finish.  We really enjoyed it - thanks for sending me the wine, Wagner :)

Maple-Glazed Tuna with Pear Potato Salad (from Marcus Samuelsson's New American Table)
Fish
1 T dijon mustard
2 T maple syrup (use the real thing, please)
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
Four six oz tuna filets (I only made 2, but made the full salad and glaze anyhow)
salt and pepper
4 cilantro sprigs

Salad
1/4 lb olive oil
1 lb baby yukan gold potatoes (cut into quarters)
2 bosc pears (I used three for extra pear flavor)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups of shredded baby spinach (the original recipe only called for 1 cup, but I prefer a bit more)

First, whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, lime juice and a tablespoon of olive oil and set aside for the glaze.

Season the tuna with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the tuna and cook for 30 seconds on each side. This should be enough to sear the outside of the tuna, but the inside should remain raw.  It goes without saying that to make a recipe like this you must use the freshest, high quality tuna. I also sliced the tuna before serving, but that was mainly for presentation.

Remove the fish from the pan and glaze with the maple-mustard sauce on both sides. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with the pear-potato salad.

To make the salad, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the potatoes and saute until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Add the pears, red onion, garlic, almonds and curry powder and saute another five minutes.  Toss with the lemon juice and baby spinach after removing from the heat.



This was a delicious combination!

Sasha's Kitchen: Food & Wine Pairing: Maple-Glazed Tuna with Potato-Pear Salad and Wagner Vineyards 2007 Riesling

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Ginger Glazed Mahi & Scallops Risotto

For Mother's Day my Mom and Grandma had me make them both of these dishes as their 'gift'. I had actually never cooked Mahi Mahi before but knew my Mom loved it so I looked up some recipes, considering what she already had in the house and settled on this one. As for the risotto, my Mom was more specific, saying she wanted, seared scallops with mushrooms, and leeks.

Let's start with the Mahi Mahi.

Ingredients (served 4-5 but we had two dishes):
2 large Mahi Mahi fillets
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced (2 cloves)
1 tbsp ginger minced
2 tsp olive oil
Cracked black pepper

Mix everything but the fish in a bowl and then add the fish and let marinate for 20 minutes in the fridge. After that, heat some light olive oil (takes high heat better my Mom taught me) in a pan and then add the fish, skin down, without the marinade and let it brown until crispy before turning. I only turn anything once and after I turned it, I let the other side sear for a minute or so before adding the marinade and letting it cook and thicken until the fish was done. The recipe suggested cooking the fish first and the marinade separately probably to let the fish cook completely without rushing it or to properly thicken the sauce but I ignored or forgot this and it turned out great anyway. The sauce had an amazing flavor! Also check out Sasha's Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa.

On to the risotto!

Ingredients (served 5 and there was a ton left over):
2 lbs. of sea scallops
2 cups of dry arborio rice
8 cups of 'better than bullion' mushroom stock (I forget how many tsp of bullion this is)
1 leek, chopped
1/2 a bunch of scallions
1 package of baby bella mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
cracked pepper
1/2 cup white wine, we used a chardonnay
1 tbsp white truffle oil

Start by sauteing the veggies in olive oil & white truffle oil until soft while heating the broth and then add the rice and the wine and continue to stir until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Then add the hot mushroom broth and stir until the rice absorbs it, maybe 1/2 a cup to a cup at a time until the rice is soft. Definitely taste it as you will know when it's done. It took around 45 minutes but we had it on the wrong burner to start without enough heat or it may have been quicker. Also we had a cup or so of broth left over but considering how much risotto we had left over, we will probably use it when re-heating. Here are a few other risotto recipes on this blog.

In the meantime, sear your scallops with butter and some white wine to de-glaze the pan as the butter starts to darken and dry out. Keep from adding TOO much butter or wine as it will prevent the scallops from properly searing. Also don't crowd the scallops in the pan as this can also prevent them from browning. I love seared scallops and added a picture mainly because they looked nice...

It took about 4 rounds of searing the scallops while Jenn stirred the risotto until everything was done so we set aside the scallops until the end and then mixed it all together. Everything turned out very nicely and my Mom and Grandma were both very happy! Now if I can only get them to read my blog entries!

Here are some other seared scallop recipes:
Sasha's seared scallops with Papaya, blood orange vinegrette and carmelized shallots
Sasha's scallops with organic mushrooms, spicy coconut lemongrass-thyme broth and pomegranate seeds
My fettucine with scallops and mushroom cream sauce

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Ginger Glazed Mahi & Scallops Risotto

Sasha's Kitchen: Chilean Sea Bass with Heirloom Tomatoes

Chilean Sea bass is one of my favorite dishes to prepare. Usually, i prepare it using an Asian inspired marinade and papaya salsa. But this is a really versatile fish that can prepared a  umber of different ways. I love how soft, flaky and delicate Chilean Sea Bass is and it is a special treat. I understand that it is not the greatest fish from a sustainability point of view, but there is really nothing else out there quite like Chilean Sea Bass.

I decided to prepare the fish simply in a butter and white wine sauce, with fresh heirloom tomatoes, which are just coming into season to showcase the fresh tomatoes alongside the fish.  The sauce is really a thrown-together variation on a French classic beurre blanc, but unlike a more traditional Julia Child beurre blanc, the sauce has a lot less butter and is heavier on the white wine component.  It is lighter, and in my view, plenty enjoyable for flavorful meal.

Sasha's Chilean Sea Bass with Heirloom Tomatoes
Two 7 oz filets of Chilean Sea Bass
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 lemon
2 zucchini
assortment of heirloom tomatoes

To prepare the dish, heat the butter and melt it in the white wine. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and put the fish on a baking sheet with the heirloom tomatoes and zucchini. Drizzle several tablespoons of the sauce on top of each piece of fish. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top. Bake the fish for about a half an hour, until the vegetables are cooked and the fish is nice and flaky.  Serve with a bit of the reserved sauce.  This is a lovely fresh spring dish that was enjoyed almost as much as my asian-inspired signature Chilean Sea Bass dish.

Chilean Sea Bass

Sasha's Kitchen: Chilean Sea Bass with Heirloom Tomatoes

Sasha's Kitchen: Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa

One of my best culinary related memories from our honeymoon in Hawaii was the sensational fresh Hawaiian fish - from the Mahi-Mahi to the baked opakapaka to the ahi poke, all of the fish was fresh catches of the day and some of the catches were fish that you can't find back on the mainland. Mahi-Mahi is one of the few fish that I ate in Hawaii that I am sometimes available to buy quality filets of locally.  So, this dish perhaps takes be back just a tiny bit to those meals at Mama's Fish House and the other great places we ate on that trip. Just an aside, I would love to make fresh ahi poke, but without the local Hawaiian fish quality, I don't think I could do it justice. That might not stop me from trying at some point anyhow though.

Mahi-Mahi makes an excellet soft taco, even though the fish is quite good, because it is a bit tougher than say salmon of chilean sea bass.  I did an asian inspired marinade, very similar to the marinade that I use in my signature Chilean Sea Bass dish.  It came out really well and my husband, who generally prefers the softer, flaky fishes, was pleasantly surprised.

Sasha's Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa

Marinade
1/3 cup mirin (or sake)
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup low sodium soy sayce
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 tsp dried lemongrass
1 tsp red pepper flakes
10 oz of Mahi-Mahi, skinned

Salsa
1 mango diced
2 T lime juice
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 to 2 T of diced cilantro

To prepare the fish, I allowed the marinade to soak for about two hours. Then, I grilled the fish, after cutting into small pieces, on my grill pan. You could, of course, grill the fish as one large piece and cut it up afterwards.  To prepare the salsa simply dice and combine the ingredients.  Allow the salsa to chill for about an hour before serving so that the flavors have a chance to mix appropriately. Serve in flour tortillas with a bit of sour cream.  Yum!

Mahi-Mahi

Sasha's Kitchen: Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: Adventures in Gefilte Fish

Gefilte fish. Does anyone know what those gray lumps suspended in gelatinous brine even are? They hit the "kosher for Passover" shelves each spring, along with other strange Jewish foods - syrupy wine, dry matzah, potato starch - I cringe to walk around the supermarket with these embarrassing older relatives of mine. And yet, I love them. They are the key to my existence.

The funny thing is that all these old-world foods, which were probably fashioned out of few resources and convenience, are now dehydrated, salted, preserved and boxed to make our lives "easy." This is more than a story about how to make gefilte fish. It is a story about getting back to roots.

I got this idea into my head that I would make gefilte fish from scratch. My wonderful fiancé caved to my persistence and begrudgingly drove me in a rainstorm, 30 minutes before close, to the local fishmonger. The fishmongers are all Asian, so I didn't know how to broach the subject of gefilte. My attendant returned my skeptical gaze with a knowing smile: "I grew up in LA and was bussed to a mostly Jewish school. I spent the first few years of my life thinking I was Jewish," he confessed.

I asked for carp, pike and whitefish, but they were out of pike and ground whitefish was $18 per pound - and my recipe called for 7 pounds! My fiance shook his head at me and questioned my sense of adventure. I told him that at least this is adventurous as I get - making traditional Jewish fish balls at all costs.

In the end, my fishmonger, my kindred gefilte fish spirit, geared me toward some alternatives and even threw in some of the whitefish for free. Here is the recipe I ended up creating based on a recipe from the Atlantic and My Jewish Learning. After all was said and done, I reduced the recipe down to 4 pounds of fish, substituted snapper for pike, and paid a reasonable $40 (including $2 per pound to grind the fish). And it made at least two dozen fish balls - more than enough for our little seder.

You will need:
approx. 2 lb snapper
approx. 2 lb carp
approx .5 lb whitefish
2.5 medium sized onions
3 medium sized carrots
3 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tbs. sugar (or to taste)
2 eggs
1/3 c. matzah meal
1/4 c. cold water
pepper (to taste)
dill, fresh or dried (optional)

Any assortment of mild, white fish (carp, pike, white, even snapper or halibut) equaling about 4 pounds after grinding will do. Ask the fish people for advice and don't fear innovation. You will need at least a couple of whole fish, but it's cheaper to buy some fillets because they get priced by meat alone (I never considered that the poundage would drop once the fish was dismembered!). Ask the fishmonger to grind the fish and to reserve the heads, fins, tails and bones, or to let you take home whatever he's got lying around.

-If you have the time, add a couple teaspoons of salt the ground fish and let it stand refrigerated overnight to release water.

-To prepare broth, place fish heads, etc. into a large pot and add water to cover. A less-mess way to do this is to wrap up the fish carcasses in cheesecloth. Add 2 tsp. salt and the sugar and bring to a boil, scooping off foam.
-Slice one onion into rounds and add it to the stock.
-Peel two carrots and add them (whole) as well, along with the dill.
-Let the stock simmer for about an hour - the longer it simmers the more flavorful it will be.

-Meanwhile, pulverize the remaining 1.5 onions and 1 carrot in the food processor, or grate by hand.
-Add onion and carrot to the ground fish and mix.
-Add eggs and mix.
-Add 1 tsp. salt, pepper, matzah meal and water and mix.

-Remove the fish remains and the vegetables from the stock - reserve them.
-Make a small ball with a pinch of the ground fish mixture and drop it into the simmering stock. Once it turns white and floats to the surface, remove it and taste it. Adjust seasonings. If it's not sweet enough, add a tad more sugar to the broth.
-Once satisfied with the sample, wet hands and mold the ground fish mixture into lumps about three inches long and two inches wide. You are, of course, free to make them bigger or smaller according to your own desire.
-In order to avoid sticking, wait a moment after placing each fish lump in the simmering broth before adding another. Stack them in layers until the mixture is gone. You can do this in batches if they don't fit the first time around.
-Let the gefilte fish simmer for about 20 minutes. Check one to make sure it is cooked through before removing. Gently remove each "fish" with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Slice the carrots that simmered in the stock and place a disc on each fish like a little orange halo. If you have the stomach for it, place a fish head in the center of the plate.
-Serve cold with horseradish.

Gefilte fish is labor intensive, but it is a labor of love. Don't let anyone nay say your efforts or try to convince you it's not worth it. It is. You'll never go back to the jar again. Even someone like me, who gets squeamish around fish heads, found a peaceful reverence for the cycle of life by making this "mystery meat" from scratch. Once I tasted that first cooked fish ball, I knew I had reached a new level in my cooking. It was transcendent.

For a complete meal, serve gefilte fish as a first course before matzo ball soup. Better yet, simmer your matzo balls in the leftover fish broth! Add a little of the fish stock and the matzo balls to a new veggie broth for super flavor. Stay tuned for some amazing Passover (and all-year-round) desserts - that happen to be vegan, raw, and incomprehensibly delicious.

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: Adventures in Gefilte Fish

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Grey Sole with Orange Almond Panko Crust

This one was definitely off the top of my head. Jenn and I were talking about using Panko crumbs on fish and I knew we had some leftover raw sliced almonds and thought they might go well with some orange zest. We went to the A&P near us and one of the few really nice looking fresh fish options was this Grey Sole. It was a little more expensive but I decided to go for it because it looked so great.

Panko crumbs are very light and fluffy and available now in most grocery stores. Once I toasted the almonds in my toaster oven I put them in a mixing bowl and crushed them with a spoon. One of these days I'll finally get a mortar and pestle but I seem to get by pretty well without one. I then took a navel orange and used a peeler to shave off small bits of the zest and mixed these into the bread crumb mixture. I dredged the fish in wheat flour and egg whites and then got a nice coating before putting them on the hot pan with some sesame oil and olive oil. They turned out nicely and were a relatively quick and easy dish.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Grey Sole with Orange Almond Panko Crust