Fish Tacos: Return of the radishes

We enjoyed another version of fish tacos today. Our previous successes (FT 2.0 and Taco de Pescado) have ensured these have a regular place on the menu. This post only serves to note that Radishes make a wonderful topping for fish tacos. Oh, and grapes, shredded OPO carrots, some refried beans, and a bit of salsa and sour cream.

Fish Tacos 2.0

With fewer greens this week and Thanksgiving just behind us, I was conjuring up a lighter menu. Fish tacos came to mind - especially after versions 1.0 and 1.5. Holding fast to my goal of not repeating recipes, I elected to create a less-fruity dish.

The Method

1. Use 1# tilapia filets
2. Create a marinade:
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp fresh jalapeno, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp ancho
3. Marinate for 1/2 hour
4. Cook in a little oil over high heat 

 

The Results

The more interesting part of this dish was the selection of toppings. Turning to the CSA and local farms, we added bok choy, cucumbers, and a hard goat's milk cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy. These offset the spiciness of the seasoning beautifully.

Oh, and I marinated and cooked off a few shrimp, too. We served them in whole wheat burrito wraps and a few hard, yellow corn taco shells. A bright, fresh dish.

Seafood Boil

While this seafood boil doesn't involve any of the delicious produce we receive from Orchard Pond Organics, it is a favorite of friend and family alike. It's so easy, in fact, that I generally feel guilty for accepting any credit: Florida fresh seafood makes this dish what it is - Outstanding! (Admittedly, having access to high-quality seafood is also a luxury. The selection below cost $75 here plus $25 more of the other ingredients. I know it would be much more expensive in other locations.)
To be fair, it also is not a boil but rather a "seafood steam." It requires little effort, but does work best if you stage the items as described.
The Method
Purchase a very large steamer pot. (I use a stainless steel pot, which holds 3...maybe 4 gallons.)  You also need something to keep the food off the bottom of the pot during cooking. I use a folding steamer basket.  This works well in pots of varying diameters.

1. Buy an assortment of seafood items (and accompaniments). Here is a typical list, serving 6 adults and 2 children:
   
   • 2-3# large wild shrimp (in the shell)
   • 1 doz. clams
   • 1 bag of mussels
   • 8 medium stone crab claws (in season)
   • 8 Alaskan King crab legs (these can be "steamed" in the microwave - thank you, Alton Brown, for saving me space in the pot).
   • 4 ears of corn (in the husk)
   • 6-8 new red potatoes, washed but unpeeled
   • 1-2# sausage (I use turkey kielbasa, andouille, and/or linguisa.)
   • 1 large onion, quartered
   • 1 box (bag) Zatarain's Crab Boil (I have made my own several times with equally good effect.)
   • Two bottles of good, dark beer (I generally use Sam Adams or Bass. I would not use a porter or other high-sugar content beer, as it may burn or impart too strong-a-flavor to the seafood.)
   • You will also want a measure of good, unsalted butter, ketchup and horseradish (or just buy cocktail sauce), lemons, crab crackers (for the shells), napkins, and several large platters.
   
   
2. A word of advice: you will be working inside a steaming pot during several steps. Be careful.
3. First, place the spice packet into the pot and cover with the beer.
4. Set the steamer basket on top. (You can also use a plate or pie tin set upon a ramekin, etc.)
5. Shuck the corn - setting aside the husks for later. Add the potatoes.
6. Bring pot to a boil. (Keep at a high boil throughout.) Cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add the quartered onion and sausages.
8. Cover with the corn husks.
9. Cook another 10 minutes. 
10. Add the stone crab claws (and King Crab, if not microwaving). Cook 5 minutes.
11. Add the shrimp and clams.
12. Squeeze the juice of two lemons over the shrimp. Leave the lemon rinds in the pot. Cook until the shrimp just begin to turn pink (about 5 minutes).
13. Add the mussels.
14. Cook another 5-10 minutes, or until the mollusks open completely.
15. Seek assistance of 2-3 friends to remove pot from stove. It will be heavy!
16. Remove the items to several platters for serving.

The Results

Unadulterated seafood bliss. The beer imparts a little flavor, mainly to the corn and potatoes.  I set ramekins of melted butter (with a little lemon juiced added) around the table, along with homemade cocktail sauce. Everyone fends for themselves - although the Junior Chefs generally need some help with cracking the crab.
You can keep leftovers from this. The mussels reheat well within a day or two; toss them with some pasta, Parmesan, and a little butter. Shrimp...well, there are plenty of ways to eat those. [Does anyone else's Blackberry leave lines in your photos?]

Tacovers

Just a quick note about lunch today. I picked the meat from one of the ham hocks, heated it through, and served it with the remaining components of the fish taco meal. Delicious!


I had to post this just to take credit for coining the term "Tacovers."

Taco de Pescado

So a fish walks into a bar carrying a pineapple and a tomato...

That was almost the title of this post. After a bit of deliberation, I opted for a more informative title, but thought you'd appreciate the imagery conjured up by the line.

Tonight saw a return to "foods wrapped in tortillas." Despite many years of making burrito variations, I have never made a fish taco. This is odd considering that I have eaten plenty, including several at a taco stand in Monterey, California last Cinco de Mayo. In planning meals for this week, I foresaw a perfect storm of ingredients that would make fish tacos inevitable. I purchased three tilapia fillets in preparation.

As a reward for reading past the first line, here's the punchline: "...and they ended up becoming one of the best meals I've made in a long, long time."

The Method

First, begin by preparing a ham, greens, and potato casserole for dinner tomorrow night. (You'll have to wait for the postprandial post.)

1. Marinate a few fillets of firm, white fish in lime juice, minced garlic, salt, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, cumin, and oregano. (Don't leave this too long or you'll have ceviche. I gave it 20 minutes.)
2. Prepare your taco toppings: grated sharp cheddar, chopped cilantro and green onion, minced onion, diced (real) tomato, and leftover rice (from yesterday's Asian Fish Packets).
3. Cut fresh pineapple into bite-sized slices.
4. Heat 1 TB oil over very high heat.
5. Lay the fillets on the skillet. Sear for 1-3 minutes per side. (I discarded the marinade, but may use it in the next step in the future.)
6. Remove the fish, and add the pineapple slices.
7. Saute the pineapple until lightly browned.
8. Construct your tacos. (Everyone has their favorite strategy.)

The Result

These were amazing! The fish was flaky and flavorful, but not overwhelmed by the seasoning or other ingredients. Fresh is the best way to describe the overall effect. Crisp, clean flavors. I wouldn't have dreamed of adding sour cream, salsa, or even salt and pepper.

Junior Chef #2, skeptic of all things fish, declared the result, "A Winner!" 

We enjoy something of a food democracy here. The unanimous decision is that these could be a weekly dish.

(By the way, these were cheaper to prepare than chicken tacos...although the remaining beer can chicken seems destined now to be transformed into tacos in a day or two. The paper plates reveal that it's Thursday...nearly the end of a long week.)

A tisket, a tasket, salmon in a packet

Mustard greens are distinct. As a fan of all mustard with all things, especially potatoes in their many fried, boiled, mashed, and baked forms, their flavor especially appeals to me. Nevertheless, it has been a challenge to find different ways of preparing these pungent leaves. Cooked, they mellow considerably, while imparting a little bite to the entire dish. The OPO mustard greens have been magnificent!


Turning to the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen we find a way of cooking mustard greens that forces them to submit to a higher flavor: salmon.  (Here, I used two fillets of wild Coho.)


The Method

1. Cook brown rice [meanwhile...take some time to...]
2. Preheat oven to 450
3. Roughly chop 1# (or so) of mustard greens
4. Mince 3 cloves of garlic
5. Mince 1 TB of fresh ginger
6. Combine garlic and ginger with a few TBs of canola oil, 2 TBs of soy sauce, 2 TBs of sesame oil (I used dark), a good squeeze of lime juice, and a few shakes of Tabasco (in the absence of asian-style chili sauce)
7. Grease a large, doubled square of aluminum foil 
8. Place a layer of cooked rice in the center of the foil
9. Next distribute a thick layer of chopped, raw greens
10. Dip the salmon in the sauce and place skin side up on the greens
11. Sprinkle a good helping of chopped scallions on top of the salmon and drizzle with the remaining sauce
12. Find a brightly colored root veggie in the fridge (I used carrots) and tuck along side the fish
13. Tightly seal the packets
14. Bake at 450 for 20ish minutes

The Results

(This picture is for all my readers who like shiny things.)


The salmon was done beautifully. I would have preferred a few minutes less, but play to the audience, who generally request their fish to be fully cooked. (For the record, Junior Chef #2 does not like salmon or other strong flavored fish, and so opted for leftover beer can chicken...although the greens and rice - dripping with salmony-goodness - were quickly gobbled up.)


The mustard greens blend into the overall dish. It's the sesame oil and ginger that are most pronounced. The rice stays chewy, but absorbs the many different flavors from the sauce, fish, and greens. 

Next time, I would increase the garlic and lime juice (probably double) to bring a little sharper  taste into play. Still, everything came together well. If you're a fan of salmon, this is a simple, clean method of cooking - no pots to clean apart from the rice cooker and cutting board.


Notice the ever-present "real" tomato. Eat 'em while you have 'em!


(I'm open to novel mustard green recipes!)

Halibut heaven

Halibut.Apart from the Monty Python sketch, it's not often I think about (an) Halibut - named Eric or otherwise. With a little fennel remaining from a salad of fennel, mushrooms, and Parmesan, I was interested in fish for dinner.

Our local seafood market had a marvelous fillet on ice, and I was determined to make something worthy of it.

The Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Thinly slice some fennel and leeks.
3. Add 3-4 TBs of olive oil to a baking dish, and the veggies.
4. Roast until just beginning to brown.
5. Make a cracker crust for the fish
• whole wheat crackers (crushed)
• paprika
• ground fennel seed
6. Egg wash the fillet and dredge.
7. Place on top of the roasting veggies for 15 mins.

The Result

We served this with steamed green (bamboo) rice, which has a subtle herbaceous flavor, and the remaining seven (six) layer salad. A fantastic meal!