Tilapia Tacos

Who doesn't know that a good cookbook is SUPER hard for me to resist?  Especially if it's a cookbook from a chef who's career I follow or a person/restaurant who is of Special interest.  And, even though my hubby complains like the dickens about my cookbook collection, it PALES (by miles) to those who are really serious about food, it's preparation and it's presentation.

I really do read them from cover to cover.....LIKE NOVELS!  There I am, in my bath with a glass of wine (and harp music),  reading the cookbook, sizing it up, laughing at the anecdotes, getting to know the chef and determining  whether it will be a book I will indeed cook with, one I just get ideas from or one I will display just for the art that it is.

I follow the happenings of certain chefs peripherally...you know - pick up their newest cookbooks, eat at their restaurants,watch their latest show, notice news about them or notice commercial products in the stores they put their names on.  Those chefs are the likes of Tom Colicchio, Rick Moonen, Gordon Ramsey, Rick Bayless, Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Michael Chiarello, Biba Caggiano, Julia Child (yes, deceased but STILL AMAZING), Rocco DiSpirito, Curtis Stone and a  myriad of others. 

So you can imagine my excitement when I get a new cookbook from one of these guys - and HOLY COW - if I am able to swindle an AUTOGRAPHED book??? OMG!  So, needless to say when a box arrived from my mother this morning  WITH an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Biba Caggiano's new cookbook, 'Spaghetti Sauces', it just made my day (well, my whole entire month really).  Check this out!

And the best part:

YEAH.  That's cool.  We will be reviewing some of the recipes in this book....TRUST ME.

I was JUST as excited about a product I found from Rick Bayless called Frontera Skillet Sauces.  (Frontera is Rick's restaurant in Chicago).  These little packets of delicious cooking sauces are not only fantastic, they are reasonably priced and make a gourmet dinner in about 10 minutes!!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!

If you happen to grab any cookbook by Rick Bayless they are wonderful and worth it.  He has a show on PBS called,  Mexico: One plate at a time.  And his cookbook, Authentic Mexican, is superb. I believe he was named as this country's foremost authority on Mexican food....and I believe it!  He's definitely one of my faves for great recipes and believe me they are gorgeously replicated.

Tonight I made Tilapia Tacos with his Key Lime Cilantro skillet sauce:

Literally here is what I did....sauteed a bell pepper, onion till slightly tender added 3 small tilapia fillets (salt and pepper the fish) and cooked until flaky. Broke up the fish pieces and poured the sauce over.....warmed it all up and served it in my favorite corn tortillas with Sour cream, jack cheese and lettuce.

LESS than 10 minutes and I was enjoying a meal as good as it gets if you make the sauce yourself.

If you cannot find this sauce, use any good quality green tomatillo salsa verde, pour over fish and veggies and heat through....Voila!

The result?  A fast, easy and healthy weeknight dinner that is as beautiful as it is delicious!  It's definitely worthy to serve to the most precious people in your life.

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna

Here is some advise.  DON'T GET SICK.  It's just that simple.  I came down with a cold on Tuesday...which really meant that my taste buds were off, I didn't feel like eating or cooking (I KNOW!  can you believe that?) so consequently I decided to be selfish for a few days.....Sorry about not writing, but I had to recover.

When I felt a bit better and was hungry again.....I wanted AHI TUNA in the worst way.  You may not like raw fish or AHI for that matter ( although I cant imagine) So if you don't like AHI or are politically against AHI, you can used Tilapia (see posting for Sesame Crusted Tilapia) or try Shark, Halibut, swordfish, or any other nice meaty fish.  But really, the cool experience is from the AHI.  That absolutely GORGEOUS pink or should we say rather raw center, is such a beautiful color and it perfectly tender...LOVE IT!    UMMM...drizzle it with some wasabi sauce and you are good to go.

 Beautiful, delicious, elegant, fast and HEALTHY.

The recipe title says SESAME CRUSTED.  But don't stick yourself in a box.  Use your imagination!  Try sesame seed with dried ginger and red pepper flakes together.  Use White and black seeds.  Add sun dried tomato bits with your sesame seeds. You can use finely chop almonds, hazelnuts or pumpkin seeds for an alternative and equally delicious coating. It depends on your fish, but adding Parmesan cheese  is not out of the spectrum!  (on tilapia - that would be great!)

Me?  I just love the fish lightly salted and peppered and dipped in a sesame seed mixture.  This time I used a pre-mix of Sesame seeds, dried ginger, black and red peppers. OMG!  What a great mix - I promise you will not be disappointed.

Now lets talk AHI.  I did an experiment,  I purchased individually frozen sashimi grade Ahi fillets at Sprouts...wild caught and GREAT PRICE....about $4-5 per sashimi grade AHI fillet.  I made the seared tuna and it was DELICIOUS - REALLY, REALLY good and you would NEVER have believed it was ever frozen.  But how much more delicious would it be if I spent a billion dollars at Whole foods for fresh, wild caught fillets?  So the NEXT day, I bought gorgeous fillets at about 26.00 per pound....(I know...i winced also!)  So instead of 8-10 dollars, I spent a bit more than 26.00 bucks!  BUT THEY HAVE GOT TO BE BETTER, RIGHT???  For Cryin out loud.....I watch TOP CHEF after all!!!

But alas, they were equally, if not a teensy bit inferior to the Frozen AHI!!!  Yep that's right.  It was good (gorgeous in fact) but really at more than twice the price, It wasn't BETTER and believe me, I would have known.  To spend that kind of money I expected the fish to be A LOT better.....why would you spend that kind of money consistently if it wasn't?   The moral of the story my friends, don't be afraid of the individually frozen fillets.  Just make sure it's SASHIMI grade.

**  NOTE The secret with frozen fish is to defrost in some luke warm water, take them out of the individual packs and blot the fish dry with paper towels.  BLOTTING the fish is the most important step.  You would be surprised at how much moisture is in there!  If you don't, the fish can be a bit mushy and instead of a nice sear, the fish will steam and your coating wont have that crisp texture.

Sesame Crusted Ahi
WW calls this 8 points.....for a 6 oz fillet
Serves 2  (obviously you can make how ever many you want!)

2 Sashimi grade Ahi Tune Fillets (or other fish of choice)
3 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds, white and black is pretty.(mixed with a bit of red pepper flake, dried ginger (optional), black pepper)
olive oil (for searing)
salt and pepper

If your sesame seeds are NOT toasted, toast them now.....you know the drill - hot dry pan over high heat, put in the seeds, shake a bit and toast to your liking. Remove immediately and let cool.

This is the time to BLOT your AHI (or other fish) - put the fish on paper towels and lightly press.  I like to turn it over and do it again. (and maybe again....if is has a lot of water) the fish should feel fairly dry.

While you are crusting the fish.  It's a good idea to PREHEAT your pan.  Take the pan you will sear the fillets in and Heat it on high...make sure the pan is DRY - do not add oil

Now it's time to "crust" the fish.  Salt and pepper your fillets.  Just put your sesame seeds (or whatever you are using) on a flat plate. (can you see the white, black sesame and the red pepper flakes?)

 Put in one fillet  press and turn it over and coat the other side.  Repeat with the other fillet.  If you need to scoop up the coating and lightly press it into the fish. - this takes just a minute and VOILA! Crusted fillets!!

This is one recipe where HIGH HEAT should NOT scare you.  Don't be afraid to preheat that pan....it's essential.  to a "cooked" or seared outer edge and a gorgeous raw center.  If you are doing other fish, you still preheat, you still sear but you do it for longer so your fish is cooked.

Add your oil....about 2 teaspoons.  You can save some calories by using spray....but the olive oil gives such good flavor....it's worth it.

Your oil will likely "shimmer" immediately as the pan will be very hot.  IT WILL NOT SPLATTER - since you were heating a dry pan. 

Add your fillets:

I wish the pictures could show you how HOT that pan was.

NOW BE CAREFUL.....they only need a couple of minutes on each side - REALLY.  Don't over cook your fillets......you will be sad.  If you are cooking other fish cook longer on each side. 

This is a close up of what it looked like when I flipped it.  See the pink (raw) line in the center?  This signals it's time to get them of the pan.



****During the searing time you may want  to quickly throw together the wasabi sauce....I squeeze wasabi in a little dish...(a teaspoon? less if you are sensitive to wasabi), add a couple tablespoons rice vinegar and some soy to taste.  Set aside.

Remove the fillets to a plate:

I served this delicious fish with my super easy fresh cucumber salad (I think I posted about it - check archives) steamed white rice and a bit of melon.

The result?  A gorgeous, seared, but very rare (ok...it was raw in the center), AHI fillet.  FAST, FAST, FAST to make. So easy and so delicious.  You wont need to go to a restaurant and drop big bucks to have this dish, but you will want to make it often.

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Sesame Crusted Tilapia

Do you ever have those days where you just feel AWESOME?  Today was one of those days.  I slept well, stayed on plan today, ran errands, work was productive, the house got picked up and my car got a beautiful detail (she is all ready spring and summer)!  Even my hair had a good day (now THAT is saying something!!!)

Yep, this healthy eating and exercise is finally paying off.  People aren't kidding when they say every 10 years is harder and harder.  Boy, I thought I was never gonna feel like I was getting in shape.  But I can tell there is a difference, just this week.

Thankfully the residual effects of the Mother's day extravaganza were nowhere to be seen (or felt) today! 

I worked out HARD.  Abs and jogged/walked over a 5 K (it sounds so much better than saying 3.5 miles) and I was NOT absolutely dead for the first time. 

BUT boy was I hungry..  AND WHAT DO YOU THINK I WAS CRAVING?   FISH !!! 

Really? 

Who the heck craves FISH..?  People crave steak, potatoes, bread, dessert, but fish?  Seriously? 

OK...FISH IT WOULD BE.....But as usual, I NEEDED something YUMMY, satisfying and SUPER FAST!!!  I was famished, starving, the opposite of full - well, you get the picture!

I opted for Sesame Crusted Talapia with Asian cucumber salad.  FAST, YUMMY, ON PLAN, healthy and  PERFECT.

This will feed feed two (or one hungry person) but can be made for a crowd if you want. TRUST ME.

Take out a couple nice size talapia fillets (usually they are frozen individually in plastic) put them (plastic and all) in warm water to thaw (NOT HOT WATER)

Meanwhile get a 2-3 small seedless cucumbers (Persian, baby, etc) or one hot house (English) cucumber and dice small.

Then it's super simple:
2 Tablespoon light soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon

Mix it into the cucumbers and let sit until the rest of the meal is done (stir up periodically)

If you are making rice to go with it...start it now (too late for brown rice unless its the fast kind)

I know I am weird.  I have HUGE choices in my pantry.  That's because frankly, I never know what I will want.  So I have both black and white untoasted sesame seeds ( I know you are thinking...WHO HAS THAT??)  I use a mixture of both.  DO NOT rush out to buy what you don't have.  Just use all white or all black, toasted or untoasted.

Put several tablespoons of seeds on a plate and mix them together.

Take fish out of plastic.....dab with paper towel to absorb any water.  SALT AND PEPPER YOUR FISH....(do not be shy!!)

Now press the fish into the sesame seeds and turn over and press again until coated - set aside and coat second piece of fish.

Voila!  Sesame coated fish - it's almost done!!!   go, go, go !!!

NOW THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT.  HEAT YOUR NONSTICK SKILLET VERY HOT and use olive oil  - NOT spray.

When oil is shimmering, add the fish to skillet - you NEED TO HEAR SIZZLE.

Cook a few minutes on one side

Then FLIP over carefully and cook until fish is completely done.

In the mean time, mix a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar with wasabi paste then add a bit of soy to it until you are satisfied with the flavor.

Serve fish along side cucumber salad with wasabi sauce....SOOOOO FRICKEN GOOD!
(and yes, if you are wondering...I was able to eat JUST my portion and felt satisfied!)

The result?  A beautifully cooked piece of fish that is sophisticated, yet easy enough for a weeknight!!  Pair it with Asian cucumber salad and wasabi dressing.  WOW...it's a party in your mouth and you will look like a ROCK STAR, I promise!

From my home to yours, ENJOY!!!

Halibut and Shrimp Ceviche

There should be a LAW against having TWO major food "holidays" in the same 4 week period!  I am going to petition somebody (who would that be anyway?) to NEVER, EVER do Easter and Mother's Day this close again. It's like it's part of a mass torture!!

OK.  Now that I got that out, I can move on with my thoughts. 

Mother's day is like the PINNACLE of all family days really.  I mean Mom's EXPECT certain things on this day.  If you happen to be the poor soul who must impress your mom or mom's with your cooking and pampering skills, you know the pressure.  We are to honor our Mothers, love them and treat them like queens on Mother's Day.  This means atmosphere, food, family and drink must be in perfect harmony.  AND to top it off? It should be memorable. YIKES!!

I don't know if you read the post this weekend which depicted my menu for the day.  The meal I planned is the meal I wanted to eat.  After all, I am a mother too!  The food was good.  In fact,  I would say about as memorable as these things go.  I told my husband this morning that "I wish I was a guest at that party!!"

But did I mention I wasn't really in the mood to create "mothers day magic"?  The menu had HUGE prep to it....so it was a lot  more work than I thought it would be!  I TOTALLY mis-judged it. But Cest La Vie.

Probably the most memorable dish was the Civeche.  It was worth the effort.  Perfect fresh halibut and shrimp cut to perfection with gorgeous fresh veggies and mango.  Before I go on about the Civeche let me tell you this is not MY "Summer Civeche" that I make with my garden harvest all summer long (I will post that in the summer)

This recipe came from the company, O Olive Oil (I altered it just a bit, as usual).  If there was ONE company I would beg you to try something WONDERFUL from, it's this company.  I beg people to buy me ANYTHING from their site for any occasion that gifts are warranted.  It's the olive oil and vinegar that Oprah uses (although I was using this before her, SO THERE!).  I heard about O Olive Oil oil from another blog!!  The person writing was SO enthused I thought "man, this stuff must knock your socks off" because how excited can you really get over oil and vinegar?? As the saying goes, that was then and this is now.  It's my favorite little luxury in my kitchen.  If you buy anything upscale for your cooking repertoire, buy this.  Check them out at http://www.ooliveoil.com/. 

I'll explain what I did and how I did it, but fortunately or unfortunately you will have to get their product in order to recreate the dish.  Trust me - it was worth it,  the mom's were appreciative, and it was memorable.

It's the stuff "foodie" dreams are made of!

HALIBUT and SHRIMP CEVICHE

GORGEOUS, VIBRANT, and BRIGHT - JUST LOOK AT IT.....YUUMM  I want it again!

Here is what you will need:

3/4 LB extremely fresh Halibut
1  LB  Fresh UNCOOKED shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
1/2 CUP O OLIVE Myer Lemon Olive Oil ( the recipe calls for the jalapeno lime, but I didn't have any)
1/2 CUP O OLIVE Sudachi Lime Rice Vinegar
1/2 cup fresh squeeze lime juice
zest of two limes
1/2 Red Onion, Very small dice
4 Serrano Chile's, seeded and diced fine
1-2 Persian snacking cucumbers or 1/2 or more English (hot house) cucumber, small dice
1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped
1 mango, diced
1 large avocado (or 2 medium)
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed

First in a large glass bowl dice up the halibut in about 1/2" dice.  For the shrimp sliced them down the length (like butterflying them) then chopped them up. Add both to the bowl.

Halibut to the right and shrimp to the left. (cover and set aside in the fridge)

Toast the cumin and coriander in a DRY saute pan until golden and fragrant.   Let cool for a minute and grind in a spice/coffee grinder until fine.  (if this is just too much use a combo of ground (probably 1 teaspoon each)

In a small bowl, combine Oil, vinegar, lime juice, zest and spices.  Whisk together to combine:

(The zest kind of fell under the spices, but it's in there!!)

Pour the juice/zest over the fish/shrimp and stir well.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to "cook" the fish.

Now, on to the veggies, VERY finely dice the cucumber (try to remove most of the seeds, although they are almost seedless anyway), onion, serrano chile and put into a bowl (isn't it beautiful?)

Now Mix the veggies into the fish and put back in the fridge while you dice up the mango, avocado and chop the cilantro. Mix the last ingredients and finish with nice finishing salt (if you don't have any, kosher flake will work just fine) and pepper, to taste.

Mix it all together and let it combine flavors for about 15 minute in the fridge.  The recipe from the site says to drain the extra sauce if any...UMMMM NO!!  It's so good, why waste it? (in fact, I liked the juice so much, I made and added more!)

Serve in a dish as beautiful as the ceviche (I used a giant martini glass) and scoop with baked tortilla chips. I used Guiltless gourmet, black bean chips.  The color contrast, texture and flavor was perfect with the Ceviche.

 

The result was a perfectly balanced, very refreshing, elegant and beautiful Civeche that started our celebration off in beautiful synergistic harmony.  Enough said.

From my home to yours, Enjoy!