Warm Mango Salsa

“Salsa has now passed ketchup as America’s favorite condiment. Isn’t that amazing? You know it’s bad when even our vegetables are starting to lose their jobs to Mexico.” >>>Jay Leno

Ingredients

1 cup red onions, charred and chopped (quarter inch pieces)
1 quart small diced mango (drained and chopped in quarter inch pieces)
1/4 cup diced red pepper (eighth of an inch pieces)
1/2 cup mango puree
1/4 cup scallions (chopped on bias)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Peel and slice red onion in 2 to 3 large pieces lay on hot grill and char. Chop the red onion into quarter inch pieces. Dice the Mango and red pepper; then place the red onion, diced mango and red pepper in a large bowl. Add the mango puree and mix well, let the mixture refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors meld together. When ready to use, heat on the stove top on medium heat until warmed through. Remove from heat and add the scallions and cilantro. Serve over grilled fish or chicken.

 

Baked Stuffed Fish

The best way to a fisherman’s heart is through his fly.  ~Author Unknown

There’s nothing I love more than stuffed ‘anything’.  A tasty something, inside a vessel of another tasty something is really kinda cool.

I remember the 1st time I saw this dish, or a variation of it.  It was decades ago and I went on lunch break with a co-worker.  She was lucky enough to have her girlfriend bring her a homemade dish that consisted of baked stuffed fish.  When she unwrapped the  fish, the steam came billowing out…and the smell!

Oh-em-f’ing-gee!

Then she lifted that first bite with her fork…really, if food porn daily included video…this would be the most viewed, I’m sure. Yes.  I think I totally forgot about my lunch, altogether.  As we all sat and chatted with each other, the conversation was on a variety of subjects.  Gossip, laughing…etc.  But I don’t think I contributed much, being hypnotized and all.  I kept trying to tell her, through mental telepathy, to give me her fish.  All of it.  But I wasn’t even offered a bite.  Sad.

As we were heading back to the office, I was rehearsing the recipe in my head.  I went to the store after work, and made this version when I got home.  Yay me!

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 lb shrimp, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup-1 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons real lemon juice

1/2 lb lump crab meat, picked through for cartilage

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp mustard

salt & pepper

1 lg whitefish (3-5 lbs), scaled and cleaned (keep the head on)

3 tbsp melted butter

1 lemon cut into wedges

Directions

Saute the celery, onion, and bell pepper in the butter over medium heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and garlic; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

Butter a shallow baking dish and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees f.  Pat the fish dry, liberally salt the inside and place the fish in the baking dish.

After the vegetables have cooled, add the breadcrumbs, crab, parsley,egg, mayo, mustard and lemon juice.  Mix well, but try not to break up the crab too much.  Loosely stuff the fish, and brush the top with melted butter.

Bake for 45-55 minutes.  When the fish is done, divide it into portions and serve with lemon wedges.

 

Fish Tacos, Fish Taco Sauce and Pico de Gallo

This is a loose variation of a recipe I found on the web a few years ago.  It’s a great summer go to recipe.  It takes a little work, but the rewards are well worth it.  If you so desire, you can bypass the fish part of this recipe, and just buy good quality frozen fish filets.  But what’s the fun in that??!!  Anyway.  The sauce really makes this dish!!Ingredients

 

Batter

1 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tsp white pepper

1 egg

1 cup beer

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Fish Taco Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 lime, juiced

1 tbsp jalapeno pepper, in the jar, minced

1 teaspoon minced capers

1/2 teaspoon fresh minced cilantro

1/2 teaspoon minced dill 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

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Pico de Gallo

6 roma tomatoes, diced

1 med. onion diced
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 Fresh serrano peppers, seeded and minced
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            pinch of garlic powder

Salt to taste

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1 quart vegetable oil, for frying

1 pound white fish fillets (cod, talapia…)

1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas

1 pkg slaw mix (in the produce section, bagged)

1 lime, sliced in wedges

 

Directions

Fish Taco Sauce:  Note…this should be made at least 3 hours ahead of time so the flavors have a chance to marry.

To make the Fish Taco Sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in the lime juice until soupy. Season with jalapeno, capers, cilantro, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and dill.

For the beer batter, in a large bowl combine flour, panko, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper. Beat the egg and add the beer.  Mix the egg and beer just until they’re incorporated (try not to get rid of too much of the carbonation in the beer).  Add the beer mixture to the flour mixture and combine. It will be a bit lumpy.

For the Pico…Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl with a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cold water. Let set for about an hour. 

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.

Dredge the fish in the other 1/2 cup of flour, then dip into beer batter, and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and place in a warm oven to keep warm.

In a warm skillet, lightly heat the tortillas on both sides, but don’t let them get hard.

To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with the slaw mix, fish taco sauce and the pico.  Top off your Fish Taco with a squeeze of lime (not optional).

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Caldeirada De Peixe

 

Caldeirada De Peixe is a Portuguese Fishermans Stew.  This recipe calls for specific types of fish, but truthfully, this recipe is largely made up of whatever the fishermen were lucky enough to catch that day.  Feel free to change it up and use any fish that suites your fancy, except of course, I wouldn’t use a fish that has too strong of a flavor.  Nice and mild…

Also, traditionally the recipe calls for Cilantro instead of Parsley.  I try to keep it real when I can.  And if I can’t, I’ll let you know, as in this instance.  If you like Cilantro, use it.  It lends to the true taste of this stew.  Enjoy!!

 

Ingredients

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 onions, halved and sliced thin

2 red peppers, halved and sliced thin

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced 

4 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups white wine (not cooking wine please) 

2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

pinch of saffron

1 lb mackerel, 1 1/2 inch dice 

1 lb monkfish, 1 1/2 inch dice 

1 lb large shrimp, cleaned but with tails 

20 mussels

20  clams

fresh parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, peppers, garlic and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often.. Add potato, tomato, wine, broth, bay leaves, and saffron, then  bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until potato is just tender, about 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.

In layers, add the fish on top of the mixture, then the shrimp, mussels and clams.  Cover, cook until shells open, about 8-10 minutes.  

Discard any shellfish that did not open.

Once the stew is in bowls, garnish with the fresh parsley.

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