This new free ebook is about to turn your summer grilling and entertaining up to 11.
(Yep, that's a Spinal Tap reference, I'm dating myself.)
Introducing The Not Ketchup Burger Book. This book has 10 of the most delicious burger recipes you've ever tasted. My sweet and tangy Not Ketchup sauces make every burger something truly special.
The recipes:
Cherry Chipotle Breakfast Burger
Citrus Crab Cakes with Tangerine Dressing
Blueberry Bison Burger
Cherry Chipotle Southwestern Turkey Burger Bowl
Smoky Date Banh Mi Pork Burger
Spiced Fig Lamb Sliders
Spicy Salmon Burger
Smoky Date Veggie Burger
Classic Cherry Chipotle Burger
Tangerine Shrimp Cilantro Burger
I was lucky to have my friend Laura Bashar, who writes the gorgeous blog Family Spice and is co-author of Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil, do all the styling, photography and graphic design. I'm telling you, these are some of the most beautiful burger photos I've ever seen. (If you're looking for an ebook for your business, I highly, highly recommend her and would be happy to put you in touch.)
When I first created my Not Ketchup fruit ketchups, I really only thought about using them on meat. Burgers, steak, chicken, sausages, lamb chops, pork chops, ribs. Meaty meat.
But after spending a lot of time at Santa Monica Seafood - the best retail seafood market, wholesale seafood distributor and seafood cafe in southern California, and an enthusiastic supporter of Not Ketchup from the very beginning - I realized that Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup, with its perfectly balanced combination of sweet, salty, tangy, and slightly spicy, would pair well with rich, buttery salmon fillets.
This recipe puts the salmon under the broiler, but you can do it on the grill as well. Just make sure you don't put the fish too close to the heat source - you want the Not Ketchup to caramelize and bubble without burning.
Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup Glazed Salmon
Erika Kerekes
Published 01/06/2015
Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup fruit ketchup sauce makes a sweet, tangy, slightly spicy glaze for oven-roasted salmon fillets. A delicious and easy gourmet dinner.
Preheat the broiler until very hot, with the oven rack about 4 inches below the heat.
Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the salmon fillets on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Using a basting brush or the back of a spoon, spread each fillet generously on all sides with ⅓ of the Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup. Broil the salmon 2-3 minutes, until the Not Ketchup coating starts to brown and sizzle.
Remove the baking pan from the oven. Slather the salmon with another layer of Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup. Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 3-4 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the salmon doesn’t burn. The salmon is done when the outside is browned and bubbling and the inside is cooked through.
Drizzle the remaining Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup over the top of the salmon fillets and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 15 mins. Tags: seafood, fish, salmon, dinner, Not Ketchup, chipotle
I hear a lot of complaints from parents who hate packing lunch for their kids.
Actually, I don't mind packing lunch. It sure beats having my high schooler eat crappy public school cafeteria food or having to shell out $8 each day for the catered lunch at my younger son's private middle school.
We get into a rhythm with school lunches. On a typical day each boy gets a sandwich, two pieces of fruit, and a chocolate milk box (one kid gets soy, the other regular). If I've baked muffins or cookies, each kid also gets a small treat.
I always keep canned salmon in the pantry to make this simple, flavorful salmon salad, one of the boys' favorite sandwich fillings. The secret: I mince petite dill pickles in the mini-processor and add them to the salmon salad. The pickles add a little tang and a little crunch, balancing the richness of the salmon perfectly.
(Why not celery, you ask? My husband hates it, so I'm out of the habit. And why salmon instead of tuna? The mercury thing.)
A note on ingredients: Costco has excellent wild Alaskan salmon in cans, as well as large jars of petite dill pickles. As for mayonnaise, I am a Hellman's girl, although of course it's called Best Foods out here in California.
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Canned salmon salad with dill pickles
by Erika Kerekes September-14-2013
Minced petite dill pickles add crunch and a little tang to this easy salmon salad. Perfect for lunchbox sandwiches.
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or a little more or less, to taste)
1/2 small fresh lemon
Instructions
Drain the canned salmon and empty the cans into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the pickles and mayonnaise. Squeeze the lemon over the ingredients in the bowl, taking care to fish out any pits. Mix everything together with a fork, flaking the salmon as you mix, until the salmon salad is well combined. Serve chilled.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: approximately 4 cups
Inspired by my friend Kristina Vanni, owner of Cooking Contest Central, I've been trying to enter more recipe contests lately. Kristina often points out that hundreds of food companies and commodity boards run recipe contests each year, with substantial sums of money and other prizes up for grabs. Food bloggers create recipes all the time - why not do it for a shot at the gold?
The thing is, there's a knack to winning recipe contests. That's why the members of Cooking Contest Central, a longstanding online community for recipe contest participants, consistently beat the pants off the rest of the field. Look at the winners of just about any recipe contest and you'll see at least one CCC member. The same names come up over and over.
What does it take to win a recipe contest? An eye for trendy ingredients and flavor combinations. Clever, highly visible use of whatever ingredient(s) or product(s) are sponsoring the contest. If it's a contest with history, an understanding of what kinds of dishes have won in years past. And a way with recipe names. I'm still learning on all these fronts. I've entered more contests this year than any other, but my track record hasn't been great.
Which is why when I entered the Alter Eco Foods quinoa recipe contest last month, I wasn't expecting to place. And yet, somehow, I did! My Salmon Quinoa Cakes with Caper Dill Sauce made the semi-finals. True to form, veteran CCC member Merry Graham took the grand prize for her quinoa tacos. But that's okay - Merry will enjoy her weekend in Napa Valley, and I'll be very happy with my year's supply of Alter Eco quinoa.
You can make these salmon cakes with leftover cooked salmon or canned salmon. Either way, no one will turn down these crispy pan-fried fish cakes with crunchy, nutty quinoa and a creamy dill sauce with tangy capers.
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Salmon quinoa cakes with dill caper sauce
by Erika Kerekes September-1-2013
Crispy pan-fried fish cakes made with leftover cooked salmon and quinoa, then dressed with a creamy dill sauce.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked salmon (fresh or canned)
2 eggs
1 cup cooked Alter Eco quinoa
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons mustard
3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zest and juice, divided
olive oil, for frying
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup capers
2 Tablespoons brine from capers
2 teaspoons dried dill
freshly ground pepper
Instructions
In a large bowl, flake the salmon with a fork. Mix together the salmon, eggs, quinoa, green onions, parsley, mustard, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, salt, and half of lemon juice.Form into 8 patties, using about 1/3 cup of the mixture per patty. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and pan-fry patties until golden brown on both sides.While salmon quinoa cakes are frying, make the sauce: Mix together remaining mayonnaise, remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, Greek yogurt, capers, caper brine, dill, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve salmon quinoa cakes hot with sauce pooled over.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 servings
This is made easier by the fact that our local Costco always has an excellent selection of fresh fish, often wild, always sustainably farmed and caught.
Ironically, while my husband and both sons really like fish, I struggle with it. I just don't love eating it most of the time. And because I don't love eating it, I resist preparing it.
I am the Roadblock To Fish in our house.
So when I find a fish recipe I don't mind making and enjoy eating, I stick with it.
Example: these neatly rolled bundles of Dover sole bathed in a briny, buttery sauce. Relatively easy to prepare, beautiful to behold, and not bad warmed up in the microwave the next day.
Does your family like fish? What's your favorite way to prepare it? Share your fabulous fish ideas in the comments - I need inspiration!
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Oven-poached Dover sole with butter and capers
by Erika Kerekes August-27-2013
Serve these neat little rolls of Dover sole over rice or couscous to make the most of the briny, buttery sauce. An excellent main dish for a dinner party.
Ingredients
3 pounds Dover sole fillets
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup capers
1/8 cup brine from jar of capers
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Spray a large baking dish (or two smaller ones) with nonstick cooking spray. Roll each piece of Dover sole into a cylinder, then place it in the baking dish with the seam down. Continue with the rest of the fillets, nestling them tightly together in the pan(s).Put the butter, capers, and caper brine in a large Pyrex measuring cup and microwave about 90 seconds, until the butter is melted. (Alternatively, melt the butter with the capers and brine in a small sauce pan on the stove.) Pour the butter mixture over the top of all the fish fillets.Bake the fish about 30 minutes, until the rolls are cooked through and the butter mixture is bubbling. The fish will release liquid as it cooks, so don't be surprised to see more liquid in the pan at the end than there was at the beginning.Serve hot over rice or couscous, spooning some of the cooking liquid and the capers over the fish on the plate.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8-10 servings
I'd bet most of those 87 million pounds of avocados will be consumed in the form of guacamole, scooped up with tortilla chips and washed down with beer and/or margaritas.
But I'm planning something a little more delicate for Cinco de Mayo this year. Something with protein and some more vegetables. And I'm skipping the deep-fried chips.
A little health scare chased me back to the straight and narrow this week. I'd gotten lazy, let my eating habits slip. Numbers don't lie. It's time to regroup.
California avocados are back in season, and I know they'll be a big part of my healthy eating efforts. Avocados provide more than a dozen essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B vitamins, and folic acid. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are heart-healthy. And, of course, they're delicious.
This simple fish salad can be made with any leftover cooked fish, or even with canned salmon. Including the zest of the lemon as well as the juice brightens the flavor considerably, so don't leave it out.
A light chilled salad with heart-healthy ingredients like salmon, avocado and greens. Serve in a scooped-out avocado shell.
Ingredients
6 ounces salmon, cooked (use leftovers, or substitute canned salmon)
1/2 cup cucumber, seeded and cut into small cubes (about 1/2 a large cucumber; measure after cutting)
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
2 avocados, cut in half lengthwise, pit removed, flesh scooped from shells and roughly diced; reserve shells for serving
2 cups mixed salad greens, for serving
Instructions
Put the salmon in a medium-sized bowl and flake it with a fork. Add the cucumber, green onions, lemon juice, and lemon zest; mix gently until combined. Add the avocado chunks and toss gently once more. Divide the salmon salad evenly among the four avocado shells. Divide the salad greens between two plates and nestle the filled avocado shells on top of the greens, allowing two per person. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 2 servings
But then I made a batch of my family's favorite Thai fish stew, and the pan looked just as beautiful when I was done as it had when I started. It's heavy, 5-ply stainless steel. You can use it on the stove or in the oven. It can even go in the dishwasher.
However you cook with this pan, here's the most important part: You can carry it straight to the table with your head held high. You could put this pan down in front of Queen Elizabeth and it would likely be the most beautiful thing she'd seen on the table in a long while.
I've encountered only one problem with this pan: It takes up a lot of horizontal space and thus it's been hard to find a good place for it in my drawers and cabinets. The handles on the sides, while gorgeous, stick out pretty far, making it hard to store. So far I've addressed that issue by leaving it out on the stove at all times, but eventually I'm going to have to find it a hiding place. That said, I have a lot of pots and pans already. If you're starting your cookware collection from scratch or buying a wedding gift for a couple furnishing their first kitchen, space constraints probably won't be as much of an issue.
Summary: Stunningly beautiful cookware. Good for all stove types, including induction. Safe for stove, oven, dishwasher. Would make a fabulous gift. See the entire CookServ collection here.
Oh, the Thai fish stew? You'll love this recipe. It's a variation on a dish served to me years ago by my good friend Rachel Kaganoff Stern of Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen. She calls hers Brazilian; I added the Thai curry paste and took it farther east. I use whatever combination of fish and shellfish strikes me, and I give you permission to do the same.
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Thai fish stew
by Erika Kerekes May-2-2013
A quick and simple stew with fresh fish, shellfish, coconut milk and Thai curry paste. Finish with a generous shower of fresh chopped cilantro and/or basil.
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh fish filets and shellfish, any combination, fish cut into 2-inch chunks
6 limes (juice only)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons yellow or red Thai curry paste
2 14-ounce cans coconut milk
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, chopped
salt to taste
Instructions
Put the fish and/or shellfish in a large bowl with the lime juice. Toss and leave to marinate 15 minutes.In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the Thai curry paste and stir to coat the vegetables; saute 1 minute. Add the coconut milk to the pot and stir until everything is well combined and the coconut milk is starting to bubble around the edges.Now add the fish and/or shellfish and the marinating liquid to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, quickly turn down the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the stew about 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flaky and the shellfish is cooked. Add the cilantro, stir, season to taste with salt, and serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8 servings
Want to bring your friends and family to their knees? Want people to tell you they've never met such a genius in the kitchen? Want to see some serious plate-licking and scrap-picking?
Make gravlax.
Gravlax, or cured salmon, is one of the easiest super-gourmet recipes you will ever make. It has four required ingredients (salmon, salt, sugar, pepper) and several optional ones (fresh herbs, dried herbs, a few drops of vodka or tequila or gin). You'll also need plastic wrap, two baking sheets, and a few cans of tomatoes or beans or whatever's in your pantry. Really high-tech.
I would make this every week if I weren't the only one in my household willing to eat it. Unfortunately, my family is currently on a salmon strike. Crazy people.
Use the freshest salmon you can find. It doesn't need to be sushi grade, but it's not really going to get cooked, so don't use fish that's close to the edge. When it's done, slice it thinly. My favorite way to serve gravlax is with cocktail pumpernickel slices, creme fraiche, a big pile of capers, paper-thin slices of cucumber, and a squeeze of lemon.
By the way, gravlax is excellent party food. Pile the sliced cured salmon in the middle of a platter and mound the accoutrements around the sides. Let people make their own little open-faced sandwiches. Low hassle, extra elegant. If there's no party and it's just you, scale down the amount of the salt mixture and use two smaller skin-on salmon filets rather than a whole fish.
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Gravlax (cured salmon)
by Erika Kerekes March-19-2012
The combination of salt, sugar and pepper cures raw salmon and turns it into a true delicacy. Be sure to start this 3-5 days ahead - it takes time for the cure to penetrate the fish.
Ingredients
1 whole raw salmon, skin on, head off, fileted
1 cup sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup ground or cracked black pepper
1 bunch fresh dill (optional - substitute 3 Tbsp dried dill or another herb of your choice)
2 Tbsp vodka, tequila or gin (optional)
Instructions
Lay several large pieces of plastic wrap on your counter, overlapping them to form one very big square. Lay one filet of salmon in the middle of the plastic wrap, skin side down.In a small bowl, mix together the salt, sugar and pepper. Pour the salt mixture over the salmon, mounding it thickly on the flesh of the fish and making sure the whole surface is covered. Lay the dill over the salt mixture if you're using it, then place the other fish filet on top, skin side up. Basically, you're sandwiching the salt mixture between the two pieces of salmon.Now bring the plastic wrap up around the salmon, wrapping it tightly. If you misjudged the first time and didn't end up with enough plastic wrap to go all the way around, take some more. Let me be clear here: You can't really wrap the salmon too much or too tightly at this point. Get it nice and snug in its plastic wrap house.Place the wrapped salmon on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan that will fit in your refrigerator. Put a plate or a smaller sheet pan on top of the salmon and weight it down with a few big cans of something. Place the whole thing in the refrigerator and let time work its magic. Turn the fish over once or twice a day to redistribute the juices that will start to flow. This is why the salmon has to be well wrapped - you want to keep that liquid in with the salmon, not leaking out onto the pan.After four or five days, the salmon should be done. Unwrap it in the sink, scrape off the dill and most of the salt mixture, slice it thinly, and serve with thinly sliced toast and any combination of the following: creme fraiche, capers, chopped onions, lemon wedges.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 20+ servings
Smoked salmon with horseradish-spiked sour cream on Walkers oatcakes
Food companies are coming up with all kinds of creative ways to work with food bloggers.
It used to be that only the elite bloggers got to participate in sponsored programs. You know which bloggers I mean - the ones who started long ago, built a huge following when competition for attention was scarce, speak at all the conferences, jet-set to glamorous locations to cook with Michelin-starred chefs, and eventually get their own TV shows. (I am not one of these elite bloggers, in case you were wondering.)
But smart food brands are realizing that even food bloggers who don't bring in millions of page views provide value. A hundred food bloggers with 10,000 page views each equal one food blogger with a million page views. Or maybe a hundred bloggers are worth even more, because they're going to deliver 100 inbound links to the food brand's website, 100 different Facebook and Twitter audiences, and 100 chances that they, too, will each bring in a million page views a month someday.
Some bloggers will only work with food companies when they get paid. That's okay and it's their choice. But budgets are fickle things. Sometimes there's money and sometimes there's not. Which is why smart food brands are starting to think about what else bloggers want and are designing programs around bloggers' motivations and needs.
Money's great, but this blog doesn't support my family. I have a job for that. In the broadest sense, though, that's what I'm working toward - the day when writing about food, in some shape or form, is my way to make a living and a mark on the world.
So if I'm going to work with a food company, what do I really want? Traffic. Exposure to a new audience. Make me famous. Put me in the spotlight. Help people find my blog so I can rope them in and keep them coming back.
A few weeks ago Walkers Shortbread asked me (and, no doubt, many other bloggers) if I'd be interested in making one of their recipes and contributing a photo to their website. No money involved. A skeptic would have looked at the email and said Well, that's one way to get their product photos done on the cheap.
But I think Walkers is smart. They asked for very little from me and played to my motivations. If they choose my photo, it'll be featured on their website. They'll link to my blog from the Walkers Shortbread Pinterest page (the smart PR rep remembered to mention that their Pinterest boards were recently featured on Mashable, which is a pretty big deal).
Traffic. Make me famous. In exchange for a few minutes of my time, I'm getting something that matters to me. And they're getting what they want too: Here I am, writing about and linking to the Walkers website. I don't have a million page views today, but someday I might.
I chose smoked salmon on oatcakes because it was easy to prepare, it was something I was happy to eat, and I was pretty sure I could get a good picture. I sent the photos above to Walkers a few days ago. Here's hoping they make the cut. Either way, the oatcakes they sent me were really tasty.
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Smoked salmon on Walkers oatcakes
by Walkers Shortbread March-7-2012
Pull out smoked salmon whenever you want to dress up your cocktail hour. The cool, creamy sour cream provides a nice contrast to the crispy oatcakes.
Blend creme fraiche or sour cream and horseradish in a small bowl. Arrange the oatcakes on a platter. Top each with smoked salmon, then a dollop of the creme fraiche mixture. Garnish with chives and caviar, if desired.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 servings
Erika says: Look at this gorgeous salmon! It's from Maura Ammenheuser, a stay-at-home mom of two, personal trainer and
writer/editor. She currently leads the Momarama parenting blog for The
Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
Salmon is fish with benefits.
It’s packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, a scary-sounding term for very healthy fat. Omega-3s offer anti-inflammatory qualities that can help combat joint pain and osteoporosis, improve blood-sugar control and even reduce aspects of depression and bipolar disorder.
A 3-ounce portion has only about 140 calories, but a whopping 23 grams of protein. A hefty 6-ounce portion still contains only about 360 calories and 39 grams of protein. On the taste side, salmon’s a versatile fish that can be cooked many ways. And it boasts a beautiful orange-pink color, always pretty on the plate.
Because I’m a lazy cook, I gravitate toward food that’s easy and fast. Fish in general fits the bill. Salmon’s strong taste is an asset. Its intensity means it stands up to all kinds of seasonings, which means I can throw a salmon dinner together with whatever I have on hand and never worry about obscure ingredients or complicated preparation. I’ve cooked salmon with everything from lemon and dill to curry to bottled barbecue sauce. It all works.
My favorite way to prepare salmon, however, is topping it with fruit salsa. (The salsa can be made a day or two in advance, making this meal even faster.) I prefer grilling the fish with a generous dollop of fruit salsa, wrapping the whole thing in foil packets and sliding it onto the grill. But if you don’t own a grill, or it’s too unpleasant to cook outdoors in the winter snow or rain, this technique is easily tweaked for baking in the oven.
I follow recipes slavishly, but when I’m whipping up a dinner of my own inspiration I don’t bother measuring portions or taking notes. So this is more guideline than recipe. Alter ingredients and quantities according to taste. The only thing you should obsess about is making sure you don’t overcook the fish.
A sweet-tart fruit salsa contrasts beautifully with the rich texture of salmon. Save any leftover salsa for tomorrow's chips.
Ingredients
4 4-ounce pieces salmon filet or steak, wild or farmed
2 fresh mangos, peeled and diced small
1/2 to 1 cup canned or fresh pineapple, diced small
1 fresh peach, peeled and diced small
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juice and some of the pulp (do not substitute bottled lime juice)
1 fresh jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
dash of ground coriander (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a shallow baking dish with a thin layer of cooking spray.Place the fish flat in the pan in a single layer. Spray a mist of oil over the fish. Top with a thick dose of fruit salsa.Bake, keeping a close eye on the fish. Baking time varies with the thickness of the fish. My photo shows a very large, thick salmon steak (about two inches) that took 25 minutes to cook. Thinner slices could be done in less than 15 minutes. To judge whether the fish is done, poke its thickest portion with a fork. If the fish still appears dark pink and wet in the middle, it’s not ready. If it falls easily into tender flakes, it’s perfect; get it out of the oven right now. If the fish produces chalky white somewhat tough flakes, you’ve overcooked it. Make a note of how long it was in the oven and check on it sooner next time.If you prefer grilling, make this fish outdoors in a foil packet rather than in the oven. Tear a portion of foil large enough to accommodate a single piece of fish; spray the foil, place one piece of fish on it, spray the top of the fish, then add the salsa. Cover with a separate piece of foil and crimp the foil edges together to form a packet. Carefully place the packets on a preheated grill over medium-low heat, placing them top (salsa-side) down. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, then carefully turn them so the top/salsa side now faces up. Cook another 4 to 5 minutes, then use one packet as your test case.Remove one packet from the grill, partially open the foil packet and test the fish with a fork to see if it’s done. The moment the fish flakes easily, take it off the grill. Serve by placing one packet on each person’s plate. The fish inside will be a bit messy from the fruit juices so it’s easier to just plop the packets on the plates rather than trying to remove the fish from the packets and make them pretty on a serving platter. They’ll likely fall apart under the spatula, anyway.You can use this recipe with almost any type of fish. It’s especially good with halibut fillets. Just adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of the fish. Again, keep testing the fish with a fork and remove from the heat when it flakes easily.
The fish-and-fruit-salsa combo pairs nicely with nearly any kind of rice plus blanched or lightly roasted green beans or asparagus.Note: Using mango, pineapple and peach is a best-case scenario. It’s perfectly okay to use only one or two of these fruits rather than all three; adjust the amount to get enough salsa. Tossing a teensy bit of chopped orange or grapefruit in there probably won’t hurt anything, either. The world won’t end if you skip the bell pepper or onion, either. But don’t expect this to taste like salsa if you omit the cilantro and jalapeno.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings
Tilapia baked with roasted tomatoes, olives and artichoke hearts
I am not a fan of fish. I know how good it is for me. I know I should be feeding it to my family. So I try. But honestly, fish isn't my thing.
Which is why I'm constantly looking for ways to dress it up. Often I'll roast the fish plain and then throw together a quick mayonnaise-based sauce, like this lime sorrel sauce. But last night, faced with a container of fresh farmed tilapia from Costco and only half an hour until we all fainted from hunger, I decided to try something different.
I went with the flavors of southern France. I spread the filets on a foil-lined baking sheet and spooned over some oven-roasted tomatoes I'd put up a few weeks ago. I scattered marinated artichoke hearts and green olives over the top, squeezed some lemon juice over it all, and baked it in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. The fish was flaky and tender, the tomatoes melted and coated the filets, and the juices from the lemon, artichokes and olives kept the whole thing moist. Even I liked it!
Mild, white tilapia with the flavors of sunny southern France - a quick weeknight fish dish everyone will love. Serve with rice or couscous to catch all the juices.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Line a sheet pan with foil. Lay the tilapia filets on the pan in a single layer. Scatter the tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives on top of the fish. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle the olive oil over the whole thing.Bake the tilapia about 20 minutes, until the fish is flaky and the vegetables are starting to melt. Do not overcook or the fish will be dry. Serve with rice or couscous.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8 servings
And then one morning I woke up with this recipe fully formed in my mind. A clean, mild, white fish, which I'd steam, then puree with cooked potato, creme fraiche and truffles. A play on brandade, the hearty French mash of salt cod and potato. I'd pipe the cold mousse into hollowed-out sections of Persian cucumber. Light, cool, aromatic, perfect. Who knew that was in my brain? I have never loved my subconscious more.
But what kind of fish to use? My local fishmonger suggested cod, whitefish and snapper, also known as Pacific rockfish. I bought a bit of each and made three purees. My family taste-tested but we couldn't agree. I liked the flavor of the cod but was bothered by its fibrous texture. The rest of the family was split between the whitefish and snapper.
The next morning I went to KCRW to tape a segment about Trufflepalooza and truffle recipes for Evan Kleiman's public radio show "Good Food." I packed up samples of my three fish mousses (mice?) and took them to the studio. I ran Evan and her producer Harriet Ells through another blind taste test. They liked the cod, even with its texture issues. "But really," said Evan, "they're all good. I'd just use whichever one is cheapest."
Evan is smart. I listen to her. The Pacific rockfish was local, cheap and delicious. When you make this, look for a mild, white-fleshed fish that won't break the bank. The truffles are the star of the show anyway.
Serve this light truffled fish mousse in hollowed-out cucumber cups for an elegant hors d'oeuvre.
Ingredients
1 pound Pacific rockfish filets (or another mild, white fish)
1 large Idaho baking potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
6 ounces creme fraiche
2 tsp white or black truffle oil
1/2 tsp truffle salt
2 Tbsp grated fresh truffle (optional)
5 or 6 Persian cucumbers, washed, ends trimmed
chives (for decoration)
Instructions
Place a steamer basket inside a large pot and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Add an inch or two of water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Put the fish on one side of the steamer and the potato chunks on the other side. Cover the pot and steam for 7 minutes or until the fish is done. Remove the fish and continue to steam the potatoes until they're soft, another 10-15 minutes.Place the fish and creme fraiche into the bowl of your food processor and puree until smooth. Add the cooked potato, truffle oil, truffle salt and fresh truffle and process in short bursts until the mixture is smooth. Potatoes get gluey in the food processor when they're pureed too aggressively, so err on the side of caution. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Put the mixture in the refrigerator and chill thoroughly.While the fish mixture is cooling, cut the cucumbers into 1-inch lengths, then use a melon baller to scoop out some of the flesh, taking care not to pierce the bottom. You want to end up with pieces that will stand up on their own and have neat little depressions waiting to be filled.Transfer the cold fish mousse to a pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag and pipe it into the cucumber cups. Decorate with chives. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: approximately 30 pieces
