culinary capers – pears… and tilapia

Ahhh… the holiday season is upon us. Many, many things to do… precious little time to do them in! Case in point? Culinary Caper challenges! We extended our “pear challenge” from one week to two… and still I didn’t get it done! So, when tilapia was chosen as this week’s ingredient, I knew my best bet was going to be to knock both of them out together! (After all I still had pears sitting around in my kitchen!)

This recipe is perfect for this time of year. Why? Because it’s easy and it’s super quick to prepare. The slightly spicy cajun-ish rub on the fish is a great complement to the cool sweetness of the pears – always a great combination, if you ask me! It’s best if you can let the salsa flavors meld for a little while in the fridge… but if you don’t have the time, no worries… it’s still really good! Oh, and it’s pretty easy on the waistline, too. That means you can enjoy a couple of extra Christmas cookies without any added guilt.

Spicy Tilapia Fillets with Fresh Pear Salsa
Pear Salsa
1 ripe pear, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/8 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate at least one hour.

Spicy Tilapia Fillets
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 4-ounce tilapia fillets
2 cups of your favorite rice, cooked

Mix first 8 ingredients (paprika through cayenne) together in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pat tilapia fillets dry and rub each side with spice mixture. Place fillets in pan and cook over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Serve each tilapia fillet over one cup rice and top each with 1/2 the salsa.

blogging by mail and chowdah!

I love getting mail. There’s something really satisfying about finding a handwritten note or card from someone who cared enough to take the time to send it. Sadly, in the age of e-mail and mobile phones, those days are few and far between. So, most days, my trip to the mailbox is rather unfufilling. Bills and junk mail. Junk mail and bills. Perhaps the occasional interesting catalog. The good days bring a magazine or two. But, birthdays and holidays aside, rarely much more than that.

That’s exactly why I signed up for Stephanie’s Blogging by Mail event. A reason to send and get really good mail? Oh yeah!

Last weekend, my package from Pam arrived. I tore into it like it was Christmas and, with each item that I pulled from the box, the bigger my smile grew. What a great box of goodies!

Here’s what Pam sent in her New England-themed package:
Two bags of incredible tea from her favorite tea shop
Chocolate covered cocoa nibs
A lobster sucker
A star bowl
Chocolate covered dried cranberries (YUM!)
A purse-sized recipe journal
Two postcards – one with a great note from Pam and one with a great recipe from Pam
An uber-cute lobster cookie cutter

Awesome! Thank you, Pam, for a wonderful package!

I knew when I saw her recipe for Clam Chowder that I had to try it out before every trace of cool weather was gone. I was given just the opportunity last night when a day of blustery wind actually blew in some rather chilly temperatures. So, I ran to the store for clams and got to work.

The problem? I had really wanted to feature the adorable lobster cookie cutter she sent as well, but I just didn’t have the time to pull together rolled cookies. Then, inspiration struck! I didn’t have time for cookies… but I did have time for crackers! And what goes better with chowder than crackers?

That’s right. Clam Chowder with Lobster-Shaped Crackers! Not only was it fun, but it was incredibly tasty. That’s some good chowdah! I highly recommend working it into your menu before Spring arrives (though, in Pam’s family this is apparently a classic “summer day at the beach” food – so you really could do it any time!).

Since it’s just the two of us and the Husband is a little weird about leftover seafood, I knew that there was no way I could make the full batch as she had written it. So, I cut the recipe back and made just one small adjustment and… it really (REALLY!) hit the spot.

Clam and Corn Chowder
(adapted from Mom’s Clam Chowder, by Pam @ Cave Cibum)
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup white onions, chopped
2 large potatoes, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons AP flour
1 can minced clams
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 cups whole milk
1 cup fresh corn kernels
salt and pepper

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and potatoes and saute until onions are translucent. Stir in flour until incorporated and cook to form a roux. Add clams (including the juice in the can), cream, and 1 cup of milk, and corn. Stir. Cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes are soft, about an hour. Add extra milk if you like a thinner broth. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve with oyster crackers OR homemade crackers (see below).

Crispy Homemade Crackers
(adapted from various recipes across the internet)
1 cup AP flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup milk (approx.)
1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
Salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup of the butter. Stir in just enough milk to make a stiff dough. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8″ thickness.

Cut cracker dough into squares or desired shapes with cookie or pastry cutters. Place crackers on lightly greased or silpat lined cookie sheets and pierce with a fork.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with additional salt. Allow to cool to room temp. Enjoy!

honey ginger mahi mahi

If fish night is going to happen at our house, it usually happens on Thursdays. Why Thursday, you ask? Because Friday is trash day. Stinky fish trash isn’t so much a problem during the winter months but, come summer, the last thing you want hanging out in your trash can for five or six days in 100 degree heat is fish bits. So, better to just stay in practice.

Probably not the most appetizing way to start a food post, is it? Hey, just being real, folks!

Mahi mahi is definitely my favorite fish. Mild and firm, it lends itself to pretty much anything you throw at it. We eat it quite a lot and this is one of my favorite recipes. If you’ve got time to marinate the fish, absolutely do it. But if you don’t… that’s okay, too.

We like this over couscous. Pair it with sauteed spinach and a nice glass of wine and you’ve got a really classy dinner in just a few minutes. And you know how much I like recipes that come together quickly!

Honey Ginger Mahi Mahi
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tablespoons honey
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
2.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 4 oz mahi mahi filets
salt & pepper

Combine garlic, honey, soy sauce, balsamic, ginger, and one tablespoon EVOO in a smallish bowl. (If you have time, marinate the fish in this mixture for 15-20 minutes. If not, go ahead and just proceed as follows. This one works fine either way!)

Heat remaining 1.5 tablespoons EVOO in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper fillets and place in pan. Cook 4-5 minutes per side until flakey. Reduce heat slightly and pour in honey ginger mix. Flip fillets to coat and allow to reduce, 2-3 minutes.

Plate fish and drizzle with reduced glaze. (Serves two.)

healthy starts

This looks like a new year’s resolution, doesn’t it? Lean protein, lots of veggies, omega 3′s…

We all know, though, that looks can be deceiving. This was dinner – but I didn’t take a picture of dessert. Mostly because you’ve already seen it. That’s right, we polished off the last of the cake tonight. So, although dinner was wonderfully responsible, dessert pretty much negated any good that we might have done there. Oh well. It was all good anyway.

Whether you made the resolution to eat better in 2008 or you’re just looking for a new and easy (and quick!) way to prepare salmon, this is a good dish either way. It was my first foray into quinoa, which is becoming all the rage. I have big plans to actually cook some soon, rather than to just use it as a crust, but this was a nice, low-key introduction that bolstered my quinoa confidence a bit.

Quinoa Encrusted Salmon with Dijon Sauce
(adapted from the BBC)
4 4-5oz. salmon fillets
1/2 cup quinoa
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
2.5 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven 400 degrees F.

Pat salmon dry and season one side lightly with salt and pepper. Roll the salmon in the quinoa, pressing the quinoa into the salmon to coat all over (the quinoa falls off easily – it may take a couple of rounds of pressing very firmly – use care when transferring the fish to the pan to ensure you don’t lose your crust).

Heat the oil in a medium to large ovenproof frying pan and fry the salmon for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the crust is lightly golden-brown.

Transfer the salmon to the oven and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the sour cream and mustard in a small pan and stir until smooth and well combined. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

To serve, place the salmon onto a serving platter or directly onto dinner plates and pour the sauce over the fish.