curry in a hurry.

Whenever I go to the bookstore, I almost always hit up the bargain book section. Call me a cheapskate, but I love me a discount. Especially if it's a cookbook! Now, I know that most of the bargain cookbooks out there are crap, but I love finding one that has a variety of recipes, a nice layout, lots of pictures, and (most importantly) has actual GOOD tasting recipes.

Surprisingly, I found that in Food Lovers: Simply Chicken. The cookbook's divided in three sections with the main course sub-divided even further into types of preparation. The ingredient lists for the recipes were actually surprising; it can call for everyday pantry items to harder to find ethnic ingredients. Instructions are clear and straightforward with approximate cooking and prep times with a picture for every recipe in the the book (which I like, since I'm one of those people that need to see what it's supposed to look like in the end).

Another interesting thing about the book was the variety of recipes it had. It had everything from chicken noodle soup, to chicken korma, to pad thai, to paella. I love the global scope of the recipes and I feel like I can actually successfully make each and every one! For $5.00, this was a great deal!

So, If this was a chicken cookbook, why does it look like I have fish in my curry?? Well, because it is fish. :) A recipe has to be adaptable, in my opinion. Just because it's a chicken cookbook, doesn't mean I have to necessarily use it exclusively for that protein. So when I tested a couple of recipes in the book for different proteins, it passed with flying colors! One such recipe was a "Chicken Curry with Broccoli".

Now, I love me some curry, be it Indian, Thai, what have you. This book has several interesting curries that I'm dying to try out. For "Chicken Curry with Broccoli", I decided to experiment and make it into a fish curry instead (See?! I'm turning pescatarian, I tell you!).

This curry turned out amazing! Going by the ingredient list, I'm guessing this is supposed to be Thai-inspired. The shrimp paste and lime really worked together with the coconut milk to give you that tell-tale Asian flavor. The original recipe actually called for actual chili peppers, but since I didn't have any, crushed red pepper flakes from McCormick made a fine substitute.

And actual kaffir limes? Pfft! Bottled lime juice, my friend, and some regular limes did the trick. Also, since I'm Filipino, I used spicy bagoong for the shrimp paste. From start to finish, this took all of 30 minutes for lick-the-plate-clean goodness! Huzzah for a quick weeknight dinner!

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Fish and Vegetable Curry
(adapted from Food Lovers: Simply Chicken)

For the Curry Paste:
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp bottled lime juice
1 tsp spicy shrimp paste (spicy bagoong)

For the Curry:
4 to 5 (5.oz) skinless white fish fillets, about ⅓-inch thick (cod, flounder, catfish, etc . . .)
1 large red onion, sliced
2 scallions, chopped
2 bell peppers, sliced (orange, yellow, and/or red)
1 lbs. broccoli, cut to florets
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 to 1 cup coconut milk
3/4 to 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 a lime plus more for garnish

 
Make the paste:
Put all curry paste ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. Set aside

Make the curry:
In alarge pan, heat oil and saute the onion, broccoli, and bell peppers. Add the curry paste and the scallions, sauteing briefly. Add the coconut milk and chicken broth then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the grated ginger then top with the fish fillets. Let cook, turning the fish once, for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is done. To finish, squeeze 1/2 a lime over the curry then season with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with rice and an additional wedge of lime for garnish. Makes about 4 servings.

Note: If the gravy is too thin, add a little cornstarch with water to achieve desired consistency.

patty, cake, or burger?

I've been slightly pescatarian lately. I don't know if it's because of laziness or if it's because I'm trying to eat healthier. All I know is that I've been eating a lot of fish as of late and I don't know when it's going to stop.

Take these tuna burgers, for example. I could very well have baked or pan-fried some chicken to put on my salad, but canned tuna seemed way easier and more interesting to make. I liked that I could put veggies in my protein and that it was going to take me 10 minutes to make. See what I mean? Lazy or healthy?

When I made these patties (or is it cakes? or is it burgers??), I was originally going to make an actual burger like the title suggested, but I didn't really have any bread in the house. So instead, these "burgers" turned into patties that topped some spinach and arugula. I added some tomatoes for sweetness and slivers of red onion for bite. To finish this off, I made a thin, spicy ramoulade that doubled as a topping for the patties and a dressing for the salad.

Would I make these patties again? Maybe. When I made them, I knew that they were going to be slightly dry (which they were). I think if I added more breadcrumbs so that it had a slightly more cakey consistency, they wouldn't be so bad. Despite that, the flavors were actually quite tasty so I might play around with the recipe and see if I can improve the texture. Until then . . .

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Tuna Burgers
(slightly adapted from Spright)

2 (5.oz) cans chunk light tuna, drained
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 large carrot, grated
1/2 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 pinch cayenne powder
2 pinches of salt
2 pinches of pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp plain bread crumbs

 
Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a medium bowl; mix with a fork or your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Using your hands, take small handfuls of the mixture and form them into patties.

Pour the olive oil into a medium-sized pan and bring it to medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the patties in the pan.

Cook each side of the patties for 4-5 minutes, turning them over carefully with a spatula or tongs. Place on a paper towel for a few minutes on each side to drain excess oil then serve.

blackened, not burned.

Holy. Crap. I think that this may be the BEST fish sandwich that I've ever made. Talk about crazy delicious, this was a spicy, tangy, savory explosion of flavor in my mouth and I am so sad that it's all gone. You should really make this . . . like, RIGHT. NOW.

I came across this fish sandwich when I was looking to try out the blackened seasoning I made. I recently went to Safe Harbor Seafood Market and Restaurant down in Jacksonville and had their famously fantastic blackened shrimp nachos. Wow, were those nachos super tasty! I was going to do a food hack of the nachos, but unfortunately I didn't have the right ingredients to remake it.

What I did have was some ciabatta bread and a few frozen flounder fillets. Sounds like blackened fish sandwiches to me. :)

When I was looking for the perfect sandwich recipe, I wanted mainly one thing: no mayo in the slaw. This recipe was perfect. I liked that it was colorful and the red cabbage slaw was vinaigrette based. Also, I was able to utilize two of the seasonings I had in my cupboard; the blackened seasoning I just made and adobo seasoning.

Speaking of adobo seasoning, I had made mine (a mixture of these two recipes) before trying the McCormick's version. I did NOT like McCormick's version at all. I think it was the taste . . . it seemed off and not at all what I was expecting it to be. Whenever I have Mexican adobo sauce, it's usually more red than yellow and the homemade mix came closer to what I was used to. I had to throw the bottle of McCormick's adobo seasoning away. :/

On a happier note, the seasoning mixes worked well in this particular recipe. I've switched out the seasoning that the fish originally had with equal parts blackened seasoning. For the chipotle mayo, I subbed out the canned chipotles with dried ground ones and the adobo sauce for the seasoning. I don't usually have canned chipotles in adobo sauce in the pantry and I've found that this makes an acceptable substitute. Everything else pretty much stayed the same.

I'm telling you . . . these are the best fish sandwich EVAR.

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Blackened Fish Sandwich with Red Cabbage Slaw and Chipotle Mayo
(barely adapted from Daydream Kitchen)

For the Slaw:
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely shredded red (or purple) cabbage
¼ cup thinly sliced, 1-inch strips of green bell pepper (“matchstick” sized)
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

For the Chipotle Mayo:
2½ tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp dried chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning

For the Sandwich:
2¼ tsp blackened seasoning
1 tsp olive oil
2 5-oz skinless fish fillets, about ⅓-inch thick (cod, salmon, flounder, etc . . .)
2 crusty sandwich rolls, halved and lightly toasted

 
Make the slaw:
Combine the garlic, shallots, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and scallion in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and toss well to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Make the mayo:
Combine the mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. (Alternately, you can substitute sour cream or greek yogurt for a lighter dressing.)

Make the sandwich:
Rub the blackening seasoning all over the fish, coating both sides well and pressing to adhere. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, season the fillets with salt and add to the pan.

Sear until beginning to blacken on the bottom, about 3 minutes. (Reduce the heat to medium if the spices begin to burn.) Turn and sear the second side until blackened and the fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer, depending on thickness.

To serve, spread the chipotle-mayo sauce on all 4 cut sides of the rolls and lay a filet on each bottom half. Mound the red cabbage slaw on top of the fish and cover with the top halves. Serve right away.

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Blackened Seasoning
(from Mom-Makes . . .)

2 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
2 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

 
Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and oregano in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse until finely ground and evenly mixed. Alternately, sift ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keeps up to 6 months.

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Adobo Seasoning
(adapted from Food. and Lemon Chiffon Cake)

1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp achiote powder
1 1/4 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse until finely ground and evenly mixed. Alternately, sift ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keeps up to 6 months.

fish with a face.

I remember the first time that I ever had a "faceless" fish. It was right after we got to America, back in the early '90's, and were were "fresh off the boat". My father wanted to treat us to a buffet and I had never seen so much food in my life! One thing that I found odd, though, was the fish they served. Sitting there, under the hot heat lamp of the buffet, were slivers of fish flesh floating in an oil-slick of "lemon butter" sauce.

Confused, all I could think to myself was "Where's the rest of the fish?".

Soon after, I learned that people on this side of the world didn't like to see the face of what they were eating. Scratch that, they didn't want to see discernible parts that told them what the animal was. No chicken feet, no pig's head, no fish heads.

Fast forward to the future. I remember the first time that my husband ever had fried fish at my parent's house. While he dutifully ate what was presented to him during dinner, it wasn't until when we got home that he remarked on the "faces" of the fish. He found it odd that we didn't simply fillet the fish then fried it separate from the bones. How different, he remarked.

How do I explain? Eating the entire fish was normal for me. If he wasn't there, I would've cracked the skull open, scooped up the stray bits of flesh and offal, and would of ate it with delicious relish over rice. I would've picked the fish clean until only it's bones were bare and no morsel were left. This was how I was raised . . . to eat everything, waste nothing. And the heads, oh, the heads were the best part. The essence of the fish were contained in those heads.

It was moments like these that reminded me of how truly different we were from each other: my husband, a white mid-western raised boy from a small town in North Dakota. Me, a Filipina with a mix of Philippine roots and big-city Southern California upbringing. Our worlds could not have been any more opposite.

But that's why we're together. He's the ying to my yang, the butter to my toast, the cherry on my sundae. I love the easy-going friendliness he brings to my busy hurried life. Who knew afternoon naps could be so refreshing? And to him, I bring fishes with a face.

My favorite fish would have to be the pompano. It's a relatively firm fish with a nice mild flavor. Wrapped in banana leaf and seasoned with lemon, ginger, garlic, and parsley, this fish turns divine! I served this with my father's daikon radish salad, a type of Filipino sawsawan. We typically have this sawsawn with fried fish, but I had a hankering for it today. It usually consists of grated daikon radish, chopped tomatoes and onion, fresh cilantro, a mix of white vinegar and fish sauce, then seasoned to perfection with salt and pepper.

And yes, I did pick this fish to its bare, bare bones.

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Baked Banana Leaf-Wrapped Whole Fish
(makes 2 servings)

1 whole pampano, scaled and cleaned
1 lemon, sliced
1/2-inch knob ginger, peeled and sliced
handful flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 large banana leaf, enough to wrap fish

 
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Score the fish diagonally, up to the bone, a few times on each side. Spread the minced garlic in the cavity of the fish. Stuff the cavity with parsley, lemon, and ginger. Drizzle fish generously with olive oil then season well with salt and pepper on each side. Rub oil and seasoning into the fish, making sure to get between the scored flesh.

Wrap the fish in the banana leaf and tie well with either leftover banana leaf or kitchen twine. Bake for 25 minutes of until flesh between the scored skin is opaque. Remove from oven then cut the banana leaf open to expose the fish. Increase oven heat to 450F degrees and continue cooking fish until skin is slightly bubbled and banana leaf has charred, about 2 to 5 minutes. To serve, peel skin from meat and then portion out fish.

crabby imitation.

When I was younger, I discovered the wonders of seafood louis salad and, in turn, imitation crab. At the time, I was going to college and the louis salad they had at the campus grocery always had imitation crab. I got sooo hooked on that salad! I loved the flavor and texture of the imitation crab and find myself buying packages to experiment with at home.

Fast forward to now, and I still love the stuff. I particularly love Kanimi's Crab Smart brand as it's made with natural ingredients and doesn't have any added preservatives. Plus, it tastes great too! That's a winner in my book!

Anyway, back to the dish. The hubby recently bought some blue crab dip from Costco for New Years. It made for great snacking sandwiches with a little bit of onion and celery added in. For mine, I stirred in a little bit of lemon juice to cut some of the brininess that I sometimes get when I eat crab. So, since New Years was a few days ago and we had some dip left over, I thought I would experiment and make something with it.

At first, I wanted to make some crab cakes since it's very rare that we have actual real crab products in the house. However, I was concerned that it was going to be too mushy and wouldn't have enough texture to it. Then I thought, maybe crab-stuffed fish instead? Oh, wait . . . I didn't have all the ingredients. . . :/

In the end, I decided to mash the two recipes together. Invention is the mother of necessity, so I substituted with whatever I had in the fridge. And for my "Aha!" moment, I decided to add imitation crab to the actual crab in order to give some "meat" in the stuffing. Spinach was added in an "oh-my-god-I'm-out-of-parsley!" moment to make up the bulk of the green sauce. Oi . . .

In the end, though, this on-a-whim experiment turned out surprisingly really well! The lemony-herby "chimichurri" sauce was nice and "refreshing", as the hubby put it, and really made the dish bright. The stuffing turned out exactly as I wanted it with a great crabby taste and pieces of the imitation crab acting as nice fillers. With some salad, this made for a lovely light dinner!

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Crab Stuffed Flounder with Spinach Chimichurri Sauce
(adapted from Winter Monroe and QVC's In the Kitchen with David)

For the Sauce:
1 large handful baby spinach
1 large handful flat leaf parsley
1 scallion, cut into pieces
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Crab Stuffing:
1/4 cup Inland Market's Blue Crab Spread dip
1/4 cup Kanimi's Crab Smart imitation crab flakes, lightly flaked
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup onions,, finely chopped
1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 tsp lemon juice
pinch ground coriander
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

2 flounder filets
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
ground coriander
salt and pepper
olive oil

 
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Prepare a greased, foil-lined baking pan.

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients for sauce and blend until greens are finely chopped but not pureed. Season as needed (this should be lemony and herby with a hint of garlic) then set aside.

Drizzle olive oil on flounder fillets then season with spices, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In bowl, combine all ingredients for crab stuffing. Place the flounder filets flesh-side down on a work surface. Take half of the stuffing mixture and place onto the center of each filet. Roll each fish filet around the stuffing and place them, seam-side down, onto the baking pan.

Sprinkle each filet with salt, pepper, and paprika, then bake for 40 to 45 minutes. To serve, drizzle fish with chimichurri with additional sauce served on the side.

Makes 2 servings.