Article by Christine Budd
Seared Tuna & Mango Kabobs
Ingredients:
¾ -1 lb. tuna steak cut into large chunks
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari for gluten-free
1 Tablespoon light olive oil
3 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes less if you don’t like your dishes spicy
1-2 mangoes cut into large cubes
wooden skewers
Directions:
Place tuna chunks into a resealable, zippered plastic bag.
In a small bowl, mix orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, ginger and red pepper flakes.
Set aside 2 Tablespoons of liquid mixture and pour remaining into resealable bag with tuna.
Seal, place in refrigerator, and marinate for at least 30 minutes, turning often.
If using wooden skewers, place into a bowl of water and let soak for 30 minutes.
Preheat grill.
While grill is heating, thread a piece of tuna alternately with a chunk of mango onto skewers.
Place on hot grill and sear 2 minutes on each of 4 sides.
Remove from heat and place on serving platter and drizzle with reserved marinade. Your tuna should be reddish pink in the middle and a nice golden brown on the outside.
Notes:
This recipe becomes gluten-free when using Tamari instead of traditional soy sauce.
Spinach Stuffed Flounder
Ingredients:
6 flounder fillets
½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning or to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil
For the Stuffing:
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup feta cheese
3 oz. baby spinach, roughly chopped
Directions:
Place the cream cheese, mozzarella, feta, and chopped baby spinach into a large mixing bowl. Massage the spinach and the cheeses with your hands until they are well combined (it should look like a thick paste). Set aside.
Place the flounder fillets onto a large board. Sprinkle the desired amount of Old Bay Seasoning onto each fillet.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions. Working one at a time, shape the portion of the stuffing into an egg shape and place it close to the tail of the fish. Then starting from the tail, roll each fillet up jelly-roll style and place it seam side down on the baking dish.
Sprinkle some more Old Bay seasoning on top, and using a pastry brush, spread some olive oil over the fillets.
Bake at 350ºF for about 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
Notes:
How to select flounder for this recipe:
For this dish, you’ll want to choose flounder fillets that are about six ounces each, without skin, and of even thickness. Since you’ll be filling and rolling them, it’s important that they are sturdy enough not to tear during the prep or cooking.
Make sure to check each fillet for small pin bones just beneath the surface that may have been missed when the fish was filleted. Remove any before stuffing.
The spinach stuffing:
This spinach stuffing is delicious and goes great with lots of other dishes. Its creamy, gooey texture makes it perfect for different meats and fish, and the mild taste of the spinach complements many other ingredients. I like the slight saltiness of the feta, but if you prefer, you could substitute Parmesan cheese instead. This stuffing is really versatile.
Bacon Wrapped Bluefish
Ingredients:
4 (5-oz.) skinless, boneless bluefish fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8-12 slices bacon
8 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Heat oven to 425°. Season bluefish lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap each bluefish fillet crosswise with 2–3 strips bacon and tuck two sprigs thyme in between the bacon and each fillet; set aside.
Coat the bottom of a small baking dish with 1 tbsp. oil and place the fillets in the dish. Drizzle fish with remaining olive oil. Bake until fillets are cooked through and bacon is crispy, about 12 minutes. Set oven to broil to crisp bacon, if necessary.
Blackened Drum
Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes:
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Green Beans:
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ½ pounds green beans, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Blackened Drum:
1 cup Cajun blackening spice
1 tablespoon kosher salt, if needed
6 skinless black drum fillets
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
Herb Butter, recipe follows, for serving
Herb Butter:
1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice plus 2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
For the sweet potatoes: Heat a large skillet over high heat until smoking hot. Add the grapeseed oil and then the sweet potatoes. Allow the potatoes to sear for 2 to 3 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium. Toss the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the molasses, chili powder and cayenne and toss to coat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
For the green beans: Bring a large pot of water (seasoned with 2 tablespoons salt per gallon of water) to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath to shock the beans. Add about one-quarter of the beans to the boiling water (you don’t want to add so many beans that the water loses the boil) and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the beans from the water with a skimmer and shock in the ice bath. Repeat until all of the beans are cooked. Remove the beans from the ice bath and dry with a towel.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Melt the butter and then add the green beans. Saute the green beans until tender and slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
For the blackened drum: Combine the blackening spice and salt, reducing or omitting the salt as needed (taste the spice mix first as some brands already have salt added). Spread the spice mixture on a plate and coat each side of the fish fillets.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the grapeseed oil, gently lay the fish in the skillet and sear until the spices have blackened and formed a nice crust on the fish, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently flip the fish and sear on the second side for 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from the pan and allow the fillets to rest for a few minutes before plating.
For serving: Mound some of the sweet potatoes in the center of 6 plates. Place the green beans on top of the sweet potatoes and then top each plate with a fillet of fish. Top the fish with some Herb Butter and serve while the butter is melting over the hot fish.
Herb Butter:
Combine the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Black Sea Bass with Garden Salsa
Ingredients:
1 ½ to 2 lbs. black sea bass fillets (check fillets carefully for pin bones), skin on, descaled
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the salsa
2 medium tomatoes diced (or about 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved)
1 jalapeno seeded and finely diced (if you prefer more heat, keep the seeds in)
1/4 medium red onion diced
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For serving
1 lime cut into wedges
Sea salt
Directions:
Preheat grill to high heat. Clean and oil grates well (this will help prevent the fish from sticking). Pat fish dry with a paper towel. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, cumin, garlic and black pepper on both sides. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, cumin and pepper. Stir well. Add more salt to taste, if needed. Set aside.
Place black sea bass on the grill, skin side down. Grill until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Flip halfway through cooking time. These fillets tend to be thin, so they will cook quickly. Remove from grill. Spoon salsa over fish. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Serve with lime wedges and additional salsa. You can also sprinkle with feta cheese, for a salty, briny twist.
Notes:
Black sea bass fillets tend to have quite a few pin bones. Prior to grilling check fillets carefully and pull out any pin bones with a tweezer or your fingers.
You can also score the skin prior to grilling to prevent the flesh and skin from curling up, but this is optional.
Sheet-Pan Mediterranean Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. large shrimp, peeled
1 bunch fresh asparagus
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole red onion, sliced
2 tsp. each, oregano and smoked paprika
1 pinch sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 whole lemon, juiced
1 cup black olives, pitted
1 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or parsley
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450F degrees.
In a large bowl season the shrimp with 2 tbsp. olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, oregano and juice from lemon.
Trim and wash the asparagus, then lay them flat on the baking sheet. Season with 1 tbsp olive oil. Place seasoned shrimp on top of asparagus and top with sliced red onions. Bake for 10 minutes in the middle rack. Shrimp is cooked when the edges start to turn golden brown.
Remove shrimp from oven and top with feta, olives and fresh cilantro or parsley, drizzle with remaining olive oil and serve
Notes
Note: If your shrimp is looking pale after cooking for 10 minutes try broiling for 1-2 minutes until they start to turn golden.
Broiled Lobster Tail
Ingredients:
4 lobster tails (10 oz each)
1/4 cup salted butter melted
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Directions:
If tails are frozen, thaw them overnight in the fridge, or in a bag submerged in cold water on the counter for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to broil (500 degrees F). Rinse the defrosted lobster shells. Set the oven rack such that lobster tails placed on a baking sheet would be 4 to 5 inches away from the broiler.
Butterfly the lobster tails. Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of the shell lengthwise, starting from the end opposite the tail fins, continuing down until you reach the tail but without cutting the tail. You want to cut through the top of the shell, but don’t cut through the bottom shell. Use your thumbs and fingers to spread open the shell on top, then gently pull the lobster meat upward, separating it away from the bottom shell, leaving the end attached to the tail fin intact. Slightly push together the empty shell underneath and place the row of meat on top. Place the butterflied lobster tail onto the baking sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Brush the butter mixture over the lobster meat.
Broil the lobster tails until the meat is opaque and lightly browned, about 1 minute per ounce of individual tail. (For example, broil for 10-ounce lobster tails for 10 minutes.) §
