coconut fish curry

09 Monday Dec 2013

Tags

claypot cooking, coconut, curry, fish, fish curry, Indian cuisine

I was browsing through my Clay Pot Cooking cookbook and this recipe caught my eye. This warm spicy dish was perfect on cold winter’s evening and I will definitely add this recipe to my list of favorites! I used red snapper this time around since that is what I happen to have in my freezer.

Coconut Fish Curry

4 thick fish fillets, such as cod or halibut, cut in half crosswise

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or mustard oil

1 tablespoon mustard seeds (optional)

2 onions, halved and sliced lengthwise

about 2 cups coconut milk, heated

2 red chilies, seeded and sliced

salt and freshly ground pepper

sprigs of cilantro to serve

For the ginger chile marinade:

2 tablespoons chile oil

2 tablespoons ginger puree

2 teaspoons crushed fennel seeds

To make the marinade, mix the oil, ginger and crushed fennel seeds in a shallow dish. Rub the fish with the turmeric then place in the chile oil mixture. Set aside to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds (if using). Cook until they begin to pop. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and golden. Add the fish and cook at a high heat for about 2 minutes. Season to taste.

Add the coconut milk, the remaining marinade and the red chiles. Bring to a boil then transfer to a warmed, glazed clay pot (I used a dutch oven). Simmer in a preheated oven at 450*F for 5-10 minutes until the fish is done. Serve with Jasmine rice with sprigs of cilantro. Enjoy!

Resource:

Petersen-Schepelern, P. (1999). From Tandoori to Tagine: Claypot Cooking. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books

dry marinades enhance the flavor of your meat dishes

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

beef, dry marinade, dry rub, fish, herb, lamb, marinade, meat, mixed spice, poultry, spice

Liquid marinades made with citrus juice, vinegar or wine are marvelous for breaking down the muscle fiber in tougher cuts of meat and for adding flavor. But here’s the rub: Delicate fish can disintegrate in acidic liquids, and naturally tender cuts of meat need only a flavor boost- not tenderizing. ~Annette Gooch for the Edmonton Journal

On November 4th, 1999, I clipped an article from the Edmonton Journal written by Annette Gooch. It was entitled “Massage food with dried herbs to enhance flavors”. Although I often used a variety of liquid marinades to flavor my meats and vegetables, I was not familiar with the concept of a ‘dry rub’ or ‘dry marinade’. I started with the pork rub for ribs and was hooked. I have since tried the spice mixtures for lamb, beef and fish and have enjoyed them all.

A better technique for flavoring such foods is to treat them to a gentle massage with dried herbs and spices. Not only does a dry marinade enhance flavor without the need for liquid, during the cooking the spice-and-herb coating turns appealingly crusty, sealing in the juices. ~Annette Gooch for the Edmonton Journal

Of course, you can buy handy jars of spice mixtures in your grocery stores and gourmet food shops but I like to make mine from scratch as I usually have all of the ingredients on hand and can then claim that there is more ‘love’ in my dish! I also like to use many of the herbs and spices that have been gathered from my own garden and dried. Small jars of handmade herb-and-spice blends would make nice stocking stuffers or added to gift baskets.

Yesterday, Chayton’s grandma and grandpa came over for supper and we enjoyed some fresh Northern Pike caught locally by grandpa Dale, who expertly filets the fish so that there are (almost!) no bones. For this special treat I used the fish rub blend; a spicy blackened Cajun-style which is pan-fried just before serving.

Fish Rub

2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon tarragon

1 teaspoon basil

2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mix all ingredients together and massage into the fish. The longer the dry rub remains on the fish before cooking, the stronger the flavors. Note: Reduce or omit the cayenne if you do not want the fish to be too spicy.

I look forward to sharing more dry rub recipes with you. In the meantime… Enjoy!

…then Mediterranean fish soup on Sunday

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

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Tags

appetizer, fish, fish soup, Mediterranean, mussels, soup

After a long hiatus I am finally, FINALLY back- and here to stay! Thank you, dear readers, for your patience, comments and encouragement to keep writing and sharing and posting. I will fill you in on my absence in the next post and am looking forward to catching up with you all. Although I have been away, there has been much to share! In the meantime, here is what B and I did with the rest of those delicious mussels…

Mediterranean Fish Soup

The fish:

2 ½ lbs mixed fish of your choice. You can also add prawns, mussels, clams, scallops, squid, etc. for color and texture.

The soup base:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced

2 leeks, white part only, sliced

2 stalks fennel

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 potato, diced

3 cloves garlic

6 cups water

1 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

Strip of orange peel

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Sea salt

Pepper

The garnish:

Croutons of baguette fried in olive oil the rubbed with garlic.

Instructions:

Wash and chop the fish into 1-inch cubes.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, carrot, leeks and fennel slowly until softened. Add the tomatoes, potato and garlic and cook gently for 14 minutes. Add the water and wine, saffron threads, orange peel and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup in individual bowls with a couple of croutons in each. You can also top the soup with freshly grated Gruyere cheese.

Resource:

Holuigue, D. (1993). Classic Cuisine of Provence. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

fish chowder for a cold winter’s evening

25 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cod, cod chowder, fish, fish chowder, mussels, potato, saffron, soup

After an hour of shoveling and sweeping snow in sub-zero temperatures, there’s nothing better than coming in to the warm cabin, the air humid and fragrant with a stew or chowder simmering on the stove and freshly baked bread… I love the balance of garden potato and cod in this recipe.

Fish Chowder

1 pound cod fillets (or any firm white fish), washed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 dozen mussels, washed and de-bearded (Note: I didn’t have these on hand this time around but they are lovely in this chowder)

1 pound red potatoes, diced with skins left on

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups milk (I use almond milk)

1 can clam nectar or clam juice

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons butter

2 onions, thinly sliced

very small pinch saffron

1 teaspoon dried thyme

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a pot of boiling salted water, boil the potatoes until just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Rinse and drain the water.

In a small bowl, add the saffron the 1 tablespoon of milk and set aside.

In a large soup pot, put cream, milk, clam nectar, thyme and bay leaf. Allow to warm on low heat.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter and saute onions on medium heat until translucent. Add cooked onions and potatoes to the soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the fish and mussels and the saffron. Cover and let simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until mussels are open and fish is firm to the touch. Discard the bay leaf. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with fresh bread.

pickerel in brown butter sauce

28 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in buy local, cook

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

brown butter, brown rice, fish, lemon, pickerel, pickerel in brown butter sauce

Pickerel is such an easy fish to prepare and eat. It’s not too fishy, has a nice firm flesh and goes with any side side I can think of. Here is another great recipe from High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine. This is a simple yet flavorful way of preparing your pickerel. I double the amount of lemon juice in the sauce as I like mine very ‘lemony’. Today, I served the fish on a bed of brown rice with a side of salad.

Pickerel in Brown Butter Sauce

1/2 cup flour (I use spelt flour or whatever freshly milled flour I have on hand)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1-1/2 lb. pickerel fillets

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup butter

juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Combine flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a shallow dish. Dredge the pickerel fillets in the seasoned flour, coating both sides well and shaking off any excess flour.

Heat canola oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When fat is sizzling, add the fish and panfry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Remove fish from pan and serve on a warm platter. Add remaining butter to pan and cook until it begins to brown. Mix in lemon juice and parsley then immediately pour sauce over fish and serve. Enjoy!

Resource:

Chavich, C. (2001). High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine. Calgary, AB: Fifth House, Ltd.

moroccan fish pie

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bake, fish, halibut, moroccan cooking, moroccan fish pie, phyllo pastry, pie, snapper, sole

I’ve been making this pie for years and it has never failed to produce a light, elegant meal. I found this recipe in an old May/June issue of Australia Vogue: Entertaining + Travel magazine. The issue must be at least 10 years old and I still keep it on my cookbook shelf as there are so many good recipes and ideas in that issue. If you’ve never worked with phyllo pastry before, it truly is very easy and the end result is buttery and crisp. I have used red snapper, sole and halibut- depending on what I could find that was fresh in the grocery store. This dish is a personal favorite!

Moroccan Fish Pie

4 medium snapper fillets

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely

½ cup loosely packed coriander leaves (cilantro)

½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

very finely grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

about 6-8 sheets phyllo pastry

¼ cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a gentle simmer and poach the snapper over a low to medium heat until just cooked. Drain and set aside to cool.

When cool, remove the skin and flake the flesh into a bowl, then stir in the spices, garlic, coriander and parsley leaves, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Season to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Lay out the phyllo pastry and cover it with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. Lay out a sheet of the phyllo on a work surface and cut in half. Lightly butter six shallow pie or tartlet plates, or 4 deeper ramekins. With a pastry brush, lightly butter each phyllo square on both sides and place in each pie plate. Repeat the process with three pieces of pastry at a different angle so that the corners don’t match up.

Divide the fish pie filling into 6 (or four- depending on how many pie plates or ramekins you have) equal portions. Spoon filling into each pie plate then place a phyllo square on top on this and butter it lightly. Fold the edges of the pie inwards to sit on top of the pastry top. Again, lightly brush with butter. Repeat the process with each pie. Place the pies on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a salad on the side and a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc… Enjoy!