Fish

Ingredients
2 white fish fillets, about 6 ounces each, at room temperature (I used tilapia, any mild white fish would work well.)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon basil pesto
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons mayonnaise (Not the fat free sort, please.)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray or olive oil. 

2. Combine pine nuts, cheese, garlic, pesto, and mayonnaise in a mini chopper or food processor.  Process until chopped but still chunky.  (You could also chop the pine nuts and garlic with a knife then stir everything together.)

3. Spread topping mixture evenly over top of fish.  Bake fish 10 to 15 minutes, or until fish is firm to the stop and crust mixture has started to lightly brown.  Serve hot. 

Comments
This recipe is from Kalyn’s Kitchen and it was fantastic!  The flavors were all grand and I was super pleased with how it turned out.  I doubled the recipe with no problem and the leftovers were just as delicious as the original dinner portions. 

Shown here with Pasta with Arugula Pesto and Cherry-Tomato Sauce.

Internet - Kalyn’s Kitchen

Ingredients
For fish
2 pounds tilapia fillets
1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
Olive oil

For mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Cut tilapia into half-inch wide sticks. 

2. Set up three large, shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put flour in the first bowl, beaten eggs in the second, and panko in the third.

3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Dredge fish fingers in flour mixture, shaking excess into bowl so just a light coating remains; dip in eggs and turn to coat evenly; then dredge in panko, turning several times to coat evenly. Set breaded tilapia fingers on baking sheet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

4. Line a plate with paper towels and set by the stove. Heat olive oil in large, nonstick pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, place first batch of tilapia fingers in pan and cook until first side is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until done, about 2 minutes more. Transfer fish fingers to plate with paper towels and let sit for a minute to drain any excess oil. Continue to cook fish in batches until done.

5. Mix mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Serve with fish sticks. 

Comments
This recipe is from Once Upon a Chef.  I always joke to Lance that we’ll be having fish sticks for dinner, so I finally decided to follow through on that “threat” and find a recipe for them.  Panko works wonderfully here and the sticks were delicious and crispy.  I heated up the leftovers the next day in a 350*F oven and they were still great. 

The mayonnaise is a total cheater version of Aioli, but it was tasty nonetheless.  Feel free to make it from scratch if you’d like.

Internet - Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients
1 can (around 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
¹⁄₂ teaspoon Sriracha
Salt and pepper
¹⁄₂ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
¹⁄₄ cup panko
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions
1. To make sauce: Combine coconut milk, 1 tablespoon lime juice, honey and Sriracha in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 to 10 minures.  Season sauce with salt to taste. 

2. Preheat oven to 375*F. 

3. Combine coconut, panko, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper in small bowl.  Toss well and then spread mixture on large plate. 

4. Brush the top sides of salmon with remaining lime juice.  Season fillets with salt and pepper.  Working one piece at a time, dip the top side of each piece in the coconut mixture, making sure the surface is well-coated, patting mixture onto fish if necessary to adhere. 

5. Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Carefully place salmon coating side down in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned.  Carefully flip fish over and cook another 3 minutes.  Transfer skillet into oven and bake until salmon is firm to the touch and the interior is flaky but still moist, 2 to 6 minutes.  (Or until an instant read thermometer reaches 130*F.) 

6. Serve salmon topped with Coconut Chili Sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from Sippity Sup.  I thought it was great served with rice and the sauce was delicious.  I love how easy it was to bring the whole thing together.

Internet - Sippity Sup

Ingredients
2 teaspoons wasabi paste (I used 2 teaspoons wasabi powder and 1 teaspoon water.)
1 tablespoon honey
¹⁄₄ cup rice vinegar
¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil plus 1 cup for frying
¹⁄₂ cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (I used two since they were small.)
1 red onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ cup carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ pound angel hair pasta, cooked until tender and tossed in 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks
Creole seasoning or Emeril’s Essence
16 wonton wrappers, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Combine wasabi, honey and vinegar in a small large bowl.  Whisk well.  Slow drizzle ¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil and sesame oil into bowl, whisking until the dressing emulsifies.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in cilantro. 

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add bell pepper and onion.  Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add carrots and cabbage.  Cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.  Transfer to bowl with dressing and stir in garlic.  Add pasta to bowl and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Season tuna with Creole seasoning and heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, sear the tuna for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan.

4. Heat remaining cup vegetable oil in medium saucepan over high heat.  When hot, fry sliced wontons until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate to drain.

5. To serve, place salad in center of plate.  Top with tuna and friend wontons.

Comments
This recipe is from Emeril of the Food Network and it was probably the meal I was most looking forward to in the week’s meal plan. And it was an awesome dish even with subpar quality tuna!  I think that salmon would work just as well in the dish, so if you have better access to that than to tuna, go ahead and make the substitution. 

Sadly, it reminded me that honey falls under the fructose malabsorption umbrella, so I’ll need to substitute sugar for the honey next time I make it.

Internet - Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh dill

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 250*F. 

2. Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle each piece with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.  Place a sprig of dill on top of each piece.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove dill before serving.

Comments
This recipe is from Tiny Urban Kitchen and it seemed like it might solve my problem of baked salmon always being too dried out.  And it did solve that problem!  The salmon was very moist and perfect.  The dill infused every bite.  Even microwaved leftovers were moist and delicious.  This might be my new go-to method for baking salmon! 

Shown here with Cauliflower Pasta Casserole.

Internet - Tiny Urban Kitchen

Ingredients
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons soy sauce
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
1 bunch green onions, cut into thin sticks

Instructions
1. Whisk together mustard, soy sauce, 6 tablespoons oil and garlic in a small bowl.  Drizzle half of the marinade over the salmon and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

2. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Place salmon skin-side down in skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish.  Turn carefully with wide spatula and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. 

3. Transfer fist to a plate, skin side down, and spoon reserved marinade over top.  Allow fish to rest for 10 minutes.  Garnish with green onion and serve. 

Comments
I found this recipe on the blog “What’s Cookin, Chicago?”  Thankfully the blogger referenced the original source for the recipe because it was missing a few instructions! The recipe is originally from Ina Garten and calls for grilling.  The blog recipe called for baking and I opted for something in the middle with pan searing.  I have never quite mastered baking salmon so the skillet was the way to go. 

Lance and I both really enjoyed this, even the leftovers the next day!  The sauce was tasty with the flavors of soy and mustard.  It was also an extremely easy dish to bring together thanks to the small number of ingredients called for – this is always a plus in my book. 

Shown here with Rice Cooker Ginger Green Rice which, by the way, went with the fish wonderfully.

Internet - What’s Cookin, Chicago?

Ingredients
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoons ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large tomato, chopped
¹⁄₄ red onion, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced

Instructions
1. Preheat broiler.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place salmon fillets, skin side down on baking sheet.  Drizzle fillets with 1 tablespoon olive oil, half of the lime juice, garlic, and coriander.  Season with salt and pepper.  Broil for 10 minutes, or until salmon is done and flakes easily with a fork.

2. In a small bowl combine tomato, red onion, remaining olive oil and lime juice, and parsley. 

3. Top salmon with salsa and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the blog titled “and then I do the dishes.”  Sadly I made it when I was sick so nothing tasted very good.  Lance enjoyed it, and leftovers, so I might give it another go when I’m able to taste things. 

Shown here with Golden Summer Squash with Dill and Chèvre.

Internet - And Then I Do the Dishes

Ingredients
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced, about 1 to 2 cups
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoon peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¹⁄₄ cup mirin
¹⁄₄ cup plus 3 tablespoons sake
¹⁄₄ cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets

Instructions
1. Combine cucumber, onion, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let sit 30 minutes. 

2. Combine mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and let cool. 

3. Season salmon with salt and pepper.  Heat remaining tablespoon oil in large skillet over high heat.  Cook salmon 3 to 4 minutes on each side until salmon is done and flakes easily.   Brush glaze over salmon during last 2 minutes of cooking.  Serve salmon topped with extra glaze and relish. 

Comments
I think this dish is one of the best and tastiest that I’ve made in a while.  I loved the glaze with the salmon but the cucumber-green onion relish was just perfect.  I think I ended up with 1 cup or so of green onions and 1 to 2 cups of cucumbers.  The relish tasted fresh and summery.  This recipe is from Bobby Flay and I served it with brown rice.   When heating up leftovers, if you have them, make to just heat the salmon and not the relish.

Internet - Bobby Flay

Ingredients
For the dressing
2 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon sesame oil

For assembly
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon black pepper 

Instructions
1. To prepare dressing, combine dressing 6 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  (You could also blend the dressing ingredients with an immersion blender.)

2. To assemble dish:  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  Serve fish with dressing. 

Comments
This [recipe](http://find.my(recipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215929) is from Cooking Light and I thought this was great.  The delicate flavor of the tilapia went nicely with the assertive flavors of the Asian-inspired dressing.  Lance, however, didn’t care for the flavor and we’re not entirely sure why.  The result is that I doubt I’ll be making this again, but I sure did enjoy the leftovers. 

Shown here with Turnip Gratin.

Cooking Light

Ingredients
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Country Dijon Mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil plus more for salmon
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced, or 2 teaspoons dried dill
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

2. Combine mustards, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons olive oil, dill and garlic in a small bowl. 

3. Place salmon on prepared baking sheet, skin-side down. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle about 1 teaspoon olive oil over each salmon piece.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving with sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from Life’s Ambrosia.  Lance and I both found the fish to be a bit too dry, so that’s something I should work on in the future.  I seem to have trouble getting salmon perfectly cooked in the oven – it’s much easier in a skillet.  The solution here is for me to actually look up temperatures and use my handy-dandy thermometer until I get the timing right. 

The sauce, however, was fantastic.  It was very strong with garlic and mustard.  Not the sort of sauce you want to glop on top of the fish before testing first! 

Shown here with Mashed Potato and Turnip Cakes with Onions and Kale.

Internet - Life’s Ambrosia