Crunchy Lemon Pepper Tilapia

I don't have a recipe for this or really very many shots, but I'm trying to keep my posting momentum going so I figured I'd share. Plus I got a couple decent pics and it tasted awesome. I whipped it up on the spur of the moment because I was trying to figure out what to do with this tiny egg. It was in a half dozen fresh farm eggs my brother gave me but it was too little for baking or scrambling or anything. So I breaded fish with it. The breading was just fresh crumbs, dry lemon peel, lots cracked black pepper and some salt. Basic flour, egg, crumbs deal, then I let it chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes or so. I've found that really helps it keep the coating. But then just a little oil in a hot anodized aluminum pan (perfect for this, I love those pans), fry, flip and lunch. A little homemade tartar sauce on the side and I was a happy camper. The only thing I was missing was some kind of side dish, maybe a salad of some stripe. Ah well, next time.

Speaking of upcoming times, I have a whole bunch of cool stuff to post about once I get my long post writing mojo up and running. My brother recently made eclairs, I've got a killer meatloaf and some mini shepherds pies to name a few. Maybe now that the heat is lessening I'll be less inclined to hibernate. Heh.

Camera Cleanup #11

Wow it's been a while, sorry about that. Although these days there's so much good food reading on the net I suppose I don't need to apologize. Heh. Anyway, I haven't been posting because I haven't really been cooking much. Too hot mostly, but I also don't really like cooking for one. I mean there's only so many sandwiches a dude can post, especially since they aren't always as creative as some I have made. I doubt folks really want to hear "ate another turkey sandwich. It was pretty good", you know?

I've also had some writers block, although that sounds a bit too grand for referring to blogging. But there it is. Anyway, I do have some pictures, why not share them?

Let's start with breakfast, that seems appropriate. Mmmm, pecan sticky bun. This is another pizza dough thing, but what I did was make a rope of dough that I coated with sugar, apple pie spice, pecans and a little butter. Then I coiled it, put it in a covered bowl and let it rise in the fridge over night. The next morning I baked it and it was awesome.

For lunch, how about some fish I made. I think it's tilapia, if not then it's mahi mahi, those are the only fish I've had lately. I remember using Mexican spices, I think maybe even the same ones I did this with. The rice was some leftover white rice I had that I tossed in to the pan after cooking the fish making a kind of fried rice thing. Oh and I put some cilantro in it, seemed the thing to do.

I thought this was kind of weird, see the size difference in the yolks? Well the little ones on the left came from the same egg, which was itself shaped strangely. It was wicked long and narrow. Yeah, it's not really that exciting. Heh.

And for dinner? Might I suggest some roast chicken? I pretty much used the same method for this as I did for the roasted half chicken. The big difference being, clearly, this was a split breast and not a half a chicken. It was, however, fantastic.

Alright then, there it is. Hopefully this is indicative of me getting my groove back. Is that something a white guy is allowed to do? Perhaps I should get back on the horse, but I'm no equestrian. Maybe put my shoulder to the wheel? I don't know, something. Start posting again, anyway.

I Know, I Know

I'm a bad blogging guy. I made promises of a post related nature and didn't then actually, you know, post. To partly make up for it here is a picture of tuna noodle casserole. No recipe, just the picture. I don't feel that bad. Heh. And I don't have a recipe for it, I just put a bunch of stuff in a pot (it's one pot too!) and then baked it. On allergy medicine. So my memory is a bit blurry, although I do remember it was wicked good.

Another way I'm going to make up my post shortfall to you guys is what I'm making for lunch right now. It's pizza, inspired by a ridiculous sub called steak mafioso. It is also wicked good, I'll be posting about it Monday. Or Tuesday. Probably. Here's another picture of the casserole. Thank you for your time.

My Favorite Tuna Melt

So my brothers house is a mixed bag, lighting wise. Sometimes the lighting is awesome, sometimes it sucks. The problem is the lighting is best in the morning, when I'm not really doing much cooking. So that's why these pictures of this kick ass tuna melt are kind of crappy. But it was still wicked good, doesn't it look it? Instead of doing it grilled cheese style I took a roll and put the tuna on one half and the cheese on the other. Then I popped it into the toaster oven until browned and delightful.
When you do it this way the tuna gets some browning too and it's just lovely. Hm, I just realized I don't think I've shared my tuna salad recipe here. Well, that's a post for another day. I'm tired and need more coffee.

Something Else to Do With Pizza Dough: Pita Bread

It's true, you can make pita with pizza dough. Ok, it's not quite the same, but it's pretty close. and works just fine for filling with salad or whatever you happen to want pita for. I filled mine with lettuce, onion and some jerk mahi mahi.

Last time I made the jerk mahi mahi I didn't put enough of the rub on, but this time I did. I just rubbed until I couldn't see fish any more through the seasonings and it worked out great. Heh.

To make the pita all you do is preheat a pizza stone or baking sheet (425 for the stone, 450 for a sheet), roll out a circle of dough about ~1/4" thick and slap it on the preheated cooking object. It bakes really fast, only about a minute or so, so you need to keep an eye on it. It should puff right up but if it doesn't just use it like a wrap instead of a pocket. Or just put some garlic butter on there and eat it out of hand. That is also good.

So who out there makes homemade pita? What's your favorite thing to put inside?

Tuna Melt Pizza

Yep.
It's exactly what you think it is. Unless you don't think it's awesome, then you're wrong. Heh. For those of you who remember when I posted about my tuna melt calzone the concept won't be especially new, but I figure it's different enough to post about.

This here is just tuna salad, spread on pizza dough, topped with cheese and some red onion. I left the onion out of the salad, since I was putting some on top. Next time I do it I'm going to make the salad a bit saucier to make it spread more easily and evenly. But probably not with mayo, too much mayo is too much. I was thinking either milk, just to thin it out or maybe sour cream would work. I bet sour cream would add a good flavor too.

I've been doing a lot of non-standard pizza lately so expect some more over the next little while. Hm, maybe I'll even make it a semi regular feature.

Fish Cakes, Take One: Simple and Easy

1 lb fish
1/4 cup bread crumbs
3/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tbl mayo
1 egg
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbls chopped, fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Pulse the fish in a food processor until coarsely chopped (or use a knife, if you're like that). Mix everything together, form 1/2 cup scoops into cakes and fry over medium/medium-high heat for about five minutes a side. Each side should be nicely browned. Serve hot.

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So, I'm back. But I'm afraid I'm not going to be quite as present in the blogosphere as I was before. See, part of why I took a break was a bit of burn out. I was spending large chunks of time every day reading, commenting and (this one is the killer) stressing the numbers too much. We've all heard the song before, I got caught up in all the glitz and glamor of food blogging that I forgot I was really just doing it for fun. Heh. So I'm going to go back to just having a good time and not worry about posting on a schedule, commenting on every blog I read or getting my pictures accepted by any of the food photo sites.

But none of that is here or there, I'm here and posting and I'm sure you kids hit that link for the fish cakes, not to listen to me complain about my lack of perspective.

So, let's talk about fish cakes. I made them on a whim, I had a mahi mahi fillet that had been sitting in the freezer for some time and it was starting to get a little freezer burned. I figured doing something where it got chopped up would probably be the best bet for rescuing it, so I decided to make fish cakes. They came out really well, especially considering I had never made them before. I looked around the net, got the general idea of how they're done and whipped these up. The recipe up top isn't exact since I only had one fillet, but it was about 1/3 of a pound so I did a little math and I'm sure you'll get something similar and tasty if you follow it.

And since this is my comeback post I even have step by steps of what I did. Can you handle the excitement? Heh.

Now, before I did anything I realized I had no bread crumbs. Which in and of itself is a refreshing change of pace, usually I find out I'm short ingredients after I've already started. So I just made some, fresh is really better anyway. Then I cut the fish into big chunks and whizzed it around in the food processor. I know, the light makes the fish look weird, but pretty much the only outlet I have in my kitchen is right next to the sink and the light there is... flawed. As you can see. Anyway, next time I'm going to whiz the fish a little less to get bigger chunks. I think that would be better. Then I just tossed it all into a bowl, mixed it up, formed cakes and fried it in more oil than was really necessary. They were wicked good. I made some hobo tartar sauce with just mayo and relish, but it wasn't very satisfactory. I'm going to have to find a recipe for it and try again. Anyone have an awesome recipe they want to share?

Anyway, there it is, fish cakes take one. There will be a take two and I'm going to bread them next time. Maybe I'll even make fish sticks, my girlfriend would like that. That's pretty much the only way she'll eat fish, even canned tuna is too much for her. Heh.

Adobo Tilapia

More fish! Can you even handle the excitement? Heh. So, in my quest to try the mildest fish there are I have come to tilapia. It was good, I definitely liked it. But I think I liked the mahi mahi better, although part of that might be that I should have put a little more seasoning on the tilapia here. What I did was I rubbed it with an adobo spice mix (I know, premade, but I was feeling lazy), squirted on the juice from half a lime, covered and refrigerated it while I made the rice. Then I just seared it.

Hey chef people, is that the proper term for what I did here? I used an anodized aluminum skillet with a little olive oil and cooked it on both sides at medium high until it was done. I would call it searing with steak, but what do I know?

Anyway, I sprinkled it with some cilantro and served it with saffron rice. It came out well, I even managed not to overcook it too much.

Jerk Mahi Mahi

mahi mahi fillets

dry rub:
3 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix together all the ingredients for the dry rub. Pat the fillets dry, rub the fish generously with the rub (you will have some leftover, unless you're making many pounds of fish) and let it marinate, refrigerated, for at least a half hour. Grill or sear it until flaky and opaque.

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So I'm sure most, if not all, of you know Dave over at My Year on the Grill. He's a madman on the grill and he just moved to the Virgin Islands. So the ladies at Our Krazy Kitchen, where he also contributes, decided to throw him a surprise, virtual beachwarming party.They invited a bunch of bloggers to post tropical recipes and they're going to do a big roundup over at their site. Fun, huh?

Now, I don't usually cook tropical kinds of stuff, but I happened to have some mahi mahi on hand. So I thought since Dave enjoys a certain amount of spicy I would make him some jerk. This is a nice, simple dry rub that's great for grilling or pan searing. I don't remember where it came from I'm afraid, so if it turns out it's your recipe let me know and I'll give props. Heh.

It could also serve as a base for a paste. Some onion would be good certainly, swap out fresh stuff for the dry herbs, add a little oil maybe, some lemon or lime juice, and it would really brighten it up. But as is it's great too. It's pretty spicy, but not nuts. You can still taste everything (which is key, I don't understand things that are so spicy you can't taste them) but it gives you a pleasant burn.

So there's my addition to the party, can't wait to see what everyone else makes. Good luck in the Islands, Dave! For some reason I'm not too worried about you. Heh.

Orange Ginger Mahi Mahi

1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp ponzu sauce
1/2 tsp crystallized ginger, minced
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 mahi mahi fillet (~1/2 lb)

Combine everything but the fillet. Cook the fillet in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes a side or until flaky and opaque. Remove the fish from the pan and pour in the sauce. Let the sauce reduce at least by half and then pour over the fish.

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I made fish! And it was good, too, dammit. Heh. For those just tuning in, I'm not really into fish. But I really wanted to try it again since it's healthy and I want to eat better. I blame my wanting to try it again on Jenn, she's always making fish and it always looks so good.

I think the main reason I'd been avoiding fish (that wasn't canned tuna) for so long is that my dad is a huge fish fan. That in and of itself is no biggie, me and my dad get along fine and I don't have any juvenile need to rebel against things he likes. But you see, the fish he likes is, well, stinky. He likes the fishiest fish he can get. And he would sometimes heat it up in the microwave which made the entire house stink. Kind of turns a dude off from it. So when I decided to try it again as an adult I went for the one of the least fishy fishes I could find, mahi mahi.

I also decided to keep it simple. A nice orange ginger sauce, just a few ingredients and an easy cooking method. It came out quite well, if I do say so myself. The greens are actually one of those premade salads from Trader Joes but I'm afraid I don't remember which one. Despite the lovely plating it all wound up getting stuffed into a pita. It's easier to eat in front of the computer that way...

So, fish. I like some of it, apparently. Expect to see more. I still don't like tofu or mushrooms though and I don't expect that's going to change any time soon. Heh.

Ponzu Tuna Salad

1 5 oz can of tuna, drained
2 tbls minced shallot
3 tbls diced red pepper
2 tbls mayonnaise
1 tsp ponzu sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
salt, if needed

Mix everything well, serve on a roll, bed of greens, sliced bread, whatever. Letting it chill for an hour or two wouldn't hurt.

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Once again Foodbuzz has come through with an awesome product sample for me. This time it's Kikkoman ponzu sauce. It's basically soy sauce with lime in it. The lime flavor is pretty subtle but it definitely does good things, I like it a lot. I figured I'd make some tuna salad with it. Not sure why, but that's what came to me. Heh. Anyway I did it and it was awesome. I even made it all fancy pants with shallot and stuff. It was quite different from my normal tuna salad and a really nice change. So who out there has used ponzu sauce? This was the first I had heard of it, what other stuff do you do with it?

Tuna Melt Calzone

1 can of tuna, drained
tsp of mayonnaise
fresh herbs
mustard
diced onion
salt and pepper
cheese
pizza dough
grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 500. Combine everything but the pizza dough and cheese. Roll out the the dough into a 10"x5" oblong. Put cheese on one half, leaving a half an inch all around the edge. Put the tuna on top of the cheese. Fold the dough over and press the edges together firmly. Fold the edges over again and press firmly. Cut vent holes in the top, brush it with olive oil and sprinkle it grated parmesan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until brown.

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Once again, I wrap something in pizza dough. This one is pretty obvious, but wicked good. I've been doing it for a while now, but usually at night so I can't get a decent picture. It's what I make when I get home from work after ten and need something quick.

First, the dressing. This is some mayo, basil, oregano, parsley, sweet onion, some of that Emeril spicy mustard that Foodbuzz sent me, salt and pepper. I like to mix it up before adding the tuna, it makes it incorporate more evenly. Like this. I accidentally put in a bit more mayo that I normally do, but you work with what you've got. Then you just follow standard calzone making procedure. Roll it out into an oblong, plop some cheese on there. I used mozzarella, since I had it, but any cheese would be good really. And then the tuna. Make sure to leave about a half an inch of space around the edges so you can seal it up. Then you just fold it it overand pinch it shut. I like to then fold the fold over and pinch it again, I've had some bad experiences with exploding seams on calzones. Then brush it with olive oil and sprinkle on some grated parm. That adds some nice texture. Don't forget to stab some vent holes in there. Forgetting that doesn't help stop your calzone from exploding. Bake it in a preheated 500 degree oven for ten minutes or so, until it's nice and brown. And there you have it, tuna melt calzone. It's weird, I'm not very into fish in general, but I love canned tuna. Go figure. You could clearly make this with any tuna salad, depending on how you like it. How do you like your tuna salad?