Light Salmon Burgers

We are always looking for tasty new fish recipes. Salmon burgers seemed retro to me at first, but this recipe from Eating Well magazine really revamped the idea. Gone is the canned salmon and the fishiness (much to my husband’s relief). Now it’s all about starting with wild-caught salmon fillets and processing them as little as possible. I have to admit, when I looked at the “patties” I thought something had gone wrong. “It’s just chunks of salmon! These are totally gonna fall apart!” I fretted. But miraculously, they stayed together pretty well, and came out simply delicious. We cooked them in garlic-infused olive oil and loved the results. Buns are optional, and the burgers would be wonderful paired with either the suggested green goddess dressing or ketchup. Without the bun and served with a dollop of the sauce, they are under 300 calories and a lovely light dinner.

Salmon Burgers

From Eating Well magazine

1 pound wild salmon fillet, skinned

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, or scallion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or canola oil

Optional: Green goddress dressing to serve Preparation: 1.With a large chef’s knife, chop salmon using quick, even, straight-up-and-down motions (do not rock the knife through the fish or it will turn mushy) until you have a mass of roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer to large bowl and gently stir in onion (or scallion), cilantro, ginger, salt and pepper, being careful not to overmix. Divide the mixture into 4 patties, about 1 inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours) before cooking. 2.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the burgers and cook until browned on both sides and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Serve with 1 tablespoon Green Goddess Sauce each. Serves 4.

Family Cioppino Fest

My mom's family is 100% Portuguese. Coming from the islands of the Azores where the local diet contains significant portions of seafood, they enjoy the fruits of the sea. My grandpa occasionally invites the extended family over for a big Cioppino Fest, and this weekend we were lucky enough to enjoy this special treat.

This year, BBQ-ed oysters were also on the menu...

Served in the shell with a tiny squirt of hot sauce.

As the food was being prepared under the covering of a sturdy patio covering, we watched the rain pour down. Portions of the roads in his neighborhood were flooded due to the inordinate amounts of precipitation. But grandpa soldiered on despite the weather.

Do you know how delicious a huge pot of steaming Cioppino broth smells on a cold, rainy day? MMM!

It only gets better once you start adding king crab legs...

Mussels and clams...

Dover sole fillets...

Calamari...

And finally, the jumbo shrimp!

Now give it a good stir with a special Cioppino spoon...


Now ladle your Cioppino into the largest bowl you can find,
and enjoy with fresh sourdough bread smothered in garlic butter!

As you can see, my grandpa makes a mean Cioppino! Many thanks to him for a great weekend, and thanks to the Portuguese and Italian fisherman of San Francisco for coming up with the idea of this delicious, fragrant, filling stew.

Panko Fish Nuggets With Potato Wedges

Can this diet bomb be lighted up and remain delicious?

The answer is yes!

Ah, Family Circle, that upbeat staple of waiting rooms, that perpetual presence on mom’s coffee table. I was flipping through this month's copy (our waiting room at the law office where I work is no exception to the rule) and saw there was a nutrition section focusing on fish. According to the article, the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week. I think that’s pretty doable - a tuna sandwich for lunch one day and fish for dinner once a week and you’re there!

The magazine offered a few family-friendly recipes featuring fish, including one I like to think of as an updated, healthier version of the traditional fish’n’chips. Instead of deep-frying the fish and potatoes, you coat the fish pieces with crunchy panko and bake them alongside potato wedges. Kids would probably enjoy these "fish nuggets" because they resemble chicken nuggets, which have all but become its own food group for American children everywhere .

Note: I substituted tilapia for the cod because it’s one of the most sustainable choices at the fish market. It came out great!

Light Fish N Chips

(or Panko Fish Nuggets with Potato Wedges)

Adapted from Family Circle

2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and each cut into 8 wedges
2 eggs
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs (preferably whole wheat)
1 1/2 lbs cod, tilapia, or other firm white fish, cut into chunks

Heat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

Place potatoes on another foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and season with sea salt and ground pepper. Bake at 450F for 30 minutes or until tender, turning after 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow glass dish. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and mustard. Place panko on a separate plate. Coat fish pieces with flour, dip in egg mixture and coat with pank. Place fish pieces and prepared baking sheet. Add pan to oven after potatoes have baked for 15 minutes. Bake fish for 15 minutes.

Serve fish with potato wedges and condiment of your choice. (We aren’t fans of mayo-based dipping sauces like tartar sauce, but we do like ketchup, honey mustard or Thai chili sauce.)

Mahimahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

We are still chipping away at the enormous pile of fish that the male members of my family caught in Mexico this summer. My favorite by far is the dorado, which I just last week discovered is more commonly known as mahi-mahi or dolphinfish.

My husband made this for dinner for me and it was good stuff. Brining white fish seems to be the hip method of choice these days, as it removes the "fishy" flavor. It can be used with any similar type of fish recipe. As for the sauce, quality bacon adds a savory umami base flavor to the tomato/butter mixture. We didn't have hot smoked paprika, so we substituted regular paprika and it worked well. Happy Omega-3 eating!

Mahimahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter

2 cups water
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 (6-ounce) mahimahi fillets
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon table salt, divided
1 slice center-cut bacon, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons butter
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish, stirring until sea salt and sugar dissolve; add fish. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain; pat dry.
2. Prepare charcoal fire in a chimney starter; let coals burn for 15 to 20 minutes or until flames die down. Carefully pour hot coals out of starter, and pile them onto one side of the grill. Coat grill grate with cooking spray; put grate in place over coals.
3. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon table salt evenly over fish. Lightly coat fish with cooking spray. Place fish, skin side down, over direct heat on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes or until well marked. Turn fish over and move to indirect heat; grill 12 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add bacon to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until bacon is almost crisp, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add paprika, and cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in butter. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon table salt. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons tomato mixture.

Fruity Fish Tacos

I still remember the first time my mom got a copy of Taste of Home magazine in the mail. At age 12, my main source of cooking advice was my mom's weathered, checkered copy of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I had made pretty good headway through that staple and was hungry for more.

I poured through the pages of this new magazine publication, taking in the comforting photos and enticing recipes. I recall one of the main themes was cherries, served all different kinds of ways. I had never seen a food magazine before, and the idea of a monthly source of new material for my culinary experimentation thrilled me.

Nowadays, I lean more towards the fresh, the whole foods, and varied ethnic influences. Often my impulse is to shy away from the heavier, convenience-oriented, processed recipes that tend to compose the pages of Taste of Home. Still, I still enjoy getting my copy each month since my mom got me a subscription for Christmas. Every now and then I find something worth investigating, and this one was killer: a light, fruity fish taco. It was a fantastic use for the dorado my husband caught on a recent fishing trip down in Baja California. Gone are the deep-fried nuggets, the cabbage slaw traditionally found in fish taco recipes. We made this version when we had company for dinner and everyone adored them.

Fruity Fish Tacos
Adapted from Taste of Home

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup cubed avocado
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp lemon juice

1 lb halibut steaks, 3/4" thick (or other firm white fish)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Shredded Bib lettuce
4 flour tortillas, 6", warmed
4 tsp sweet Thai chili sauce

COOKING DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine the mango, avocado, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, 2 tsp oil, and lemon juice; set aside. Brush halibut with remaining oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill halibut covered, over high heat or broil 3-4" from the heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Place lettuce leaves on tortillas. Top with fish and mango mixture. Drizzle with chili sauce.

Herb-Crusted Salmon with Israeli Couscous

I try to throw in new ingredients to my weekly menus to keep myself excited about cooking dinner. I was flipping through the Family Circle magazine that we keep in the lobby at work and saw this recipe (kind of - of course, I tweaked it!). It sounded like an interesting way to get our fish this week.

Israeli couscous looks like tapioca; the grains are like small balls. While my husband doesn’t care for regular couscous, he enjoyed this dish. I perked it up with a little EVOO and lemon to complement the salmon, which I served with the remaining lemon wedges.

I really liked the bread crumb coating on the fish. If you don’t have fresh dill, use a lesser amount of dried dill. I think it might also be good to use the zest from the lemon in the bread crumb mixture, but the lemon I was using had already been zested for another project. Next time!

Herb-crusted Salmon with Israeli Couscous

3/4 tsp sea salt
1 c. Israeli couscous
2 ½ T. Bread crumbs
2 T. Chopped fresh dill
4 (4oz) salmon filets
1/4 tsp. Black pepper
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oven to broil. Place nonstick foil on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Bring 1 1/4 c. water to a boil in a medium-size pot. Add ½ tsp. Of the salt and the couscous. Cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 T. Of dill, spinach, and chicken broth into cousous; let sit until spinach is wilted. Drizzle with EVOO and a squeeze of lemon.

Meanwhile, stir together bread crumbs and 1 T. Dill; set side. Sprinkle salmon with remaining 1/4 tsp. Salt and the pepper and place on prepared baking sheet. Place directly under broiler and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove salmon from oven and lower rack so it’s 6 inches from heating element. Brush salmon with mustard and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Generously spritz each fillet with olive oil and return to oven; broil 2 minutes to brown the top.

Serve salmon with side of couscous and remaining lemon wedges to squeeze over salmon.

What I Do With Dolphin-Free Tuna

My Grandpa Rocha (mom's dad) has in his life been a cattle farmer, ice cream delivery man, and now, a retired fisherman. By that, I mean that he now spends whole summers in Oregon fishing, and his frozen and home-canned fish is a hot commodity amongst family members, particularly his tuna. The reason for this is that it is the only tuna we can be 100% certain doesn't contain any baby dolphin parts mixed in with the fish.

Recently, my mom bequeathed to me one such coveted jar of tuna. Would I relegate this fish to an ordinary tuna sandwich? Nay, heaven forbid! I decided to make it into a delicious, tantalizing casserole.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com but it left a lot to be desired, both in nutrition and taste, according to come of the comments. First, I substituted whole grain pasta for the refined stuff. I cut out a lot of the butter, and added lots of spices and herbs for flavor (since some of the comments implied that it was on the bland side).

The result was pure Omega-3 nirvana. This is comfort food extraordinaire, and even if you substitute Bumblebee, you will be glad you made it. The homemade white sauce kicks the pants off anything from a box or can that you have ever tried.

Tuna Noodle Casserole From Scratch

1 T. olive oil
1 (8 oz) package uncooked medium egg noodles (preferably whole grain)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
4 T. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
lemon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
2 (6 oz) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 c. thawed frozen peas
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a medium baking dish with cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

Pour olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, parsley and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon and season with spices listed. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish.

Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs and garlic powder, and sprinkle on top of the casserole. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.