Fish Fest – And I’m Not Talking About A Big Christian Rock Concert

Something new has been a brewin’ here in my kitchen and I confess that it’s kind of a mind blower. I have been diving into “clean eating”, and I must say, I am loving it!

I have always been about healthy and real, but the “clean” thing I just didn’t get. Not being one to follow the crowd, I resisted the whole fad. I downright dismissed it as something that didn’t / wouldn’t fit with my food philosophy. I know, right, who in their right mind has a food philosophy?! For me, it’s really more of a gut take on food and strongly held beliefs about its place in my life from the pure pleasure of taste to the abstract notion of socializing around a good table. I am also an adamant resister of deprivation; and I perceived the whole “clean eating” trend as all about legalistic deprivation.

So here is where I do the HUGE shout out to Francesca Gadaleta Giessmann and The Nourishing Seed. I met the lovely Francesca because our small people play water polo together. She invited me to her Spring Detox and it was at that moment that “clean eating” took on a whole new meaning to me. I GOT it. And the greatest thing is that she makes “clean” fun, delicious, and without deprivation. Let me just repeat that last tidbit – there is no deprivation.

As I have been exploring the great recipes found in Francesca’s Spring Detox Guide, I have also been having a ball assessing some of my own new recipes and determining their “cleanliness”. Ha – I love that expression; just makes me think like Lysol and Clorox and not kale and halibut.

Rather than my one recipe show that you usually get with each post, I give you a trio of fish recipes that are sure to please any clean eater. On the docket we have African Adobo Rubbed Tuna Steaks, Slow Baked Salmon with Lemon & Thyme, and Moroccan Halibut.

The African Adobo Rubbed Tuna Steaks have three main elements: the adobo rubbed tuna, a bed of English hothouse cucumbers, and a topping of avocado salsa. I started the adobo (a fancy name for spice rub) by mixing together a slew of spices.

I put the rub aside and set to work on the salsa. I diced 2 avocado, chopped some scallions and minced some garlic.

I then chopped up a couple of roasted red peppers and added them to the avocado mixture.

I whisked together some fresh OJ, fresh lime juices, and some olive oil and seasoned that with salt and pepper. I poured that over the avocado mixture and set aside in the fridge.

For the cucumbers, I whisked together some champagne vinegar and a tad of sugar (yikes, I know, but it was only a tad). Then I thinly sliced the cukes and tossed them in the vinaigrette. I let them stand for at least 15 minutes allowing the flavors to blend.

Back to the tuna, I rubbed the steaks with the adobo very generously.

I heated a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until it was smoking and then added the tuna steaks – cooking only about a minute per side for a nice medium rare steak.

I plated it all up by first putting down a bed of cucumbers, the sliced tuna steak to the side and then the avocado salsa to top it all off.

On to our number two contender in the FishFest lineup – Slow Baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme. This recipe is so easy it’s ridiculous, but you would never guess that from how tasty it is.

I started by lining a cooking sheet with foil and preheating my oven to 275 degrees. I brushed the foil with a little olive oil and placed the salmon filets on top. Then I mixed a little more olive oil, some chopped fresh thyme, and some freshly grated lemon zest. I spread the thyme – lemon mixture over the salmon fillets and then seasoned with salt and pepper.

I let that stand for about 10 minutes for the flavors to permeate the salmon and then baked about 17 minutes.

I served this up with some polenta topped with steamed spinach and goat cheese and some roasted carrots.

Last up on our roster is the Moroccan Halibut. This one, like the salmon, is so easy and yet so flavorful.

I started by just sprinkling both sides of the halibut with salt and pepper. Then I generously sprinkled the fish with cayenne pepper and cinnamon.

I then heated a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet, added the halibut, and sauteed until golden and opaque in center; about 4 – 5 minutes per side.

I served this one up with swiss chard (a great recipe from The Nourishing Seed) and roasted carrots (yes, we love our roasted carrots ’round here).

So there you have it – – – a trio of super tasty, super easy, and super healthy fish recipes. Just think, you can serve up some fish for the next three weeks without having to scour through oodles and oodles of recipes. Oh, and you can casually tell your friends, “Yep, I’m eating clean.” (WINK)

Here are the complete recipes:

Adobo Rubbed Tuna Steaks

Slow Baked Salmon with Lemon & Thyme

Moroccan Halibut

~ all recipes adapted from Epicurious

Catching Up on the Backlog 3: Broiled Salmon with Citrus Yogurt Sauce

Posted by Tricia in Main Courses and tagged with broiled salmon, cirtus, citrus sauce, greek yogurt, lime, salmon, salmon recipes, Yogurt October 9, 2013

It’s actually chilly! I repeat . . . it’s actually chilly. This statement might not mean much to many, but to this SoCal girl transplanted from Ohio, this is cause for much rejoicing. A fall day that feels like fall.

I won’t go on about the weather any longer because we are technically in the “recipe, and only the recipe” series. Let me just add that if it actually rains, as per the weather forecast, I may become giddy.

This new salmon recipe recently made me giddy because it was just SO easy. To start with, I tossed together the citrus yogurt sauce. A little Greek yogurt, some olive oil, some grated lime zest, fresh squeezed lime juice, some orange zest, a little fresh squeezed orange juice, a bit of salt, and some honey – that’s all this great sauce requires.

I just whisked that all together, along with a little water, and put it aside while I broiled my salmon.

For the salmon, I just rinsed it and patted it dry, placed it on a foil lined broiling pan, and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

I broiled the fish for about 7 minutes, then covered with some foil, and broiled another 7 minutes until it was cooked through. I served with the citrus sauce, some roasted broccolini, brown rice, and roasted tomato slices, and called it a day .

Here’s the complete Broiled Salmon with Citrus Yogurt Sauce recipe from Gourmet.

Truth or Dare – Leek & Salmon Pot Pie

Posted by Tricia in Main Courses and tagged with fish recipe, Leeks, pot pie, Recipe, salmon, salmon and leek pot pie, salmon recipes, truth or dare August 22, 2013

Heaven help us . . . we have entered into the phase of Truth or Dare. In general, we’re not much for sleepovers round here. But hey, it’s summer, and as one last treat for Big Little One and Medium Little One we decided to whoop it up with a slumber party. Two friends plus my two and we have a squealing, giggling, chattering overnight adventure.

First we hit the pool. Then dinner. Then movie watching in the treehouse. These were all somewhat parent directed, or at least suggested, activities. Then after the movie, out it came in all of its glory – dun, dun, dun – Truth or Dare. Absolutely no parental guidance heeded here.

Now though I would like to raise a wise eyebrow on this one and suggest the dangers of carrying out dares that could later lead to embarrassment, I just can’t. I so fondly remember my Truth or Dare days. Specifically I recall wearing a Richard Simmons wig and doing leg lifts in the middle of the street while my friends held the boom box (yes, I just said boom box) that was blasting music from Flash Dance. We reeled with laughter and doubled over because our sides hurt from it. It still makes me smile to think of that moment in time. It was pure silliness. Pure abandon. Pure naivety. So I table my eyebrow raising, and let the dares just run wild. I pretend not to hear them downstairs as one pees in the baby’s training potty (that one gets points for creativity!) I call them back on the number they used to prank call me and ask for 12 pairs of the polka dot underwear they are selling. They roar from the bedroom down the hall and I hope that they are soaking up this time of side-holding hilarity. I hope they will have a moment like my Richard Simmons one that will stick with them forever and will remind them of good friends and what a good belly laugh really feels like.

Sure, I continue to enjoy a good laugh here and there with close friends. I haven’t completely lost my sense of humor here in middle age. But it’s just not the same kind of rollicking, double-you-over, can not catch your breath laughter. It’s usually a giggle here and there while sipping a glass of wine or a good cocktail and enjoying a flavorful dinner of some kind like this Salmon and Leek Pot Pie I made the other night.

The leeks caught me eye at the Farmer’s Market and I bought them and then just took it from there.

I cleaned and sliced the leeks, and then sauteed in some olive oil until they were tender.

I cut the salmon into bite-sized chunks and then tossed the salmon and leeks with some grated lime zest, dill, salt, and pepper.

I took a Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust which I had let defrost and unfolded it into a glass pie plate. As an aside, this crust ranks quite well on the real food ingredient scale – enriched flour, butter, palm oil, water and salt. (Palm oil is very high in saturated fat, but it has zero trans fats.) I spread the salmon and leek mixture into the crust.

I covered it with the second crust and crimped the pie edges together and trimmed it close to the pie plate. Then I mixed up a little egg and water wash, and brushed it over the top crust. I baked it in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the crust was golden brown.

I love my leeks and now I am excited to have found a good use for the salmon that I always have left over from my Costco filet purchase – never enough to make a full second meal of salmon alone, but too much to not use in something.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s just way too much laughter in the other room. That friend-memory making-truth or dare spiel is all well and good, but these girls have to get to sleep at some point . . .

Here’s the complete recipe for Leek & Salmon Pot Pie, adapted from Gourmet.