Fish

O is for Oaxacan Roasted Fish

By / A to Z Challenge, Entrée, Seafood / 1 Comment /

Oaxaca is the south western region of Mexico, bordering on the Pacific Ocean. And home to a food culture that sets it apart from the rest of Mexico, or for that matter, any other part of the world. What is noteworthy about Oaxacan cuisine is that it has more or less stuck true to its roots and origins, despite the outside influences. It is not surprising that many indigenous people here take pride in the fact that they never have been conquered by any European power and their food ways are untouched by European ingredients or cooking methods. In many parts of Oaxaca, wood stoves earthenware pots are still the norm. Still, maybe due to exactly for the same reasons, Oaxaca today has become a global foodie travel destination, with an increasing number of luxurious restaurants opening up, catering to global tastes.

Known as the home of the seven moles (or the thousand, according to some), Oaxaca makes the best of the diverse varieties of chiles cultivated locally. Ancho, poblano, pasilla, chilaca, chile negro are just a few examples. Ingredients are matched and paired with the chilies to produce complex dishes which sometimes take hours to make.

Though concentrating on ingredients like corn, beans, chocolate, wild herbs, and local cheese, Oaxacan cuisine has its share of meat, poultry and fish. The fish we are focusing on today, is roasted in the oven, but it can also be grilled.

The mole like marinade is cooked first which gives it an amazing complexity and depth of flavor. The marinade is slathered on the fish, inside and out, before roasting it in a high heat oven.

I selected a red branzino to make this dish. Any fish that is fairly firm fleshed and of medium size can be used. Also, selecting a fish with not too many bones will be good.

Having decided to clean and prepare the fish myself, I opted to cut the fish head off. It can be kept on, if you prefer with only the insides removed.

Remember to be careful with the salt, as the fish sauce used in the marinade contains a fair amount of salt already. Letting the fish marinate for 20 minutes greatly enhances the flavor. 

I have not tried this recipe for anything other than a whole fish so far. Maybe one of these days, I’ll try the recipe for a large piece of boneless fish.

You can combine this fish with anything from a pasta salad or a green salad to a bowl of cooked rice. 

O is for Oaxacan Roasted Fish
pinit
Print Recipe

O is for Oaxacan Roasted Fish

Author: Ria Cooking Method:Stove-top and in oven Courses:Entrée Recipe Keys:Oaxacan fish, Spicy
Difficulty:IntermediateServings:4 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place the ancho chilies in a bowl and add the fish sauce and apple cider vinegar to the bowl. Soak for 20 minutes.
  2. Pre-heat over to 400 F.
  3. Powder the black pepper, cumin, cloves, and oregano together.
  4. In a food processor or blender, grind together all marinade ingredients except the salt: the soaked ancho chilies with the soaking liquid, garlic, the powdered spices, and sugar. Form a smooth paste, adding a little extra water if required.
  5. Transfer this paste to a sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.
  6. Taste for seasoning and add salt if required.
  7. Prepare the fish by cleaning, washing and drying it with paper towels.
  8. Slather this paste on the cleaned fish inside and outside. Let sit for 20 minutes.
  9. Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil on is and place the fish on the baking sheet.
  10. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, for 8 to 10 minutes per side, turning the fish over half way through the process.
  11. Serve immediately with a salad on the side.
Keywords:Dinner, Fish, Oaxaca, Spicy
Bouillabaisse

B is for Bouillabaisse

By / A to Z Challenge, Entrée, Seafood, Soups / 2 Comments /

Fish soup, anyone? Likely, you may not get many responses to that. Change the name to Bouillabaisse and it becomes an inviting dish with all the allure of French cuisine! So much for the power of words!

For that is what bouillabaisse is. A basic broth with vegetables and seafood. 

The name is composed of two words meaning ‘to boil’ and ‘to simmer’, supposed to describe how the dish is made. 

Bouillabaisse has its recorded origin in Marseille, being made by local fishermen using the bony fish which could not be sold to customers. The types of fish considered essential were rascasse, sea robin, and European conger. These are fearsome looking fish indeed, as seen from pictures on the net. 

An article in the New Yorker magazine ‘The Soul of Bouillabaisse Town’, by A. J. Liebling and published in 1962, talks about the importance of rascasse for a bouillabaisse and the search for it in the US. A very interesting read indeed. 

By and by there were so many versions of bouillabaisse in Marseille alone that in 1980 a Bouillabaisse Charter was drawn up by a number of prominent Marseille restaurateurs, defining the ingredients and method of preparation of this dish.

The identifying flavors of a bouillabaisse today are fennel and saffron. 

All ingredients except for the seafood are cooked in stock to form a delicious broth, which gets its beautiful color and enticing aroma from the saffron.

The vegetables are chopped small so that they blend well into the broth.

You can make your own stock. Any combination of fish bones and shrimp/ lobster shells will work for the stock. Just boil them up for about 30 minutes, in sufficient water with some garlic, celery, onions, black pepper – whatever you have on hand. Cool, strain and freeze, and there it is ready anytime you need it. I find using shrimp shells for the stock the easiest.

When making a bouillabaisse, I totally take advantage of the versatility of bouillabaisse and use pretty much any combination of white fleshed fish and shellfish. And any variety of scallops. Yum!

To serve, you can remove the seafood from the broth after it is cooked and serve them separately on a platter. I prefer to keep them in the broth to be ladled out into the soup bowls.

Bouillabaisse is traditionally served with thick slices of bread and a rouille made of olive oil, garlic, saffron, and red peppers. Cayenne can also be added to the mix to add an extra kick.

B is for Bouillabaisse
pinit
Print Recipe

B is for Bouillabaisse

Author: Ria Cooking Method:Stove-top Cuisine:French Recipe Keys:Seafood
Difficulty:IntermediateServings:4 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Soak saffron in a spoonful of stock or water. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a largish pot or deep skillet on the stove top.
  3. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, potato, and fennel to the hot oil.
  4. When the onion starts to turn transparent, add the stock, tomatoes and saffron (with the soaking liquid) to the pot.
  5. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook.
  6. When the vegetables are cooked, reduce the heat to a simmer.
  7. Add the fish to the pot and cook for two minutes.
  8. Add the shrimps and continue cooking for another two minutes.
  9. Add the clams/ mussels and cook till they open, about three to four minutes.
  10. Add the scallops and immediately turn off the heat.
  11. Serve hot along with slices of bread and the rouille.
Keywords:Bouillabaisse, Dinner, Fish, French, Soup, Seafood

Kerala Fish Meets Mediterranean Bulgur

By / Entrée, Grains, Seafood / 1 Comment /

We all know what we mean when we refer to the Mediterranean cuisine, though it is up to debate whether there is something called a Mediterranean cuisine at all! After all, the countries where the cuisine is supposed to be practiced – Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain etc, all countries around the Mediterranean Sea – have such diverse foods and recipes!

KF-MP-closeup1

Still, Mediterranean food has been identified by study after study, as the healthiest way of eating in the world. And there are diet plans being marketed based on the concepts of Mediterranean food.

So what are the characteristics of the food style known commonly as Mediterranean cuisine? It is based on the traditional food items of the area and consists mostly of plant based ingredients like whole grains, tomatoes, olives, lemons and uses olive oil for cooking.

KF-MP-olives

Also, most of the protein in the diet comes from lentils and fish, with meat, specially red meat, limited to small quantities. In fact, the word Mediterranean itself brings up lovely images of lemon trees and olive orchards, bright sunrises, and silvery fish swimming in blue waters.

KF-MP-bulgur

One of the cereals that feature prominently among Mediterranean food is bulgur. Made out of wheat groats (hulled kernels that include the cereal germ and bran portion which are lost during regular milling), it is high-fibre, and has a light, nutty flavour. It is different from cracked wheat, which it resembles a lot.

KF-MP-peas-carrots-olives

A bulgur with some beautiful red and green components… perfect for a summer dinner!

KF-MP-pilaf-done

And to add some protein to the meal, a fish fry from the shores another sea, far away in the south western corner of India!

KF-MP-fish-to-marinate

Fish is one of the mainstays of the food in Kerala, located on the southern most western shores of India. With a long shoreline, fresh fish is abundant except for the few weeks at the height of the monsoon rains.

KF-MP-marinated-fish

And as olive oil is typical of the Mediterranean, coconut oil is the main cooking medium in Kerala. At least, it was so till the numerous warnings about the cholesterol in coconut oil turned people towards other oils. I’m so glad to see the tide turning these days and the health benefits of coconut oil being recognised.

KF-MP-pilaf-fish

So these two items from so far away, but from similar backgrounds, work well together in this great dinner. Try it, you won’t be disappointed!

 

~Ria

 

 

Kerala Fish Meets Mediterranean Bulgur
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Print
Ingredients
  • 2 filets of white fish (such as tilapia or hake)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 medium sized shallot (quarter of a white or red onion will also work)
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 sprig curry leaves (available in Indian grocery stores)
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (adjust according to tolerance for heat)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 cup bulgur
  • 1 cup chopped green olives
  • 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
  • ½ cup chopped carrots
  • 1 ¾ cups water
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
Directions
  1. Grind together the shallot, garlic, curry leaves, cayenne pepper and turmeric powders, with salt to taste.
  2. Marinate the fish filets in the paste for at least 1 hour. You can keep it in the refrigerator overnight, but bring to room temperature before cooking.
  3. Bring 1 ¾ cups of water to a boil. Add olive oil, lime juice and bulgur. Mix well, remove from heat and let sit covered for about 20 minutes. Once at room temperature, add the chopped ingredients and mix well.
  4. Heat the coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan. When shimmering hot, add the fish filets (keep a splatter screen handy) and cook for about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove and serve with the prepared bulgur.

Blackened Tilapia – a page from a Creole Cookbook

By / Entrée, Seafood / 2 Comments /

Originating in Louisiana, the Creole style of cooking combines the European cooking methodologies with the local American ingredients. Though it has influences of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian cuisines, the major inspiration comes from the French. The blend of classical European cooking styles with new ingredients found in the New World gave rise to a very rich and flavourful cuisine.

blacken-fish

Also, as it is centered around the bayou region of Louisiana, Creole cooking has a strong focus on fish and shell fish, which makes it even more attractive.

The first Creole cookbook in English was La Cuisine Creole, published in 1885, which is available from Amazon in printed and Kindle editions. In addition to recipes, the books provides information on the background and development of the cuisine as well.

La-Cuisine-Creole

Jambalaya, Gumbo, Etouffee, Bananas Foster… the signature dishes of the region are many. And just the memories of them are enough to induce drooling.

With its flavour combinations that lean towards the spicy, it was love at first taste for me!

And watching Emeril Lagasse on Food Network TV made it easy to kick it up a notch too! In fact, his ‘Louisiana Real and Rustic’ is my go-to reference for Creole cooking. Though the other day, when I wanted to make blackened tilapia, I did not have to refer to any book; I have made it so many times!
Blackened fish, is a quintessential Creole dish, very easy to do, usually made with catfish. But you can attempt it with any firm white fleshed fish. This time, I made it with tilapia fillets.

tilapia

The key part of the dish is the spice rub – a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and other herbs.

blacken-spices

I have tried different spice combinations, but the one that worked to perfection for me has an wee bit of clove powder in it which adds a bit of extra flavour. (See recipe below.)

dinner

You need to let the fish sit for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour, after applying the rub. And totally against the traditional method, where the fish is fried at high heat, I baked it on an aluminium foil lined baking sheet.

fish-baking

It couldn’t have been better! Flaky, spicy, moist fish, done in 15 minutes!

tilapia-meal

~Ria

Blackened Tilapia – a page from a Creole Cookbook
 
Author: 
Print
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp clove powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tilapia fillets
  • 1 tsp olive oil
Directions
  1. Mix together thoroughly well all the spices and dried herbs, with the salt. You can vary the proportion of paprika and red chilli powder to adjust the heat to your preference.
  2. Wash and dry the tilapia fillets.
  3. Apply the spice rub on both sides of the tilapia fillets and keep aside for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
  5. Line a baking sheet with foil. Brush the foil with a teaspoon of olive oil.
  6. Lay the fillets on a foil, without overlapping.
  7. Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
  8. Gently test with a fork. If the fish begins to flake, it is done.
  9. Serve with brown rice and vegetables.