Slow-Roasted Salmon with Fennel, Citrus, and Chiles

We've gotten really lazy with our blog. But I have come to rely on it as a source for dinner ideas and the place where many of my regular recipes can be found. I have a bunch that I've been meaning to post, like this one. I made it again last night and it is SO good!!! The flavors are so lovely: fennel, citrus, dill and some heat. I didn't get my own photo of it so I'm just lifting the pretty pic from Bon Appétit. But this recipe needs to be accessed on the regular, because it's easy and I love it. Here you go!
Slow-Roasted Salmon with Fennel, Citrus, and Chiles 

Passion

One thing I will definitely miss, speaking of food, when I leave St. Barths: the ubiquity of dishes featuring passion fruit. I love me some passion fruit!!! I've had passion fruit yogurt, passion fruit jam for my toast, juice, various desserts, passion flavored rum, and last but not least, savory sauces made with passion fruit. Yesterday, I had a really great lunch at a place called O'Corail (I wish I'd known about it when Mom and Siobhan came to visit). I had the above pictured “Sea“ kebab with chorizo, passion sauce and tamarind, and a really nice Sauvignon Blanc. So yummy!

Radicchio, Cannellini Bean & Tuna Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and had to make it.  I always put tuna in my salads but usually just use arugula and olive oil & balsamic.  So this recipe sounded like a nice switch-a-roo, and boy was it!  I loved it!  And I will definitely be making this one again, and probably put it in my regular rotation of meals. Yum!

Roasted Potato and Halibut Puttanesca

I saw this recipe in the latest Bon Appetit and had to make it!  I love all things puttanesca - olives, anchovies, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, etc...yummmmmm!  This one can stand on its own or you can serve it up with some pasta for those starchy carb lovers out there.  I changed the recipe slightly: I used anchovy paste instead of filets, I roasted the potatoes and shallots right on a roasting pan, and I cooked the fish right in the tomato sauce instead of separately. It came out really good and is definitely one I would make again!

' Note: This recipe would work really well with tilapia as well. (Halibut can be a little expensive sometimes.)

Tilapia with Olives, Pine Nuts, Artichoke Hearts & Basil

This dish is definitely one that you will want to make again and again...at least I do!  It is super easy and so fresh tasting. Here is what the mise en place looks like.

To start, preheat the oven to 350.  Spread 1/4 cup of pine nuts out on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes or so.  Then raise the heat to 400.  Season 4 tilapia filets with olive oil and S&P, and place then in a baking dish.  Pour 1/3 of a cup of dry white wine over the fish, as well as 1 large chopped garlic clove, and about 3 TBS of chopped fresh basil.  Nestle in among the fish 1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives and 4 artichoke hearts (cut in half).  Cover the dish with tin foil and bake until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 10-15minutes.

I used a dutch oven in order to minimize the number of pans I had to wash

Once the fish is cooked, remove the filets from the baking dish and transfer all the juices to a small pan.  Set the pan over medium heat and stir in another large chopped garlic clove, 2 TBS of chopped fresh basil and the toasted pine nuts.  You can also add a little more olive oil if needed.  Once it is nice and fragrant, spoon the sauce over the filets and serve.

I served mine up with some roasted potatoes. I tossed them in olive oil, S&P and put them in the oven just before the fish went in .  Oh boy! it was SO good!!!  All the different flavors come together perfectly in each bite.

Shauna:  I'm curious if this will trump the other tilapia that's in your permanent rotation. Let me know!

Roasted flounder with potatoes, lemons & kalamata olives

This recipe can be made with any white flaky fish (bass, flounder, branzino, sole, snapper etc.)
Lemon, olives, paprika... can't go wrong! Enjoy! 

hands-on time: 10 minutes - total time: 45 minutes 

serves 4 

1 pound baby potatoes (about 12), halved 

1 lemon, thinly sliced 

8 sprigs fresh thyme 

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil 

salt & pepper 

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives 

4 6-ounce skinless flaky white fish fillets 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Heat oven to 400F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, lemon, thyme, 2 TBSP of the oil, and 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper; arrange in a single layer. Roast, tossing once, until the potatoes begin to soften, about 20 minutes...

Toss the olives with the potato mixture, then nestle the fish in. Drizzle the fish with the remaining tsp of olive oil and season with the paprika and 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper. Continue to roast until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp and the fish is opaque throughout, 12 to 15 minutes more. 

Lentil and Tuna Salad

Here is another healthy snack that is super easy to make, and one that could be varied in many ways.

 To make this salad, I used one package of steamed lentils from Trader Joes, one can of tuna (I will only use the gold can of Bumblebee tuna), a bunch of cherry tomatoes cut in half, a little thinly sliced onion, some chopped parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and S&P.  Just mix it all together in a bowl and season it to your liking.  It is very fresh, filling and healthy!
Next time I might try a similar salad but with cannellini beans, sliced celery, and parsley, dressing it the same way I did here. 

CheOWda!

Yesterday I had kind of a rough day, but when I got home THIS was cooking on the stove and filling the apartment with delicious smells:

Jimmy had the day off for Rosh Hashanah, so he was a mommy and made me such a super yummy dinner. He made New England Fish Chowder, served with some nice sourdough... oh my goodness it was so hearty and rich. Here's the recipe he used. They were out of cod and haddock at Whole Foods so he used hake, which is basically the same. It was SO GOOD!!!!

Ceviche!!

Alright folks, I'm super excited about this. I made a really delicious ceviche this last weekend. It blew our minds it was so refreshing and flavorful. As you know, it was really hot up in here last weekend, I mean REALLY hot. So it was a good time to do some no-heat cooking. Ceviche is the perfect summer delight. The version I did was a Yucatán Style Ceviche with Shrimp and Fish, and I served it with guacamole and tortilla chips.

Before I give you the recipe let me just say a word about that other perfect summer treat, and one of my favorite things in the world to make and to eat: guacamole. From the east to the west, we Finns be making the bad-ass guacamole. We have been for years; I remember it always being around since we were little kids and Aunt Pam had that huge avocado tree in her backyard. We all make it in varying ways; it's so easy to experiment with and add to. My standard recipe is avocados, diced red onions and jalapeños, lots of cilantro and lime juice, salt and pepper, and I like to leave it relatively chunky. So simple and sooo yummy.

And, it goes great with ceviche!! This recipe made enough for me and Jimmy to have left-overs. The second day it was still really good; the shrimp was a tad chewier but the flavors were still great and it was a bit spicier. Enjoy!

3/4 - 1 lb white fish fillets such as grouper, sea bass or even halibut or cod (I used mahi mahi)
8-10 large shrimp, peeled
1/2 large sweet onion such as Vidalia, Maui or Walla Walla
1 medium habanero pepper (I used 1 1/2)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup tomato, seeded and diced

Cut the fish in 1/4-inch slices; remove any bones as you go. Place the fish in a glass or glazed ceramic dish large enough to hold it in one layer. Shell and devein the shrimp, rinsing them only if necessary to rid them of grit. Slice the shrimp in half lengthwise and chop in small pieces. Layer the shrimp over the fish. Slice the onion in half lengthwise, then crosswise in thin slices. Layer the onion over the fish and shrimp. Toast the habaneros for 3-5 minutes in a dry skillet to release the oil from the cells. Stem, seed and sliver the habaneros and scatter them over the onions. Season the dish with salt and pour on the lime and orange juices. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, or until the fish and shrimp are opaque. Add cilantro and diced tomato, toss and serve at cool room temperature.

Fish Tacos!

In keeping with the steady stream of Mexican-flavored posts we've had lately, I thought I would tell you about some fish tacos I've made recently. I love fish tacos. They are right in my wheelhouse in terms of flavor, and they are just so easy to make and there are so many ways to make them. A while ago we had Heather and Luke over and I made swordfish tacos with achiote and orange, which is a typical Yucatán way to marinate fish.

The marinade was orange juice, lime juice, oregano, garlic, habanero chile, achiote paste, allspice, lemon-infused olive oil, cilantro, fresno chile, sugar, salt and pepper. The cubed fish marinates in the fridge for 3 hours. I served it with shredded lettuce, lime wedges, warm corn tortillas, a really nice roasted pineapple-habanero salsa and last but not least, a refreshing michelada (if you're not sure what that is don't worry I'm sure there will be a separate post about those soon). Very tasty.

More recently, Jimmy and I made a really awesome grilled mahi-mahi taco. Mahi is one of my favorite fishes to make tacos with, even when it's not summer grilling time, you can just cook the fish in a skillet and serve with a selection of whatever yummy garnishes you have on hand: shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, red onion, scallions, tomatos, pickled jalapeños, etc.

This time I did a dry-rub of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper. We grilled the fish for about 5 minutes per side then coarsely shredded it and some cabbage for serving. I made a fresh pico de gallo - tomatoes, onions, scallions, cilantro, lemon juice, jalapeño, salt & pepper; and crema: sour cream with a little heavy cream, s&p and a little Tabasco sauce. It was SO good!!!!!

Hot Nicoise Salad

I got this idea from Gwyneth Paltrow - she was featured in Food and Wine magazine a couple months ago because she just came out with a cookbook.  This hearty meal is very easy...take whatever vegetables you want (I used a red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, haricots verts, asparagus and olives), add some chopped basil and toss it all in olive oil and S&P and put in a roasting pan.  Crack an egg into a ramekin and pour a little olive oil over it and season with S&P.  Coat the tuna with olive oil and S&P and nestle it into the veggies.  Cook in an oven which has been preheated to 400 degrees.  For the dressing you can combine some olive oil and lemon juice, or I just added a little balsamic vinegar to what juices and olive oil were already there.  Bon Appetit!