Friday Night Fish Fry

Save money by making your own.  

Crunchy Batter Fried Fish 
(No Beer)
From food.com
Serves 4-6

2 lbs cod (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup cornstarch, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
16 ounces club soda
1 teaspoon salt (plus seasoning of your choice..Old Bay, Lemon Pepper etc)
oil (for frying)

Mix together 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Stir in enough club soda to make a batter about the consistency of thin pancake batter. You don't want it too thick, just thick enough to nicely coat a spoon.  Season the batter to taste if desired with seasoning of your choice.  Suggestions: Old Bay, Lemon Pepper seasoning, or seasoned salt. set aside. In another bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch.

Heat oil in a deep pan to 375°F Use a candy thermometer if you need to. Oil in pan should be about 3" to 4" deep.

Cut fish into portion sizes and remove any pin bones, and pat dry.  Dredge the fish in the dry flour/cornstarch mixture. Shake off any excess.This allows the batter to stick to the fish.  Dip dredged fish into batter allowing any excess to drip off before carefully adding the fish to the hot oil.

Cook the fish one or two pieces at a time until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels or better yet, on a cake cooling rack set up over paper towels.  Serve while hot.

Old Cold Fish

Leftover fish never gets eaten.  Potatoes and bacon can fix that.  They can fix just about anything. 

Salmon Hash with Poached Eggs

From Food and Wine

Serves 4

1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes
4 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound cooked skinless salmon fillet, flaked
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
Hot sauce, for serving

Put the potatoes in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1-inch chunks.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, then crumble.
Melt the butter in the bacon fat in the skillet. Add the onion and potatoes and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and gently mashing the potatoes until browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the bacon, salmon and chives; season with salt and pepper. Cook just until the salmon is heated through.
Meanwhile, bring a large, deep skillet of water to a simmer. Crack the eggs into individual bowls and add them to the simmering water. Poach the eggs over moderate heat until the whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny, about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the eggs out of the water; blot dry with paper towels. Spoon the hash onto plates, top with the eggs and serve right away. Pass hot sauce at the table.

Easy Poached Eggs

From Bon Appetit

Fill a 1-cup microwaveable bowl or teacup with 1/2 cup water. Gently crack an egg into the water, making sure it's completely submerged. Cover with a saucer and microwave on high for about 1 minute, or until the white is set but the yolk is still runny. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the egg to a plate.

CEVICHE!

You can't just say ceviche.  It's CEVICHE!  It doesn't get much fresher than this.

 
Ceviche
From simplyrecipes.com
The recipe says it serve 4-8 but depending how you serve it, i.e. salsa style, it will serve more.

Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare, 3-4 hours to let sit. Always use the freshest fish possible. Make the same day you purchase fresh fish.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces or smaller, completely boned
• 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes
• 1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• Dash of ground oregano
• Dash of Tabasco or a light pinch of cayenne pepper

• Cilantro
• Avocado
• Tortillas or tortilla chips

Method

In a non-reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Let sit for several hours in the refrigerator (3-4 hours), giving time for the flavors to blend.

During the marinating process the fish will change from pinkish grey and translucent, to whiter in color and opaque.

Serve with chopped cilantro and slices of avocado with heated tortillas for ceviche tacos or with tortilla chips.

Stuffed Salmon Becomes Cake

We had stuffed salmon over a week ago and there was one lonely salmon left. Nobody around here had the nerve to try it and see if it was any good. Tarnation to the rescue. All I did was mash the salmon and seafood stuffing all together, form patties and fry it in butter. Listed below I found two recipe for salmon cakes that I want to try.

Curried Salmon Cakes
From Sunset
Serves 4

• 2 large eggs
• 2 pouches (about 7 oz. each) boned, skinned pink salmon, or 1 can (about 15 oz.) red or pink salmon, drained, skin removed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped apple
• 1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1. Beat eggs with a fork. Add salmon and break up. Stir in apple, bread crumbs, onions, mayonnaise, curry powder, paprika, and pepper. Shape into four cakes (3/4 in. thick); place on a piece of plastic wrap.
• 2. Set a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add oil, then salmon cakes. Cook until well browned on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn cakes over and cook until browned on the other side, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
• 3. Serve cakes with aioli.

Calories per serving: 463
Lemon-Curry Aioli
Makes 1/2 cup

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt

In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, curry powder, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, paprika, and salt to taste.

Grandma's Famous Salmon Cakes (easy)
From allrecipes.com
Serves 4

• 1 (14.75 ounce) can salmon, drained and flaked
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Pick through the salmon and remove any bones. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add the diced onion, salmon and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
2. Shape into 2 ounce patties; about 7 or 8 patties. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Fry each patty for 5 minutes on each side or until crispy and golden brown.

Calories per serving: 307

The Next Day

Hide the salvaged salmon under a pile of bacon in a salmon BLT.

Salvaged Salmon

1. Leave salmon too long in the fridge.
2. Place in freezer and leave until freezer burn starts to set in.
3. Thaw at your own risk.
4. Rinse well.
5. Liberally apply salt and lemon pepper.
6. Marinate a couple of days.
7. When broiling, top with heaps of brown sugar.
8. Serve, pretend nothing is wrong.

Broiled Salmon
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Lightly oil broiling pan. Place salmon pan and discard marinade. Top with brown sugar. Broil salmon about 6 inches away from heat for 10 to 15 minutes until sugar is melted and starting to bubble and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook. You can always put it back in the broiler if it isn't done.

This was going to need to be marinated. A long time.

I opened the refrigerator door and a blast of stench hit me. I knew right away what it was; the salmon that had expired 10 days ago. First I rinsed it well with cold water. Much better. It still could be salvaged but I knew it needed to be infused with a flavor besides that of rot. The wonder of marination.

Grilled Salmon
From allrecipes.com
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving (4 oz fillet) Calories: 318 | Total Fat: 20.1g | Cholesterol: 56mg

Overripe or Unripe Cucumbers

You pick. This recipe works with both. Which, oddly, I have.

Sour-Cream Cucumber Sauce
Adapted from Southern Living

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into large chunks
8 oz. sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. dried dill
1/2 t. salt

Place ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Chill at least 30 min.

Great on salmon burgers or with Easy Greek Flank Steak. Also, great on hamburgers seasoned with Greek seasoning.

Orange Salmon

From my good friend D.W. So easy and good for you.

Orange Salmon

Salmon
Orange juice


Place salmon in a large non-stick skillet. Cut up salmon if you need to make it fit. Pour orange juice over salmon until it is mostly covered. It doesn't have to be completely submerged. In fact, seeing a little of the salmon helps you to know when it is done. Cook on medium high heat until it simmers. Cook for 2-5 minutes depending on thickness and size of salmon pieces, longer if it is thick. Turn and cook another 2-5 minutes. Do not overcook. Cook until it just starts to flake. It is better to under cook it than overcook and be dry. If it is under cooked you can always put it back into the pan and cook a little longer. It can be rare in the middle. Medium rare is optimal.

Once it is cooked, (hopefully not overcooked :) ) remove from pan and place on warmed plate or platter. Turn the burner to high and reduce the orange juice to desired thickness. If you reduce it too much and it is too thick, slowly add more orange while stirring. If you need more sauce, add more orange juice and reduce.

Serve reduced orange sauce over salmon.

And yes I have overcooked my salmon and over-reduced my orange juice. Why do you think I am so knowledgeable on the subject?

Week Vs. Weak

The salmon in the refrigerator was more than a week old but it was not weak in smell and taste. Strong spices, you might say, help the medicine go down.



Salmon Tacos
From recipezaar.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb salmon, skinned and cut into one inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 limes, quartered
• 2 (8 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained (like Rotel)
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped

Directions

Toss cubed salmon in cumin and chili powder. Set aside.

Heat oil large skillet over medium heat. Cook yellow onion 2 minutes, until it begins to soften.

Turn heat up to medium high. Add salmon to skillet. Lightly sear salmon cubes for about 2-3 minutes, turning gently (don't break the salmon into pieces!).

IMPORTANT: Do not over cook the salmon. This juicy recipe will keep steaming the salmon. The salmon should still be firm in the middle of the cube when you proceed to the next step.

Return heat setting to medium. Add canned tomatoes and chilies, cilantro and green onions. Gently incorporate and heat through.

Squeeze quartered limes over the salmon mixture, give it a quick stir, and plate up the salmon (Drain a little liquid off at this point).

Serve with warm flour tortillas, quality salsa, sour cream, sliced avocado, and crisp romaine lettuce.

I used what I had in my pantry, namely plain tomatoes, dried cilantro and onion. As my salmon was already cooked, I tossed it with the spices and heated it with the tomato mixture. If tossing cooked salmon will cause it to break apart, rub the spices on it before you cut it up.

	Nutrition Facts
	Serving Size 1 (330g) Recipe makes 4 servings
	Calories 247
	Calories from Fat 102		(41%)
	Amount Per Serving		%DV
		Total Fat 11.4g	17%
		Saturated Fat 1.6g	8%
		Monounsaturated Fat 6.3g
		Polyunsaturated Fat 2.4g
		Trans Fat 0.0g
	Cholesterol 58mg		19%
	Sodium 547mg		22%
	Potassium 702mg		20%
	Total Carbohydrate 13.8g		4%
		Dietary Fiber 2.6g	10%
		Sugars 2.6g
	Protein 24.8g		49%

Old Marinade

I found half of a bottle of marinade in the refrigerator that was so old it had a price sticker on it. I used it with mahi mahi.

Shriveling Tomatoes

What's with all the tomatoes? I have some grape tomatoes that are shriveling. Nobody will notice in this recipe.

Sauteed Scallops with Cherry Tomatoes, Green Onions, and Parsley

from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, side muscles removed
• Fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon mild Spanish paprika (pimentn dulce)* or Hungarian sweet paprika
• *Available at specialty foods stores and online from tienda.com.

Preparation

Rinse and drain scallops; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté until browned outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to plate; cover. Add 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet; add white parts of green onions and sauté until almost tender, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and green parts of onions and sauté until tomatoes begin to burst and release juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons parsley, lemon juice, and paprika. Return scallops and any accumulated juices to skillet and stir just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer scallop mixture to platter. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.
Update: I am going to try to plump up the shriveled ones by soaking them in water next time.