Last Taste of Summer Fish Tacos

Last week, Scott came home from work and said, "You can feel the cooler breeze in the air. This kind of weather puts me in a much better mood!"

For those of us a little less gung-ho about the end of summer, this recipe, requested by my aunt in Ontario, will help eek out the last drops of summer before turning to cooler weather fare.  Hopefully you will have one of those beautiful, hot autumn evenings this weekend so that you can close your eyes, ignore the leaves that have already started to turn, and pretend it's still July!

Yesterday, my dad was complaining that it takes too much time to cook and that he needs something he can make quickly after golf.   Well, your wish is my command - here it is! (I wonder if my family members will stop talking to me once they realize their off-handed comments are fodder for this blog...)

You can make both the slaw and the salsa a few hours ahead of time (i.e. before golf), and then quickly grill the fish at the last minute.

This recipe makes enough for 4 small tacos, which served the two of us just fine.

Ingredients:

1/4 head of red cabbage, sliced as thinly as you can
1 Tbsp honey
Juice of 2 limes
pinch of salt
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup of mango (I used frozen mango, thawed, since I couldn't get fresh), diced
Half an avocado, diced
1 Tbsp red onion, diced
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh jalapeño, minced (as much as desired, optional) I used 1 tsp...

2 pieces flakey, white fish (I used tilapia because it is firmer than some others)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

4 small soft tortilla shells.

Directions:

1. Mix the honey, lime juice, salt, and olive oil together.  Pour it over the sliced cabbage.  Cover and refrigerate.

2. Mix the mango, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño together.  Pour lemon juice and olive oil over top.  Cover and refrigerate.

3. Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cumin together.  Rub this paste over the fish.  Cover and refrigerate.

4. When you get home from golf, cycling, jogging, etc, grill the fish on a preheated grill plate on the barbeque, or cook it on a baking sheet under the broiler in the oven.   Watch it carefully so that it doesn't overcook.  It will only take 5-8 minutes.  Flip it over halfway through cooking.

5. Top each tortilla shell with the cabbage slaw, half a piece of fish, and the mango/avocado salsa.  Enjoy!

Leftovers:

1. You will have half an avocado leftover.  Look here for suggestions.

3. With the leftover cabbage, the New York Times did an entire article on red cabbage recipes for health.  Personally, I like to eat it raw...

Shopping Tips:

1. Remember that avocado should be just soft to the touch (like a peach) when it is ripe.  The smaller, darker Hass variety are more flavourful than the ones that are larger and lighter in colour.

2. Jalapeños are actually quite mild, so don't be afraid of trying some fresh chilli in your salsa.  The seeds and the white membrane are the hottest, so if you want less heat, just use the flesh.  Also, make sure you wash your hands immediately after cutting them and avoid touching any sensitive areas!

Here's hoping that you have the chance to enjoy a wonderful whole fresh and delicious dinner outside...

Cod with Fennel and Tomato

Ooohh!  I'm so excited, the first post!  This recipe tastes summer fresh and is great for any warm night.  I really hope you give it a go...

For years, my mom has said that she doesn't like cod and insists on spending four times the amount to buy halibut.  The problem is that the cod she remembers came from a frozen blue rectangular package.  Please buy your cod fresh from the deli section of the grocery store, and you will also be surprised by how fresh and delicate it can taste.

Some people think that they do not like fennel because it has a strong black liquorice flavour when it is raw. I personally hate black liquorice, but when fennel is cooked, it has a very mild flavour that is nothing at all like anise.

This recipe serves two generously, but you might want to make more of the fennel and tomato accompaniment so that you can use it in one or two of the leftover recipes at the bottom.  It also freezes well.

Ingredients:

2 pieces of cod (or other fish - even salmon would work)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large bulb of fennel
1 large leek with as much white as possible on the stalk
1 clove garlic, minced
6 - 8 cocktail tomatoes (I like Campari)
3-4 Tbsp fresh dill (it is important it is fresh)
1 Tbsp fennel fronds (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place the two pieces of cod in a casserole dish.  Top with slivers of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Place in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.

 3. Cut the stalks off the fennel fronds, but do not throw them away.  If the outside of the fennel bulb is beat up, peel it with a vegetable peeler.  Cut the bulb in half crossways, and then use the tip of your knife to cut out the core.  Chop the bulb into pieces a little bigger than you would an onion.

4. Cut the green top off of the leek, and then cut it in half lengthwise.  Run each half under cold water and spread the leaves apart to get off any dirt or grime - some are dirtier than others.  Cut each portion in half again lengthwise, and then cut each quarter into 1/4" crescents.

                     

5. In a skillet, add the olive oil, fennel, leeks, salt and pepper.  Sauté on medium heat being careful not to brown.  If it starts to brown, turn down the heat and/or add a small amount of water to the pan.

6. Mince the garlic, chop the tomatoes into eights, chop the dill and chop the fennel fronds.

7. When there are two minutes left in the cooking time for the fish, add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan with the fennel and leeks.  Stir to combine, and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

8. When the fish is done, take it out of the oven.  Sprinkle half the dill and fennel fronds over the fennel-tomato mixture.  Sprinkle the other half of the dill and fronds over the fish.  Enjoy!

Leftovers:

With the leftover fennel-tomato mixture, you could:

1. Add chicken stock to make a soup.  You might want to also add chicken or shrimp and pasta or diced potatoes.

2. Reheat in a skillet with a bit more olive oil and tomatoes to make a pasta.  Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  This would also be good with some added shrimp.  You could even add in some lemon zest for an extra zing.

There are two keys to serving leftovers: never serve them the next night (wait at least two days), and try to repurpose them into something a bit different.

Shopping Tips:

1. Fennel is sold in all major grocery stores, but it is kind of an annoying vegetable because it isn't always there and there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it.  At this time of year, though, you should be okay.  If you can only find the bulb without the fronds (feathery bits at the top), just use more dill instead.

2. When you are buying leeks, try to get ones with as much white as possible.  You don't use the green part at all, so look for ones that are at least half white.

3.  Fish should not smell like fish, it should smell like the sea.  There is no lemon in this recipe because you shouldn't need it (although it would be good with a bit of a squeeze, if you want).  If you NEED lemon on your fish, then your fish is not fresh!

That's it.  I hope you are as excited about this journey towards healthy eating as I am.  Yay, fresh food!