Tag Archives: Fish

Dukkah Parmesan crusted whole Salmon Fillet…

22 Replies

This is such an easy recipe!  No fancy equipment, no massive amounts of dirty dishes afterwards, just a baking tray, some foil and you’re good to go. Ah, and there’s the Dukkah of course…

Let me tell you a little something about Dukkah. Don’t you love that word?

Dukkah is a middle eastern condiment. The word Dukkah (pronounced DOO-kah) actually means “to pound”. Herbs and nuts are pound together to form a crumbly substance that is neither a paste nor a powder. It’s mostly eaten as an appetizer. Flatbread is torn into pieces, dipped in olive oil and then dipped in Dukkah. I don’t pound my Dukkah but pulse it in the food processor until rough crumbs.

There are many variations of Dukkah and the composition varies from family to family in the middle east though there are common ingredients, such as sesame , coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. But you can add anything you like really like  Nigella or  za’atar. And instead of hazelnuts you can use any nut or seed, maybe pine nuts or pistachios. It depends what you’re paring it with so go with the flow. You are going to have some left over Dukkah, just store in an airtight container. It will keep for weeks. Why not try it as an appetizer with olive oil and bread? 

Serves 4 – 6

Dukkah Ingredients;

  • 1 cups Hazelnuts
  • 1 cup Sesame Seed
  • 2 tablespoons ground Coriander
  • 2 tablespoons ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 2 tsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp.  Himalayan Salt
  • 2 tsp. Black Pepper, Ground

Method;

Toast the hazelnut over medium heat for about five minutes keeping a close watch on them because they burn very quickly. Keep tossing them around. Add the sesame seeds and toast for an other two minutes until you hear a popping sound. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Keep tossing a few times more to mix well. Let cool completely. Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until medium crumbs. Store in a mason jar.

Ingredients Salmon Fillet and baby potatoes;

  • 2 lbs Salmon fillet, skin removed20161024_122440
  • 3 tbsp. Dukkah
  • 1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil

Baby potatoes;

  • 1 lb. peeled and pre cooked baby potatoes
  • 1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika,
  • 1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
  • salt and pepper

Cucumber – Pomegranate Salad;

  • 1 Cucumber, organic preferably
  • 1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 C. Pomegranate seeds, fresh or frozen
  • 1 –  tbsp. Fresh Dill sprigs

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Method;

Preheat the oven to 430° F

Get out a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Now get a piece of  aluminum foil large enough for the whole fillet to sit on. Lay it out on the tray diagonally and cover with an other piece of parchment paper. Spray with some cooking oil and place the fillet on top with the dark side down (where the skin was).

Brush the Salmon fillet with the olive oil.

In a small bowl mix the Dukkah with the Parmesan cheese. Cover the entire surface of the fillet with the mixture and press it on with your fingers.

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To prepare the baby potatoes, toss all the ingredients in a bowl and spread out along the sides of the salmon fillet.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for  20 minutes. Serve immediately with the cucumber salad.

To make the salad, peel the cucumber leaving on some of the green for color. Slice thin with a mandolin. Place in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.

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Not quite what you were looking for? How about Home smoked Salmon

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Crispy Fish Fajitas with Pomegranate, Avocado Chunks, pickled Onion and Cilantro Tzaziki.

7 Replies

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Crispy fish in a Taco is one of the better things in Life. The soft Tortillas and the crispy fish with the cooling sauce is just food heaven.

I can’t say that its super fast to make because there’s a bit of prep work involved. But you could easily just make the fish and use store bought Tzaziki if you are short of time. Any leftover Tzaziki can be used on sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb. firm white fish cut in large-ish chunks
  • 1/2 C. fine polenta +  1/2 C. white flour, mixed
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/4 C. milk
  • 1/4 C. vegetable oil for frying
  • Taco seasoning
  • 2 large onions, sliced thin
  • 1/4 C. lemon juice and some beet juice (optional)
  • 2 Avocados, peeled and sliced in to wedges, sprinkle with lemon juice

Cilantro Tzaziki:

  • 1 cucumber, washed and grated coarse
  • 1 C. Plain Yoghurt
  • 1/4 C. mayonnaise
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
  • salt and pepper
  • a handful of Cilantro, chopped

To serve:

  • 8 Tortillas to serve, whole wheat or regular
  • 2 C. shredded Iceberg lettuce to serve
  • Lime wedges to serve
  • 1/2 C. pomegranate seeds to serve (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by grating the cucumber, put everything in a tea towel and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Next put it in a bowl. Add the yoghurt, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix and set aside.

Next put the fish chunks in one bowl, season generously with taco seasoning.

In an other bowl, beat the two eggs and add the milk.

In a third bowl, mix the polenta with the flour.

Dip the fish in the egg mixture, then the polenta-flour and put on a separate plate.

Get out a frying pan and heat the oil. Fry the fish for about five minutes on medium high heat. Take out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Meanwhile heat the tortillas. To serve spoon a generous amount of the  cilantro tzaziki on the tortilla and some shredded iceberg lettuce, then the crispy fish on top. Add some avocado wedges and sprinkle with onion slivers and pomegranate seeds. Serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy

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Looking for more great recipes to try?  Be sure to check out this Cajun Jumbo Shrimp Tacos with Corn, a Peach & Koriander Salsa and Roasted Pepper Aïoli 

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Crab stuffed Flounder

4 Replies

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Ready to impress? This delicate dish is very suitable for a dinner party in fact is’s so elegant you’ll think you are dinning out in some fancy restaurant and it only takes about thirty minutes to make.

I have used Flounder but you can use any type of white fish fillet like Sole or Tilapia, just use what is available. For the filling I have used good quality canned crab meat because there is nothing else available here, but if you can use use fresh or frozen.

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Serves 4

Ingredients;

  • 4 Flounder fillets, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1  6 oz. can Crab meat drained, the best quality you can get or fresh or frozen (even better)
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped very fine
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 oz. grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 2 tbsp. Cream Cheese plus 2 tbsp. extra for the sauce
  • 1 tbsp each, chopped Parsley and Chives
  • 1/2 glass of Dry White Wine or Vermouth for the dish
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Topping;

  • 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 tbsp. Breadcrumbs (use GF if necessary)
  • oil Spray

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Method;

In one tablespoon of butter, gently fry the onion and garlic until just turning soft and golden. Remove to a bowl and let cool.

Add the Crab meat, the 2 oz. of Parmesan cheese, the herbs and the cream cheese, ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix gently with a spoon.

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Pre heat the oven to 400° F

Lay out the fillets with the tail end facing you on a chopping board and divide the filling over the fish fillets. Roll them up and secure with a tooth pick or some kitchen string. Butter a casserole dish with the remaining butter and place the fillet rolls in an upright position in the dish.

In a bowl mix the two ingredients for the topping and divided over the fish rolls, spray with some oil.

Place the dish in the oven, after ten minutes add the wine and continue to cook for another ten minutes. Check for doneness with the tip of a knife, insert by the seam and open a tiny bit to see if it cook through.

Remove from oven. Place the fish rolls on a plate and add 2 tbsp. cream cheese to the remaining sauce in the casserole dish to bind and make a creamy sauce. Add more wine if necessary. Serve straight away.

Enjoy!

Myra Xo

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Home smoked Salmon

6 Replies

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Serves 4

Smoking Salmon at home has got be one of most satisfying cooking experiences I can think of. It’s very rewarding, quite effortless and very impressive.

Because of the high fat content of the fish,  it holds up really well against the smoking, it doesn’t dry out at all. The skin becomes it bit leather like and the inside  pink and very  juicy.

The fun part is, that is actually really easy.  IMG_8648

Ingredients;

  • 4 portions of Salmon, or one large piece for four portions
  • 1 C.  Coconut blossom sugar or regular sugar, use half white and half brown
  • 1/3 cups kosher salt
  • 3 torn up Bay leafs
  • 2 tablespoons crushed black pepper

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Method;

Mix the Sugar, Salt, Bay leafs and Pepper

Get out a ceramic or glass baking dish and put in half the seasoning, lay your Salmon on top and cover with the remaining seasoning. Cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate from 4-8 hours. 8 is best.

After this time, remove fish from the dish and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry with kitchen paper and let dry in the fridge uncovered for about three hours. This will form a skin. Essential for a good result.

Meanwhile prepare your smoker according to the manufacturers instructions.

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Put about three tablespoons of wood shavings on the bottom tray of your smoker. I like to add some flavoured chips like Hickory or Maple. Put the second rack on top. Now place each piece of Salmon on a lightly oiled piece of aluminium foil, and put them on the top rack of your smoker. Salmon will stick to the rack, so the foil is a must. Put the lid on. Set the flames to medium for the first five minutes to get it going then turn to low and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes by gently pulling a bit of Salmon away with a fork.

When its’ done remove from smoker and serve. Left overs are incredible but unlikely.

Enjoy

Myra Xo

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