Fish Tacos with Grapefruit Salsa

Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of another Lenten season. Once again, I am on the lookout for "meatless" meals for Fridays. Salmon is my usual go-to meal during Lent, mostly because we really like it and it is pretty versatile. I will be trying out a few new recipes though, just to shake things up a bit.

A good friend of ours just got back from a trip to Florida and brought us big bags of fresh oranges and grapefruit. I had this recipe bookmarked to try and thought it was the perfect opportunity to use some of our new fresh produce.

I tweaked the original recipe to fit out tastes, it really is a very forgiving recipe. I used rainbow trout but I think any white fish, like halibut, mahi-mahi, orange roughy, tilapia, snapper, or catfish will work fine. I left out the onion and jalapeno, just because I don't like them. I also substituted parsley for the cilantro, again because I don't like cilantro. I didn't have any bell peppers on hand but I will use them next time I make this recipe. I also found segmenting and skinning the grapefruit to be pretty tedious work, so next time I will probably use canned grapefruit.

Overall, this was a great alternative to regular taco night. Everything was very fresh and light tasting. The grapefruit was not an overpowering taste, even Vince the grapefruit hater ate several tacos. The yogurt gave a nice tangy finish, the way sour cream traditionally would, but seemed to go much better with the fish.

Fish Tacos with Grapefruit Salsa

Adapted from Apple A Day

Ingredients
1 Medium Grapefruit, segmented and chopped
1 Medium Avocado, diced
1/4 Cup Grape Tomatoes, diced
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 pound White Fish (I used Rainbow Trout)
12 Corn Tortilla (6 inch)
12 Tablespoons Fat-Free Plain Greek Yogurt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, toss the grapefruit, avocado, onion, parsley, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
2. Coat a large non-stick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and heat.
3. Season the fish with salt and pepper and cook (approx 4 minutes on each side) until it flakes easily.
4. Remove from the skillet and flake with a fork.
5. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 10-12 seconds, covered with a damp paper towel.
6. Fill each tortilla with fish, then top with salsa and a tablespoon of yogurt.

Yields: 6 servings (2 tacos per serving)

Ebi Chirashizushi - Shrimp Sushi Bowls

Oh sushi, how I love thee.

Vince does not really share my love for sushi but I have a friend who does. We used to go out to dinner with this particular couple at least once a week. It was almost always to our favorite sushi restaurant. Kim and I could easily eat our weight in sushi, and considering how much I weigh that is NOT a good thing. I am partial to Maki, or sushi rolls but I could gobble up some Unagi (eel) or Sake (salmon) Nigiri, the traditional fish placed on top of rice. Going out to eat can be expensive and eating sushi can be even more so. It was pretty easy for us to spend $75 just sitting chatting and eating for a couple of hours.

Chirashizushi, or scattered rice, is another common dish in Japan and the ingredients vary regionally. It is the dish traditionally served at Hinamatsuri, the Japanese Doll Festival held on March 3. You can make this dish either as Edomae, which uses sashimi (raw fish) placed on top of the rice, or as Gomokuzushi, which uses cooked fish mixed in to the rice with other ingredients. I opted for the latter simply because I've never made anything with sashimi and it made me a little nervous.

I will still go out for the occasional sushi dinner but in an effort to curb our dining out budget, I decided to try making sushi at home. My first attempts at making Maki did not pan out well at all. I'm sure with some practice I could get the hang of it but really, it is very time consuming and when I want sushi, I want it now! Then I came across a recipe for "Sushi Bowls". The basic idea was brilliant. All of the sushi flavors with none of the headache of rolling. What resulted was the perfect dinner for those nights that you just need a little taste of sushi.

Ebi Chirashizushi - Shrimp Sushi Bowls

Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients
1 1/3 Cup Brown Rice
1 1/3 Cup Water
1/8 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
Wasabi to Taste
4 teaspoons Rice Vinegar
4 teaspoons White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Sheets Nori, cut into small strips (or pre-shredded Nori)
1 Avocado, cut into small chunks
1 Japanese Cucumber, cut into matchsticks
2 Green Onions, cut into strips
12 oz Shrimp, tail off
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds

Directions

1. Cook rice and water according to package directions (either stove-top or microwave).
2. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and wasabi.
4. In a separate small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
5. Microwave the vinegar/sugar mixture on high for 30-45 seconds, until the sugar is dissolved.
6. Transfer the rice to a large non-metal bowl.
7. Add the vinegar mixture to the rice.
8. Fold and cut through the rice with a wooden spoon to coat each grain with the vinegar mixture.
9. Let the rice come to room temperature. Do not refrigerate.
10. Add the soy sauce and vegetables to the rice and mix thoroughly.
11. Spray a small pan with olive oil cooking spray.
12. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
13. Saute the shrimp until cooked through.
14. Top the rice with cooked shrimp and sesame seeds.

Yields 4 servings

Maple Panko Salmon

I am always trying to find new ways to add fish to our weekly menu plans. Salmon is a favorite in our house. It is light and easy to cook but makes a very filling meal. I have several salmon recipes in my rotation and have posted a couple of them here. This recipe has easily become one of my favorites.

The maple syrup gives the fish a sweet glaze while the soy sauce and Panko leave a slight Asian feel to the meal. The flavors are light enough that it does not overpower the salmon. The sprinkling of Panko gives just the right amount of crunch to feel like you are eating a breaded/fried piece of fish.

I went simple with this and paired it with steamed green beans and brown rice but the possibilities are really endless.

Maple Panko Salmon

From A Seasoned Greeting

Ingredients
4 - 4 oz Salmon Filets
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions

1. In a large ziplock bag, combine the syrup, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper.
2. Add the salmon to the bag, zip the top and gently mix to coat the fish.
3. Marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
5. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
6. Fold up the edges of the foil to create a pouch for the fish.
7. Place the salmon in the foil pouch and pour the sauce over the top.
8. Sprinkle the top of the fish with the Panko bread crumbs.
9. Bake for 15 minutes, until the fish is fully cooked and flakes easily with a fork.

Yields: 4 servings

Baked Honey Dijon Pecan Salmon

So, this recipe has been making the rounds in the blogosphere. I've had it bookmarked forever (along with a million other recipes I need to post) and finally decided to try it out. It was delicious! I can see why so many people are writing about it.

I've been trying to add more fish in to our diet. I'm actually not a big fish eater but I love salmon. I have several salmon recipes to post and will be trying out some others for trout, snapper, and orange roughy in the future. I'm also going to try going meatless once a week. We'll see how that goes...we really like our meat around here!

This recipe offers a very generous portion size and is very filling. I changed the measurements of the ingredients to get the points value down and it still came out really good and full of flavor. This one is a keeper for sure.

I served it with a broccoli/cauliflower mix and rice.

Baked Honey Dijon Pecan Salmon

Adapted from Sweet Beginnings

Ingredients
4 - 4 oz Salmon Fillet(s)
1/8 Cup Margarine, melted
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
3/4 Tbsp Honey
1/4 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix together margarine, mustard, and honey.
3. In a separate bowl, mix breadcrumbs and pecans together.
4. Place the salmon in a baking dish.
5. Brush each fillet with the honey mustard mixture and then sprinkle the tops with the nut mixture.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Yields: 4 servings

Thai Pineapple Rice with Shrimp

I first had this dish at Pasara Thai restaurant in Kingstown, VA. It comes served in a pineapple shell. A beautiful presentation. It is a little on the sweet side but could also be served cold as a refreshing summer dinner dish.

I did not serve our dinner in pineapple shells but Vince seemed to like it anyway. It was relatively easy to make, it just required a little bit of prep work. I used shrimp as the protein for our dinner but you can substitute anything you would like. I don't think the sweet flavors would work well with red meat though so I would stick with poultry, pork, and seafood.

Thai Pineapple Rice

Ingredients

1 Fresh Pineapple, diced
3 Cups Cooked Rice (I used brown)
3/4 Cups Coconut Milk
1 Medium Onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Raisins
2 Tablespoons Cashews, chopped
2 Tablespoons Oil, olive or peanut
1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Coriander
1/2 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
30 Shrimp (I used precooked frozen)

Directions

1. In a blender add the cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, garlic, salt, 1/2 of the diced onion, and 1/4 cup coconut milk. Blend until it becomes a thick paste.
2. In a large saucepan or wok, cook the shrimp (or heat through if precooked, frozen).
3. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside for later.
4. Remove water/juice from the pan.
5. Add oil to the pan and heat.
6. Add 1/2 of the diced onion and cook until soft.
7. Add the paste to the onions and fry for about a minute, until browned.
8. Add the pineapple, rice, coconut milk, raisins, and cashews to the pan.
9. Stir and cook until the milk is completely absorbed.
10. Add the sugar and the shrimp to the pan.
11. Cook until the shrimp is heated through.

At this point, you can be fancy and serve the rice in the pineapple shell or you can be unfancy, like me, and serve it in cereal bowls. You can also be adventurous and try to eat it with chopsticks. Although we do own chopsticks, I have not yet mastered eating rice with them. So we used spoons. However you decide to serve this or eat it, you will love it.