Grilled Fish Tacos

 I make a lot of different recipes and love to try new ones, so we don't repeat foods very often.  But there is an exception: my fish tacos.  We eat these every few weeks because we love them.  Michelle recently shared a slightly more healthy version of fish tacos.  She said they loved them so much she would even choose these for her birthday dinner. That is big! That is saying a lot!  A lot!!

Grilled Fish Tacos

1-2 lbs. tilapia

Rub

 1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp granulated garlic

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 pinch smoked paprika

Cabbage Slaw

1 lb. shredded cabbage (you can buy a slaw mix and chop it fine)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro  (half of a grocery store bunch)

1/4-1/2 of a jalapeno, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 T olive oil

Toppings:  Lime quarters, Avocado, chipotle mayonnaise

Tortillas

Preheat the grill to med-high

Rinse and pat fish dry.  Stir the rub ingredients together and sprinkle both sides of the fish.  Let sit for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, put the cabbage  and salt in a bowl and toss.  Add the other ingredients and toss together.  Taste and add more lime, salt, and pepper until it is the perfect taste.

Grease the grill well and put the fish on.  Turn heat to medium.  Grill each side a few minutes, making grill marks.  Flip.  Cook until done and flakey.  Squeeze fresh lime on the fish.  Grill the tortillas, brushing with olive oil.  

Assemble tacos in tortillas:  fish, cabbage slaw, avocado, and cilantro.  Squeeze lime overall.

Tuscan Salmon

 Shonna made this delicious salmon recipe and said it was out of this world good.  I can't wait to try it.

Tuscan Salmon

4  6oz. salmon fillets

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 T. butter

3 cloves garlic, mashed or minced

1 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup heavy cream

 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley or basil

Lemon wedges

 Over medium-high heat, heat some olive oil  Meanwhile, season the salmon with salt and pepper.  When oil shimmers, add the salmon, skin-side up.  Cook until deeply golden.  It will take about 6 minutes.  Turn over and cook for about two more minutes.  Move the salmon to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter.  When melted, add the garlic and cook and stir for about a minute.  Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  When the tomatoes are beginning to burst, add the spinach and cook until the spinach is beginning to wilt.

Stir in the cream, parmesan, and herbs.  Bring to a simmer.  Turn to low and simmer until the sauce is reduced-  about three minutes.

Return the salmon to the skillet and simmer until the salmon is cooked through.  It should take about three more minutes.

Garnish with more herbs and served with lemon wedges.

Easy Baked Salmon

Kristen makes this nutritious dinner for her family.  She says it is so easy and delicious!

Easy Baked Salmon
1 salmon filet, about 1-2 pounds
1 12- ounce bag frozen Brussels sprouts in steamable bag
15-20 asparagus spears
2 T. olive oil
Garlic Salt
Salt Pepper
Seafood seasoning
2 T. butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a 9x13 pan.  Place the salmon, skin side down, in themiddle of the pan.  Preapre the Brussels sprouts by steaming them in the bag in the mocrowave according to package directions.  Open the bag and put the sprouts on one side of the salmon.  Spread the asparagus on the other side of the salmon.  Drizzle olive oil over all and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Sprinkle the salmon with the seafood seasoning. Dot the salmon with butter pieces.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the salmon is flaky.

Kristen has six children, so the picture shown is double this recipe.  She says her whole family loves this easy dish.  She got it from The Six Sisters Cookbook.  

Sweet Glazed Salmon

I was served some sweet glazed salmon at a dinner we attended that was out of this world good.  So I went to the internet to find a similar recipe.  I tried this one.  It was good, really quite good, but not out of this world good.  I will keep looking.  But in the meantime, enjoy this one.  It was so easy.

Sweet Glazed Salmon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 soy sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

2-4 salmon filets
oil

In a zip lock bag, mix the garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.  Squeeze the bag to mix.  Add the filets, close the bag and turn and squeeze to cover filets.  Marinate in the fridge for about an hour.  Take out the filets, reserving the marinade.  Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat.  Put the salmon in the skillet and pour the reserved marinade over.  Put a lid on the skillet.  Let cook until salmon is browned.  Turn over and cook on other side until the salmon flakes with a fork.  Occasionally spoon the marinade over the cooking salmon.  It takes about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with lemon.

Pantry Pick of the Month: Ro Tel Diced Tomatoes with Lime Juice and Cilantro/ Fish Tacos

My pantry pick for the month of January was this:  

I was ill most of the month of  January and didn't get around to making these until this month.  Man, were they good!!!  I often order fish or shrimp tacos in restaurants, but I'd never made them.  This is a really good and really easy recipe. I will be making them a lot from now on! 

Fish Tacos
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro
3 cups tri-color cole slaw mix (found in the produce section) with the dressing packet
1 1/2 lbs. tilapia, thawed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
corn tortillas
oil for frying
Avocados, diced (optional)
 Fresh limes, cut, ready to squeeze

Drain the tomatoes, reserving juice. Stir the sour cream and about 1/4 of the tomato juice together to make a sauce. Set aside. (This sauce is optional.  I don't really do it any more.)
Drain the rest of the juice  and then put the  drained tomatoes and the cole slaw mix in a bowl and mix together.  Add some( to taste- all of it may be too much) of the cole slaw dressing to make a creamy consistency. This makes a spicy, sweet cole slaw that is just delicious.

Sprinkle the salt and cumin on the fish filets.  Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet.  When hot, cook the fish, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, or until flaky.

While the fish is cooking, heat some oil in a skillet.  Dip each tortilla in the hot oil.  Drain on paper towels.

To assemble: Put some fish on each tortilla and squeeze some lime juice over.  Top with the slaw and some sauce.  Then add some avocado (if desired) and serve with lime wedges.

This makes about 12 tacos.

For other Pantry Picks, click here.

Marinated and Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks with Mango Salsa

You may have noticed I took the month of July off from this blog. My husband and I spent most of the month on the island of Kauai- celebrating his retirement.  While there, we made this grilled ahi tuna twice.  It was so good the first time, we did it again.  This is absolutely delicious.  We ate at some very nice restaurants, but my husband and I agreed that this meal that we made was the best meal we had while on vacation.

Marinated and Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks
This marinade makes enough for 2-4 steaks.

2-4 tuna steaks
1 cup (or so) POG (Pineapple, orange, guava) juice or orange juice
1 cup soy sauce (please use Kikoman brand or another authentic Japanese brand.  It makes SUCH a difference)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon(more or less to taste) garlic salt
Pepper

Put all of the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag, close, and mix with your hands.  Put the steaks in and mix and coat until they are well coated.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Oil the grill and heat to very hot.  Put the steaks on the grill and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn the steaks over and brush them with the marinade.  Cook 4 1/2 to 5 minutes on that side.  Do not overcook.

Mango Salsa

This salsa is wonderful served with chips, too.  It makes a great topping for fish.

As with all salsa recipes, amounts are not exact.

1-2 large mango, diced

3 tomatoes, diced  (there should be about equal amount of mango and tomato)

1 small green pepper, diced

1-2 jalapeno' peppers, seeded and diced (if you like the heat, leave the seeds of 1 or both in)

a few green onions, chopped

a small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped 

Lime juice, probably about 3 Tablespoons

Garlic salt or regular salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and put in the fridge for a little while.  It gets better as it sits.  Serve over the fish or as a dip with chips.  

Salmon (or Halibut) Marinade

Years ago, a friend gave me her family cookbook for Christmas.  I asked her what recipes she liked the best in it.  The first one she mentioned was this salmon marinade.  I've been making it ever since.  It's delicious and, when grilled, the salmon has that sweet, crusty taste, but is moist and delicious on the inside.  We did the filet that is pictured above in the smoker grill, so that's why it's darker, but I think I prefer this particular marinade cooked on the regular grill.  But either way, it is yummy.
Salmon Marinade
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons molasses
2 whole lemons, halved and squeezed
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
8 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup oil

Put all in a blender and blend until the garlic is completely chopped.  Put the salmon steaks in a gallon ziplock and pour the marinade over.  Mix around with your hands.  Marinade overnight or for at least several hours.  Grill.  Brush Marinade over as it grills.

Baked Mexican Fish with Cilantro-Lime Mayonaise

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I'm always looking for ways to fix salmon. I have a lot of it in my freezer, I know it's healthy, but honestly, fish isn't my favorite. This recipe is perfect for me, because it's really hard to tell that it's fish under all that yummyness. And it's easy! You can make it with any kind of fish.

Fish fillets (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheese, any kind

1/2- 1 cup crushed corn chips

Preheat oven to 400. Spray or grease a square 9x9 pan. Rinse fillets under cold water and dry with a paper towel. Lay fillets in sprayed pan. Pour salsa over the top and spread evenly. Sprinkle on the cheese, then the crushed corn chips. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until it flakes with a fork. Serve topped with sliced avocado and Cilantro Lime Mayonaise.

Cilantro Lime Mayonaise

1 cup (packed) fresh cilantro

3 T. fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (more or less to taste)

3/4 cup mayonaise

Lime zest, just a few grates

Put all except mayo in a food processor or blender. When the cilantro is chopped fine, put in mayo and blend well. Add salt to taste. This is best if made a day in advance and refrigerated, but it's good right now, too.

Delicious served with roasted potatoes.

Salmon with Creamy Dill

I found this delicious recipe on Allrecipes.com. It is supposed to be the way Alaskans make their salmon. It really is delicious. I half the amount of topping from the original recipe, as it's high calorie and you just don't need that much. If you're on the fence about salmon ( or even if your not) give this a try.

3/4 cup mayonaise (you can use the olive oil kind)

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used a pinch of dry)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. chopped fresh basil leaves ( used a bit more)

1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets

Dill (I've used fresh and dried- both are good) for on top

Preheat oven to 375

In a bowl, stir together mayo and mustard. Stir thyme, oregano, and basil. Place salmon filets on a baking sheet. Spread with mayonaise mixture. Sprinkle with dill weed.

Bake for 30-40 minutes (shorter if your fillets are thin) until salmon flakes with a fork.