Tag: fish
Peruvian Ceviche
Peruvian Ceviche
Ceviche is the national dish of Peru, dating back more than 2000 years. Raw fish is marinated in lemon, lime, and orange juices with red onion, hot peppers, and cilantro. The acidity from the citrus juices “cooks” the fish. While you see ceviche being served with tortilla chips in the U.S., it is traditionally served in Peru with potatoes, corn, lettuce, avocado, or sweet potatoes.There are couple routes you can go when choosing the right fish. You want to use a firm fleshed salt water white fish such as snapper, albacore tuna, sole, or halibut. Make sure that all skin and bones have been removed. If there is any bloodline on the fillets, they need to be removed as well or your ceviche will have an overly fishy taste. The pieces of fish should be cut fairly small or they will have to marinate longer. 1” pieces or smaller is perfect. The fish will need to marinate for at least 2 hours before serving.The big question is should you use fresh or frozen fish? Here are the pros and cons. Fresh fish is always going to taste the best, no question about it. The minimally slight risk is that the acidity of the citrus juices doesn’t kill any parisites if for some reason the fish had some. The pros to using frozen fish is that the flash freezing process actually kills parasites in fish. So your best option is to use the highest quality fish you can find, as close to sushi grade as you can find. My friends at Coastal Seafood recommended that I try their frozen red snapper, which ended up being of exceptional quality.
Ingredients
- 1 lb firm fleshed white fish
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Wash your fish fillet. I’m using red snapper for the ceviche.
- Cut into small cubes, no larger then an inch.
- Squeeze fresh lime, lemon and orange juices in a bowl. Add in the onion and Serrano pepper.
- Add in the snapper and salt. Let marinate for 2 hours.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Whole Fish wrapped in Banana Leaves
Whole Fish wrapped in Banana Leaves
Cook whole fish in banana leaves is a popular preparation in African, Caribbean, Central American, Mexican, and some Asian cuisines. Not only does wrapping whole fish in banana leaves help steam the fish, but it also adds an earthiness flavor. You can find banana leaves at most Asian markets, either wrapped up fresh or in the frozen section. They need to be washed and lightly flame broiler for not even a minute to make them pliable for use.There are a few great options of fish that you can use for this recipe. Snapper, branzini, pompano, tilapia, or striped bass are all exceptional options. Have your fish monger gut, scale, and remove the fins if you don’t want to do it at home. Especially scaling the fish. No process is makes more of a mess then scaling. Usually a whole fish that’s 1-1 1/2lbs will serve 1 person. A 2lb+ whole fish will serve 2. Using whole fish is a great price point. I got a 1 1/2lb tilapia for $2.50 at my Asian market while you pay anywhere from $6-$10lb for the fillets. You can also save the head for making fish stock; if you don’t eat all of the head meat like I do.
Ingredients
- 1 fish between 1 1/2-2lbs
- banana leaves
- 1/4 white onion sliced
- 1/2 small roma tomato sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp green seasoning
- 4 lemon slices
Instructions
- Wash your banana leaves. Place them under your broiler for barely a minute. This will make them more pliable. Place your whole fish in the center of the leaves. Make 3-4 cuts vertically across the flesh on each side of the fish.
- Rub each side of the fish with the green seasoning, making sure to rub inside each of the cuts that you made in the fish. Stuff each of the cuts with minced garlic and ginger. Top the fish with the onions and tomatoes. Places 2 slices of lemon on each side of the fish. If there is any leftover ingredients, stuff them in the cavity of the fish.
- Wrap up the fish in the banana leaves. You might need to tie this closed with kitchen twine so none of the steam escapes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- For a 1 1/2lb fish, cook for 20 minutes. For a 2lb fish, cook for 25 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before peeling away the banana leaves.
- Serve with your favorite side dish.
Green Seasoning
Green seasoning is used in a lot of Caribbean and African cuisine. It is very similar to the chimichurri sauce used in South American countries. Green seasoning is a great marinade for fish, chicken, pork; pretty much anything that you can grill or roast. It is a great addition in soups or as a dip.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup green onion
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup celery
- 1 cup sweet basil
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1/4 cup garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor except the water.
- Blend.Slowly add the water to your desired consistency. Should be a smooth paste.
- Anything you aren’t going to immediately use can be stored in a jar for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator or frozen in ice cube trays for a couple of months.
- Store green seasoning ice cubes in a freezer bag. 2 cubes = 1/2 cup.
Salmon in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Salmon in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Sick of the same old lemon dill salmon? Try this super easy recipe. The same is seared then finished off in a spicy tomato sauce. If you would like the sauce to be real spicy, substitute a habanero for the cayenne pepper.
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 3 salmon fillets 6-8 oz each
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Spicy Tomato Sauce
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 small onion
- 1 large tomato about 1 cups worth
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, add all of the tomato sauce ingredients.
- Purée until smooth.
- Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Heat up cooking oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Sear the salmon fillets for 2 minutes a side. Set aside.
- In the same pan, add the tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the salmon fillets back to the sauce.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.
- Serve with steamed rice.
