Tag: main course
Cuban Grilled Tilapia
Cuban Grilled Tilapia
This is one of the simplest ways to grill or broil a whole fish. This meal looks and tastes a lot fancier than it really is. Whole tilapia are under $5 each at my local Asian market. They already come cleaned, so no worries when it comes to scaling and gutting. Simply make 3 slits on each side of the fish. Rub down with olive oil and salt. Stuff the slits with lime slices and the cavity with onion, cilantro, and the rest of the lime. The fish can be grilled over charcoal, and even broiled, for 10-15 minutes a side.
Ingredients
- 1 whole tilapia scaled and gutted
- olive oil
- sea salt
- 1 lime thinly sliced
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs cilantro
Instructions
- Make 3 slits on each side of the tilapia. Rub with olive oil and sea salt. Stuff each slit with a half slice of lime. Stuff the inner cavity with onion, cilantro, and the rest of the lime.
- Preheat your grill with charcoal briquettes or turn on your oven’s broiler.
- Grill or broil for 10-15 minutes a side.
Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and gravy are a breakfast staple of the South, dating back to post-revolutionary war when food supply was short. The gravy is dairy based, made from the drippings of pork sausage, seasoned with black pepper. The sausage gravy drenches flaky buttermilk biscuits, making this the ultimate breakfast comfort food.
Ingredients
Pork Sage Sausage
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Sausage Gravy
- 1 lb pork sage sausage
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together all of the sausage seasonings.
- Mix in with the ground pork. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add in the sausage and brown for 8 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continuously whisk for 5 minutes until the gravy has thickened.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Who doesn’t love a good buttermilk biscuit? They are extremely easy to make and are much more cost effective than buying them frozen or in a can. Plus, they taste so much better made from scratch. Once you give this recipe a try, you’ll want to dig up The Colonel’s corpse and show him what a real buttermilk biscuit is.
Equipment
- food processor
- rolling pin
- biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 8 tbsp cold butter cut into small cubes
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add the flour mix and the butter to a food processor. Briefly pulse 6-7 times.
- Transfer to a bowl. Pour in the buttermilk.
- Mix until a dough forms.
- Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Roll out the dough to a 1” thick slab.
- Using a biscuit cutter or a small bowl, press out biscuits. Make sure to press straight down and not twist the cutter. This allows the biscuits to rise. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet.
- Bake 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack.
Pine Nut Encrusted Catfish
Pine Nut Encrusted Catfish
Pine nut catfish is a popular recipe of indigenous tribes of New Mexico and Arizona. The pine nuts get toasted and ground with cornmeal, flour, and spices. Then catfish is dredged in the mix and fried in oil. If pine nuts are too expensive, walnuts or pecans are a suitable substitute.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Dry toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
- Grind the pine nuts in a spice grinder. Mix the ground pine nuts with the flour, cornmeal, cayenne, cumin, and salt.
- Dredge each of the catfish fillets in the pine nut/flour mix.
- Heat up a 1/2” of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the catfish into the oil.
- Fry for 4-5 minutes a side until crispy.
- Place the catfish on a rack to drain any excess oil.
