Tag: main course
Smoked Whole Tilapia
Smoked Whole Tilapia
Not only is smoked whole tilapia amazing, it is unbelievably inexpensive to make. I purchase them at my favorite Asian market, Dragonstar, for $1.59/lb, fully cleaned. It costs less than $3 per fish. Once smoked, they taste like they’d cost $10/lb. Since tilapia are a fairly mild fish, they take on whatever flavor you give them quite easily. Kinda like how chicken does. The tilapia only need 1 hour per lb. to brine and about the same to smoke them.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 whole tilapia 1 1/2lbs – 2lbs each
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 bay leaves
Wood Chips
- alderwood
Instructions
- Mix all of the brining ingredients together.
- Score the tilapia 4-5 times on each side of the fish.
- Brine the tilapia for an hour per total weight between the 2 fish. The tilapia were 3lbs together, so they brined for 3 hours.
- Pat the tilapia dry with paper towels. Let rest on a rack at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the tilapia in on the bottom rack. Once the wood chips start smoking, turn the temperature down to 215 degrees.
- Smoke the tilapia for 2 1/2-3 hours depending on the size. You want the internal temperature to read 150 degrees at the thickest part of the fish.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Lampreado
Lampreado
Lampreado, aka payagua mascada, are fried patties consisting of ground beef, mashed cassava, and lots of green onions. The ingredients are turned into a dough, formed into patties, dredged in flour, then fried until golden brown. The lampreado can be served as an appetizer or as a main course with a salad.
Equipment
- potato masher or ricer
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 lbs cassava
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 6 green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- flour
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the cassava for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.
- Heat up 2 tbsp oil cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the green onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef. Brown for 8 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add in the beef stock and simmer until evaporated. Let cool.
- Using a potato masher or ricer, mash the cassava until smooth. Stir in the ground beef mix, cumin, salt, and the cornstarch until a dough forms.
- Roll the dough into golf ball sized balls.
- Flatten each ball into a 1/2” thick patty.
- Dredge each patty in flour.
- Heat up 1/2” deep of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the lampreado in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes a side until golden brown.
- Drain the grease from the lampreado on a rack.
Chapri (Savory Pancakes)
Chapri (Savory Pancakes)
Chapri, sometimes called chapti, are a Bangladeshi-style savory pancakes that are eaten for breakfast. These pancakes are eaten without any type of syrup or sweetener. They are made with wheat flour and flavored with common Bangladeshi kitchen ingredients: green chilies, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and cilantro.
Equipment
- griddle
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups wheat flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup white onion finely chopped
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 cup water
- 3 tsp salt
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk together the egg, garlic paste, turmeric, and cumin.
- Whisk in the flour and water.
- Whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
- Heat up cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Ladle 1/2 cup of the batter onto the griddle.
- Cook for 2 minutes a side.
