Steamed Tilapia

This is a very easy and simple recipe for tilapia. It is tasty and the fish comes out very tender and juicy…not to mention that it is very healthy.

Ingredients:

2 filets of Tilapia
1 tablespoon ginger (finely stripes)
1 ½ tablespoon cooking wine
¾ cup of fresh shiitake mushroom sliced
½ cup green onion finely chopped
½ cup cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Lay the filets on a steam safedish, sprinkle the filet with the 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, top it with the ginger, salt and pepper, mushrooms and the green onion.

Steam the fish for approximately 10 minutes. In the mean time mix the soy sauce, honey, remaining cooking wine and sesame oil.

Remove the liquid that is formed during the cooking. Gently add the cilantro and the soy sauce mix. Steam for another 2 minutes.

Serve it hot.

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Speedy Miso Salmon

This is a very simple and fast (therefore speedy) way to make miso salmon when you are in hurry since there is no need to marinate and you still get the miso flavor in the salmon. The more elaborate method require an overnight (at least) marinate, which you can find here. You can use this method with to cook other fish.
By the way, excuse me the pictures…did not elaborate, but trust me the salmon taste better than in look …

Ingredients:

2 salmon filet, cut in half.
1 tablespoon miso paste
½ tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoon water
½ tablespoon cooking wine
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

In a bowl add the miso paste, sugar, water and the cooking wine, mix well. Cover the salmon filet with the miso paste, in the meantime heat the olive oil in a skillet, place the salmon and add approximately ¼ to 1/3 cup of water and cover (to cook the salmon). Once the water evaporates let the salmon brown both side.
Serve warm with rice.

Did you know that miso is a product produced by the fermentation of soybeans? It can be made of rice or barley as well, but typically of soybean. Miso is a traditional Japanese food which has gained world-wide interest. It is usually very salty, therefore it is used for sauces, pickling vegetables or meats, or to make miso soup by mixing dashi (mixture of edible kelps and shaved dry tuna fish – we can elaborate more next time).

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Baked Orange Roughy

Happy New Year! Hope you had a great Holiday…after a big celebration to welcome 2010, we decided to eat lighter to compensate all what we ate for this Christmas and New Years celebration…
Orange Roughy? There are a couple of reasons:

1. My husband likes better white fish, according to him they are less “fishy”. I am not sure about his hypothesis, because I had white fishes that were very “fishy”, anyway, no need for further discussion…

2. I usually buy the fish frozen, individually packed at Costco, they defrost very fast so I can come up with something fast when I run out of idea, this is one of the recipe that I often use, again, it is simple, fast and very healthy. I like the idea of topping the fish with fresh crushed garlic, once baked, the garlic turns kind of crispy, adding a great flavor to the fish.

Ingredients:

3 small filets Orange Roughy
2 cloves garlic
Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

Cover the filets with olive oil and sprinkle with crushed garlic, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 375F.

Serve hot.

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Shrimp Wrapped in Lavash Bread

I love lavash bread, is something that you will always find in my kitchen. I usually use as pizza dough, quesadilla or as a toast. This time, instead of using tortillas for my shrimp tacos I use the lavash bread.

By the way, have a nice and safe Labor Day

Ingredients:

For the shrimp
1 lb large shrimp deveined and clean
3 green onion finely chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
Pinch of cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the salsa
2 Roma tomatoes, without seed and chopped
1 jalapeno finely chopped
½ red onion finely chopped
½ bunch cilantro finely chopped
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Romaine lettuce shredded

Method:

For the shrimp
In a bowl place the shrimp and add all the ingredients, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes and sautee in a hot pan.

For the salsa
Add all the ingredients of the salsa in a small bowl

Assembly of the “tacos”

Set the lavash bread in a plate, place the shrimps, the salsa and top it with the shredded lettuce. Roll it up and enjoy!

Did you know that the baking of lavash is by slapping the flat rolled dough against the hot walls of a clay oven? Lavash is a flatbread very popular in Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan and Azerbajan.

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Grill Salmon

When I heard for the first time the term “fast food”, immediately came to my mind that is a dish that you can prepare really fast. Only later I learned the real meaning of “fast food”. Here is one of my version of fast food. It is really fast if you have handy the ingredients, I promise you that it will not take more than 15 minutes. You can substitute “Old Bay” spice with celery salt, pepper and paprika.

Ingredients:

2 filets of salmon
Old Bay spice
1 tablespoon olive oil

½ bag of mix greens
1 carrot shredded
3~4 leaves of romaine lettuce
½ cup of strawberries
2 tablespoon pine nuts
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method:

Turn the convection oven to 375F, if you have a timer, set it to 15 min. In the meantime, in a oven safe dish add the olive oil and place the salmon, turn it so the whole filet is cover with the oil. Sprinkle with the Old Bay spice and place in the oven for 12 minutes.

Once the salmon are in the oven, prepare the salad.

Rinse the romaine lettuce and strawberries and cut in small pieces. In a salad bowl, place all the greens, and top it of with the carrot, strawberries and pine nuts.

When the oven goes off, add the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the salad and mix gently. Serve with the baked salmon.

Did you know that balsamic vinegar is not a vinegar? But a product make from a reduction of cooked grape juice.
Aged balsamic vinegar is rich, thick and has a deep brown color. The flavor is a balance between sweet and sour elements of the cooked grape juice, with a hint of wood barrel that was aged in.

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Tilapia with Fresh Basil

I love springtime when all the green turns greener…I got a few containers of different herbs a couple of weeks ago. Now I am so happy for being able to just go to the patio and cut some fresh herbs as I need. Love the smell of fresh basil…so here is what I did with my first cut of basil. This is really easy, simple and fast…and amazingly healthy.

Ingredients:

2 fillets of Tilapia
1 teaspoon of paprika
Salt to taste
1 tablespoons of fresh basil chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

Coat a oven safe dish with olive oil, gently place the filet of Tilapia and sprinkle with salt, paprika and top with basil. Place in a oven for approximately 15-20 minutes at 375F. Serve hot.

Did you know that tilapia is the third most important fish in the aquafarming? Aquafarming is a name given to a process of fish culture under control conditions. Interestingly tilapias have low levels of mercury due to its quick growth, short life, and a vegetarian diet.

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Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon

This is a great for appetizer, it is simple and have a great presentation…your guests will love it! I do not add salt in the shrimp since the bacon is usually salty. It is a great combination of flavors.

Ingredients:

16 medium to large size shrimps, cleaned.
2 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
¼ teaspoon paprika
8 bacon strips cut in half

Preparation:

In a bowl combine all the ingredients except for the bacon. Wrap shrimp with the bacon and use a toothpick to secure. Heat a fry pan and gently add the shrimps. Let it brown one side then gently flip to the other side until both sides are brown. Serve it hot or warm.

Did you know that bacon bits can be made from soy? Bacon bits can be made from small pieces of bacon or from textures vegetable protein (also known as soy meat) with artificial flavor to mimic bacon.

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Sautee Shrimp

I love this dish, it is easy and very tasty. The ginger added to the shrimp gives an unusual flavor, somehow exotic. Not to mention that in Asian cuisine, ginger is everywhere.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ lb medium to large size shrimp, cleaned.
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon fresh garlic finely chopped
½ tablespoon vodka
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

Method:

In a bowl combine all the ingredients except for the olive oil, and let it sit for approximately 5 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a wok, add the shrimps and let is brown one side then flip to the other side until both sides are brown over high heat. Do not over cook otherwise the shrimp will become “hard”.

Serve hot with white rice.

Did you know that ginger is used to treat nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy? Ginger is a spice used for cooking as well as medicine. The history of ginger comes from a long time ago, originated in Asia and is grown in India, South Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean.

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Shrimp in Coconut Milk

Back in Brazil, we used to cook seafood with coconut milk therefore this recipe is inspired by Brazilian cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 small green bell pepper
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb medium to large size shrimp, cleaned.
½ cup coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a medium skillet saute garlic, onion, and the bell peppers in olive oil.

Let it cook for approximately 3 minutes by lowering the heat, add the coconut milk and let it simmer for 2 more minutes.

Increase the heat and add the shrimps, salt and pepper.

Cool for another 2 minutes.

Serve hot with white rice.

Did you know that shrimp have a high resistance to toxins? Since shrimp are an important source of food for large animals, their high resistance to toxins may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators.
Shrimps are high in calcium, iodine and protein. Shrimps have significant levels of cholesterol, but do not contain saturated fat, it is considered healthy for the circulatory system. Moreover, shrimp is considered a low caloric food.