Friday, November 2, 2012

Email I sent my dear friend: Thought it might be useful.


Whole Fish, baked/broiled:
I like to do a couple of different versions of this for different fish. I'll show you what I do with Tilapia, Rainbow, Black Sea bass, and Snapper. 

Tilapia with a Cajun Flare:

Ingredients: 
1 tbsp Sea salt or Kosher salt 
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp White Pepper or Red Pepper flakes (your choice, red for a bit ex. heat)
6 cloves of crushed and minced fresh Garlic or 1/2 cup Garlic Powder
1 sliced up sweet or yellow onion
1 lemon, thickly sliced
1 tilapia whole fish, gutted and cleaned and placed on a baking pan with tin foil over it 
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbsp butter (substitute is fine too)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix Salt and different kinds of Peppers in a bowl. Sprinkle over fish top. Rub oil on the top with spices until totally mixed up.
Stuff the cavity of the fish with the garlic, onion, lemon, and butter (softened is preferred so you can spread it everywhere).
Put into oven, covered with another layer of foil and let cook for about 30 minutes. 
Serve and enjoy.

Goes well with: Brown rice or whole wheat noodles (spinach ones are great) Veggies that are nice with this are sweet potato fries. 

Rainbow Trout and Sea Bass:
I happen to do these very similarly to the same. I have a spicy way of doing this and a sweet way but because I prefer spicy and think you will too I am going to give you the spicy. If you want sweet, message me. 

Ingredients: 
1 tsp Iodized Salt
1/4 cup chili paste or chili sauce if you don't have chili paste
2 tbsp coconut milk (optional, I havent done that one but it seems like a good plan)
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 
1/2 cup Sesame oil
2 tbsp butter (substitute if fine too, although in this one I prefer the real deal)
1sea bass or rainbow trout, gutted and cleaned

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix salt, chili paste, oil, coconut milk if you are using it, garlic cloves, and butter together to a paste. 
Brush fish top with paste and the cavity.
Put into oven, covered with another layer of foil and let cook for 30 minutes. 
Serve and enjoy.

Goes well with: Glass noodles or rice noodles and for the Veggie I'd go with something like bitter melon if you like that dear, since I know you go for bitter stuff, bok choy, or a salad with fresh ginger dressing.

Snapper: 
For this I don't go crazy with fancy ingredients. But if you want to give it a try, since I know you like truffle oil/ mushrooms you could try to use about 1/8 tsp on it for experimentation. I have not donet his though because I hate truffle oil but I know it would probably good. Call it, a woman's intuition. 

Ingredients:
Any salt you desire, 1/8 tsp (very important not to over salt)
1/2 cup white wine (floral tasting ones would be fab with this. But really, any kind of cheap wine is good)
5 tbsp Paprika
2 tbsp White Pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
If you have it -3 tbsp adobo seasoning
1 orange, peeled (no zest) and sliced thickly
1 snapper, gutted and cleaned

Directions:
Mix together paprika, white pepper, and salt in a bowl and sprinkle on top of fish.
Place in a large sauté pan and add olive oil and white wine.
Stuff cavity with orange slices.
Cook on medium high until the white starts to bubble for 5 minutes.
Cook on low for 25-30 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy

Goes well with: Baked potato, cauliflower with mushrooms and garlic, and orzo with butter. 



Sweet Veal Sausage and Peppers:
My dad's Aunt Helen (who was the real deal Sicilian, I mean little gold hoops, curly hair, and the cross with a hilarious sense of humor but real kick-ass) used to say I made this better than she did. My dad says never in her life has she said that anyone made a better dish than she did. So, I am proud of this one. Usually have "Casino" on in the background while I make it for extra-inspiration. That or, a favorite of mine, "Goodfellas."

Ingredients:
Sweet Italian Veal Sausage (If veal is not for you, sweet or hot pork sausage will be fine)
4 Red Bell Peppers, sliced thinly (mandolin's are God for this, just keep hold of your fingers)
2 Sweet Vidalia Onions
Homemade Gravy, I.e. Tomato sauce
1 Aluminum tray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the sweet sausage into a saute pan and punch a few holes in it with a fork. Let the sausage brown up in the pan on medium high heat until the sausage is fully cooked and nice and crispy on the outside. Take out of pan and let cool. Meanwhile, get rid of those drippings out of the pan and clean up.
Meanwhile, use that mandolin or the second best thing - your hands with a thin, sharp knife - and slice up the bell peppers lengthwise and then in half.
Take the onions and slice those with the mandolin as well, thinly too or use those hands again and mince into medium sized pieces.
When the sausage is cooled, cut it up into medium sized or bite sized slices.
Add sausage, peppers, onions, and enough sauce to make the sausage lightly covered. Do not add the whole batch of sauce, it will be too much. You can always add but it's hard to take away.
Let cook in oven for 40 minutes, serve, and stuff your face.