baked fish

Experimenting with Roasty Toasty Goodness…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

“Y’all know me, know how I make a livin'” or so said Quint in the movie “Jaws” (at the town meeting before he gets eaten by the shark) but some folks out there reading this may not know that this blog is just my creative outlet and not my livin’. I would not mind doing this for a living but it is a way to express myself through food. If you are a first time reader, welcome! and if you are a returning reader, welcome back! Ah, enough of this sappy talk and on with today’s recipes. Yes, I said recipes, plural!

To give you some background, I was walking through the neighborhood store one day and “eye grazing” (it’s a thing) spices when Roasted Ground Ginger caught my eye. Knowing I had Toasted Sesame seeds at the house it started me thinking that I HAD to get these two together somehow. I was originally at a loss as to which protein I wanted to use for this experiment. The problem was that the Roasty combined with the Toasty were kind of sultry, sexy and deep flavors and I knew that doing something like a steak would muddle them and create palate confusion.  Nobody wants palate confusion because the next thing you know you are scoring a corn dog on some side street and calling it a gourmet meal. I knew I wanted something a bit sweet and light so the first thing that came to mind was crab but not being hyper motivated to make crab burgers or something of the like I decided on some type of fish. A trip to my favorite fish market “Mr. Fish” here in Myrtle Beach helped me decide on what kind.  I used Corvina which is a light sweet flakey fish along the same lines as grouper but a bit more tender. Please note that if you are ever in the Myrtle Beach area Mr. Fish is a tremendous place to buy seafood. Their knowledge of their inventory is expansive and are always willing to help you find exactly what you want.  There is also a Mr. Fish restaurant next door which has some great food and the chef has it “goin’ on” with different types of sauces. Also, their crab cakes are to die for.  So, Corvina was the choice and I decided to serve this with a Daikon radish and zucchini salad (recipe below) and jasmine rice. Without further delay here are the recipes.

Roasty Toasty Corvina

The Well Fed Cyclist – Gary Bechard

Ingredients:

1 lb – Corvina filets (2, 8 ounce servings) (You could substitute Grouper or any other mild, sweet, flakey, fish)

1/2 cup – Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup – Whole, wheat flour, unbleached (I find that this type of flour brings out the smoky flavors in the seasonings)

2 tbs – Toasted sesame seeds

1 ½ tsps. – Roasted ground ginger

2 tsps – Coarse ground black pepper

1 tbs – Dried parsley

2 tbs – Soy Sauce (I use Kikoman lite soy sauce to cut down on sodium)

Construction Instruction:

In a one gallon sealable plastic bag or medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, wheat flour, sesame seeds, ginger, coarse ground black pepper and parsley. When you have done this either seal (yes that is important) and shake the bag to thoroughly mix the ingredients or whisk them together in the bowl to do the same thing. Next, take the mixture and place on a plate or a shallow dish. Then dip the filets in water and press into the mixture and coat each side evenly. Place the filets in a ceramic or glass baking dish which has been sprayed with some cooking spray and a small amount of water. (Note: the water should not be very deep and should only barely cover the bottom of the dish) Before baking, drizzle 1 tablespoon of soy sauce down the center of each filet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (time will depend on how thick the filets are) until fish flakes easily.

Spiralize This! (Daikon Radish and Zucchini Salad)

The Well Fed Cyclist – Gary Bechard

Ingredients:

1 – Medium zucchini, either run through a “spiralizer” or very finely sliced (julienned)

1 – Small Daikon radish, either run through a “spiralizer” or very finely sliced (julienned)

1/4 – Medium sweet onion, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup – Shredded carrots

1/2 – Red bell pepper, very thinly sliced

1/2 – Yellow bell pepper, very thinly sliced

1/3 cup – White mushrooms, diced (You could also use a mixture of mushrooms like shitake, or others which may give it a bit more flavor)

10 to 15 – Small grape tomatoes, halved

Ginger salad dressing

Construction Instruction:

I will tell you that the easiest way to go here is to get a “Spiralizer”, which is not too expensive, and run the daikon radish and zucchini through it and put in a medium bowl. After slicing the onion and peppers, add these along with the shredded carrots into the same bowl. Note: I used shredded carrots because although I could have run large carrots through the “Spiralizer”, this saved some preparation time. Once all the long ingredients and the mushrooms are in the bowl, lightly toss to get all of these items evenly distributed. When this is done add the tomatoes and lightly season the salad with the ginger dressing or you can serve and allow your guests to season their own salads.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

The things you find…(an “On the Edge” recipe)

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

You will never guess what was on sale this week! Go ahead, guess! Can’t guess? Well, okay, I will spill it, crab meat! I know that this may not excite everyone like it does me but it can only mean one thing (for me at least), stuffed fillet of sole or flounder! (You could use either because they are pretty much the same kind of fish, flat with thin filets) This is an older recipe of mine that has seen some modification over the years.   I most recently did a makeover of this recipe for the “On the Edge” series and nobody is the worse for wear. Gone is the whole cup and a half of regular breadcrumbs. These were replaced with a much smaller amount of whole wheat breadcrumbs which have a bigger flavor and texture. Also, less olive oil is used in this recipe to cut down on the fat and there is less salt. Overall, this is a much healthier version of the same recipe but the flavor is still there. As  a friend of my daughter’s put it, “it was like a party in my mouth!” I would normally serve this with a wild rice pilaf and green and wax beans but instead served this with a tabouli salad (cracked wheat) which had tomatoes, some onion and dressed with the juice of a lime. So without further adieu here is the recipe.

I’m Stuffed
Baked crab meat stuffed fillet of sole (or flounder)
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
The Stuffing –
16 oz – Pasteurized claw crab meat
1/3 – Red bell pepper (diced fine)
1/3 – Green bell pepper (diced fine)
3 thin slices – Sweet onion (diced fine)
4 cloves – Garlic (fine minced)
¼ cup – Fresh parsley (a small handful) (diced fine)
¼ cup – Whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp – Kosher salt
2 splashes – Red wine vinegar
¼ cup (or less) – Extra virgin olive oil

The “Stuffee” –
1 lb – Sole or flounder fillets (you will need 4 fillets) (note: look for long fillets)

Construction Instruction (stuffing) –
Combine, crab meat, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley pepper and salt in a large bowl. Mix this together thoroughly making sure to break up the crab meat and combine the ingredients so they are evenly distributed through the mixture. Next take and add about half of the olive oil in the mixture and test. That is right, test. You have to do a “squish” test to see if the mixture will hold together. If the mixture holds together after you squish a ball together, it is ready but if not add enough oil until it does. (I would only add about half of what you had left and test again and repeat as necessary)

Construction Instruction (fish) –
Take the fillets and cut them lengthwise down the center into strips that are about 1 ½ to 2 inches wide. In a 9 X 13 baking dish that has been sprayed with PAM cooking spray, take a large spoon and with your hands create 4 equal mounds of the stuffing. Next, take the fillets and with the even edge on the bottom of the dish wrap around the base of each mound. Repeat this in the opposite direction with the other half of the fillet. (Note: the fillets will have a wide end and a thin end and the object will be to have the same amount of fish around the outside of the stuffing. This can be accomplished by matching the thin end of one fillet with the wide end of the other fillet.). Repeat this step for each mound of stuffing. What you should end up with are 4 mounds of stuffing where you can see the top of the mound and a circle of fish around the bottom. Make sure to put about 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish. Bake this in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. You will know that it is done when the fish has gone from translucent to white or very, very light golden brown.

Enjoy!
The Well Fed Cyclist

On the Edge…continues

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Well it is the same ‘bat time”, same “bat channel”…almost (some of you younger folks may not know what in the world I am talking about with that phrase, however. So you may need to ask your parents). I was going to do a post yesterday but I was off with some Canadian friends doing stuff.  This is the first of many fish recipes I have come up with over the years since fish is what I consider food of the gods (not to offend anyone who thinks red meat is the tastiest thing on the planet). As everyone who has read this blog knows, I have way too much time to think while piloting the lawn mower or doing other assorted “yard things”.   This recipe is a product of my pining away for another visit to Key West while doing mundane things. Key West is one of those places that inspire extreme opinions. You either love it or you hate it. Most of the time there is no gray area. However, I loved it! It was laid back, comfortable, eclectic, fun and accepting. The food is good and almost always pretty healthy and there were plenty of places to find good rum, wine and other intoxicating beverages (Hmmm, I am hoping that is not why the food was really good). It was there that I learned about key limes and the fact that they do not travel well and for that reason you do not find them very far north of Florida. I wanted to incorporate them in a fish recipe because, well, frankly, I am not sure the limes would go with say a red meat.

Almost all of my fish recipes are very healthy and fit into the “On the Edge” category of being good for the pre-diabetic. They are all low in carbohydrates (I have to try to keep the whole meal under 30 grams if I can) and are almost devoid of sugars so you can eat “clean” , as the healthy food groupies say now. This recipe was inspired by a trip to Key West and a wonderful sailboat cruise in the Gulf of Mexico a number of years ago where I was the pilot of a 43 foot sailboat my family chartered for me on my 50th birthday. Without further delay, here is the recipe.

Key West Mahi-Mahi
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 lbs – Mahi-Mahi fillets (should be 4 at 8 oz each)
1 cup – Scallions (finely chopped)
¾ cup – Shitake mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
½ tsp – Sea salt
1 tsp – Coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp – Light Soy sauce
10 – Key limes (juiced, well maybe not “juiced”, per se, but the juice of the limes) (about 3/4ths of a cup)
[Note: If you cannot find Key Limes, you can normally find Key Lime juice in the grocery store hanging out near the Bloody Mary mix]

Construction Instruction:
In a 9 X 13 inch baking dish that has had the bottom sprayed with Pam or some other non-caloric cooking spray, arrange the fillets after lightly seasoning with the salt and pepper. (You can skip the salt if you would like because of the soy sauce) Add about a ¼ cup of water to the bottom of the dish to make sure the fish stays moist. Next, drizzle a thin line of soy sauce down the center of each fillet and slowly pour on the key lime juice. (You want to try to keep as much on the fillets as possible) After this is done evenly arrange the scallions and mushrooms generously over each of the fillets and putting any excess in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil (trust me on this one) and bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 375 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes. [Note: You should check on the fish at the 30 minute mark to see if it flakes easily. If it does, you are done. If not, you need to bake a bit longer until the fish does flake easily.]

This was served with Japanese buckwheat noodles, a lightly steamed blend of zucchini, yellow squash, green beans and red bell pepper. The wine was a Viogner!

Enjoy!

On the Edge…part deux

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

First, I have to apologize that I did not take a picture of the plate this time so I had to put a picture of “Mr. Grouper” from Bubble Guppies.  He’s kind of cute and is not quite something I would want to filet, his being a cartoon and all.  (And, please note that no cartoons were harmed while writing this blog post.)

The whole idea behind pre-diabetic cooking is to control the carbohydrate intake (you need about 30 grams per meal) and to make sure that you are getting the right kind of carbs for your diet. (think whole wheat, fruits and vegetables) I think this is one of the reasons that most of the literature points people in the direction of making sure that fruit is part of every meal. True a lot of fruits are full of sugar but the ones recommended for pre-diabetics and diabetics alike are berries. YUM! For any of you living near Maine or the New England area blueberries come to mind as the berry of choice along with your basic strawberries, raspberries and such. I have a high school classmate that said in our yearbook “Essence of blueberries is all you need to exist” and I would have to agree. So if you are cooking for a pre-diabetic make sure to include the berries, in their natural form of course.

This recipe was one of those thought up on a long ride one of these past weekends. For whatever reason, the leek and mushroom combination kept popping into my head which was kind of weird because before this time I had never cooked with leeks. (channeling a chef from the past maybe?) They are a fine vegetable, however, and are akin to very mild scallions only much bigger. I like this recipe because it is easy and the way that it is baked deep seats the flavors into the fish. So without further adieu here is the recipe. Later this week I will put out here the “how to” for the vegetable stock I made from the leftover parts of the leeks.

Glam Grouper
Grouper done with Leeks and Mushrooms
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 – Large Grouper Fillets (mine totaled about 2.5 lbs)
4 – Leeks
2 pts – Mixed mushroom slices (if you cannot find these use a mushroom with a lot of earthy flavor like Portabellas or Cremini and mix them with Shitakes, Oyster and other flavorful mushrooms)
7 – Garlic cloves (fine diced)
1 – Handful fresh parsley (or a bit more, coarse chopped)
16 oz – Mushroom broth (you could also do vegetable stock but the mushroom broth gives a better flavor)
1 pinch – Sea Salt per fillet ( use coarse ground and only put 3 to 4 granules each)
Coarse ground Black Pepper (a couple of grinds per fillet)

Preparation:
Prepare the leeks (you are going to use the white parts) by cutting the white part off and slicing the long way into shreds. Wash between the leaves because a lot of dirt can get caught in there and I am pretty sure the grocery store has not washed them for you ahead of time. Save the green parts of the leeks to make vegetable soup stock.

Construction Instruction:
Spray the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish with a non-caloric cooking spray and arrange the fillets evenly across the dish. Pour in the mushroom broth so that it surrounds each of the fillets. Next, salt and pepper the fish and arrange leeks, mushrooms, garlic and parsley more around the fillets than on them. The reason for putting the ingredients around as opposed to on top is that you are going to steam cook the fillets and allow the fish to absorb those flavors. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

This was served with a wild rice pilaf made with lightly sautéed mushrooms and sweet onions, roasted cauliflower and asparagus. On the side, there was also a berry salad with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and some kiwi for good measure.

Enjoy!
The Well Fed Cyclist

Trust me officer “Baked” is a relative term…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I am sorry but yes, it is yet another fish recipe and this after I thought it was going to be “chicken week”. However this is a very easy recipe and won very high marks from one of my most discriminating critics (my daughter). The name of the recipe was kind of joke because nobody would EVER cook while they were fully baked…right? Not that I have ever been that way but I was just referring to the state of the fish at the end of the recipe…Yah, that’s the ticket. You believe me right? Okay, even if you do not believe me, this is still really good fish.

This recipe was born while I was watching chocolate chip cookies being made at the same time I was trying to figure out how to make faux fried fish for dinner. I think I was watching Alton Brown on the Food Network, but that is neither here nor there, and as I was watching the vanilla extract being added to the cookie batter (after Alton’s requisite aside on actual vanilla beans, where they come from, how they grow, what we do with them, etc.) I wondered how it would taste on breadcrumbs and ultimately the fish. I quickly made a crumb test batch to try out on my family first. The test was a success and the rest, as they say, is history. The best thing about grouper is that it takes on virtually any flavor you put on it and the better the outside flavor the better the fish. I know that grouper is expensive right now but if you get the chance you should try this recipe. Haddock or most any other mild, flaky white fish would also work.

I’m Totally Baked
Vanilla Grouper
(makes 4 – 5 servings)

2 ½ lbs – Grouper fillets (skinless, about 8 ounces per person)
1 ½ cups – Canola Oil
1 ounce – Pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp – Sugar
7 ounce package – Panko breadcrumbs

Combine canola oil, vanilla extract and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk together thoroughly and set aside (for now). Next, in a big ass skillet, pour about half of the oil/vanilla mixture in the bottom and start it on low heat. After about 2 to 3 minutes of letting the oil/vanilla mixture heat up add about 1/3 of the breadcrumbs and mix together until the breadcrumbs absorb the oil. Repeat this same process until you have run out of breadcrumbs and the oil/vanilla mixture. Move the heat to just below medium and toast the breadcrumbs for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, then lower heat and toast some more at low for another 2 to 3 minutes. After this remove the breadcrumbs from the heat and set aside to cool.

After the breadcrumbs have cooled a bit, wet grouper fillets (I did it with water but you can also use buttermilk but if you do I would soak the fillets for the entire time you are making the breadcrumbs) and roll them in the mixture fully coating them. Spray the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish with a non-caloric cooking spray and arrange the fillets in the bottom of the pan. Bake the fish at 380 to 400 degrees for about 35 minutes or until the fish starts to flake easily. The breadcrumbs should have a “toasted marshmallowesque” look to them. (I always start checking my fish at the 30 minute mark because sometimes fillets can be of different thicknesses and the thinner ones take less time. You do not want to overcook them.)

I served this with steamed fresh green beans garnished with almond slices and wild rice pilaf with Cremini mushrooms and petite peas.

Enjoy!