Fish recipes

We want to start adding fresh fish to our menu more often. Anyone have any recipes they really like? We tend to keep it pretty simple and just pan fry or grill with lemon and spices, or bake with Greek-type stuff. In the winter I do Nigel Slater's mackerel and potato bake, but that's about it.

In the winter I do Nigel Slater's mackerel and potato bake, but that's about it.

Yummy!  (we've had it twice this summer!)

We used to have more fish than we do now - like salmon, cod, tuna, etc...but we've switched to having more veggie dishes (instead of fish) because of sustainability concerns.   I've heard that mackerel is a good choice on that point though.

Here is a recipe I pulled out of one of the Sunday magazines...about 4 years ago.  We love it.

Pesto Salmon Burgers

600 g fresh skinless, boneless salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp. Pesto
1 egg white
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
Olive Oil for cooking

2  10cm squares of Focaccia bread

Place the salmon, pesto, egg white, breadcrumbs, shallot and some salt and pepper in a food processor and whizz until the salmon is finely chopped but not pureed.  Chill for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, remove the salmon mixture from the fridge and divide into 8 evenly sized burgers.  heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.  Add the bugers and cook for 2 -3 minutes on each side until golden; do not overcook.

Cut the focaccia in half horizontally and toast, then brush the cut sides with oil. Serve on toasted focaccia with a dollop of pesto and basil leaves to garnish.

Baked trout.

The easiest thing in the world.

Line a baking tray with foil.  Put trout fillets on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, season, bake for 20 minutes on a high heat.  That's it.  Lovely.


Vicky

Yummy!  (we've had it twice this summer!)

Link?  Recipe?  Please ladies?

I recently tried some things with trout and salmon:

For the trout, I rubbed warmed butter on the fillets, then rubbed on a mixture of breadcrumbs, crushed pecans, fresh rosemary, parsley, and salt and pepper.  Baked in the oven until golden.  Lovely.

For the salmon, I did pretty much the same thing, replacing the pecans with lemon zest. Both were nice!

I do LOTS of fish, as it's the only meat Adam eats and therefore the only meal I don't have to cook two versions of.

What kinds of fish do you want recipes for?

Fishcakes are always good (I use Nigella's recipe as a starting point). Spice-crusted salmon is a winner here. I love a good ceviche. Tuna steaks are lovely, but I find the ones here are a bit too thin for my old recipes.

DH doesn't like salmon so when I want it I have to disguise it really well. I leave the skin on, rub some olive oil on the top and coat the top with a mix of spice - cumin, paprika, chilli powder, and sea salt. Then I just pan fry it until the spices nearly burn (a good char) and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche. I prefer mine less cooked, so I tend to take mine off and put a cover on the pan to finish his off....

Link?  Recipe?  Please ladies?

Yes, Nigel Slater's Potato and Smoked Mackerel Dauphinoise:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/potato-and-smoked-mackerel-dauphinoise

Mackerel fillets dipped in flour or fine oatmeal and fried very quickly on a greased frying pan are delicious  - and amazingly cheap.

Oh fish curry!  Monk fish is great though a bit expensive.  Haddock, and bass or swordfish hold up pretty well in curries too.

We make a Thai trout that is something like this: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaiseafoodrecipes/r/talapiawithtama.htm
http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Fried_Fish_with_Tamarind_Sauce.htm

I don't have the recipe I use as it's in one of the never ending boxes.

I also make lots of Paella variations.  Alex loves fish so we make a lot of it. (well when we don't live with my parents in the butt end of nowhere, where "fresh" is Walmart's previously frozen and defrosted and dried out 5 days ago exclusively from China *sigh)

Baked tilapia - just melt some butter and add some garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and a dash of paprika and let simmer for a minute - spread some of the butter mixture in the bottom of your baking pan (line with foil if you like) add the fish filets and top them with the rest of the butter mixture. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish flakes.

We do a super easy oven baked fish once a week. It really couldn't be simpler, and apart from the stock cube, it's very very healthy. We usually use haddock, but have used tuna and salmon with great results.

Pour a good glug of olive oil into the bottom of a roasting tin. Chuck in your fish fillets, and season. Chop up loads of veg and add to the roasting tin, covering the fish... we use leeks, celery, red pepper, courgettes, and cherry tomatoes, but you can use pretty much anything. Chop a few cloves of garlic and break up a stock cube, and mix in with the veg. Pour over the juice of a lemon and a couple glugs of white wine, if you have any. Cover with foil, and bake at 190 C for 25 minutes or so (depends on fish). Serve with new potatoes or over brown rice, and make sure you use all that delicious juice on the bottom! It's really surprisingly delicious for how easy it is.

I also sometimes make a 'Mexican' version of this dish by mixing in a jar of salsa instead of the lemon/wine/stock cube. It's so nice on rice with a big fat blob of sour cream on top. 

Yes, Nigel Slater's Potato and Smoked Mackerel Dauphinoise:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/potato-and-smoked-mackerel-dauphinoise

Thanks for that, it was sooooo good. Truly decadent.

I cook a lot of fish.. but mostly just salted/peppered and grilled.  Or just raw.  The one recipe that's always popular, though, is halibut breaded with crushed Tostitos or Doritos, fried and served with homemade salsa mexicana.  Any firm white fish is OK, but halibut is glorious.  (The breading is as usual.. coat in flour, then egg, then the chips.)

Peppered tuna steak is always good, if you have the cash for/access to sashimi-quality tuna.. I oil the steaks a bit, coat heavily with cracked peppercorns, then sear the outer 1/8" of each side.  I usually cube it and serve in (Japanese) soya sauce with a mound of wasabi.  Other oily fish is good this way, too, but it has to be sashimi quality.  Don't believe a word from the fishmonger at Sainsburys..

I'm weird about trout.  Love it just after catching it, don't like it if it's older.  So, I usually gut it and cook it right away.  Pan fried in butter, lemon juice squeezed on as we eat it. Or blackened over a campfire, skewered on a stick.  But hey, everything tastes better with sticks!