Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro & Green Chile Sauce

From Cookin' Canuck

*I thought these were so good, though better the second day.  The corn tortillas doubled-up were a bit much for me, but if you fry them for just a few minutes and use only 1 instead of 2, they are a perfect compliment to the delicate fish.  Honestly, my kids didn't really go for the tacos, but they ate the fish!  I really liked the creamy sauce...I must.
  

• Sauce:
  1/3 cup light mayonnaise
  1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  2 tbsp skim milk
  2 oz. canned diced green chiles
  2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  1/2 tsp ground cumin
  1/4 tsp kosher salt
  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  Fish:
  3/4 tsp chili powder
  3/4 tsp ground cumin
  1/4 tsp kosher salt
  4 fillets (4 oz. each) firm white fish, such as Mahi Mahi or halibut
  1 tbsp canola oil
  16 corn tortillas
  3 oz. Cotija or queso fresco cheese, crumbled
  1/2 small green cabbage, cut into shreds
  2 medium tomatoes, diced
  Sauce:
  In the bowl of a food processor, puree mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, diced chiles, lime juice, cumin and salt until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse until just combined.
  Fish:
  In a small bowl, mix chili powder, cumin and salt. Pat the fish fillets with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Rub both sides of each fish fillet with spice mixture.
  Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add fish fillets and cook on both sides until fish is just opaque. The time will vary depending on thickness of the fillets.  The halibut fillets I used took about 4 minutes per side.
  Remove fish from skillet, let cool slightly and gently pull apart with your hands to form strips.
  Wrap tortillas in foil and warm on lowest setting of the oven. Using 2 corn tortillas for each taco, fill with fish, cheese, cabbage, tomato and desired amount of sauce. Serve.
  Makes 8 tacos (2 per person).

Grilled Marinated Salmon

*Just plain good.  Love how easy it is to cook salmon on the grill.

From Allrecipes

Ingredients:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
2 T white sugar
1 T vegetable oil
1 t mustard powder
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground black pepper
2 lbs salmon fillets

Directions:
1.  In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard powder, ginger and ground black pepper.
2.  Place the salmon in a shallow, nonporous dish and pour the marinade over the salmon.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally.
3.  Preheat an outdoor grill for medium high heat and lightly oil grate.
4..  Grill the fish for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

Tomato and Feta Pasta with Shrimp

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 pound linguine pasta

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 chopped roma tomatoes

2 T chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled sun-dried tomato and basil feta cheese

Directions:

1.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2.  While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp, and cook until opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and heat through.  Season with basil, salt and pepper.

3.  Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, and sprinkle with crumbled feta to serve.

*I made this one night when my husband had to work late (he's not a huge tomato or feta cheese fan).  The kids and I loved it!  So simple to make and can be whipped up in minutes.  To my surprise, my husband polished off all the was leftover and he really liked it, too (so sorry I didn't get them for lunch the next day, but I'm glad he's coming around to these wonderful flavors).

Marinated Grill Shrimp

From allrecipes
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T chopped fresh basil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
2.  Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
3.  Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.


We had fun with this, very tasty on their own or mixed with a salad--my husband thought they would be perfect in Alfredo sauce.

Fish Tacos

From Allrecipes
Ingredients:

•       Marinade
•       1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
•       2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
•       2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
•       2 teaspoons lime zest
•       1 1/2 teaspoons honey
•       2 cloves garlic, minced
•       1/2 teaspoon cumin
•       1/2 teaspoon chili powder
•       1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
•       1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
•       1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste (I left this out)
•       1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
•  
•       Dressing
•       1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
•       1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers (I used about 1/4 cup--and it was still hot!  Optional.)
•       2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
•       2 teaspoons lime zest
•       1/4 teaspoon cumin
•       1/4 teaspoon chili powder
•       1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
•       salt and pepper to taste
•  
•       Toppings
•       1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
•       3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
•       1 bunch cilantro, chopped
•       1 small head cabbage, cored and shredded
•       2 limes, cut in wedges

Directions:
1.  To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended.  Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
2.  To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
3.  Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat.
4.  Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes.  (Since I don't have a grill, I baked it at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes in the marinade, stirring once during bake time.  Perfect).
5.  Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.


Jeff and I were talking about a trip we took to Mexico earlier this year and I got the craving for fish tacos.  We enjoyed them (however, I had to really encourage my children to eat them--the more difficult a recipe combined with the difficulty of getting 4 year olds to eat equals a lower overall satisfaction for the meal); however, even saying that, I liked them.  They are spicy, next time I  won't got out of my way to add the adobe sauce.  We topped them with fresh salsa, shredded cabbage, avocados, and squeezed lime juice.  Yum!  By the way, if you don't have Old Bay Seasoning, it just seems to be a combination of celery salt, paprika, and red & black pepper.

Red Pepper Salmon Pasta

Adapted from Allrecipes

Servings 4

Ingredients:

4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon

2 T lemon juice

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 T cornstarch

2 t minced jalapeño peppers (I used a banana pepper)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 can chicken brother

1/3 cup cream (I used 3 ounces cream cheese)

1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta

Directions:

1.  Arrange fillets in a single layer in baking dish.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Tightly cover dish with foil.  Bake at 450 degrees F.  Cook until fish is opaque, but still moist looking in thickest part, 12 to 14 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, in a blender, smoothly puree red peppers, Parmesan, cornstarch, pepper, and garlic.  Add cilantro and chicken broth; whirl to blend.

3.  Pour pepper mixture into a 10 inch frying pan.  Stir over high heat until boiling.  Reduce heat to keep warm.  Add cream.

4.  Cook pasta according to directions.

5.  Stir juice from the back salmon into red pepper sauce.  Mix 1 1/2 cups sauce with pasta.  Spoon pasta onto plates.  Top with fish, and drizzle with remaining sauce.  Serve.

*This sauce is excellent--the peppers were so tasty.  To roast the red pepper, I simply placed a seeded red pepper sliced in half on a baking sheet and placed it in the oven while it was preheating to 450 degrees.  It was about ready when the oven was finished preheating.  I will definitely make this again.

Butter and Garlic Shrimp Penne

From My Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6

*Note: this meal comes together quickly, especially if you marinate the shrimp as you prepare the other ingredients.

5 garlic cloves, minced (about 5 teaspoons)
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (21 to 25 count), peeled, deveined and each shrimp cut into 3 pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup clam juice (you can find this by the tuna, usually)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let the shrimp stand in this mixture for 20 minutes at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the rest of the oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-low heat and add the smashed garlic cloves. Stir the mixture now and then to prevent the garlic burning and cook until the garlic is light and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and use a slotted spoon to take out the garlic, leaving as much oil as you can in the skillet. Throw the garlic away and set the skillet aside.

In a large pot, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt once the water comes to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender (look at the package directions as each brand of pasta can differ). Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water in a small bowl. Once drained, throw the pasta back into the pot.

While the pasta is boiling, return the skillet with the oil to medium heat and add the shrim with the marinade to the skillet, making sure the shrimp is in a single layer. Cook the shrimp, without stirring or moving them, until the oil starts to gently bubble, about 1 to 2 minutes. Now you can start stirring the shrimp and continuing to cook until the shrimp is just cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. It will cook fast so be careful not to overcook or the shrimp will turn tough.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 3 teaspoon minced garlic and the red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour and stirring constantly, cook the mixture for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the clumps of flour incorporate and become smooth. Whisk in the clam juice and parsley and cook until the mixture begins to thicken 2-3 minutes. Take the skillet off the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and sauce to the pasta, adjusting the consistency with the pasta water if it is too dry (I didn’t need to add any pasta water to mine). Serve immediately.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Taken from allrecipes
Serves 5
15 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 T mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip, either would be fine)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t basil
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/8 t onion powder
1/8 t celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions
1.  Preheat oven's broiler.  Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2.  In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice.  Season with basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt.  Mix well and set aside.
3.  Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan.  Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes.  Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side.  Broil for 2 minutes more or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.  Be careful not to over cook the fish.

*Excellent, this was gobbled up at our house, but then we really like fish.  I bought a bag of frozen tilapia fillets at Walmart (there were 10 medium fillets in the bag for $6.50, I used 5 of the fillets for this recipe) and I feel like I've found an inexpensive meal to add to our rotation.  Overall, I would prefer salmon, but the Parmesan cheese really made this fish savory.  I think the freshly grated Parmesan cheese would even be better and give the dish a more appetizing appearance.  This one is definitely a keeper.

Baked Wild Caught Salmon

Ingredients:

2 (6 oz) salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 T light olive oil

1 t dried basil

1 t salt (I recommend leaving this out)

1 t ground black pepper

1 t lemon juice

1 T fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.  In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and parsley.  Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade.  Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3.  Place salmon in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal.  Place sealed fish in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

*Super moist and easy.  Baking in foil doesn't give the salmon the same appearance as grilling, but the flavor was superb.  I did use fresh basil and next time I'll leave the salt out (it was just a little too salty for my taste).  This made the perfect amount for my little family of five, but eventually I'll have to increase it; my 5 year old persists that salmon is his favorite food.

Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

Taken from allrecipes

Ingredients:

•    3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
•    3 tablespoons butter, melted
•    5 teaspoons honey
•    1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
•    1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
•    3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
•    6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
•    salt and pepper to taste
•    6 lemon wedges

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.

2.  Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.

3.  Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

*A good variation for salmon.  In place of pecans, I used a mix of walnuts and cashews (that's what I had) and dried parsley.  Line your pan with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.  My son gobbled this up!

Poached/Grilled/Broiled Salmon

Adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients

1/2 pound salmon fillets
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions
1.  Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

2.  In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

3.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Make a little foil packet for each fillet and close it up, leaving a little room for air to circulate inside. Bake the foil packets on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes.
 
*This salmon was delectable.  Very good with lemon and a little sprinkling of dill weed.  I actually cooked it for about 25 minutes, but I tried the frozen salmon fillets and the salmon may have not been completely defrosted.  An inexpensive way to eat salmon.  Serve with lemon wedges.


*I have made this salmon marinade two more times.  Once, I used my parent's grill (as suggested in the original allrecipe); they turned out a little dry, like blackened salmon, but still good.  The third time, I used a grill pan and this was my favorite.  Preheat the grill pan over high heat for about 10 minutes (put no oil on the pan while preheating).  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cook on each side (skin side up first) for 3 minutes.  Check to see whether the fish is opaque all along the cut edges.  If not, cook for a few seconds longer.

Lemon & Cilantro Shrimp

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time:  5 Min
Ready In:  20 Min

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, zested
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 tomato, chopped
salt to taste
1 lemon, juiced
ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a bowl, toss shrimp with lemon zest and cilantro to coat.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle oil with salt, then stir in the shrimp, lemon zest, and cilantro. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque, adding tomato the last minute. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with remaining oil, lemon zest, and olive oil from the skillet. Squeeze lemon juice over shrimp, season with pepper, and serve immediately.
 
3.  Serve mixed with thin spaghetti pasta or mixed greens.
 
*This was thrown together with ingredients I had on hand.  I wanted to fix a low-fat recipe that tasted good and this fit the bill.  Jeff said, "This tastes like something I would order at the Olive Garden."

Shrimp Pasta

½ c Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 lb shrimp, peeled, divined
2 c chopped fresh tomatoes (about 4 medium tomatoes, or substitute with 14.5 oz can untrained diced tomatoes)
½ c fresh basil leaven, chopped, divided
4 oz cream cheese, cut up
¾ lb fettuccine, cooked, drained
¼ c shredded parmesan, Romano, and Asiago Cheeses

1. Pour dressing over shrimp in small bowl; refrigerate 20 min to marinate. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard marinade.

2. Heat large skillet on medium heat; add shrimp. Cook 3 min or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet using slotted spoon; cover to keep warm. Set aside.

3. Add tomatoes and half of the basil to same skillet; cook and stir 3 min. Stir in cream cheese until well blended. Add shrimp; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

4. Place hot fettuccine on large serving platter. Top with the shrimp sauce. Sprinkle with remaining basil and the shredded cheese.

Serves 6.

*This is always a pleaser at my house.  Tonight I made it with some improvising and it still turned out very good (though if it is the season, garden tomatoes and basil just can't be beat).  I used 10 ounces of frozen shrimp and marinated it in homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  In place of the fresh basil, I used about 2 T of dried basil and the canned tomatoes.  I was a little short on cream cheese so I added about 1/2 cup whipping cream in its place.  Then I let it simmer to reduce the sauce before adding the shrimp back.  To top it off, just plain parmesan cheese.  It was gobbled up quick!

Sugar-Crusted Salmon with Florida Grapefruit & French Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:
2 Florida grapefruit
1/4 cup cilantro
2 key limes
4- 5 ounce portions fresh salmon filets
2 tbsp natural cane sugar
1 1/2 cups French cut green beans
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Nonstick spray

Directions:
1.  Peel and segment grapefruit. Reserve eight slices and roughly chop the remaining fruit. Finely slice the cilantro. Zest and juice the limes.
2.  Place salmon filets skin side down onto a baking sheet coated with nonstick spray or lined with nonstick aluminum foil and place under a hot broiler. Cook for five to six minutes.
3.  Remove from broiler and place two slices of grapefruit on top of each filet. Evenly sprinkle the cane sugar over the grapefruit on top of the salmon portions and place back under the broiler to caramelize the sugar. Watch closely, as this happens quickly.
4.  In a large bowl, toss the green beans with olive oil, zest and juice of the key limes, chopped grapefruit, sliced cilantro, cranberries, and prepared brown rice.  Evenly portion and arrange mixture in the center of four dinner plates.
5.  Place salmon fillets on top of green bean salad mixture and serve.

*I love salmon and I eat grapefruit like I eat oranges--so of course when I found this recipe I knew I had to try it.  Jeff likes salmon and he'll only eat grapefruit if someone puts it in front of him with sugar on top.  I am happy to report that Jeff said, "This is the best fish I have ever eaten."  But then, what's not to love--moist and flakey--only a fish can give you that kind of meat.  The light sprinkling of sugar (I used regular white sugar) on top gave it just the right bit of crusted sweetness and the grapefruit was a wonderful replacement for squeezed lemon as it was a touch sweeter.  5 stars for the fish.  It was so good that I was kind of glad my kids didn't eat it (that's why I made biscuits to go with the meal--a filler for them and more fish for me).  It was very nice to have Jeff rave about a meal again!
The green bean salad was more of a garnish, not bad when eaten with the fish, but not something I would make on its own.  I would recommend making the salad without the lime first, and then add the lime to taste.  Definitely use fresh green beans.  Surprisingly, all of the ingredients went very well together.  3 stars (with the lime reduction).

Quick & Easy Shrimp Primavera

Prep time 20 min
Total time 20 min
Makes 4 servings, 2 cups each

Ingredients
2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. uncooked deveined peeled shrimp
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 cup matchlike carrot sticks
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions
COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp, vegetables and garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 min. or until shrimp turn pink and vegetables are crisp-tender.

DRAIN pasta. Add to shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and lemon zest.

Recipe from Kraft Foods

Salmon with Dill

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound salmon fillets or steaks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Rinse salmon, and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder, and dill over the fish. Place pieces of butter evenly over the fish.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.