Halibut with Indian Spices and Yogurt

Adapted from David Tanis' cookbook A Platter of Figs, I lessened the turmeric and added some smoked paprika. After a few hours of marinating, the fish burns beautifully on a grill or a griddled cast iron pan, imparting a smokey flavour.

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon turmeric

8 halibut fillets or steaks, about 6 ounces

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Handful of mint leaves

Raita (Indian-style yogurt):

3 cups Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

pinch of saffron

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

For Fish:

In a dry cast-iron pan, toast the cumin, coriander and fennel over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and grind fine. Put the ground spices in a small bowl and add the turmeric and paprika.

Lay halibut on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle spice mixture over fish, then massage it in. Cover and refrigerate for severa hours. Bring fish to room temperature before cooking.

Grill halibut or broil in oven for 10 minutes or until it flakes and is just slightly opaque, roughly 5 minutes per side.

Arrange halibut on plate, spoon yogurt on top and garnish with slivered mint leaves.

For Raita:

Put yogurt in a bowl. In a small frying pan, heat olive oil over medium flame and add fennel, mustard and cumin seeds. Once they begin to pop, add garlic and saffron and let it sizzle without browning for 10 seconds. Scrape contents into yogurt and gently stir in chile and ginger. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. The yogurt can keep for a day or two.

Serves 8.

Steamed Soy Ginger Seabass

This is a simple and tasty Chinese recipe for steamed fish. Dark soy sauce is used as it is less salty and enriches dishes with both its deep colour and flavour.

1 piece of seabass with skin (600g)

3 pieces of spring onion, thinly sliced

60g ginger, sliced julienne strips

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

Place seabass in dish and sprinkle half of ginger and spring onions over top.

Then steam seabass for about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry rest of ginger strips till brown and crunchy. Sprinkle on top of steamed seabass and drizzle soy sauce over it. Serve immediately.

Searing Salmon

I still had some leftover mango salsa from last night's dinner, so I went to the fish monger to buy some salmon fillets to sear and top with the salsa. I added leftover strawberries and another half a cucumber in the fridge to the salsa, and did a simple salt and pepper seasoning before searing the fish. This is a great way to get the skin all crispy and the salmon was perfectly cooked:

Salt and Pepper both sides of the salmon.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, place salmon, skin side down, onto the pan. Sear salmon for 6 minutes, until a nice golden-brown crust begins to form.

Then turn down heat to low, cover the pan with a lid or heavy foil, and cook an additional 6 minutes until it's almost completely cooked except for a little rare spot in the thickest middle part of the fillet.

Turn off the heat, flip each fillet over and let the fillets sit for about 3 minutes.

Remove fillets and place each on a dinner plate, crispy side up. Serve with mango salsa and rice cakes (see next posting).
I was so hungry that I forgot to take a photo until it was almost all gone.

Latin Fever: Fish Tacos w/ Mango Salsa, Tomato Salsa, Guacamole and Baja Yogurt

At first I wanted to make arepas (Venezuelan corn pancakes) for dinner after speaking to Alex about her pancake brunch, but then I couldn't find arepas flour at any of the supermarkets and I didn't have the time to make Pat's pulled pork recipe from her Mexican Feast. This put me in a bind, as I was craving something Latin. In the end, I decided to make fish tacos, one of my mom's favorite dishes from the Cactus Club in Vancouver. I don't remember how they tasted like, but these recipes below are very simple and straightforward. You can adjust each condiment to your liking, as you may like the guacamole or salsa sweeter, spicier or more acidic. While I was waiting for the fish to marinade and cook, I snacked on the condiments with tortilla chips, a favorite past time at Ariel/Max/Joyce/Carlson's house. Boy do I miss being back in school!

Guacamole

3 avocados

1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons red chili flakes

1 tablespoon fresh Thai basil or basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped (or cilantro)

salt and pepper

Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced (preferably Filipino mangoes)

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 small cucumber, peeled and diced

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped (or cilantro)

2 tablespoons fresh Thai basil or basil, chopped

1 thai red chili or jalapeno chile, minced (including seeds and ribs)

salt and pepper

Tomato Salsa

4 Romano tomatoes, chopped into cubed

3 spring onions, sliced thinly into rounds

1/4 medium red onion, chopped finely

4 tablespoons fresh Thai basil or regular basil, chopped (or cilantro)
2 tablespoons fresh chives (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley (optional)

1 jalapeno chile OR 1 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Baja Yogurt (or Herbed Yogurt)

1 cup greek yogurt

1/2 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped finely (or cilantro)

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

salt and pepper

Fish

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice, then let it sit for at least 15 minutes till it curdles before whisking it)

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, cilantro and/or basil/Thai basil

3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

salt and pepper

400g skinless sea bass, halibut or striped bass filets, cut into 1/2 x 1/2 inch strips
Lemon Wedges

5 corn tortillas

1 cup self-rising flour, if not use regular flour

For Guacamole:

Mash up avocados in a bowl, then squeeze lime and mix in other ingredients and season accordingly. If not serving immediately, tightly cover with glad wrap over guacamole, ensuring plastic wrap touches it so that no air can enter/escape, which will oxidize the avocados and turn it brown.

For Baja Yogurt:

Whisk juice, herbs and salt/pepper into yogurt. Cover and chill if not serving immediately, or leave out at room temperature for up to an hour.

For Mango Salsa:

Combine ingredients in bowl, season to taste. If salsa is too hot or acidic, temper with sliced avocados.

For Tomato Salsa:

Combine all ingredients together in one bowl, then season to taste.

For Fish:

Mix buttermilk, herbs, pepper sauce, salt and lime juice in large bowl. Add fish, toss, cover and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 300F. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm.

Whisk flour and salt in medium flour.

Add enough oil to large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat oil till hot and sizzling, then in watches remove fish from marinade, dredge in flour.

Carefully add fish to skillet and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper-towel lined baking sheet or dish to drain. Squeeze lemon juice over fish before making tacos.

To assemble:

Add a few pieces of fish onto taco.

Then add some mango salsa.

Then top with some tomato salsa.

Then add a spoonful of guacamole.

Finally drizzle baja yogurt, fold taco and eat.
Serves 2 (double or triple for more people)