"Deviled" Catfish

My fiancee Kristin is a big fan of deviled eggs.  They're not really something I experienced much of, growing up, and it would be generous of me to say that I could take or leave them - I'm just still not much of an egg person.  I'm working on it, though.  It never even occurred to me that the flavors of the sauce on this fish are essentially the same as in deviled eggs - but it was the first thing that Kristin pointed out when I had her taste-test the sauce.  

The combination of the deviled-egg-flavored sauce with panko breadcrumbs makes this a baked fish dish that manages to both stay moist and feature a satisfying crunchy element without frying.  Since I like this fish so much, maybe I owe it to deviled eggs to give them a second chance.

More or less any whitefish can shine in this recipe.  I used catfish this time, and have used tilapia and cod to similarly good effect.  The rest of the ingredients are largely pantry staples: panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, paprika, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper.

First, we'll make the sauce that tops the fish.  Combine equal parts dijon mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl, then mix in the seasonings: a generous quantity of paprika, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Stir it up well, give it a taste, and add more of whatever strikes your fancy.  You can spice the mustard-mayo base in any number of ways, so don't hesitate to experiment.

Pour some panko onto a plate or other convenient flat surface.  Season the breadcrumbs with plenty of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of whatever else you added to the sauce.  Now you're ready to coat the fish.

Egg wash?  Where we're going, we don't need egg wash.

Coat the top of your fish generously with the "devilish" sauce - breadcrumbs will be more than happy to stick to it.

Press the fish, sauce-side down, onto the plate of seasoned panko, then place the coated filets in a greased baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees 8-12 minutes until the fish is fork-tender.  Cook-times here will vary quite a bit depending on the thickness of your particular fish, so check early and check often.  My catfish took more like 12 minutes this time around.

Serve hot with fresh vegetables.

Recipe: "Deviled" Catfish
Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 12 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 catfish (or other whitefish) filets
• 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Ground Thyme
• 2 tsp Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine mustard, mayonnaise, paprika, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Stir well to combine.
2. Place breadcrumbs on a plate and season with salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.
3. Cover tops of fish filets generously with sauce mixture.
4. Press sauced-side of filets into breadcrumbs to coat.
5. Bake coated filets in a greased baking dish 8-12 minutes (by thickness) at 400 degrees until fish flakes easily.
6. Serve hot.

Savory-Sweet Tuna Salad

I'm not sure when I had my tuna salad epiphany, but I'm glad that I did.  As a kid, I wasn't a big fan of tuna in general, let alone in tuna salad.  At some point, I came to my senses on both accounts.  It may be all the fault of a breakfast place and a different sandwich entirely.

There's a local chain in Chicagoland called Egg Harbor.  They mostly serve really fantastic breakfast, but they have some lunch items, too.  Their chicken salad sandwich is really fantastic.  It was my first experience with a sweet chicken salad.  It has lots of good stuff in there beyond just chicken and mayonnaise: I remember pecans, dried cranberries, and apple in particular.  It's quite sweet, but really very tasty.

Out here in Ohio, there's not an Egg Harbor to be found, but that's hardly going to stop me from working to recreate that flavor profile.  This recipe works just as well with chicken, but I think it really shines with tuna.  I think tuna demands a bit more of a savory touch than chicken, so I've forgone the apple and added some savory spicing for this tuna salad recipe.  It's an easy standby to make with ingredients that I almost always have in the cupboard.  I really suggest you give it a try!

Our salad is composed of tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, slivered or sliced almonds, sweet or red onion, and dried cranberries.  The flavors are boosted by seasoning with Herbes de Provence, coriander, salt, and pepper.  That's it!  The seasonings can be adjusted, but I find that they work nicely to balance out the sweetness of the cranberry and add some nice complexity.

To serve the salad, you can use as little as a couple of slices of bread, or you add cheese for a tuna melt.  Topping things off with some greens or sprouts is particularly nice, too.

First, toast up some almonds.  For a large can of tuna, use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of almonds depending on how much crunch you want in your sandwich - I prefer more like 1/2 cup.

Finely dice a sweet onion.  Again, the amount to be used can vary depending on your taste.  I used about 2/3 of a large onion.

Open and drain your tuna.  If you have a cat, no doubt he or she noticed this and came running.  Be nice and offer a bite or two.

Combine the tuna and onion in a bowl.

Now add the toasted almonds and dried cranberries - again, 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on your taste.  As usual, I go for the higher amount.  Give everything a quick mix and judge your ratios, adding as needed.

When it looks like you've got about the right amount of stuff in with your tuna, it's time to dress it up.  Add about a tablespoon of mustard and 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, and mix well.

Once the salad is nicely mixed, add more mayo if necessary to reach your desired texture.  When you're there, it's time to season.  Add about a tablespoon of Herbes de Provence (or other similar herbs) and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of coriander.  A pinch of salt and pepper should finish things off.  Give it a taste and adjust as necessary.

Ideally, now is the time to cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for a while.  The flavors really come out if you give things a little time to meld.  Of course, it's no disaster if you just want to dig in, either.

When you're ready to serve, you have plenty of options.  If you prefer your tuna cold, I like it topped with sprouts and just a smidge of extra mustard.

If you're more a fan of the tuna melt, toast the bread and top your tuna with some good melting cheese - I prefer provolone.

However you eat it, enjoy!

Recipe: Savory-Sweet Tuna Salad
Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 2 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 12oz can Tuna in water
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Mustard
• 1/4-1/2 cup Slivered Almonds
• 1/2-2/3 large Sweet Onion
• 1/4-1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• Salt and Pepper to taste 

Instructions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, toast almonds 1-2 minutes.
2. Dice onion finely.
3. Drain tuna.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine tuna, onion, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries.
5. Add mayonnaise and mustard and mix well.  Add more mayonnaise to reach desired texture.  Mix well.
6. Add seasonings and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
7. Serve on a cold sandwich with mustard and sprouts, or as a warm tuna melt on toasted bread with melted cheese.

Fish Tacos

It's not always the easiest thing in the world to get high-quality, interesting fish here in rural Ohio.  At least, though, we can count on the grocery stores in the area to have decent whitefish, be it sole, cod, halibut, or tilapia.  White fish isn't the most exciting thing in the world, though - it's not really the sort of thing that you just cook and let speak for itself.  Instead, it needs some help on flavor.

This recipe changes a bit every time I make it, but it's always exceptionally flavorful.  The basics are always the same: whitefish coated in plenty of powerful spices, and tempered by a creamy sauce.  The fish cooks quickly in the pan and gets a bit of nice crust on the outside, but stays moist and tender in the middle.  The interplay of heat with the cool sour cream and avocado sauce keeps things in balance.  You could jazz things up by adding more ingredients, but the simplicity here is a virtue, I think.

You'll need more spices than anything else, but it's nothing you don't likely already have on hand.  Ingredients include a pound or two of fresh fish filets, some light sour cream, a couple of limes, an onion, a jalapeno pepper or two, a ripe avocado, and plenty of tortillas.  For the spice mixture, you can get creative, but I like to use paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and red pepper.

First, dice everything that needs dicing: the onion and the jalapeno.  Please be careful not to even think about touching your eyes as you do this.  Cutting onions can make you tear up, but you really don't want anything with a Scoville rating to even indirectly touch your eyes.

Combine sour cream and lime juice in a smallish bowl.  Open up your avocado and spoon out a good amount, then add it to the sour cream.  If the avocado is ripe enough, you'll be able to mix this into a smooth sauce with just a spoon.  If it's still too tough, a few pulses of a food processor will do the trick.

Add the onion and jalapeno to the sauce, and set it aside until serving time.

Combine all of those spices.  I like to put them together on a large plate, so I can just lay the fish flat in the mixture on both sides to coat easily.

Now liberally cover the fish with the spice mixture.  Don't be shy.

Cook the finish about 3 minutes per side in a medium-hot skillet.  Cast iron is a great way to go, here.  You'll know it's done when it flakes easily with a fork.  Don't overcook it!

Time to serve!  Spread a generous dollop of the sauce onto a tortilla, and top with a portion of fish.  That's all there is to it!  Serve nice and warm, and have lime wedges available if you want a bit of extra citrus zing.  A salad and/or some Spanish rice makes a great side.

Recipe: Fish Tacos

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs Whitefish, filleted
• 1/4 cup light Sour Cream
• 2 tablespoons Lime Juice
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 ripe Avocado
• 8 8-inch Tortillas
• 2 teaspoons Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Oregano
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper
• Lime Wedges to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and lime juice.  Add avocado and mix with a spoon until smooth.  Add diced jalapeno pepper and diced onion and mix again.

Combine paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and red pepper.  Rub gently onto all sides of fish filets.

In  skillet over medium-high heat, cook fish with a bit of cooking oil approximately 3 minutes per side, or until it flakes easily with a fork.

Warm or prepare tortillas according to package directions.  Spread a generous portion of avocado mixture onto each tortilla, then top with fish.  Serve hot with lime wedges.

Trout Pasta Pomodoro

Kristin and I are doing our best to eat generally more healthily, and part of doing so involves adding some more fish to our diet.  Now granted, pasta with cheese over it is not exactly ideal, but this was still a nice, light, fresh summer meal.  I got my inspiration from a similar Trout dish in Cooking Light, but opted to make it into a pasta and the "tomato topping" into a sauce so that the dish would be more of a meal.  It ended up really fantastic, and I'll definitely make it again.

Our ingredients are simple and fresh.  Trout is the star of the show - you can use a lot or a little, but make sure it's fresh and - preferably - sustainably farmed.  The sauce is based on fresh cherry tomatoes, backed up by some bacon, white wine, fresh basil, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Grate some cheese over the top at the end if you desire - we used Asiago to very nice results.

First thing's first, we're going to harvest a lot of flavor from not a lot of bacon.  Cut 2-3 ounces down small and get it rendering in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium-high heat.

While that's rendering, get your veggies ready.  Dicing the onion is mandatory, as is removing the little green stems from your cherry tomatoes.  Also mince the garlic, or just be ready to wield your garlic press with extreme prejudice when the time comes.

I don't care what Alton Brown says about unitaskers in this instance - I adore my garlic press.

Mmm, bacon.  Once it's getting cooked, pull it out of the pan and set aside for a few minutes.  We'll get the veggies going in the awesomely flavorful stuff left at the bottom of the pan.

Dump those veggies right in.  Medium-high heat is fine, as we actually want the veggies to cook pretty quickly.

We want them to cook quickly because the cherry tomatoes will pop after a few minutes and release lots of liquid, quickly turning themselves into the beginnings of a sauce.  If you want it chunkier, just let them alone once they've popped.  If you prefer a little smoother texture, go ahead and crush them up a bit with the back of a stirring spoon, a potato masher, or whatever takes your fancy.

Now's the time to amp up the flavor.  Chop up some fresh basil, and add it to the sauce along with your white wine and that bacon you've been holding onto.  You didn't eat all the bacon, did you?  It's up to you what to do with the rest of the bottle of wine...I favor drinking it with the finished product.

Before long your sauce's flavors will really have melded.  Reduce it just a bit, then we'll add some starchy pasta water later to return some body.

In the meantime, it's time to grill some fish.  You can broil it or do it in a pan if you like, but I got a cast-iron grill-pan for my birthday (thanks, mom!) and it's fantastic.  All a great fish like trout needs is some salt and plenty of fresh black pepper.

While you're at it, cook your pasta, if you haven't already started.

2-3 minutes per side on the grill pan and it's beautifully done.  If you don't have a fish spatula, your trout may fall all to pieces as you remove it from the pan.  Do your best.  Really, it's perfectly tasty to just flake the fish over the pasta anyway, but sometimes it's nice to keep the pieces whole for the sake of presentation.

When your pasta is still al-dente, go ahead and mix it and a bit of pasta water into the sauce, and let it finish there for a couple of minutes.  It'll absorb a whole lot of flavor.

Now add that fish right on top.

And, if you're into that kind of thing, garnish with grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese and/or some more fresh Basil.  Serve immediately, and don't forget about that wine you opened.

Recipe: Trout Pasta Pomodoro

Prep Time: 5 Minutes | Cook Time: 30 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Trout
• 2-3 oz Bacon, chopped
• 24 oz Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2-4 cloves Garlic, minced 
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 16 oz Bowtie Pasta
• 4-6 leaves Fresh Basil
• Parmesan or Asiago Cheese to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste 

Instructions

Cook Pasta to al-dente according to directions on box.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, render chopped bacon over medium-high heat 3-4 minutes until cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Dice onion and mince garlic.  Remove stems from tomatoes.  All onion, garlic, and tomatoes to pan with bacon drippings and cook 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat until tomatoes pop their skins.

Crush tomatoes down if desired.  Add bacon, basil, and white wine to sauce and continue cooking 10-20 minutes until flavors are well melded.

Season trout lightly with salt and plenty of ground black pepper.  Cook 2-3 minutes per side on a heavy grill pan until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Set aside until serving.

When pasta is al-dente, add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water to sauce and mix well.

Serve trout over pasta and sauce.  Garnish with cheese and/or additional basil to taste.