Article by Christine Budd
Rockfish Tacos with Rustic Homemade Salsa
Ingredients:
4 oz rockfish, sliced into 4, 1 oz pieces
4 corn tortillas
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup shredded cabbage
Rustic Salsa:
Makes 6 servings
1 – 16 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
¼ cup cilantro leaves
¼ yellow or red onion
1 garlic clove
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeño, stem removed and sliced
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp sea salt
Directions:
For the tacos:
Preheat a grill pan or large skillet over high heat with a generous splash of olive oil.
Add fish and sear on both sides, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Assemble taco fillings by adding homemade salsa, cabbage, and avocado slices, placing each piece of fish on top.
Garnish with extra lime wedges and salsa to serve.
For the salsa:
Pulse all ingredients quickly in a blender, to your desired consistency. Store any extras in a sealed glass jar for up to 1 week.
Lemon Herb Baked Rockfish
Ingredients:
1 whole (approx. 3 lb.) rockfish
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon slices and thyme sprigs for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven and prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 425°F, adjust a rack to the top third of the oven, and line a sheet pan with foil.
Prep the fish. Your fish should already be gutted and cleaned. If it’s not already scaled, use a fish scaler brush or the back of a knife by rubbing it in the opposite direction of the scales. This might be a bit messy, as the scales tend to “pop” off, but it’s quite easy. Rinse the fish and then pat it dry with paper towels.
Season the fish. Place the fish on the foil-lined sheet pan. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the oil on the fish and gently rub it in. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Carefully turn the fish over and repeat this process. Then season the inside cavity with salt and pepper.
Score the fish if desired. Use the tip of a very sharp knife to cut three slits, about two inches apart, diagonally across the top of the fish. The slits should only cut through the skin — try not to cut into the flesh.
Add the lemon and herbs. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice with the remaining tablespoon of oil, thyme and paprika. Drizzle this all over the top of the fish.
Bake the fish. Place the sheet pan in the preheated 425°F oven and bake just until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes. (You can test this by checking the internal temperature which should be about 140°F, and/or use a sharp knife or fork to peek into the flesh near the center. The flesh should flake easily and be opaque. (If it’s slightly translucent near the center, that’s okay.)
Broil the fish if necessary. If the skin doesn’t become crisp and golden by the time it’s cooked, remove it from the oven, turn on the broiler and adjust a rack so the fish will be a couple of inches below it. Place the fish beneath the broiler just until it’s golden brown and sizzling. Watch it carefully as it could just take seconds.
Serve! Serve the finished fish immediately.
Spicy Crab Cakes with Mango Puree
Ingredients:
1 pound lump crabmeat, well drained and picked over
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
4 teaspoons Asian red chili sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
All purpose flour for dredging
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or other dry bread crumbs
1 cup packed micro greens or mesclun
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat with the mayonnaise, chives, lime juice, honey and 1 tablespoon of the chili sauce; season with salt and pepper. Stir well to break up some of the crabmeat. Form the mixture into 8 crab cakes, packing them firmly. Put the crab cakes on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the mango with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the remaining 1 teaspoon of chili sauce until smooth. Scrape the mango puree into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Put a handful of flour into a medium, shallow bowl. Put the eggs in another shallow bowl and the panko in a third bowl. Take a crab cake in your hand and carefully dust it all over with flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the crab cake in the beaten egg and then coat it well with the panko. Repeat with the remaining crab cakes.
In a medium skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add 4 of the crab cakes to the skillet and cook them over moderately high heat until they are browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Drain the crab cakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 4 crab cakes.
Drizzle 4 plates with the mango puree and set 2 crab cakes on each plate. Mound the micro greens alongside and serve right away.
Make Ahead:
The formed crab cakes and the mango puree can be refrigerated overnight. Bring the mango puree to room temperature before serving.
Suggested Pairing:
A flavorful Finger Lakes Riesling from New York will complement the sweetness of the crabmeat and mango puree in this recipe.
Garlic Butter Steak
Ingredients:
1 ribeye steak, 2 inch (5 cm) thick, preferably USDA Prime
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C).
Generously season all sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, then bake for about 45 minutes to an hour until the internal temperature reads about 125°F (51° C) for medium-rare. Adjust the bake time based on if you like your steak more rare or more well-done (you monster).
Heat the canola oil in a pan over high heat until smoking. Do not use olive oil, as its smoke point is significantly lower than that of canola oil and will smoke before reaching the desired cooking temperature.
Sear the steak for 30 seconds on the first side, then flip.
Add the butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and swirl around the pan.
Transfer the garlic and herbs on top of the steak and baste the steak with the butter using a large spoon.
Baste for about 30 seconds, then flip and baste the other side for about 15 seconds.
Turn the steak on its side and cook to render off any excess fat.
Rest the steak on a cutting board or wire rack for about 10 minutes. Slicing the steak before the resting period has finished will result in a lot of the juices leaking out, which may not be desirable.
Slice the steak into ½ -inch (1 cm) strips, then fan out the slices and serve.
`Simple Oven Baked Sea Bass
Ingredients:
1lb sea bass (cleaned and scaled)
3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons fresh coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 lemon wedges
1/3 cup white wine vinegar (optional) or 1/3 cup white wine (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F°.
In a cup, mix garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Place fish in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish.
Rub fish with oil mixture.
(Optional) Pour wine over fish.
Bake fish, uncovered, for 15 minutes; then sprinkle with parsley or Italian seasoning and continue to bake for 5 more minutes (or until the thickest part of the fish flakes easily).
Drizzle remaining pan juices over fish and garnish with lemon wedges.
Delmarva Chicken
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of chicken (I use leg quarters, or thighs and legs as I like those, also have done it with half chickens)
1 ½ cups of apple cider vinegar
1 cup of olive oil
Add water to cover the chicken
2-3 tsp of poultry seasoning
2 tsp salt
3 tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
Directions:
Put chicken pieces into a large bowl suitable for marinating in.
Add all of your spices, then the liquid ingredients.
As the above states, you will add the cider and oil, then use water to cover the chicken parts (just barely over the top of the chicken).
Please feel free to adjust the ingredients to your personal taste.
Marinate the chicken for at least an hour, but marinate overnight for best results.
Prepare your smoker or grill – 275-300 degrees which makes the skin on the chicken nice and crispy by the end of your cook. Slow cooking yields the best chicken!
When your fire is up to temp, pull the chicken out of the marinade.
Place the chicken on the smoker or grill. 3 pounds of chicken thighs and legs take about 90 minutes to come to 175 degrees internal temp.
Chicken breast is done at 165 degrees, so please make sure you have a good meat thermometer to check for doneness.
After determining temp is correct and done, I pull the chicken off and set it out to rest for 15 minutes or so. After that, serve and eat!
Baked Flounder with Parmesan Crumbs
Ingredients:
4 flounder fillets (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper to taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely crumbled fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Freshly grated lemon zest or freshly squeezed lemon (optional)
Thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Pat the fish dry. Place the fillets in a large baking dish or roasting pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a small skillet over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the bread crumbs, cheese and oil and, using your fingers, mix until evenly combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the fillets.
Bake the fillets until they are cooked through and the topping is golden, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with lemon zest or juice and basil. Serve hot.
NOTES:
You may substitute any lean white fish, such as cod, haddock or orange roughy. Even tilapia works!
Cooking for 1? Halve the recipe, getting two portions as the end result. Save the second portion for lunch the next day. Warm on a crusty hard roll with melted sharp cheddar and juicy tomatoes.
Stay Saucy my friends! §
