Article by Christine Budd
Bluefish Patties with Quick Aioli Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound skinless bluefish fillets
½ cup panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon minced celery
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon seafood Old Bay seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
Directions:
Trim dark parts from the fish and discard. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; drop fillets in and cook until white and flaky, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool, about 5 minutes. Flake with a fork.
Mix panko, eggs, red bell pepper, onion, celery, mustard, seafood seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper into the bowl with the flaked fish. Stir in 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time, just until mixture holds together. Form into 6 equal-size patties.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer patties carefully to the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning. Serve aioli sauce alongside patties.
Andouille Crusted Black Drum with Sauteed Kale & Pecan Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
4 black drum fillets or your favorite fish fillet
2 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
12 ozs. andouille sausage, casing removed and food processed to a meal consistency, plus 4 ozs. diced
Dash hot sauce (optional)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons, unsalted butter
3 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound kale, cleaned, stemmed and torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 12-ounces processed andouille sausage , 1 tablespoon creole seasoning, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Season both sides of the fish fillets with the remaining Creole seasoning and add to a dry hot pan. Cook the fish for 2 minutes. Remove the fillets from the saute pan, flipping the uncooked sides down on to a sheet pan. Top each fillet with a generous amount of the bread crumb mixture and place in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
Heat a dry skillet to toast the pecans, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 4-ounces diced andouille and 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute for 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Turn off the heat, add the butter, scallions, and parsley.
Heat another skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and kale. Season the kale with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until wilted.
To serve: First pour the sauce onto a platter. Top the sauce with the sautéed kale. Top the kale with the crusted fish fillets.
Mahi Mahi in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
4 6-oz mahi fillets or any white fish
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp ghee divided – or your favorite cooking oil
4 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil chopped
1 cup full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream
2 tsp dijon mustard or 1 tbsp lemon juice
Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups packed baby spinach
Directions:
Pat dry the mahi fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Pan fry the mahi mahi for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on their thickness. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee to the skillet, and add minced garlic. Cook, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk, dijon mustard, and red pepper flakes, if using. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon while the mixture heats up.
Once the sauce starts to boil, add spinach. As soon as the spinach is wilted and cooked down, add the mahi fillets back in to the skillet.
Simmer for 1 minute, while spooning the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.
Pepper Tuna Steak with Lemon Dijon Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
2 lbs tuna steaks (6 tuna)
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
½ cup broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ lemon juiced (about 1½ tablespoons lemon juice)
½ lemon zest
Directions:
Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
While it’s heating, rub the crushed pepper on both sides of the tuna steaks.
Also sprinkle a bit of salt on both sides.
Once the skillet is heated add the oil and then sear the steaks on both sides.
Sear each side for about 3-5 minutes without disturbing them. The time may differ depending on how thick your steaks are. The meat will cook it’s way up the steak from the bottom. So once it has cooked ¼ of the way up flip it to the other side.
Then take it out of the pan when that side has cooked ¼ of the way up but keep a very rare center.
While the steaks are cooking, heat up another skillet.
Crab Poppers with Sriracha Aioli
Ingredients:
8 oz. of fresh crab or imitation crab
1 clove garlic chopped
1/2 cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs plus 1/4 cup for coating the pan
1/4 cup parsley chopped
1/4 cup green onion chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1 egg
1/4 parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
Sriracha Aioli:
1/4 cup of mayo
2 tbsp. sriracha sauce
2 cloves of garlic
Directions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees.
In a small pan combine butter and green onion cook 2-3 minutes until butter is melted.
In a large bowl combine crab, garlic, egg, panko breadcrumbs, parsley, butter and onion, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir gently to combine.
Spray a mini cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray and coat with remaining breadcrumbs.
Spoon 1 spoonful of crab mixture into each pan cavity.
Bake 15-20 minutes until cooked through and crab poppers are a nice golden brown.
Sriracha Aioli Dipping Sauce:
Mix mayo, garlic and sriracha sauce in a bowl until combined.
Buttery Tilefish
Ingredients:
2 medium tilefish (or other flaky, white fish) fillets, skinned, deboned & patted dry
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
2+ Tb. unsalted butter
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
1 lemon, zested
2 Tb. chopped scallions or chives
Directions:
Lightly sprinkle each fillet with salt & pepper.
Heat butter, red pepper flakes and garlic in a non-stick skillet over low/medium heat.
After a couple of minutes, once the garlic starts to turn brown, remove it from pan.
Increase heat to medium. Add fillets and cook 1-2 minutes to brown the first side, then flip each fillet and spoon the butter over each piece.
Cover pan lightly for about 1 minute.
Remove cover then spoon butter over each fillet. Keep spooning 1-2 minutes (depending on thickness of your fillets) until they achieve a roasted look. Note: you may have to tip the pan to fill your spoon with butter each time.
Turn off heat and remove from pan.
Sprinkle with lemon zest, lemon juice and scallions/chives before serving.§
