Fish Tacos (Gourmet Guy)

I always like fish tacos, in fact, rarely do I order a traditional taco at a Mexican Restaurant if fish tacos are an option

So the other day, when Lauri and I decided we would have some fish for dinner, I suggested fish tacos and this is what happened.

Coat fillets with Spice Mix and grill until just done.

Mix mayonnaise, onion, Spice Mix and Chipotle Tabasco for sauce.

Grilled fillet ready to break into bite-size pieces and assemble tacos.

Shredded cabbage and chopped oregano.

Begin with two grilled tortillas. . .

add fish. . .

and sauce. . .

and oregano. . .

and finish with shredded cabbage. I added more Chipotle Tabasco sauce to mine for even more flavor. Delicious!! A little Pico would have been a good addition. Enjoy with sides of your choosing.

Fish Tacos

2 Cod fillets (Any ocean whitefish would work - Snapper would be excellent!)
Spice Mix
8 corn tortillas
1/4 c. onion chopped (1/4 inch cubes)
2-3 T. mayonnaise
1-1/2 cup cabbage shredded (we used purple)
1-1/2 T. fresh oregano minced
1 t. Chipotle Tabasco sauce
extra virgin olive oil

Coat fillets with extra virgin olive oil. Apply half of the Spice Mix to both sides of the fillets. Mix mayonnaise, onion, Chipotle Tabasco sauce, and remaining Spice Mix together in bowl to create the taco sauce. Grill fillets until just done, about 2-3 minutes per side - more for thicker fillets. Grill tortillas until warmed through and just beginning to toast - be careful not to dry them out.

Assemble tacos using two tortillas each, breaking fish into bite-sized pieces (1/2 fillet for each taco), place generous portion of sauce over fish, sprinkle with chopped oregano and top with generous portion of cabbage to fill taco.

Serve with spanish rice and corn or your favorite Mexican sides.


Spice Mix

2 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper (preferably fresh ground)

Mix all ingredients together.

Grilled Cod

My "Gourmet Guy" used some fresh basil to top our grilled Cod. He minced the basil added it to olive oil, about a tablespoon, with course salt and pepper and minced garlic.

He placed each side of the fish into olive oil.


Then he placed salt and pepper on the fish and grilled it. Because it was snowing and very cold outside we decided to use our George Foreman grill rather than our gas grill. This is very quick since it cooks on both sides. It only took a minute for the thinest piece of fish.

After grilling he put the basil mixture on top, the fish was delicate and the topping mouthwatering.

Shrimp Scampi

I have bragged about my husband many times and the wonderful things that he comes up with. He is my "Gourmet Guy" he gets those genes from his dad. His dad could go into a restaurant and then go home and make the dish after simply tasting it. My Gourmet Guy is pretty good too! Since we don't cook with alcohol he decided to come up with his own version of Shrimp Scampi minus the white wine.

Peel the shrimp out of the shells and place the shells in a stock pot.

Boil the shells to make a stock for added flavor.

Dry the shrimp off thoroughly.

Seaon the shrimp with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in the olive oil.

Add the shrimp and saute on each side slightly until it just turns pink. Remove from the pan.

Saute the onion in the same pan until just tender. Add the garlic.

The stock is added to the softened onion and garlic.

Simmer until reduced by half and thickened.

Add shrimp to the onions, garlic, and broth and heat through.

Add chopped parsley and servc over rice or pasta, with a nice piece of garlic bread.

(Previously posted)

Shrimp Scampi
Kerry Stevenson (The Gourmet Guy)

Ingredients:
1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve shells)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 fresh lemon
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Lemon slices, for garnish
Rice, as accompaniment

Directions:
Put the shrimp on a large pie pan or plate and pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Arrange the shrimp so they lay flat and are evenly spaced.

Place shells in a sauce pan with a little water and simmer until the water is half reduced.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the butter and oil to the skillet. When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high, and invert the plate of shrimp over the pan so the shrimp fall into the pan all at once. Cook the shrimp, without moving them, for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Add the onions to the pan and saute just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice and stock, and reduce by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan and swirl in the butter. Finish with the parsley and check for seasoning. Garnish with lemon slices and serve over rice or pasta.

Liguine with Clam Sauce and Asparagus with Bacon

Aloha once again. While searching the Web while Kerry was a work I came across a recipe for Linguine with clam sauce and decided to surprise him and fix it. I wanted to make a nice meal but felt some what limited by the size of the kitchen and not wanting to purchase a lot of groceries that will have to be stored when we go home. Typically I don't like Clam Sauce but this one turned out very well. Since I don't cook with alcohol I had to change it up a little and he would probably have liked a little more clam flavor but I just used the juice from the can of clams rather than buying a larger bottle of juice. I decided to make a nice fresh vegetable with it and a simple tossed salad.

I took the asparagus and tossed it with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper and wrapped it up with a nice piece of bacon. (I am kind of a bacon snob, I like the butcher cut rather than the thin stuff that you often find in stores. It doesn't cook down to quite as much) I browned them in a 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes, turning once. Then reduced the oven temperature to 350 for 15-20 minutes.

We enjoyed a nice meal at the Hotel while tropical storm "Felicia" prepared to come on the island. Fortunately the storm was much weaker than predicted.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

8 oz. dry linguine noodles
8 c. water
1 T. salt
1 c. clam juice (drained from the can this is not 1 full cup if you want more flavor add additional juice)
8 oz. clams, drained (save the juice for the sauce)
1 T. garlic, minced
2 T. onion, chopped finely
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. butter
½ c. grated Parmesan Cheese
½ c. white wine (optional: you can use vegetable broth, chicken broth, juice from canned mushrooms as well as the mushrooms and or water)
¼- ½ c. pasta water (to thicken the sauce)

Bring water to a boil, add pasta and salt and cook until al’ dente. While the pasta cooks in a separate skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until they become translucent add the garlic being careful not to burn. Add the wine or other liquid and bring to a boil. Before draining the pasta take the water required and add to the sauce, reduce by half. Add the clams, butter and the Parmesan Cheese and stir until the butter and cheese are melted gradually add the pasta and toss to cover adding the parsley on top.

It occurred to me that this could be one of my pantry meals because most of these ingredients could be stored. I love finding and or cresting new meals that can be a quick fix idea.

Herb Crusted Fish

I am always looking for new recipes and I have been craving fish lately so in my New Meditarreanean Diet Cookbook I found this one and made just a few changes and love it.

Herb Roasted Fish Fillets in Marinara Sauce

1 ½ - 3 c. tomato sauce
small pinch of red pepper flakes
small pinch of sugar
lemon juice to taste
1 lb. fish, divided into 4 serving sizes
½ c. flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ c. dry bread crumbs, unflavored
2 T flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 T chives, finely chopped
2-3 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

In a small sauce pan combine tomato sauce, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and sugar, cook until thickened but not too thick to pour on top of the fish. Set aside.

Pat fish dry and dredge into the flour, dip in egg, then into the breadcrumbs mixed with the herbs and garlic. Over medium heat, in a skillet bring the olive oil to a hot temperature being careful not to burn. Carefully add the breaded fish to the pan and brown, turn only once. Transfer onto a serving platter and top with the tomato sauce.

Kerry's Grilled Dilled Cod

I am such a lucky woman because I have a husband who loves to cook and try new things! This is one of his latest creations. It just melted in my mouth!

Grilled Dilled Cod

Ingredients:
2-4 cod filets
1 peeled garlic clove
4-5 chives
1 sprig fresh dill
2-3 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
coarse ground salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Strip leaves from thyme, chop garlic, dill and chives and combine with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Coat filets with olive oil and place on medium hot grill. Turn once after three to five minutes. Coat top of filets with herb/oil mixture and complete cooking for additional three to five minutes. Serve with Penne Caprese.