Pan Fried Fish Fillet

A while back I was at the market and saw Swai fish fillets on sale. I don't think I ever remembered seeing Swai fish before but decided to buy them anyway to try. Once I got home, I "googled" Swai and found out that it's a river catfish farmed exclusively in Southeast Asia. The ones I bought stated it's farm-raised in Vietnam. They look similar to catfish or tilapia.

I was kind of bored with just seasoning with salt and pepper when pan frying fish so I experimented on something new. It turned out to be the easiest seasoning ever and works really well with white fish. You still get the natural sweetness from the fish with added burst of flavor! This is probably how I'll cook white fish for the rest of my life! :)

And what's great is that this seasoning makes the fish quite versatile. I've eaten it "American" style with potatoes and vegetables, "Italian" style with pasta, and "Indonesian" style with Spicy Braised Kale....the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

White Fish Fillets (like Swai, Cod, Tilapia, Halibut, etc.)
Garlic Salt
Mrs. Dash (Original Blend)
Oil

Cooking instruction:

1. Make sure fish is fully thawed and pat dry.

2. Lightly sprinkle with garlic salt. Then sprinkle Mrs. Dash more generously. Turn and season the other side.

3. Heat skillet on high. Drizzle about 2 T. oil.

4. Place 1-2 fillet at a time and cook for about 2.5 minutes on each side.

Tod Man Plaa (Thai Fried Fish Cake)

I eat out at a Thai restaurant pretty often and 99% of the time, I would order the fried fish cake as the appetizer. With the leftover fish paste I had from making otak-otak, I decided to try making this dish. I've been a fan of ImportFood.com, an online grocery store specializing in Thai spices, produce, and cookware for a few years now. Even though I've never had the need to purchase the spices since I live in Southern California and don't really have any problems getting them, I love browsing the extensive amount of Thai recipes available on their website. They're easy to follow and most have step-by-step pictures, and even videos of actual Thai street vendors cooking the dish. I've tried a couple of recipes in the past and they came out very good. This was no different...they came out so good and taste just like at the restaurant.

Recipe Source: Import Food (I did add the tapioca starch and flour to the recipe since I used fish paste and the mixture was too soft)

Makes about 20 fish cakes

Ingredients
1 lb. fresh white fish like cod or halibut (or fish paste)
1 egg
3/4 C. finely sliced Chinese longbean, or stringbeans
6 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1.5 T. red curry paste
2 T. tapioca starch
1 T. flour
3 C. vegetable oil for frying

Cooking instruction:
1. Cut the fish into small pieces, then grind it up in a food processor until it's a paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil). For spicier taste, add a bit more red curry paste.

2. Using your hands, knead the mixture until sticky enough to form it into a disc about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan at med/high heat.

3. Add fish cakes and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve warm with a dish of cucumber relish which is to be spooned over the fish cakes at the table.

Cucumber Relish
1/2 C. white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
3 shallots, finely sliced
1-2 fresh Thai chili, sliced
1 T. crushed roasted peanuts

Cooking instruction:
1. Cook vinegar and sugar in small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.

2. In a small serving bowl put cucumbers, shallots and Thai chile. Pour vinegar mixture over that, then top with roasted peanuts.

Otak-Otak (Grilled Fish Cake)

I love otak-otak! It's one of my favorite snacks since childhood. It is very popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore although each region has a slight variation on how to cook them. Indonesian otak-otak consist of fish paste seasoned with spices, then wrapped in banana leaf and grilled on charcoal fire. It's served with peanut dipping sauce. Making them does take some prep time but it's so worth it!

Makes about 40

Ingredients
2 lbs. fish paste
2 egg whites
1 C. coconut milk
1/2 C. tapioca starch
1 t. salt
2 t. sugar
1 t. ground white pepper
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
3 Thai chili (optional)
5 chives (sliced)
Banana leaves (cut into approx. 4" x 8" strips)

Cooking instruction:
1. In a large bowl, mix fish paste, egg whites, and coconut milk.

2. In a small food processor, mince together shallots, garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, and Thai chili. Stir the spices into the fish mixture. Mix in the chives.

3. Take a tablespoon of mixture, spread it on the inner edge of a sheet of banana leaf and then roll. Staple each end to seal.

4. There are 3 options to grill otak-otak. The traditional way is to grill them on a charcoal grill. If you have a gas burner, you can place a wire rack on top of it. Use low setting and place several otak-otak on middle of the rack. Turn a few times to make sure the leaves don't catch on fire. The third option is to place them in the oven at 300 F for about 10 minutes, then turn and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with peanut dipping sauce.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/4 C. ground peanuts
1/4 C. ground candlenuts
2 red chili
5 Thai chili
1/2 C. warm water
1 T. white vinegar
1 T. sugar
Salt, to taste

Cooking instruction:
1. Combine all ingredients.

Tarako (Salted Cod Roe) Spaghetti

I'm so excited to finally get the chance to make Tarako (salted cod roe) spaghetti. I originally stumbled upon a recipe for Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) spaghetti while browsing for a Japanese fusion dish. Tarako is the non-spicy version. Tarako/Mentaiko is commonly used as the filling for onigiri (rice ball). What I didn't know was that mixing it with pasta is a very popular Japanese-Italian fusion dish. I've been dying to try it ever since. Sadly, I don't live anywhere near a Japanese market so I had to put this thought in the back burner.

Saturday night, hubby and I had a dinner double date in Irvine and there was a Korean market on the same complex as the restaurant. Even though Tarako/Mentaiko is Japanese, I decided to go inside and search for it. I found a small container labeled "Salted Whiting Roe" that contained 4 membrane sacs. Truthfully I had no idea if Whiting fish is the same as Cod fish but it was the only thing I found that looked like Tarako/Mentaiko so I went for it and hoped for the best. Once I got home, I googled Whiting fish and found out that it's a cod-like fish. Pheww... :) So I made Tarako spaghetti for lunch yesterday and surprisingly it was so fast and easy to make. And not surprisingly...it was oh so delicious!! I'll definitely try this recipe again using Mentaiko and explore other pairings using this delicacy so stay tuned...

This recipe is adapted from: Chubby Hubby

Makes 5 servings

1 pkg. spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
4 sacs Tarako/Mentaiko
3 T. butter, salted
2 large shallots, finely diced
1 C. half and half (I used fat-free)
3 T. dry white wine
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. Japanese mayonaise
1/4 C. nori strips + extra of garnish
5 soft-boiled eggs

Cooking instruction:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package (minus 1 minute). Drain and reserve 1/2 C. of the pasta water.

2. Cut the sac lengthwise and scrape out the fish eggs with a spoon and set aside.


2. In a large pan, melt butter under medium heat then add shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes until opaque.

3. Add half and half, white wine, and lemon juice and simmer for a few mintues until sauce thickens. Stir in the fish eggs into the cream mixture.

5. Add spaghetti and pasta water into the pan and mix for 1-2 minutes until pasta becomes al dente.

6. To serve, place pasta on a plate. Top with a softboil egg and garnish with nori strips. If you like it spicy, sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top.

Ahi Poke

Aloha! Ahi poke is a popular Hawaiian dish that can be found almost anywhere on the Hawaiian islands--from the home to the finest restaurants. Poke (pronounced poh-kay) means "to slice or cut" in Hawaiian. It can be served as an appetizer, salad, or main course.

I love Ahi poke but never realized they were so easy to make at home until last year, when hubby and I were invited to a friend's house for dinner. He made Ahi poke and served them with Wasabi seaweed tempura (from Trader Joe's) and they were amazing! While I was browsing for recipes online, I noticed that while most recipes contain common ingredients, there are so many variations. Then I learned that this dish dates back to fishermen bringing in their catch and seasoning it with whatever ingredients they had on hand -- that explains it! No matter what version, they're `Ono - delicious! Here is my version. Mahalo!

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1-1/4 lb. ahi tuna steaks, sashimi-grade (cubed into bite-size pieces)
1/2 C. soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
2 kukui nuts/candlenuts (coarsely ground)
1 T. toasted sesame seeds
1 T. Furikake (original blend)
2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 C. sliced green onions
1/4 C. minced Maui or yellow onions
1 pkg. Wasabi seaweed tempura (optional)

Cooking instruction:

1. Mix all ingredients and chill at least 1 hour. Serve with Wasabi seaweed tempura (optional).

Pan Fried Sole Fish with Corn and Bell Peppers in Coconut Reduction Sauce

I wasn't quite sure how this dish was going to turn out. I've been craving fish so I bought some sole fillets and wanted to do some kind of sauce for it. Years ago, I learned how to make grilled corn by marinating it in a mixture of coconut milk, sambal oelek, salt, and sugar. It's sweet, savory, and spicy! Since I had leftover corn on a cob I figured using the same basic ingredients as the grilled corn would turn this into a delicious sauce. I added some diced red bell peppers to add a nice contrasting color to the dish. I also decided to use steamed spinach for the veggies. I'm pleased to say that it came out DELICIOUS!!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
(4) 3 or 4 oz. sole fillets
3/4 C. panko bread crumbs
1 T. corn starch
1 T. flour
2 t. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for pan frying
2 C. corn kernels
1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
3 shallots (finely chopped)
2 T. butter
(1) 12 oz. can of coconut milk
1 T. sambal oelek
1 T. sugar
Salt, to taste
1 bunch spinach (steamed)
cilantro for garnish (optional)

Cooking instruction:

1. In a flat and wide container, combine panko, flour, corn starch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Dredge both sides of the fillets generously with the dry mixture.

2. Heat 2 T. oil in a large frying pan on medium high. Once oil is hot, pan fry each fillet for about 3 minutes on each side. Sole fish can easily break so be extra gentle when turning them over.

3. In the same pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add shallots and cook until it turns opaque and slightly brown. Add corn and bell peppers.

4. Stir in coconut milk and sambal oelek. Add salt to taste. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and coconut milk is reduced by half.

5. Place a fish fillet on top of a bed of steamed spinach and spoon the corn mixture and sauce on top. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed rice.