Fish Anyone?

“I really like to eat fish, I’m just scared of cooking it”, is the most common response I get. The reason? If you’re like me, I grew up with a Mom who thought nothing was cooked until it was dry and terribly well done, fish included. So, whenever you do cook fish, you’re always so worried of over cooking it, but then worried of under cooking it due to not wanting to over cook it. Does that make sense to anyone else but me?

My favourite way to cook fish is pan-frying. It’s what my wife grew up with. Her Dad would come home with a great catch, clean it and then her Mom would dust it with seasoned flour and pan fry it for an awesome dinner: flaky fish, fried golden brown in a crisp crust. It brings back memories that make my mouth water to this day. Here are a couple of tasty recipes that will have you telling your own “fish tales”.

Soy Balsamic Lacquered Cod

6-4 oz.  Cod fillet
1 tbsp. soy balsamic glaze (recipe follows)
1 tbsp. carrot coulis (recipe follows)
1/8 oz. chives

MAPLE GLAZED YAMS (Yields 1 lb.)

1 lb. yams, diced
2 oz. maple syrup
2 oz. butter
1/2 oz. shallots 8 oz. chicken stock
1/8 oz. ginger, ground
1/8 oz. cloves, ground
1/8 oz. cayenne, ground

SOY BALSAMIC GLAZE (Makes 2 cups)

1 cup lite soy sauce
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 oz. shallots, chopped
1/8 oz. garlic, chopped

CARROT COULIS (Makes 28 oz.)

1 lb. carrots, sliced
1 oz. shallots, sliced
1/4 oz. garlic, sliced
1/2 oz. red curry paste
2 oz. butter
2 cups chicken stock

To make yams: Sweat ginger and shallots in butter. Add remaining ingredients and cook until tender, about 4 minutes.
To make glaze: Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan.
To make carrot coulis: Sweat the shallots and carrots in butter. Add curry paste to carrots. Cook gently over a low-medium heat. Add the chicken stock, and simmer gently until carrots are very tender. Puree in a blender. Season with salt and pepper.
To prepare cod: Sauté cod, skin side down until crispy. When skin is crisp and fish is partially cooked, add soy-balsamic glaze. Reduce glaze until it reaches a syrupy consistency and the skin is completely coated with the sauce.
To assemble: Place yams in the center of the plate. Top with cod. Spoon the soy-balsamic glaze over the fish and around the plate. Drizzle with carrot coulis and garnish with chopped chives. Serve and enjoy!

SALMON POMODORO
Yield: 6 servings

6 Salmon fillets (6-oz. portions)
3 tsp. kosher salt
3 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground
3 cups ripe tomato, diced
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
12 cloves garlic, roasted, mashed into paste
6 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp. + garnish parsley, fresh chopped 12 ciabatta bread rolls,
 cut in half horizontally
12 oz. arugula, whole, rinsed, dry
1 lb. red onion, julienne, caramelized and chilled

Season salmon with salt and pepper and pan-sear in 1/2 the amount of the olive oil for 2-3 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Remove from pan; reserve on side.

Add tomato to pan, stir around to begin removing caramelization from salmon. Add orange juice concentrate and garlic paste. Bring to high heat and reduce until thick. Add salmon back to pan and toss (gently) to coat while drizzling with sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Brush bread with remaining olive oil and grill (flat top or flame broil) until golden brown. Place arugula over bottom slice of bread, top with salmon, drizzle with additional sauce and serve open-faced with caramelized onions and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

I hope you’re willing to make the plunge into serving fish at your own home table, now that you have these simple yet fun recipes.