Ahi Tuna Burgers

I have a friend who loves to go deep sea fishing. She always remembers me and brings me part of her catch. She recently gave us a large piece of tuna. We seared most of it on a salt block. There was about a pound left over so I made Tuna Burgers. I learned this technique from a meal service we used to get. I liked the process but changed up the flavors. I serve this with a simple side salad or plain potato chips.

This recipe is delicious, as is. However, if you want to tweak it, I have a few suggestions. I use sesame oil to cook the burgers. The flavor of sesame oil is very strong, but the burgers are not in the pan long enough to do anything but take on a little taste. If you purchase it, there are a million more uses for it and it won’t go to waste. Also, I sprinkle my pineapple with yellow curry powder before I grill it. I just like the combinations of spices. You could also sprinkle it with a little ancho chili powder. The smoke and the heat are nice. Speaking of heat, I love it. The spicier the better. So, I always use extra sriracha. If you have guests who do not enjoy spice, Dijon mustard is a good substitute for the sriracha mayo

Servings: 4 burgers
Hardware: Measuring spoons and cups, cutting board and knives, a large non-stick skillet (I used cast iron), a large bowl for mixing, a small bowl (preferably a storage container), a large spatula, a fork, 2 plates, paper towels, and plastic wrap
Time: Active time: 10 minutes; Cook: 4-6 minutes; dinner in under 20 minutes 

 

Ahi Tuna Burger

with Spicy Mayo, Grilled Pineapple & Avocado

   

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ahi tuna (also called yellow fin)
• Oil for the skillet (optional teaspoon of sesame oil)
• 2 green onions
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger (¼ teaspoon dried, ground)
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons +⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon (or more) sriracha
• 4 slices of pineapple
• 2 Hass avocados
• Salt and pepper
• 4 hamburger type buns (I used brioche) toast them if you want
• Optional-yellow curry powder or ancho chili powder

1. Mix the ⅓ cup mayonnaise and the desired amount of sriracha together in the small storage container. Place it in the fridge until needed.
2. Slice the green onions as thin as possible. Use both the white and the green parts. Put the onions into the mixing bowl with the ginger, breadcrumbs, remaining mayonnaise, and soy sauce. Pat the tuna dry and chop it into very small pieces. Discard any skin or sinew. Place the tuna into the bowl. Add a TINY pinch of salt. Mix well. Carefully shape the tuna mixture into four equal burgers, cover in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge until needed. Placing them in the fridge helps them hold together.
3. Heat the skillet on high. Do not add oil yet. Pat the pineapple as dry as possible. Sprinkle both sides with the curry or chili powder if desired. When the skillet is very hot, add the pineapple and sear until brown and then flip. This should only take one or two minutes on each side. Set the pineapple aside.
4. Do not wash the skillet but add enough oil to it to cover the bottom. If you are using sesame oil, don’t use more than a teaspoon. The flavor is strong. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add the tuna burgers sear for 1-2 minutes per side. You don’t want to overcook the tuna. You may need to add more oil to the pan when you flip them. Remove them from the pan and set them aside with the pineapple slices.
5. Cut the avocados open and remove the seeds. Use a knife to slice them into equal portions and flip the peel inside out so that the slices fall onto the plate. Lightly sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper. To make a burger, generously spread the sriracha mayo on each side of the bun, add a tuna burger, top the burger with a slice of pineapple then a few slices of avocado.

Sesame Salmon with Sriracha Mayo

Sesame Salmon with Sriracha Mayo

Salmon is a healthy and delicious way to get dinner on the table quickly. From start to finish this dish took me 30 minutes. I served it with rice that I cooked at the same time and a side salad. If you need more of a veggie, green beans or snow peas sautéed in a veggie oil with minced garlic would be my recommendation.

 Now for tweaking this dish, you can substitute white wine vinegar (or even apple cider vinegar) for the rice wine vinegar. You may not have sesame oil in your pantry, but it is worth buying some. I use it all the time. I like to sauté green beans and garlic in a little sesame oil. I use it in stir fries, I toss hot noodles in a little as a side dish, I toss a tiny bit with seeded cucumbers and onions for a salad. Experiment with it but use it sparingly. The flavor is strong. I try to never use ingredients that will only work for one dish, so trust me. Finally, you can use more sriracha if you like spicy. You can also leave the mayo off if you are feeding Littles (or even adults) who aren’t into heat. You can use just white (or just black) sesame seeds. I used both because I had both and I thought it looked better.

Speaking of looks, sometimes salmon will ooze gray stuff. It is actually fat, and it is where all the healthy omega-3 fatty acids are. So, I recommend just leaving it alone. However, if you are going for aesthetics, use the butter knife to gently scrape it off during step number 3. .*****

Read the entire recipe before starting.

Servings: 2-4
Time:   Prep: 5-10 minutes; Cook: 8-14 minutes Dinner in 20 minutes.
Hardware:  measuring spoons, paper towels, a small sauce pot, a whisk, a small bowl, a small plate, rubber spatula, a quart plastic bag, scissors, a large, heavy bottomed skillet that can be used on the stove top & in the oven (I prefer cast iron), a large spatula for removing the fish intact (or a fish spatula if you have one), a thermometer, a butter knife, a fork

Ingredients

• 2- 6-ounce salmon fillets (1 to -1¼ inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons of sesame oil for sauce + enough to cover the bottom of the skillet
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon (or more) sriracha sauce
• Salt and pepper
• White rice for serving

1. Cut the fish into serving sizes. Rinse in clean water and pat completely dry. Salt and pepper both sides. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. In the small bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of sesame oil, the brown sugar, the rice wine vinegar and the grated ginger. Set aside. Place the mayo and sriracha in the quart bag and smoosh it to mix it completely. Place it in the fridge.
2. Put the large skillet on high heat. Toast the seeds. Do this without oil. Watch them carefully as they may burn. Place them on the plate until you need them.
3. Cover the bottom of the hot skillet in a light coat of sesame oil. Place the salmon, skin side down onto the HOT skillet and place it in the oven. You want to cook the salmon until you can flake it easily with a fork and the thermometer reads from 125-130˚F. DON”T OVERCOOK. Depending upon the thickness of the filet this can take from 8-14 minutes. At about the 6-minute mark, pour the sauce over the fish, making sure to get ginger on each piece.*****
4. When the fish is done, immediately upon removing it from the oven, using the spoon, baste it in any sauce that has cooked off and cover each slice in sesame seeds. Press the seeds down a little so they will adhere. Allow the fish to rest for about 3 minutes.
5. To plate the fish, make a bed of white rice and top it with a slice of fish. Snip a corner from the plastic bag of spicy mayo and make a zig-zag pattern with the mayo on each filet. Serve right away.

Walnut Crusted, Oven Baked, Lemon-Dill Tilapia

Walnut Crusted, Oven Baked, Lemon-Dill Tilapia

This is the beginning of our eighth week of the shelter-in-place order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. We are only going out when we absolutely must. My mother lives with us and is immuno-compromised because she is receiving chemo. Last Thursday I made a grocery run. We have been eating shelf-stable food (cans and jars.) I needed something fresh! I bought fish.

I purchased tilapia because my mom will eat it. I decided to encrust it because it keeps the fish moist and because it is yummy! I had walnuts so I chose to use them. You could use pecans. I love Honey Mustard, so I made a Honey Mustard Cream Sauce. You could also choose to use different seasonings and sauces. If you wanted to use Cajun seasoning, you would serve this with Rémoulade Sauce. Replace the lemon-pepper with taco seasoning and the dill with cilantro and use Lime Chipotle Mayo as a topping for a south of the border dish.

I served the fish with Orzo Pilaf (I replaced the onion with garlic) and fresh steamed broccoli with a squeeze of lemon.

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Prep:10 minutes; Cooking:12-15 minutes; Dinner in less than 30 minutes.

Hardware:  An airtight container, measuring spoons and cups, 2 forks, paper towels, 2 large shallow bowls or plates with high sides (I use pie plates for this), foil, a baking sheet, a large spatula (or a fish turner)

Ingredients:

• 1-pound tilapia fillets
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¾ cup ground walnuts
• 1½ cups flour
• 1 tablespoon + ½ tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning (salt free)
• 2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon dried dill
• S&P to taste
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• Cooking spray
• A little chopped parsley for garnish

……………………..

Sauce Ingredients:

• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• A pinch of salt

1. Mix the sauce ingredients in the airtight container and put it in the fridge until dinner.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°.  Line the baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Rinse the fish in clean water and pat dry. Cut into serving sizes. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the fish pieces. Season them with ½ tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning and 1 teaspoon dried dill. Set aside.
4. Mix the crumbs, walnuts, and the rest of the lemon pepper seasoning and dried dill in one of the bowls/plates. Beat the egg and yogurt together in the second bowl. Put the flour in the last bowl.
5. Dip each fillet into the flour, then the yogurt mixture, then into the crumb mixture. You may need to press a little of the crumbs onto the fish to make sure that it is completely coated.
6. Place the fish onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the fish for 7 minutes and then turn with the spatula. Bake for 5-7 minutes on the second side depending on the thickness of the fillets.  Be careful to not over cook the fish.  It is done when it is opaque and flakes easily.
7. To serve top each piece of fish with some sauce and sprinkle on some chopped parsley.

Grown-up Fish Sticks

Grown-Up Fish Sticks

When I was a child, I loved fish sticks. When I was a teen, I actually ate fish sandwiches from fast food restaurants. That turned me off fish. However, I was craving fish sticks the other day. I didn’t want those frozen sticks of sadness you can find in the grocery stores. So, I made my own.

These were perfect. I usually give you a way to tweak my recipes, but don’t change anything. I made fish sandwiches with the leftovers. I made more after I ate all of these.

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Active: 35 minutes; Cooking: 10 minutes per batch; Fish in about 40 minutes

Hardware:  A cutting board and knife, measuring spoons and cups, 2-shallow bowls or plates (I use pie plates), a spatula, a deep skillet, an oil thermometer, 2 plates, paper towels

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1-pound of a firm white fish (I used cod)
• Oil to fill the skillet halfway

1. Wash the fish and pat it dry. Cut it into serving size pieces. Season both sides of the fish with one tablespoon of the Old Bay. Cover a plate in paper towels and set aside.
2. Beat the eggs. Place the beaten eggs in one shallow bowl. Mix the flour with the salt and place it in the second bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs and the other tablespoon of Old Bay together and place it into the third container.
3. Pour oil into the skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until the thermometer reads 350°.
4. Dredge each piece of fish in the seasoned flour, then in the beaten eggs and then into the breadcrumbs. Make sure the fish is completely coated in crumbs. You can place the breaded fish on a plate so that you can concentrate on frying instead of going back to dredge more fish.
5. Fry the fish until it is golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side. Make sure the fish is cooked through, this should take 2–3 minutes per side. Do not crowd the fish. You may need to work in batches. Remove the fish to a paper towel covered plate. You can keep the fish warm in the lowest setting in the oven.
6. Serve the fish sticks with the Tatar Sauce and rice or French fries.