fish — Ma Whats For Dinner?

Seafood Week – Fish Tips

August 18, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 2 Comments

You know I always tell you…

Buy local!

But sometimes you don’t live near large bodies of water where you have an ample supply of fresh fish.

So if you’re not able to catch it yourself…

Here are some tips for you to remember when buying seafood.

1. Make sure wherever you are buying your fish looks and smells clean!

2. Smell and feel your fish. It should smell fresh and mild NOT FISHY and feel firm and look shiny NOT SLIMY!

3. Fish eyes should appear clear, not cloudy.

4. The skin should spring back when pressed and show no darkening or drying.

5. When buying shellfish like clams and oysters do a tap test on any open ones. If they don’t close up right away, don’t buy them.

6. Live lobsters and clams should show lots of leg movement. Don’t buy ones that aren’t moving! They spoil quickly after death.

7. Use within 1-2 days of purchase…I always purchase same day.

Seafood Week – Oven Baked Orange Roughy

August 15, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 8 Comments

So I went on down to our local fish market here…

This is Swanson’s Fish Market

In Fairfield, CT.

I love this place…

I love their soups…

I love their fish…

I love their staff…

They are super knowledgeable…

And super helpful.

So we wandered on in to see what was fresh

They recommended some Orange Roughy.

I’d never actually made it before but they said to bake it with some butter and lemon so off we went.

It turned out fabulous!

But you knew I wouldn’t follow their directions.

Not with my recipe OCD.

Here’s my recipe…

Oven Baked Orange Roughy

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 orange roughy fillets (you can use any mild white fish)

1/2 T olive oil

1 t fresh dill chopped

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 T truffle butter (you can use regular butter if you don’t keep this in your freezer like the psycho that I am)

1/4 cup white wine

S&P

lemon wedges

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, bread crumbs, and chopped dill. Set aside.

Place your fish fillets in a baking dish. Season both sides with S&P. Pour on your white wine. Next crumble up your butter into small bits and place on top of fish.

Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of butter and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Squeeze lemon wedges over the top and serve.

YUM!!!

What’s your favorite fish dish?

Stay tuned for more delicious seafood recipes coming your way this week!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: fish, fish dishes, fish markets, orange roughy, seafood, seafood recipes

Grillin’ & Chillin’ Week – Cedar Plank Salmon with Jack Daniels Sauce

August 1, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 11 Comments

Happy August!!!

It’s hot hot hot.

Great time to get out on the back porch and fire up the ol’ grill.

And cool down in the sweltering summertime.

So we’re paying homage during

Grillin’ & Chillin’ Week

First up.

One of our faves…

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with a Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey sauce.

Oh yeah…it’s good!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 large cedar grilling plank

1 large wild caught salmon fillet

olive oil

S&P

1/2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 jalapeno seeded and chopped

1 cup mango chutney

1/2 cup Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey

3 T whole grain mustard

WHAT TO DO:

Fill your sink with water and soak your cedar plank for at least 3o minutes.

Preheat your grill to medium high.

Season your salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with S&P.

In a small saucepan heat olive oil over medium high heat. Toss your onions into the pan and allow to sweat for a few minutes. Add in your jalapeno and allow to cook for 4 minutes. Season veggies with S&P.

When the veggies are soft, deglaze with Jack Daniels. Scrape up all the good browned bit on the bottom of the pan. Stir in mango chutney and mustard. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until your salmon is ready.

When your grill is hot, place salmon, skin side down, on the cedar plank. Place plank on the hot grill and shut the grill cover.

Grill until cooked through, about 12 minutes.

Top with Jack Daniels sauce.

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: buy local, eat local fish, eat more fish, fish, fish dishes, grilling, jack daniels, salmon, summertime recipes, whiskey

Tasty Tidbit – Eat Local Fish

May 24, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 4 Comments

You’ve heard me saying it a lot lately.

Buy local…

Eat local…

Support your local farms.

We just joined our CSA at Stone Gardens Farm.

Don’t forget to locate your local farmers markets and farm stands using that handy dandy Local Harvest search over there on the right of this page.

But how about buying fish local?

Now I’ve always been one to try and hit my local Fish Market for the best fish possible.

But now I’ve heard of these new CSFs!

It’s like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) but for Fish! It’s Community Supported Fisheries!

I am so in!

Now you can go right down to the dock and buy fish right off the boats!

No middle man.

No packaging.

No markup.

That equals fresher products and less money for me!

They’re doing it in Santa Barbara, CA

and in Maine!

Research if there is something like it similar to you!

Filed Under: Cooking Tips Tagged With: buy local, csa, CSF, eat local, farm to table, fish, sustainable fish

Get Healthy Week – Salmon with sauteed veggies

May 20, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 9 Comments

Hearty healthy veggie side dishes can help you and the family consume less carbs!

Look for filling veggies like brussel sprouts and edamame.

WHAT YOU NEED:

3 T extra virgin olive oil

4 small salmon fillet

S&P

1 lemon, juiced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T chopped thyme

1 shallot, minced

2 medium zucchini, diced

2 cups shelled edamame

1 cup grape tomatoes

2 T fresh shaved parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Heat an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.

Sprinkle the salmon with 1 T olive oil and season with S&P.

When the skillet is hot place the salmon in skin side up. Let the salmon cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip it to the skin side down and place in the oven for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add remaining oil, shallots, garlic, edamame and tomatoes. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Add zucchini, thyme, lemon juice and season with S&P. Heat for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.