Southern Fish Tacos

At the grocery store fish counter one day, I fully expected to pick up a pound of cod or halibut for fish tacos. Unfortunately, they were out of both. As I pondered what I would do instead, the guy behind the counter asked what my plans were, then suggested catfish. Surprised, I took a bit of convincing, but he seemed sure it would turn out well and I decided to trust him. Boy, did that pay off! These fish tacos turned out to be amazing - We couldn't stop eating them. I kept the toppings fairly simple and the catfish was definitely the star of the meal.

Southern Fish Tacos

1 pound catfish fillets, cut cross-wise into strips
1 cup buttermilk (enough to soak the fish)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning (Again, I love Savory Spice Shop!)
Vegetable/canola oil for frying

Corn tortillas

Salsa verde - so tangy and a perfect complement to the lemony fish
Shredded cabbage
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Cilantro-Lime Sauce

In a bowl, combine the fish, buttermilk and lemon juice. Let soak for at least half an hour. In a shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour and lemon-pepper seasoning. In a large skillet, pour in enough oil to reach a depth of about one inch. Heat to medium-high. Coat the fish in the cornmeal mixture and fry 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden-brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels, keep warm.

In another skillet, heat a small amount of oil over medium-high heat and fry the corn tortillas, 30 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

Assemble tacos and enjoy!

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

 This dish combines many of my favorite flavors. It was inspired by a friend who had eaten a Turkish dish with salmon and couscous. I'm not sure what else her meal involved, and I didn't have any couscous, so I experimented using what I had on-hand. I love that it's such a filling lunch - I didn't even crave an afternoon snack that day! I served mine warm, but I imagine this would be good as a cold salad, too, using leftover salmon.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon olive oil

6 ounce salmon fillet
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
2 cups chopped spinach
1 tablespoon each chopped fresh parsley and oregano
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/8 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

 Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon juice and Greek seasoning; bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine the quinoa, broth and olive oil. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and the grain is beginning to separate. Remove from heat.

Using a fork, break off chunks of salmon and add them to the cooked quinoa. Stir in the spinach, parsley, oregano, feta and pepper. Toss with the olive oil and lemon juice. Serve warm or cold.

Sensational Salmon Cakes

This is one of those recipes that is so stinkin' good it's embarrassing how simple it really is. Salmon patties really get a bad reputation for being densely compacted with bread crumbs and mysterious ingredients. When stripped down to essentials, though, so that the salmon is the star, the flavor is out-of-this-world!

Sensational Salmon Cakes

8 oz salmon fillet, baked
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - shredded (in the bag) or grated (in the green container)
1 egg
1 green onion, diced
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Using a fork, break up the salmon fillet in a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. In a skillet drizzled with olive oil, drop the salmon mixture in scoops of about 2 tablespoons. Flatten slightly as you go along. You're just making sure the egg is cooked through, so they should only take 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat.  Yield: about 8 cakes

This is a great way to use up leftover salmon, since it really doesn't matter how you bake it in the beginning. Since I'm the only one in my family who enjoys salmon, I typically buy a one pound fillet, bake it, eat half for lunch, and use the leftovers to make salmon cakes another day. If I'm making the salmon just for these cakes, though, I do it one of two ways:

1) Place the fillet skin-side down on a foil-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with lemon juice. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

2) Place the fillet skin-side down on a foil-covered baking sheet. Drizzle with lemon juice and spread with Caesar, Italian or really any creamy salad dressing. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

When baked this way, the salmon fillet lifts easily off of the skin when you slide a spatula in just right. You can use the salmon right away to make cakes, or let it cool in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

You can serve these with the dipping sauce I use for Carrot-Zucchini Fritters, too.

Perfect Pairs

I love salmon! One super easy way to prepare it is to place it skin-side down on a baking sheet, coat it in Caesar salad dressing and bake it for 15-20 minutes. It's delish! And the leftovers make wonderful salmon cakes later in the week. And yes, you'll have leftovers because neither your Sweetie nor your munchkins eat it.Of course.

Salmon and Caesar dressing. You must try it someday.

Herbed Fish Fillets

Several years ago, I learned to love Publix. I was shopping there one day when I encountered the lady at the front cooking. And I learned to love fish. She was cooking flounder using approximately this recipe. I use whatever white fish I can find on sale. I love it, and Little One loves it, but nobody else does. That's okay, though, because the recipe is easily halved, meaning I can make it for the two of us and we're happy. And I like that the herbs are interchangeable -- you could use parsley, rosemary, oregano, cilantro, tarragon, green onions, dill, thyme, whatever! You can even change out the lime juice for lemon or orange.

3 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
4 fillets white fish such as tilapia or flounder

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Lightly salt and pepper fillets. Coat the fillets on one side with half of the mayonnaise mixture. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a nonstick skillet and heat to medium-medium high. Place the fillets, coated side down in the skillet and spread the remaining mayo over the fillets. Let the fish cook for 4-5 minutes without disturbing, then flip to the other side. Cook for 2-3 minutes longer until fish flakes easily with a fork.