Hooked on Fish

So I've been kinda MIA the past few days but I think I have a pretty good excuse, you see, this past weekend was a bit of a big weekend for me. 

On Saturday we had our nephew Zachary's 2nd Birthday Party and after I went out with some friends to see another my buddy Scott play, his band is called After the Lounge and they're pretty good...check out the link and see for yourself:) 

Sunday was an early day, up at 5am to help out at Gopher Dunes, it's a nearby motocross track and they were hosting the CMRC Opener...it's always so much fun there.  It's not just motocross there either, every Spring and Fall they have a 4x4 Mud Run and it is CRAZY!! 

Remember how I said Aaron was going back to work with his brother and Dad...well yesterday was his first day so of course the absolutely awesome wife that I am, I cooked up his favorite...Chicken Parmesan for dinner.  I know I've already posted that recipe so I didn't want to repeat it for you:)

Here's the big part of the past few days though...are you ready...I was inducted into the Niagara College Knights Hall of Fame on Friday night.  I'm extremely honoured by this and am still flying on cloud nine.  You see in college I played a little bit of basketball, to be honest, I lived it, I breathed it and I dreamed about it.  I started playing when I was about 10 years old and it was my passion for a lot of years, so to be recognized and inducted into the Hall of Fame is a pretty big deal to me.  You can check out this article that was in my local paper, the Simcoe Reformer, if you want:)

Anyways, enough about me, this blog is about cooking and I've been hung up on fish lately.  I know eventually I'm going to have to branch out in the fish waters and start cooking something other then tilapia but it's what's in my freezer right now so that's what we had tonight. 

Remember last week when I friaked, well tonight I changed it up a bit and did a little bit of froiling...you know, fry it and then broil it.  I used the same marinade as I did when I friaked, a Chili Lime version, because I really liked the flavour.  I did however, make a change...instead of Panko I dredged the fillets in a little flour mixture and after I fried them I brushed them with some mayo, grated some fresh Romano on top and tossed them under the broiler like that. 

Since I've been telling you all about it I guess it's time I got down to the nitty gritty and just give you the recipe:)

Froiled Romano Tilapia
(adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

For the Marinade

1/4 c. Lime Juice
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Dried Cilantro
1/2 Tsp Coriander Seed
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Honey
1/4 Tsp Celery Salt
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

For the Fish

2 Tilapia Fillets
1/2 c. Flour
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp Mayo
3 Tbsp Fresh Grated Romano Cheese (or Parmesan)
1-2 Tbsp Avocado Oil

Start off by mixing all of the marinade ingredients together and placing the fillets in either a shallow bowl or Ziplock bag, adding the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

Next, in a shallow bowl, add the flour, cayenne and some salt and pepper.  Mix that up and when the fillets are done marinating, lightly dredge them in the flour mix. 

Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the fillets.  Cook them 3-4 minutes per side, carefully flipping them over so they don't fall apart and do your best not to peek!!  While they're cooking put your oven to broil and take a baking sheet that can take the heat of the broiler, cover it with some aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. 

Once the fillets are done cooking, carefully place them on the baking sheet.  Brush them gently with the mayo and top them with the grated cheese.  Place them under the broiler for another 3-4 minutes, you want the cheese to start to brown. 

From here, serve them up nice and hot...the cheese will crisp up a bit as it cools.  I served mine with Epicure's Roasted Garlic Aioli. 

Connor, who complains every time I make fish didn't mind this.  I think it's because it didn't fall apart and flake like fish normally does.  He almost thought it was chicken...lol.

Word for the Day...Friaked...Fried then Baked

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you've never heard my word for the day before.  I'm thinking I should give Webster's a call and let them know they can add it to next years edition.  Just to clarify, the base word is Friake, but while you're cooking you're Friaking and once your done you've Friaked and since you're the one doing the Friaking you can consider yourself a Friaker...I mean the possibilities are endless aren't they:)

Anywho, since I've decided that I'm a bona fide Friaker I wanted to try something out tonight.  First, I wanted to Friake some Tilapia, the last time I made it, it just didn't have enough the "crunch" for me and second, I've been chomping at the bit to try doing a Chili Lime version because I really want to use my Epicure Chili Lime Sansel. 

Friaked Chili Lime Tilapia

For the Marinade

1/4 c. Lime Juice
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Dried Cilantro
1/2 Tsp Coriander Seed
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Honey
1/4 Tsp Celery Salt
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

For the Breading

3/4 c. Panko Breadcrumbs
1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

For the Fish

2 Tilapia Fillets
1-2 Tbsp Avocado Oil
1 Tbsp Mayo
1/4 Tsp Epicure Chili Lime Sansel
Salt & Pepper

Start off by combining all of the marinade ingredients together.  Place the fillets in a shallow bowl and pour the marinade all over, spooning some onto the top to make sure they are well covered.  Cover and put in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.



Into the Marinade for the Little Fishy's

While the fillets are hanging out in the fridge combine the mayo and Epicure Chili Lime Sansel with a little bit of salt and pepper. 



Chili Lime Sansel Mayo Mix...Doesn't that look yummy!!

Next up is the breading, mix all of the ingredients together in a shallow bowl and set aside until you're ready.



The Crispy Crunch for my Fishy's


About 10-15 minutes before you're ready to to start playing with your food preheat your oven to 400F.

Once the fillets are done marinading take one and allow it to drip off for a few seconds and then brush on some of the Chili Lime Mayo.




All done Marinading




Brushing on a Little Bit of Extra Flavor


From here it's into the breading...coat both sides really well, I will press the breading into the fillets to make sure I get a lot on there.



All Crunched Up and Ready to Go


Once the fillets are coated really well take a large frying pan and heat the Avocado Oil over medium high heat.  Add the fillets and pan fry about 2-3 minutes per side.  Take a wire rack lightly coated with oil on top of a baking sheet and carefully place the fillets on it. It's into the oven they go after that.



Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Oven Next


Cook them in the oven for about 5-10 minutes.  You'll know they're done when they flake easily or have an internal temperature of 140-145F.



The Finished Product



We had ours with Roasted Asparagus and a mix of Black/Brown Rice with Shallots, Celery and Garlic...mmm...mmm good:)



Now that's a dinner worth finishing right there!! 

Fish Food...Take One

It's been a bit of an up and down week here so I apoligize for disappearing from the radar the past few days.  Let's just say I'm in a serious TGIF mood and may just have to treat myself to a hot bath, a glass or two (or bottle) of wine and some Sons of Anarchy:) 

If you read my previous post, Here Fishy, Fishy, you know that I'm not a huge fan of fish but I'm trying to include more fish on our menu.  I can't stand fishy tasting fish...how ridiculous does that sound...lol, so I favour a light tasting fish and seem to have settled on tilapia.  I know I'm going to have to continue to expand my horizons in this area but that's for another time.  The last time I made tilapia it was ok, January loved it, but I found it a little bland and wanted to try a quick marinade to see if that helped.  To make a long story short, I looked at a bunch of different recipes, decided the hell with it, lets just fly by the seat of my pants and came up with something that was pretty good. 

Lemon Dilly Cilantro Tilapia

For the Marinade

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, minced (might try 2 Cloves next time)
1/2 Tbsp Epicure Lemon Dilly Dip Mix
1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard

For the Breading

3/4 c. Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper

For the Tilapia

2 Tilapia Fillets
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1/4 Tsp Dried Cilantro

I started off by rinsing the fillets off and them patting them dry with paper towels.  Then they went into a 9x9 pan while I mixed all the marinade ingredients together.  Once the marinade was mixed up I poured it over the fillets and used a brush to ensure the tops were covered as well and covered them up with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for about a half hour (next time I think I'll increase that to an hour or so). 

While the fillets were in the fridge I added all the breading ingredients to a shallow bowl that would be big enough for a fillet and mixed them all together.  Then I took the 1 Tbsp of Mayo and the 1/4 Tsp of Cilantro and mixed that together in a small prep bowl.

About 10 minutes before I took the fillets out of the fridge I preheated my oven to 400F and took a baking sheet, covered it with aluminum foil and placed a wire rack over top that had been sprayed with oil.


Once the 30 minutes was up, I took a fillet out of the marinade, let it drip off a bit and then quickly brushed some of the mayo mixture over it.  After that it was into the breadcrumb mixture where I made sure the fillets were well coated. 






















Once both fillets were well coated I carefully placed them on the wire rack and threw them in the oven to cook.  I left them in there about 16 minutes, I was looking for an internal temperature of 145F. 


Once they were done, I carefully took them off the rack using a spatula and served them up with some Epicure Roasted Garlic Aioli, Roasted Asparagus and rice.  I was pretty impressed with the flavour but definitely want some more crunch next time so I think I'll do a quick pan fry before putting them in the oven.

Here Fishy, Fishy

Today is my first blogging recipe attempt.  Looking at so many other blogs I'm hoping I don't look like a total idiot...especially with my less then impressive camera skills, but hey, we all have to start somewhere. 

I'm not a huge fan of fish, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE shellfish, my dad said the worst mistake he ever made was letting me try lobster when I was about 4, but fish has just never been a big favorite of mine.  The unfortunate part of this is that I'm trying to eat and cook more healthy foods and fish just happens to be up there on the list of "You Should Eat This".  So, guess what...Carrie's adding more fish to the menu. 

I found this recipe for Tilapia with Dijon and Panko Coating, which was originally posted by Diana Rattrey and it had a 4 out of 5 star review so I figured let's give it a whirl.  So, without furthur adieu, here is my attempt at blogging a recipe I cooked with my own two hands:)

Note: The original recipe is for 4 Tilapia fillets, but half of my family left me tonight, Aaron to go to a Leafs Game and Connor to take some horseback riding lessons so it was just January and I.  I knew we couldn't eat 4 fillets so I've cut everything in half.

Tilapia with Dijon and Panko Coating

2 Tilapia Fillets
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 c. Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 c. Fine, Dry Bread Crumbs
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Heat oven to 400F.  Lightly grease a large, shallow baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the mayonnaise and the mustard; brush on the tilapia fillets.

In a food processor, I used my my small Cuisinart 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder, combine the Panko, Fine Bread Crumbs, Paprika, Parsley, Onion Powder, Salt & Pepper.  Pulse 4-6 times to combine. Pour the bread crumb mixture into a wide, shallow bowl.



Next up, dip the coated fillets in the mixture and turn to coat both sides.  Make sure they are coated well, I've been known to toss some on the top and press it into the fillet a little bit.

Put the fillets into your prepared baking dish.





Here's a Close Up:)



Bake the fillets for 15-18 minutes, if you're a freak for internal temperatures like I am you want it to be 140F at the thickest part of the fillet.  For normal people, the fish will flake easily with a fork when it's done.  Once they're done, carefully remove the fillets with a spatula and serve 'em up. 



Yummy Dinner

January & I had Oven Roasted Asparagus and Rice to go with ours. 

I've never seen January eat a meal so fast so I think it was a success:) For me, I think Tilapia is kind of bland so the next time I'm going to try to find a good marinade to add some flavour to it.