Category Archives: Seafood

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Spice Up the Fish – White Fish With Curry Sauce

A friend in France recently sent me a recipe for Pangasius baked in a delicious creamy curry sauce. I have to say, I had never heard of this fish, but luckily the sauce goes well with almost any white fish. I have a personal preference for cod, halibut, tilapia and whatever that white fish from Africa was. Yeah, I threw the individually frozen filets in the freezer and tossed out the packaging.

My internet research indicates that Pangasius is about the 10th most popular fish in America and that may be true, but it isn’t in my grocery stores. Of course, it could be there labeled as basa or swai, or maybe even Asian catfish, channel catfish or just catfish, although it doesn’t look like the lake catfish PK once brought home in a bucket from a fishing trip to Frenchman’s Lake.

But I digress. The bottom line is this can be made with your white fish of choice. I used tilapia this time… I think, another unmarked package. No matter what fish you use, this is a low carb, delicious – and easy- meal.

White Fish Filet With Creamy Curry

Adapted from Françoise Panzani’s recipe

2 filets of white fish (cod, halibut, Pangasius, tilapia) about 4 to 6 oz each
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon low carb flour or cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C.)

While oven is heating, mix the cream and curry in a bowl to blend well. I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons because I like a strong curry flavor. Adjust it to your preference.

Lightly spray a small baking dish with cooking spray, then pour a little of the cream mixture on the bottom, just enough to cover. Put the fish filets on top of the sauce and dot with butter. Pour the rest of the cream mixture over the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top with parsley and chives. Just a note here, I didn’t have any parsley, so I sliced three rolled leaves of turnip greens very thinly (chiffonade) to substitute.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to lift the fish to a plate. Keep the fish warm by wrapping in foil. Pour the sauce into a small sauce pan and cook until it thickens or add the low carb flour or cornstarch to a tablespoon of water and mix well, then stir into the sauce mixture to speed up the process.

Place the fish on the serving plates, spread the sauce over top of each and top with a sprig of parsley, if you have it.

I served it with cauli-rice with mushrooms under the fish to soak up the delicious sauce and a side of Brussel sprouts and sliced cucumbers with riced wine vinegar to add a bit of coolness to the plate.

Serves 2
(and a cat – I find it odd that my Himalayan kitty Milo seems to like spicy foods. Banshee did also. Is it typical of the breed?)

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 347 Fat: 26.6 Net carbs: 3.1 g Protein: 24.5 g

Notes about the recipe: You can use milk instead of cream to lower the fat, although it might be a little higher in carbs. 1% reduced fat milk is 6.1 carbs for 1/2 cup. Light whipping cream is 3.5 g. Lactose intolerant? Try unsweetened almond milk for .3 carbs in 1/2 cup or for a touch of coconut flavor, use unsweetened coconut milk for .5 carbs. Add a drop of sucralose or a packet of Splenda if you want the sweetness. The almond and coconut milk options are much lower in fat.

I suspect, and will try it out the next time I make this, that if you add the thickener to the sauce while mixing it that it will thicken the sauce while baking in the oven.

Posted on  8/1/2013 12:02 PM

Asian Recipes, Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Peanut Curried White Fish with Squash

This last week I’ve been doing variations on recipes that I’ve used and this is a recent one. I tried the White Fish with Creamy Curry Sauce last week and wanted to try a couple of ideas I had on making this fish. The result was a wonderful dish that is going into my favorites. Like the other recipe, it is easy to make and elegant enough for company.

Peanut Curried White Fish with Squash

2 fish filets (cod or other white fish,) about 1 inch thick
Curry-S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix (1/5 pkg), 20 gram(s)
Chili pepper, red, dried, 6 grams = 2 tsp., .25 tsp
1/2 cup Butternut or Acorn Squash
1 teaspoon Peanut Butter
1/3 cup Coconut Milk
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C.)

Cut squash into cubes, place into a small microwavable bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, stir and microwave another 2 minutes. Check to see if they are fork-tender, easily pierced with a fork. You want them firm, but not hard.

In a pan, put 1/5 of the Golden Curry paste and turn on low heat to melt it. Add peanut butter and coconut milk. Stir and cook until blended. It will be thick. Add a little water to make it an easily spreadable consistency.

Oil or spray a baking pan and put about a tablespoon of the curry in it. Place the fish filets on top, add salt and pepper. Reserve another tablespoon of the curry, then spread the rest of the curry over the top of the fish, then pile the squash on top of that and spread the rest of the curry over the squash.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes. Remove to serving plates and use the spatula or a spoon to scoop up the curry sauce and drizzle over the fish on the plate.

Makes 2 servings

Calories: 298.8 Fat: 7.4 g Net carbs: 10 g Protein: 42.1 g

Posted on 8/5/2013

Asian Recipes, Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Fish and Veggies – Tempura Style

I love deep fried fish, especially cod, but I haven’t had it in over three years. After a week or so on the East Coast and passing up several opportunities for fish and chips, I finally decided I needed to do something about it. So, I adapted a tempura recipe to low carb flours and gave it a whirl. The oil needs to be hot enough to fry quickly but not so fast that the food doesn’t get cooked. If it’s too cool, the tempura batter won’t stay on the vegetables while they’re cooking. But it’s easy enough to make the batter and it’s worth the effort for the wonderful meal. If you don’t like my vegetable selection, then substitute in your favorites, like cauliflower, broccoli, or asparagus. Just try to stick to the lower carb options.

For gluten free, I would try replacing the CarbQuick with rice flour. You don’t need to use the coconut flour if you would prefer all rice flour. But rice flour is extremely high in carbohydrates, 123 net carbs in 1 serving. You could try all coconut flour or a combination of coconut flour and almond flour. If you use more coconut flour, use about 6 tablespoons and two eggs. It absorbs liquid, so you will probably have to add additional ice water.

Tempura Cod and Vegetables

Tempura
1/4 cup CarbQuick Baking Mix
2 tablespoons oconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/3 cup ice water
Oil for deep frying

Fish and Vegetables
3 1/4 lb pieces of cod cut into three chunks each
1/2 cup zuchinni, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup kohlrabi, sliced into 1/4″ slices
1/2 cup Acorn squash, cut into 1″ pieces
12 cleaned fresh green beans

Wash fish off and cut into chunks. Cut all the vegetables into 1″ to 1 1/2″ chunks. Mix the tempura batter. Add ice water until it has a thick, but not too thick consistency. It needs to stick to the food, but not make too thick a coating. When using coconut flour, it will absorb liquid, so it will use at least double and possibly three times as much water as the recipe calls for.

Pour oil to about 1 1/2 inch deep in a deep skillet (I use cast iron) and heat to 375 degrees, or until a bit of batter sizzles and browns quickly. Lower the heat slightly. Try to keep an even heat.

Dip about six vegetables in the tempura batter, then place gently in the oil to fry. It will take just a few minutes for them to brown on one side. Turn with a slotted spatula and brown on the other side. Remove to a paper towel covered plate to cool. Continue to cook vegetables, about six to a batch. You can keep the drained vegetables warm in a 225 degree oven on a baking tin. Fry the chunks of fish last. They will take about 3 to 5 minutes a side, depending on thickness. Check to be sure the fish is cooked all the way through.

Serve as soon as possible. You can sprinkle with rice vinegar or any favorite flavor of sauce you like. Left over vegetables and fish don’t reheat very well, but you can put them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 568.5 Fat: 46.7 g Net Carbs: 8.8 g Protein: 46.2 g

Posted on 6/3/2013

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Shrimp and Asparagus — Colorful and Delightful

This week, I decided to adapt an enticing recipe that was on Fine Cooking by Jennifer Armentrout. To be honest, not a lot of adjustment was needed to make it low carb, except for the one key item of “grits” with cheddar cheese. I am not a huge grits fan, so it doesn’t bother me to lose this, but the substitute should be something similar. In my mind, this was another job for my favorite combo, cauliflower and daikon radish riced to the texture of grits. It came out deliciously wonderful and as the roomie put, “that’s a keeper.” Try it for yourself.

Shrimp and Asparagus with Cauli-grits

1- 1/2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
1 clove Garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups homemade or sodium free Chicken Broth
2 cups riced Cauliflower
1 cup riced Daikon
freshly ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar
1/2 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce; more to taste

1/2 lb. medium-thick Asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 to 2 Scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced (optional)

Heat 1/2 Tbs. of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until you can just smell it, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the riced cauliflower and daikon and 1/4 tsp. salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and most of the liquid is absorbed or evaporated, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the Cheddar and 1/4 tsp. of the hot sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in a warm spot.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is opaque and the asparagus is tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the shrimp and asparagus over the grits. Top with sprinkled scallions.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info: Calories: 305.7 Fat: 18.4 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 28.8 g

TIP: No asparagus at the market (or the cost is just too dear)? Try this dish with broccolini (baby broccoli). It will be colorful and the young spears are perfect.

Posted on 4/24/2013

Main Dish, Pet Food, Recipes, Seafood

Salmon Cakes for All

Maybe not quite all, but for those who count, namely the birthday boy, PK and me. By birthday boy, I mean Timmy Cat, who just turned nine years old. I wanted to celebrate with a special salmon cake for the cats, but only two of the four have any interest in people food. Timmy is one who never turns down a good meal and Milo enjoys most anything I eat, including spicy food. Hooligan may have eaten only a bite, but he definitely enjoyed the broth I poached the salmon in. So, for this special meal, I bought a pound of salmon and poached it in the oven until just cooked – about 20 minutes (350 F oven) in a pan with about a half inch of water in it. You can used canned salmon, but I prefer the taste of freshly cooked fish.

Are they appreciated? Timmy and Milo enjoy their salmon cakes. They may need a little help getting started so cut it in half or quarters to make it easier. Our dog, Flynn, also enjoyed a little of cake even though he isn’t a fish-lover. Must have been the cheese…

Like many cat parents, I thought a special treat on the cat’s birthday would be great and although there are lots of goodies at the pet store for dogs, there isn’t anything special for cats. I suppose it’s because cats aren’t into biscuits, cakes and cookies so much.   So I went hunting on the web and found a recipe for tuna cake, which can be easily made with salmon. The simple recipe first is the one for the cats, then on to the one for people. Actually the cat one is perfectly edible by people, just not as tasty as the people recipe.  My cats prefer bacon to shrimp, so I used bits of bacon to top it. You can also spread a little mayonnaise over the top as an icing if your cats like it.

Salmon Cakes for Felines

Ingredients:

1 Egg
3/4 cup Salmon
2 tbs Flour
4 tbs shredded or grated Cheese
Baby Shrimp or pieces of Bacon, to garnish
Sprigs of fresh Cat Nip and/or Cat Mint for garnish

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Prepare cupcake tin or 4 silicone cupcake molds by lightly spraying with cooking spray.

z-kitty-cakes
Kitty birthday cakes – pre-bake and after. Yum…

Break up salmon in a medium bowl, checking for bones as you go. Lightly beat egg in a separate bowl, then combine with tuna. Add in flour and cheese. Stir to combine.

Makes 4 small cakes.

Scoop batter into cupcake tin or silicone cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Salmon Cakes with Dill Sauce

Yes, this is the one for the humans. This recipe was originally for Carab Cakes and is adapted from EatingWell.com.  I have adjusted it to a low carb version. The main changes are to replace the bread for the bread crumbs with a low carb bread and the original recipe called for yogurt in the dill sauce, which I’ve replaced with lower carb sour cream. Use the flax meal sandwich roll recipe to make the bread (you can omit the oat fiber, buttermilk and onion flakes for this). Or you can buy low carb bread and use two slices of that. or you can just use whole wheat bread if you aren’t concerned about the 20 net carbs in it, which breaks down to about 4.5 additional carbs per serving.

I used a small food processor to chop the onions and the celery. Just be sure to trim off the pithy parts and the strings on the celery. Unfortunately, the blades just slide right over the parsley and dill. Chop those with a knife.

For the salmon cakes:

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay spice or other seafood spice
1 1/2 cup flax bread rolls (2 rolls), processed to crumbs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the Dill Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice, about 1/2 a lemon
1 to 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill*
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

z-salmon-cakes01
Chopped ingredients for the sauce and the cakes. From the top clockwise, chopped celery, parsley, onions, and dill. On the right, sliced green onions for the sauce.

Prepare Creamy Dill Sauce first and put in the fridge to allow the flavors to chill and blend together.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped onions, lemon juice, dill and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust lemon juice, dill and pepper to your preference. I used about 1 tablespoons of lemon juice and dill in my sauce.

• You can use dried dill if fresh isn’t available. Or you can substitute parsley, but then it isn’t a dill sauce.

Prepare the salmon cakes

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or use a silicone mat and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat.

Break the bread into pieces and put in your food processor. Pulse until it is reduced to fine crumbs. Set aside.

Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and seasonings; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn slide them onto the prepared baking sheet, uncooked side up. Repeat with the remaining patties.

Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with dill sauce. Elegant and delicious!

Makes 8 – 2 1/2 inch cakes, two cakes to a serving, so makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info Per serving for Dill Sauce
Calories: 209.3 Fat: 22.8 g Net Carbs: .9 g Protein: .5 g

Nutrition Info Per serving for Salmon Cakes
Calories: 227.6 Fat: 11.4 Net Carbs: 2.7 g Protein: 25.6 g

Tip: If you’re like me, you buy a bunch of fresh parsley or fresh dill, make one thing and throw out the icky green sludge a couple of weeks later. Plan to make a pesto with the parsley or use it on plates as garnish. Failing that, dry it. Same thing with the dill. I use an inexpensive dehydrator, but you can put your parsley or dill on cheese cloth and set it in a sunny spot to dry out. Once dry, put it in a plastic bag or a jar and use whenever you need it.

When preparing the salmon cake recipe, you can mix it up earlier in the day, stopping before shaping into patties, cover and refrigerate until 40 minutes before you want to serve them. Then shape them and cook as instructed. The dill sauce can also be made in advance. You can actually go through the shaping and putting on a baking sheet step, but if your ‘fridge is like mine, there’s no place for a baking sheet in it.

I’m pretty confident this salmon cake recipe will work equally well with tuna, crab and shrimp. As I try them out, I’ll let you know. Or if you try them before I do, let me know. Deal?

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 9/7/2013 11:33 AM