Grilled Copper River Salmon

As promised--SALMON! The Copper River season has begun and I can think of no better way to celebrate than with incredibly easy recipe. At the very moment, Copper River Salmon is very pricey so try to hold off for 1-2 weeks when the price will drop (right now it is going for $37.99 lb at Whole Foods--I will be waiting!). Copper River is the best wild fish available according to me anyway--it is only available fresh from mid May to June.

* Note--I am not going to give a solid time for completion--this will depend on the thickness of the fish and the type of grill used. You want the fish to flake when done.

Grilled Copper River Salmon

1 lb Copper River Salmon, skin removed (it's just easier this way--if you have the patience and time, you can leave the skin on)

salt and pepper

lemon wedges

 If you have cedar plank, soak in water and place on grill over medium high heat, if using gas-- if using charcoal, avoid plank but add chips to the coals. If you are not using a plank, lightly oil grill with olive oil before turning it on (you can also wrap fish in oiled  aluminum foil but this can be very tricky to see if the fish is done).

Place fish on grill and turn once. Watch for when it becomes opaque--this is about 8-10 minutes. Take the fish off the grill and see if flakes easily when you touch it with a fork. If it feels 'raw', put it back on the grill a bit longer. Drizzle with lemon juice and garnish with lemon wedges.

Asian Style Tiapia

This is a great one to make with kids. It’s messy, silly and you get to dump it into a paper bag. Little ones care tear ends off snow peas.
I adopted this recipe from Dave Lieberman on Food Network.
It’s also quite tasty!

Asian Style Tilapia

olive oil
4 tilapia fillets (approx. 3/4 lb.)
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 lemon, zested and juiced
30 snow peas, ends snipped off
2 small red potatoes, sliced thinly in matchstick size
8 tbs. lite coconut milk
salt and pepper
4 brown paper lunch bags

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cover the paper bags with olive oil (stack together to let olive oil sock in). Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Press lemon zest and ginger into filets; season with salt and pepper. Top each with even amount of potatoes, followed by snow peas. Carefully place a filet in each bag (with toppings); pour in 2 tablespoons of coconut milk in each bag, over fish. Fold well to seal in juices and steam. Place bags on baking sheets and let cook for 20 minutes. Carefully tear open bag and serve in bag.

White Fish with Artichokes and Tomatoes

I decided to try a fish in foil packet for dinner this night. The recipe is inspired by Giada from “Everyday Italian” on the Food network.
I found these great fresh vacuum sealed artichoke hearts in the produce section of my grocery store and I had to find something for them. The recipe sounded perfect and a great way to use the rest of the cherry tomatoes from the other night!
I used tilapida for the fish but halibut or any other whit fish would work just as well.

White Fish with Artichokes and Tomatoes

4 fillets of white fish (deboned; skin removed)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
8 oz. artichoke hearts (canned, frozen or fresh)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 C chicken broth
generous tablespoon of thyme
salt and pepper
shot or two of white wine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients but wine in large bowl. Spread out 4 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place veggies in center of sheet (divided evenly per sheet). Place fish over veggies and fold up sides. Pour a bit of wine on each serving. Seal up and cook for approximately 18-20 minutes (depending on thickness of fish).
Open packets carefully and place fish and veggies on plate. You can pour the remaining juices over the fish.

Steelhead Trout

Yep--back to fish! This time I am opting for something more in season. Wild Alaskan Salmon is only in season from May to June and the frozen King salmon is looking really pasty--I gave some the smell test this morning at our fish counter and I smelled not the ocean which I should smell or even fish which you never want to smell BUT nothing. It had been frozen for so long, flavor was disappearing. He commented we may want to wait or go for Atlantic salmon. I prefer to limit farmed or Atlantic salmon because those fish have higher mercury levels and I am feeding little ones. Soooo he suggested the steelhead trout which just came off the truck 1/2 an hour before fresh! The color was lovely, the smell crisp and salty so I brought it home. I found some great recipes and decided to go for this one, mix match of different stuff. (Jamie Oliver was once again the true inspiration :) from 'Cook with Jamie'--did I mention I love that book????)

Baked Steelhead Trout

4 6 oz. filets
olive oil
Zest of one lemon and its juice
bunch of parsley, diced
salt and pepper
fresh baby spinach

Turn on broiler. Place trout on aluminum foil, skin side down. Rub fish with olive oil and salt and pepper. Add lemon, juice and parsley on top. Broil fish at second rack away from heat for 5 minutes or less; careful not to burn parsley.
Turn heat down to 325 and place fish on bottom rack. Heat for approxiamtely 10 minutes or until cooked through.
While cooking, place baby spinach on plates (squeeze a bit of lemon juice over leaves).
Serve fish (be sure to remove skin!) on top of spinach; the spinach will wilt slightly.

January 2--white fish in bacon

So we need to eat more fish to be healthy, right?! So I am taking a healthy white tilipita and wrapping it in smoked bacon- hey it's organic;)

This is adapted from "Cook with Jamie"

4 7 oz.white fish, skinned and deboned (I used tilipita--smoothe tasting for kids)
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves pulled and finely chopped
zest and juice of two lemons
freshly ground pepper
16 slices smoked bacon
olive oil

Season fish with rosemary, lemon and pepper. Wrap four pieces of bacon around each fish--in roof shingle fashion. Flash fry in olive oil for 1 minute and finish in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes.
Jamie Oliver suggests serving with asparagus which is what I plan to do even though it is not spring. I just love asaparagus. I'm betting broccollini would work too!