Kosher fish

Asian Tuna Steaks

Makes 2 servings. 

This tuna has an Asian spin.  I serve it raw on the inside and charred briefly on the outside with a flavorful dressing.  The fish can be paired with many side dishes including sautéed baby bok choy, shredded Napa cabbage, edamame, and sushi rice.

 INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 yellow fin tuna steaks, 1-inch thick, 5 ounces each

DRESSING:

  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons mirin

  • 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon wasabi

  • 1 teaspoon lime juice

  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. Whisk the dressing and set aside.   

  2. Pat dry the tuna and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper.  

  3. Use a griddle pan or a cast iron skillet and heat the olive oil.

  4. Sear the tuna over high heat for about 1 minute on each side to be rare, which is how I like it.

  5. Slice the tuna and serve it with some of the sauce on top. The rest of the sauce serve on the side.    

 
 

Snapper with Olive Topping

Snapper with Olive Topping.jpg

Makes 4 servings.

This main course fish dish is simple, easy and tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 skinless snapper fillets, about 6 ounces each

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice

TOPPING:

  • 4 sundried tomato halves packed in oil, cut into thin strips

  • ¾ cup mixed pitted olives, cut into small pieces

PREPARATION:

  1. Preheat the broiler.

  2. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides.

  3. Place the fish on a foil lined broiling pan and sprinkle with the oil and lime juice.

  4. Broil very close to the heat source for about 6 minutes, without turning, or until the inside is opaque.

  5. Keep the TOPPING warm in a small skillet and scatter over the fish.

 
 

Brook Trout with Almonds

Fish.jpg

Makes 2 servings.

Trout is not a popular fish. I recently discovered it and I like its sweet taste and non-oily texture. They are very small, generally 1 pounders. I, therefore, suggest one fish per person. After filleting it renders about 6 ounces.

I like to serve it on a bed of stir-fry spinach. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Two, 1 pound trout
  • 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, approx
  • 2 tablespoon toasted blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. Have the fishmonger fillet the fish and leave the skin on.
  2. Rinse the fish and dry very well with paper towels.
  3. Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet and sauté the fish skin side down over high heat for 3 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Flip the fish over with a spatula, season with lemon juice and scatter the almonds. 
  6. Shut off the heat.
  7. I like to serve this fish skin side up with the accumulated pan juices.
 
 

Broiled Arctic Char

Makes 2 servings.

Arctic char has a delicate texture, a mild flavor and it is a nice substitute for salmon.

You can serve it with any vegetable, but I like to pair it with stir fried sliced baby bok choy and edamame. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 center cut Arctic char fillets, about 6 ounces each

MARINADE

  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and place in a non–reactive dish.
  2. Combine marinade ingredients. Pour over the fish and coat well. Cover with cling wrap, and refrigerate for a couple of hours, turning once.
  3. Bring fish back to room temperature.
  4. Preheat the broiler.
  5. Cover the whole broiling pan, which comes with most ovens, with heavy foil. Then I like to form a “shallow basket” with a piece of heavy foil, crimping it at the corners so that the juices do not spill out. Set the basket on the broiler pan, place the fish skin side up, pour over the marinade and broil 6 inches from the heat source for about 7 minutes.
  6. The fish will turn opaque and will continue cooking after it is removed from the heat.
  7. Serve the fish with the accumulated juices.

NOTE:

I recommend not broiling the fish very close to the heat source because the honey may char the top.

 
 

Wild Salmon with Gazpacho Sauce

Makes 6 servings.       

Wild salmon has a very short season from late spring until autumn. I love this dish which is really easy to prepare even though it appears complicated. You can adjust how rare or cooked you like the fish by adjusting the searing time. The piquant sauce enhances the flavor and gives the dish a tasty and pretty look. Both the fish and the sauce can be prepared ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2¼ pounds center cut wild salmon fillet, skinned with no brown spots showing
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

PREPARATION

  1. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  2. Cut the fish to into 4x2 inch pieces, or any other shape that you prefer.
  3. Wrap each piece in foil and fold the ends.
  4. Heat the oil until smoking in a very heavy-iron skillet large enough to fit the fish. Place the salmon in the skillet and sauté over high heat, turning the fish with tongs for 1 minute on one side and 1 minute on the other side (the salmon will be seared on the outside and rare in the center). If you like it more well done, sauté it longer.
  5. Remove with tongs to a plate and open the foil packets, which stops it from further cooking.  Let cool before removing the foil. I like this method of wrapping the fish with foil and sautéing it because you have more control of how the fish will look. And there is virtually no clean up.

INGREDIENTS FOR GAZPACHO SAUCE

  • 1/3 cup homemade mayonnaise (Recipe follows)
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice, approx
  • 3 Kirby cucumbers, peeled, ends discarded, cut into large pieces
  • 3 plum tomatoes, rinsed, cored, cut into large pieces
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

INGREDIENTS FOR GARNISH

  • 1 English cucumber, rinsed, dried, ends discarded, diced.
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Snipped chives with scissors

TO MAKE THE SAUCE

  1. Place mayonnaise, lime juice, cucumbers, tomatoes salt, pepper and cayenne into a Vitamix. Process until very smooth. Season to taste; the sauce should be spicy.
  2. (Without a Vitamix you can puree the sauce in a blender, but you will have to strain it.)

GARNISH

Season the cucumbers with rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside.           

TO SERVE

Spoon the sauce in center of individual plates, place the fish on top.  Garnish with the diced cucumbers and chives. 

INGREDIENTS FOR MAYONAISE

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon powdered mustard
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

PREPARATION

  1. Combine the olive oil and vegetable oil in a measuring cup (the spout of the cup makes it easier to control the slow pouring).
  2. Remove the plastic knob from the cover of the blender.
  3. Place the egg, mustard and salt in the blender. Turn on the blender and after a second, add the vinegar. Pour the oil in a very low stream. As the mixture begins to thicken, add the oil more quickly.
  4. One word of advice:  keep the blender running from the beginning of the process to the end, when all the oil has been added. When finished, transfer the mayonnaise to an airtight container and refrigerate.