Tilapia Parmesan

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• Mmmm..cheesy...buttery fish.  So yummy.  This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious.  Many people find tilapia recipes bland and boring...well, not this one.  I absolutely love it served over rice because of the amazing sauce...the rice soaks it up and tastes sooo yummy.  This is super easy and better than anything you'd order in a restaurant.  Everyone in my family had seconds, and we didn't end up with any leftovers!  The texture is perfect, and the zing of the Parmesan and spices were also perfect.  The blend of flavors is truly incredible. This recipe is sure to impress!
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• Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven’s broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder, celery seed, paprika, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp

I'm usually not a fan of spicy things, but boy was this tasty!   I really recommend making it spicy.  Add lots of salt and cayenne in the end.  I don't know why, but this dish is so, so, so yummy and especially flavorful when spicy.  It's adapted from America's Test Kitchen, who have never failed to impress me with their recipes. Here's the description on the recipe:

We started by determining the best cooking method for our version of New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp; in this case, searing the shrimp first, then sautéing the aromatics before returning the shrimp to the skillet to gently finish cooking in the rich sauce proved best. Sautéing the aromatics with some tomato paste enriched the sauce—the paste also reinforced the “barbecue" color.

To thicken the sauce, we turned to a classic New Orleans technique for thickening: starting the sauce with a roux. A bit of flour added to the sautéing aromatics created a sauce that was thick enough to coat the shrimp. Instead of a time-consuming seafood stock, we used bottled clam juice as the base for our sauce. To round out the liquid, tasters preferred mellow beer to acidic wine.

Seems like they know what they're talking about...am I right?  They also said: although authentic barbecue shrimp is always made with shell-on shrimp, peeled and deveined shrimp may be used. Light- or medium-bodied beers work best here. Serve with Tabasco sauce and French bread, if desired.

Definitely serve this wish French bread!!  It does a wonderful job of soaking up all of the yummy sauce.  I wish I had made more of this to have as leftovers...but there were none left!

Ingredients:

• 2pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled (21-25 per pound)
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 2teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon tomato paste
• 1teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/2teaspoon dried oregano
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4cup bottled clam juice
• 1/2cup beer
• 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•                       Additional salt, cayenne pepper
•                       Hot sauce (optional)

Instructions: 

• 1. Sear shrimp: Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and cayenne. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of shrimp, without moving, until spotty brown on one side, about 1 minute; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining oil and shrimp.
• 2. Make Sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in empty skillet over medium heat. Add flour, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in clam juice, beer, and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Return shrimp and any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining butter until incorporated. Add more salt and cayenne to taste.  Serve and garnish with hot sauce if desired.

Nutty Coconut Fish

 

This is now my mom's favorite fish recipe.  And probably my 2nd favorite fish recipe (behind my mommy's salmon, of course, found here).  I absolutely love the unique flavor of this dish.  The nuts, coconut, and mustard give the fish a wonderful, tasty flavor that I've never had before.  The mayonnaise and mustard makes this also the most juicy and moist fish I've ever had.  It's so tender on the inside, and then slightly crunchy, sweet, and nutty on the inside.   It's also healthier than your usual crusted fish because it's baked, as opposed to fried.  Another thing I love about this dish is it's so versatile; you can used different types of mustard, nuts, bread crumbs, and fish fillets, and it always turns out incredibly delicious.  

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound whitefish fillets (I used codd)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, blend mayonnaise and mustard. In a medium bowl, mix dry bread crumbs, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper.
3. Dip fish in the mayonnaise mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange coated fish fillets in the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.