Posts Tagged 'fish'

Haddock Burgers

Published November 12, 2009 Lunch , Recipe , Weight Watchers Leave a Comment
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I’m a huge fan of burgers. Massive burgers that leave me with a dislocated jaw. I would probably be happy eating burgers everyday. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration but you know what I mean. Even if I were to eat burgers everyday, I would eventually get bored and I’d have to find another type of meat to fill my hamburger bun. I could use chicken but why not try fish? This idea comes from that much-used Weight Watchers cookbook I’ve been working my way through. These burgers are worth 6 points each.

Haddock Burgers, makes two

2 haddock fillets (or cod or halibut)

2 kaiser buns, preferably whole-wheat

Tomato cut into thick slices

Lettuce

Red onion cut into slices

Old cheddar cheese cut into slices

For tartar sauce:

2 tbsp mayo

2 or 3 mini pickles, minced

1 tsp capers, minced

Set the oven to broil. Spray olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over fish fillets and place on a baking sheet then set aside. Mix the mayo, pickles, and capers together in a small bowl. You could also puree them to get a smoother consistency for the tartar sauce. I tried using my Magic Bullet but the amount was too small and it all ended up smeared against the sides of the container. When the oven is heated place the fillets inside and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked. I am terrible at judging when something looks cooked so I tend to cook things a little bit longer than suggested.

Assemble sandwiches with the tartar sauce, lettuce, onion, tomatoes, cheese, and of course the fish fillets.

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Honey Teriyaki Salmon and Rice

Published September 29, 2009 Dinner , Must repeat , Recipe , Weight Watchers , Yum! Leave a Comment
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This was definitely a winner! From the Weight Watchers Turn Around Program book I made this amazing salmon last night. The recipes in that book are alright but some are fantastic. Here’s the recipe:

Makes 4 servings, is worth 4 points per fillet

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tbsp honey (I used raw unpasteurized)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed (I used 2 cloves cuz I love garlic so much)

4 (1/4 lb) skinless salmon fillets (I left the skin on the salmon and removed it during cooking)

Mix all the ingredients, minus the salmon, in a small bowl until the honey dissolves. Pour the mixture into an airtight container or ziploc bag and add the salmon. Coat the salmon well and refrigerate for 6-24hrs, turning it over occasionally. I think I might have only marinated the fish for 5hrs but it was still amazing.

Spray a ridged grill pan or nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. I just poured a bit of olive oil in a frying pan, worked just as well. Place the salmon fillets in the pan, keep the marinade, and cook about 5 mins on each side, turning the fillets and brushing them with reserved marinade. About a few mins before they were cooked I removed the skin. I think the skin added so much flavour the salmon.

While the salmon was cooking I made rice with leeks.

Earlier that day, when Jay and I went to buy groceries, Jay picked up a large bunch of leeks. “Those aren’t on the list,” I said. “I want to make soup at some point this week,” he said. We had a tiny fight at the grocery store because after I had spent an hour working on our weekly menu he decided to pick up the leeks and extra vegetables for a soup that was not on the menu. Then I noticed a tag on the leeks that had a recipe for rice and leeks. Easy to make. “Very well, Jay, we shall take the leeks.”

Recipe for rice with leeks, Makes 2 servings

1 tbsp butter (I used oil cuz I forgot to buy butter…sigh)

1 leek, rinsed and chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

Dash of oregano

Cooked rice, about 1-2 cups I’d say

In a pot, sautee the chopped leeks until soft. Add the tomato paste and oregano and combine. Add the rice and mix well. At this point, the salmon fillets were almost ready and I had extra marinade so instead of throwing it out, I poured the rest of the marinade into the rice until it was cooked and absorbed.

As I said, the salmon was amazing and the rice was perfect with a bit of grated Parmesan on top. The salmon had the right amount of salt and sweetness.

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Sea Salt Fish and Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Published August 10, 2009 Dinner Leave a Comment
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I just waded through a blanket of smoke to get to my laptop so I could spread the word about tonight’s dinner. The smell of burnt sea salt is still lingering in the air. Sound appetizing? Well, let me tell you, it was!

I was a bit turned off by this Laura Calder recipe at first, simply because it involves cooking a fish over half an inch of coarse sea salt. In her book, French Food At Home, she advises to open a window. And how right she is. Unfortunately for me, and my nearby neighbours, I do not have a window in my tiny kitchen and the noxious odour and smoke coming from my apartment must have made them think I burnt dinner. As I watched the salt crackle and pop and burn, I prayed and hoped I was following the instructions correctly; lay the fish (I used rainbow trout), skin side down over half an inch of salt in a large pan over high heat for 15 to 20 minutes. After several minutes of watching over my sizzling fish, I stepped out into the living room and I was amazed the neighbours weren’t knocking on our door wondering if we were dying of smoke inhalation. I put aside my worries and focused on making the hollandaise sauce.

I remember making this sauce when I was younger, failing miserably and thus, afraid of trying again. I am excited and proud to announce that attempt number two was an amazing success thanks to Ms. Calder, who guided me through the emulsifying and whisking of butter and eggs. It’s a bit frightening that this sauce is made with two main ingredients; butter and egg yolks. When I put a cup and a half of butter into a sauce pan, Jay’s horrified reaction made me question whether or not this sauce was necessary for dinner. Adding four egg yolks made things seem slightly more disturbing. And let’s not forget the fact that the fish was resting on a bed of sea salt.

“Your doctor said your BMI is at a healthy level, right Jay?” I jokingly said as he glared at me.

Once the fish was cooked I peeled the skin off the fish as the book explains the skin is too salty to eat. I’m not even going to question that. I served the fish with steamed asparagus and plain basmati rice. I poured sauce over the asparagus and Jay and I sat down to eat. After giving our plates questionable stares, we dug in.

The fish was perfect. It was so soft and juicy and perfectly salty. The hollandaise sauce was very subtle, with hints of lemon among the buttery flavour (recipe for sauce here). Absolutely delicious.

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