I bought a mess of catfish at Costco and needed to cook 'em up. I tried a great but simple recipe for grilled filets that yielded crunchy, slightly smoky fish that was da bomb. It was as tasty as any deep-fried Southern catfish I have ever had, and probably a whole lot healthier, too.
In my experience, Costco has consistently good-quality fish, but I soaked the filets in milk for a few hours to help reduce any "muddy" flavors (catfish are bottom feeders).
This forum on Taste of Home, gives several other alternatives to this problem, including soaking in aciduated water (water spiked with lemon), buttermilk, mustard, or salt water. I don't know if the milk helped mine, but I do know that my fish didn't have a trace of muddiness.
Start by preheating your grill to medium and making a smoking packet like described here. Put the packet on the grill's heating element or directly over the coals if using charcoal.
Remove the fish (I had about 2 lbs.) from the milk, pat the filets dry with paper towels and season on both sides with the seasoning mixture.
Finely crush a sleeve of buttery flavored crackers (I used Townhouse) and melt a stick of butter.
Dip each filet into the butter, then into the cracker crumbs, and lay on a sheet tray. I line the tray with foil, then after the fish are cooked, I remove the foil and use the tray for the cooked filets.
Spray a grilling sheet with cooking spray so that the filets don't stick. Lay the fish on and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Watch carefully so they don't burn. You can flip them carefully one time, but we didn't, and they were still fine.
Golden brown, flaky, and delicious!
I served the crunchy fish with cheesy creamed spinach, which was a pleasant contrast.
The whole family complimented the chef on this recipe. It's a keeper!
Late afternoon is my weakest time of day when I'm trying to stay away from sweet treats. I'm usually hungry and tired, but dinner won't be ready for over an hour. I need something to take the edge off while keeping me on course with my diet.
These little orb-bits are sweet, salty, crunchy, and packed with protein. They use pantry ingredients, are quick and easy to make, and keep in the refrigerator for days.
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup granola, very finely crushed (I use GoLean Crunch, for additional protein and fiber)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
I have been MIA lately, partly because I am struggling with my weight loss (it's not going as well as I would like). I feel like I've been eating pretty healthy and doing the same things I did a few years ago when I lost 30 lbs., but it's just not coming off. Ugh. I also met with a Personal Trainer today at the gym, and let's just say that my body fat analysis was less than stellar.
Not my number, unfortunately
Just goes to show that the "charts" can have you as normal weight and BMI (body mass index), but you can still be unhealthy and technically fat.
My Man and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year, and I was really hoping to fit into my wedding dress again, just for kicks. I could have done that 2 years ago! Sometimes I wonder if posting about food thwarts my efforts. I mean, I love to cook, and I admittedly like to eat! Maybe if I just post healthy foods, but what fun is that? I have tried to balance posts so that I don't always bake goodies and have them around where I can't resist them.
So the other day, I tried something new that was posted by Lady With the Red Rocker on a blog hop I frequent:
A green smoothie made with spinach!
It might sound less than appetizing, but it really was quite good because the original recipe contains both banana and peanut butter, which helps to disguise the somewhat earthy taste of the spinach. It was healthy and surprisingly refreshing. And the emerald green color is perfect for St. Patty's Day!
The one thing I would change next time is that I would add less milk. It was a little thinner than I prefer. Wow, I wish I could say the same about myself!
One of my New Years resolutions is to eat healthier. That would definitely include eating more yummy fish. Salmon was on sale last week for $4.99 a pound, so My Man, the grocery shopper, picked up a nice 2 1/2 pound filet.
After church on Sunday, I decided to make this for lunch for the family. When I was growing up, Sunday lunch was the big meal of the day, and it was a "grab your own" for dinner. I have pretty much continued that tradition.
I didn't want to fuss too much since it was supposed to be day of rest and I was tired. So I virtually consulted the Barefoot Contessa and used the marinade from her Roasted Salmon Nicoise for my fish. It's got ingredients that I usually have on hand: zesty lemon, pungent garlic, and piquant dijon mustard.
Easy Marinade for Fish
from Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa (click here to print)
2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 pounds skin-on fresh salmon fillets
Combine the olive oil, mustard, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with heavy duty foil and place fish on top. Pour the marinade evenly over your fish filet
and let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Pop the salmon in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Slice the salmon into serving pieces, leaving the skin behind on the foil I served this with steamed broccoli and rice pilaf with dried cherries and toasted pecans.
If you want to, you could make extra marinade and serve it on the side, but since I'm watching my calories, I opted out of that idea.
Easy to make and easy cleanup, too: Just wad up the foil and throw it away! Simple and sensational.
And hey, because I have made healthy choices (so far!) in the New Year, I have lost 4 pounds!
I was dreaming about California Rolls and wanted to bring them to a friend's house since everyone is trying to eat healthy right now. Including me. But they're pricey when feeding a crowd since 9 pieces are somewhere between $6 and $8.
So I attempted to make them. I don't like raw fish in sushi but rather wanted something vegetarian. I went to a local Asian grocery store and bought my ingredients:
A bamboo mat, Nori wrappers (roasted seaweed), Japanese short-grain rice, and sushi vinegar (or you can make your own by heating 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. salt until grains of sugar are dissolved, then cool before using).
I also bought a cucumber, a ripe but firm avocado, and some crab sticks (fake crab). I bought a Persian cucumber because they're about the same size as the crab sticks and they were available at the Asian grocery. If you can't find them, you can use a regular peeled, seeded cucumber. A Persian cucumber has a thin skin and doesn't need to be peeled or seeded.
I watched two videos on YouTube which helped me to understand the technique. The first shows how to make sushi rice and the second shows how to form the rolls. I made a couple of batches of rice and found that I deviated a little from the video technique and it worked better for me.
First, wash and drain 2 cups of rice about 4 times in cold water. Then let the rice drain in the colander for about 15 minutes.
Then put the rice in a heavy pot and soak the rice in 2 1/4 cups cold water for another 15 minutes. Cover it. From this point forward, don't uncover the pot. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 15 minutes. (Set a timer!)
When your timer goes off, remove the rice from the heat and let rest (still covered!) for another 15 minutes.
Now you can uncoverthe pot! The rice should be sticky and slightly shiny.
Using a wooden or plastic spoon, gently scoop the rice into a non-metallic, flat-bottomed bowl. I used a pyrex baking dish. Pour about 1/2 cup sushi vinegar over the rice and use a wooden spoon or plastic spatula to mix it in using a slicing motion.
Several videos I saw also recommended fanning the rice over a 10-minute period (to cool and dry it), occasionally flipping the rice over. The goal is for the rice grains to be separate and not at all mushy. Check out this guy's amazing technique!
While the rice is cooking, you can prepare your mat and your veggies. Encase the bamboo mat smoothly in plastic wrap. Slice the avocado in half, then slice the halves in thin, even slices, about 1/4 inch each. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Slice the cucumber in sticks that are about 1/4" wide and the same length as the crab sticks.
Place a Nori wrapper (shiny side down) on the bamboo mat and spread about 3 or 4 ounces of cooked rice over it. You should be able to see the wrapper through the rice.
Now flip the entire wrapper so that the rice side is on the bottom. Layer a couple slices of avocado, then the crab sticks, then the cucumber.
Now use the mat to start rolling.
If you haven't already, watch this video to get the technique.
Here are some completed rolls before cutting:
And here's a whole platter full!
I made a spicy sauce with 2 Tbsp. mayo and 2 tsp. sriracha sauce that people could drizzle over top and also brought store-bought wasabi paste and pickled ginger. Very tasty!
When I lived in New Orleans, a professional sushi chef named Yosh lived across the street from me for many years. I wish I had asked him to teach me a thing or two!
