Spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying a great meal with the family. Try this easy and elegant Fish Picatta any weeknight that you need to whip up a light entree in a flash.
Ingredients:
1 pound fillet of sole
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup kedem white cooking wine
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 small jar of capers drained and rinse
dredge fillets in flour on both sides
Directions:
Dredge fillets in flour on both sides. In a Pam sprayed non-stick frying pan cook fillets for 5 minutes on each side till golden making sure to spray tops of fillets before turning over. Remove fillets from pan and place in platter. Mix wine, lemon, and capers and add to the pan stirring until reduced by a third, scrapping the bottom of pan. Pour mixture onto the fillets and serve immediately.
Pickled Salmon is a practical fish or appetizer recipe because it is prepared days ahead of time and keeps well in the fridge for at least a week. This dish is tried and true – you will land up with the most delicious fish you ever tasted. A couple of friends gave me this recipe a few years ago – it is a successful recreation of an acclaimed pickled salmon dish served at a famous Montreal steakhouse. This remarkable salmon recipe makes a beautiful appetizer at holiday meals, main course or brunch dish.
Ingredients:
Large salmon fillet (3-4 lbs) (skin removed, cut into individual slices, about 8, not too small)
2 large onions, Vidalia, Red or Spanish, cut into thick slices
1 or 2 large plastic containers to store the fish (9” x 13” size range)
fresh chopped dill, if desired
Brine: (enough for up to 3 lbs – you may double or triple recipe depending on amount of salmon)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup white sugar
1 ½ cups ketchup (if you like spicy flavor, mix 3/4 cup ketchup with 3/4 cup chili sauce)
Handful of pickling spices
Directions:
Mix all brine ingredients together in a bowl. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, decrease vinegar by ¼ cup and increase sugar by ¼ cup. Amounts are rather flexible within ¼ cup – add extra ketchup if you like the taste. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut up the salmon filet into individual portion-sized slices and one at a time, using a slotted spoon, place into the boiling water. The fish should cook for about 7 – 10 minutes — keep an eye on it and do not let it overcook or it will be tough. Larger pieces will take longer than smaller ones – you may begin to take out the smaller pieces after 7-8 minutes. Check for readiness by testing a slice – cut through the middle to see if it is cooked all the way through. Very thick pieces should be tested. Once the fish is cooked, remove pieces with a slotted spoon and place in the containers.
Scatter the sliced onions all over the fish. Place onions underneath and in between slices of fish to distribute flavor. Once you have finished this, pour the brine over the top of the fish. Top with any remaining onions. Sprinkle chopped dill over the top, if desired. Cover container. Refrigerate pickled salmon for three days and each day, move the sauce around by jiggling the container. After three days, you will have an elegant, nutritious and incredible delicious salmon dish to savor with family and friends.
I have been obsessed with herring since I was a kid. The texture of the fish combined with the tang of shmaltz and those delicious onions mixed in may be the only reason I loved to go to shul. Usually when telling someone I love herring, I am accosted with comments such as “ewwwww, that is disgusting,” or “You are like an old Jewish man!” As of late, herring seems to have become quite popular with the younger generation. There are special websites www.shmaltzking.com where you can order gourmet quality herring in shmaltz or wine sauce. You can also go to your local fish store, where you can order the herring filet and make the herring yourself. This trend has become very popular in many communities. Recently, there was an article on a guy in NYC who will only date women who love herring – it kind of makes you wonder why he is almost 40 and can’t find his soul mate. Either way, I like it all; I like reading the articles related to herring, I like looking at the websites of all the herring I can order, and most of all, I love to eat that slimy delicious treat you always find at an orthodox shul’s lunch.
My brother in law Yaak happens to be one of my favorite cooks. It may be the fact that he enjoys food as much as I do. Lately, our mutual thrill of food is herring. Friday night I feasted on 2 of the best types of herring I have ever had, courtesy of Yaak. One was the original flavor and the second, a cilantro version. The fillet was perfectly moist, the shmalts (oil) had seeped into the fish just enough to give it extra smoothness with out making it to mushy. The onions had absorbed all the flavor of the fish and shmaltz and yet, it still maintained a satisfying crunch when you bit into it. Yaak and I grabbed some crackers, which in case you did not know happens to be the best accompaniment to this food. In one sitting we happily crunched and munched our way through most of the Herring dish.
Recipe for Standard Schmaltz:
Ingredients:
Herring fillets from the kosher market (do this 48 hours prior to serving)
1 onion
Canola oil
Directions:
Cut the onion into bite size slices. Place 1/2 onion at the bottom of a small sealable container.
Pour oil from herring tray into container and add more canola oil to coat onions. Slice herring into 1/2 to 1 inch strips then add herring to container and add 2nd 1/2 of onion and more canola oil to coat.
Seal and refrigerate. Best served with whole wheat snacker crackers (very crispy and hold up well will scooping/dipping) Add cilantro to the above recipe for a cilantro version.
My husband has never been a fan of salmon until we had it one Friday night at our friends, Mira & Levi. I have to admit, at first I was jealous that she was able to get him to eat two servings of something that he would never finish at home. But then I gave myself a mental slap and realized I would be ridiculous not to ask her how she made it. So, as often happens when leaving the Martinez residence, I went home that night with a fabulous new recipe!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
Chopped cilantro
3 pieces of salmon
Directions:
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and steak seasoning and drizzle some over the fish, leaving half of the mixture on the side. Bake the salmon in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes, uncovered. After you remove the salmon from the oven, place the chopped cilantro in the remaining olive oil and lemon juice mixture and pour over the freshly baked salmon.
Ingredients:
4 fillets of tilapia
Wishbone Robusto Italian dressing
1 onion, sliced
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s tomato basil marinara sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Marinate (or coat) fillets in Italian dressing. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and put a very thin layer of Italian dressing on top of it. Lay coated fillets in pan. Mix marinara sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper by shaking it in a closed container or ziplock bag. Spoon the sauce over the fillets. Slice an onion and lay the slices on top of and around the fillets. Cover the pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, turn the oven up to 400 degrees and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
I have been slacking in the kitchen these past few months and wanted a fresh new recipe for dinner. I called up my sister in law Sarrit who told me about the following tasty dish her mom often makes. I am a huge fan of my mother in laws cooking so I knew without a doubt it would taste great however I also know that some of her dishes can be somewhat complicated so I was relieved to find out that this one is not only rich with flavor but is also easy to make. I served the fish with couscous and a fresh garden salad.
Ingredients:
Tilapia, either whole or fillets
Cumin
Black Pepper
Paprika
Salt
olive oil
1 onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
several potatoes sliced thinly
Directions:
Pour some olive oil and the above listed spices into a 9 x 13 inch pan and mix the potato, onion, and tomato slices with olive oil mixture to coat them. Then layer the potato, onion, and tomato slices in the pan. Rub the WHOLE tilapia or tilapia filets with the same olive oil/spice mixture and put the rubbed tilapia on top of the layered vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees, checking after 45 minutes to see if potatoes are done.
* If you are not using a whole tilapia, and instead are using fillets, check the fish after about 20 minutes and if it is ready take the fillets off of the vegetables and set aside. Return the pan with the vegetables back into the oven and bake until potatoes are ready (soft). Then place fillets back on top of vegetables and serve.
