Broiled tilapia w/Summer Grape Tomatoes

No pictures of my own this time - life with a toddler is fairly hectic, so stopping to snap a picture before putting dinner on the table, doesn't really happen these days.  But this recipe is too good not to share.  It's healthy, simple, quick, and delicious!  What more could you ask for?  This will be a great way to use tomatoes and basil from our garden this summer.  And the sauce would be great on pasta or chicken as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 lb grape tomatoes, cut in half
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• olive oil spray
• 4 pieces (7 oz each) flounder (or tilapia or sole)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet heat oil on high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. 
2. Add tomatoes, salt and fresh pepper and reduce heat to low. 
3. Simmer for about 15 minutes, add fresh basil and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, while sauce is simmering, season fish with salt and pepper and lightly spray with oil. Broil or grill fish on medium heat until cooked through (I broiled on low for about 6-7min). When fish is cooked top with tomato sauce.

original recipe found here

Rubios Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are probably the best beachside food EVER. Seriously, there's nothing like sitting on a rooftop bar, looking out over the ocean at sunset, with a pitcher of margaritas, some excellent chips and salsa, and a plate of fish tacos. Mmm...mmm...good! Too bad you can't get any decent fish tacos in Washington, DC.

This recipe is supposed to taste like the fish tacos from Rubios, a popular California eatery. While these were quite tasty, and pretty easy to make, they aren't really authentic Rubios. There wasn't the distinct pink sauce and the batter wasn't quite right. But they were still delicious.

I'd give the recipe a 4 star rating on taste, and a 2 star rating on accuracy. Oh well. I don't know where the original recipe came from, it was just in a random post on Chef2Chef.

Ingredients

• 12 Cod or favorite whitefish fillets (1-1/2 oz ea.)
  
• 12 Tortillas, corn, as thick/fresh as possible
  
  BEER BATTER:
  
• 1 c Flour
  
• 1 c Beer
  
• Garlic powder, pepper to taste
  
  WHITE SAUCE:
  
• 1/2 c Mayonaise
  
• 1/2 c Yogurt
  
  SALSA:
  
• 1 Garlic clove, peeled and minced
  
• 6 Tomatoes, ripe, peeled, seeded and diced
  
• 1/2 Onion, minced
  
• 2 tb Cilantro leaves, chopped, stems removed
  
• 1 Jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
  
• 1 1/2 ts Salt
  
• 1/4 ts Pepper
  
• Oil for deep frying
  
  GARNISH:
  
• 1 Head cabbage, green, shredded
  
• 1 Lime, cut into wedges
  

Directions

1. Mix flour with favorite spices such as garlic powder, red or black ground pepper. Stir the flour mixture into the beer and mix until well blended.
   
2. Wash fish by dipping in cold, lightly salted water or water with a little bit of lemon juice added. Be sure fish is completely dry before dipping into batter.
   
3. Prepare salsa; reserve.
   
4. Put the vegetable oil into a deep skillet and bring to 375F. Place fish in a single layer--do not let pieces touch each other. Cook fish until batter is crispy and golden brown.
5. Heat corn tortillas lightly in a skillet or Mexican comal until they are soft and hot.
   
6. To assemble, on each tortilla layer the fish fillet, white sauce, salsa and cabbage. Top it off with a squeeze of lime. Fold tortilla over to serve.
   

We made one change to the salsa & white sauce. I didn't like the "white sauce," so we pureed half of the salsa in a food processor and mixed that in with the sauce. Much tastier. I also think the batter needs a bit of salt, as the fish was pretty bland without the salsa or sauce on top.

Tilapia Pita Pockets

Love love love when Tilapia is on sale at the grocery store! There's always something new I want to try with it. This time, I had a bunch of leftover Feta cheese, so I wanted to find a recipe that would incorporate both the fish and the cheese. And that's when I stumbled upon the Tilapia Pita Pockets recipe. After spending 6 years in California, we have grown to love fish tacos. This recipe is sort of similar to a fish taco, but a slight bit healthier. There is some mayo involved, but the fish is pan-grilled with no butter and there's lettuce, onions and whole wheat pita to add some nutrients! This is definitely a winner in my book. It was quick and simple to make, packed with flavor and spice, and made enough to have some leftover for lunch today.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
  
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  
• 2 anchovy fillets, drained (I omitted these)
  
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
  
• 1 pinch salt
  
• 1 pound tilapia fillets
  
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
  
• salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  
• 4 cups iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
  
• 1 small red onion, chopped
  
• 6 pita breads, cut in half
  

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Italian dressing, feta cheese and anchovies. Season with cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Mix until well blended, then set aside.
2. Spray grill pan with non-stick spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Place the tilapia fillets in the skillet, and season with lemon pepper, salt and cayenne. Cook until browned on each side, and fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Warm pita breads in the toaster or in the microwave to soften. Open from the cut side to make pockets. Fill pita bread halves with lettuce, onion, and tilapia fillets, then spoon in some of the feta cheese sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Fish with Black Bean Sauce

This is definitely one of our favorite dishes from the local Chinese take-out restaurant, so Justin and I decided we'd try to make our own version. I found a lot of recipes online, and finally decided on one that sounded pretty good (recipe found here), and that incorporated ingredients that we had on hand. I made a few changes, nothing crazy, and it turned out perfectly. The sauce is just a bit sweet, but doesn't overpower the fish, and the onions end up with a nice caramel flavor.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb mahi-mahi fish fillet (cut into pieces and marinate with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch)
  
• 2 tablespoon Lee Kam Kee black bean sauce
  
• 1 small onion (quartered)
  
• 6 dried chilies (deseeded) I didn't have any chilies, so I used Sriracha sauce instead.
  
• 1 small green bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
  
• 2 stalk scallions (cut into 1.5 inch length)
  
• 5 slices fresh ginger, I used 1 tsp ginger paste
  
• 1/8 teaspoon fish sauce
  
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
  
• 1/4 tablespoon corn starch (mix with 3 tablespoons water)
• I also added 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained
  

Directions

1. Heat up the wok and add in some cooking oil.
2. Add sliced ginger, onions, bell peppers, dried red chilies and stir fry them until aromatic.
3. Add in the fish and do a quick stir.
4. Add the black bean sauce, black beans, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame oil and stir fry until the fish is cooked.
5. Add in the corn starch mix to thicken the sauce.
6. Toss in the chopped scallion and do a quick stir, dish up and serve hot.

Tilapia with Wine & Tomatoes

Tilapia was on sale at Harris Teeter this week: $3.99/lb. Normally it's about $6.99/lb so this was definitely a bargain. We also got a homegrown tomato this week so I wanted to find a recipe that would combine both ingredients. The original recipe is from Allrecipes, though I did make a few slight changes. It's quick and simple to make, and when paired with a bag of ready-to-steam veggies (which were also on sale this week, buy one get one free), you've got an effortless dinner that won't break the bank.

And Peggy, note that this recipe can be made on the grill! Though I opted not to grill in the rain and just made it in the oven instead.

Ingredients

• 2 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-1/2 cloves garlic, pressed (I used 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped)
  
• 2 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I doubled this and used 4)
  
• 1/2 large tomato, chopped
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/4 finely chopped onion (this was my addition and is not in the original recipe)
  

Directions

1. Preheat a grill for medium-high heat. (I preheated the oven to 425 instead of using a grill)
   
2. Place the tilapia fillets side by side on a large piece of aluminum foil. Season each one with salt and pepper. Place one tablespoon of butter on top of each piece of fish, and sprinkle garlic, basil and tomato. Pour the wine over everything. Fold foil up around fish, and seal into a packet. (I put all ingredients in a glass baking dish, covered with foil.) Place packet on a cookie sheet for ease in transportation to and from the grill.
3. Place foil packet on the preheated grill, and cook for 15 minutes (I cooked it in the oven for 20 minutes), or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Open the packet carefully so as not to get burned from the steam, and serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Tilapia

By now, you've probably figured out that we are huge fans of Asian style cuisine, and I have a new recent obsession with Cooking Light! This recipe is from Cooking Light.com and was rated one of the top fish recipes. So of course I had to try it. It is SO good. Just a bit spicy, but not so spicy that it burns your mouth. This sauce is definitely going in my "staple book" to use on chicken, fish, tofu, veggies, etc.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups hot cooked basmati rice
• 4 lime wedges

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
3. Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Fresh Linguine with Spicy Red Clam Sauce

This weekend we found an incredible deal on a pasta roller/cutter, so we decided it was about time we ventured into making fresh pasta. Linguine was the first thing we made, and what better sauce to pair it with than spicy red clam sauce! Yum. The clam sauce is from Cooking Light, and the fresh pasta recipe is from AllRecipes.

Fresh Pasta
Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width. I kneaded the dough in a KA stand mixer. Had to add about 1/4 cup of water though, in order to bring the dough together.

Spicy Red Clam Sauce
Ingredients

• 1 (9-ounce) package fresh linguine (or make your own, like we did!)
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams, undrained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. (For our fresh pasta, we let it dry for about 5 hours, then boiled it for 4 minutes to al dente.)
   
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in clams; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, basil, and oregano. Serve with pasta.

Blackened Catfish and Dirty Rice

Since the parents had never tasted catfish, I decided to cook some for dinner tonight, with Zatarain's dirty rice and steamed string beans. The fish was super easy to make and came out tender and flakey and really tasty. It's spicy though, and although I cut the cayenne in half, it was still spicy. The recipe is actually from Allrecipes, though I made a few changes, noted below.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (as per the reviews online, I cut this in half and it was still plenty spicy)
  
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 pound catfish fillets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing (I omitted this and used olive oil instead)
• I also added 2 teaspoons onion powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter (I softened the butter in the microwave for a few seconds first). Rub fillets with the cayenne pepper mixture on both sides.
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.
5. Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing (I just misted with a bit of olive oil and omitted the dressing completely). Bake 30 to 35 minutes (mine were cooked in 15 minutes) in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Cajun Catfish Salad

This is probably one of the easier dishes we've made. While shopping at our new grocery store, I came across a ton of bagged ceaser salad marked down to only $1.24. The only reason is because it expired on 4/6, Sunday. So I bought a bag, and we had it tonight. Usually I grill some chicken to add to those bagged salad mixes, but this time I used catfish. A nice change! And pretty cheap.

Bagged Salad kit - $1.24
2 catfish fillets - $1.00
Total Cost - Approximately $2.24

Ingredients

• 1 bag of Ceaser salad mix
• 2 catfish fillets
• 4 Tablespoons Cajun breading (we like the fish fry that comes in a yellow package)

Directions

1. Coat the catfish in Cajun breading. Fry in a non-stick skillet for about 3 minutes on a side, until fish is flakey. 2. Add salad fixin's to a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Place salad in bowl and top each bowl with a sliced catfish fillet. That's it...pretty easy, huh?!

Catfish Chowder

In the past few weeks, I've found incredible deals on both frozen catfish (2 pounds for $6) and baking potatoes (10 pounds for 97 cents). So my recipes have been revolving around catfish and potatoes, this week.

I found a recipe for Catfish chowder on Allrecipes.com. While the recipe has 5 star reviews, I wasn't too thrilled with it. It came out very thin and watery, definitely not a chowder. We ended up making some rice and served it over rice, so it was more of a Chicken a la King (with catfish) dish, or like a pot pie over rice.

However, today we heated up the leftovers and it was delicious! Thick, creamy, and just full of flavor. So I would definitely recommend the recipe, but it's much better the 2nd day.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup sliced baby carrots
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 3 cups milk, divided
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon salt - I ended up using about 3 teaspoons of salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and saute the onion until tender. Pour in chicken broth and water. Mix in celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups milk and cake flour. Mix into the Dutch oven.

3. Mix remaining milk, celery salt, salt, and pepper into the Dutch oven. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking the mixture about 10 minutes, until thickened.

4. Stir catfish into the mixture, and cook 5 minutes, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork. Mix in Cheddar cheese, and cook another 5 minutes, until melted.

Oven Fried Catfish

This was a super easy way to cook the catfish that left it flakey and juicy and just darn tasty. It takes no time to prepare and only 15 minutes to cook, so it's a great meal when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

We served it with a potato/onion/string bean stir fry that was also great. The cost breakdown is as follows:
2 pieces of catfish - $1.00 (frozen bag of 10 catfish filets was $5.00)
1/2 cup cornmeal and additional spices for breading - approximately 50 cents
2 baking potatoes - 15 cents (10 lb bag was 97 cents)
1/4 onion - 20 cents
4 ounces of string beans - 25 cents (97 cents a pound)
2 green onions - 20 cents
1 Tablespoon cilantro - 5 cents, maybe?
Total cost - approximately $2.35

Ingredients

• 2 catfish filets
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon each, of onion powder, garlic powder, & thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

• 2 baking potatoes, chopped into large pieces
  
• 1/4 onion, sliced thickly
• 4 ounces string beans, cut in half
  
• garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste
• 2 green onions, sliced
  
• 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine cornmeal, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt & pepper in a shallow dish or large plastic bag. Coat catfish on both sides with cornmeal mixture, shaking off the extra, and place in lightly greased baking dish.

2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to large nonstick skillet. Heat on medium-high. Add potatoes to pan, and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. When potatoes have a golden color on both sides, reduce heat to medium.

3. Put catfish in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until fish is flakey. Meanwhile, cover the potatoes, and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.

4. In last 5 minutes of potato cooking, add onions to pan. Cook until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add string beans and continue cooking until all vegetables are soft and tender.

Pasta with Clams and Garlic

I've had quite a few comments that there's no way I'm making healthy, budget free dishes that actually taste good. Or that by using canned fruits and vegetables I'm sacrificing taste, blah blah blah.

It's now become a challenge every week to see how creative I can be for under $3.00 total. Last night's meal was my budget version of Linguine with clams. The dish cost about $1.50 total and was actually quite tasty!
2 packages of Ramen - 24 cents
1 can of whole clams - 88 cents
1 Tablespoon of garlic - a nickel, maybe?
1 Tablespoon minced onion - another nickel?
1/2 a pat of butter - another nickel?

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Ramen noodles, without the seasoning packet (save it for later when you need a quick broth, or want some extra zing in plain white rice)
• 1 can of whole clams
• 1 Tablespoon garlic
• 1 Tablespoon minced onion
  
• 1/2 a pat of butter
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic in a small amount of butter, until onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and add can of clams to saute pan, and add Ramen to large pot.

3. Simmer the clam sauce while the Ramen is cooking, approximately 3 minutes. Drain noodles and combine with clams. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and enjoy!

Old Bay Catfish & Couscous

Tonight's dinner was just an "on-the-fly" thing. We shopped at a new grocery store today and they had some wicked cheap bags of frozen catfish, so we picked one up. All our menus this week are trying to use up what we have in the cabinets. I did my best to use up canned goods, frozen foods, etc to help keep us on budget.

I had some couscous in the cabinet, and some fresh cilantro from last week, so I threw it together in a pot with some chicken stock and salt. The end result was quite tasty! As was the catfish, I must say. It comes out much flakier when cooked on the Foreman grill, versus pan frying in a cast iron skillet. The grill eliminates the need to flip the fish, which only causes it to break and turn to fish mush.

Ingredients

• catfish filets (about 4oz per person)
• Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup couscous

Directions

1. Sprinkle catfish filets with Old Bay seasoning on both sides. Heat up your George Foreman grill and spray it liberally with nonstick spray.

2. Meanwhile, add chicken stock and cilantro to a pot with a tight fitting lid. Heat on high until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in couscous. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

3. While couscous is cooking, place catfish on the grill for 5 minutes, or until the fish is flakey and tender. Use two forks to remove fish from grill so it doesn't break.

Catfish Cakes

Being from Maryland, I grew up around crabs and everybody raving about the unique flavors Marylanders use to season them. I can't eat crab, so we decided to try a crabcake but with catfish instead. Here's the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound catfish
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, or 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
  
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers
• 1 egg
• vegetable oil for frying

Ingredient Modifications

• 1 Tbsp Mayo -- with 1 1/2 tsp the cakes didn't hold together and were really dry.
• 2 Tbsp Old Bay -- we like things spicy! The 2 tsp was hardly noticeable.
• 1 tsp cayenne -- again, we felt like the cakes needed more spice
• 1 cup crushed Ritz -- any more, and these would've been even more dry.
  

Directions

1. Place catfish in a pan with enough water to cover it about halfway. Bring to a boil and cook until the fish is flakey. Drain the excess water.

2. Cut fish into chunks, basically making it into a mash. Mix in rest of ingredients until well blended, and the consistency of a chunky meatloaf.

3. Heat oil in large heavy skillet (we used a cast iron) over medium-high. Form fish mixture into patties and fry in hot oil. Drain on paper towels, and serve warm.

We served ours with a big salad and fresh corn on the cob. With the modifications, these were really tasty. The 2nd batch we did had the additional mayo and spices, and they were really moist and spicy. I've never had a traditional crab cake, but Justin has, and he said these tasted just as good as the ones he had in Maryland.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

This recipe is originally from AllRecipes.com. I love making fish, and when it's on sale, I treat us to something different (our budget doesn't usually allow for fresh fish!). With over 2,000 reviews, I knew this recipe had to be a winner! This was delicious and incredibly easy to prepare! The fish comes out flakey and perfectly cooked, with a nice cheesy crust on top.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil (I used oregano)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt (I used garlic salt instead)
  
• 3/4 pound tilapia fillets

Directions

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 and celery salt. 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.

I served this with a side salad of butter lettuce and cheese, and some blanched broccoli. The broccoli is blanched for 3 minutes, drained, and drizzled with a mixture of melted butter, garlic powder and old bay seasoning.

Margarita Fish Salad

We were in the mood for something Summery, light and flavorful, so I thought a fish salad would taste good. I found this recipe for Margarita Fish on another foodie blog and adapted it to my own dish. I used Tilapia instead of the original Salmon, and served it over a bed of mesclun for a lighter dish. I also added a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, lime juice, crushed red pepper and oregano. It was really flavorful and perfect for a Summer evening.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. tequila
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 1/2 package mesclun salad or any lettuce mixture of your choice
  

Directions

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Place tilapia fillets in a shallow baking dish. Generously brush with marinade. Cover dish; refrigerate 1-3 hours.

3. Heat gas grill to medium and place salmon on grill. Cook 8-10 minutes until fish begins to flake, turning once. (I don't have access to a grill so I baked the fish in the dish with the marinade, for 15 minutes at 350.)

4. Place 1 tilapia fillet atop a bed of lettuce and drizzle with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Original recipe courtesy of Gillian's Goodies.

Garlic Scallop Broil with Feta

Hubby and I love seafood, especially scallops. I used to only make garlic scallops and linguine, but now I'm branching out and trying new recipes. These were really easy to make and the scallops were nice and tender on the inside. The light salad on the side makes this meal great for Summer time because it's light and flavorful, without leaving you feeling disgustingly full.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 8 sea scallops
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet, then add garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add tomato paste, chicken broth and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.

3. Add scallops and simmer until just opaque in the center, about 3 min per side. Stir in scallions and parsley.

4. Top each scallop with feta. Broil until cheese is lightly browned and melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Serve with vegetable salad of chopped cucumber, tomato, diced onion, mozzarella cheese and scallions. Toss with balsamic vinaigrette and fresh pepper.

Serves 4.

Red Snapper with Mango, Black Beans and Corn

This is a very light fish salad -- perfect for a Summer BBQ or those nights when it's too hot to heat up the oven for hours at a time. The fish is nice and crispy and the veggies just enhance the flavor. Be sure to take your lettuce out about 30 min before serving so it can come to room temperature. Otherwise when you place the fish on top, the cold salad will cool off the fish.

From, Weight Watchers Simply Delicious. The cookbook describes this recipe as follows:
"Mango, cilantro and lime make a magical combination in this healthy salad. Add delicately flavored red snapper to the mix and you have a truly delightful experience..."

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup fresh of frozen corn (about 1 ear cut off the cob)
• 1 ripe mango peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2/3 pound red snapper
• 3 cups mesclun, or any lettuce mixture

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Line baking dish with foil. Combine lime zest, lime juice, oil, garlic, oregano, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl.

2. Combine beans, corn, mango, cilantro and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice mixture in a medium bowl.

3. Place the snapper fillets in the baking dish; spoon the remaining lime juice mixture over the fillets. Broil 5 inches from the heat until the fish is just opaque in the center, 7-8 minutes.

4. Arrange the mesclun on a large plate; spoon the bean mixture on top. Arrange the snapper on top and drizzle any pan juices over all.

This was a very light and flavorful salad, perfect for Summer months. It would make a great dish to bring to a BBQ or other gathering.

I haven't quite mastered the art of plating and photographing my food...all in good time, no worries!