Chicken Tinga Tacos

I now have a tortilla press that I was dying to use last night. Probably not something everyone needs, but I saw it at Sur La Table and remembered that my Mexican cookbook said homemade tortillas were infinitely better than store bought. I'll post about that later, but in the mean time, here's a great Chicken Tinga Taco recipe that you can use on store bought tortillas - or be crazy like me and go buy a tortilla press and use on fresh tortillas. Your call.

Striped Bass with Lemon Olive Sauce

My wonderful friend Chelsea had me over for dinner on Wednesday. I supplied the bass and she whipped up this tasty recipe. The firm, steaky bass holds up perfectly to the briny and citrusy sauce. So good! Thanks, Chels! (She served it with cabbage slaw and sweet potato latkes which I forgot to snap.)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 striped bass filets (or any firm white fish)

Olive oil 

2 lemons, peeled and thinly sliced, segments halved

Juice of 2 lemons

2 tbsp fresh oregano

2 tbsp capers

3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped

Grilled Dill-Marinated Bass

Searching my brain for another bass week recipe, I was trolling through the grocery store while they were unloading dill. It smelled so fresh and nice that I plucked some up, along with shallots, lemon, olive oil, and parsley. I marinated the fish in a mix of the herbs, shallot, olive oil, and lemon zest with plenty of salt and grilled it over charcoal. It was fresh and tasty and the charcoal grill gave it a great crust. We had it with grilled asparagus.

Ingredients:
a handful of fresh dill, chopped
a small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 small shallot, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 large filet of striped bass

Jerk Striped Bass with Spicy Pineapple Salsa

Yum! We had this on Sunday night and I will definitely be making it again soon. It's a great, spicy, and bright dish. 

Ingredients:

1 large striped bass filet (enough for two)

1.5 tbsp jerk paste

Olive oil 

Salt 

1.5 cups diced pineapple

1/2 a very spicy cherry bomb pepper (or jalapeño to taste)

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 red onion, finely diced

Bass Ceviche with Fresh Corn

Ceviche is one of the best things to do with fresh fish, and this fish had been caught about an hour before we made the ceviche. I threw in a little fresh corn because it's so delicious right now. It was great and easy and has such a bright, fresh taste. (Made a similar version last year, too.)

Ingredients:

1 large piece of striped bass (or another firm white fish like mahi mahi) cut into small pieces

Juice of several limes

1/2 a red onion, finely chopped

1/2-1 Serrano pepper (to taste)

1 ear of corn, cut off the cob

Directions:

Mix everything together in a medium bowl and season with salt. Cover it closely with Saran Wrap and put in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes. Serve with toasts or tortilla chips. 

Bass Week 2014

We went fishing in Montauk again last weekend and once again caught SO many striped bass. Get ready for another week of bass recipes - starting with ceviche. 

Coconut Quinoa

This is a great South Asian inspired way to make quinoa. I served it with fish and it was really tasty. Takes about half an hour and is a great side. It also made good leftovers for lunch prompting a few "that smells great"s at the office. The coconut makes it creamy and steeping it with lemongrass and habanero gives it extra flavor and a little heat. 

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup coconut milk (I used light)

1 stalk lemon grass

1 habanero

A few strips of lime zest

2 crushed garlic cloves

1/2 tsp sugar

Big pinch salt

1 tsp fish sauce

1 cup quinoa

1 tbsp coconut oil

Handful of cilantro, chopped

2 small scallions, thinly sliced

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp minced jalapeño or serano pepper

I'm back!

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was in Greece and then super busy last week. I promise there are some coming soon!