Pan Seared Tilapia with Chili Lime Butter and Corn Relish

Tilapia filets, lightly seasoned then pan seared. Served on top of a bed of sauteed spinach, topped with a chili lime butter sauce and corn relish, this dish will have your taste buds doin' the happy dance. All fresh ingredients and it tastes like summer on a plate. It may sound like a lot but it is in fact quite simple to make. The brightly flavored corn relish can also be used on chicken, pork or other kinds of fish. Serve it at your next dinner party and your guests will be amazed.

For this recipe, you’ll need the following:
 

Corn Relish:

• 2 strips of bacon, chopped small
• 2 ears of yellow corn, shaved
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/3 of a bunch of cilantro, chopped
• Zest from a lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chili Lime Butter Sauce:

• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, chopped fine
• 1 serrano chili, finely chopped (if you don’t like spicy, substitute a jalapeño)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 lime

Tilapia:

• 2 tilapia filets
• Seafood seasoning (I prefer equal parts of coriander and fennel, lightly toasted in a dry pan and ground to a powder)
• Flour for dredging
• Oil for frying
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 cups fresh spinach

Begin by making the corn relish. In a hot pan, add the chopped bacon and brown it until its crisp, about 5-8 minutes. When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and place it on paper towels to drain, reserving a tablespoon of fat. To the bacon fat, add the corn  and sauté until its done. Once the corn is cooked through, remove it from the heat and add the bacon back to the pan along with the tomato, cilantro and zest. Season it to taste with salt and pepper then set it aside.

 Now we will make the chili lime butter sauce. To a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the unsalted butter, shallot, chili and salt. Add the zest and juice from a lime and stir until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and set the chili lime butter sauce aside.

Now its time to pan sear the tilapia. Heat about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Season the tilapia filets with your favorite seasoning (or mine). Dredge them in flour knocking off any excess. When the oil is hot, carefully add the tilapia filets. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the filet) until they are a light golden brown on both sides.

Sautéing the spinach. Place a little olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a hot pan. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute. Do not let the garlic brown. This will result in a bitter taste. Add the spinach, tossing it in the hot oil and garlic until it is lightly sautéed.

 

 Now lets assemble our dish. Place some of the sautéed spinach on a plate. top the spinach with one of the tilapia filets. Next, drizzle a little of the chili lime butter over the filet. Finally, top the filet with some of the corn relish.

Enjoy!

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Labor Day 2013

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. We had our annual Labor Day barbeque. This was our tablescape for casual dining alfresco.

The runner is made from silk Philodendron leaves glued together using a hot glue gun.

The flowers are red orchids with variegated ginger leaves.

We broke out our Island Palm plates, tiki glasses and rum punch and a good time was had by all!

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Mexican Caesar Salad

This is the classic Caesar salad with a Mexican flare. Fresh cilantro and toasted pepitas in the salad will transport you south of the border. Simple to make yet it will still please the most discriminating palate. This recipe will leave your guests most impressed with your cooking talents.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 French baguette, cut into ¾ inch cubes
• Garlic flavored olive oil for drizzling
• White truffle oil for drizzling (optional)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6 shots Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash white vinegar
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ anchovies
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ to ½ cup pepitas
• 1 ½ heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. To make the croutons, place the cubed baguette on a baking sheet. Be sure not to cut them too small. Drizzle them with the garlic flavored olive oil. For more flavor, you can also drizzle white truffle oil with the garlic olive oil. Bake the croutons for about 10 minutes, until they are golden brown. You want them crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Next, place the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, white vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, cilantro and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until it’s smooth and creamy.

Place the chopped Romaine in a large bowl. Drizzle about a third of the dressing on the salad (save the rest for a later use). Drizzle more if you like a wetter salad, less if you want it drier. Add the pepitas and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add the croutons and toss lightly.

Enjoy!

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Tropical Fish Tacos

These tacos are made with Cajun seared tilapia topped with a tropical cole slaw and served in a crispy (not greasy) tortilla shell with pepper jack cheese. One bit of these tacos and you'll be picturing yourself on a white sand beach somewhere in the tropics with an ice cold beverage!

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 tilapia filets
• Your favorite Cajun seasoning
• 2 TBS vegetable oil 
• 4 lime wedges (additional wedges for garnish if so desired)
• Tropical Cole Slaw
• 4 corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup grated pepper-jack cheese
• Thinly sliced green onions (white and light green parts only)
• Avocado slices (optional)

Begin be generously seasoning both sides of the tilapia with the Cajun seasoning. 

Place the oil in a hot non-stick pan. Sear the tilapia for about 2 minutes on both sides until it begins to flake apart. Break the fish into small chunks, squeeze the 4 lime wedges over the fish and set aside.

If you have a griddle, preheat it to about 350 degrees. If you don't have a griddle, you can us a non-stick frying pan. Spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray and place it sprayed side down onto the griddle or frying pan. Repeat with the other 3 tortillas.

As soon as the tortillas begin to brown (small brown spots on the underside), sprinkle 1/4 cup of pepper-jack cheese over each tortilla. Once the cheese is melted, remove from heat.

Place a tortilla shell on a plate. Top it with 1/4 of the tilapia and then some of the Tropical Cole Slaw. Finally, sprinkle the taco with the thinly sliced green onions. Optionally, you can also top them with a slice of avocado.

Grab a cold beverage, get out in the sun and enjoy!

Tropical Cole Slaw

This dish takes your standard cole slaw and whisks it away to the tropics. The mango, cilantro and sliced almonds put this dish above the rest. Its best made a day ahead of time but can still be served on the fly if needed.

For this recipe, you will need the following: 

Cole Slaw Ingredients

½ small head of cabbage, cored and shredded

3-4 carrots, peeled and julienned

5 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup sliced almonds toasted

½ cup golden raisins

1 mango, peeled and diced to ¼ inch

Dressing Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup honey

1 tsp kosher or sea salt

1 tsp pepper

Place the raisins in a sauce pan adding just enough water to cover them. Bring them to a boil, then remove from heat. Allow them to sit at least 5 minutes to plump up then drain the water off. In a large bowl, combine the raisins with the rest of the cole slaw ingredients.

In a small bowl, add the dressing ingredients and whisk to blend. Pour over the cole slaw ingredients and mix thoroughly to evenly distribute the dressing.

Enjoy!

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a quick and simple dish that anyone can make. It is a chilled vegetable soup of Spanish origin and perfect on a hot Summer day when you don't feel like cooking. Its refreshing and light, overflowing with vegetables from the garden or your local farmers market.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 hothouse cucumber (these are the cucumbers you see in the grocery store wrapped in plastic)
• 1 yellow bell pepper (you can substitute red or orange if you like)
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 cups of tomato juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp or cooked bay shrimp (optional)

Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes and onion into 1/4 pieces. Mince the garlic.

Combine the vegetables, garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Add the shrimp (if you choose to do so). Mix well before serving. The longer Gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Enjoy!

Tomato Cheese Herb Tart with Artichokes

This is a great dish for an appetizer or, paired with a simple green salad, makes a delicious light lunch. The herbs really bring out the flavor of the roasted tomatoes and artichokes. If you have access to home grown tomatoes, its even better. I used red beefsteak tomatoes but you can also experiment with heirloom tomatoes or use a mix of red, yellow and orange tomatoes for a fancier presentation.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 ready-made pie crust or your own, about 12" in diameter.
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 9 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Next, slice your tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. Discard the ends (or save them for a sandwich or other dish). Cut each slice in half.

Arrange the slices on paper towels. This will draw out the excess moisture from the tomatoes so that your tart doesn’t end up soggy. Allow the tomatoes to drain on the paper towels for 45 minutes.

Apply a light coat of cooking spray to the tart pan to ensure easy removal after its baked. Using a ready-made pie crust or your own, press it into an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. If you do not have a tart pan, you can use a baking sheet. It'll work fine. You just won't have the fluted sides when its finished.

 We are going to blind bake this first. Blind baking means to pre-bake the crust with weights to prevent it from puffing up. Lay a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on top of your crust. Cover it with pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use glass beads purchased at any craft store (as I did) or dried beans.

 Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for a couple more minutes until the crust is a pale golden color. Don’t worry if your crust cracks a little. The cheese will act as glue, holding everything together.

Now we are ready to assemble the tart.

Begin by layering the Swiss cheese slices on your cooled crust.  

Next, add the tomato slices, overlapping slightly, in a circular pattern.

Now its time to add the herbs. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of dried basil, oregano and thyme. I used dry herbs to keep it simple but if you choose to use fresh herbs, make sure to double the amount.

 

Season the tart with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Sprinkle the tart with the artichoke hearts followed by the Parmesan cheese.

 Bake it until the cheese melts and the tomatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Once the tart pan has cooled enough to where you can touch it, remove it from the pan by sliding the sides down. The tart should slide right off the bottom.

Enjoy!