Very Easy & Tasty Fish

I found fresh Alaskan halibut on sale, one of our favorite fish.  I'm not crazy about cooking fish indoors.  But I had come across this recipe from a webpage that no longer exists. It looked and sounded interesting.  

After making a few changes, it turned out to be very tasty.  I loved the sauce and wanted to find more things to put it on.  We used the left overs (since I didn't cook 2 pounds of fish) on slices of sourdough and put it under the broiler. Yum!

•   3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

•    scant 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

•   1/4 tsp. salt

•   1/4 tsp. pepper (try Aleppo)

•   1/3 c. butter, softened, plus more for greasing foil

•   1/4 c. mayonnaise

•   3 tbsp lemon juice

•   2-3 tbsp chopped red, yellow, or green onion

•   2 cloves garlic, minced

•   2 tbsp chopped parsley

•   2 dashes tabasco sauce

•   2 pounds skinless fish* such as halibut, salmon, or cod

1.      Pre-heat the oven broiler.  Line a 9×13″ baking pan (not a dish unless it can take the heat of a broiler)  with heavy-duty foil and grease with thin coat of butter.

2.     Trim fish of skin and dark areas. (The dark area next to the skin is where the fish collects undesirable minerals, so it is best to trim it away.)  Arrange fish in a single layer in the baking pan.

3.     Broil fish for 8 minutes or until it flakes with a fork.

4.     Meanwhile, mix together parmesan cheese, smoked paprika, salt, pepper,  butter, mayo, lemon juice, onion, garlic, parsley, & tabasco in small bowl until well blended.

5.     Remove fish from oven and carefully spread parmesan mixture over top. Broil 2-3 additional minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 6

* Check Seafood Watch site to see recommended seafood for your area of the country.

Terry's Terrific Bean Dip

This dip always gets rave reviews.  Shared by my sister-in-law, Terry.

2 cans Bean Dip                                          1 small can sliced olives

1 pkg Lawry’s Taco seasoning                 ¼ C chopped red onion

1 C sour cream                                            2 T chopped cilantro

8 ounce cream cheese, softened           

1 pound ground beef, cooked fat drained, and crumbled, (optional)

Mix all ingredients together.  Put into a serving bowl and heat in oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes or in microwave until hot.

Serve with tortilla chips and veggies.

Teriyaki Salmon

We try to eat more seafood since it is supposed to be good for us.  We will only eat wild-caught salmon, preferably from Alaska, which has one of the best sustainable fisheries around.
(Seafood Watch Guides)

I usually like to have fish grilled outside, so it doesn't smell up the house.  This recipe from Just One Cookbook is so quick and there are no odors afterwards, a win-win situation.  Also, if you're looking for more Japanese recipes, this is a good site to check.

Seasoning sauce:
1 Tbsp sake or dry sherry
1 Tbsp mirin or (1 more Tbsp sake + 1 tsp sugar)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce

Combine the sauce ingredients above and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Set aside.

8-12 oz wild-caught salmon fillets, about 3/4" thick
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sake or dry sherry

1.  Rinse salmon and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and finally flour on both sides.

2.  Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until the butter melts.  Add the salmon, skin side down, and fry for about 3 minutes or until nicely browned.

3.  Turn over, add the sake, cover and cook for another 3 minutes until cooked through.  Remove to a plate.

4.  Add the prepared sauce to the pan and heat until it begins to boil.  Add the salmon back to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens.

5.  Serve immediately with the sauce spooned over.  Steamed rice and a green salad go nicely with this.

Black Bottom Pecan Praline Bars

 I originally saw this recipe on a blog, but the picture of it was very gooey because the baker had to remove it from the oven too soon.  Being a lover of Southern pralines, this recipe was too good to pass up.  

This is Alice Medrich's recipe. Right now I have three of  her cookbooks checked out from the library.   She is considered by some to be the "Queen of Chocolate."  She was one of the cooks instrumental in raising the bar for the kinds of chocolates we are now able to enjoy here in the US.  Her books have a lot of information in them, besides the great recipes.

• Brownie:**         
  10 T unsalted butter, melted
  1 cup + 3 T sugar
  3/4 cup plus 2 T unsweetened cocoa
  1 t vanilla extract
  1/4 t salt
  2 eggs (cold) 
  1/2 C all purpose flour
  Topping: 
  1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
  1/2 C all purpose flour  
  1/2 t baking soda
  3/4 C packed brown sugar
  1/2 t salt
  2 egg yolks                
  1 t vanilla extract
  2 1/2 C coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
  powdered sugar (optional)
  
  Melt the butter for the topping NOW so it has time to cool.
  
  
  Line a 9 ×13 baking pan, bottom and all four sides with foil or parchment and grease well.
  
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  For the brownie: **  Place very warm melted butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and stir until smooth.  
  
  
  Stir in vanilla and add the eggs one at a time; mix well after each until batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended.
  
  
  Add in the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer; then beat vigorously for 40 strokes.  Spread brownie batter into prepared pan and set aside.
  
  
  For the topping:  Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl and mix well.  Set aside.  In the scraped-out brownie bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar and salt.  Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla, then flour mixture and finally the nuts.
  
  
  Drop spoonfuls on top of the brownie layer; it will spread and cover the brownies during baking.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is completely brown and cracked.  Rotate pan front to back halfway through baking time to ensure even baking.
  
  
  Let cool completely on wire rack, then remove by lifting the ends of the foil and removing from pan.  Cut into 24-36 bars.  
  
  
  Dust on powdered sugar, if desired.  May be kept in airtight container for 2-3 days.
  
  
  ** (Or use 1 pkg brownie mix for 9” square pan)  
  
  

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich, pp. 178-9.
Bittersweet, Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate, by Alice Medrich, p. 98

Mrs. B’s Mexican Corn Bread

This recipe is from the mother of my friend, Jackie.  We've been friends for almost 60 years.  We had it tonight with Moroccan Chickpea Chili.  It was a great combination with a little green salad.  Who doesn't love crusty, melted cheese!  And unlike most cornbreads, this one is moist and has a delicious flavor!


1 c. corn meal
1/2 t. soda 
3/4 C. milk
1/3 C. veg. oil*
1 15 oz. can creamed corn
2 eggs

1 small can of diced green chiles

2 C. grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the first six ingredients together. 

Spread half the batter into a greased 9"x9" baking pan. Sprinkle the green chili and half of cheese onto the batter. 

Spread remaining batter on top.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake another 5 minutes.

*If you're feeling like a little decadence, use melted butter or use part melted bacon fat for  the oil.