Baja Fish Tacos

My friend Stacey made the most delicious fish tacos last night so I decided to try them at home. Charlie jumped on board the Baja Project, and soon we had tilapia frying, mayonnaise coming together, and tortillas browning on the stove.  Fun!

If you wish to make these yourself you'll need a handful of recipes which, when put together, add up to a very tasty taco with a little kick.

First up is something that's delicious with a gazillion other things as well.  It's delicious on sandwiches, as a dipping sauce for fries, and used in chicken salad.  If you've never made mayonnaise you are in for a real treat.  Actually, you're in for a real treat either way.  :)  

Wasabi Aioli with Lime

ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon water

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 - 1 teaspoon wasabi powder (to taste)

Whisk together the salt, water, lime juice, and egg yolk. Starting with one drop and whisking vigorously, slowly add the vegetable oil. Continue whisking as you very slowly add more oil. It is important to add the oil slowly. If it is added too quickly the mayonnaise will break. Once you have added about half the oil and the aioli has begun to thicken, add the wasabi powder. Continue adding oil until it has all been incorporated and is thick and creamy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

If you prefer, you can use store-bought mayonnaise. Simply mix the desired amount of wasabi powder and a few squirts of lime juice and mix. Also, Trader Joe's sells a wonderful pre-made wasabi mayonnaise. Homemade is fresher, tastes better, and contains no preservatives, but store-bought will do the trick.  But seriously, don't be afraid of this recipe!  Just be vigilant when whisking.

Now that you've got that down you're ready for beer-battered tilapia!  This too is delicious on it's own and very simple to make.  The beer batter can also be used to make onion rings.  Change the seasonings for a little variety.

Beer-Battered Tilapia (with Baja flair)

ingredients:

1/2 - 1 qt peanut oil (depending on size of stock pot or frier)

1 lb fresh tilapia

1 cup bread flour (all-purpose can be used also)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus extra for seasoning cooked fish)

1 cup beer 

Heat oil in a large stock pot (or deep frier if you have one) on medium-high heat until the surface begins to move rapidly or it reaches 325 degrees F.  You only need approximately 2 inches of oil to fry the fish in so adjust the amount depending on the size of your pot.  

Cut the tilapia into 2-inch strips taking care to cut against the grain.  (Cutting against the grain allows the fish to break apart easily when you're eating it thus guarding against a stringy bite.)

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt.  Add the beer.  (You can use any beer you like.  I chose Dos Equis Amber because I like the flavor, and I knew I would drink the remaining bottles of beer.)  The beer will fizz when first added.  Stir until smooth and thoroughly combined.

The beer batter can rest for up to an hour before use.  Put several pieces of fish in the batter and turn to coat completely.  Once oil reaches the desired temperature drop in one piece of batter-covered fish to test.  If should immediately sizzle, float to the top, and turn golden brown within 1 minute.  Once you have determined that the oil is the correct temperature place 6 - 7 pieces of fish in the oil.  Do not crowd the pot.  Allow the fish to cook for approximately 2 minutes.  Remove from hot oil with tongs and allow to drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt.

Allow the oil to return to desired temperature and repeat the process with remaining pieces of fish.

Doesn't that look tasty?  Believe me.  It was. 

To make the tacos we had you'll also need homemade tortillas (which I have, conveniently, already blogged about).  Again, you can use store-bought tortillas, but where's the fun in that?

So, put it all together and here's what you get!

Baja Fish Tacos

ingredients:

8 - 10 homemade tortillas

1 batch beer-battered tilapia (with Baja flair)

wasabi aioli with lime

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 serrano chilis, chopped

lime wedges

Place a tortilla on a flat surface and fill with fish, tomatoes, cilantro, and chilis in desired amounts.  Drizzle with wasabi aioli and a squeeze of fresh lime.  Roll up and enjoy!

Charlie, rightly, suggested that these would also be tasty with a little chopped cabbage.  Maybe turned into a coleslaw with the wasabi aioli?  I may have to try this.

The photos aren't great but, seriously, this is yummy summertime food.  The tacos are especially good served with grilled corn on the cob, guacamole, and margaritas!  

A weeknight Indian dish -- at last!

Indian food, if properly prepared, has such a rich, complex flavor that I can't get enough of. I've taken several classes at The Cooks Warehouse on North Indian cooking, and all that I've tried at home has been delicious, BUT it takes a lot of prep work and a lot of cook time -- not ideal for a weeknight after a long day at work. So, I was very pleased when I found the following recipe for Sindhi Chicken Curry. It has all the complexity of a slow-cooked, time-consuming Indian chicken dish without the hour of prep work, three hours of marinating, two hours of slow cooking, etc. In fact, the whole thing took a little under an hour to prepare. Check it out:

Sindhi Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt -- room temp, stirred to a creamy consistency
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 Tablespoon ginger root, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
4 teaspoons minced serrano chilies
12 large chicken thighs
1 Tablespoon coriander powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
28 oz diced tomatoes in liquid
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1/4 cup cilantro chopped

*NOTE: I know this is a long ingredient list, however, once you have all of the spices in your spice cabinet it isn't too bad. I buy mine in bulk at the Dekalb Farmer's Market.

1. Stir yogurt and cornstarch together until smooth. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until beginning to color, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and saute onions until dark golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

The onions should look like this when you start:


They should look like this after caramelizing:


3. Stir in ginger, garlic, and chilies. Saute for two minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken and brown well, 6 to 8 minutes.



My pan was a little crowded, but I managed to get all the chicken thighs in!



Here they're starting to brown.



4. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper over top of chicken. Mix well, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

The spices before they are added:


And the chicken after they've been stirred in:



5. Add tomatoes, yogurt mixture, 1/2 cup cilantro, and salt. Mix well. Cover and bring to a boil.



6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 25 minutes.

7. Turn off heat. Stir in garam masala and 3 Tablespoons cilantro (or more to taste).



8. Garnish with remaining cilantro before serving. Serve with rice or any Indian bread.



As you can see, I served it atop basmati rice. I was very pleased with the result. It had a little heat, but that was cut by the yogurt. A few cashews or slivered almonds on top might liven up the texture, but it was very good as it was. AND totally do-able on a weeknight! (That's my favorite part -- can you tell?)

And now, a couple of notes:

It is important that the yogurt be at room temperature. If it is cold it has a better chance of curdling when it hits the hot pan. Just pull it out of the fridge when you start making the dish, and it should be ready by the time you need to add it. Removing it from the yogurt container and placing it near the warm stove should help speed up the process.

If you double the recipe, do not double the turmeric. It will make the dish too bitter if any more is added. (As a general rule, the amount of turmeric used should never be increased when doubling recipes.)

I enjoy eating the chicken thighs with the bone in, but some people find this to be too messy. There's no reason why you can't use boneless chicken thighs (or even chicken breasts, though they won't have the same depth of flavor) if you want a more fork-ready dinner.

Get ready for leftovers! This recipe makes a ton of food!

Mussels and Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Broth

What a bad blogger I've been!  It's not that I haven't been cooking, I just haven't been photographing my creations, and I don't want to post without at least a few pictures.  I recently made a lovely meal consisting of Mussels and Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Broth, Arugula and Edamame Pesto on Crostini, Caprese Salad, and Stuffed Mushrooms.  I also tried out Vodka Rosemary Fizzes which were beautiful (and it's a real shame I didn't snap a couple photos of those).  So, here we go.  Over the next few posts I'll dive into the dishes listed above.

For starters, the Mussels and Shrimp were just fantastic.  I used plenty of white wine and garlic for the broth, then added a fair amount of heat with crushed red pepper flakes.  Next time I'll toss the whole thing with linguini, but even as it is this recipe's a keeper.

Mussels and Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Broth

adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentis

ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

7 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 - 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 cup white wine (I like a slightly sweet white wine with the seafood)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 lbs mussels, debearded and scrubbed

1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

In a large, wide pot, heat the oil over a medium flame.  Add garlic, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute.  Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Add tomatoes and their juices and simmer, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to break down and the flavors blend, 8 - 10 minutes.  Stir in the mussels, then cover and cook until they open, about 5 minutes.*

Using tongs, transfer the opened shellfish to serving bowls.  Add the shrimp to the simmering tomato broth, and simmer until they are just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Do not overcook!  Stir in the basil, and remove the bay leaves.  Divide the shrimp and tomato broth among bowls and serve with crusty bread.  OR toss with linguini and sprinkle with additional chopped basil.

*When cooking mussels, always discard any that do not open after cooking!

I wish I had a better photo of the finished dish because it was just beautiful.  Mussels always make for a dramatic presentation, and the bright red of the tomatoes really makes them pop.  This is a quick, simple dish perfect for a weeknight meal and inexpensive to boot.

Warm fuzzies and curry

Right now Charlie and I are snuggled up on the couch eating cold chicken curry out of Gladware, watching 30 Rock, and pretending it isn't an hour later than it ought to be (oh, daylight saving time, you're such a bother sometimes). I've gotta tell ya, it doesn't get much better than this.

So, I'm suddenly inspired to post one of my favorite chicken curry recipes. It also happens to be a quick and easy meal. The first time I made this I misread the recipe and accidentally doubled the amount of butter called for. Unfortunately, it's better with the extra butter! Just the same, I'll print it with the amount called for and leave that indulgence up to you.

Thai Chicken Curry

ingredients

3 lbs boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cubed

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 12 oz can coconut milk

1 Tablespoon thai fish sauce

2 small zucchini, diced

1/2 cup mint leaves

4 green onions

1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper

Coat chicken with cornstarch. In a large skillet or wok, melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft. Add chicken, curry powder, and ginger and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, an zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for one minute. Serve over basmati rice.

*I love the amount of heat in this curry, but some people may find it a bit too spicy. If spice isn't your thing feel free to put a bit less crushed red pepper.

This dish is best served warm, but also it's pretty good straight out of the fridge.