Recipe for Crispy Pan Fried Mahi-Mahi

Including fish each week on our menus is pretty easy here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  And now with the increasing prevalence of high quality, sustainable, flash frozen fish in most grocery stores, anyone anywhere can too.  Fish that is processed and frozen right on the boat after being caught retains practically the same nutrient value and flavor as fresh fish (maybe more depending on how "fresh" that fish really is at your grocery store!)

The addition of pistachios to the panko made for a fun change of pace.  The flavor was subtle but worth the extra steps.


I pan fried this mahi-mahi but I think you could spritz it with olive or other oil and bake with good results.

Time:  15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. mahi-mahi (or other firm white fish)
• 1/4 cup Italian panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped very finely in food processor (reserve a few unprocessed for serving)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• Finely chopped Italian parsley for serving

Method:

• Cut out any blood line from fish and pat very dry.
• Sprinkle each piece of fish lightly with olive oil.
• Mix panko and chopped pistachios together and sprinkle each piece of fish heavily with mixture; press mixture firmly to adhere.
• Heat a thin layer of olive oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan.
• Cook fish 5-6 minutes per side, until just beginning to flake when pressed with spatula (don't overcook!).
• Remove from pan and blot off any excess oil.
• Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and parsley.

Are you seeing more good quality fish in the freezer section of your local store?  If not, speak to the manager!

Printable recipe

Recipe for Herbed Halibut Steaks over White Beans with Tomatoes

If you'd like to get a healthy, simple, and delicious meal on the table in under 20 minutes, I've got the recipe for you.  Check the source for your fish and be sure it is coming from a sustainable source and if you can't get fresh fish, look for flash frozen sustainable fish at high quality grocery stores in the freezer section.

We loved this simple dinner!

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 halibut steaks
• 1 can white beans, drained
• 1 can (good quality) chopped tomatoes
• Mixed herb seasoning (I used Kirkland Brand Organic No Salt Seasoning)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil, finely chopped

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a baking pan with parchment.
• Sprinkle olive oil and herb mixture over parchment and over both sides of fish.
• Bake fish for 7-8 minutes, until beginning to flake (don't overcook).
• While fish bakes, heat together the beans and tomatoes, with salt and pepper to taste.
• When beans and tomatoes are heated and ready to serve, stir in basil.
• Serve fish over bean/tomato mix.

Printable recipe

Recipe for Gingered Salmon

I'm dying to do this recipe again.  It was very easy and very satisfying.  Bonus:  also good for you!  I saw a recipe on some website for a gingered salmon served with cucumber and radish salad but despite searching online, I can't find it again!!!!  So I did what all home cooks do-winged it.
Now, Mr. ELEB likes radishes; me, not so much so I didn't include them in the side salad but you could certainly do so.  The flavorful salmon worked well with simple steamed broccoli and cilantro brown rice.


Yield: 2 servings
Time: 10 minutes


Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets, about 5 oz each
• 4 TBSP freshly grated ginger
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Lemon wedges for serving

Method:

• Position broiler rack about 4 inches from broiler and preheat oven to "high broil".
• Wash and pat the fillets dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Mix olive oil, zest, and ginger together and pat on top of fish; place fish on a foil lined baking sheet.
• Broil for about 6-7 minutes, watching carefully.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

For the cucumber salad, I think the original had a few more ingredients besides the radishes (?) but I just seeded a cucumber and mixed it with garlic, ginger, plain non-fat Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lemon.  Chill in fridge while fish is being prepared.

Printable recipe

Here are a couple of other favorite salmon recipes:

Sesame salmon with spinach and whole wheat spaghetti

Lemony salmon and dill toss

Recipe for Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sesame Salmon and Spinach

Here's a great recipe for when you want to get something on the table quickly but you want to stay on the healthier side of things.  In under thirty minutes you can put this dish together, serve it, and be ready to receive the accolades that will surely be sent your way!


We are doing pretty well with our goal of eating fish once or twice a week.  I've found some frozen sockeye salmon that is really good.  Flash frozen on the boat when it's caught, I can't imagine much fresher unless you catch it yourself.  I'm keeping a bag in the freezer so I have no excuse not to get those good-for-you omega fatty acids in our weekly diet.


Mr. ELEB and I both love spinach but if you don't you could substitute another green, leafy veg or even some asparagus, broccoli, or peas.  It's worth  paying for some good quality whole wheat or whole grain pasta.


Yield: 2 servings
Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients:

• 8 ounces salmon filet
• 1 cup white wine or chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 ounces whole wheat (or whole grain) thin spaghetti pasta
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 3 TBSP sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 TBSP sesame oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Cook pasta per box instructions for al dente.
• Heat wine or broth over med-high heat.  When simmering, add salmon and cover.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until still slightly translucent in center, just beginning to flake when pressed with spatula. When cooked, remove from wine/broth and flake into bite sized pieces.  Reserve liquid for serving if needed.
• While salmon and pasta cook, add sesame oil to skillet over med-high heat.  When hot, add garlic and sesame seeds and cook for 1 minute, being sure not to burn garlic. 
• Add soy sauce and spinach and wilt for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Drain pasta and add back to pan.  Add spinach, salmon, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  
• Stir and add some reserved wine/broth if needed.
• Serve sprinkled with additional sesame seeds.

This has lovely soft Asian flavors, which we both love.  Hope you do too!



Printable recipe
Adapted from this Mark Bittman recipe


Here are a few more of our favorite salmon recipes:

Lemony Salmon and Dill Toss

Poached Eggs with Spinach, Salmon and Roasted Red Peppers

Recipe for Lemony Salmon and Dill Toss

I've been determined not to gain weight over the holidays and so far so good (**I've actually lost a couple of lbs**). We've been eating a lot of meals like this one with the occasional treat/big meal thrown in. I've stayed away from most of the baking and treats that are prevalent in the cooking/blogging/magazine/recipe world right now. Honestly, we haven't missed them and if we have to have a little bit of a treat, I still have some of the Sans Rival cake in the freezer!


I've been instructed to tell you first off that this gets the Mr. ELEB seal of approval.  OK, done, now I'll share the recipe with you!  I was inspired by a recipe from Prevention Magazine to make this dish.  They used canned salmon though and I wanted to use fresh. I also used whole wheat pasta where their recipe called for regular white pasta.


I think this would be fine with canned salmon but if you can get fresh, why not?  My grocery store had some beautiful sockeye salmon so that's what I used.

I love putting tasty healthy food on the table in under thirty minutes!

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb. fresh salmon (I used sockeye)
• 1 ½ cups white wine (or broth)
• 1 ½ cup chopped fresh asparagus pieces
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 3 TBSP chopped dried dill
• 1 ½ TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP capers
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 8 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon slices for serving.

Method:

• Cook pasta according to directions on package.
• While pasta cooks, poach salmon in white wine for 4-5 minutes until just cooked and beginning to flake.  Remove from wine and cut in to bite size pieces.
• In a separate pan, steam asparagus until slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes.
• Combine lemon juice and zest, dill, olive oil, capers, drained pasta, salmon, cheese, salt and pepper.
• Serve with lemon slices.

Despite being a pasta dish, and whole wheat at that, this turned out nice and light.  The lemon and capers really made the dish.  I wish I could have found some fresh dill as the dill flavor didn't come through as much as I would have liked but it was still good. I'd just up the amount next time if using dried dill.

Hope you'll give this a try and let me know what you think.

Printable recipe

Original recipe

Recipe for Sweet Potato Wrapped Fish

This dish was inspired by one of my favorite dishes, potato wrapped sea bass, at Isa Restaurant, San Francisco. That dish is smothered in capers, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs-it is really good.  This is different, simpler, sweet potatoes instead of regular, but just as delicious.  

The initial step of pan searing puts a little crunch on the outside of the sweet potato and then the oven finishes cooking them and cooks the fish inside perfectly.

Use toothpicks to hold potatoes

Yield: 2 servings
Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients:

• 10 oz firm white fish (I used Mahi-Mahi)
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into long thin slices (I used a mandoline set at 1/8 inch)
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• Salt and pepper
• Toothpicks

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Add oil to an oven proof skillet and warm over med-high.
• Season fish liberally with salt and pepper.
• Wrap slices of sweet potato around fish pieces, securing with toothpicks.
• Sear wrapped fish on both sides, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
• Remove pan to preheated oven and cook just until fish is cooked, approximately 10 additional minutes (depending on size of fish pieces).
• Carefully remove pan from oven, remember that the handle will stay hot!
• Remove toothpicks gently and serve.

What restaurant dishes have inspired you?

Printable recipe

Here's another favorite fish dish (click on link for recipe):

Fish Cakes

Recipe for Pan-Cooked Vegetables with Crunchy Fish

Once you get the veggies grated for this dish, it is a snap to pull together.  Super flavorful and very satisfying!  This recipe is based on Mark Bittman's recipe by the same name-I love his recipes and enjoy The Food Matters Cookbook immensely.  If you are fortunate enough to have the cookbook, the recipe is on page 440, but if not I also found it on line and the link is below. 

Yield: 2 servings (plus some left over veggies that were great made into a veggie patty and reheated the following day)

Time: 40 minutes (quicker if you don't grate by hand; I used the large holed side of a box grater)



Ingredients:

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and grated
• 1 small red onion, small dice
• 3 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 TBSP minced ginger
• 2 TBSP garam masala
• Salt and pepper
• 10 ounces firm white fish (I used halibut)
• 2 TBSP black sesame seeds
• 2 TBSP white sesame seeds
• Lime wedges

Method:

• Heat 2 TBSP olive oil over med-high heat.
• Add onions, veggies, garlic, ginger, and garam masala and cook stirring only occasionally for 10 minutes.
• Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Remove from pan.
• While veggies are cooking, mix the sesame seeds together on a plate and coat fish on both sides.
• Add remaining TBSP olive oil to pan.
• Add fish and cook until flaking, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness.
• Remove fish, sprinkle with pinch of salt. 
• Divide veggies between 2 plates and add fish.
• Serve with a wedge of lime.

Adapted slightly from Mark Bittman's recipe