Friday, September 27, 2013

Curry Salmon


When I found this recipe I thought it looked a bit familiar to the previously posted Chicken Tandoori recipe.  I would never have thought to marinate fish in yogurt but why not?

If you remove the skin from the salmon, the fish will absorb more of the flavor, your choice.  Once again, I used Greek yogurt to give this dish more tang and I also used regular curry but those of you who like it hotter should try Madras curry, which is made with more cayenne pepper.   We enjoyed this dish with a side of my mostest favoritest Spring-Green Saag.

By the way, if you suspect that I may have a Greek yogurt addiction, you are correct.  I have tried a few different kinds but my heart belongs to Fage Total (full fat version).  I found out that any yogurt that has 'pectin' as an ingredient means they added artificial thickeners to it so eeewww.

Honestly, Greek yogurt is just regular plain ordinary yogurt that has been strained so that it has less liquid in it, which concentrates the proteins.  To me, it tastes like sour cream, but then, I love sour cream....

Curry Salmon
makes 4 servings

2/3 cup plain or Greek yogurt, full fat

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 2 teaspoons fresh grated)

salt and pepper

4 salmon fillets, about 4 ounces each/1 inch thick


Mix the yogurt and seasonings in a large Ziploc bag, add the fish and coat well, squeezing out all the air and sealing tightly.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours or even overnight. Remove the bag from the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking to take the chill off.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil (you'll be glad later) and scrape the excess marinade from the salmon.  Roast about 10-12 minutes, until the fillets are cooked in the center.

This dish is best served right away.  Unlike revenge, which is a dish best served cold...

Friday, September 20, 2013

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

photo courtesy of Rachael Ray
Five ingredients and 15 minutes to make this dish.  Thanks to my Facebook ladies for sharing this Rachael Ray recipe.

Don’t be shy!   Feel free to give this some BAM! (aha, mixing my Food Network stars) by tossing in some pepper or cayenne or whatever floats your boat (get it? fishing puns)….

I always read the comments section of an online recipe to get ideas that others have tried and I always learn something.  Remember where you heard that and later you'll thank me!


Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
makes 4 servings 

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley or Italian seasoning
4  tilapia fillets, thawed (about 1 pound total)
Extra virgin olive oil
1  lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture, press gently to help the cheese cling to the fish.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes.   If you like it a tad more brown and crispy, put it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish it off.


Serve the fish with the lemon wedges.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Spicy Bombay Chicken

It's been a hot hot summer and I've been posting icy cold smoothie recipes for your enjoyment, but maybe I'll turn my attention to something a little mo' hotter, mo' better.  If you don’t care for spicy then you don’t have to make it that way.  But, if your name is Kelley or Susie then you probably would like it very very spicy.   However, the spicier you make it, the more likely you’ll overpower the ginger and curry flavors so the hotter the sauce, the less you should use.  Using yogurt as a marinade makes the meat tender and flavorful. 

You could serve this with crisp cold salad or slice it up, place on toothpicks and serve as an appetizer at your next party.  Those of you on Stages 2 and 3 could pair this with quinoa.


Spicy Bombay Chicken
makes 4 servings

1/3 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger (or scant teaspoonful of ground ginger)
1 tablespoon mild cayenne pepper sauce
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8 small boneless skinless chicken thighs

In a large zip lock bag, mix the  yogurt, ginger, hot sauce, curry powder and salt and squeeze to combine.  Add the chicken, seal and squish the chicken around in the bag to coat the chicken with the marinade.  Put bag in the fridge for at least an hour or even overnight.

Oil your grill or broiler rack, then either prepare the grill or preheat the broiler.
Or you could take out the George Foreman Grill that's gathering dust on that bottom shelf.

Take the chicken out of the bag, removing excess marinade.  (You can now throw away the bag of marinade.)  Grill or broil the chicken 5 inches from the heat until cooked through, try 8-9 minutes on each side.

Winner winner, spicy chicken dinner....