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Recipe

Although Sicilian-style couscous uses the North African variety, this version uses Sardinian couscous, which is called Fregola Sarda. Fregola sarda is a larger variety, and also toasted in its production process, which accounts for its darker coloring and nutty flavor. There are three parts to this dish: making the fish broth, cooking the vegetables, and preparing the "short" pesto. Feel free to variate the vegetables according to the season, and to combine oily and flaky fish in making the broth. It is quite hearty, but full of healthy ingredients, making it perfectly satisfactory on all levels.

Fish Broth:
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, small dice
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig oregano or thyme
2 medium tomatoes, medium dice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chicken broth in powder
6 cups water

1 ½ lbs fresh sea bass or another white- fleshed fish, cut in 2 inch pieces
Half a dozen shrimp
½ lb scallops, foot removed and quartered
Pesto:
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup fresh basil
½ cup Italian parsley
½ teaspoon lemon zest
½ lemon, juiced
Salt

Couscous and Vegetables:
1 500g package fregola sarda
2 zucchini, small dice
1 yukon gold potato, small dice
1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, and cut in small dice
½ fennel bulb, small dice
1 preserved lemon, minced (optional)

In a large pot, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sweat until translucent. Add the fish, celery, bay leaf, oregano, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
Sprinkle over the chicken broth and cover with 6 cups water. If using broth, just cover with the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. While the fish is simmering and creating its broth, shell the shrimp and add the shells to the broth.
Reserve the shrimp and scallops for later.

Meanwhile, blanch the potato, zucchini, and fennel (each separate from the other) in a pot of boiling water.
Drain and combine all together in a bowl.

Make the pesto by grinding all of the ingredients together in a small blender or food processor. Season well with salt.

After about 30 minutes, remove the fish pieces from the broth and set aside on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the broth into a bowl and transfer back to the pot. Bring to a boil and add the fregola sarda. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through but with a slight bite. Season the shrimp and scallops and add to the pot (the liquid should still be at a light simmer). Add the blanched vegetables, red pepper, preserved lemon, pesto, and reserved fish.
Gently stir the pot and ladle into bowls, distributing the fish, couscous, and broth evenly.
Serve with toasted bread.
Serves 8 people.

September 22, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Entrees, Europe, Fish, Healthy, Mediterranean, Whole grain
Recipe

This is a light tuna salad that omits mayonnaise, but brings in a ton of flavors from the brine of capers and preserved lemon. The trio of coriander, cumin, and paprika make it magical. Use it to stuff avocado halves, in sandwiches, or as a topping for salads.

2 cans of water-packed albacore tuna, drained
1 tablespoon capers + 1 teaspoon brine
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 small preserved lemon, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon preserved lemon brine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup cucumber, small dice
small handful loose parsley, finely chopped
Large pinch ground cumin
Large pinch ground smoked paprika
Large pinch ground coriander

Stir together the capers (bruising them lightly), mustard, preserved lemon, brine juices, and olive oil in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the tuna, cucumbers and parsley, and then mix in the spices.
Makes about 2 cups.

This is a light tuna salad that omits mayonnaise, but brings in a ton of flavors from the brine of capers and preserved lemon. The trio of coriander, cumin, and paprika make it magical. Use it to stuff avocado halves, in sandwiches, or as a topping for salads.
Recipe

For the Crab:
½ lb Dungeness crab meat
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil (or olive oil if you don’t have sesame)
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Mix together the crab, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and keep cold until ready for use.

For the Rolls:
12 rice paper rolls
½ peach, sliced in thin strips
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, de-seeded, and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut in thin strips
1 cucumber, peeled and cut in thin strips
1 handful fresh cilantro
a few sprigs of mint or shiso leaves
¼ cup toasted cashews or peanuts, crumbled

The idea here is to have all of the vegetables and peach cut in the same way, so they can line up together inside the roll. Try to get them all to be about 5 inches long, and cut in thin strips. Place the peach, red pepper, carrot, avocado, and cucumber side by side on one long plate (as in an assembly line). Have the herbs rinsed and ready on another plate, as well as a third small dish with the toasted nuts.

Dip the rice paper rolls 1 or 2 at a time in a bowl with hot water. Remove them one at a time, and place on a cloth towel. Spread out so it is the full circle, and dab with the cloth to dry off any excess moisture. They should be slightly damp, but sticky.
Place one piece of peach and each vegetable in the center of the circle. Top with a few pieces of herbs, the crab, and finally the nuts. Bring up the bottom flap to cover the bottom of the veggies, fold over the top, and then roll in each side to seal.
Repeat with the remaining rolls and serve with the dipping sauce.

Makes 12 rolls.

Recipe

Sesame leaves are also known as Perilla, Shiso, and Beafsteak plant. They are green with a tinge of purple (purple is a shade of green), and have ridged edges. Their flavor is quite like mint, but with slight nutty undertones. You can toss them into salads or add to stir-fries. We like to eat them like little dolmas (stuffed)- by stuffing different foods inside and rolling them up like a cigar. This recipe is with a fusion Asian Salmon Ceviche, but we also like rolling strawberries and cream up for a sweet treat as well.

For Salmon Ceviche Marinade:
1 8-ounce wild Alaskan salmon, skinned
Lemon and/or Lime juice to cover, about 3 fruits total
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil – O Olive Oil Jalapeno Lime is perfect for this recipe

Mix together the lemon and lime juice, miso, and garlic in a non-reactive container.
Cube the salmon in small dice and add to the marinade. Let the salmon rest for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.

To finish:
12-16 sesame leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion (white and pale green parts)
½ teaspoon finely minced Thai bird chile or chile Serrano
1 sprig of mint, finely chopped
Some cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
½ teaspoon sesame seeds

Place a dollop of the mixture on each leaf and wrap up, starting from narrow end. Secure by carefully pushing the pointy stem through the leaf.
Note: You can also spread a small amount of tahini on the leaf, then dollop with the salmon mixture, without mixing the tablespoon into the salmon ceviche preparation.

Makes 12-16 Sesame Cigars

This recipe is a salmon ceviche wrapped in sesame leaves. Sesame leaves are also known as Perilla, Shiso, and Beafsteak Plant. You can buy them at the farmers market, and they add a Southeast Asian mint flavor to salads and stir-fries as well as this roll-up.
Recipe

This Recipe comes from Kerry Saretsky of the blog French Revolution.

6 carrots, cut into sticks
1 orange bell pepper, cut into sticks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into sticks
1 red bell pepper, cut into sticks
4 bone-in, skin-on salmon steaks, totaling about 2 1⁄4 pounds in weight
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon paprika
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1⁄4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 preserved lemon, chopped (use two if you really want to enhance this flavor)
1⁄4 cup dry white wine

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Place the carrot sticks into the water to blanch. After 2 minutes, add the peppers. 2 minutes later (4 minutes will have passed since you added the carrots), drain the vegetables, and set aside.

2. Season the salmon steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine 1/3 cup olive oil with the paprika. Toss the salmon in the seasoned oil to coat.

3. Now that you are rid of the vegetable blanching water, you can use the same pot—preferably wide, with high sides. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set the pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and peppers back in, along with half the garlic, parsley, and preserved lemon. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Add the white wine.

4. Nest the salmon steaks down into the vegetables, and pour the remaining paprika oil over the steaks in the pot. Top the steaks with the remaining garlic, parsley, and preserved lemon.

5. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, basting occasionally, and rotating the vegetables around the pot.

6. Serve with warm baguette.

This dish is delectable. The combination of Moroccan preserved lemons, paprika, olive oil, and parsley combine to make a highly flavored, yet easy to prepare dish.
Cooking Show Video

Kerry Saretsky of French Revolution shared her grandmother's recipe for Moroccan Salmon with us for Mother's Day. Thick salmon steaks are slowly cooked with paprika, preserved lemon, and parsley. Although it can be made any night of the week, this dish's vibrant colors make it perfect for celebrations and family gatherings. The Moroccan seasonings are exquisite and bound to make you file this recipe as a favorite!

Recipe

This is the most authentic Conch Fritter recipe you will find. Keep in mind that these were made in Miami during their growing season. Feel free to substitute the peppers and herbs for more seasonal ingredients according to where you live. You can also use scallops, clams, and fish instead of conch.

4-5 conchs, about 1 ½ - 2 lbs, ground or chopped into small pieces
½ green bell pepper, small dice
½ red bell pepper, small dice
½ yellow bell pepper, small dice
½ white onion, small dice
1 celery rib, finely sliced
1 teaspoon jalapeño chile, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 cups all purpose flour
Salt (Jamaican seasoned salt is best)
Water
Vegetable Oil

Mix together the peppers, onion, celery, chile, and herbs in a small bowl.
Sift together the flour with a good teaspoon or so of the seasoned salt. Add the conch to the flour and make sure it has all been coated, then stir in the vegetable mixture.
Add in enough water to make a batter that is thick and viscous, but not too dry. You can always adjust by adding more flour or water.
Heat up about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet. Test the batter by frying a small amount in the oil. The oil should immediately sizzle around it.
You want to cook the fritters at an even pace, so that they cook through on the inside, and brown on the outside. You do not want to have a dark brown exterior, and raw interior.
Drain the fritters on some paper towel and serve with the dipping sauce.
Makes about 30 fritters.

Dipping Sauce:
Mix together equal parts Mayonnaise and Ketchup. You can add a bit of Barbeque Sauce if you prefer.

This Bahamian Conch Fritter recipe is no where near being healthy, but boy is it good. If you do not have conch local to where you are, substitute another type of seafood that you can find fresh. These are a hit at parties!
April 21, 2009   |   1 comments
Tags: Appetizers, Caribbean, Fish
Blog entry

This ceviche brings in a citrus fruit often ignored- the Pomelo. I was actually anti-pomelo, because I thought it was one of those weird hybrid fruits, like the tangelo and the pluot. But when researching grapefruits for our Cold Care episode, I discovered that Grapefruits are actually weird hybrids of pomelos and oranges. Fancy that. So I decided that I would make a ceviche with Pomelo. And I would love it. And so I did. After all of this time ignoring the 1 kilo citrus giants, I have fallen in love. I hope you do too.

For 1 side of a medium snapper you will need approximately:

1 cup of a combination of freshly squeezed lime juice, lemon juice, and orange juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pomelo
1/2 tsp. pomelo zest
1 or 2 more limes
1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise and then in thin pieces
¼ cup red onion, sliced paper-thin
1 pomelo
Small handful cilantro

Rinse the snapper with water and pat dry. Using a sharp fish filet knife, slice it into thin strips and place in a non-reactive container. Pour over the citrus juice and toss in the garlic. Let the fish “cook” in the citrus juices for 2-4 hours in the fridge.
Peel the pomelo with a sharp knife, removing all of the white pith. Use a small knife to remove the fruit sections.
Soak the red onion in a small bowl of water for 10 minutes to remove its sharpness.
Take the fish out of the fridge, drain it of the citrus marinade, and toss with the juice of the limes, Serrano chile, red onion, pomelo pieces and zest, and a real good shaking of salt. Roughly tear up the cilantro, toss, and serve.
Serves 6 as a party appetizer.
Goes well with chips or toasted pita.

February 27, 2009   |   8 comments
Tags: Appetizers, Caribbean, Ceviche, Chiles, Fish, Healthy, Latin America
Recipe

South Beach Fish Sandwich

South Beach is definitely the land of sandwiches. Not only are they on every menu, but there are plenty of small sandwich joints that specialize in them. Because there is a heavy Middle Eastern influence around here, I thought I would make a healthy fish sandwich bringing in some of the fresh flavors of the Mediterranean. You can find fresh fish daily on the Rickenbacker Causeway that leads to Key Biscayne. Ask them to filet the snapper for you on the spot, so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven when you return home. The tahini sauce is full of different herbs- the more the merrier.

4 pita breads (whole wheat or white)
1 medium mutton, red, or yellowtail snapper, filleted
4 tablespoons tahini herb sauce per sandwich (recipe follows)
1 medium tomato, medium dice
¼ cup Kalamata olives, small dice
½ Kirby cucumber, medium dice
1 medium eggplant (optional)

If you want to include the roasted eggplant in your sandwich, begin by slicing it into very thin rounds. Bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until soft and cooked through.
Line a baking tray with olive oil and place fish filets skin side down. Season well the filets with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F, or until cooked through.
Remove from oven, turn off heat, and slip pita breads in the oven to toast in the residual heat. Place 2 slices of roast eggplant followed by half a filet in each toasted pita. Top with about 1 tablespoon tahini sauce per filet and some of the diced tomato, cucumber, and olives.
Makes 4 sandwiches. If you are only making this for two people, just use 1 filet of fish and 2 pitas.

Tahini-Herb Sauce
Small handful of each: dill, cilantro, parsley, mint
1 clove garlic
1 cup tahini
3 lemons, juiced
Olive oil
Water
Salt

In a food processor, start grinding up the garlic, followed by the herbs. Add the tahini, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and continue to blend. Add the lemon juice, and enough water to loosen up the mixture. Adjust the taste with the salt.

Recipe

This is a basic marinade using achiote for fish. In order to bring out the best flavor, you must first combine the achiote paste with a sour liquid, like vinegar or citrus juice. Then you can balance it out with olive oil, and add flavor like garlic and oregano. Asian ingredients like soy and fish sauce also work really well in this type of marinade.

For about 6 filets of fish you will need:

1/4 cup achiote paste
2 oranges, juiced (combinations of orange, grapefruit, and lime all work well)
1/4 onion, sliced in thin strips
salt and pepper

Place the fish filets in a container wide enough to hold them. Whisk together the marinade ingredients, and pour over the fish. Marinate for at least 1 1/2- 8 hours.

This is a basic achiote marinade for grilling fish like mahi mahi.
February 5, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Fish, Latin America, Marinades, Mexican