1 halibut filet (8 oz.) sliced into thick strips
6 medium sized cooked shrimp
1 garlic clove
1 T finely minced ginger
1 lemon grass stalk, peeled and finely chopped
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1 T all purpose flour
1 ½ T fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 small green chile
1 can of light coconut milk (13.5 oz)
1 scant handful basil leaves
1 cup cauliflower (use broccoli and/or mushrooms if you prefer)
Salt to taste
Store bought puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Mash up the garlic with the minced ginger, lemongrass, and turmeric with a mortar and pestle.
Slice the chile in half and remove the seeds. Slice one half in thin strips.
Season the fish well with salt and pepper, and dust with the flour.
Coat the fish with the mashed spices.
Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of a pie plate and place the fish and shrimp inside neatly.
Place the cauliflower or other vegetables that you are using around the fish and shrimp.
Pour over the fish sauce, soy sauce, and coconut milk. Nestle in the basil leaves and add in the appropriate amount of chiles according to your taste.
Refrigerate the pie shell while you roll out the puff pastry.
Usually store bought puff pastry comes in squares. You will just have to eyeball it according to the diameter of the plate. You will need less pastry than is the width of your plate, because you will have to roll it out.
On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry enough to cover the top of the pie, without it becoming too thin.
Brush water around the edge of the pie plate, and then cover with the pastry dough. Tuck in the edges, and make sure that they stick to the plate (that is what the water is for). Cut two slits on the top, or make a nice shape with a pastry cutter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is cooked through and nice and brown.

For the Croquetas:
2 + 2 T olive oil (separated)
3 T all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ lb of shrimp, shelled and de-veined
5 scallions
2 Yukon Gold potatoes

For the Breading:
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a saucepan, and once it is medium hot, add in the flour and whisk the mixture until there are no clumps, and it looks like a smooth paste. This is called a roux, and it will create a nice thick base for the croquetas.
Cook the roux for about 3 minutes letting it bubble slightly, all the while whisking.
Take the pan off of the heat, and slowly pour in the chicken broth, still whisking.
Put the saucepan on the heat and bring it to a boil, whisking all the while, to make sure that there are no clumps of the roux. Turn the sauce down to a simmer, and cook it for 15 minutes, until it is nice and thick.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized chunks.
Place them in a small pot and cover them with water. Boil until they are soft, then drain them and let them air- dry.
Mash them with the back of a fork, or the bottom of a glass, until they are smooth.

Prepare the shrimp by rinsing and drying them well.
Chop each shrimp into small pieces; each shrimp can be chopped into about 3 small chunks.
Season them with salt and keep them cold until you are ready to use them.
Slice the scallions thinly, but keep separate the white and pale green parts from the darker green parts.
In a saute pan, heat up the rest of the oil on medium high heat, and then add in the garlic. Cook the garlic in the oil, but do not let it get too brown.
Add in the white and pale green parts of the scallions.
Next, toss in the chopped shrimp, and season with some salt. Once the shrimp are cooked through, take the pan off of the heat, and toss in the chopped greens of the scallions and stir the mixture well.
Combine the potato, the thick sauce, and the shrimp in a bowl and mix well. You should have a nice thick mass.
Prepare three bowls. One with the flour, one with the eggs (well beaten), and one with the bread crumbs.
Form croquetas by taking a small amount of the mixture and shaping it into an attractive finger-like shape.
Dip them first into the flour (shake off excess), then into the egg (shake off excess), then into the breadcrumbs (shake off excess).

Heat up about an inch of oil in a saute pan on medium heat, and fry the croquetas in the oil until nicely browned and crispy.
Flip them over and cook through on the other side.
Place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the oil, and serve warm.
Drizzle with lime juice and enjoy a Caribbean treat!

Makes 8 croquettes.

2 perch filets (Tilapia works beautifully as well) ½ lb of baby potatoes 1 handful of red leaf lettuce per person 1 fennel bulb, sliced in half through the core 2 radishes 1 tsp. of thyme leaves, chopped fine Salt Olive oil 2 T flour 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning Preheat the oven to 375º F. Rinse the potatoes Dry them off and toss with the olive oil, thyme, and some salt. Place them into the hot oven and roast for 30 minutes. Combine the Cajun spices with the flour and spread onto a large plate. Rinse and dry the perch filets, and then season them with a nice amount of salt. Dredge the filets in the flour, making sure that there is an even coating on the fish. Feel free to make the filets more or less spicy according to your own taste. Bake the filets in the oven, it is best to time it so that they go in when the potatoes have been baking for 20 minutes, and everything can come out at the same time. Flip the filets over halfway through their cooking time. Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Carve out the core of the fennel bulb with a small knife. It is the small triangular base of the fennel. Slice half a bulb of fennel and the radishes very thinly, tossing them with the salad greens along with some lemon juice and salt. When the fish and the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven. Cut the bigger potatoes in half, and make sure they are all evenly coated with salt, thyme, and oil. Arrange some salad on each plate, along with a bunch of potatoes, and the filet of fish. Bon appetit! Serves two.

For the Fish:
2 filets of Red Snapper, or any local firm-fleshed fish

For the Salsa:
2 T oil
2 Guajillo chiles
3 Ancho chiles
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 onion, cut into slivers
Juice of two oranges
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
Salt for taste

For the Salsa:

In a dry pan, toast the chiles and then transfer them to a bowl and cover them with hot water.

Once they are soft, seed and de-vein them.

Heat up the oil to be quite hot.

Saute the onion, and add in the garlic and the bay leaf. You want the onions gain some color.

Add in the chiles with some of their soaking water and cook them a little as well. Pour in the chicken broth.

Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Blend the contents of the pan in a blender, then strain through a sieve. You do this so that the chile skins and any renegade seeds are caught.

Pour the sauce back into the pan, and turn up the heat again.

Add in the freshly squeezed orange juice as well as the two cloves and cinnamon stick.

Season and lightly simmer for another 15- 30 minutes. The flavors will start to meld together slowly.

I think it is best to turn the heat off and go about preparing everything else. The more the flavors can sit together, the richer the sauce will be.

Reheat the sauce when you are ready to serve the fish.

Slice two parallel slits in the skin of the filets, being careful not to slice too far into the flesh. Season the flesh well with salt.

Heat up another saute pan with a few tablespoons of oil to be very hot.

Carefully slide the snapper filets into the pan and flatten them with the spatula.When you see that more than half of the flesh has been cooked through, flip the filets over and finish cooking on the other side.

Alternatively, bake the fillets (lightly brushed with oil) in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes.

Place each filet on a plate, and then pour over the sauce.

Garnish with the mole crumble (see below) or with sesame seeds, and serve with fresh corn tortillas and steamed zucchini.

Serves 2 people for dinner, 3 if someone stays around too long.

Mole Crumble:

Take about 1 tablespoon of raw cacao nibs and 1 tablespoon of toasted peanuts. Pound them up with a mortar and pestle. Mix in about 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds. Use as a garnish for the Chile Sauce.