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3 Ways of Using Salmon + 2 Ways to Use Tilapia

Tilapia is the fish that made me a fan of seafood. Being a picky eater growing up my parents always had to trick, well, both my brother and I to eat certain foods, fish being among the top, as I'm sure most parents experience with their young children. I remember being as my cousins camp and being fed "chicken fingers" after everyone asking over and over again if I actually liked the "chicken" I was eating they decided after being reassured about one hundred times that it would be okay to tell me it was fish. Of course I didn't like that answer and responded with an "ewwww groossssss!" This did not inspire me to eat fish, nope not yet. I then remember another time my mom making "onion rings", only it being calamari this time, again "ewwww groossss!" It wasn't until I was introduced to tilapia that I started giving fish a try. My dad used to make it on the barbecue with cayenne pepper, olive oil and some other spices. I loved the simplicity of this dish. My brother not so much, and to this day, still doesn't eat fish, and funny enough he wants to be a chef, thankfully he has given other foods a chance!

Tilapia allowed me to experiment with flavours since it is a really basic fish. As I've said before, tilapia to me is the tofu of the sea. It really picks up the flavours it is immersed in and for that I love it. From here I started trying different fish and I haven't been INCREDIBLY disappointed yet. For this post, I have four different recipes for fish that were all so different but just as delicious! Hopefully you will follow me and try some out :)

Wasabi Crusted Salmon

Recipe adapted from here

Out of all the fish recipes I've ever had, including one's in restaurants this is among the top of my list for favourites. I can't even describe the flavours it was just epically delicious. This is a must, must, MUST try! You will not regret it, and will certainly thank me for it.

Ingredients:
  • 2 8-10 oz fresh Salmon fillets
  • 1/2 cup light mayonnaise (for this I mashed half an avocado, mixed some garlic and lemon juice together since I am not a fan of mayonnaise)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Wasabi paste
  • Panko breadcrumbs to spread on the fish
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Mix wasabi, salt, mayo in a bowl. Coat fish with wasabi mixture then coat in breadcrumbs, flip fish and repeat till both sides of each filet are covered in the mixture and breadcrumbs. Bake at 400F for 13-16 min. Then place in broiler 4-6 in from the flame for 1-2 min which should be until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crusted...not burned.
Grilled Asian Style Salmon with Cabbage and Mint Slaw

Recipe taken from here

Amazing. Amazing. Amazingggggg! I devoured this dish in... not to sound like a huge glutten but less than five minutes. It was so good I didn't even want to put my fork down. This summer I fell in-love with mint so this was just such a gift. I also have a huge love for Napa cabbage so this was a great dish. Mmmm, I can't wait to make this again!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
  • 4 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
  • 4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
Directions:

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Thinly slice enough mint to measure 2 tablespoonfuls. Place in bowl. Whisk in next 4 ingredients. Set dressing aside.

Place salmon in glass pie dish. Add 4 tablespoons dressing and turn to coat. Sprinkle salmon with sea salt and pepper. Marinate salmon 15 minutes. Grill fillets until barely opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, toss sliced cabbage with remaining mint leaves and remaining dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide slaw among 4 plates. Place salmon atop slaw and serve.

Spinach, Zucchini, and Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche

Recipe adapted from here


Smoked salmon had been on sale a few times at the grocery store so my stock was quickly becoming rather large. I didn't want to simply eaten the smoked salmon like that, or over rice cakes with capers and cream cheese. No, I wanted to make it into something. I knew I wanted to make it into a quiche since I mean the creaminess of the egg, plus whatever cheese you decide to put with it is going to tie it together really well. I really should of put some goat cheese or cream cheese in with this quiche, but I kept it relatively simple and it was great just as is. I loved, loved, loved this recipe. It really was great, also because there wasn't a thick layer of crust, no I decided to omit that and keep it a little healthier. I will definitely make this again. As are all quiches, this is great for any meal, but is definitely a great breakfast quiche! Oh, I love it, I can still smell how delicious this meal was, yummy!

Ingredients:
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1 zucchini, shredded
  • 1/2 cup spinach, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup smoked salmon, sliced into small pieces
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs to sprinkle on top
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, zucchini and spinach until the onions are translucent. In a bowl, beat eggs, cottage cheese, and smoked salmon. Add vegetables, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir. Pour into a quiche dish or pie pan, spread Panko breadcrumbs on top and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the quiche is cooked through.

Tandoori Fish + Cauliflower and Edamame with Indian Spices

Recipe taken from here

This I made for my dad and I and we both devoured it. It was spicy but not too spicy. It was definitely different than what I'm used to for tilapia but it was great!

Ingredients:

  • 4 Tilapia fillets
  • 1 tbsp EVOO

Tandoori Paste/Marinade:

  • 1 tsp red chili paste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp EVOO
  • 3/4 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Wash the fish & pat dry with a paper towel.

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade.

Pour the mixture over the fish fillets & toss gently to evenly coat the fillets. Let the fillets sit with the marinade for about an hour.

Coat a large skillet with oil. (Use a skillet which can hold the fillet in a single layer without overlapping one layer). Heat the skillet to almost a smoking point.

Put the fillet on the pan, arranging them carefully so they are not overlapped. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till the fillets loosen at the bottom & are ready to flip over.

Flip over with a broad spatula & cook the other side of the fish in the same way as above.

Cauliflower and Edamame with Indian Spices

Ingredients:
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds (I used black mustard seeds my friend Radha gave me!)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into medium sized florettes
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 8 ounces frozen edamame

Toppings:

  • Thinly sliced red onion, cilantro leaves
Directions: Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and crushed coriander seeds. Wait till the seeds pop, then add cauliflower, the rest of the spices, and season with salt and pepper.

Let the cauliflower cook for about 5 minutes. You might have to add a bit of water to get the process going.

Add edamame, stir. Cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables cook until they reach the level of tenderness you prefer.

Serve this dish hot or at room temperature with thinly sliced red onion and leaves of cilantro.

Chili Rubbed Tilapia

Recipe taken from here


Mmmm, I made this dish for my dad and I for this Sunday's meal. It was so darn good. To be honest, my favourite part of this dish certainly was the broccoli. The lemon juice on the broccoli really made the flavour of the broccoli even better than broccoli already is. The chili powder plus the roasted tomato garlic spice was such a great combination. I will definitely make this again! I loved also that the broccoli picked up the flavour of the fish since it was cooked in the same pan, mmm delicious!

Ingredients:
  • 1 large head of broccoli, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic, powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt, divided
  • 2 Tilapia or other firm white fish fillets
  • 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
Directions:

Steam the broccoli until tender-crisp.

Combine chili powder, garlic powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt on a plate. Dredge fillets in the spice mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook until just opaque in the center, gently turning halfway, 5 to 7 minutes total. Divide over 2 plates.

Add
lemon juice, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and broccoli to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the broccoli is coated and heated through, about 2 minutes.

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