Fact: I serve fish for dinner every week.

Fact: I have a rotation of about 4 different fish recipes, which in my opinion isn’t enough.

Fact: I have a new recipe that will now be added to my fish “recipe collection”. (insert – applause).

This recipe provided me with a COLOURFUL and TASTY dish that involved a few interesting steps. For example – the recipe asks  you to marinate the fish in buttermilk, which is not something I’ve seen before in a fish recipe. But trust me, this step is worth it

Baked Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole (adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen)

Ingredients:

Tilapia Ingredients:
2 lbs (about 6-10 count) Tilapia fillets, thawed
Olive Oil to saute
1 Tbsp ketchup (I used Chili Sauce for an added kick)
1 Tbsp mayo

Marinade Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp Pepper

Vegetable Ingredients:
2 medium bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow)
2 medium/large carrots, julienned or grated
1 medium onion

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Place the tilapia in a large ziplock bag along with the marinade mixture and marinate in the fridge at least 1 1/2 hours. (simple enough, non?)

2. Slice onions into thin half circles, slice bell pepper into thin strips and julienne or grate carrots. (I forgot the carrots. Oops). In a large skillet over medium/high, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute onions for 3 minutes or until softened. Add sliced bell peppers and carrots and saute another 4-5 min or until softened. Remove from pan and set veggies aside.

3. Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.

3. Once  the fish is done marinating, drain and discard the marinade. In the same empty skillet over medium/high, add 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute fish lightly on the skillet just until golden on the outside (about 2 min per side). Be careful not to over cook the fish in fact it’s probably best that the fish isn’t entirely cooked.

4.  Layer the casserole dish with 1/2 of the vegetables on the bottom. Place fish over the vegetables. Brush the mixture of the ketchup/mayo on top of fish. Then add another layer of vegetables on top. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper to taste then cover tightly with foil or lid and bake at 375˚F for 15 min.

FINAL PRODUCT

Just so you know, I only share recipes that I would make again!

Oh ya – served a few vegetables dishes along with this fish casserole. Specifically, a tomato soup, kale salad, tabouleh salad and a sweet potato dish. There were lots of satisfied tummies.

Happy Cooking!

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1. My dinner at U-Feast at Campagnolo. I’m not kidding this restaurant had been on my bucket list for years. Thrilled that I was able to finally taste this dish.

2. ANYTHING at Bar Raval. However some of my favourites include the foie gras or this salad.

3. My job allows me to eat some amazing cheese so of course that’s a highlight! Specifically this 5 yr Old Cheddar Cheese, that was a Grand Prix winner in 2015.

4. The food at the CNE. This is one event I won’t ever miss.

5. Sweet Jesus! If you haven’t tried this soft serve then you really need to go there in 2016. Stat.

6. My trip to Italy. All I did was eat amazing food…everywhere. I had this particular charcuterie board for 5 EUROS, three times!!

7. My Trip to Israel. Again, all I did was eat.

8. The seafood tower at Harbour Sixty Steakhouse. It’s not cheap but definitely worth it. Sadly the dining room is  so dark that I have no photos of the seafood tower even though I’ve been twice this year.

9. The fish that I caught on JP Fishing Charter that was served to me just a few hours after I caught it at Molly & Oj’s Restaurant in Erieau, Ontario.  Nothing beats FRESH fish.

I hope to continue to eat fabulous food in 2016 and look forward to sharing my food adventures with you as well.

Happy New Year!

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I’ve just returned from a “girls night out” where we checked out a new restaurant that is conveniently located right next to St. Lawrence Market. It’s called  Market Street Catch. Please note that the owner  also owns Buster’s Sea Cove which is located inside of St. Lawrence Market.  This is code for “this will be a great place to order fish”.

I love the fact that it’s an open kitchen and you can see the fish that’s going to be in your meal!!

As for the menu – it’s listed on the wall. Here’s PART of the menu. Not sure why I only took one photo ..forgive me!

I couldn’t decide what to order so I asked the manager. He recommended the grilled octopus and he was right – it was perfectly grilled. Not chewy  or tough at all!! I ordered it on a salad but you could order it with fries too.

My friend, ordered the fish taco and she was pretty happy with her meal too.

Next time you are in the mood for fish – this would be an ideal restaurant.

For more information:

Market Street Catch, 14 Market St, Toronto ON 416 363 2020

Twitter: @marketst_catch

Facebook: www.facebook.com/makretstreetcatch

Website: www.marketstreetcatch.com

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Fish tacos are so easy to make that I’m not sure why I have never made them before. I googled to find a recipe but in the end just made one up. (apologies in advance to my friend who likes me to blog with exact measurements). So happy with this recipe that I have a feeling that fish tacos are going to be served again and again and again!!

FISH TACOS

Ingredients

2 pieces of haddock

olive oil – a splash

salt and pepper

jalapeno slices

cayenne pepper

Toppings: chopped lettuce, salsa, guacomole, sour cream,

Tortillas

Directions:

1. Marinate the haddock for 15-30 minutes (splash of oil, jalapenos, cayenne, salt and pepper)

2. Add the haddock to a hot frying pan and fry till cooked (several minutes). Feel free to chop it up into pieces while it’s cooking.

3. Prepare toppings

don’t forget the sour cream!!

FINAL PRODUCT:

Hope you like this recipe too.

Happy Cooking!!

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• Tilapia filets
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of beer (I used Molson 67, of course)
• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

step 1

• In another bowl blend the egg and beer together

step 2

then quickly stir into the flour mixture.

• Don’t worry if the batter is a little lumpy (seriously…it’s lumpy)

Lumpy Batter (but it’s all good)

• Heat oil (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a skillet) in a frying pan until extremely hot
• Now lightly dust your tilapia filets and dunk into your beer batter mix
• Fry until golden and crisp, then drain on paper towels

The fish was moist moist moist and no one had any fish left on their plates after the meal. Definitely a good sign!!

FINAL PRODUCT:

PS. Costco had haddock on sale this week. Anyone have a good recipe to share?

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During the heat wave last week, I was determined to prepare an entire meal for guests without using the oven. Yay for me..I did it.

This is what I served:

1. Tuna Nicoise: lettuce, tuna,mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, yellow pepper and hard boiled eggs. (sorry no green beans as I’m on a carb free diet)

Not Just Your Average Salad

2. Asparagus: I also served an asparagus dish that I haven’t made for years. All you have to do is steam the asparagus  and then make a marinade.(sauce?) Please forgive me as I don’t have the exact measurements nor can I even remember which cookbook this recipe is from! (oh the joys of owning too many cookbooks).  Here’s the best I can do: grated ginger, grated garlic, rice wine vinegar, tamari sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt and peper. Does that help? Probably not…again, my apologies.

Steam the asparagus. Make the Marinade. Plate the Asparagus and then drizzle the marinade over it. Simple Stuff.

My Favorite Asparagus Dish

3. FISH:   I als0 served fish using a spice packet that I bought at Eat Sum More (7700 Bathurst St, Thornhill.  This unique retail store specializes in products from South Africa. I figured for $2.99 – it was worth trying. All I did was squeeze some lemon juice into the mixture and let the fish marinate in it for a few hours in the fridge.

There were 4 different spices in this packet. Sadly I took the photo after I used it…but you can get an idea what it looked like

After marinating the fish, I simply pan fried the fillets for a few minutes on each side.

So Tasty

4. Berries with Whipped Cream: I served a carb free dessert to my guest  However they didn’t seem to mind being served an assortment of berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries) with whipped cream and some mint as a garnish. Do you like the cups? First time I used them.

A perfect ending to a summer meal

As for drinks: I served a red sangria and a white sangria for my guests and I sipped Molson Canadian 67. This beer is SAVING ME. It’s one thing to go carb free and it’s another to go carb free during a HOT summer. A huge thanks to Molson for developing this beer.

Mission Accomplished: I entertained without using an oven PLUS I stuck to my carb free diet. I’m on week 5 and so far so good.

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Fact: I keep a dairy kitchen. That’s right – I have not bought meat for over 20 years. I don’t know how much a chicken even costs and I would have no idea how to prepare chicken, if I ever had the opportunity.

However I buy fish. Mostly salmon, tilipia, canned tuna and canned salmon and on the rare occasion a whole snapper. I only make it once a week and I must admit, that my list of “Fish Recipes” is limited. But last week, I went online, determined to find a new recipe. I saw one that caught my eye, tried it and decided it was a keeper. Not only did it look gorgeous (I happen to like green) but the spinach pesto kept the tilapia really moist.

You will notice that the blog post has two recipes. The “formal” recipe and then the “adapted” recipe!!

Spinach Pesto Tilapia (from www.about.com)

INGREDIENTS:

Pesto:

• 3 cups baby spinach leaves, packed, about 3 ounces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/3 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• salt and pepper
• 8 tilapia fillets

INSTRUCTIONS:

Lightly butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Heat oven to 400°

1. In a food processor, pulse the 3 cups of spinach leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, pecan halves, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until the mixture is a fine consistency.

2. Arrange remaining spinach leaves over the bottom of the baking dish.

3. Place a tilapia fillet on the bed of spinach and put about 1 tablespoon of the pesto mixture on the fillet. Spread lightly to cover most of the fillet. Repeat with remaining fillets and pesto, overlapping fish slightly as needed. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

4.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tilapia flakes easily with a fork.

ADAPTED VERSION: (according to Vicky…who didnt really read the recipe carefully till afterwards). Typical!! There is probably a good reason why I follow a blog called www.norcecipes.com!

1. Prepare the pesto (I even forgot the pecan halves and the parmesan cheese and it still tasted DELICIOUS)

love my cuisinart

2. Spread the pesto on top of each piece of tilapia and place on a baking sheet

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

4. Here’s what the final product looked like, before I served it to my guests:

Sometimes I don’t follow a recipe and it still works!! In this case…I was lucky. The fish came out perfectly.

Happy Cooking…whether you follow the first recipe or the adapted recipe!!

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