Cooking with Wine- Fish Piccata

You should always cook with a wine you would drink. Wise words, and truly, words to live by if you are like me and love cooking, love wine, and love cooking with wine. It's no secret to you guys that I am deeply in love with Riesling. Maybe it's my German DNA but there is something about that grape that just appeals to me. Big plus- unlike a lot of other whites, it's never aged in oak. I absolutely hate that oak flavor in wine, especially white. I've complained about that before so I won't rehash it all here. I grabbed an inexpensive Riesling recently, from the Fetzer winery, and it's great for cooking and amazingly drinkable.  

We've covered the wine many times before, so let's talk about something a lot more fun- grocery shopping. Not just any grocery shopping, we all know how much I HATE a boring trip to the supermarket, but fun grocery shopping, gourmet shops, ethnic markets, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, small town grocery stores, you get the idea. In these kinds of stores I don't feel like I have to rush to get out. I like to take my time and check out all the unique items. At the supermarket, for example, they have balsamic vinegar. Might even have two brands. But at Gateway Market or Dean and Deluca they will have twenty different balsamic vinegars, and shelf after shelf of olive oil and all kinds of wonderful things. Olives? You guys know how I am about olives, right? I get in trouble at the olive bars. I'm an olive hoarder, and heaven help me if there is a bin of Peppadews on the bar........

The spice aisle is another danger zone for me. Right now in our kitchen there is a six foot tall shelf unit that is packed with spices. Literally packed. Peppers, herbs, spices, flavored salts, whole spices, ground spices, hot and spicy, smoky and sweet, spices for baking, spices for pickling. In spite of this enormous collection of delicious, I never fail to find something new when I'm browsing in the spice aisle. Maybe a new curry blend, or a new meat rub. It ends up in my basket.

The Chef is always crackling jokes about the pastas and grains we have accumulated in the pantry. There must be four different kinds of lentils in there. Wheat berries, bulgur, amaranth, teff, farro, a few different types of rice. Pastas. Lots and lots of pastas. The Chef is an Italian guy so of course we use a lot of pasta! I love collecting the unusual shapes that I don't find in the normal supermarket and use them for special recipes and pasta salads.

Of course no trip to a gourmet or specialty food store would be complete without at least a couple additions to our staples and condiments. You never know when you're going to need a tablespoons of capers, or a few anchovy fillets. Yes, I do need that many containers of cupcake sprinkles and absolutely we need eighteen different kinds of hot sauce.

Lately The Chef and I have been on a more healthy track when it comes to food. We still like an occasional "naughty" treat but for the most part it's been lean proteins like chicken, fish and lots of eggs, and tons and tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. This time of year there is everything under the sun available from farmstands to supermarkets. I'm going with one of my favorites, baby spinach, and some beautiful flounder fillets to make a deliciously light and flavorful version of one of my favorite Italian dishes, veal piccata. Briney capers and freshly squeezed lemon juice and a big splash of that beautiful Riesling will complete my dish. The Chef still needs his pasta, so I'm adding some buttered orzo, but you could easily swap that for rice or even quinoa or another grain for even more protein power.

The Sinful Food Garlic Olive Oil is the perfect oil for this dish. It adds a nice garlic flavor in the background without being overpowering. I think it makes the dish. You need to invest in this oil and you can get yours by clicking HERE.

Easy Fish Piccata with Wilted Baby Spinach

6-8 flounder fillets*

Signature Seasoning

flour

2 teaspoons Sinful Food Garlic Olive Oil

1/3 cup Riesling

2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon capers, drained thoroughly

2 tablespoons butter

1 package baby spinach, washed and dried

hot cooked buttered orzo for serving

*Use can use any light flaky fish you like, such as tilapia, sole, etc.

Pat the fish dry on both sides. Sprinkle with Signature Seasoning. Dredge the fillets in flour and shake off the excess.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet until hot. Add the fish and cook about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until golden brown. Remove the fish to a plate and keep warm.

Add the garlic, wine, juice and capers to the skillet. Cook for a minute to blend flavors and soften garlic. Increase the heat to high. Stir the butter in until melted, then add the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted.

To serve, place about 1/2 cup orzo on plate, top with about 1/3 cup spinach, then the fish. Serve with sauce spooned over and additional lemon wedges.

This is the first time I've ever cooked flounder, and to my memory may even be the first time I've ever eaten it. I can assure you, it will not be the last! The flounder was probably the best tasting fish I have ever had. Zero "fishy" taste, and while that sounds almost silly, most people know what I mean. I purchased the frozen fillets at Aldi and they were quick to thaw, individually packed, had zero bones- just delicious. I am definitely going to stock up on flounder- can't wait to try it in things like fish tacos, stuffed fillets, etc.

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Lakehouse Island Fish Fry

We may not live on a tropical island but we DO live on a private lake, and that means lots of fishing. Sure, we can always do the usual fried fish, baked fish, even fish tacos, but they all have been on the dinner table here a few times too many. It's time to shake things up a bit.

When it comes to fish, there are many different tastes and textures. Some fish, like mahi mahi, are very dense and meaty, while others, like sole, are very light and delicate. Catfish, tuna and salmon are the "oily" fish and have much more aggressive flavors. I like them all, but in different kinds of dishes.

Many times when I cook fish I like to pan fry it, or saute. Sometimes that means a light pan sauce, maybe with butter, lemon and capers. Since it's warming up outside I really wanted something a little different, tropical and fresh, like a sweet and spicy fruit salsa. Fish fillets crusted with chopped macadamia nuts and sauteed until golden make a very upscale version of a fish fry, and paired with a tropical fruit salsa with just the right amount of heat, and drizzled with a bright lime butter you've got something really special. 

For the salsa I decided to go with fresh pineapple and mango, with some lime zest and juice, red peppers, scallions, and fresh jalapeno for a little heat. Lots of fresh cilantro adds a nice herbal note. 

This dinner and recipe is unique for Rockin' the Kitchen because we both will be in the kitchen working on different components of the meal. The Chef will be handling the cooking of the fish, and I will be working on the supporting cast- chopping nuts, making breadcrumbs, the salsa, and prep work. The Chef has used nuts as a crusting ingredients many times in the different kitchens he has worked in, so he will be demonstrating his technique for using macadamia nuts to bring the tropical touch to the dish.

Lakehouse Macadamia Crusted Cod

4-6 cod fillets
half of a 6 oz. jar macadamia nuts
1 cup dry breadcrumbs or panko
1 tablespoon minced parsley
salt and pepper

3 eggs

cooking oil

1/4 cup butter

juice and zest of one lime

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the lime juice and zest. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the macadamia nuts to chop them well. 

Combine the nuts with the breadcrumbs, parsley and salt and pepper in a shallow dish.

Beat the eggs in a shallow dish. Dip the fish fillets into the eggs and then coat with the crumb mixture. Set the fish on a plate to rest for a few minutes while the oil heats.

In a large skillet heat several tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the fish fillets and cook, turning only once, until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Serve fish with the Mango Pineapple Salsa.

Mango Pineapple Salsa

1 cup diced mango
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
small palmfull diced sweet red pepper
4-5 scallions, sliced or 1/4 red onion, diced
1 fresh chili pepper- I like jalapeno or habanero, diced
small palmfull chopped cilantro 
1 lime (juice and zest)
salt and pepper

Toss everything together in a bowl; cover and chill.

Let's talk for a minute about the fruit and peppers. In this recipe big hunks of fruit just wouldn't work well. I wanted very small dice, or brunoise, as it's called in the professional kitchen. TEENY dice. With such small pieces you don't end up with a big hunk of jalapeno unexpectedly, and it allows the flavors to meld better. Plus eat bite has more "stuff" and more flavors all at the same time- very important when you're making a dish with such unique flavors like mango, red bell pepper, jalapenos and pineapple. 

Make the salsa the day before if you have time. That way flavors can really develop. Fresh cilantro really makes this salsa, but if you can't get it, parsley will do. Don't waste the money on dried cilantro- it loses ALL flavor when dried. 

I used scallions in the salsa- white and green parts, but you can also use red onion for another unique flavor. The hot pepper is up to you. We like the heat around here so we choose a hotter chili, but you can use whatever is more in line with your heat tolerance. Just be sure and use something with a little heat, even if it's a pinch of chili powder or canned green chilies.

Ohhhhh buddy. The macadamia nuts are so so so delicious in the breading. The nuts add a super crunchy element to the crust. The macadamias had just the right amount of salt to perk up the bright salsa flavors. Even though it was made from fruit, the salsa is more savory than sweet really. The cilantro cuts the sweetness beautifully, and the lime adds the right amount of acid. The Chef paired this outstanding fish with a simple baked potato with no big glop of sour cream- just simply dressed with chives and butter, and some of that purple cauliflower I made pickles with yesterday. 

I have a feeling this dish will be making an appearance on the lake house table a whole lot in the future.

Can't win em all! Mahi Mahi and Lemon Sauce

I always say I share my failures as much as my successes in the kitchen. Today we're going to talk about one of those failures. While not a total flop (1 out of 3 isn't a TOTAL loss) it was enough to set me on a mission to perfect the mistakes and get this one right.

I was sooo super excited to see mahi mahi at our little grocery store the other day- and on SPECIAL as well. So much so that I bought it, and then agonized over how to use it. How do I want to cook it? What do I serve with it? Fruity flavors? Spicy flavors? 

The best mahi mahi I have ever had was at a restaurant in Des Moines called Dos Rios. They cut the mahi into little cubes, saute it and serve it in fish tacos. Let me tell you, it's so meaty and firm it was almost like chicken. But fish, and fresh tasting and absolutely delicious. I was leaning a little towards making fish tacos at home but didn't have everything I needed. Shelve that idea for another day. A quick browse through the pantry and fridge and I decide I'm just going to go with pan grilled. Throw some quinoa on the side and figure out a sauce.

Sometimes the best ideas just don't come to fruition. This would be one of those times. I used a tri-color quinoa blend and seasoned it with a French blend of seasonings (citrusy notes) and a teeny bit of butter. It was........ blah. Not special. I was disappointed. Flop #1.

The mahi turned out great. I patted the fish dry and lightly dredged in flour and the same French seasoning blend and some Feiny's Chesapeake Bay seasoning and pan grilled in butter. Letting it grill to a perfect golden brown slowly, in butter, was a great way to cook the fish. I could have eaten pounds of it and nothing else. 

Mahi is not he kind of fish you plop a blob of tartar sauce on the plate and call it good. You need something really special. Here is where Flop #2 occurs. Fish, being a relatively light protein, can use a substantial sauce. The quinoa was also light in flavor and texture, so I wanted a creamy sauce to accent these foods. I deglaze the pan with a little lemon juice, a splash of white wine, add some lemon zest, crushed dried thyme, and hit it with some half and half, heavy cream, and whisk is a bit of butter. 

Looks beautiful. Tastes...... like warm whipping cream. So, bump up the lemon juice and....... disaster. The sauce loses it's texture and is now too thin. Tastes better, definitely lemony, but I've lost that silky texture. Even worse, I think if I let it stand just a few minutes it will thicken up again. Sure does. Goes from liquid to a texture a lot like canned frosting in a matter of minutes. 

Oh well.........the fish was delicious anyway!!!!

It's NEVER too cold to fish !!

Up here in Winter Land we never stop fishing. Lake frozen over? No problem. Drill a hole and fish in it. Now, while I do not personally own any ice fishing gear I DO have friends who live for the sport, and they catch so much fish they share!! Generous friends are awesome to have!

So we have an abundance of beautiful bluegill fillets. Literally from lake water to my kitchen in a matter of hours. Couldn't be fresher unless I walked across the street and caught them myself from our lake. The majority of them were frozen on a wax paper lined sheet pan and then bagged in freezer bags (easy to pull out what I ant to cook and no frozen lumps of fish), but enough were set aside for dinner.

Now what to do with it. This is going to be a little different than the usual recipe format. I'm just going to tell you what I did, and it's so super simple you will be able to do it too.

Buttery Shrimp and Fish

Butter, garlic, herbs. We are starting right here. Using a good sized skillet (nonstick, stainless, cast iron- whatever you like to cook in), melt about 2/3 of a stick of BUTTER (please please please do not use margarine- you will not get the same result). Add 3 or 4 minced garlic cloves or about a good tablespoon if you use the jars of chopped garlic (which is fine, we use it too). Give that a minute or so to soften the garlic but not brown. Bring the heat up a little and add 10 peeled and tailless black tiger shrimp. Allow the shrimp to cook about 2 minutes, then flip over. At this time add the fish to the skillet (see note below).

Cook another couple minutes until the shrimp are done and the fish is ready to turn. Flip the fish and set the shrimp on top to prevent overcooking. Give the pan a nice hit with the herbs or spice of your choice and a big squeeze of lemon juice (add some rind if you like). I used chives and thyme. You can go anywhere with seasonings- southwestern, Asian spices, Italian herbs, whatever you love.

I served the fish and shrimp over a bed of quinoa that was also cooked with thyme and garlic. Delicious !! Drizzle lots of the buttery sauce in the pan over the dish. Some home-canned green beans alongside and......Heaven!

Ok, a couple things about the fish. I used bluegill fillets.They are small and pretty thin. They cook quickly. If you are using a thicker fillet of fish you can either start the fish first or remove the cooked shrimp and add back to briefly reheat. Just be sure the fish is cooked just until it flakes and the shrimp are not overcooked into rubber chew toys. If you like one but not the other- leave it out- go all shrimp,or all fish, it's your dish! I also didn't give a quantity of fish fillets- again, that depends on your appetite and how many people you're feeding. It was just the two of us and bluegill are small fillets so I used 6. Just adjust your amounts accordingly. 

This would also be amazing served over pasta. I'd also like it with mashed potatoes.

Now.........what am I going to cook up with all the rest of that fish ?????