BBQ Halibut with Mango Salsa

I love summer! It is my absolute favorite time of the year - the sunshine, the bright colours, the warm air and the general feeling of happiness and lightness in the air. I love to transfer those colours and feelings onto my plate at meal time - anything bright, light and fun and I'm in! That's exactly what this dish is all about. Summertime on a plate!

BBQ Halibut with Mango Salsa
Recipe by A Tale of One Foodies Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:

Halibut:

• Two pieces of fresh halibut
• 1 tsp each: cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, ground coriander, sugar, salt and pepper

Salsa:

• 1/2 an avocado, diced
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 small jalapeño, diced
• 3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp olive oil

Salad:

• Arugula
• Sprouts (any kind will do)
• Pea shoots
• a handful of tortilla strips
• juice of 1/2 lime
• drizzle of olive oil

Method:

1. For the halibut - preheat your grill. Sprinkle spice rub evenly over both sides of the halibut. Pat the spice rub into the fish. Grill seasoned halibut on the grill until just cooked through and remove from heat.
2. While the halibut is cooking, combine the salsa ingredients and stir well. Set aside to let the flavours marry.
3. Divide arugula, sprouts and pea shoots between two places. Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with tortilla strips. Top with grilled halibut and spoon salsa over liberally. Enjoy!

What's your summer cooking philosophy? Do you have a favorite meal that you only make during the summer? Feel free to share in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Cooking!

Pan Roasted Halibut in Potato Dill Crust with Roasted Garlic Cream

Happy Wednesday everyone! We are over halfway through this week... and for me that is a good thing!! It is smokin' busy at work this week with deadlines everywhere I look. I can't wait for the weekend (even though I'll likely have to work part of it... Its still the weekend!!). I've been looking forward to sharing this post with you all week. Don't judge a post by its pictures (well at least, not in this case), because this is seriously good! You MUST make it this weekend when you have time. Even non-fish lovers will seriously love this meal. Its delicious and it doesn't get that typical "fishy" taste or smell that some fish dishes get.

 

This recipe is from my new cookbook No More Secrets, Recipes from the Cow Bay Cafe by Adriene Johnston. This is a seriously amazing cookbook!! The best part about it is that its written by a womon from a small town in Northern British Columbia right near where I grew up. Soooo of course I'm going to love it.

Any way, lets check out this recipe - I'm a little tired right now because I just worked a 14 hour day, so please excuse me if my post isn't as coherent (or as long) as usual. :)

 Pan Roasted Halibut

Recipe from No More Secrets

Ingredients:

Roasted Garlic:

• 6 bulbs garlic
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, halved
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Garlic Cream:

• 1 bulb roasted garlic
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt (I would probably just use half a tsp next time i make this - it was a touch salty)
• 1/4 tsp chile flakes
• a little fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp whole fresh black peppercorns

Potato Crust:

• 3/4 c instant dry potato flakes
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dry dill
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 c fresh dill, finely chopped

• 6 8-oz pieces fresh halibut (thawed, frozen halibut will work in a pinch too)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. To roast garlic, remove the excess outer skin, trim off the stem end and place the garlic bulbs in a small pie pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the rosemary sprigs on top of the garlic. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic bulbs. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for 50 minutes and reserve.
3. To make the garlic cream, add the cream, salt, chile flakes, bay leaf and peppercorns. Squeeze out the soft garlic from the roasted garlic bulb and add it to the cream. Drop the skins into the sauce too. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until thickened and reduced by half.
4. Strain the garlic mixture through a sieve and press on the garlic until it is all pushed through the sieve and you are only left with the skins and debris. Discard the stuff in the sieve and reserve the cream until needed. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent the formation of a skin.
5. For the potato crust, simply combine the potato flakes, salt, garlic powder, dry dill, pepper, and fresh dill in a bowl. Mix together and reserve until needed.
6. Place two large skillets in the oven and heat for 15 minutes.
7. When you are ready to cook, dry the pieces of halibut and dredge them in the potato crust mixture.
8. Remove the hot skillets from the oven and place over medium high heat. Pour about four tsp of vegetable oil into the skillet and then place fish in the skillets. Do not crowd the pans. Allow the fish to cook in the oil until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp-looking.
9. Gently flip the fish over and then put the pans into the oven and cook for about 7 minutes per inch of thickness at the thickest part of the fish.
10. When cooked, remove the fish to the serving dishes and pour some of the garlic cream into the hot pans. When cream is hot, pour it over the cooked fish. Serve with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.

  



I know, this seems like a lot of steps, but it really does come together relatively quickly. You can roast the garlic and make the garlic cream sauce ahead of time if you're having a dinner party and then all you've got to do is cook the fish and you're set to impress your guests.

Hope you enjoy this one. Stay tuned for a delicious post tomorrow on how to use the leftovers from this recipe (if you're lucky enough to have leftovers!).

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Oven-Fried Cod & Crispy Smashed Potatoes

I don't make fish very often... I never seem to cook it properly and I hate the way it makes my house smell for the rest of the evening. This recipe is different though! Get some fresh cod - apparently when fish is really fresh, it shouldn't smell fishy - and follow this recipe and you'll have a restaurant quality dinner that will leave you wanting to make fish more often! The panko bread crumbs result in a healthier but still crisp crust on the fish and the spicy mayo adds a bit of kick to the yummy fish. Oven Fried Cod & Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe from The Guy Can't Cook by Cinda Chavich Ingredients:

• 4 cod loins (about 150g each)


• 1/3 cup low-fat mayo


• 1 tbsp dijon mustard


• 1/4 tsp garlic powder


• 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp garlic chili paste


• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice


• salt & pepper


• 1 cup japanese panko bread crumbs


• 20-24 baby yellow potatoes, unpeeled


• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


• coarse sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 500F.


2. Stab the potatoes with a fork and boil in salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and place in a shallow baking dish. Add the olive oil and toss to coat.


3. Press each potato with a fork until it is slightly flattened. Sprinkle the potatoes with the sea salt and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden.


4. In a bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, garlic powder, chili paste, and lime juice. Stir to combine. eason with salt and pepper. Divide the mayo mixture in two, and reserve one half in the refrigerator.


5. Place the panko on a plate. Coat both sides of the fish pieces in the non-refrigerated half of the mayo mixture, then dip them into the panko, pressing gently to cover the fillets entirely with crumbs.


6. For easy clean-up later, place the fish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Reduce the oven temperature to 400F, place the fish in the oven and continue to bake until the fish is crispy and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Serve the fish with the refrigerated spicy mayo and potato cakes.

Yum, yum, yum! Typing up this post is making me want to make this again... perhaps I can squeeze it into my culinary adventures this weekend... We will see! Coming up this weekend you can expect a recipe for a delicious homemade pizza crust and the best hummus you will ever taste! Stay tuned.

Happy Cooking my Friends!