Archive for the ‘FISH – ALL’ Category
Thai Fish Cakes
This comes from a good friend and sounds delicious. You can prepare the fish two ways, 1. with a food processor, or 2. with a meat grinder and your hands, I will use the second way. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 500 grams whitefish, any will do fine, (1 lb)
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 80 grams fresh long beans, finely chopped, (2 3/4 oz)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1-2 teaspoons kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped, optional but recommended
- lime wedges, for garnish if desired
Instructions
For Food Processor Use
- Put the fish in your food processor and process until coarsely chopped, then add the curry paste, egg, sugar, salt, and corn starch and process until well blended. Stir in the beans, cilantro, and kaffir lime leaves (if using those).
For Meat Grinder & Hands Use
- Run the fish through your meat grinder using the coarse plate (the wagon wheel). With the ground fish in a mixing bowl, add the curry paste, egg, sugar, salt, and corn starch and mix with your hands to completely mix everything together. Stir in the beans, cilantro, and kaffir lime leaves (if using those).
Continuing On...
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes have passed, get the bowl and shape fish mixture in balls then flatten to make the fish cakes.
- Heat the oil in a non stick pan, when the oil is hot, add the fish cakes (in batches) and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Garnish with lime wedges. Serve as a side with any Thai main dish, such as a curry over rice.
Notes
Low cost.
Recipe and photo provided by good friend, Khanthary Singnhoth, and her recipe isĀ here.
United States.
United States.
Thai Fish Curry
I seen my wife make this today using imported Italian Mackerel, and local sourced ingredients. Seems like a lot of steps but this actually goes together quite fast overall. The coconut milk is made from fresh grated coconut, use canned if you like. Measurements are very approximate as no actual measurements are made, what is listed is my best guesses.
Ingredients
- 500 grams shredded coconut, fresh, not bagged
- 6 whole Italian Mackerel, gutted, tails removed, 6-8 inches each
- 2 handfuls lime leaves, finely sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons chili paste
- 2-3 tablespoons shrimp paste
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh tamarind
- cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- With the fresh shredded coconut, you are going to make coconut milk. to do this, place the coconut in a large bowl and cover with water. Squeeze the shred and the water will become milky. Do this for about 5-10 minutes, really squeezing the clumps of shred, then grab some shred and hold it above the bowl and squeeze it dry, discard the clump, now you have a bowl of coconut milk, almost, you are not done yet.
- Place a strainer over a bowl and pour the milk into the strainer, tap the strainer and move the contents a bit with your fingers to get the liquid out, you are now removing any of the remaining shred from the milk. For the remaining shred, pick that up and squeeze dry as well.
- The end result is fresh coconut milk, this is just one bowl, we used two, goal is 3-4 cups of milk total.
- Now get your ingredients together. Here is one of the two bowls of coconut milk, chili paste, shrimp paste, and the lime leaves (before slicing).
- Fish used is Italian Mackerel. We bought these are Tesco, sold by the piece, not weight, 90 Baht for 6 fish.
- Clean the fish by scaling, the scales are very small and this goes quickly, then gut each and cut the tails off. (If you want to remove the heads, feel free to do so.)
- Add about ā of the coconut milk to a pan, and add the chili paste and shrimp paste. Put on medium heat.
- While the milk is heating up, slice up the lime leaves. Grab the handful or so of leaves, the younger bright green ones are preferred, hold in a tight bundle, and slice. Not looking for perfection here, just get most of them thinly sliced. Set this aside.
- With the milk now hot, stir to mix in the chili and shrimp pastes. Let this simmer, low boil, for about 10 minutes. You just made a curry.
- Then add the fish in a single layer.
- Now pour in the remaining coconut milk and sort of mix that in, let this simmer for about 10 minutes.
- This is fresh tamarind, it is like a paste, the stones (seeds), and the string fibrous part is still in this. To this, add a little water, about 1/4 cup and squish this up to soften it.
- Remove the fish to another pan.
- To the pan with the curry, hold a strainer over the pan and pour in the tamarind mush into the strainer, move the mush about with your hand to get the tamarind liquid into the pan, when the all the liquid is strained out from the tamarind mush, discard the strainer contents. Stir the tamarind liquid into the curry then add the sliced lime leaves and stir that in.
- Pour the curry over the fish in the second pan, add a few whole lime leaves, bring this to a simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Place a few fish in a bowl, spoon some curry over the top and ready to serve.
Notes
The fish cost 90 Baht for 6 fish. For 4 servings, this is about 68 cents per serving.
Cornmeal Whitefish I
The only time I have eaten fish coated in cornmeal was catfish in Tennessee, and that was years ago. Time to change this I will use shark catfish but it has a whitefish flavor, not at all like catfish. This is make as much as you want recipe, no servings, times, or quantities are listed for this (read that as simple).
Ingredients
- whitefish fillets, figure 1-2 fillets per peron
- all purpose flour
- eggs
- cornmeal
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Cut your whitefish fillets in half if you like, easier to manage that way.
- Place 3 shallow bowls on the counter, place some flour in the first bowl, 2-3 eggs in the next bowl and beat them with a fork, then some cornmeal in the last bowl. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the flour and the cornmeal.
- Heat a large non stick pan with a good splash of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, dredge each fillet in flour and shake off excess, then in egg and shake off excess, then in cornmeal, the into the hot oil. cook until golden brown on the bottom then turn fillets over and cook until golden brown, remove to paper towels. I am cooking the fish fillets on the right, my wife is cooking wontons on the left.
- When all the fillets are cooked, serve with a vegetable and a salad for a nice meal.
Notes
For the fish, go with about 130 Baht/1 kilo of Pangasius fillets. For 4 servings, this is about 96 cents per serving.
Inspired by seeing cornmeal coated fish photos from a number of good friends.
Tuna & Rice (Rice Cooker)
This recipe has me interested, I will write this using fresh tuna and cooked mainly in a rice cooker, no need to cook the rice the stove top way. You will use your rice cooker primarily for this dish.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1Ā½ cups dry Jasmine rice
- 3 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 226 grams tuna, flaked, canned drained or fresh cooked, (8 oz), Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Turn your rice cooker to Cook setting, heat the oil in rice cooker pot, add the onion and sautƩ for about 3 minutes until it is soft and translucent.
- Add the rice and stir to coat with oil and the rice grains are glassy, about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock, cover, and let it runs the full Cook cycle.
- About 10 minutes into the cook cycle, fold in the peas and corn then cover again and continue to cook to complete the cook cycle.
- Drain the tuna, this can be canned or fresh cooked, and flake with a fork. Fold in the tuna and parsley into the rice, cover and let sit for 5 minutes on Warm setting on the rice cooker.
- Serve, this can be a hearty side dish or a main meal.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Fresh Tuna.
Basic Salmon Patties
When I was growing up, these were a common staple for a dinner. Here is Thailand, the large cans of salmon are very high priced, so I will work this up with frozen salmon that I steam and will come up with a cost per serving when I make this. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can salmon, drained, (14Ā¾ oz / 418 g), Shortcut
- Ā½ small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
- Ā½ cup panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- Ā¼ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together, season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Divide mixture into 4 sections, form into 4 patties and place on a plate.
- Heat a large skillet with a splash of oil, when the oil is hot, cook the patties about 4-5 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown.
- Turn patties over and cook another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove patties to a serving plate.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
In Thailand, I will price this when I steam some salmon and prepare this. For those in the US, a store brand of canned salmon would make this about 70 cents per serving and a Best Value.Ā
Shortcuts:Ā Steamed Salmon,Ā Breadcrumbs.
Pasta with Tuna, Lemon & Dill
Sounds easy and tasty. On my to cook list. Feel free to use canned or fresh tuna you have cooked. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 150 grams dry spaghetti, (5-6 oz)
- 200 grams canned tuna, drained, flaked, (7 oz), Shortcut
- Ā½ red onion, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta until tender.
- While the pasta is cooking, mix the remaining ingredients together in a large serving bowl, season with salt and pepper as desired.
- When the pasta is tender, drain and add to the mixture in the serving bowl, toss to combine, serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Tuna.
Easy Fish Pie
Sounds wonderful, on my to cook list! This is very rewritten to make this user friendly. This recipe assumes you have hard boiled eggs (chicken or duck), and mashed potatoes already prepared.
Equipment
- Pie Dish (9 inch) , or 7 x 11 inch baking pan.
- Oven
Ingredients
- 400 grams whitefish fillets, boneless, skinless, (14 oz)
- 400 grams salmon fillets, boneless, skinless, 14 oz)
- 200 grams shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, (7 oz)
- 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
- 2Ā½ cups milk
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 4 cloves, not the garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- Ā½ cup butter
- Ā½ cup all purpose flour, pinch less
- pinch ground nutmeg, small pinch
- 1 kilo mashed potatoes, (2 lb)
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180Ā° C (350Ā° F). Get out a deep dish Pyrex pie dish or a 7x11 baking dish, I will verify when I make this.
- To poach the fish, heat a non stick pan and add the milk, onion, bay leaves, and cloves. Heat to just before a boil, add the fish and simmer until the fish is cooked through and flakes with a fork, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the fish to a plate, strain the milk mixture and pour into a bowl, discard the contents of the strainer.
- Flake the fish into large pieces into the baking dish, Add the shrimp and arrange the quartered eggs on the top. Sprinkle the parsley on the top.
- To make the sauce, melt half of the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then remove from heat. Stir in the reserved milk to get a smooth sauce. Return the pot to heat and bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Pour the sauce over the fish. Top the pie with mashed potatoes, push the mash right up to the edges to seal, fluff the top with a fork then sprinkle on the cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes then let rest for 5 minutes, serve.
Notes
Figure about 50 Baht for the whitefish, Pangasius, and about 200 Baht for salmon. For the cheese, figure about 90 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about $2.50 per serving.
Fish with Lemon, Butter & Caper Sauce
This is a delicious fish dish! I used Pangasius for this, use any whitefish you prefer.
Ingredients
- 3-4 whitefish fillets, boneless, skinless
- 1/4 cup tempura flour, or as needed
- lemon pepper, as desired
- 1/4 cup butter, divided, (1/2 stick)
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Three fillets rinsed and cut in half.
- In a shallow dish mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the fillets in flour and shake off the excess. Starting to coat the fillets in this photo.
- Melt half the butter in a large non stick pan on medium high heat. Cook the fillets in batches, to your liking.
- Just brown, flip, brown the other side, remove to a serving plate, cover to keep warm.
- When the fillets are all done, same hot pan, add the remaining butter, lemon or lime juice, zest, capers, and parsley. Stir and heat for one minute. I was snap happy with the camera and took this photo before adding the capers.
- Place 1-2 fillets on each serving plate, spoon sauce over the fish, serve with sides of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
I use Pangasius fillets for, 3 fillets was just under a 1 kilo so I will go with the 1 kilo rate of 123 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about 90 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. In place of whitefish fillets, this would be good on salmon or tuna. 2. In place of the capers use fresh chopped dill.
Adapted from an internet recipe.Ā
Whitefish Poached in Court Bouillon
Now the name, Court Bouillon sounds very upscale, as a good friend explains it, "court bouillon is 'an aromatic liquid in which meat, fish, and various vegetables are cooked,' in other words, fancy salted water!" This is excellent fish and is actually a 2 for 1 dish, the fish, and the potatoes for a side. I made this on 6 Feb 2018, excellent.
Ingredients
For the Poached Fish
- 1 kilo whitefish fillets, boneless, skinless, (2 lbs)
- 8 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- lemon or lime slices, for garnish if desired
For the Potato Side Dish
- 500 grams potatoes, cut into 1 to 1Ā½ inch pieces, (1 lb)
- pinch saffron threads, if desired, 5-6 threads
Instructions
- Cut your fish fillets in half to make more manageable sizes, this makes them so much easier to lift out of the water after they are poached. Good fillets would be Pangasius and Barramundi.
- In a large pot, add the water, salt, garlic, bay leaves, and olive oil. Bring to a boil and hold for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors.
- Place the fillets in the boiling water and return to a boil for about 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through. Use a slotted spatula to remove the fish to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Let the fish rest for about 5 minutes before serving, or go ahead and make the optional potatoes.
For the Potatoes
- Bring the water to a boil that was used to cook the fish, add just a pinch, and I mean a small pinch, most expensive spice in the world no less, of saffron in the pot. Saffron is for the color and just a hint of flavor. If no saffron, add an even smaller pinch of turmeric, this is for color mainly and just a smidgen of taste.
- When boiling, add the cubed potatoes, these can be skin on or skin off, up to your preference, into the water. Cook for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes, plate with the fish, serve and enjoy.
Notes
For the fish, go with about 130 Baht/1 kilo of Pangasius fillets. For 4 servings, this is about 96 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. After fish is added to the water, add shrimp, mussel meat, or lump crab.
Fish & Mushroom Chowder
I have been making some chowders and soups lately, and wanted to go in another direction from oysters and potatoes, both available here, but readily available is daikon and whitefish (Pangasius and Barramundi). So here is what I came up with, and it is delicious! Made a large pot and it was cleared out by the family the lives around us as well as some visiting family from another village. For the mushrooms, I need to verify the amounts, it was 1 package each.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, white or purple, diced
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat
- 1 large daikon, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- 1-2 bunches fresh coriander, choppped
- 4 Pangasius fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 Barramundi fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups mushroom stock, or vegetable stock
- 2 cans evaporated milk
- 150 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, stem removed, chopped, (5 oz)
- 100 grams fresh Shimeji mushrooms, root end trimmed, chopped, (3Ā½ oz)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium size pot, heat the bacon fat, when hot, add the onion and sautƩ until softened and starting to brown.
- Add the stock, daikon, carrot, spring onion, and coriander, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. As that is simmering cut up the fish and add that, then add the evaporated milk, then chop up the mushrooms and add those.
- Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes to cook the fish and mushrooms.
- Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
Notes
For the fish, just figuring all Pangasius (6-8 fillets) figure about 200 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
