Whole Foods had a big sale on wild sole last week, which inspired me to think of an easy way to eat a lot of the delicious fish.  I happened to have a lot of fennel in the fridge, and so I experimented with cooking the sole and fennel together — and discovered our new favorite way to cook sole!  The fennel and lemon pair perfectly with the fish.  Baking the fennel brings out a lot of the vegetable’s flavor and sweetness, and the lemon and garlic add a nice zesty quality to the dish.  The sole is so moist and flavorful!  This dish should typically serve about 4 people, especially when accompanied with another side vegetable, but, truth be told, it was so light and delicious we ate the whole thing when I made it last night!  This recipe will be a nice addition to my work-week dinner roster, as it is so simple to make and healthful, too!

BAKED SOLE WITH FENNEL+LEMON

• 2 lbs. wild sole
• 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 large fennel, cored and thinly sliced (also, keep some of the green fennel tops and chop finely)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Wash and pat dry the sole filets.  In a baking pan, lay out the sole.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Lay out the garlic and lemon slices over the sole.  In a bowl, toss the fennel in a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cover the sole with the fennel.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Finally, broil for about 7 minutes to lightly brown the fennel.  Serve and Enjoy!

Lay out the sole in a pan, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Lay out the garlic and lemon slices.

Cover the sole with fennel slices, which have been tossed in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Out of the oven!

So flavorful and delicious!

Filed under: Mains, Seafood, Simple Dishes Tagged: fish, seafood, Simple Dishes ]]> http://eatlivepaleo.com/2013/03/17/simple-dishes-baked-sole-wfennellemon/feed/ 2 nycmangosteen fennel sole - plated fennel sole - sole in pan fennel sole - add garlic and lemon fennel sole - cover sole with fennel fennel sole - out of oven fennel sole - up close http://eatlivepaleo.com/2013/02/10/simple-dishes-pan-seared-wild-sockeye-salmon/ http://eatlivepaleo.com/2013/02/10/simple-dishes-pan-seared-wild-sockeye-salmon/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:40:08 +0000 tomoko http://eatlivepaleo.com/?p=1382 ]]>

Sometimes, we just feel like eating a nice big piece of fish for dinner.  Wild sockeye salmon is one of our favorite weekday fish, because it is so quick and easy to cook.  It takes less then 10 minutes to pan-sear sockeye salmon filets to crispy-skin perfection.   Sockeye salmon is firmer than your regular salmon, with deep, orange-red color and rich, full, salmon-y flavor.  It is leaner than King Salmon, and less expensive.  I think sockeye salmon is best cooked simply — just make sure to not over cook it, as it will dry out.  Since David and I try to avoid eating farmed salmon as well as salmon with “added color” (usually goes hand in hand), sockeye salmon has become our favorite salmon variety to cook at home (along with coho salmon, which, when in season, is also delicious).  Currently, sockeye salmon found in super markets tend to be “previously frozen” (i.e. not in peak season), but we think they still taste delicious!

Here’s how I pan sear my sockeye salmon filets:

Bring the salmon filets to room temperature.  Generously salt and pepper both sides of the salmon filets.

In a non-stick pan, drizzle some olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  Place the salmon filets in the pan, skin-side down.  Cook for 5 minutes.

Flip the filets, and cook for another 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat, but keep the salmon in the pan for another 1 minute.   Take the filets out of the pan and onto a plate.  Let them rest for a few minutes, then serve with a lemon wedge (optional).  The filets will be medium-rare.  Happy eating good Omega-3 fatty acids!

Every so often, I see local, wild-caught sole on sale at Whole Foods.  Sole can be tricky to cook, because it can be rather bland without frying or adding a lot of fat.  This Sole “Pie” is a neat and delicious way to eat sole baked — basically, it’s Asian-style eggplant caponata sandwiched between two layers of sole.  Chinese eggplants work best for this dish, because their skin is thin and cook quite easily without having to sweat the eggplants beforehand.

Here’s how:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs. wild-caught sole filets
• 2 Chinese eggplants, chopped into about 1/2 in. pieces
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, deseeded and minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup shiitake, sliced thinly
• 2 scallion stalks, chopped
• 2 tbsp gluten-free organic soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Heat the pan with some olive oil on medium-high heat.  Cook the garlic, shallots, onions, and jalapeño until tender.

Add the Chinese eggplants.  Salt to sweat, and cook until tender, stirring frequently.

Once the eggplants are tender, add the mushrooms.  Finally, when everything is cooked and tender, add the soy sauce, mirin, and scallions, and stir well.  Set side.

Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of a large baking dish.  Layer sole filets to cover the bottom of the dish.

On top of the sole filets, layer the vegetable mixture:

Layer the rest of the sole filets over the vegetable.  Drizzle with a little bit of oil, season lightly with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Take the dish out of the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.

Cut and serve like you would a square pie (or a lasagna).  I sliced tomatoes from our garden, and served it with a simple green salad.  Here’s what the Sole “Pie” looks from the side:

One thing to note: sole is so light cooked this way, you can eat a surprising amount of it!  Usually, we have none left at the end of dinner.

For my post-workout lunch, I like to make a Mediterranean-style tuna salad.  I use a 5 oz. can of wild albacore tuna packed in water.  The salad is very much the same as the sockeye salmon salad I make for David, but instead of mayonnaise I use a drizzle of olive oil.

To make the salad: drain the can, and put the tuna in a glass bowl.  Add: about a half handful of capers, a stalk of scallion, finely chopped, juice of half lemon, and a drizzle of good quality, organic olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well, and serve over salad greens… or eat with some sliced avocados and cucumbers, as I did for lunch today.

Sunday is our big workout day.  And for our post-workout lunch we’ve recently taken to eating canned fish.  David likes red sockeye salmon with bone and skin included, while I opt for wild albacore tuna, which is lighter.

For David’s sockeye salmon salad, I use a 7.5 oz can of wild caught Alaskan red sockeye salmon (Whole Foods brand).

To make the salad: Drain the can, and put salmon in a glass bowl.  With a fork, mix the salmon well, making sure that the bones and skin are blended into the meat (basically, mush well).

Add: a half handful of capers, one scallion stalk, finely chopped, a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and the juice of 1/2 lemon.

Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with salad greens, or for extra protein — as in David’s case — some sliced avocado and cucumbers.

The salad is simple, delicious, and a great way to get a boost of protein as well as calcium and good fats!

Last night for dinner,  I seared local swordfish filets and made a simple, fennel/olive salad as an accompaniment.  Easy, breezy, tasty!

The swordfish was on sale at Whole Foods, labeled “local” and also “green” (as in, environmentally-friendly).   Both good labels, and a bargain at $14.99/lb (as swordfish goes)!  I bought 1.5 lbs worth of swordfish (my husband requires a lot of protein), and marinated it in a mixture of:

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 jalapeño, finely minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup organic olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

I let the swordfish marinate for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile — I made a simple fennel/olive salad, which David loves.  The salad goes well with meaty fish as well as, I think, pork.  The aroma of the fennel pairs nicely with swordfish, and the fresh crunch gives the dish a lovely texture.

For the salad: thinly slice 2 fennel bulbs (cut the bulb half, then thinly slice the halves).  Put the fennel in a bowl, and add: zest and juice of one lemon, a handful of pitted kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped, a drizzle of olive, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss well.

Sear the swordfish steaks about 7 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness) — ours was about 1 1/4 inches.

Serve the fish with the salad.  Enjoy!

Continuing our commitment to eating more fish, I recently purchased these lovely, wild albacore tuna steaks.

Not as expensive as your regular yellowfin tuna steaks, I almost prefer albacore tuna because I find them more tender and flavorful.  I marinated the tuna steaks for about 30 minutes before cooking.

MARINADE

• 3 cloves of garlic, grated (using a microplane)
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/8 cup organic olive oil
• Salt and pepper (as desired)

Mix the above ingredients together to make the marinade.  Gently coat the tuna steaks with the marinade; cover and marinate for about 30 minutes.

In a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, sear the tuna steaks for about 3 minutes on each side, for medium rare (timing will depend on how think the steaks are).

Bon Appétit!

…And so, now that we’re home, in addition to not drinking wine and getting back to the gym (slowly), I’m trying to cook more fish, to have more “lighter” protein-rich meals between our beloved steaks, burgers, roasts and more hearty, meaty fares.  There are some wonderful fresh, wild fish available now — and what’s useful is that fish is so easy and fast to cook!  Perfect during the work week, since I don’t get home until about 8pm.  I am determined to drop the weight gained on the road, without feeling deprived.

Wild striped bass is delicious, and recently has become one of our favorite go-to seared fish.  I simply salt and pepper both sides of the filets, and then cook them in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of olive oil on medium high heat.  Cook the filets skin-side down, first, for about 7 minutes, until the skin is crispy.  Turn the filets, and cook the other side for another 6 minutes.  That’s it — so simple!  The meat is fresh, tender, and slightly firm.  I served  it with some sauteed spinach and jalapeño/gluten-free soy kelp noodle stir fry (about which I will blog shortly).

And now I have to get back to the habit of going to the gym… (sigh).

Fresh Direct recently had fresh, wild rock shrimps on sale, so, naturally, I bought a pound of it.  Inspired by Maine lobster rolls, I used the rock shrimps to make a simple salad last weekend — the result was a delicious, lovely salad lunch!

The rock shrimp arrived cleaned -- makes my life easier!

For the salad, I finely chopped about a stalk and a half of celery, and half a red onion.

After rinsing and pat-drying the shrimp, I cooked them in a drizzle of olive oil.  Rock shrimp cook quickly — I kept stirring the shrimp, and cooked them for about 4 minutes.

When cooked, I put the shrimps in a large glass bowl, and then mixed in the chopped celery and red onion.

To season, I added about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise (I like Spectrum Organic Mayonnaise with Olive Oil), 1/4 cup of organic mustard, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, juice of 1/2 lemon, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a hit of cayenne pepper.  It’s good to taste and adjust the flavor as necessary.

Mix well, and lay atop a bowl of salad — no dressing necessary!  I had a box of pre-washed salad on hand.  My favorite go-to box of salad is Earthbound Farm Organic Herb Blend, which is a great mix salad that contains dill — perfect companion for the wild rock shrimps!

Fresh, wild cod is delicious, and even better when they are local catch.  My favorite new way to cook cod is to season the filets, lightly dust them with coconut flour, and pan-frying them.  So simple!  The coconut flour gives the cod a lovely light, crispy coat, and also adds a hint of sweetness.  Served with a lemon wedge and perhaps a mixed salad, this cod preparation makes for an easy and light fish dinner.

Here’s how I cooked our cod filets:

Season the cod filets with salt, pepper, and a light sprinkling of garlic powder.  Then, very lightly coat the filets with organic coconut flour.

In a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, melt about a table spoon of ghee.  Lay down the filets and give the pan a shake, to make sure that the melted ghee coats the pan evenly.  Cook the first side for about 6 minutes.  Drizzle some olive oil on the non-cooked side (to make sure that the fish doesn’t dry out when you flip it onto the other side).

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with a lemon wedge, perhaps a simple mixed salad.  Delicious and light!