Salmon Croquettes

 

I was born in a beach town, and then later moved to Portugal where the ocean was always just a few minutes away.  That meant that the availability of fresh fish, was something we just took for granted.

Fish and seafood have always been something I love but don't eat much of, primarily because I prefer fresh to frozen, but also because I find it so expensive at the grocery stores.

When I lived in South Africa, we had a few fresh fish markets that we would always go buy from.  Anything from cod to mussels, crab and huge prawns, clams, calamari, you name it, we had it, so not having that anymore is quite sad at times.  I miss it, and so once in a while that craving comes in and I try to answer the best way I can.

 

This past grocery trip, I picked up some Salmon.  It's not something I buy ever, I find it extremely expensive and for a family of four, it just isn't enough unless I really splurge.  But I found a small package for $7, it only had 4 small pieces in there.  Clearly not enough to make it a main part of the meal, so I opted to make it stretch and turned it into some Salmon croquettes instead.

It was so good, so so good.  My 18 year old devoured them and asked if we can have them again soon.  We will see son, we will see.

Anyway, here is the recipe, hope you enjoy it.

Salmon Croquettes

Ingredients 

1/4 cup diced onion

1 pound fresh salmon, skin removed and diced

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup of bread crumbs

Minced garlic, to taste

1 teaspoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 

Parsley and Cilantro, to taste

 

 

Directions

 

In a small skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and fry the onion until translucent.  Transfer to a big bowl.  To the onion, add the salmon, salt and pepper to taste, mayonnaise, bread crumbs, garlic, mustard and old bay seasoning  and parsley and cilantro.

Mix well, then form into small croquettes.

In a small bowl, add some breadcrumbs, then roll each croquette in the crumbs and set on a tray.  Repeat with remaining croquettes.  Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

When time is up, remove from fridge, and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.  Serve immediately!

Pickled Fish or Curried Fish

Now here's a recipe that you may not have tried before or even heard of.  To be honest, I didn't really try it until this past Easter, when my sister in law mentioned the pickled fish that her mom Valerie, would make for Easter every year.

It is pretty much a tradition for them in South Africa.

Having lived in that country for bout 15 years when I was growing up, I do remember seeing it and hearing about it, but I just never got around to eating it.  I wish I had, because I am absolutely in love with it.

The recipe comes from Auntie Valerie, and although there are measurements, she is used to making it all by eyeballing, pretty much like I cook my meals.  But, I'm giving you the recipe as she has given us and I promise you, if you love pickled anything, or curry flavors, you will fall in love with it too.

I'm giving you the recipe for the pickled mixture, not the fish itself.  You can fry up some battered fish, about a pound for this recipe.  Or you can even use the ready bagged breaded or battered fish fillets.  Just bake them in the oven according to directions and then place in a casserole dish and pour the pickled sauce over.

Pickled or Curried Fish

Source:  Auntie Valerie

1 big onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
Butter
2 teaspoons masala
10 pepper corns
6 cloves
6 bay leave
3 curry leaves (you can leave out if you don't have)
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Half a cup of vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 heaped tablespoon of curry powder
2 tablespoons of chutney (very important, do NOT leave out)


Braise Onions and green pepper in butter with the masala, pepper corns, cloves, bay leaves, curry leaves thin straps of green pepper.

Add apricot jam, vinegar, sugar, curry powder and chutney.  Simmer for a few minutes until onion and green pepper are tender.  Check spices, if it is too sweet for your liking, add a bit more vinegar.

Pour over fried fish and refrigerate for at least a day.

It tastes better as it sits and soaks in all that goodness.  We eat ours cold.  You can serve it with potatoes, or rice, enjoy as a snack or even as a sandwich (one of my favorite ways to eat it).

Enjoy!!!  

Tonight's dinner was a simple one.   It's payday, I have yet to get my menus written up and the grocery list done so I turned to my freezer for help.



I had a 2 lb package of Tilapia Filets which I hadn't used yet, so out they came, thawed they were, and then thrown placed into the broiler with this delicious topping.

The recipe is one that I found a while ago on All Recipes.  I wanted something different to make with the fish aside from my usual way of preparing them.  These came out great and I think they'll be made many more times as it got the approval from the family, even the picky 12 year old that doesn't really care for fish or seafood.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.



Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan.



Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side.

Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Fish Shepherd's Pie!

I'm pretty lucky in where my children love fish so this is one of those comforting meals that I make once in a while, I adapt it and change it out by adding in carrots or corn or green beans or whatever. 

It's always a different veggie that goes in, today I used peas. 

 

 FISH SHEPHERD'S PIE 

 

1 lb flounder, cooked 

Mashed potatoes ( I used 6 medium potatoes) 

olive oil 

garlic powder 

onion flakes 

salt and pepper 

paprika 

cream 

1 cup peas 

1 beaten egg and a little bit of milk 

 

 Cook the fish, then shred making sure you get any bones out. I still tell the kids to be careful when they're eating in case one of the tiny little bones got away. 

 

 

 

 In a skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, the fish,garlic, onion, salt and pepper, paprika and the peas. 

 

 

 

Cook over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes. 

 

  

 

Add the cream (I just eyeball, I think I used about a cup). Continue cooking for a minute or so more until it is heated through. 

 

 

 

 If you see that it's too watery, add a sprinkle or so of cornstarch and using a wire whisk beat well until combined and thickened. In an oven proof dish, layer half of the mashed potatoes, the fish mixture and the remaining mashed potatoes. 

 

 

 

Beat an egg with a little bit of milk and then pour over the potatoes. 

 

 

 

Using a spoon, spread it out evenly to cover the top. Bake in a 400º oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

Arroz de Peixe - Fish Rice

I'm pretty lucky that my kids love fish, we don't eat it as often as I would like because I really don't like the frozen kind and being here in Arizona, it's not like we have readily available fresh fish. For this meal though, frozen flounder or any other kind of fish works just fine. 

 

 Arroz de Peixe - Fish Rice

1 lb. frozen flounder, thawed and cut into bite size chunks 

1 medium tomato, chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

olive oil 

2 garlic cloves, chopped 

salt and pepper 

paprika 

1 bay leaf 

1 can of corn 

3 cups of water 

1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice 

 

 

In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, onions and tomatoes, garlic and seasonings....cook for a minute or two until the onions are tender.

Add the fish and mix well. 

 

 Add the can of corn and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add 3 cups of water and the rice.

 

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through. You may need to add a little more water so it doesn't stick, just keep an eye on it. Remove the bay leaf and serve.