Mahi Mahi with Jalapeno Ponzu

Vocab lesson of the day--

Ponzu: a citrus and soy based sauce used in Japanese cooking.

My interpretation--

Ponzu: an orange salty thin sauce that makes fish (in this case, mahi mahi) extra delicious regardless of your ethnicity. I picked up some mahi mahi from Trader Joe's during a trip to Indianapolis this fall and have been looking for good recipes to use up my freezer stock. This flavor profile worked perfectly. I spiced it up with some jalapenos. Definitely a quick and easy main course dish. Try it with another hearty fish like salmon or even chicken.

Mahi Mahi with Jalapeno Ponzu (adapted from Cooking Light's The Complete Quick Cook)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
1 4-6 oz mahi mahi fillet
slices of fresh jalapeno pepper

Directions:
Whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, mirin and lemon juice.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mahi mahi and cook about 4 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Place your fish on a plate and top with jalapeno slices. Spoon the ponzu over the fillet. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Serves 1.

Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce

You know how when you plan a trip to North Carolina in January you expect nice, warm, sunshiny weather?

Yeah... I went to NC this past weekend and experienced a winter storm!?! What in the heck my beloved state? How could you do that to me?

Besides the weather, it really was a nice visit. I got to meet some of my friends' brand new baby girl... she is so adorable and slept beautifully the whole time we were there. I must admit it scares me a little bit to hold someone that little. She just is so precious. :) I got to catch up with another old friend over a meal of good southern fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese topped off with a Duke basketball win. I also went to a wedding for two of my dear friends. I got to see lots of folks from grad school and celebrate the union of two special people. Of course, the cherry on the cake was seeing Scott as always.

Now I'm back into the grind of work. And cooking. Quick and easy, but also healthy, is always a requirement after I've been traveling. I need to shed the layer of grease from fast food but I don't have a lot of extra time since I'm catching up on everything else.

For this, I can always turn to fish. This recipe is done in the blink of an eye and can most likely be prepared with ingredients you already have in your pantry and freezer. Pair it with some steamed broccoli and you are good to go. Feel free to use whatever type of white fish without a lot of inherent flavor-- this week I used tilapia, but it works great with cod and catfish as well. The lemon-dill sauce is basically a homemade tartar sauce that I could eat by the spoonful. It adds some tang and cream to the crisp of the fish.

Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light April 2010)
Ingredients:
For Fish:
1 egg white
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 6-oz skinless white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, catfish or pollock)
salt and pepper

For Lemon-Dill Sauce: 
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp finely diced dill pickle (about 1 small)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh dill

Directions:
Preheat broiler on high. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Lightly beat the egg white in a shallow dish. Combine the panko, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder in another shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of the fish lightly with salt and pepper. Dip each fillet into the egg white and then the panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on the wire rack. Mist the top of the fish with cooking spray. Broil for about 8 minutes, flipping over halfway through, until fish is cooked to your desired doneness.

For the sauce, combine the mayo, pickle, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

Serve the fish topped with the sauce.

Serves 2.

Sandwich Week- Day Three- Blackened Tilapia Tacos

Question: Do tacos count as sandwiches?

Answer: Yes.

If you look up synonyms of "taco" on thesaurus.net then you will get "sandwich". Granted you also see boiled egg, leftovers, pasta, and tomato soup, but we'll skip those options (where do those even come from?). For today's purposes, tacos are just sandwiches south of the border, agreed?

If you are going to make tacos for your sandwich night, it is a requirement to serve them alongside an ice-cold Mexican beer. Required, you hear me? Unless of course you are expecting a little baby in the next 9 months or are under 21 or are a recovering alcoholic, then I do not suggest the consumption of alcoholic beverages. For the rest of you...

Blackened Tilapia Tacos (adapted from Cooking Light March 2011)
Ingredients:
1/8 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro, if that is your thang)
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 banana pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash of salt
dash of ground cumin
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
2 6-oz tilapia fillets, thawed if from frozen
1/2 tbsp canola oil
6 corn tortillas
avocado slices and lime wedges, for serving

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the Greek yogurt, parsley, lime juice and banana pepper until smooth. Mix the sauce with the onion.

Combine the paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic, salt, cumin and CRP in a small bowl. Sprinkle over both sides of the tilapia, rubbing in with your fingers to coat.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add the tilapia, cooking on each side for about 3 minutes, until cooked through.

Heat the tortillas as directed on the package.

Serve the tortillas, topped with the fish, sauce, and avocado slices. Garnish with lime wedges.

Serves 2-3.

Parmesan Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Does anyone else feel like putting a holiday in the middle of the week really screws with your work schedule? I've been feeling like it is a Monday all day and my productivity has not been the best. I've also been dreaming of the pool at my apartment complex and the strawberry daiquiri I made with dinner last night. To tell you the truth, I think this 4th of July was the first one in a long time that I didn't go in to work. As a grad student, you don't really "get holidays"; you kinda just take off time when you need to and spend the rest of your hours in lab. But now that I've moved on to bigger and better things, I figured I could take the day off. :) However, my science may be regretting that... ha ha.

Anyway, here's a quick and easy tilapia (or any other non-strongly flavored white fish like cod or pollock) recipe for a summer evening. The mango salsa is super yummy and could certainly be eaten atop some tortilla chips.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
2 4-oz tilapia fillets, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 egg white, beaten
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 mango, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (more or less to taste)
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

To make the salsa, combine the mango, onion and jalapeno in a small bowl. Drizzle with the honey and the vinegar and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to eat.

Mix the cornmeal and flour in one shallow bowl and the egg white in another. One at a time, dip the tilapia into the egg white and then the cornmeal mixture, patting to adhere. Place the tilapia on the wire rack. Sprinkle 1 tbsp parmesan cheese on top of each fillet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Serve the fish topped with the mango salsa.

Serves 2.