Recipe #84 - Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos w/ Cilantro Aioli and Charred Corn Salsa

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For the Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos:

Heat oil in heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat until smoking.

Meanwhile, mix chili powder, cayenne, sugar and salt with the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge salmon in flour mixture and transfer to hot skillet.

Cook until very brown, then flip. Continue cooking till flesh is just opaque. Set aside to cool.

Once the fish has cooled, tear it into small chunks.

Wipe oil from skillet, and throw in tortillas to warm. Arrange the fish, flanked into chunks, Charred Corn Salsa, and desired toppings on one half of a warmed tortilla and drizzle aioli. Fold in half to serve.

For the Charred Corn Salsa:

Preheat broiler and put oven rack in highest position. Toss corn, tomatoes, onion and jalapeno with olive oil in a zip lock bag. Salt to taste. Shake to combine.

Transfer corn mixture to a shallow baking pan. Broil until tomatoes are soft and corn is charred, 5-8 minutes.

For the Cilantro Aioli: 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Keep chilled until ready to serve (can be made ahead). Top tacos with generous spoonfuls.

Rating: 10
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos:
1 pound of salmon, or other firm-fleshed fish
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Large flour tortillas
Avocado, cilantro, and green onions for topping
Lime wedges
Charred Corn Salsa
Cilantro Aioli

For the Charred Corn Salsa:
1 cup corn kernels (I used frozen)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste

For the Cilantro Aioli:
1/2 cup sour cream
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced

Recipe #27 - Parmesan-Potato-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Tomato-Zucchini "Salsa"

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I had a guest to cook for this time, which was very refreshing. I'm beginning to be able to read my parents' faces like a book whether they like or dislike the recipe. Probably not a good thing, lol.

So, I had the pleasure of meeting and cooking for the talented John Bukaty. He is a family friend of my third cousin, Billy Hodes and much of the Hodes family.  He generously donated a piece of art to my Silent Art Auction and Wine Tasting for St. Jude back in September.

John was headed through Memphis in the process of relocating in New Orleans and needed a place to stay for the night. Luckily for him, I'm on a cooking roll this year :)

Check out his inspiring story and impressive art work at http://johnbukaty.com.  

I found this recipe in the "Food Features" section of the Wednesday edition of The Commercial Appeal. It was titled "Dinner for Two", but, of course, when I cook it's never just a dinner for two. So, naturally, I doubled the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the tomatoes and zucchini out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl and add the garlic, scallion, Italian seasoning and sherry vinegar. (The heat from the vegetables will soften the garlic, scallion and seasoning.) Set aside.

Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees. Combine the Parmesan, potato flakes, thyme and salt and pepper. Press even amounts onto the top side of the halibut filets. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.

Quickly flip each fish fillet, coated side down and cook until golden brown, but not browned. Carefully flip and sear the other side. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Finish cooking in the oven another 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve over the warm salsa.

I paired the fish with my father's last bottle of his homemade chardonnay that he brewed, bottled and donated to the Silent Art Auction & Wine Tasting event. It was bittersweet to watch it go, but muy tasty.

I paired the halibut with Recipe #26 - Snow Covered Green Beans. The lemon juice in the beans complimented the fish very well. This seems like a complicated recipe, but it went very smoothly, especially if you have a everything cut up and portioned before hand.

Bukaty made a comparison between cooking and painting before he left. He said that before starting a painting, like starting a recipe, you have to have all your "tools" laid out. You have to have your "ingredients" portioned out and you have to be able to visualize the end product.

I thought it was an extremely insightful observation. Being an artist and now becoming a cook, I was able to relate on both levels.

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating: 7
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
For the salsa:
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or to taste

For the fish:
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 (6 to 8-oz.) halibut fillets, skinned

Recipe #18 - French-Style Tuna Melt

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This recipe I got from the Rachel Ray website. I watched the video online before I went grocery shopping. I liked the way she grated the garlic into mush instead of mincing it with a knife. It was much easier and, like she said, it saves you from having to bite into chunks of garlic. I like the bursts of garlic in some recipes, but I could see where it could be distracting in this one in particular.

First, I pre-heated the oven to 375F. Then combined the onion and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. 

In the same bowl, I stirred together the tomato paste, garlic, Herbes de Provence, pepper, and EVOO. Then I added the tuna, olives, capers, parsley and mixed to combine and broke up the tuna slightly. 

Side note: Herbes de Provence is a new spice I just learned about. It contains a bunch of different spices including: savory, fennel, basil, thyme flowers and other herbs. Supremely yummy. 

Then I divided the tuna mixture between the two slices of bread, transferred to a baking sheet and topped with cheese. Then I toasted them in the oven for about 10 minutes (or until the cheese is melted and the tuna heated through).

I made this one on the first Friday of lent this year. I absolutely loved it. It was light and fresh, great for a midday meal. This was the first time I've use or even had brioche bread. Bread very rarely surprises me, but I was taken aback by the sweetness of this one. It reminded me a lot of the Hawaiian bread that I usually serve with spinach dip. I much prefer the taste of brioche now. 

Time: 45 mins
Rating: 7
Ingredients:
1/2 red small onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Freshly ground pepper
1.4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 can line-caught or Italian tuna (6 ounces)
1/2 cup Nicoise (oil-cured) or Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped, a small handful
2 slices thick-cut brioche bread
1/2 cup Gruyere cheeses, shredded

Recipe #17 - Red Snapper with Raw Puttanesca Salsa

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The original name of this recipe was Halibut with Raw Puttanesca Salsa, but halibut is not in season at the moment. I had to choose between red snapper and flounder. The red snapper was slightly more pricey ($22/pound) but I wanted to try it.

Preheat grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high to high heat.

The recipe said to make the salsa while this fish cooks, but it took a little longer than I expected and the fish cooks pretty quickly. So my recommendation is to make the salsa first.

In the bottom of a medium bowl, combine anchovy paste, grated garlic, red pepper flakes, zest and lemon juice and whisk in 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add capers, olives, parsley and tomatoes. Toss and season with black pepper, to taste.

Raw Puttanesca Salsa

Coat the fish in extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook fish for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until firm, cooked through and evenly marked. Char bread on the grill 1 minute on each side.

Red Snapper

Serve bread topped with lots of salsa and fish. I also paired it with a Knoxville wine from Blue Slip Winery called Pot Blanc. It was my favorite wine from the Silent Art Auction & Wine Tasting event I hosted for St. Jude back in September.

Sides: Pot Blanc Wine and Charred Rye Bread

The idea behind the wine was instead of throwing out all the extra different white grapes at the end of the season, the lady threw them all in to a pot and made this spectacular semi-dry wine with the perfect amount of sweetness that complemented the red snapper flawlessly.

Wa-la!

I also made the mashed red potatoes from Recipe #15 as a side.

Time: ~1 hour

Rating: 8

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets

Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus 1/4 cup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 (1-inch) thick slices crusty bread

1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste

2 to 3 cloves garlic, grated

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons capers, run your knife through them

1/2 cup pitted black olives, chopped

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or cherry tomatoes, quartered