Salmon Patties

 When I was growing up my mom would often make mackerel patties, using very strongly fishy canned mackerel.   Later, on she began to use canned salmon for these patties, and this was a huge improvement.  I must confess, that I am not the biggest fan of these, but on rare occasions they do taste good, more as a nostalgic thing, than as a major culinary delight.   They are also a very good way to use leftover salmon that had been cooked for another purpose.    Another reason I don't make them often, is they do tend to make your house smell fishy for a while, so when I do cook them, I tend to cook them on my patio.    So here is my recipe!

1 15-oz can pink salmon, bones and skin removed or about 2 cups leftover cooked salmon or other fish, skin and bones removed

1 egg, or two if needed to hold the mixture together

1/4 cup,  onion finely chopped

25 saltine crackers crushed

any other seasoning as desired (chopped parsley, dried dill, garlic powder, paprika, celery salt, etc)

  3-4 tablespoons oil

Open the can of salmon and drain really well. You can remove the skin and bones if you like. In a bowl mix the salmon, egg, onion, and cracker crumbs, as well as any other seasoning you might like. Be sure you mix really well, you can add a second egg if you need too. The finer the mixture the less likely your patties will fall apart when cooking. Form 6 patties. In a frying pan, heat the oil. On medium heat, fry the patties 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Adding more oil as needed.

Broiled Fish with Peppers and Onions

2 pounds of thick fish filets, cut into serving size pieces (I used fresh cod)

Preheat the broiler to 500-550 degrees.   Place the fish pieces in a 9X13 cake pan, spray or brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with seasoning of your choice.   I use a homemade mixture of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt and black pepper.   Barely cover the bottom of the pan with water and place under the broiler.  Broil about 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily.


 Serve over the fried onions and peppers.

1 medium size pepper each, red, green and yellow  (any color you happen to have is good, the different colors are just prettier)
1 large onion, peeled and sliced

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet, then add the onions and peppers.   Stirring frequently cook until wilted, tender and lightly browned.   Keep warm until the fish is cooked.   Place the fried peppers and onions on a serving plate, then top with the broiled fish.   Serve with lemon wedges on the side and a sprinkle of chopped parsley  on top of the fish.  

Panko Crusted Swai Fillets (Fried Fish)

I have been seeing a new fish at the grocery store, called swai   I tried some this weekend and it was really tasty.  It is a firm white fleshed fish, very mild and very tasty.   I can highly recommend it.  Usually, I just lightly flour my fish fillets and then brown quickly in butter.   This time I decided to do something a bit differently.   I beat together 1 egg and about 1/2 cup buttermilk (plain milk would work too) with about a tablespoon of hot sauce and 1/4 tsp. of Mrs. Dash.   I dipped the fish pieces in the egg/milk mixture, then dipped the fish into a plate of panko bread crumbs.   I pressed the crumbs firmly onto the fish.  Meanwhile, I had a 12 inch non-stick skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil heating.   When the skillet was nice and hot, I added the breaded fish fillets.   Allow to cook until golden brown, then gently turn over and brown on the other side.   By the time both sides are well browned, the fish should be done and flake easily.   Serve with a wedge of lemon or some tartar sauce.    To vary the taste a bit, add some good quality grated Parmesan cheese to the panko bread crumbs and about 1/2 tsp. Italian herbs to the egg mixture.   Enjoy!

Pan-broiled Tuna Steak and non-stick frying pans

I love a good tuna steak.   I am happy when I see it on a restaurant menu, especially if it is a place where I know it will be well cooked.   I rarely find a nice looking tuna steak at the local grocery store, but when I do, I will treat myself to one.   I cook it very simply and and quickly. 

Heat a heavy, non-stick frying pan, large enough that your tuna steaks won't be too crowded.    For my two steaks tonight I used a 10 inch frying pan.   When the pan is hot, add a small splash of good quality olive oil, just enough to make a light film on the pan.   While the pan is heating, lightly rub the tuna steaks on both sides with some spicy Mrs. Dash seasoning.   Place the tuna steaks in the heated frying pan and sear a nice dark brown on each side.    When both sides are well seared, remove from heat, pour the juice of one or two limes over the tuna steaks and cover.   Allow to sit covered about 5 minutes.   The tuna steaks should flake and be slightly pink in the middle.   Serve with additional lime wedges for those who like more lime flavor.   Enjoy!

A quick word about non-stick frying pans.    There are lots of non-stick pans on the market, from very cheap to very expensive.  I've tried some of each and have come to the conclusion that the very best non-stick pan that I've come across is the T-Fal Professional Total Non-Stick Frying Pan.   Amazon carries it, as well as several other stores (Kohls carries them too).   They come in three sizes, 12.5", 10" and 8".   I have one of each.   They are dishwasher safe and very heavy.   I highly recommend them.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

2-3 cups, cooked, diced chicken
1-1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup butter or oil
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1- 1 1/2 cups milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste (or some Mrs. Dash)
3- 3 1/2 cups grated cheddar, I prefer sharp
half of a 12 oz. bag of wide egg noodles

Heat a large pot of water until boiling.   Add the noodles and cook until tender.   Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in large dutch oven, heat the butter or oil and add the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms.   Saute until lightly browned and tender.   Sprinkle the flour on top of the cooked vegetables and stir well.   Cook for a few minutes, then stir in the chicken broth, stirring until thickened and smooth.   Stir in the milk, starting with about 1 cup and cook until it is like a thick gravy, adding more milk to get the right consistency.    Stir in one cup of the grated cheddar cheese and stir until incorporated into the sauce.   Add the chicken, the noodles and season to taste.   Spoon into a nice baking dish and cover with the remaining grated cheese.   Bake at 350 degrees about 30-45 minutes.   It should be bubbling and the cheese melted.   If you like, you can brown it just a little bit.   Cool slightly before serving.

Options:   replace the chicken with about 2 cups drained chunk light tuna.   Everything else is the same.

If you want to make a vegetarian casserole, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth.   Then stir in a couple cups lightly cooked vegetables to your taste.

Baked fish with roasted potatoes and onions

My friend Aaron doesn't cook, but decided it was time to learn how to make at least a few simple meals. So he asked if I'd give him some lessons. So far he has mastered breaded chicken cutlets and mashed potatoes. He recently asked if I'd teach him how to make baked fish fillets and roasted potato wedges. Tonight was the night we did it! The meal turned out perfect and I gave my student an A+! Here is how we did it.

Roasted potatoes and onions:

1 baking potato for each person, scrubbed and cut into quarters the long way
1 medium red onion for every two people, peeled and quartered

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take a baking dish large enough to hold the potato and onion quarters in a single layer and grease with olive oil or butter or cooking spray. Place the potato and onion quarters on the baking dish and either brush with your butter or olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle whatever kind of seasoning you happen to like (garlic powder, Italian herbs, favorite spice mixes, etc. I used some Mrs. Dash) and place in the oven. Roast about 20 minutes, then turn the wedges over and continue roasting another 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and nicely browned.

Baked Fish:

4 white fish fillets, I like tilapia, about 1 1/2-2 pounds

Place the fillets on a greased baking sheet with edges. Brush the tops of the fillets with milk, sprinkle some seasoning lightly on that (I used Mrs. Dash again) and sprinkle a couple tablespoons of dry bread crumbs on top. Either dribble some oil or melted butter over the crumbs or spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees if using a gas oven and to broil if using an electric. Cook the fish approximately 10 minutes or until it flakes. If using a gas oven you can then run the fish under the broiler for no more than a minute to crisp the top a bit. Serve immediately. Lime or lemon slices on the side is quite nice. This amount of fish will serve 4 people.

With a salad or some steamed vegetables, this fish and roasted potatoes makes a very quick, light and healthy meal. Aaron loved it!