Spanish Salt Cod Fritters with Spicy Tomato Sauce
4 ounces salt cod
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced Spanish onion
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
3 eggs
Spicy Tomato Sauce
Directions
Place the salt cod in a bowl, cover with cold water, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, changing the water often. Press all of the excess water out of the salt cod and finely chop.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped cod and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Drain any excess liquid and discard liquid. Place cod-onion mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed 2 1/2-quart saucepan, combine the water, remaining 1/4 cup butter, salt, and the cayenne. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour, all at once, to the pan and quickly stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour into the liquid. Return the pan to the stove, and over a medium-low heat, continue to cook and stir the dough over the fire. Do this until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from the heat and cool dough to 140 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
Put the vegetable oil into a heavy stockpot or deep fryer to a depth of 3 inches and heat oil to 360 degrees F.
To the dough mixture add 1 egg and beat well with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Continue adding the remaining eggs, 1 at a time, waiting until each egg is incorporated before adding the next egg. Stir the cod mixture into the dough. This panade is the basis for the fritters
Spoon tablespoon-sized balls of dough into the preheated oil. Fry until cooked through and golden brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, remove fritters from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Season generously with seasoned salt and pepper.
Serve hot with Spicy Tomato Sauce.
Spicy Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onions
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, and black pepper and saute until the onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the basil and oregano the last 5 minutes of simmering.
Remove from the heat, remove and discard the bay leaf, and pulse the mixture in a food processor or blender until pureed but still slightly chunky. Serve immediately or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Sea bass with pesto, zucchini and carrots cooked en papillote
Cooking en papillote (in a pocket) is an easy and quick way to make delicious fish dishes. Normally these are made with parchment paper, but the use of aluminum foil is an easy and always-available alternative to the parchment paper traditionally used. Cooking with parchment is also quite easy, but often it is not part of our kitchen “toolkit”. As the fish and vegetables bake in their packets, they render a delicious broth that is then poured over the fish at serving time. For the bariatric patient, the 8 oz portion size would likely be too much, however this fish makes a superb leftover meal when served the next day, flaked cold in a salad. Or simply buy smaller portions of fish.
Ingredients
4 sea bass fillets, about 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds in all)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 cup pesto, homemade is preferable (recipe follows)
1 zucchini, grated
3 carrots, grated
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Directions
Make four 12-inch squares of aluminum foil
Place on a work surface and brush lightly with cooking oil
Put a fish fillet in the center of each square of foil.
Sprinkle the fillets with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
Spread the fish with the pesto.
Cover the pesto with the carrots and top with the zucchini.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Gather the foil around the fish and drizzle the fish with the oil and wine.
Fold the edges of the foil to make a sealed package.
And place on a baking sheet
Bake the fish until just done, about 10-12 minutes.
Open the foil packages and transfer the fillets with their vegetable topping to warm plates.
Pour the juices over the top.
You can use other small, flat, white fish fillets, with or without the skin, such as red snapper, pompano, or striped bass. A four ounce fish fillet will give you about 22 grams of protein and about 200 calories.
Pesto
To make pesto at home is very easy. It requires a blender, a good bunch of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and grated Parmesano-Reggiano cheese.
Put two cups of fresh basil leaves in a blender
Add 2 cloves of fresh peeled garlic
Add about ½ cup of olive oil and start the blender and puree the mixture
Add the pine nuts as the blender is going
Continue to stream the olive oil in slowly, you will probably use about a cup of a bit more
Add a bit of salt
At the last moment, add about ½ cup of grated Parmesano-Reggiano. It’s done.
If you wish to freeze some, do not add the cheese until you defrost the sauce. Freeze the sauce in small amounts (1/4 cup) in air-tight containers or plastic bags.
Moroccan Grilled Salmon
Tangy plain yogurt mixed with the classic ingredients for chermoula—a Moroccan spice mix—serves as both the marinade and the sauce in this salmon dish. If you like your food on the spicy side, add a pinch of cayenne to the mixture.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 2 portions
2 lemon wedges
Tip: To skin a salmon fillet: Place a fish fillet on a clean cutting board, skin side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long, sharp knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding the skin down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.
Directions
Combine yogurt, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce; cover and refrigerate. Place salmon in a medium sealable plastic bag. Pour in the remaining yogurt mixture, seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 10 (or up to 30) minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high.
Oil the grill rack. Remove the salmon from the marinade, blotting any excess. Grill the salmon until it is browned and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Top the salmon with the reserved sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.
Grouper Poached in Olive Oil With Grape Leaves
This dish is served with rice cakes and is certainly of Mediterranean origin. Serves 2. Grape leaves can be fun. Use them for dolmas and other Greek dishes.
Ingredients:
2 grouper fillets (4-6 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
Jar of preserved grape vine leaves
Chives, left long and blanched for 1 minute in boiling water
Olive oil enough to cover the fish bundles
Rice Cakes
1 cup of cold cooked rice (preferably Arborio)
1 egg, beaten
Some grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
All-purpose flour for dredging
Oil for frying
Green Pea and Caper Sauce
1 cup of green peas (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. of fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. of finely chopped capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Take the preserved grape leaves out of the jar and briefly rinse them to remove excess salt. Remove any stems from the leaves and place them vein-side up on your work surface. Place two long stems of blanched chives on your work surface in cross (+) formation. Set one grape leaf where the chives intersect, then begin to lay enough grape leaves just overlapping each other in an outward circular pattern. The number of grape leaves required to bundle your fillet depends on how large your leaves are and the size of the fish fillet.
Lightly season your fillet with salt and pepper and place in the center of your grape leaves. Now carefully bring the other edges of the grape leaves (with the chive stems) up towards the top of the fish fillet and wrap your bundle. Carefully tie the bundle up with the chive stems.
Place a pot large enough to hold both bundles on your stove-top and add some olive oil (eyeball it). Gently heat up your olive oil (medium heat) to an approximate temperature of 250-300F. Your olive oil should be just “quivering”. Gently drop your bundles into the olive oil know side down and poach for 20 minutes. Keep the oil quivering.
Mix the rice, cheese, beaten egg, and salt and pepper for your rice cakes and form the mixture into patties. Dredge lightly in flour and reserve. Add about 1/2 inch of cooking oil into a large skillet bring to about a temperature of 350-360F. Carefully place your rice cakes in the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Place on a paper-towel covered plate and keep warm.
Carefully remove your fish bundles and place on a paper-towel covered platter. Reserve.
Make your pea and caper sauce. You can use either fresh or frozen (thawed) peas, place in a small pot of salted boiling water for a couple of minutes. Drain and blanch in cold water (peas should be slightly warm). Add the peas to a food processor with a bit of the cooking water and puree. Now add the mustard, lemon juice and with the processor running, add a slow stream of olive oil (you may use the olive oil used to poach the fish). Add the capers, chives and dill and pulse a few times to blend in. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Spoon some sauce onto the bottom of each warmed plate. Place your poached grouper bundle (tied-side down) on top of the sauce. Place a rice cake on the side of the plate and garnish with chives and chopped fresh dill. Serve warm.
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