Easy Fish Recipes

This surprising recipe combines crispy baked fish with a nice bean salad. There are some side dishes which often seem to make an appearance whenever fried or baked fish is served and those include onion rings, mushrooms, peas, fries and/or a green salad. There is nothing wrong with serving classic favorites but sometimes it is nice to make something a little different and that is why the following recipe for parmesan-crusted halibut and bean salad is so awe-inspiring.

The fish is dipped in a milk and egg mixture and then dipped into parmesan and paprika seasoned flour. This gives it a nice crunchy outside as well as plenty of flavor. The fish is baked in a hot oven until it is no longer glossy. Make sure you do not overcook the fish or it will go dry.

The bean salad can be make the day before you need it if that is easier. You could make it just before you need it but, for better blended flavors, make it in advance. You can use any kind of beans for this, as well as red onion, sun-dried tomatoes and some other flavorful seasonings, to get it just the way you want it.

Ingredients -

2 halibut steaks
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh parsley, to garnish

For the Bean Salad:

20 oz canned beans (maybe black-eyed, kidney, lima or garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ finely sliced red onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil
¾ tablespoon white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

First make the bean salad. Drain the tomatoes but keep 1½ tablespoons of the oil.

Chop the tomatoes and add them to the beans, basil, and red onions.

Toss the mixture a bit.

Combine the sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar and whisk in the reserved tomato oil to make a vinaigrette.

Pour this over the bean salad and toss gently.

Cover and chill for at least one hour or preferably overnight for a better result.

Let the bean salad warm up to room temperature while you prepare the fish.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F or as hot as it goes.

Coat a baking dish with oil. Rinse and dry the fish.

Combine the flour, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper in one bowl and beat the milk and egg in another bowl.

Dip the fish into the egg mixture and then coat it with the parmesan mixture.

Bake the fish for 15 minutes or until it is no longer glossy. Divide the bean salad between two plates and top it with the fish.

Decorate with fresh parsley before serving.

(Serves 2)

Tilapia fish recipes are gaining popularity as more and more people discover the exciting flavor of this fish. If you are looking for an easy-as-pie recipe for tilapia, you will like this one. The tilapia is dipped in seasoned mayonnaise, coated in cornmeal, and then the fabulous fish is served with a tangy, fruity salsa. If you prefer chunky salsa recipes, you don't have to use your food processor - instead you can stir the ingredients together for a chunkier result.

Chilling it well makes the flavors blend nicely. In the following recipe the salsa is pureed until it is smooth and this is an unusual way of preparing it but pureeing the salsa turns it into a chilled sauce which contrasts nicely with the fish. The salsa is made with pineapple, bell pepper, lime juice, scallions, and hot pepper flakes, so it is sweet and fruity with a touch of spice. You can adjust the amount of chili flakes if you want to make a milder salsa but this one is not very spicy anyway.

As with many other easy tilapia recipes, this recipe is perfect served with green beans or broccoli and a mound of white rice. You can also make double the amount of salsa because it keeps for a few days in the refrigerator and makes a nice dip for breadsticks or potato chips. Use yellow bell pepper or orange bell pepper instead of the red one, if you prefer a sweeter flavor, but bear in mind that will affect the color of it. This tilapia with pineapple salsa recipe is easy to make and it looks impressive too.
Ingredients -

1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
½ cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tilapia filets
½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
3 chopped scallions, green and white parts
Hot cooked rice, to serve
4 lime wedges, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preparation:

Put the red pepper, pineapple, hot pepper flakes, scallions and lime juice in a food processor.

Puree the mixture until it is well combined and smooth.

Put the cornmeal in one bowl and the flour in another.

Whisk the Old Bay seasoning into the mayonnaise.

Dip a fillet of tilapia into the flour and shake off any excess.

Brush the mayonnaise over both sides then dip it into the cornmeal, shaking off the excess.

Put the fish on a wax paper lined baking sheet and repeat this process with the other 3 filets.

Heat the skillet and add the oil and butter, then sauté the coated tilapia fillets until they are golden.

Turn them over and cook them for another 5 minutes.

Serve with the rice and pineapple salsa and garnish with the cilantro and lime wedges.

(Serves 4)

Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

This Japanese miso soup recipe might contain more ingredients than you were expecting but, if you have a local Asian grocery store, you will not have any problems finding these items. This wonderfully balanced soup is simple to make and it is made in stages.

You cook the fish and seafood in two pans of simmering sake and the rice in another pan, then everything is mixed together and the soup is served hot, garnished with toasted sesame seeds. Toasting sesame seeds is easy. Just put them in a small skillet over a low flame and toss them every couple of minutes until they are golden brown. Do not add anything to the pan except the sesame seeds; do not worry, they will not stick.

Feel free to alter the fish and seafood balance. Maybe you only want to use seafood or maybe you would like to swap the monkfish for red snapper or cod. That is no problem. As long as you have about the same amount of fish and seafood, the recipe will work nicely.

Ingredients -

Handful of mixed mushrooms (shitake, enoki etc)
½ lb monkfish tail
20 clams
1 cup short grain sushi rice
2 tablespoons dried bonito flakes
8 oz sake
2 squares dried kombu seaweed (about 4 x 4 inches)
20 mussels
8 big shrimp
8 cups water
1 finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 inch peeled, crushed fresh ginger
8 tablespoons miso paste
1 finely sliced green onion
Seasoned rice wine vinegar

Preparation:

Cut the black membrane off the monkfish tail and scrub the seafood, discarding any which has broken shells.

Also you should discard any mussels which do not close when you tap them because these are dead.

Wash the shrimp and take out the black veins. Cut the monkfish into 1 inch pieces.

Add the water and seaweed to a saucepan and let it soak for 10 minutes.

Heat the pan. When the water is warm, remove the seaweed, and discard it.

Throw in the bonito flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off.

When the fish flakes have sunk to the bottom of the pan, the stock is ready. Strain the broth and discard the solids.

Combine the ginger, shallot, and seasoned rice vinegar.

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package.

Pour the vinegar over it and stir gently.

Heat half the sake in one pan and the other half in another. Add the clams and mussels to one pot when the sake is boiling and put the lid on.

Cook for 3 minutes. When ¾ of the shells are open, take the pan off the heat.

Add the monkfish, shrimp, green onion and mushrooms to the other pan of boiling sake and cook for 4 minutes or until the seafood is done.

Gently stir in the miso paste.

Divide the rice between 4 bowls, and then divide the seafood, fish, and vegetables between them.

Pour the stock over the top and sprinkle the sesame seeds over it.

(Serves 4)