Seared Trout with Ginger and Soy

I’m always looking for great tasting and easy to make fish recipes. 

While I am well aware of the nutritional benefits of fish and wish to incorporate it into the week’s menu some less than impressive recipes have left us with a love hate relationship with this protein-rich food.  My husband still cringes at the memory of “The Curry-Salmon incident of 2009.”

Baked, broiled and pan seared are the usual ways of preparing fish but overcooked, dry and tough have often been the disappointing results.  No matter how I marinate the fish, the flavour seems to quickly dissipate leaving me wondering where it went. 

This recipe for Ginger-Soy Trout has made fish night at our home something to look forward to!  The use of a cast iron grill (my secret weapon) and “marinating” the fish “after” it’s cooked makes all the difference.  Although trout is a great choice to use in this recipe, I’m sure it will be just as delicious made with salmon or tuna!

This recipe wins the “Yummy Ginger Trout dinner of 2014!” award!

Recipe adapted from Thrifty Foods

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil or vegetable oil

2 trout fillets

2 green onions, finely chopped

1. Warm skillet on medium-high heat.
2. Combine the ginger, sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar in a shallow glass dish and set aside.
3. Brush oil on trout fillets and place the fish on the hot skillet flesh side down and cook for 3-4 minutes. 
4. Carefully flip the fish over and cook another 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer cooked fish to the marinade in the shallow dish. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Flip over and let sit another minute.
6. Transfer fish to dinner plates and sprinkle with green onions.  Serve.

 

 

 

 Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Make this recipe with even cuts of fish.   If you find some pieces are not uniform, fold under the thinner portions to have the most even cooking.

 

*A big thank you to Elizabeth a.k.a. the Cream Puff Girl for this guest post, wish she would guest post a little more!

Myer Lemon Ricotta Muffins

I've had Myer Lemons on my mind for quite some time but they're not the easiest lemons to find.  A cross between a regular lemon and mandarin orange certainly piqued my interest at least to once  experience their unique taste.

Finally came across a four pound container of Myer lemons, a few too many too buy for the first time but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. I managed to give a couple away and later learned that they had made their way into an lovely lemon cake. 

These lemons are sunny yellow in colour with a delicate, very smooth skin.  Although the Myer lemon is known to be sweeter than the regular lemon I didn’t notice too much difference and I’m not sure I would have guessed the mandarin orange taste had I not known before tasting one. What stood out was the light, almost floral scent of the lemon and absence of the tart edge of a regular lemon.  

Since I had quite a few lemons on my hands most of them were used in the same way a regular lemon is utilized. However, the intention was to use them in some baked goods.

Myer lemons find their way into a range of baked goods and after considering some very interesting recipes including cakes, breads, biscotti and more, I decided on this muffin recipe to use up some ricotta sitting in the fridge.

It's hard to describe the amazing fragrance that came from the batter once the zest hit the wet ingredients.  An undeniable mandarin orange scent rose up from the bowl taking me by surprise!

Myer lemons... a delicious encounter!

Myer Lemon Ricotta Muffins
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
Lemon zest from one lemon
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup granulated sugar

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
2. Beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
3. Add ricotta, lemon juice, egg and almond extract and beat until well mixed.
4. Gradually stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
5. Divide batter between 9 to 12 lined muffin cups and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
6. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Cool Muffins in pan for 5 minutes then remove to finish cooling on wire rack.

Notes Tips and Suggestions

• If Myer lemons are not available try using regular lemons.
• The batter is on the thicker side but I found it to be a little too dry perhaps because the ricotta used had little moisture. Quitting was not an option.  I gradually added enough milk to loosen the batter beating it in with a mixer being careful not to over beat.

Clementine Muffins

I was hoping to come across Clementines that were equally as fragrant and juicy as the ones I used to make the Clementine Chiffon Cake a few weeks ago.

 

This week I finally came across another good batch and decided to try a Clementine Muffin recipe recently placed in my recipes to try out file. 

 

Judging by the smaller measurement of ingredients listed, this recipe was obviously going to make a smaller batch of muffins.  This can actually be a good thing in case any adjustments are necessary.

 

I was a little concerned when removing them from the oven since they hadn’t taken on much colour making them look a little more like cupcakes than I would have liked.  What these muffins lack in colour is certainly made up for in taste and texture and even brought out the poet in me!

 

Ode to a Muffin

Six delicious muffins sitting on a rack.

One tasted for quality and became a snack.

So where are the other five I ask?

 

I actually didn’t ask any questions and just assumed they were that good!

 

 

Clementine Muffins

1 cup flour

½ cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

1. Zest and juice from 3 Clementines.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl wisk together egg, oil, milk, juice and zest.
4. Add wet to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Fill 6 to 8 muffin wells lined with paper muffin liners and bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 15 to 17 minutes.
6. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
7. Top with Clementine Glaze or Clementine Sugar.

Clementine Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons clementine juice

splash of milk

1. Slowly add juice to powdered sugar and wisk until glaze comes together.
2. Add a splash of milk if mixture is too thick.

Clementine Sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

zest from 2 clementine

1. Mix sugar and zest together with fingers. 
2. While muffins are still warm dip tops into sugar mixture

 

Notes Tips and Suggestions

• Did a little research on why muffins didn’t brown and the only information or suggestion that answered my question or made any sense was to increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees.  Come to think of it most muffins I make are baked between 375 to 400 degrees F.  Various comments expressed if the muffin is cooked and delicious who cares if they don’t brown.  I’m not going to agree with that until I bake these muffins at 375 degrees to note any difference.  I still think some browning is better as it certainly can do wonders for taste and texture. 
• The recipe calls for the juice of 3 Clementines.  The ones I used were small but very juicy so how much juice do 3 Clementines give since size and juiciness vary?  Measuring the juice  squeezed out of my Clementines gave me 3 tablespoons.  This amount worked well so 3 tablespoons it is.
• Recipes for Clementine Glaze and Clementine Sugar are included with the recipe and suggested to glaze the muffins then top with sugar, both sounded good but I only used the Clementine Sugar after deciding using both would be a little too much.
• The zest from 3 Clementines in the batter seems to be excessive especially with the addition of more zest in the sugar topping.  Reducing the amount of zest to 1 ½ to 2  Clementines depending on their size would probably be more than enough.
• Instead of mixing the wet ingredients in a bowl, try giving them a whirl in the blender.  This mixes the ingredients well which in turn takes less time to blend into the dry ingredients preventing over mixed batter. The blender also incorporates air into the mixture resulting in a lighter, less dense muffin.

These muffins are absolutely delicious, light and flavourful and although my Notes, Tips and Suggestions are longer than the rest of the post, they are well worth taking note of.  You’ve just got to try them!

Lemon and Crystallized Ginger Scones

Although ginger is not my favourite spice I enjoy the taste when used sparingly but it’s interesting to note that ginger ale happens to be my carbonated beverage of choice.

 

This week these Ginger Scones were baked for someone who needed a little TLC and happens to enjoy ginger very much.  I hadn’t even considered the therapeutic qualities of ginger when choosing to make these scones making it a doubly good choice!

 

It has only been in more recent years that I’ve discovered the wonderful world of scones, sadly missing out on many years of enjoyment.  It seems that every new recipe I’ve tried has become a favourite and although I’m not fond of ginger a little nibble from a freshly baked one assured they had all the qualities I’ve come to expect in a good scone.

 

As for the previously posted Lemon Scone recipe this one also doesn’t require an egg but the light, tender texture is outstanding while the outer crust remains crisp and absolutely delicious especially when given a sprinkle of turbinado sugar.  The lemon zest combines well with the ginger adding an element of freshness and citrus flavour.

 

While still not a fan of ginger, I would make them again…after all they are someone else’s favourite!

 

Lemon and Ginger Scones

2 cups flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup cold, unsalted butter

1/3 to ½ cup crystallized ginger finely chopped

pinch of ground ginger (optional)

zest of a large lemon

2/3 cups buttermilk

1. Into a medium bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the crystallized ginger and lemon zest.
4. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the dough comes together being careful to not over mix.
5. Bring dough together by pressing down and folding it over to ensure flakey, light scones.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue bringing it together with hands.
7. Place round on parchment lined baking sheet and pat it down into roughly an 8 inch round 1 ½ inches thick.
8. Brush tops of scones with cream or milk and although totally optional a sprinkle of turbinado or coarse sugar brings extra texture and taste
9. Cut into 8 wedges and separate scones leaving space between each scone, this will ensure crisp edges all around.
10. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F. oven about 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown then place on wire rack to cool.

 

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• No buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup then add enough milk to measure the 2/3 cup called for in the recipe.
• I used 10% cream instead of the milk since I had some on hand...it certainly didn't hurt!
• If you don't care for crystallized ginger 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger instead would probably give good ginger flavour to these scones.

 

  

Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers

 

 

The first time I saw these sweet mini peppers in the grocery store I admit to purchasing them because they looked so cute!

Many of these sweet little peppers ended up in the frying pan while the occasional thinly sliced few brought a burst of colour to a bowl of plain green salad.  I've since used them in the Peppers and Eggplant Calabrese recipe previously posted and they worked very well.

The sweet taste and tender texture of these peppers is unlike any other I’ve tasted.  No need to worry about tough skins as they are hardly noticeable along with very few tiny seeds on the inside. Needing a third side dish for a recent dinner I was looking for something to bring much needed colour to the plate since the other two vegetable sides were shades of green.

Easy to prepare with minimal cleanup would be the best way to describe this preparation of peppers with the added bonus of colourful presentation.

No special ingredients required, a little oil, salt and pepper will bring a sweet explosion of taste and colour to any dinner!

Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers
2 pounds sweet mini peppers
3 tablespoons canola or corn oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place peppers in the center of a large baking pan and add oil, salt and pepper.
3. With hands make sure peppers are coated with the oil and seasonings.
4. Spread the peppers in one layer in the pan.
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Notes Tips and Suggestions

• There may be a few larger size peppers in the bag.  Remove the smaller peppers that are done first and leave the larger ones in the oven a few more minutes.
• Although the original recipe didn’t instruct I turned peppers over half way through for more even roasting.
• Although this recipe calls for 2 pounds of peppers it can easily be cut into any amount.  Add just enough oil to lightly coat the peppers used then salt and pepper to taste. 
• I will never fry these peppers again!