Red Snapper Filets in a Coconut Milk, Tomato & Saffron Sauce

Fish poached in a coconut milk-based sauce can be found throughout the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Though many such dishes contain sauteed onions and peppers, Caribbean versions often add potatoes and coconut pulp while Southeast asian versions often add lemongrass, basil and heat in the form of chiles. Here, I set out to make my own version of red snapper with coconut milk, and ended up adding tomato paste, saffron and lime.

Ingredients:

4 red snapper filets

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

1 onion, sliced

2 bell peppers: 1 green and 1 red, sliced

1 pinch saffron

1 lime

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dried oregano, to taste

Olive oil

Procedure:

(1) Shake can of coconut milk. Add saffron and stir.

(2) Sautee sliced onion and peppers in olive oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

(3) Turn down heat to medium-low and add saffron-infused coconut milk.

(4) Juice one lime over contents of pan and stir well to incorporate.

(5) Season fish filets with salt, pepper and oregano and add to pan. Spoon some of the vegetables and sauce over the filets.

(6) After fish has cooked for at least a few minutes on one side, flip filets with a spatula and allow to cook for a few more minutes.

(7) Serve immediately with white rice.

Ahi Tuna Steaks with Sesame Oil, Wasabi, Scallions, Ginger & Lime

The inspiration of today's post is Ina Garten's ahi tuna salad that I first prepared a couple of years ago. In my version, however, I leave out the avocado and don't cut the tuna steaks into chunks. This dish takes well under ten minutes to prepare, start to finish, and is one of the easiest entree dishes I know. This makes a great week-night dinner, served alongside rice or scallion pancakes.

Ingredients:
2 large ahi tuna steaks
Sesame oil, to taste
1/2 of a small bunch of scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce

Procedure:
(1) Heat a cast iron or metal skillet to medium-high.
(2) While skillet is heating, season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper.
(3) Sear the tuna steaks for about one minute per side. Both sides should be slightly browned and the center should still be pink.
(4) When tuna steaks are done, form the sauce to top them by combining sesame oil, chopped ginger, lime juice, wasabi paste, hot sauce and scallions.

Picadillo Empanadas

Empanadas are savory "turnovers" that are common as streetfood in Latin America and Mediterranean Europe. Common fillings include flaked fish, potato, fried and mashed banana, pork, shredded chicken, and, most commonly found in Cuba and Miami - picadillo. Picadillo is a ground beef hash that contains browned onions, garlic, red pepper, green olives, tomato sauce or paste, citrus juice (sour orange and lime, particularly), oregano, and, depending on the cook, some sweet elements. The first memorable picadillo I ate as a child contained cinnamon, so I add that, as well as chopped dates or raisins. Don't let the cinnamon and dates/raisins throw you off; picadillo is a decidedly savory dish. A little bit of sweetness will keep your guests asking what the secret ingredient to the dish is.

PICADILLO

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 red peppers, chopped
20 green olives, halved (the bottled Manzanilla variety is perfect)
1 sour orange
2 limes
10 dates, chopped
6 ounces tomato paste (or, alternatively, 10 ounces tomato sauce)
Oregano, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:
(1) Brown onions in a large, deep pan with a bit of olive oil.
(2) Add minced garlic and peppers, and sautee for a few more minutes.
(3) Add ground beef, combine well with other ingredients, and cook until brown.
(4) Season with ground black pepper, cinnamon, and oregano.
(5) Add tomato paste or sauce and stir well to combine.
(6) Add olives to the pan, along with a splash or two of the brine in which the olives are bottled. If doing this, there is no need to add salt; the olives and brine are salty enough.
(7) Juice limes and sour orange over the pan; stir well to combine.
(8) Add chopped dates or raisins. At this point, you will notice that there is a bit of extra liquid and fat in the pan. Do not drain this; allow the meat the simmer on low for about 15 more minutes so that all of the excess liquid is absorbed into the hash.

EMPANADAS

Ingredients:
Empanada discs (usually sold in the frozen foods aisle by Goya or another Latin American brand) Oil for frying

Procedure:
(1) Make sure that empanada discs are thawed before you begin to assemble the actual empanadas. They thaw quickly; just remove them from the freezer as you start the filling for the empanadas and they should be ready once the filling is done.
(2) Heat approximately one inch of oil in a large pan. It is unnecessary to deep fry empanadas; shallow-frying and turning them over once is just as effective. Fry on one side until golden brown and then turn with tongs to achieve the same result on the other side. I usually fry 5-6 empanadas per batch. Keep in mind that once the oil is well-heated, empanadas will take only about a minute or less to fry on each side.
(3) Once done, remove from oil and place onto a plate covered with double-folded paper towls. Blot excess oil to ensure crispiness when serving.

Thai Curry-Coconut Soup with Shrimp

Though I tend to favor thick, pureed vegetable-based soups as accompaniments to main dishes, there are a few soups I have had that struck me as perfect as meals on their own. This Thai-inspired curry-coconut soup is one of them. This soup's broth is fantastic - vegetable, chicken, or shrimp stock simmered with coconut milk, red curry paste, ginger, garlic and onions, with a splash each of lime juice and fish sauce, respectively. The soup gets its heartiness from a few generous handfuls of kale and oyster mushrooms as well as succulent shrimp poached in the soup before serving. Garnish with cilantro, lime slices or wedges, and serve in large bowls for a satisfying meal that needs little else on the side, save for perhaps a mango or papaya salad.

Ingredients:
1 large onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 bird chiles, seeded and chopped
1 piece lemongrass
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1/2-pound oyster mushrooms
1/2-pound shrimp
1 can coconut milk
4 cups vegetable, chicken, or shrimp stock
Juice of 2-3 limes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 handfuls kale, torn into bite-sized pieces

Procedure:
(1) Sautee onions, garlic, and ginger in a pot over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes.
(2) Add curry paste and combine with other contents of the pot.
(3) Add coconut milk and stock.
(4) Cut several incisions in the piece of lemongrass and add it to the pot.
(5) Add lime juice, fish sauce, and chopped chiles.
(6) Allow contents to just barely reach a simmer, then add mushrooms and shrimp. Stir for a few minutes until shrimp have turned orange - this means they are cooked.
(7) Add kale and cook for about 2 more minutes.
(8) Remove lemongrass from the pot.
(9) Serve soup in large bowls, garnished with cilantro and lime slices or wedges.