Tuna Sandwich Thyme

We love fish in our house, and being Catholic, I'm always searching for good recipes that fall under the category "Soups, Meatless, Vegetarian, or Fish" for Fish Fridays!!;-)

Here is a recipe for one of our favorites, tuna salad sandwich. 

-hot dog bun, cut in half

-3/4 can tuna fish, drained (1 can can easily make 2 sandwiches*)

-2 celery sticks

-mayonnaise

-thyme or italian seasoning

-dried or fresh minced onion (optional)

-3 diced bread and butter pickles (optional)

-salt (if needed) and pepper (optional)

Combine tuna, diced celery, enough mayonnaise to cover ingredients, onion, and diced pickles in a small bowl.  Stir together until well-combined. Top with your thyme and italian seasoning.

Spoon/spread onto hot dog bun, and enjoy!

For the "High Stakes Tuna Sandwich,"

turn it into a tuna melt. Add grated cheese and still under a broiler set to High for 3 min.

*I like to add more celery if I'm making 2 sandwiches

If you're serving yourself, but want leftovers, make enough for 2

Shrimp Scampi over Spaghetti Squash

For the Shrimp:

-1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

-1 tbsp. pure olive oil

-2 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped

-1 1/2 c. dry white wine 

-scant 1/4 c. lemon juice

-1 tsp. italian seasoning

-1/2 c. softened butter

-1/2 c. parmesan cheese

instructions:

1. heat skillet and add olive oil

2. add shrimp and cook until tender and no longer translucent, reduce heat. Remove shrimp and set aside.

3. add garlic and cook 2-3 min. no more

4. add white wine and lemon juice

5.cook until wine is reduced by half. After reduced, add italian seasoning.

6. reduce heat to low, add butter.

7. add shrimp back to sauce and season with salt and pepper

8.sprinkle with parmesan cheese

to cook the spaghetti squash:

http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/

Spicy Salmon With Teriyaki Pan Sauce

ingredients:

-2 pieces of salmon

-1/2 c. soy sauce

-2 large cloves garlic, pressed

-1/4 c. brown sugar

-sugar (opt)

-fresh ginger root, chopped or diced

-dash red pepper flakes

-1-2 tsp. veg./ olive oil

-dash garlic salt

We ate this dish when our kids were with their grands. I made it spicy this time, because it just sounded so good. And it was! So delicious, you guys. ;)

First, take your salmon out of the freezer, and place into a glass dish with water. Let it thaw overnight or for a day in the fridge.

When it is thawed, take it out and pat dry with a paper towel.

Dice your ginger root and press your garlic.

Start your sauce by adding 1/2 c. soy sauce to a small saucepan.

Add garlic and let it cook for about 2 min. or so.

Add 1/3 c. water and then your 1/4 c. brown sugar, or alternatively 1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar and 1 tbsp. white sugar.

Cook down about 2-3 min., until sugar is completely dissolved in the water.

Strain chunks of ginger if there are any.

Set your sauce aside.

To cook the fish, add a bit of olive oil to a pan.

Put fish, skin side down, and without fully cooking it, let it get hot, 1-2 min. Meanwhile, coat the top side with soy sauce and a dash of garlic salt. Flip & cook 3-4 min.

Flip and cook again, 3-4 min. on the other side (the first side).

At the end, add your sauce, and heat until hot, but not bubbling.

If it boils in the pan, there is a risk that the sauce will burn. 

(That's why you should add it at the end.)

Serve with rice and steamed carrots.

Enjoy!

Spicy Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets

1 1/2 tsp. old bay

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 small pats butter

I’ve tasted enough bland tilapia in my day to know that when I eat a good piece of fish, I will gladly and willingly shovel two or three pieces of it down my gullet.  This happens to fall into the latter, non-bland variety. When such a delicious piece of fish comes along, I am happy to share it with you, dear friends!

I like to cook fish, and like Julia Child’s recipe for boeuf bourgignon, you should pat your defrosted fish (only defrost under cold running water) with a clean paper towel so that it isn’t dripping wet. The water will interfere with cooking a cook piece of fish.

Add a pat of butter to a hot pan, let it start to sizzle. Lay four tilapia fillets and cover the top side of your fish with seasoning. Let the underside of the fish get hot, but don’t wait for it to cook or you won’t have seasoning cooked in on that side. Once it gets hot, flip the seasoned side over and cook for about 4 minutes on high heat. Check it and if it is white and a little browned in spots (like grilled chicken), it is ready to be flipped. After applying the rest of your seasoning to the other side, flip it and cook another 4-5 minutes until reverse side is white with browned spots, as well.

The great thing about this combination of spices, I think, is that the spice is spicy without being too hot, the ginger tempers the Old Bay and makes it more rounded out (less of the plain salt hitting your tastebuds), and the butter makes the finish rich. I think this recipe could be taken up even a few more notches with real garlic, minced or pressed.;)

Enjoy!!!

Shrimp Marinade

Shrimp Marinade

I love shrimp. I like making it at home, and even better, love ordering it at seafood restaurants in a scampi. I was excited when I figured out how to make this delicious shrimp dish and turn it into shrimp scampi in one easy step- add butter! :)  This is- again- good for picky eaters. Serve with angel hair pasta or rice. Add big pieces of onion and pepper and cook on skewers to make shrimp kabobs!

juice/zest of one lime

3 cloves garlic, pressed1 jalapeño chopped/diced (optional)
3 tbsp. olive oil
thawed, dry, uncooked, shelled shrimp
butter

Marinate overnight in dressing. Cook on a grill or hot pan in sauce. Add butter at the end for a thicker scampi sauce.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Asian Fish Stir Fry

This has to be one of the best ways to eat fish! In a delicious stir fry!

Ingredients:

Coconut oil

Hoisin sauce

Sweet soy glaze (or soy sauce)

Dried or fresh diced onion

Rice vinegar

Pineapple slices

Fresh ginger

Brown sugar

Salmon

Sriracha

Green Beans

Brown rice

1. First cook 1 c. brown rice with 1 1/2 c. water.
2. Put sweet soy glaze in a pan with pineapple juice (from the canned sliced pineapple), and fresh grated ginger. Simmer on low.
3. After the juices have combined, add this pineapple juice mixture to brown rice as it cooks. I usually eyeball it, depending on close the rice is to done.
4. Add to the pan diced onion and minced garlic, with some coconut oil. Scrape up the drippings and add to your rice.
5. The pan will be perfect for searing your salmon, now. Add salmon to pan and some chopped green beans.
6. Sear the salmon on both sides, then leave on low to cook green beans for a little while. (You might want to cover the pan at this point).
7. Add pineapple chunks, and more grated ginger. Add other seasonings and toppings as desired (sriracha, hoisin sauce, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, etc). Stir it all together in the pan. .
8. Serve stir fry over rice. YUM!