Category: Seafood

Fish Tacos 2 Ways

Mexican, Seafood
Posted by amybtwink in Mexican, Seafood and tagged with , , January 11, 2015

Howdy kids! So if you read my meal plan for the week, you saw tonight was fish night. The girls ate their fish sticks, Annie’s Mac and Cheese, and corn. My hubby wanted to have a fish (tilapia) taco to go along with his leftover Mexican chicken dish. I made myself some salmon and pesto. Good enough on its own, but seeing those tortillas made me want to experiment with salmon tacos. I truly believe that you can make anything into a taco..challenge accepted!!!!!

Tilapia Tacos

1 piece of tilapia- mix 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder- mix well and add to both side of the fish. Add oil to a med. hot skillet. Cook about 4 minutes on both sides.  You should end up with nice flaky fish.

Add to your tortilla and favorite toppings.

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Salmon Tacos with Pesto

Yeah…you are just going to have to trust me on this…

1 piece salmon- salt and pepper each side

Pan fry in a bit of oil. Cook skin side down for 4 minutes. Turn over for another 4 minutes. You should end up with a nice pink center and flaky flesh. YUM!

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I added some pesto to mine.

Spinach Pesto

Directions- Mix the following ingredients in a food processor and stream in olive oil to make smooth and creamy;
1/2 container of pine nuts
1 bunch spinach
1/2 container of parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

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Never took a pic of the actual tacos. Totally forgot until we were chowing down on them. Oh well… use your imagination!

Spaghetti Alfredo with Shrimp, Bacon, and Veggies

Pasta, Seafood

Happy Sunday! Today was a pretty lazy day. We all slept in, went to the grocery store (been a long time, so our cart was overflowing), watched TV, played, and read. I cooked this yummy dinner.

I knew I wanted to make some kind of shrimp pasta possibly with Alfredo sauce. This was not your ordinary pasta Alfredo. I hope you give it a try one night!

Spaghetti Alfredo with Shrimp, Bacon, and Veggies

Ingredients

1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 head of broccoli, just the florets
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
6 sliced of bacon, cooked and chopped
1 pound of shrimp- peeled and deveined
1 container of Alfredo sauce or make your own- https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/02/shrimp-and-broccoli-angel-hair-alfredo/
butter, 1/2 stick
olive oil, 1/2 cup
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat a large skillet and cook your bacon. Once done, set aside and drain on a plate with paper towels to soak up oil.

Add a table spoon of butter to your bacon fat. Cook your chopped onion on med.-low heat until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add your garlic and cook about 3 minutes more. Add your broccoli and mushrooms. Add a few more turns of olive oil. Add some salt and pepper. Cook down about 15 minutes or so. I like the broccoli to still have a bite to it and be bright green. Cook to your preference. Season to your preference. Add your Alfredo sauce and combine. Turn to low.

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Meanwhile, Bring salted water to a boil and cook your pasta.

Saute your shrimp in another pan. Cook about 4 minutes and add to your sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce. Add a bit of starchy pasta water if needed. Mix to combine. Chop bacon and add on top. Perfection!!!! Teach cute little shrimp lovers how to take off the tails!

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Pan Fried Tilapia

Seafood

You have reached the Wednesday night stretch.  You have had a few easy nights for dinner. Maybe you used the crockpot. You found some pasta and sauce for a quick pasta dish. There is always the favorite taco or quesadilla. Now you need a fast idea. Almost to the weekend…almost to Chinese Takeout and pizza night. You need a quick run to the store for dinner. I propose fresh fish, salad/veggie, rice/couscous, white wine, and a nice loaf of bakery bread. 7 minute store run and you are golden. Under $30 for a dinner for five including a decent wine for mom. Score!

Pan Fried Tilapia

Ingredients
4-5 pieces tilapia (or any white fish… cod, mahi mahi, sole,etc.)
salt and pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions
Heat pan to med heat with vegetable or grapeseed oil (low smoking points)
FEB- Order to dunk your fish… salt and pepper each station
Coat each piece of fish in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs
Place in oil about 6 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side
Golden brown yumminess should be present on both sides…

Only a chunk of one piece was leftover. I fed it to Brutus after the kitchen was cleaned. He lays perfectly still under the table during dinner and goes and lays down in his unlocked crate after dinner, so he deserved a bit of magic.

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Shrimp Fettuccine Sorrentini

Date Night, Pasta, Seafood

Good evening, foodie friends! Hope you had a great weekend and did something grand! The other day, my husband requested a pasta he had at a local Italian place. He had this dish that had chicken, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, and cubed mozzarella cooked in olive oil. So tonight I made this except with shrimp, since we just ate chicken last night.

Sorrentini is the name for pasta made with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and mozzarella cooked in olive oil. It was a big hit for my husband and me. This would be a perfect date night meal! The only thing that would have made it better would be a couple pinches of red pepper flakes for a bit of spice to heat things up =)

The girls don’t like tomatoes. Well, except mashed up in my sauces or in ketchup. So they ate fettuccine alfredo with shrimp. Except Becca. She just ate the noodles and sauce, because she hates shrimp. I know this because I have seen her try it over and over and still spit it out each time. I don’t even bother anymore. You could totally make this with chicken or leave out the meat and make it vegetarian.

So here is how I made my Sorrentini…

Shrimp Fettuccine Sorrentini

Ingredients

10-15 shrimp, peeled and deveined (just pay the extra money to have someone else do it, especially the deveining part)
1 package of fettuccini (use any pasta you have)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch basil, finely chopped or julienned
1/2 cup-1 cup of really good olive oil
1 cup fresh mozzarella

Directions

Salt heavily and bring your water to a boil. Drop your pasta. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan to med and add a good glug of olive oil. Enough to coat the bottom plus a little extra.
Add in your garlic and tomatoes. If you wanted to add some heat, a pinch or 2 of red pepper flakes would be amazing! Cook for about 4 minutes. Add your shrimp. Cook until pink, about 4 minutes. Add in your basil.
Add in your al dente pasta. Mix well. Add in a bit of starchy cooking water. Mix well. Add in your cheese. Add more olive oil in if needed.
Plate. Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. PERFECTION!!!!!

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Sesame Garlic Cod with Sesame Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Seafood, Side dishes...veggies

Evening kids! Hope everyone had a great weekend. We went out to Mexican Friday night, out to lunch at our favorite Chinese spot on Sat., followed by a super fun time at the Pumpkin Patch. Today we slept in until 9:30!!!! Then I made bacon, eggs, and cinnamon rolls. Always a hit! We pretty much sat around being lazy, watching TV, and snuggling together on the couch. Pure bliss! I also went to one of my favorite places; the grocery store. I know lots of people who hate going, but I adore it. I mostly bought stuff to make lunches, a few staples, and a couple of quick and easy dinner ideas. Here is the one I made tonight.

Sesame Garlic Fish with Sesame Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Sesame Garlic Fish-

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of butter, melted with 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large piece cod, cut in to 3-4 sections (or other white fish, like Tilapia)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sesame oil.

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional- I only used it on half, since my girls would be eating this. It just adds a peppery kick, which they don’t like.) If you have a lemon or some citrus, it would be great with a bit of juice or zest in the pan cooking with it.
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat pan on high.
Melt butter and add your olive oil
Add the garlic and turn down heat to medium
Add your sesame oil and stir in with butter and garlic.
Add your fish filets- salt and pepper, but use with caution. The sesame oil is very salty. Add red pepper flakes if you wish.  If you have a lemon or some citrus, it would be great with a bit of juice or zest in the pan cooking with it.
Turn over when fish changes color one-quarter of way up and seared side has turned brown, 3 min.
Once you turn over, cook one minute, then take the pan off the heat. Let it sit for a minute or so, then take out of the pan to rest.

Sesame Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot or half an onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. Turn pan to make sure olive oil coats pan.
Add shallots/onions to the pan and saute 2 minutes.
Add sprouts and cook 3-4 minutes cut side down. Add your sesame oil in a circular motion in the pan. After they start to smoke, stir your sprouts. Cook until fork tender. Again, if you have a lemon or some citrus, it would be great with a bit of juice or zest in the pan cooking with it.

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