Pan Fried Fish Sandwich + Aioli

A few weeks ago I had one of the best fish sandwiches of my life.  Craving it a few nights later, David helped design this delicious fish sandwich meal that nearly matched the original.  Clearly it is a requirement to serve fish with potato crisps and I highly recommend that you do!  This dinner is easy for a weeknight and would be a hit if made for friends.  Extra napkins are a plus!

Ingredients for 4 sandwiches

1 egg white
1/2 cup beer (lighter is better)
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
2 lbs white cod fillets
4 ciabatta buns

1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 pickes finely chopped
1 lemon squeezed

1. Combine mayo, chopped pickles and lemon juice and mix well.  Set in fridge until ready to eat dinner.
2. Combine egg and white and light beer, beat until mostly combined.  Place in a shallow bowl.
3. Combine panko bread crumbs, salt, peppers and parsley and mix well.  Place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
4. Heat deep pan on medium high. Add vegetable or olive oil about 1/2 in deep in the pan.
5. Cut fillets to size with the ciabatta bun since you will be making a sandwich.
6. When ready to eat, dip fish in egg/beer mixture and then dredge through panko mixture.  Pat the breadcrumbs around the fish to cover the entire fillet.
7. Add the fish to the hot oil and let cook until browned on each side, about 3-4 minutes.
8. Repeat with other fillets.  Transfer to a plate in a warmed oven until ready.
9. Toast the ciabatta rolls, top with fish fillet and then aioli sauce.  Serve immediately.

Ginger and Soy Salmon

Full disclosure, I took this recipe from my mother in law Hilde and I am not sorry about it at all.  She made this for Christmas dinner, the dish is super gourmet but also very simple and easy to make.  You can also prep it ahead of time and keep cool in the fridge if you are worried about the timing of cooking the fish.

Ingredients

1 lb salmon fillet
1 chunk of fresh ginger root (about 4 inches)
1 bunch of scallions
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 cup soy sauce
salt/pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Peel ginger root and thinly slice.  Set aside.
2. Chop scallions into less than bite sized pieces
3. Thinly slice lemon and lime.
4. Clean the salmon filet and dab with paper towels.  Place in a dish with a lip so it can go straight into the oven.
5. Top the salmon with ginger root, scallions, lemon and lime.  At this point you can put the fish in the fridge until you are ready to cook and serve.
6. When ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
7. Pour soy sauce over fish and top with salt and pepper.
8. Cook in the oven until fork on the fish is firm but not too hard.  About 12 minutes.
9. Remove fish from oven.  Heat a small sauce pan over high heat and add oil.  When nearly smoking hot, remove from stove and carefully pour over the fish.  This is dinner theater so you can do this at the table, but just be careful of the hot oil.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Gambas al Ajillo - Prawns with Garlic Sauce

One of my favorite tapas of all times is gambas al ajillo - prawns/shrimp in a garlic sauce made with olive oil and garlic.  This dish is simple, impressive and can be either a dinner for two people or tapas for 4-6.  Once again, we were lucky to find these fresh caught spotted prawns from our favorite HamaHama Oyster co .  If you are in the Olympic Peninsula area and want a place to visit, it would be totally worth the visit!

Serve this dish with a side of arroz con frijole negro "rice with black bean" or pan "bread".

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked fresh prawn tails
4-6 cloves garlic minced
1 jalopeno seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Heat deep pot or cast iron over medium high heat.
2. When hot, add garlic, jalopeno and olive oil.  Stir for about a minute or so, don't let the garlic brown too much.
3. Drop the prawns in and stir to coat.  Allow to cook about 3 minutes until the meat turns white.  It is important not to overcook these because then they will get tough.
4. Remove from heat and stir a few more times to coat the shrimp in the delicious oil.
5. Serve with black beans, rice or crusty bread to soak up the garlic oil.  You will have to peel these and be careful, they are hot!

Clams in Cider and Cream Sauce

We found a stand at our farmer's market called HamaHama Oyster that sells delicious and fresh shellfish from a town about 30 miles away from our house.  We have tried clams three times from this place and every time we get 100% open rate on the clams, a feat in this day and age.  Here we made a cream sauce with some left over cider and the flavor really goes well with these fresh shellfish.  Serve with homemade bread to dip in the extra sauce.

2 lbs clams
2 tablespoons butter
1 celery stalk chopped finely
1 large shallot chopped finely
1 large carrot chopped finely
1 small yukon potato peeled and chopped finely
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 12 oz bottle hard cider (we used Hornsby's Amber)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
salt/pepper to taste

1. Heat deep pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add butter until melted
2. Cook celery, shallot, carrot, potato and garlic over medium high heat about 8-10 minutes until softened.
3. Meanwhile clean the clams making sure there are no muddy ones in the batch
4. When veggies are ready, add cider to the pot and then add the clams.  You might need to add a cup or so of water to cover the clams.
5. Let cook until clams open, as they open fully move them to another serving dish
6. If a clam doesn't open after 8 minutes, discard the loser.
7. Reduce heat to medium low and add cream, salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary
8. Add cream sauce to the clams and serve!

Smoked Salmon Dip

This recipe is all David all the way.  He definitely knows how to make a delicious smoked salmon dip! This is something my grandmother used to make all the time, and he got the proportions perfectly!

5 oz smoked salmon
8 oz cream cheese
1 celery stalk finely chopped (and I mean it)
1 shallot finely chopped (ditto)
1 teaspoon garlic salt powder
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dill
2 tablespoons mayo

1. Remove cream cheese from wrapper and place in a bowl so it can soften.
2. Finely chop celery, shallot and salmon.
3. Combine everything in the bowl with cream cheese and use a fork to stir and stir and stir until it is all mixed together.
4. Serve on baguette slices, crackers, toast points, bagels, etc.