Light, White Meat Fish Fillets

The other week I went fishing with my dad. He’d been hounding me to go with him for, well, a few years, and I’d been dragging my feet. It’s an all day commitment and I seem to never have a lot of spare days, but also the last few times I went we never caught anything. Fishing can be a lot of fun, or it can be extremely uneventful.

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Thankfully this trip was a lot of fun! We did have some good activity, but most of it we had to throw back – 3 rays, 1 small flounder, 1 blue fish that I let get away as I brought it up to the boat, 2 cobia who eyed the bait but just wouldn’t bite, and, luckily, one small/medium size blue fish that I did successfully get into to boat and we kept!

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My dad was determined to catch me enough fish for my husband and I to have dinner, so the next day he went back out by himself and caught a few speckled trout and croaker.

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The result was an excellent dinner. Earlier in the week before the fishing trip I bought a flounder fillet at the grocery store for dinner. The difference between fresh fish and store bought fish is amazing.

Good fish doesn’t take long to prep or cook. This recipe will work well for any small to medium size white meat fish.

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Light, White Meat Fish Fillets

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
5 turns of salt
12 turns of black pepper
1 egg
5-6 small fillets

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Combine all ingredients except fish and egg and make a thin layer of the spice/bread crumb mixture on a plate. Crack open an egg and whisk it in a small bowl.

Coat fish fillets one at a time in the egg and then dredge in spice/bread crumb mixture. Add coated fillets to grill pan and cook small fillets for approximately 3 minutes on each side, watching carefully to be sure you don’t overcook. Fish should be opaque when done; use a small fork to test that fish just starts to flake when touched.

Serve with whole wheat couscous and asparagus.

As promised, I’m posting an actual dinner recipe for the first time in five posts! It’s a miracle, my sweet tooth is sated (don’t worry, not for long).

salmon filets

Salmon won out as the healthiest, lightest thing I could think of to compensate for my total failure in watching what I eat in the last few weeks. Wild salmon is high in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. WebMD lists salmon as one of the top “super foods,” lowering your cholesterol, reducing your risk of cancer and heart disease and even brightening your mood (and yes, pumpkin is on that list, too).

lemons

I looked for a salmon recipe that had the spirit of the season, and I think I found what I wanted. The glaze was almost sweet, combining honey and apple cider as a marinade. Maybe it was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth while still providing all the benefits of a healthy fish fillet. Also note when buying your salmon that you want wild instead of farmed.

cooking salmon

Below I altered the recommended amount of white wine for the spinach leaves. Maybe I got carried away somehow, but the wine taste was a little too strong and I didn’t think it mixed well with the honey and cider taste of the salmon. I also served mine with a side of asparagus in addition to spinach leaves, since cooking the leaves really decimated them.

And good luck in your own battle of the Thanksgiving bulge, let me know if you have more healthy recipes or tips to stay away from the baked goods!

glazed salmon

Honey and Cider Glazed Salmon
adapted from Simply Recipes

1/2 cup apple cider (not hard cider)
1 1/4 tablespoons honey
2 large or 4 small wild salmon fillets (if you can’t find skinless, just don’t eat the skin)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 lemons, cut in half
1 Tbsp butter
12 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon white wine

Preheat oven to 350°F with a baking dish in the oven. Set salmon fillets flat in a large baking dish.

In a saucepan on medium-high heat, boil cider and honey for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour cider mixture over the salmon, let it sit for 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Sprinkle one side of the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the fish in the pan for approximately 2 minutes. Brush periodically with cider glaze.

Turn the salmon and brush with remaining cider glaze. Remove from heat and transfer the salmon to the baking dish in the oven. Add the two sliced lemons to the dish. Bake for 6 minutes, salmon is cooked when it flakes when tested with the tip of a knife.

While the salmon, wash your skillet and place back on the stove to melt the butter (on medium-high heat). Add the spinach, salt, pepper and garlic. Cook just until leaves begin to wilt (a little less than one minute). Pour the wine sparingly over spinach and cook for an additional minute.

Drain excess liquid from spinach in a drainer.

Fish, the Final Frontier

I grew up in a house of seafood lovers and fishermen, spending summers at the Jersey Shore. I watched my dad catch, clean and cook fish. I set crab traps in the lagoon using hotdogs and fish heads (crabs go nuts for that stuff!). But, I never really learned how to cook fish myself.

Other than my parents, I can’t think of anyone I know who frequently cooks fish. Why? The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times per week.

When I asked some of my friends why they don’t cook fish, I heard things ranging from, “seems hard” to “I never think to.” People seem genuinely stymied by the idea of cooking fish! After searching for some recipes, I almost was too – page after page of recipes for fish tacos and fish casserole almost made me lose my appetite forever.

Grouper, Pan-fried

Ghost Baker’s demystification of fish:

If you want the best, always cook fresh fish. The times I’ve purchased frozen fillets they have never dethawed into anything special. Put your best foot forward and buy your fish the same day that you cook it.

Fresh fish should never smell “fishy;” that’s a sure sign that it’s been sitting out. If you get a whiff of something at the grocery store that is overpoweringly fishy, just keep walking.

When you look at the fillet, make sure any liquid on it is clear and not cloudy. It shouldn’t look faded or dull.

Today I purchased a grouper fillet (maybe not the most attractive fish in the sea, but he’s tasty!). I coated the fillet with an egg (beaten), and lightly covered it with breadcrumbs. I used salt, pepper, a little bit of Old Bay and a little bit of Mrs. Dash to season the fillet. A good fillet doesn’t need to be doused in butter or deep fried – some light seasoning makes it very flavorful and preserves all those good vitamins.

Grouper

I pan fried my fillet using only a tablespoon or two of oil on low heat. The cook time depends on the thickness of your fillet, mine was relatively thin and took about 8 minutes. You can tell your fish is done when the fillet is golden brown and the meat flakes off easily when tested with a fork.

My husband prepared side dishes of wild rice and green beans. In the span of 25 minutes (including both cook and prep time) we had a healthy and delicious dinner ready to eat! Cooking with fish isn’t messy – there’s no beef blood to deal with or salmonella chicken scares. The biggest “hassle” is simply going to the store to buy it fresh. It cooks quickly, requires minimal prep, and the list of health benefits of eating fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids only continues to grow!