Fall Fish

I don't usually cook fish just because I never really learned how to do it right, but I thought that on study breaks, it might be good to experiment and finally learn.  And I came up with something pretty tasty.  This is the lemon-dill perch with wild rice, a salad, and a lemon-pomegranate garnish.

For the fish, I just used frozen perch fillets, but any kind of whitefish would work (perch just happens to be my favorite).  Take the thawed fillet and put it in an oven-safe pan.  I then melted some margarine/butter in the microwave and put some Nature Seasoning, Garlic Power, Lemon Juice, Parsley Flakes, a touch of Oregano, and fresh Dill.  After stirring the mixture together, pour over the fish fillets.  I then baked the fish in the oven for about 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees.  After taking the fish out, I added some more fresh dill on top of the fish as a garnish and for extra taste.

The sides are pretty easy.  The wild rice is just Uncle Ben's Wild Rice.  It's cheap to buy, easy to make, and tastes fantastic.  Basically, pour everything (including spice pack) into a pot, add some water (olive oil optional), and then let it simmer for about 27 minutes.  And ta-da.

The salad was pretty easy to make too.  Just get a big bowl for mixing everything up and then get out a cutting board and knife for dicing up a bunch of vegetables.  I put in one large tomato, 2 red peppers, 1 leek, some artichoke hearts, black olives, fresh basil, about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  Mix everything together well and chill.  

 When the fish is done, serve together with the other sides.  I added some lemons with a few pomegranate seeds as a garnish (and because I always eat fish with fresh lemons).  

A Mediterranean Meal

While browsing through my favorite bookstore, Schuler Books & Music, I found a great cookbook with recipes from some of my favorite countries' cuisines. The book, The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook, was on sale for a steal, so I bought it and decided to experiment. After the recipes turned out so well, I am excited to try more.

I selected Psari Plaki, a Greek fish recipe, for the main dish (found on page 38) and a North African cucumber, feta, mint, and dill salad to accompany it (found on page 251). Find the recipes retyped below and enjoy!

Psari Plaki - baked fish with tomato and onion

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 small stick of celery, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

13 oz (400g) can of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato passata (I couldn't find this, so I used tomato paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 oz (50g) day-old white bread (I used packaged bread crumbs instead)

1 lb 2 oz (500g) white fish fillets, such as snapper or cod

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until soft.
• Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped tomato, passata, oregano, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until reduced & thickened.
• Stir chopped parsley and lemon juice into sauce. Season to taste.
• Arrange fish in single layer in baking dish. Pour sauce over fish. Scatter breadcrumbs all over the top, then drizzle remaining olive oil over fish.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked.

Cucumber, Feta, Mint, and Dill Salad

Ingredients

4 oz (120g) feta cheese

4 cucumbers

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1.5 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried mint

3 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

• Crumble feta and place in large bowl. Peel and seed the cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch dice. Add cucumbers to bowl along with the onion and dill.
• Grind mint in a mortar and pestle. Combine with the oil and juice, then season with salt & black pepper. Pour over salad and toss.