The most amazing way to eat fish EVER!

This summer upon moving to Seattle I got a library card. This does not sound that out of the ordinary...but it took me over a year to get a library card in New Haven and I NEVER got one in Chicago. I did pretend to be Tom's sister Jess and I signed up for an Evanston card in her name. I think there might be a few fines on there from student teaching. Oops. So beyond having to convince the library dude that even though I was not officially Amy Hodgman yet (I am now!!) he should let me use that as my name...it was remarkably easy. In my excitement, I took out a few cookbooks so I could copy down some new recipes. I can't remember what book this recipe came from, but I can tell you that the recipe is unbelievable. Here is a picture just to get you salivating.

 

The recipe is for salmon cakes with an orange-miso dipping sauce.

What you need for the Orange-Miso sauce:

1 T orange juice

1 T orange zest

1 T lemon juice (I didn't have any this time...and I just did double orange juice and it was GREAT, so I don't think it's a big deal)

1 T lemon zest

1/2 cup mayonaise

2/3 cup sour cream

1 T white miso paste (the past two or three times I have made this recipe I did not have this miso paste and I just used soy sauce and I swear there was little to no difference in taste. I finally found it in the refrigerated section of our PCC. Also I know Whole Foods has it because I saw it in West Hartford. Also my mom has it in her fridge if you live near her!)

How to make the Orange-Miso sauce

Mix all ingredients together and then chill. Sooooooo difficult I know.

What you need for the Salmon Cakes:

1 lb skinless salmon fillet cut into 1/4 inch dice. (This time I used 1.3 pounds because I wanted more than enough left overs. I think probably 1.5 pounds is the most before you need to change the proportions a bit)

1/2 cup FINELY chopped red pepper (the smaller you chop it, the easier your life will be making the cakes)

1/4 chopped scallion (white and green parts)

1/4 cups minced cilantro (YUM)

1/2 T ginger (minced) - This time we were out and I chopped up some pickled ginger...like the kind you put on sushi. It tasted fine!

1 1/3 cup of panko flakes (1/3 cup is for the cakes....1 cup is for breading)

1 large egg beaten (before you add it to the stuff)

1 T sesame oil

1 T soy sauce

Lemon and lime wedges (for spraying on top of the cooked cakes)

1/3 cup (I swear you will need more) canola oil - for frying.

 

How to make the Salmon Cakes

1. Chop up all of the salmon. My fillets came with the skin on so I also had to take off the skin. When Tom did this he butchered the entire thing. I gently cut a bit of the skin off (with the skin side UP on the cutting board) and then I just sort of pulled and the skin peels right off.

2. In a bowl mix the chopped salmon, red pepper, scallion, cilantro, ginger, 1/3 cup panko flakes, beaten egg, sesame oil and soy sauce. Mix it all around. Use a spoon or else the cilantro will stick to your hands and be annoying.

 

3. In a frying pan heat the canola oil over medium/high heat until it's sizzling.

4. Dump about 1 cup of panko flakes onto a plate (you will dip the cakes in there). You might need more.

5. With your hands (or some magic contraption if you have one), grab a small palm full of salmon mixture and make it into a ball. Plop the ball into the plate of panko flakes and flatten a bit to coat. Then flip over (it gets messy...just deal with it) and coat the other side. Put the cake into the frying pan. Fry about 3 minutes and then flip and do about 3 minutes on the other side. You want a golden brown. At this point I'd turn your heat down a little bit or else you might burn the cakes.

 

6. Put finished cakes onto a plate with a paper towel.

7. Squeeze a lime wedge over cake. Smother with dipping sauce and enjoy.

We ate ours with cous-cous this time, but that was only because it was leftover. I'd say a light salad would go best.

Whitefish with veggies

For this recipe it calls for cod, but I have used sole and it was tasty that way too.

First chop up a green pepper nice and small. Then slice some tomatoes and the recipe calls for chopped onion but I was out so I used scallions. I don't think it was any different.

In a separate bowl add about 1/2 a cup of breadcrumbs (this time I used Panko flakes and they were great). To the breadcrumbs add a few sprinkles of olive oil. Either add some chopped fresh basil or some dried basil to the mixture and stir it around.

Place the fish on a greased (just in case it sticks) baking pan. Put the tomato slices on top and then the green peppers. Add the breadcrumb mixture and then the onions or scallions. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. It all depends on the thickness of your fish fillets, so if they are thin they might need a little less time. If they are super thick they might need more.

I like to squeeze lemon juice over it all when it comes out of the oven and I'd serve it with rice or cous-cous. We ate it with Israeli cous-cous  (my first time making it) and I was not super excited with it because it was so pasta-like. I think this one goes better with regular cous-cous!