Fish & Seafood

Valley-style Grilled Salmon

A wonderful warm season grilled fish, perfectly tangy for “fish-wine-oil” days which fall within a fast. Ana is our family’s “grill master” and prepares this salmon for us at home. This is the way she likes to grill salmon. Try it with other firm fish steaks as well! It tastes perfect served with Valley-Style Grilled Squash and Onions, with grilled French bread on the side. Grill the vegetables before the salmon has been cooked. Quickly heat bread on the grill just as dinner is to be served! Yum!

Fresh Salmon Steaks, or a Whole Salmon, Cut into 1 – 1 ½” Steaks

(Cook extra and serve salmon for two meals – perhaps in a grilled salmon salad!)

Mesquite Woodchips, Soaked in Water

Valley-style Grilling Marinade:

Mix together the following ingredients and place the Salmon Steaks in the Marinate for about 20 minutes, turning frequently:

3 Lg. Sour Oranges, Juiced

2 Valley Lemons, Juiced

6 – 8 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced or Pressed

3 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary, Minced (or 1 Tbsp. Dried Italian Seasoning), or more to taste

½ C. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Powdered Red Chile Pepper (or Cajun Seasoning)

6 – 10 Whole Black Peppercorns, Crushed in a Mortar (or freshly ground)

Salt, to taste

Light and prepare your grill.  Add soaked mesquite chips. Removed the fish from its marinade and reserve the leftover liquid.  Grill the salmon on a lightly-oiled grill tray.  Keep lid closed between turnings. Don’t overcook the fish.  Serve with leftover marinade, cooked and reduced. Drizzle this sauce over the grilled salmon steaks.

Valley-style Grilled Salmon Salad

On a hot day, use up leftover grilled salmon steaks by making them into this tasty salad.

2 – 4 Grilled Salmon Steaks, plus marinade sauce (see previous recipe)

2+ C. Cooked White Rice

2 Cans Cut Green Beans, Drained

1 Lg. Onion, Minced

¼ C. Fresh Cilantro or Parsley, Minced

½ C. Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Salt, to taste

Skin, carefully remove all bones and tear into small, bite-sized pieces the grilled salmon steaks.  Stir together with all of the remaining ingredients.  Allow to chill for 1 hour or more before serving.  Serve on a bed of leaf or romaine lettuce.

Sesame Catfish

My Cajun, Polish Uncle Archie of West Columbia, Texas, loves to go fishin’ – and catfish is one of his all time favorites.  This recipe is a bit of a different way to prepare catfish, but it is very good.  The sesame seeds add a great, toasted flavor.

4 Small Cat Fish (Or, Fillets)

1 Lg. Valley Lemon, Juiced

¼ C. Sesame Seeds

½ C. Flour

Creole/Cajun Seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s), to taste, Very Optional

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Rinse and dry the catfish.  Pour lemon juice over the fish, and rub it in on all sides.  Mix together remaining dry ingredients.  Roll the fish in it, and slightly pressing it in.  Sauté the catfish in butter, olive oil, bacon fat or a combination thereof.

Selyodka Pod Shuboy (Russian Dressed Herring)

Selyodka pod shouboy literally means, “herring under fur coat.” When you make or see this dish, you’ll understand the reason for the name!  This is a delicious and much loved, traditional “National Dish” of Russia, served there for many special events.  It was shared with us by Russian parishioner, Tatyana Adams, who adds that, “This is very, very tasty, but you need to use really fat herring, in oil or in brute is okay.” 

2  Thick (Fat) Salted Herrings

5 Potatoes, Boiled, Skinned, Ground Up

4 Carrots, Boiled, Skinned, Ground Up

3 Beets, Boiled, Skinned, Ground Up

5 Hard Cooked Eggs, Peeled & Ground Up

1 Onion, Thinly Sliced

Mayonnaise, Homemade or Store-Bought

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Leaf Lettuce, Optional

Parsley or Scallions, Minced, Optional

Boil the vegetables unpeeled, together in 1 pan, until they are tender but not over cooked.  Pell the vegetables and allow to cool.  Hard boil the eggs. Peel the skin from the salted herrings.  Cut them along the spine and remove all bones.  Cut the herring meat into small pieces, continually checking for bones.  Take a large serving platter. Add a layer of torn up leaf lettuce on the bottom, if you wish.  Cover this with a layer of hearing meat, spread evenly on the bottom.  If you like onion, place thinly sliced onion rings directly on top of the herring.  Then, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise evenly over the fish.  Grind up the potato and spread it over the fish to form the next layer. Cover this also with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Next, grind up the carrots and spread them over as the following layer. Follow with mayonnaise.  Grind the 5 Hard Boiled Eggs. Add a layer made from 4 of the eggs (reserving the 5^th egg for garnish). Grind and add a layer of beets. Then, spread more mayonnaise over the beets.  Sprinkle the top of the layers with the last egg, as a garnish.  A few sprigs of minced parsley and/or scallions can be added as well.  This salad dish must be very beautifully presented and should look rather like a layered cake.  Place the salad in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or so.  Serve this as an appetizer.

Basil Perch

Here in South Texas, where our basil plants grow as a perennial, we are constantly looking for good recipes for using up fresh basil.  This is a good one for fish fasting days.

1 Lb. Perch Fillets

1 – 4 Oz. Can Tomato Paste

1 Small or Med. Zucchini Squash, Diced

1 Can of Corn

1 Onion, Thinly Sliced

2 Oz. Parmesan Cheese, Optional (Lenten-type can be used – see pg. __)

½ C. or More - Fresh Basil Leaves, Stemmed & Chopped

1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano Leaves, Minced (or 1 Tsp. Dried Oregano)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 Lemon, Juiced

Wash, clean and dry fish fillets.  Sauté in lemon butter or olive oil until just flakey.

BEFORE preparing the fish, prepare and combine the vegetables.  Add the tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Place these in a lightly oiled baking dish and top with parmesan.  Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are quite soft. Serve hot over the cooked perch fillets.  Top all with parmesan and lemon juice, to taste. 

Spanish-style Marinated Trout

Another good, cool, recipe, perfect for those special hot season, fasting, fish-wine-oil days – this time, made with trout.  The recipe originated in Spain, but is excellently adapted to Valley life and cuisine.

4 – 6  Trout

1 Tsp. Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 Lemon, Juiced

½ C. Olive Oil

3 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced or Pressed

1 C. White Wine

1 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley or Cilantro, Minced

1 Tbsp. Orange Peel Zest

1 Tbsp. Lemon Peel Zest

Juice from 1 Lemon and 1 Sour Orange

Rinse, clean and pat dry the trout.  Rub the juice from 1 lemon over each piece.  Sauté the trout in ¼ C. of the Olive Oil.  Cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side.  Lay the cooked trout in a lightly oiled glass pan.  Combine all other ingredients.  Pour this over the trout. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for approximately 24 hours.  Bring to room temperature before serving.  Serve with rice or a rice salad on the side.

Caribbean Style Salmon Steaks

Another tasty way to prepare salmon – this time, from the Caribbean!  This recipe is prepared on the stovetop, not grilled.

3 – 5 Salmon Steaks, De-boned & Cubed

1 Onion, Chopped

1 Green, Red or Yellow Pepper, Chopped

1 Small Chile Pepper, such as Serrano or Jalapeño, Seeded & Minced, Optional

2 Fresh Roma Tomatoes, Chopped

3 – 5 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced or Pressed

1 Tsp. Dried Oregano or 1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano, Minced

¼ C. Fresh Cilantro Leaves, Minced

1 – 2 Limes, Juiced

Olive Oil, to taste

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Sauté onion and peppers in olive oil.  Remove vegetables.  Add salmon and sauté briefly. Add tomatoes, garlic, cilantro and previously cooked onion and peppers. Cook for a few minutes until done but not over-cooked. Add lime juice, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and serve on top of or beside white rice.

Oriental Style Salmon (Broiled or Grilled)

A salmon recipe with an Asian flair which can either be broiled or grilled. The recipe is for approximately 4 – 6 Salmon Fillets or Steaks, and can be easily increased for more.

Marinade:

½ C. Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil

¼ C. Olive Oil

½ C. White Wine or Sake

1 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Lime, Juiced

3 Tbsp. Sherried Ginger (see below) or Fresh Ginger Root, Minced or Grated

3 Cloves Garlic, Pressed or Minced

3 Tbsp. Minced Chives, or ¼ C. Scallions, Thinly Cut

3 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley or Cilantro, Minced

Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

1 Tsp. Ground Cayenne, Optional

Blend all of the marinade ingredients together.  Rinse and pat dry the fish.  Place fish and marinade in a sealed zip lock bag.  Allow flavors to blend, refrigerated, for 1 – 3 hours. Turn several times. Drain marinade from the fish, and reserve the liquid.  Broil or grill the salmon for approximately 10 minutes per side. Baste frequently with remaining marinade. Heat and reduce the remaining marinade and serve as a side sauce. 

Sherried Ginger:  To make this, use 1 Large Fresh Ginger Root and slice it into small pieces.  Cover the ginger completely with sherry.  Allow to steep and extract for at least a few weeks prior to use.  As liquid is then used up in recipes, cover any exposed ginger root with a bit more liquid (sherry).  This recipe will keep, refrigerated, for at least a year.

Special Occasion Tuna Salad

A recipe which is a bit too involved for every day use, but this is a wonderful when served to guests or for taking to a Church meal which falls on a fish-fasting day.  It can easily be multiplied if you need to make a larger quantity.

2 – 3 Cans Tuna in Water, Drained

¼ C. + Mayonnaise (or Egg-Free Mayonnaise Substitute)

¼ C. + Sour Cream (or Tofu Sour Cream Substitute, see pg__)

1 C. Celery, Finely Chopped

½ C. Sweet Red Onion or Scallions, Finely Chopped

1 C. Red Seedless Grapes, Cut in Half

1 C. Green Seedless Grapes, Cut in Half

1 Small Orange, Seeded, Sectioned & Cut into Bite-Sized Pieces

½ C. Walnuts, Pecans or Piñon Nuts, Chopped

1 Tbsp. Fresh Basil OR Mint Leaves, Minced

1 Tsp. Fresh Dill Weed, Minced

Mixed Spring Salad Greens

Mix all ingredients together with the tuna (except for the mixed salad greens) Add more mayonnaise and sour cream (or their substitutes) if it is required. Serve on top of a bed of mixed spring greens, with crackers, bagels crisps, Bolillos or French Bread on the side.

Shrimp Etoufee

The following recipe was shared by an Orthodox friend, formerly of Louisiana. It is perfect for a special Lenten meal, especially during fresh Gulf shrimp season.

2 Lg. Onions, Chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 Stalk of Celery, Chopped

Several Cloves of Garlic, to your taste, diced

½ c. margarine or oil

1 lb. Peeled Shrimp (could use peelings for stock)

½ can Diced Tomatoes

Salt, Black Pepper & Red Pepper, to taste

½ c. Chopped Green Onion

¼ - ½ c. Chopped Fresh Parsley

2-4 TBS flour

1 c. Water, Shrimp or Vegetable Stock

Saute onions, bell pepper, celery, salt and peppers in oil for 10 minutes or so, until starting to caramelize (throw garlic in after 7-8  minutes).  Add tomatoes and shrimp and cook and stir until shrimp are pink. Dissolve flour in water and stir into etouffe.  Cook about 5 more minutes. Adjust seasonings and add green onion and parsley as you are taking the dish off the stove.  Stir well and server over rice.