Abbie and Carrie were over tonight and we made this tilapia dish again; the rice is totally the star of the show. It’s mixed with oranges, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, onions… totally delicious. The last time we made this was for an International Potluck — not only did I not have time to properly photograph the dish, but we didn’t post recipes then, so I figured it deserved a second run.

Chris says:

I forgot how good this was.

Abbie says:

Usually when I have tilapia I think it’s too “fishy”… but this is great. Maybe it’s the marinade. And awwww… thanks for making my plate with parsley instead of cilantro…

Chris says:

No problem (weirdo)… besides, that’s more cilantro for us!

Carrie says:

This is so good — I love it!

Lisa says:

I’m just taking little bites, which don’t seem like much, but then add those up…

Carrie says:

I know!

Chris says:

Hey… leave some for Thad!

Costa Rican Tilapia
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 tilapia fillets, about 5 ounces each
3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 cup chopped onions
2 oranges, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) black or pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the tilapia marinade, combine lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar in a shallow dish. Add tilapia and marinate 15 minutes, turning once.
To prepare the bean and rice mixture, cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm while the tilapia is marinating. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, high-sided skillet or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onions; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, oranges, tomatoes, beans, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, uncovered, until hot, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer hot rice to a 9 by 13 inch or 2-1/2 to 3 quart baking dish. Spoon the bean mixture on top of rice and gently blend. Slightly overlap tilapia fillets on top and scrape marinade over fillets. Bake until the flesh of the tilapia just begins to flake at the nudge of a fork, 16 to 20 minutes.

6 Servings

This awesome soup comes from The Ultimate Soup Bible: salt cod, spinach, and okra in a tomato-wine broth surround a mountain of mashed yams. Very different, and very delicious!

Lisa says:

This is so good! I like the cod, though it’s not as salty as I’d expected.

Chris says:

Soaking for over a day will do that, I guess.

Lisa says:

Never in a million years would I have thought to put mashed yams in the middle of a soup!

Chris says:

Mashed Yams? More like Mashed YUMS!

Lisa says:

I know! We should make the yams on their own, too — so good.

Abbie says:

I like our mountain of potatoes… I’d live on it if I were this big…

Chris says:

You may not realize that the people out there can’t see you touching your fingers together to indicate that “this big” means “miniscule”.

Abbie says:

Um, it’s kind of implied if I refer to it as a “mountain” of potatoes.

Chris says:

Good point.

Caribbean Salt Cod and Okra Soup
——————————–
1/2 lb salt cod, soaked for 24 hours, with several water changes
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
6 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 32-oz can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
3 3/4 cups water
8 oz okra, trimmed and cut into thirds
8 oz spinach
salt and pepper

For the potatoes:
1 1/2 lbs yams
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp chopped chives

Drain and skin the salt cod, then rinse under cold water. Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeño and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat until softened. Add the salt cod and cook for another 4 minutes until it begins to color. Stir in the tomatoes, wine, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the water, return to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the okra the soup and cook an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook for 5 minutes until the okra is tender. While the soup is cooking, prepare the yams. Peel the yams and cut into large dice, then place in a pan with the lemon juice and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain well, then return to the pan to dry over the heat for a few minutes. Add the butter and cream, and mash the potatoes. Season as desired. Add the chives.
Season the soup with salt and pepper. Spoon portions of the yams into the center of six bowls and ladle the soup around it. Serve and enjoy!

6 Servings

Tonight I made another soup from Healthy Latin Cooking — this time, a mixed seafood chowder featuring shrimp, halibut, and cod.

Lisa says:

Now this is a broth-based soup I can get behind!

Chris says:

Huh? Why this one?

Lisa says:

It has so much other “stuff” in it — the potatoes, the carrots, 3 types of seafood… that actually fills me up.

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s filling, but I want this to be… creamier… more chowder-like. It tastes really good, but it could be thicker. Anyway, the recipe as listed calls for conger eel, but I couldn’t find it.

Lisa says:

That’s probably just as well, because if you made it with eel you wouldn’t find ME at the dinner table.

Chris says:

Oh come on, you’d try it…

Lisa says:

Maybe if you didn’t tell me what it was first.

Chris says:

So, remember when I said the store didn’t have it? Well…

Lisa says:

No! You’re kidding, right?

Lisa says:

Right?

Chilean Fish and Shrimp Stew
—————————–
1 1/2 pounds mixed seafood (shrimp, halibut, etc.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and ground pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 bay leaf
4 cups fish stock
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Cut the fish into cubes and place in a 13″ x 9″ glass dish along with the shrimp. Add a third of the chopped garlic, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, remaining garlic, and the bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions become translucent, but not browned. Turn the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, and fish stock, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the seafood, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Stir in the cilantro and simmer for one minute. Remove the bay leaf, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.

4 Servings

Wow, was this good. Cod is coated in crushed dried shiitake mushrooms, seared, baked, and then plated over a dish of pasta and vegetables sitting in a mushroom broth. This recipe comes from Weight Watchers, and, shock of all shocks, the portions weren’t of the usual minuscule variety.

Chris says:

I love the crust on the fish — really shroomy.

Lisa says:

Yeah, and I’m glad we didn’t toss the dried shiitakes like the recipe suggested. They’re good on top.

Chris says:

I have to say, this is actually a pretty tasty recipe, considering the source.

Lisa says:

I’m actually full!

Seared Cod over Veggies and Pasta in a Mushroom Broth
—————————————————–
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 cup julienned rutabaga
1 white turnip, julienned
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta
5 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
3/4 lb cod fillet, in 4 pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp minced, peeled ginger
chives
green onions
enoki mushrooms

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the rutabaga, turnip, carrots, and green beans and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and run cold water over the vegetables to stop them from cooking further. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the directions, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Grind half the dried shiitakes in a blender until it forms a powder. Spread the powder on a piece of wax paper. Season both sides of the cod with salt and pepper, then dredge in the mushroom powder.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the cod and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cod to a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes or until done.
Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan and add the remaining dried shiitake mushrooms. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the broth and set aside the mushrooms. Add the ginger, vegetables and pasta to the broth and bring back to a simmer, until heated through. Divide the pasta, vegetables, and broth among four large soup plates. Arrange the pasta to make a bed for the cod in the center. Garnish with chives, scallions, enoki mushrooms, and the reserved shiitake mushrooms.

4 Servings.

This is the second version of Moqueca we’ve attempted, and it couldn’t be more different than the first. In this version, as featured in Healthy Latin Cooking, you puree the stock, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, which creates a thick broth to which you add the fish (in our case, mahi mahi) and shrimp. It worked really well over rice.

Thad says:

It’s as if every culture has their bouillabaisse…

Lisa says:

This is WAY different than the other one we made. Before you put the fish in, it looked like a butternut squash soup! I don’t know which one is more traditional, but they’re both really good.

Chris says:

I like this recipe — there’s only a cup of coconut milk in this but it’s so rich and creamy. More please.

Moqueca de piexe (Brazilian Seafood Stew)
—————————————–
2 pounds mahi mahi, cut into 2″ pieces
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp lime juice
8 cloves garlic, minced
salt and ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
5 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 cups fish stock
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup light coconut milk
ground red pepper

In a shallow 13″x9″ glass baking dish, combine the fish and shrimp. Add the lime juice and one-quarter of the garlic. Season with the salt and pepper, toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, scallions, bell peppers, and the remaining garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and translucent but not brown.
Increase the heat to high. Add the tomatoes and cook for two minutes or until most of the juice from the tomatoes has evaporated. Stir in the stock and 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced and richly flavored. Remove from the heat.
Transfer the vegetable mixture to a blender. Puree until smooth. Return to the skillet. Add the coconut milk and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer for 2 minutes more, or until the fish and shrimp are opaque. Sprinkle with a pinch of ground pepper. Season with more red pepper, salt, and black pepper, if desired. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top.