A new, tongue-tingling recipe for us tonight from Fitness Food. Kedgeree is an Indian-inspired British dish of eggs, fish, and rice — you can read a detailed history here. Apparently it’s a popular breakfast/brunch dish, but for us it made sense as yet another way to have salmon for dinner.

Lisa says:

That book has really given us some winning recipes.

Chris says:

Tell me about it! I’ve never heard of this dish before…

Lisa says:

Me neither! It’s really different.

Chris says:

Yeah, that combo of hard-boiled eggs along with the salmon is unexpectedly delicious!

Lisa says:

I actually like the raisins in this, too. And there’s just enough spice.

Chris says:

The spicy mango chutney goes well with it. But you know what I like best about this?

Lisa says:

Hmmmm… what?

Chris says:

The portion size… not going hungry here!

Poached Salmon Kedgeree
2 eggs
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lemon, sliced
2 x 7 oz salmon fillets, at room temperature
1 tsp low-fat butter spread
1 large red onion, chopped
2 tbsp mild curry powder
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Hard-boil the eggs, peel, and roughly chop. Set aside.
Heat a heavy-base frying pan that it at least 3 inches deep and 10 inches in diameter. Add the stock, wine, and lemon slices and heat to a simmer, then add the fish. Simmer for 8 minutes, or until just cooked through. You’ll want the cooking liquid to completely cover the fish. When fully cooked, move the fish to a plate, remove the skin, and use a fork to roughly flake. Set aside, and cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Strain the stock into a large container to measure 3 cups and set aside. Wipe out the pan.
Heat the butter spread in the frying pan, add the onion, and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and rice. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the reserved stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed.
Carefully stir in the chopped egg, salmon, raisins, and half the parsley. Divide among 4 bowls. Top with the remaining parsley. Serve with a fruit chutney and lemon wedges.

4 Servings

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 perfect summer recipe is adapted from the McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Cookbook, which I recently received from my boss at work (Thanks, Bill!). I was drawn to this recipe because the salsa reminded me of the one we created to use in our fish taco recipe — mangoes, pineapple, cilantro, onion — and the coconut curry rice sounded awesome. We weren’t let down, we both really enjoyed this dish. Hooray for grilling season! The recipe may look a bit complicated because you have to make the sauce(s) separately, but they come together pretty quickly.

Lisa says:

Oh my GAWD — I love this rice.

Chris says:

Weren’t you just talking about coconut curry rice this weekend?

Lisa says:

Yes! My dinner at Bick’s came with that rice.

Chris says:

How does this compare?

Lisa says:

This wins because we made it here.

Chris says:

I really like the mango barbecue sauce — fruity, smokey, and just a little kick of spice from the chutney.

Lisa says:

…and of course, the mango salsa rules.

Chris says:

…of course. There’s triple sec in it.

Mango Barbecued Swordfish
2 7-oz swordfish steaks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper
1/2 cup Mango Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)
1/2 cup long-grain rice
3/4 cup Coconut Curry Sauce (recipe below)
6 tbsp Tropical Fruit Salsa (recipe below)
cilantro, for garnish

Oil and season the fish with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 minute per side, or until just done. Baste frequently with the Mango Barbecue Sauce. Prepare the rice per package directions, and when done, pour 1/2 the Coconut Curry Sauce in and toss to coat. Place the rice in the center of the serving plates. Place the fish on the rice and drizzle the remaining sauce around the plate. Top the fish with the salsa and sprigs of cilantro.

2 Servings

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp green Thai curry paste
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp kosher salt

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all ingredients and simmer for 8-10 minutes until somewhat thickened.

Makes 2 cups

Mango Barbecue Sauce
4 tbsp coconut milk
1/2 cup hot mango chutney
1 mango, peeled and diced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tbsp store-bought barbecue sauce

Combine all ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth.

Makes 1 cup

Tropical Fruit Salsa
2 tbsp fresh mango, diced 1/4 inch
2 tbsp fresh papaya, diced 1/4 inch
4 tbsp fresh pineapple, diced 1/4 inch
2 tbsp diced red onion
2 tbsp diced red bell pepper
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
salt, pinch
pepper, pinch
cumin, pinch
1 tsp cilantro
2 splashes triple sec

Combine all ingredients, season to taste.

Makes about 1 cup

A new recipe from Great Bowls of Fire for us tonight — this one was nice and spicy! Thin strips of beef are stir-fried with peppers, mushrooms, and snap peas, and drowned in a sauce of coconut milk, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Filling and delicious!

Chris says:

Whoa — this is spicier than I was expecting!

Lisa says:

Don’t be a baby… it’s a lot less intense with the rice.

Chris says:

Hey, I’m the one who likes spicy, remember? I just meant I had my chili sauce at the ready and don’t think I’ll need to add as much as usual.

Lisa says:

While you’ve been jibber-jabbing about spicy foods, I’ve been enjoying my dinner.. mmm, so good! I love the coconut milk flavor.

Chris says:

Agreed. If this dinner was a song by Kansas, it’d be “Curry on Wayward Son”.

Lisa says:

So, I’ve learned to live with your puns, but what the heck does that even mean?

Chris says:

No clue. Okay, I’m going to finish eating this deliciousness.

Red Curry Beef and Mushrooms
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 lb top round
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into slivers
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp red curry paste
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb. snow peas, halved
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cornstarch
10 basil leaves, cut into strips
4 cups cooked Jasmine rice

In a large wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, keeping warm.
In the same wok, add the bell pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the beef and curry paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Stir in the coconut milk, broth, snow peas, soy sauce, cumin, and coriander and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water. Whisk into the curry sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil leaves and serve over rice.

4 Servings

A few nights ago I made this surprisingly easy and quick rice dish — somewhere between a paella and fried rice — found in The Border Cookbook. We used chicken chorizo instead of pork/beef to lower the fat content, and considering there’s only a teaspoon of oil added, it was pretty healthy.

Chris says:

Yay for sausage!

Lisa says:

That chicken chorizo is pretty spicy…

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s good. The dish itself is pretty subtle, so I think it works well to have the distinct spices from the sausage and the contrasting cool avocado.

Lisa says:

I really like this dish — you’re right, it’s reminiscent of both fried rice and paella.

Chris says:

This would be good topped with some of that tomatillo-chipotle salsa that we made with the Arroz Con Pollo.

Fisherman’s Rice
—————-
4 oz bulk chorizo (I used chicken chorizo)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 bay leaf
12 oz shrimp, cooked as desired
1/2 Haas avocado, diced
2 medium tomatillos, husked, roasted, and pureed

In a heavy skillet, fry the chorizo in oil over medium heat. When just browned, add the onion, garlic, and rice and saute briefly until the rice is translucent. Pour in the stock, soy sauce, vinegar, add the bay leaf, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in the cooked shrimp, avocado, and pureed tomatillos, cover again, and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the rice steam, covered, for at least 10 minutes. Stir and serve.

3-4 Servings