Much tastier and healthier than heavily battered fish tacos, brining fish in beer impregnates it with flavour and makes the flesh tender. If you’re concerned about sodium intake, you can cook it in a skillet. If time permits, make the salsa a day in advance to allow the flavours to meld.
1 lb (450 g) catfish filets
3 cups (750 mL) lager or pilsner beer
2 Tbsp (30 mL) kosher or sea salt
2 Tbsp (30 mL) natural cane sugar, divided
2 cups (500 mL) strawberries, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 green onions, green and white parts, sliced
1/3 cup (80 mL) cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) lime zest
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp (5 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) smoked paprika (optional)
8 corn tortillas
In a container large enough for fish filets to lie flat, add 2 cups (500 ml) beer, salt, and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar. Place fish in liquid and add additional beer if needed to cover filets completely. Let soak in refrigerator for about 6 hours, flipping once.
In large bowl, toss together strawberries, red pepper, jalapeno, green onions, cilantro, honey, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and salt to taste.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in remaining sugar, balsamic vinegar, and remaining 1 cup (250 ml) beer. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Remove catfish from brine, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with smoked paprika, if desired. Place on parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until opaque throughout. Let catfish cool and then slice into thin strips.
Warm tortillas, according to package directions.
To serve, divide catfish among tortillas and top with strawberry salsa and onions.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 401 calories; 22 g protein; 13 g total fat (4 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 46 g carbohydrates; 6 g fibre; 571 mg sodium
source: "Think Outside the Mug", alive #353, March 2012
These wraps are perfect for an overnight journey when you want to have something quick and satisfying the next day. Sweet smoked paprika adds just a hint of smoky flavour to sweet potatoes, which join with spinach and red pepper to dress up eggs in a pleasing way. Make these wraps anytime and stick them in the freezer for your next excursion. Pack them frozen and they’ll have time to thaw on the journey, or put them in the fridge the night before you travel so you have something convenient and tasty to eat before you set off. Leave the ketchup bottle behind, and serve them with your own smoky red pepper sauce. Freeze with ease While foil is convenient for freezing and reheating these wraps, to cut down on waste, freeze wraps in a single freezer-proof container. Insert a small piece of parchment between each wrap so they don’t stick together. This will allow you to remove individual wraps easily when you need them.
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.
These mildly spiced salmon tacos served with sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds will bring a party together. Make a small quantity of salmon go further when you pair it with a fresh red cabbage slaw featuring citrus and cilantro. Drizzled with some bright lime yogurt, the flavours come together perfectly. Sustainability status Wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are considered among the most sustainable, as the fishery is subject to limited harvests. With salmon stocks in decline, supporting managed fisheries such as these can help maintain populations into the future. That may also mean eating salmon less often than we do now. Salmon is a favourite Salmon is the most popular variety of fish in Canada and the second most popular in the US.
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