Category: Fish

Tuna Cakes with Roasted Garlic Aioli

Tuna Cakes with Roasted Garlic Aioli

Tuna Cakes with Roasted Garlic Aioli don’t taste fishy.  They come to the table with sophistication and easily turn into a meal for entertaining.  The kids love them and your company will want this recipe.  Use real mashed potatoes or cheat and used boxed.  Either way, the fresh herbs and crispy coating makes this recipe a keeper.

Fish cakes first appeared in England where leftover fish mixed with mashed potatoes made another meal.  It probably was part of what we Italians call “the cucina povera”.  Families trying to make ends meet or feed a large number of people added the fish to mashed potatoes and got a hearty meal.  Today fish cakes appear as appetizers or mains in many restaurants, but you can make them in your home for a fraction of the price.  A good Article : https://newengland.com/yankee-magazine/food/fish-cakes/

I used canned tuna, but I have made these with fresh fish such as cod, basa and crab.  Try your favourite.  Always use fresh herbs from your garden. Tarragon, thyme and fennel also pair nicely with this recipe.

Mashed potatoes are one of my favourites in recipes.  Don’t forget to check out my best mashed potato dish: https://recipesatmytable.com/polpette-di-patate/

Fresh ingredients are the stars of this recipe.

I gather the tuna, herbs, garlic and eggs.

The spices go in.

ingredients ready to meet mashed potatoes

Everything gets mixed For These Tuna Cakes with Roasted Garlic Aioli.

The potatoes go into the tuna.

All mixed-up!!

Tuna Cakes with Roasted Garlic Aiolimeet the breadcrumbs.

The tuna cakes ready for the pan.

This Aioli is simple.

 A couple of minutes on each sides makes them golden.

On a pretty bed of greens with the Aioli.

 

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Tuna Cakes with Roasted Garlic Aioli

An easy recipe for family or entertaining

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes
Servings 2
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Tuna Cakes

  • 2 potatoes 1 cup mashed
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 3 basil leaves finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • juice of half a small lemon
  • lemon zest of half a lemon
  • 1 tsp hot sauce optional
  • 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp Canola Oil

The Roasted Garlic Aioli

  • 2 tbsp Greek Yogurt
  • 2 tbsp Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

The Tuna Cakes

  1. In you use real potatoes they need to be bpiled, drained and mashed until smooth.

    If using potato flakes, prepare as per box direction.

    Ensure that the potato mixture is cool.

    In another bowl mix the tuna, basil, lemon zest,minced garlic, Italian seasoning, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce.

    Now add in the potatoes.

    Mix well and divide into 4.

    Make the patties and coat with the bread crumbs.

    Place a pan on the stove with 2 tbsp canola oil.

    Fry the patties for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

    Place on a bed of greens.

    Drizzle with the Aioli Sauce.

The Roasted Garli Aioli

  1. Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the tuna cakes. Start with 1 tbsp lemon juic and add more to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency.

Recipe Notes

This recipe may be doubled. 

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Coconut Fish Sticks:Recipes at My Table

Coconut Fish Sticks

Coconut Fish Sticks

Who doesn’t remember fish sticks as a kid? But these are fish sticks for grown-ups. Coconut Fish Sticks come with a little bit of sophistication.  Served with my mango salsa and beets with fresh yogurt cream, this dish is one for entertaining.

I watch a lot of Food TV and Gordon Ramsay is one of my favourite chefs for techniques that work.  My technique for this fish comes from him.  The secret to a good fish stick is in the salting of the fish.  I use a firm fish; today it is basa.  After I cut and dry the fish, I salt it an let it sit in the refrigerator of 20 minutes.( Gordon’s technique) It firms up the fish and allows it to become more durable in the pan.  Then I take it out of the refrigerator and roll it in flour and shake off the excess flour by rolling it between my hands. ( Also his technique)

The Mango salsa brightens the dish and the red of the beets with the little splash of yogurt sauce add more colour.   There is no starch with this dish, but it is more than satisfying. Leftover Salsa is nice on other sandwiches or as a side.

If you like Basa, check this out: https://recipesatmytable.com/basa-fillets-with-olives/

I use a firm Bassa fish for this dish.

I cut the fish into little strips.

The salsa needs some onions.

Such a colourful salsa and then that lemon zest hits the top.

I roll the fish sticks into the flour first and then between my hands to remove the excess flour.

A healthier version of this dish, because we all need to be healthier. 

A little yogurt sauce with orange juice, orange zest and some fresh mint.

It all looks so inviting on the plate.

Coconut Fish Sticks:Recipes at My Table
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Coconut Fish Sticks

Course Main Course
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Keyword Coconut Fish Sticks
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 36 minutes
Servings 2
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Fish

  • 1 lb firm fish I used basa fillets
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Mango Salsa

  • 1 whole mango
  • 1/4 cup each yellow and red bell peppers
  • 1/2 sweet onion finely diced
  • 2 tbsp parsley or cilantro

The Beets

  • rosted beets
  • 2 tbsp greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • zest of half an orange
  • 1 tsp fresh mint leaves

Instructions

The Fish

  1. Cut the fish into fingers.

    Dry the fish.

    Salt the fish and place it into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm. 

    Dip into the flour and roll between your hands to remove the excess flour.

    Break the egg into a bowl and beat with salt and pepper. 

    Place the coconut into another bowl.  

    Dip the fish into the egg and then into the coconut.

    Place on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

    Drizzle some olive oil over the fish.

    Place in a 400F oven for 20 minutes.

    Serve with the Salsa on the side.  

The Mango Salsa

  1. Cut the mango in half and score it. 

    Remove all the little pieces with a spoon into a medium bowl.

    Chop the onion finely and add.

    Dice the peppers into uniform pieces.

    Add the olive oil.

    Salt and pepper.

    Add the parsley and toss together with the parsley.

The Beets

  1. After roasting the beets, cool and peel.

    Mix the yogurt with the orange juice, the zest and the mint leaves

    Drizzle over the beets.

Recipe Notes

You can also deep fry this fish.

 

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Dressed-up Trout: Recipes at My Table

Dressed-up Trout

Dressed-up Trout

Italians eat a lot of fish, and we eat it in many different ways.  Most of the time we have fish as a second course accompanied by a salad.  Dressed-up Trout is my spin on this Italian “secondo”.  I placed my salad on the fish.  Salads can be boring, but they can come alive with a little imagination.

I make a simple batter for the fish by whipping some egg whites with sweet chilli Thai sauce.  To this I add a tablespoon of flour and one of cornstarch.  I want to keep the dish light but give it some flavour; the Thai sauce will add a bit of heat.  The salad brightens everything up with its tangy, but simple vinaigrette.  Packed with a variety of greens this salad gets a little kick from the gherkins and the pickled onion.  I think salads have no limits; your imagination can bring anything together in a salad.

When we lived in Nunavut we ate a lot of Arctic Char.  Now back in Ontario, trout is a fatty fish that provides me with omega 3.  According to some studies it is low in contaminants. For a good read on trout see:  https://www.dovemed.com/healthy-living/natural-health/7-health-benefits-rainbow-trout/

We eat a lot of fish especially for an evening meal as part of the Mediterranean diet.  Fish preparation can also be fun.  You can make fun crusts out of couscous, wild rice or sesame seeds. Try condiments like flavoured butters, dressed-up yogurt, or a little liqueur slurry.  You can add capers, leeks or spinach.  The power of your imagination can bring any dish to life!!

The batter is thick and frothy.

The fish swimming in  the batter.

The trout fries up golden brown.

The salad comes together with the broccoli, gherkins and pickled onions.

The edamame joins the bowl.

The egg goes into the salad.

This simple vinaigrette brings everything together.

Plated the fish is on the bottom and the salad is on top.

Dressed-up Trout: Recipes at My Table

Dressed-up Trout: Recipes at My Table
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Dressed-up Trout

Put the salad on top of the fish and take it to the table.  

Course Main Course
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Keyword Dressed-up Trout
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 3
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Fish

  • 3 trout fillets
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup Thai sweet chilli pepper sauce
  • 2 tbsp canola oil

The Salad and Dressing

  • 1 cup edamame beans
  • 3 tbsp chopped gherkins
  • 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
  • 1 head broccoli steamed
  • 2 tbsp chopped pickled onions
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 Orange cut into slices

Instructions

The Fish

  1. Dry the fish fillets.

    Blend the eggs whites, flour, cornstarch and Thai sweet chilli pepper sauce.

    Beat well.

    Soak each fillet in the batter.

    Place in the heated canola oil.

    Cook 3 minutes on each side.

    Place on a platter.

The Salad

  1. Clean and cut the broccoli into small pieces.

    Place in a microwaveable dish and add 2 tbsp of water.

    Cook on high for 5 minutes.

    Meanwhile chop the boiled eggs, gherkins and onions and put in the bottom of a large bowl.

    Once the broccoli is steamed, cool and place in the bowl.

    Put the edamame beans on top of the broccoli.  

    I used frozen edamame that I thawed.

    Now mix the dressing by placing the olive oil, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and brown sugar in a jar and shake. 

    Pour over the other ingredients and toss to  mix.

The Assembly

  1. To plate place one trout fillet on a plate and top with the salad.  

    Use the cut orange slices to decorate.

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Zuppa di Cozze for Two Recipes at my Table

Zuppa di Cozze For Two

Zuppa di Cozze For Two

Zuppa di Cozze For Two is perfect for a romantic supper which brings us back to Cefalu, Sicily.  John and I have had the pleasure of dining many times in Sicily.  We have many favourite places to eat this soup.  You wouldn’t think of eating soup on a hot night, yet we have had this when the temperature is till 30 C at 9 pm at night.

Zuppa di Cozze For Two is meant to be shared with your significant other with a good glass of wine or two.  The mussels today come from the east coast and are only one day old.  We are lucky that today many grocery store chains carry an array of seafood.

We also love Cozze Scopiatte which only uses olive oil, black pepper, parsley, garlic and a splash of fresh lemon juice.  My favourite place to eat these is at : http://ragnodorocefalu.it/  Besides the food the owners here go above and beyond to make you feel at home.  Our favourite waiter was Franco; he passed away last year.  We will always remember him with his fresh plums in the street luring passersby to the restaurant.

I put a couple of tablespoons of flour into a large bowl and after I rinse the mussels they go into this bowl with more water and ice.  The flour will help to clean out the sand.  I leave them in this bowl for at least 30 minutes.  Throw out any mussels that are open.

The ingredients for the simple sauce are assembled.

The mussels hang out in the bowl.

I start the sauce with olive oil, garlic, basil and Italian seasoning. Let it warm up in the pan.

Next I toss in these small cherry tomatoes that are cut in half.  Cook for one minute.

I rinse the clams and throw them into the pan and toss them around for a few seconds.

Next the wine goes in.

The lid goes on and they steam for about 5 minutes. Now they are all open and I add some fresh basil.  Discard any mussels that don’t open.

I grilled some whole wheat baquette on the grill and it is toasty and ready for this Zuppa.

Plated and ready for two.

Zuppa di Cozze for Two Recipes at my Table
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Zuppa di Cozze for Two

This is a dish to share!!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Zuppa di Cozze for Two
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 52 minutes
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Zuppa

  • 1 bag fresh mussels
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • hand full of fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cups cherry tomtoes
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 cup white wine

The bread

  • 1 large baquette
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp oregano

Instructions

The Zuppa

  1. Clean the mussels by rinsing and placing them in a bowl of cold water with a couple of tbsp of flour for 30 minutes.  

    Rinse the mussels again.  Brush off any remaining debris such as beards. They can be easily pulled off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDsBCI2xCX8

    In a large pan, add olive oil, basil, garlic and warm for a minute.  Do not burn.  

    Now add the sliced cherry tomatoes. 

    Cook for 2 minutes and add the rinsed mussels.

    Toss everything together and pour in the white wine.

    Place lid on pan and cook for 5 minutes.

    Remove lid and garnish with fresh basil. 

The bread

  1. Slice the baquette in half and brush with olive oil.

    Sprinkle some oregano on each half.

    Put cut side down on barbecue for a minute.

    Flip over and cook for another 30 seconds.

    Remove and add to the bowls of soup.  

Recipe Notes

You can easily double this recipe.  

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