Archive for August, 2009

Top Chefs Judge Tilapia Recipe Contest

Friday, August 21st, 2009
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Next week Regal Springs Tilapia, the world’s largest producer of tilapia, will announce the winners of the tilapia recipe contest. At the beginning of the summer, the company set out to find the best, homemade tilapia meal that could be made for under $15. Nearly 300

 entries were reviewed by a panel of Chicago’s ”hippest” chefs, who narrowed the field down to the final 11 finalists. (It was supposed to

be just ten, but the dishes were so delish they couldn’t decide!) On August 11th, they chose six winners to receive cash prizes, with the grand prize finalist catching $5,000.

These top chefs also discussed tips and ideas for making quality budget meals for the whole family, which we’ll cover in another post.

  • Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno
  • Roger Herring of Socca
  • Chris Macchia of Coco Pazzo
  • Dirk Flanigan of The Gage  

Come back next week to find out who the winners are!

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Posted in Contests, News | 4 Comments »

Recipe: Mediterranean Tilapia

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

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This is one of the first recipes I ever used with tilapia. Orginally, it was something I saw on Martha Stewart. But you know how Martha is. Her version calls for Chilean sea bass, or rather - the ‘very best Chilean sea bass’. Cut to me sitting on my Ikea sofa with a leaky roof and two under two, and well- fancy fish wasn’t exactly in the budget. Even if I’d been flush with cash, a special trip to the fish market wouldn’t have been a priority between co-op preschool shifts and hundreds of diapers a week. I needed a good, inexpensive substitute that I could find at the local grocery store.

Hello tilapia! 

Mediterranean Tilapia

Ingredients:

  • 4 5-7 oz. fresh tilapia fillets (I like Regal Springs tilapia found at Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Marsh Food stores and Jewel grocery stores.)
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes*
  • 1/2 - 1 cup olives - any kind you like - greek, black, green, etc.
  • ¼ cup capers
  • 2-3 cloves crushed garlic (or like 20, whatever  you like!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

  1. Cut the tomatoes and olives in half and cook with garlic, capers and olive oil for 5 minutes on medium heat - until tomatoes start to soften.
  2. Add fish and cover, cooking for 5 more minutes until fish flakes with a fork.

How easy is that? (The original recipe called for stove top cooking, followed by a stint in the oven. Bah! You can do it all in the skillet.) This dish is great with couscous to sop up the sauce.

*The cherry tomatoes on the vine have amazing flavor for this dish. However, they’re pricey so I usually opt for the less expensive clam shell pack of grape tomatoes. If you grow your own - even better!

Image Credit: david.nikonvscanon, Flickr

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Get Kids Hooked on Fish

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

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You know you want the kids to eat fish, but how do you get them hooked?

Chicago chef and instructor Laura Valcour, who teachers cooking classes for kids, suggests there are several ways to get kids to eat fish.

She recommends:

  • Serve them fish that isn’t fishy tasting. Tilapia is inexpensive, easy to cook and has a mild taste that kids enjoy. (Frozen bags of Regal Springs Tilapia at Costco and Krogers are inexpensive and taste as good as fresh fish).

I can’t agree more with this one. One of my kids absolutely goes insane for salmon, but most kids don’t . And speaking of salmon, that brings up another point about fishy tasting fish. Sometimes fish gets that icky taste when it’s overcooked. Tilapia’s one of the easiest fish to cook so you’re less likely to make a fishy faux pas.

  • Keep the “fish” word to a minimum. Some kids may not try fish because they assume they won’t like it. Once they try it, they often learn to love it.

My jury’s still out on straight-up deception, but if kids are young enough, you can pass fish off as chicken. Why not?

  • Involve kids in the preparation and cooking process, which will help get them excited about the meal.

I guess if you have more patience than I do, this is a good idea. It depends on the age of the kids, as well as their interests and personalities.

  • Make the dish they love, just substitute fish. For example, instead of meat tacos, try fish tacos (using a very mild fish such as tilapia or white fish).

They probably won’t even notice the switch.

  • Use creative dips and sauces. Try ketchup, barbecue sauce and even honey.

Breaded, fried, and ketchup-ed? Not the healthiest option, but I promise you almost any child will eat it.

  • Let them play with their food. Encourage them to help garnish, make smiley faces on the fish with herbs and olives and build towers with fish sticks. Also, put a marinade into a squeeze bottle and let kids decorate the fish.

I LOVE the squeeze bottle idea. Let them decorate the plate too. Fancy chefs do it; why not our kids?

  • Experiment with fun shapes and sizes. Use cookie cutters to create star, heart and diamond shapes.

I’m not down with this one, but more power to you. (I draw the line at tiny triangle sandwiches.)

  • Take your kids to the fish counter and ask them to select the one they’d like to try.

Could work, so long as the fish are not alive, in which case this could cause some serious nightmares at my house.

  • Lead by example, when your children see you enjoying fish, they will want to try it too.

This is by far the most important tip. If eating fish is just a normal part of family life, kids will eat it. Trust me. My kids eat fish all the time.

I would add that some good old fashioned ‘because I said so’ goes a long way. If you want your kids to eat fish, they will. You’re in charge, remember?

To download five kid-friendly fish recipes, log on to www.RegalSprings.com and click on “Friday Fish for Kids” recipes.

Image Credit: eyeliam, Flickr

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How to Steam Fish

Friday, August 7th, 2009
Steam fish at home without the fancy gadgets.

Steam fish at home without the fancy gadgets.

Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook fish. Because it involves no added fat, you get the pure protein goodness of the fish without any added calories. Steamed tilapia is healthy and delicious. Add as much flavor as you like, or keep it bland (read: kid-friendly) by seasoning the liquid only and not the fish directly.

Tips For Steaming Fish

Steaming is cooking with steam, which is produced by boiling liquid in the bottom of a saucepan and letting the heat cook your fish. The fish does not come into contact with the liquid - only the steam. Steaming is one of the easiest ways to cook fish when you follow some simple guidelines:

  • Include an acid ingredient in the cooking liquid. This could be lemon juice or a nice balsamic vinegar.
  • Consider seasoning the fish directly with herbs, spices, ginger, shallots, or your favorite sauce.
  • Bring two inches of liquid to a boil before placing the fish in position.
  • Place the fish on a rack or in a steamer basket to prevent it from coming into contact with the liquid.
  • Cover and cook until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

If you don’t have a steamer rack or basket, you can place fish portions between two plates and put this over a saucepan of boiling liquid. This method retains every last bit of the fish’s natural juices and flavor, and its especially nice when you want to savor the subtle taste of a fish without any seasoning. I like mine with lots of flavor, but some people (especially little people) like foods that taste like nothing.

Snazz Up Your Steamed Fish

There are many ways to dress up a steamed fish. A lot of people use bouillon in the steaming liquid, which is a great option if plan to serve the steamed fish with a sauce. You can make a simple one by reducing the liquid after the fish is cooked.

Steaming in seaweed is another way to prepare the fish that adds some unique flavor, but it might not be a great option if you’re trying to get kids to eat the final product. Ginger is a traditional favorite for adding a bit of flavor to fish, while also cutting down on any fishy cooking odors in the kitchen.

Oh my gosh - I just thought of something really awful: steamed tilapia with ketchup! It’s gross but I can’t think of a kid who wouldn’t go for it! You do what you have to, right?

How about you? How do you like your steamed fish? Share your creative ideas in the comments!

Image Credit: th0mi, Flickr

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Shake Up Your Tacos With Tilapia

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

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One of my favorite summer dishes is fish tacos. This fish recipe is also a great one to make in the fall, when cabbage is practically free!

Ingredients:

  • 8 small corn tortillas (or flour, if you must)
  • 4 -5 tilapia fillets
  • garlic (as much as you like), pressed
  • lime juice from a couple of limes
  • 2 tablespoons southwest seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • salt
  • 1/4 - 1/2 head of cabbage
  • 1 onion
  • Optional Toppings: cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, minced onions, salsa

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add tilapia.
  2. Add half of each of the lime juice, salt, cumin & southwest seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Flip the fish and season with other half of juice, salt, cumin, and southwest seasoning. Cooking until golden. Remove to a plate.
  4. In the same skillet, cook the cabbage and onions until soft. Add the pressed garlic at the end if you like it strong, or earlier if you prefer it mild.
  5. Break up fish and mix in with vegetables.
  6. Heat tortillas in the microwave. (Or you can do it in the pan if you’re a real go-getter!)
  7. Fill tortillas with a portion of fish & then top this with desired toppings. (Honestly, the only topping I like on these is cilantro and maybe a little salsa. At our house we don’t really bother with the traditional toppings for fish tacos because they’re so flavorful on their own!)

Enjoy!

Note: Sometimes, if I can find them, I add those little matchstick cut carrots that come packaged in the produce section. They add a nice color element to the dish. If you have a julienne tool, you could also do some carrots that way. It makes the dish a little prettier, but it’s totally optional.

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