Summer Eating- Part One

As the temperature rises, I want to be in the kitchen less. There are great seafood options in this post because they don't take long to cook. Also included are some summer sides that go with anything, especially things that come off the grill. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Grilled Fish Fillets with Chimichurri

6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or red onion 

1 clove finely chopped garlic

6 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/8 tsp pepper divided

4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, or try with salmon, tilapia, tuna, cod, steelhead trout or chicken

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. *Quick Tip- if you don't want to chop all the ingredients separately, put first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until its incorporated; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
 2. Heat a grill pan, counter top grill or an outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper over fish. Add fish to pan or grill; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with sauce.
3. Pour the leftover sauce into an ice cube tray and freeze. Use it later to top other fish, shrimp, chicken or even grilled beef.

"Go with anything in the Summer" Rice-
Cook 1 cup long-grain brown rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup thawed frozen whole-kernel corn, 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup chopped zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until vegetables are charred. Stir in 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes or diced tomato; sauté 1 minute or until tomatoes almost wilt. Combine vegetable mixture, rice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Open Faced Cajun Fish Sandwich
1 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's or other type of Cajun seasoning
4 (6oz) fish fillets- tilapia, catfish, halibut, cod, or any white fish
1 Tbs olive oil
1 bag pre-shredded coleslaw mix with dressing
4 thick slices French or Sourdough bread (or you can even do Texas Toast garlic bread ,YUM!)

1. Sprinkle fish fillets evenly with Tony Chachere's. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbs olive oil.
2. Cook fish fillets about 5-7 minutes per side depending on thickness. Fish will flake easily with a fork when done.
3. Meanwhile, stir the coleslaw and dressing together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. If using French bread, toast each piece. If using Texas Toast, cook according to package directions.
5. To serve, place a piece of toast on each dinner plate. Top with fish fillet and a scoop of coleslaw.

Salmon en Papillote
This may seem fancy, but it is sooo easy and tastes delicious. You're cooking fish in a paper pouch. Try different assortments of veggies too, like fennel, yellow squash, carrot, tomato, olives, capers...the options are endless. If you have it, pour a splash of white wine on top of fish before closing up.
1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly
1 zucchini, sliced very thinly
4 oz mushrooms sliced very thinly
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced very thinly
4 (4-6oz) salmon fillets (halibut or tilapia would work too)
1 lemon, sliced very thinly (you could also use 1 small orange)
salt and pepper
parchment paper (found next to foil at grocery store)

1. Preheat oven to 425. Take 4-15 by 36-inch pieces of parchment paper and fold in 1/2 like a book. Draw a large 1/2 heart on paper with fold of paper being the center of the heart. Cut out heart and open. Lay sliced vegetables on parchment in center to 1 side of fold. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Top each vegetable pile with 1 slice lemon first, then salmon fillet. Liberally salt and pepper each salmon fillet. Divide remaining lemon slices and place over the salmon to cover it.
3. Close each heart of parchment. Starting at the top of each heart, fold the edges over; overlapping each fold with the last to make a tight seal. When you get to the bottom point, fold under. Place each on a baking sheet.
4.  Bake 8 minutes for a fillet less than an inch thick, or 10 minutes for a thick fillet 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick. To serve, carefully transfer the package to a dinner plate and simply unfold or cut the parchment open. If you’d rather remove the package before eating, cut or tear the paper alongside the fillet, and slide the fish right onto the plate.


Crab Cakes were requested, but I haven't made any in years. Wouldn't remember what recipe I would have used anyway (two pregnancies later)! I found Food & Wine's best 3 crab cake recipes on the web. Check them out here. A secret for getting them to turn out just right is to combine all ingredients EXCEPT crab first. Then gently stir in the crab last. You want chunky crab meat too, as opposed to finely shredded, so there's good meaty bites in there.
Something that caught my eye when I was looking in my books for crab recipes was...
Crab Artichoke Dip courtesy of my Good Friends, Great Tastes cookbook
1 (14oz) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 cups Hellman's Real Mayonnaise
4 oz fresh lump crab meat
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup white onion, sliced paper thin
2 Tbs melted butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 fresh lemon
Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning

1. Squeeze out moisture from lump crab meat or if using canned, rinse and squeeze out moisture. Mix together first 5 ingredients.
2. Mix melted butter with the bread crumbs in a medium size bowl. Top the crab mixture with the bread crumbs and bake in a pie plate until bubbly (25-35 minutes) at 350 degrees.
3. Squeeze with lemon and sprinkle Tony Chachere's on top when done. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Summer Orzo Primavera courtesy Eat Clean Cookbook
Orzo is a delicious and versatile grain that isn't a grain at all. Orzo is a pasta formed in the shape of rice, but a little larger.
1 cup whole-wheat orzo, dry
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup frozen baby peas and/or edamame, thawed
1 small red pepper, diced small
1 Tbs chopped fresh dill or 3/4 tsp dried dill
2 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Stir in orzo and salt. Return to a boil and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grains should be tender but firm when done.
2. Drain and transfer to a colorful serving bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Chill 2 hours before serving.

Another Summer side...
Black Bean and Rice Salad
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs oil of your choice: avocado, canola, olive, grape seed, vegetable
1 1/2 cup corn kernels
1 1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium green zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 cloves garlic, minced fine or pushed through garlic press
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked brown rice
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl combine lemon juice and oil. This is the dressing
2. In large serving bowl combine all remaining ingredients. Toss lightly to distribute ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss again.

Roasted Garlic
as many full bulbs of garlic as you like
extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400. Using a sharp knife, cut off the pointed end of the garlic bulb, exposing the flesh. Remove the loose papery skins, but not all the skin. Arrange bulbs in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over each bulb. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the bulbs appear soft and golden in color.
2. Remove from oven and turn bulbs over, cut side down. Bake 10 more minutes.
To use: Squeeze the garlic out of the skins into a bowl once the bulbs have cooled down.
You can use as a spread on bread instead of butter or instead of mayo on a sandwich.
Stir it into soups, guacamole, salsa, salad dressings, hummus, marinades, mashed potatoes...the possibilities are endless.

Rainbow Couscous (or rice, quinoa, pasta, orzo)
If you have never had couscous, you are missing out! Couscous is a teeny tiny pasta that cooks in 5 minutes and goes with everything. I buy the whole wheat kind, but they have plain and flavored varieties. Pick some up the next time you're in the pasta or rice aisle.
1 Tbs olive oil
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, depending on your preference
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 small or baby eggplant, chopped
salt and pepper
2 cups cooked couscous, rice, quinoa, pasta or orzo

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Pour olive oil into pan along with bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently about 4 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies. Cook, stirring frequently about 5-8 more minutes, until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir rainbow veggie mix into whatever cooked grain you have chosen. Feel free to omit or add any number of vegetables.

Not a seafood fan? My cousin Lindsay told me about this great summer dinner option Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese