Baked Spiced Salmon

I am enjoying the perfect weather we are having this month of September. It is sunny and warm during the daytime ((without being oppressive) and cool enough to sleep at night without having to turn the air conditioner on. The lovely days of September inspire me to turn the oven on and begin baking again not just for cakes or other sweet treats but certainly for savory recipes, too.

Pasta with Tuna in Creamy Tomato Sauce

When I was in Manila, my sister cooked a yummy tuna pasta with a creamy sauce and the other day I suddenly had a strong craving for it. I looked around our pantry shelves to see if I still have some canned tuna lying around. Thankfully, I found one. Unfortunately though I didn't have any mushrooms to go with my pasta. I thought I'd have to find a way somehow to make a yummy and creamy tuna pasta without mushrooms.

Daing na Bangus (Milkfish marinated in Vinegar and Garlic)

Ok, so I admit I love to eat Fish for breakfast! My husband, and perhaps some of you, may think it's weird to eat fish early in the morning. I must admit it is a matter of taste and culture. In the Philippines and perhaps other parts of Asia, it is pretty common to have fish for breakfast. My parents eat fish for breakfast everyday. It is not only by choice but because they truly love it.

Grilled Swordfish with Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Now, if you love to eat fish, you'll love this recipe. It is so truly wonderful and the proof - I almost never got the chance to photograph this dish as the only one left of it was the smallest piece of swordfish steak after hubby and I happily ate the bigger meatier pieces. Hence, what you are seeing is the last remaining piece. In fact, I had second thoughts about posting this recipe because I wasn't very happy with the photo as the swordfish steak was quite small but then when I recalled how delish it is - I said, I'll post it anyway as I didn't want any of you to miss this recipe nor let it be buried in my pile and then completely forgotten.

Silver Fish (Dulong) Patties

 

We went to Chicago to get my visa about two months ago. When we get the chance to visit Chicago I try to drop by the Filipino store there so I can get some Filipino ingredients which I would otherwise not find in Michigan. Fortunately, we had a little time to spare so my husband kindly brought me to the store so  I was able to get a little shopping done.

Dilled Baked Cod with Lemon and Olive Oil

 

It's nearly midnight in Michigan but only quarter to eleven here at Chicago, it being an hour behind. We are here in Chicago to apply for my Schengen visa. Great to be in the city again though we have no time for sight-seeing. This is really more of a business trip rather than for pleasure.

Salmon with Tangy Dill Butter Sauce

We have fish, like Salmon, for dinner at least once a week. We try to have a regular supply of Omega-3 from seafood. :-) However, when you have the same dish once a week, it can get boring. I try to look for different ways to cook Salmon. This is one dish which we have tried this week and though initially we didn't know if we'd like it, we tasted it and absolutely loved it. We love the tangy and fresh taste that the lemon juice brings to the fish. The tangy Dill Butter sauce complemented the salmon and made it oh-so-delicious. Try it and see if you like it!





For the Salmon

Ingredients

1 lb Salmon, cut into fillets or  4 pre-cut fillets
Dried dill weed,  2 tsp or to taste (if fresh about 2 Tbsp)
Salt, to taste
Lemon and pepper seasoning, to taste

Procedure

Preheat the grill, if using one. You can fry the salmon too if you prefer.

Clean the salmon fillets and then wipe them dry with paper towels. You can either marinate the salmon in lemon juice or just season it.

I marinated the fish in lemon juice for about 10 minutes. It did make the fish tasty and moist but the fish did not become as crispy as I wanted it to when I grilled it. So, it's up to you. You may choose to just season it really well, instead of marinating it.

Drain excess liquid from the fish if you marinate it. Season the fish with dill weed, salt and lemon pepper seasoning.




Grill the salmon, depending on the thickness of your fillet, for about 5-6 minutes per side. If you have skin on the salmon, grill it with the skin-side down first. Flip over to grill the other side, turning only once. It's cooked when it flakes easily and the color has lightened.

While you are grilling the salmon, you can do the Tangy Dill Butter Sauce. Keep it warm.

For the Tangy Dill Butter Sauce

The amount of sauce in this recipe is just right for about 4 fillets of salmon so feel free to increase it if you're cooking for more than 4.

Ingredients

A little oil, about 1 tsp
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp dry white wine
2 Tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice 
1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed ( 1 Tbsp fresh dill)
3 Tbsp butter
Salt, to taste
1 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)
A pinch or two of flour (leave it out if you want it gluten-free)

Procedure

Heat a little oil in a small sauce pan. Saute the garlic for a minute or less, just until it releases its aroma; don't let it brown. Pour in the white wine. Let it reduce to about half. Add in the lemon juice and the dill weed. Stir.  Let simmer for a minute. Add the butter and let it slowly melt as you stir it.

Season with salt, to taste. It should have a sour bite. As we say in the Phils, "Mukhasim talaga!" You can add a little cream if you think the lemon juice overpowers the rest of the ingredients. Add a pinch or two of flour to thicken it slightly (optional).

Transfer the grilled salmon to a plate and drizzle the sauce on top. Serve the salmon with your favorite veggies (steamed asparagus are our fave with it!) and accompany it with a side of rice, if you wish. Mark loves to pour some of the sauce on the rice. He thinks it's really yummy that way. I believe him!

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Salmon on a bed of Caramelized Onions

The Philippines has 7,107 islands. I grew up in one of those. It is called Marinduque, a heart-shaped island in the heart of the Philippines. It is not a very big island. Infact, it will only take you about 5-6 hours to drive around the island and you won't even be doing it at 70 mph. But that is my home and I still miss it a lot.

Our house is located near the beach so waking up to a beautiful sunrise (I'd dare say we have an average of 300 sunny days in a year!) and going to bed after a lovely sunset is typical.    

Living near the sea has its advantages. We always get the first catch! I remember my mom buying the first catch of the day from fishermen back from their overnight fishing.

It still continues to this day. Here's a photo of William with a lady selling her fish. I took this photo when we visited the Philippines in 2010. 

Though I terribly miss eating sea food made from the freshest catch available, I try to make up by serving a fish dish in our house at least once or twice a week.  It's my way of re-connecting with my lovely island-province. Perhaps someday, we will return to  the island to cook our own catch!

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Ingredients

4 Salmon Fillets (pref. with skin on)
4 medium size onions (add more depending on how many salmon fillets you are using)
Olive Oil (just a little)
3 tbsp Butter (plus more, if needed)
Salt, Pepper and dried Dill weed
2 tbsp dry white wine


Procedure

Season the salmon with salt, pepper and dill weed. 

Chop the onions into rings.

In a large skillet, melt the butter with a little oil (a teaspoon or less). Add the onions and sauté until golden brown. Set aside.

Raise the heat to medium high. Add more butter/oil, if necessary to the pan where you cooked the onions. Fry the salmon, for about 4 minutes on one side. Flip the fish and fry the other side for another 3 minutes or until it's firm to the touch and fully cooked. Transfer to a warmed plate.

Return the onions to the skillet and pour in the wine. Simmer for about 1-2 minutes or until the wine has reduced by half.

Place the onions on a serving platter and place the salmon on top. Enjoy!

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Tuna Omelette

When I was about to begin college back in the early 90s (am revealing my age here now!), I moved from my province (Marinduque) to the big city (Quezon City, Metro Manila) where my university was located. This meant that I could not see my cousins as often as I wanted (we were neighbors and lived in the same town in Marinduque). 

Usually, during weekends I would visit their place so I could stay with them for a day or two and just enjoy their company. More often than not, if we are not watching a movie or malling (window shopping), we just stayed in their city apartment. I love those days --- if we just stayed home then it meant time would be spent singing our hearts out in front of the karaoke machine (this is the quintessential Filipino past time!). Thankfully, their neighbors tolerated our music and never once ever reported us to the authorities for violating the nuisance law.

For merienda (Filipino term for "snack"), we would often have our favorite Lucky Me Pancit Canton... sarap!!! (delicious!)


 Photo is from  http://nansantamaria.aminus3.com/image/2008-07-01.html.

Apart from munching on Lucky Me, one of my fave food memories was when we ate Tuna Omelette for lunch, courtesy of their super cook and all around help, Ate Lanie. Wow,   I do miss her world-class adobo too....but that would be for another post.  

Before I ever had Tuna Omelette in their house, I never really liked Tuna, especially the canned variety. Eeeewww. But I have been converted ever since and now am a canned Tuna lover.

When I am out of ideas on what to have for lunch (yes, there are such days) and all I can find in my pantry are canned tunas and a few eggs on my fridge, voila Tuna Omelette is my first choice. It's just comfort food for me and brings me back to those days in Sampaloc, Manila.  

Ingredients

2 cans of Tuna (pref. in oil, not the water packed ones cause they're tasteless)
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
a little oil, for frying 





Procedure

Heat a little oil in a frying pan.

Drain the liquid from the canned tuna and place it on a bowl.

Set the tuna on one side of the bowl and place the eggs beside it. Scramble the eggs.
Mix the tuna with the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.

I usually divide this  dish into four. I use a  measuring cup (1/3 cup capacity) to divide it evenly.

Once the oil and the pan are hot enough, fry each omelette. You can fry two or more at the same time depending on how big your pan is. Flatten the tuna to distribute it evenly and get an even browning. Fry till the egg has set and it's golden brown, roughly 3-4 minutes.

Flip and fry on the other side until it's fully cooked - golden brown and crispy.

Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with rice on the side and some peas too. Traditionally, we eat this with ketchup but my kids prefer mayo. So use whatever works for you.