Wasabi Almond Crusted Grouper

My local grocery store sometimes lacks in certain departments. Sometimes, I really wish I could afford to shop at one or two of the 'upscale' food stores; not because of the brand/notoriety of the place, but simply because they are the only places I can sometimes find things I want.

Alas, these pricey stores are so out of my budget, that I can only dream of going actual weekly shopping there.

I stick to the normal food store and sometimes the grocery section of the local Wal-Mart superstore (which is also seriously lacking items on a normal shopping list - I mean, really? They don't even carry sofrito?).

So on a normal trip to a normal (but lower cost) food store chain, I of course can't purchase the fish that I originally wanted for this recipe - halibut. The only acceptable choices in the fresh fish case were flounder or grouper, so I opted for the grouper.

Don't get me wrong... I like grouper! But I had my heart set on halibut. You could use any firm white fish in this preparation. The grouper came out fantastic though, so we weren't disappointed in the least. The fish stayed firm but flaky, and the texture of the almond coating was crunchy and spicy sweet.

As a point of reference, Blue Diamond almonds are what I pulverized in a food processor and used as the coating.

I cut 3 rather large fillets into 6 smaller portions, but you could leave them larger.

Salt and pepper them up.

Coat in flour and shake off excess.

Dip in beaten egg to coat.

Dip into crushed almonds, pressing to coat and stick to fish.

Heat oil in pan and add the fish when it's good and hot.

Cook for a few minutes and flip when the coating gets a nice toasted color. Do the same for the other side.

Serve while the gettin' is good!

Wasabi Almond Crusted Grouper

serves 4

4 grouper fillets
Salt and pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 can wasabi almonds (I used Blue Diamond), ground in food processor
4 tbsp olive oil

Rinse off your fillets and place on paper towel to pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Place fillets in the flour, and coat both sides. Shake off excess.

Dip the fillets in the egg and thoroughly coat all sides.

Place fillets on top of crumbs, and coat every side, pressing crumbs firmly on fish. Place fillets on clean plate.

In a large skillet, heat oil, over medium high heat. When oil is hot, place fillets in skillet. Cook about 3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the fish) and brown all sides until dark golden brown.

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Tilapia with Turmeric & Dill - Bok Choy with Mushrooms and Scallions

I am always looking for something new and different to do with tilapia, much like someone might do with chicken. I call it 'The Low Fish' because it's low in mercury, fat, calories, saturated fats, sodium and carbs. It's also low in price to boot! I can certainly get behind that.

Of course all the low factors change depending on how you prepare it.  There is one tried and true go-to tilapia recipe that I know will get scarfed up by everyone it gets put in front of, which I will inevitably make soon and post about. But that particular dish is not low anything...

This recipe, however, is a most refreshing change. It's light and tasty. I usually serve it with jasmine rice and steamed sugar snaps or a bok choy and mushroom stir fry that's really complimentary to the dish.

Combine sugar and lime juice and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add the fish sauce and minced jalepeno.

Chop a few scallions.

Season fish with ginger, tumeric, salt and pepper.

Fry 2-3 minutes per side in a few tablespoons of hot oil.

Remove fish and add scallions, dill and the sauce with jalepenos you made earlier.

Spoon sauce over fish to serve.

Tilapia with Tumeric & Dill

serves 6

4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 jalapeno, minced
3-4 scallions
1 small bunch of fresh dill, chopped
6 tilapia fillets
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground tumeric
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oil


In a small bowl or glass, combine the sugar and lime juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the fish sauce and jalapeno. Set aside.

Trim the scallions and cut them into 1/2-inch-long pieces.

Pat the fish dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the ginger, turmeric, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper all over the fillets on both sides. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook, flipping once, until just firm and opaque in the center of the thickest part, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the tilapia to serving plates.

Add the scallions to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until they just start to wilt, about 45 seconds. Add the dill and continue to cook until it has wilted slightly, about 15 seconds more. Pour the sauce into the pan and stir to heat through. Drizzle the scallion-dill sauce over the tilapia and serve.

This is the bok choy and mushroom stir fry - with recipe below!

Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Mushrooms and Scallions

1-1/4 lb bok choy (1 large/6 baby)
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp oil
Salt
8-10 scallions cut into 1 inch lengths
2 cloves minced garlic
1 pint of mushrooms, any kind (I had button mushrooms on hand that I washed & halved)
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

To prep mature bok choy, separate the leaves from the stems by slicing the bok choy head crosswise at about the point where the leaves begin to spread out. Cut the leaves into lengthwise strips 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide. Quarter the stem end lengthwise and remove any inner leaves, putting them with the leafy tops. Slice the stem quarters crosswise into pieces about 3/4 inch thick. Rinse and dry the stems and leaves separately. (If using baby bok choy, simply cut the heads lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide pieces or wedges.)

In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch.

In a 12-inch nonstick stir-fry pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bok choy stems and mushrooms, and season with 1/8 tsp. kosher salt. (If using baby bok choy, add all the pieces now and skip the step of adding the leaves later.) Cook, tossing frequently with tongs, until the stems are pliable and lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until the aromatics are tender, fragrant, and starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves and 1/8 tsp. salt. Using tongs, toss until the leaves are completely wilted and integrated with the stems, 1 to 2 more minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir the sauce and quickly mix it with the vegetables in the pan. As soon as the sauce thickens and has coated most of the vegetables (a few seconds), transfer to a platter and serve.