Little Cooking Tips - Fish

Fish fillet on egg-lemon sauce

littlecookingtips — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:24:49 +0000

Fish fillet on egg-lemon sauce

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

904

Servings:

serves 4

Preparation Time:

2 hours

Cooking Time:

Sauces - Marinades - Syrups

Maybe it is a bit unusual to combine fish fillet with the Greek traditional egg-lemon sauce. However, it is a recipe that was more common in the past. We tried it and we were surprised by the amazing result! It's different, it's very tasty and leaves a great aftertaste. It can be cooked with any white meat fish (flatfish-common sole, cod, swordfish).We used a cod fillet with great results. Let's start cooking it!

Ingredients:

- 750gr/27oz/1.7lb fish fillets (cod, swordfish, flatfish)
- 4 medium-sized onions (500gr/17.5oz/1.1lb), cut into slices
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/4 bunch parsley (20-30gr/0.7-1oz), finely chopped
- 1/4 bunch dill (20-30gr/0.7-1oz), finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons
- 2 eggs
- salt, pepper
- 1 cup of water

Preparation: Wash the fillets and put them in a small pan or bowl. Add the juice from one of the lemons, salt, one of the garlic cloves and half a cup of the olive oil. Cover with cling film and leave it on the fridge for 1-2 hours.

In a deep frying pan, pour the rest of the olive oil and put it on medium to high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the onions and saute until they are translucent. At this point add the fish fillets (without the juices from the bowl where they were marinated), the water, the parsley, the dill and the rest of the garlic. Add salt, pepper and stir carefully to avoid breaking the fillets into small bits.
Lower the heat to medium-low and cook the fish until it remains with a little broth (about 1-2cm/0.4-0.8inch height). Remove the pan from the heat and start making the egg-lemon sauce:
Beat the eggs in a bowl and slowly add the juice of the second lemon.
Using a small ladle -or even a tablespoon- take some of the fish broth (it doesn't matter if you also scoop some oil/greens) and start adding it to the egg-lemon mix, while whisking continuously. Add the broth slowly, as the purpose is to increase the temperature of the egg-lemon mix close to the level of the fish's temperature. You will need almost all of the broth and oil from the fish to achieve that. The result has to be a hot yellowish sauce.

Once the egg-lemon sauce is ready, pour it in the fish, hold the pan and swing it lightly in a circular manner for a 4-5 seconds. Do not stir! Serve with french fries. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. Avoid using any fish with reddish meat, like tuna or salmon. This recipe is ideal for fish with white meat.
2. For a thicker and fluffier egg-lemon sauce, you can beat the egg-whites into foam, separately from the yolks. Then incorporate the foam into the beaten yolks and after that, start adding the lemon and the broth.

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Creamy Flatfish With Boiled and Fried Potatoes

littlecookingtips — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 07:31:01 +0000

Creamy Flatfish With Boiled and Fried Potatoes

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

1234

Servings:

serves 2

Preparation Time:

15 minutes

Cooking Time:

This recipe is one of our oldest ones. It's also one of our favorites ones. That's why we really had to "facelift" this post with new text and photos, and share it again with all of you, in case you missed it back in the early days of our blog.

You really don't want to miss this recipe; the taste of the fish is enriched by a creamy French-style sauce, and the side is butter and olive oil flavored boiled and fried potatoes which are amazingly combined with the fish!

Some people are not used to combining cream and fish (in Greece at least we don't use cream in fish dishes) but the French tried it in their cuisine and the result has proved them right! Especially in this recipe, where the cream gets all the flavors from caramelized onions and wine.

The fish we suggest using in this recipe is small flatfish fillets, which are cooked quickly. Make sure you use thin flatfish fillets; this way they'll cook fast and the onions -which are cooking right under the fish- won't be overcooked.

This isn't a hard to follow recipe. But it takes a bit of preparation, so it's great if you want to serve this in any special occasion like Valentine's, Anniversaries etc. Pair this dish with a high quality white wine and you really can't fail.

The recipe has basically 3 phases. The 1st phase is boiling the potatoes. The 2nd phase is cooking the fish. When the fish is ready, you keep the it warm, and move to phase 3 which is frying the boiled potatoes, enhancing them with butter, olive oil, salt, pepper and good quality dry oregano. Then, you simply serve the fish (you can also warm up the creamy sauce) and the butter-fried potatoes.

It's important to serve this dish warm, so either serve it right away, or make sure to keep the fish and the potatoes warm (the sauce can easily be warmed up before serving). You can achieve this by wrapping the fish and potatoes in aluminum foil right after you remove them from the pan, and keep them in the oven at 60 degrees Celsius/140 Fahrenheit.

Give it a try, and we bet you'll be cooking this again again even though it takes a bit of preparation like we said:) Its creamy deliciousness combines heavenly with the boiled and fried potatoes!

Ingredients:

- 500gr/17.5oz/1.1lb flatfish fillets (preferably small soles/flounders)
- 500gr/17.5oz/1.1lb potatoes (2 medium sized), cut in small pieces

- 1 large onion (200gr/7oz), cut into slices

- 5 tablespoons (100-120gr/3.5-4.2oz) of butter

- 1 cup (250ml) cream (30% fat)

- 1 cup (250ml) white wine

- salt and pepper

- a little finely chopped parsley for serving

For the potatoes

- 50gr/1.7oz (2-3 tablespoons) butter

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 teaspoons dry oregano

- a pinch of dry thyme (optional)

- salt and pepper

Preparation:

Peel and cut the potatoes in 6-8 pieces each (pic. 1, pic. 2). Boil the pieces in slightly salted water for 15 minutes (use a medium sized pot).

Drain them and set aside.

Dry the fish fillet using some kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Put the butter in a large frying pan, on medium to high heat. Add the onion (pic. 3) and cook until it becomes translucent (pic. 4), about 3-4 minutes.

Add the fillets on top of the onions (pic. 5) and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 4 minutes without stirring. Then carefully turn the fillets to the other side (pic. 6) and continue cooking for 3 minutes more.

Pour the wine, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 3 minutes, tilting slightly the pan from time to time, in a circular motion, until most of the moisture is evaporated. Remove the fish and keep warm. Leave the onions in the pan.

Add the cream (pic. 7) and cook for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. You can leave the sauce in the pan, in order to warm it up again before serving.

Proceed with frying the potatoes:

Put the butter and the olive oil in a large frying pan, and put it on medium to high heat. When the oil and butter are hot, add the potatoes, the oregano, the thyme, salt and pepper.

Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently using quick motions. The potatoes are ready when their surface becomes golden brown (pic 8).

Serve the flatfish in a large plate with the creamy sauce on top and the butter-fried potatoes on the side. Sprinkle the fish with parsley. It really makes a difference. Bon appetit!

Tips:

1. Use a large spatula to turn the fillets on their other side. Be careful not to break them (unless the looks don't matter that much to you) :)

If you don't feel confident enough, try cutting the fillers in smaller, easier to handle pieces and/or use lower temperature (which will increase the cooking time)

2. Use a good, heavy nonstick frying pan for the fish.

3. In case you'll serve this a bit later: keep the fish and the potatoes warm in the oven (60 degrees Celsius/140 Fahrenheit), wrapped in aluminum foil right after you remove them from the pan.

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Easy noodle soup with fish, onions and fennel

littlecookingtips — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:27:08 +0000

Easy noodle soup with fish, onions and fennel

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

1111

Servings:

serves 2

Preparation Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

A different recipe from the usual ones for fish soup, this soup will make even those who don't prefer fish, to beg for a second serving! It's an asian (perhaps Thai) style fish soup, with simple ingredients and a wonderful taste!

Ingredients:

- 400-500gr/14-17oz gr fish fillet (red snapper preferably)
- 250-300gr/8.8-10.5oz fennel bulb, cut in thin slices
- 150-170gr/5.3-6oz (about 2-3) spring onions, finely chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 80-100gr/2.8-3.5oz rice noodles, broken in half
- 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
- 1lt (4 cups) vegetable broth
- 1 lemon (the juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon Fleur de Sel (preferably), or other salt

Preparation: If you don't have ready made vegetable broth, dissolve 2 vegetable stock cubes (you can also use fresh, available in the super markets) in 1 lt (4 cups) of warm water.
Cut the fish fillet into bite-size pieces and put it in a bowl. Add the lemon and the salt, and let it aside. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Put the olive oil in a pot, on medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the fennel slices and the spring onions. Saute for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic, stir for half a minute and add the broth.
Lower the heat to medium, put the lid on the pot, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fish (drained from the juices in bowl) and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 3-4 minutes and add the noodles.
Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and serve. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

For those who don't like noodles in their soup, or they don't have any available, they can cook this dish omitting them.

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Low Cost

Fish "plaki" (Greek-style baked fish with tomato and potatoes)

littlecookingtips — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:19:40 +0000

Fish "plaki" (Greek-style baked fish with tomato and potatoes)

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

601

Servings:

serves 4-6

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

1 hour

"Plaki" is a Greek way of cooking fish in the oven with tomatoes, potatoes and herbs. It's a popular cooking for big or medium-sized fish

such as red snapper, blackfish, cod, flatfish (common sole), sea bream, sword fish (we suggest you don't use salmon, tuna or fish with pink/red meat).

It's a very easy, tasty and light recipe, ideal for a summer meal. We cooked it using the medium-sized, humble, mackerel. The result was very good and we want to share it with you.

Ingredients:

- 1kg/35oz/2.2lb fish
- 60gr/2oz parsley (1/2 bunch)
- 60gr/2oz dill (1/2 bunch)
- 4-5 large garlic cloves
- 1 cup olive oil (250ml)
- 3 medium-sized onions (250gr)
- 500gr/17.5oz/1.1lb (2-3 medium-sized) potatoes
- 400gr/14oz fresh tomatoes, grated
- 70gr/2.4oz tomato paste (3 tablespoons)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- salt, pepper

Preparation: In this recipe the preparation stage is very important. Before baking the fish in the oven, you have to scale it and clean it thoroughly and if needed, slice it into fillets. Slightly season with salt and place it in large a baking pan.

Since the fish is now prepared, it's time to cut and slice the vegetables and the herbs.
Cut the parsley and the dill into thick pieces (2-3cm/0.8-1inch long). Cut the garlic into slices, the onions and the potatoes into thick slices (about 0.5cm/0.2inch for the onions and 1cm/0.5inch for the potatoes). Mix the tomato paste into the grated tomatoes.
When all the ingredients are ready, put them in the pan on top of the fish. Add the olive oil, the salt, the pepper and the bay leaves. Mix them well (it's better to do that with your hands). Add the water and shake a bit to spread the ingredients in the pan.

Place the pan in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 1 hour.
About 20 minutes before it's done turn the fish and the potatoes on the other side. Enjoy!

Tips:

1. As mentioned in the beginning, this recipe can be cooked with any big or medium-sized fish with white meat. We used chub mackerel. You can also use any cheaper mackerel type or fish.
2. This way of cooking ("plaki") can also be used when cooking pulses (e.g. large white beans/gigandes) or vegetables (e.g. potatoes, zucchinis) instead of fish; the result is very tasty.
3. The cooking time may vary, depending on the fish you choose to cook. Check before removing from the oven. You may need to add a bit of water and continue cooking with a larger fish.

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Crispy fried fish : beer battered tasty cod fish bites!

littlecookingtips — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:36:06 +0000

Crispy fried fish : beer battered tasty cod fish bites!

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

353

Servings:

serves 4

Cooking Time:

45 minutes

This is a traditional Greek recipe that it's usually cooked on the 25th of March (Declaration of Greek Independence) and it's served with skordalia on the side.

It's a very tasty recipe with simple ingredients and it's one of the most popular fried fish dishes in Greece. Who can resist the crispy fried

Ingredients:

- 350gr/12.5oz of cod fillet
- 2 tablespoons fresh spearmint, finely chopped (or 3 tablespoons dried)
- 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- salt, pepper (use salt only if your cod isn't salted)

For the batter
- 170ml beer (1/2 can or a bit more than 2/3 cup)
- 7 tablespoons of all-use flour
- 400ml (1 1/2 cup) olive oil (preferably), or any other vegetable oil for the frying

Preparation: Wash the cod well, pat dry and shred it into flakes with your hands. Be careful to remove any remaining fish bones. Make sure most of the moisture has been removed by squeezing the fish with some paper towels.

Mix fish and herbs in a large bowl. Season with salt, cover the bowl with cling film and put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
While waiting, prepare the batter in a large bowl: pour the beer and then sift in the flour. Stir well.

Remove the fish from the fridge and leave aside for a while in room temperature.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, on medium to high heat.

Using a tablespoon take some of the fish, dip it in the batter to soak, and then place it in the pan.
Fry the fish for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Continue the process until you have uses all of the fish. When you remove the golden cod bites from the pan, put them on a paper towel to drain.

Serve with fresh lemon juice and if you have a bit more time, make some skordalia on the side.

Tips:

1. If the fish you will use is dried salted cod, you will have to put it into water at least 24hrs, before cooking. Make sure you change the water regularly (try to change it at least once every hour in the day you will cook it).
2. Don't use any salt in this recipe if the cod fillet is the dried salted kind.

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Vegetarian

Cod with potatoes

littlecookingtips — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:49:44 +0000

Cod with potatoes

Text by Mirella Kaloglou / Photo by Tolis Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

813

Servings:

serves 4

Preparation Time:

24 hours

Cooking Time:

A very tasty comfort food recipe from the island of Lefkada.

Ingredients:

- 8 pieces (500gr/17.5oz/1.1lb) of cod, unsalted
- 8-10 medium sized potatoes
- 1 large onion
- the juice of 2 lemons
- 1 cup (250ml) olive oil
- salt and pepper

Preparation: If you only have salted cod, put the cod in a large bowl full of cold water to reduce the amount of salt and change the water frequently (every hour).

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick pieces. Grate the onion on a food processor or grater. Brown the onion in a frying pan, using the olive oil. Then add the potatoes, cook until brown and then add the pepper. Place on top the pieces of cod, add a little water (not covering the food), and cook it on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes.
Check if the food is cooked through (pinch the potatoes and the cod with a fork or taste them). If it is ready, remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Shake the pan to spread it.
Place it back on heat until it simmers. At this point you must be careful, because the sauce thickens fast. Once you see that is thick, remove from the heat and serve. Enjoy!!!

Tips:

Don't use salt in this recipe if you use salted cod.

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