This was a surprise. I was not expecting it to be anything other than a way to use up some frozen mahi mahi from Trader Joe’s (the kind that’s frozen, in the marinade). But, hey, this was delicious! The yogurt gave it a nice tanginess and the almonds and parmesan are a wonderful combination. Plus, anytime you can spend about $6 on fish and make a great dinner, it’s a win!

Since I did use the marinated mahi mahi, I just rinsed each piece of fish under cold water and removed any marinade. So, then I felt free to salt and pepper myself. Not a lot of salt just a sprinkle on the fish, then a pinch in the almond-parmesan coating.

I also just coated the top of the fish, as I wasn’t convinced the bottom would be un-soggy (even with the rack-on-top-of-the-baking-sheet method). Next time I may try to coat all of the fish and see what happens, but just coating the top worked well and was quite flavorful.

Mahi Mahi with Parmesan Almond Crust
Adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger
1/3 cup 2% plain yogurt (I used Greek style)
1 large egg white
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
3-4 pieces of mahi-mahi fillet
lemon wedges
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a wire rack large enough to hold fillets in a single layer. Place the rack on a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine the breadcrumbs, almonds, parmesan, parsley, garlic, a little salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together yogurt, egg white and mustard in a medium bowl until creamy.

Sprinkle each piece of fish with a little salt and pepper. Dip one side of fish into the yogurt mixture and then in the crumb mixture. Pat crumbs on the top of fish to cover any placed that didn’t get coated.

Set on the prepared rack; spray tops with olive oil. Fish should not touch. Bake until lightly browned 10-14 minutes (depending on the size of your fish and if you are going to give it any broiler time). For a more golden crust, let sit under the broiler for a few seconds. I believe I gave my pieces about 12 minutes at 400 and then maybe one minute under the broiler.

Serve fish with the lemon wedges.

Here is a recipe that certainly will work outdoors on a grill but also worked quite well in the oven. I found these little 6 X 6 inch or so cedar grilling planks at Sur la Table for $10 and impulse-bought them. Then I on-purpose bought some salmon.

I soaked my plank for about an hour and a half. If it was going on a charcoal grill the fish *, I would have soaked it for at least two hours. I let the plank heat up in the oven for about 5 minutes, before placing the salmon on it. I don’t actually know how much flavor the cedar imparted on the salmon, but wow, did it smell good while in the oven. These planks were officially, single serving size but I found I could easily fit the two pieces of salmon on it.

Also, since my plank was not too charred, I rinsed it off with hot water (no soap) and plan on using it again.

Oh and I can not stress enough how good the maple-mustard-rosemary crust on the salmon was…really, I can’t. I just can’t at all. Nope, not even going to try. And, if you didn’t have a cedar plank, I would still recommended making this recipe just on a baking sheet.

Cedar-Plank Salmon
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, via Deerholme Farm, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp minced rosemary
1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest
3/4 lb salmon fillet, cut into two pieces
Special Equipment: a cedar grilling plank

Soak cedar grilling plank in water to cover 1-2 hours, keeping it immersed.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together mustard, honey, rosemary, zest.

Salt and pepper fish first and then spread mixture on flesh side of salmon and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

Set plank in the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove and put salmon on plank, skin side down (if salmon is too wide for plank, fold in thinner side to fit). I put my plank on a baking sheet to avoid any oven messes.

Cook until salmon is just almost cooked through, 12 - 14 minutes. Turn on the broiler and let the top get a little golden and form a crust, about 1-2 minutes. Let salmon stand on plank 5 minutes before serving.

We had the salmon with some oven roasted sweet potatoes and green beans.

Awesome quick green beans - trim, rinse and saute for a couple of minutes in some olive oil. Salt and pepper lightly and add about a couple of tablespoons chicken broth. Lower heat, cover and cook about 15 minutes. Remove lid, turn up heat and let broth evaporate. So good!

* To cook the salmon on a grill: Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas). Open vents on bottom and lid of charcoal grill.
Grill, covered with lid, 13-15 minutes.

This is a weekday lunch staple. Since jwa and I both bring lunch to work pretty much everyday, if I do any cooking at night during the week, it’s most likely something to bring to lunch the next day. The original recipe was for beef, but I usually make it with chicken. The other night I tried some shrimp (about 3/4 of a pound) and that works really well too! In theory, you should really be able to use any one pound of protein that you want to here, but I can just vouch for chicken and shrimp so far.

Do all your chopping and dicing at once — mise en place! — before you start cooking anything (or while you are marinating).

You can make it have as much spice or as little spice as you like. I usually use 3 dried chilies and it comes out medium spicy. And a good substitute for Szechwan pepper is some hot chili oil, which can be drizzled in at the end to adjust the heat.

Kung Pao Shrimp or Chicken (or Beef!)
Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence
1 pound shrimp (shelled & cleaned & detailed) or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine or sherry
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp peanut oil
3-5 dried red chiles, split (I used Thai red chiles)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp Szechwan pepper, toasted and crushed (or 1/4 - 1 tsp hot chili oil — mine was hot peppercorn chili oil — this kind)
2 green onions, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 red or orange bell pepper, cut in pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine or sherry
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar or balsamic
1 tsp sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup roasted peanuts

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine/sherry, egg white and salt in a glass bowl. Add the shrimp or chicken and stir to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes, covered in the refrigerator.

Place peanut oil in a wok, swirling to coat the sides, and place over high heat. Add the chilies and cook until they begin to darken.

Add the garlic, ginger and Szechwan pepper (if using chili oil, add that at the end) and continue to cook to infuse the oil.

Add the green onions and bell pepper. Remove the shrimp or chicken from the marinade and add it to the wok, (discard leftover marinade). Stir-fry the shrimp for 2 minutes until almost cooked through. If using chicken, cook for 4-5 minutes.

Blend in soy sauce, rice wine, Chinese vinegar, sugar and chicken broth.

Dissolve the cornstarch slurry and add it to the sauce, stirring, to thicken.

Sprinkle in the peanuts and stir to coat. Add the chili oil to taste.

Serve over rice and enjoy. Or pack up for lunch the next day.

This is a great, quick meal. I found this recipe online, at Bigoven.com when I was looking for something to do with frozen halibut steaks.

Sometimes I make this at night (not even for dinner) and we take it for lunches the next day. It reheats well and is always tasty. Plus, best of all, it is a great use for the wild, frozen halibut steaks that they have at Trader Joe’s. Thus, it qualifies as a Cheap Fish Project.

If you do use steaks, just cut the skin off if you prefer (I do) and defrost if your fish is frozen. You could of course, use fillets here but it works just wonderfully with the steaks.

Mediterranean-Style Baked Halibut Steaks
Adapted from a recipe on Big Oven
1 tbsp olive oil + more for baking dish
1 small zucchini, chopped
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme or oregano
1/4 cup white wine
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper
2 6-oz halibut steaks

If your halibut is not defrosted, you can do that in some cold water. Just submerge the package for 15 or so minutes and that should do it.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking dish.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, thyme, and garlic. Cook and stir 6-7minutes, or until tender and getting some color.

Add the wine, and tomatoes and mix to combine. Stir in the feta. Salt & pepper to taste.

Arrange halibut steaks in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.

Spoon equal amounts of the vegetable-feta mixture over each steak.

Bake 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

I combined a couple of recipes here — one of the Paella recipes in the (awesome) New Spanish Table cookbook, a paella recipe from Tyler Florence and I also used the meat I wanted to — chicken thighs, chorizo and shrimp, rather than the exact ones in either recipe. You could throw all manner of meat and seafood in here, but I stuck to those three.

This makes a ton of paella! A. Ton. Of. Paella. It would be great to make for a dinner party or of you want to make something for dinner, have lunch the next day, and then be able to freeze a couple more lunches.

You will need a huge skillet or an actual paella pan here. Do not underestimate the amount of room you need in your cooking vessel or you will cry into your overflowing pan of Spanish tastiness.

Aside from the simmering stock, this all happens in one pan!

Lots of pictures in this post…

Paella for a Crowd
This will easily serve 8 as a main course.
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb chicken thighs
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 white onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, cored and diced
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped, or 1.5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups chicken stock
Generous pinch saffron threads
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into strips
Optional: 1 long strip of orange zest

Paella rice

Roasted red bell pepper

Roasted red bell pepper strips

Sliced chorizo

Okay, here are the directions!

Combine the paprika and oregano and rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat.

Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve.

Salt and pepper the chicken and add chicken and brown on all sides, turning with tongs.

Remove from pan and set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice into thick strips.

In the second pot, heat up the chicken stock and add the saffron. Keep at a very low simmer.

Next, in your paella pan, saute the onions, garlic, yellow bell pepper, and parsley in all the chorizo-y/chicken-y olive oil. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the flavors meld, about 5-6 minutes.

Fold in the rice and stir to coat the grains.

Now, this is where you need to decide if your pan is big enough. There’s no going back. Ready? Okay!

Pour the hot saffron-stock into the paella and simmer for 10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally so that the rice cooks evenly and starts to absorb the liquid.

Next, add the chicken, chorizo, then the green beans and shrimp. Try to tuck the chicken and shrimp under the rice. If you are using it, add the orange zest strip in there too. Put a lid on the pan and put in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, check the rice for doneness — you can always stick it back in for a minute or two. If it’s good, uncover and rest for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with the roasted red bell pepper strips.

Leftovers will keep the fridge a few days, then freeze as needed!