Creole Fish Soup

This is a recipe Aaron made up, and I wrote down what he did.
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 lb fish (we used pink salmon)
• 2 quarts tomatoes
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 large onion chopped
• 1 Tbsp creole seasoning
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 6 oz small shell pasta

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.  Cook fish until done about 10 minutes, set aside.
2. In a large sauce pan combine tomatoes, artichoke hearts and onions.  Season with creole seasoning, basil and oregano.  Heat to boiling.
3. Add pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente about 8 minutes.  
4. Add fish and heat through.

Salmon Baked in Foil

Since Aaron caught 6 salmon the other day I thought I'd better find some new recipes.  I found this one on the Food Network website.  I followed this pretty closely except that I had one full filet, so I cut it into about 7 pieces with the skin on.  I sprayed the foil and placed them skin down, rather than put the topping on the skin side.  It was very moist, there were a lot of juices inside the foil.  Nothing really spectacular, but still delicious. 

Salmon Baked in Foil

Ingredients

• 4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 2 chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape (like you would twist a candy/taffy wrapper). Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

Easy Barbequed Salmon

Here's another fabulous recipe from my new favorite recipe blog. This was so easy, and delicious! I've done it baked and barbequed. I prefer the BBQ version yum! If you bake it you can put it on aluminum foil. I bought a whole salmon, and cooked half of it (cut into fillets) with this recipe for Memorial Day.

Easy Barbequed Salmon
from The Cook Next Door


3 pounds of salmon fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place salmon, skin side down on grill--or place on sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on grill. Mix remaining ingredients and use to baste salmon frequently. Cook until salmon changes color. Turn over and peel off skin. Baste frequently and cook until done, about 15-20 minutes.

Spaghetti with Mussels

Since we had only used half of the bag of mussels, and we had to use them up before they died, we had another mussel meal. This recipe came from Italian Cooking.

• 2 lb fresh mussels in their shells
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 Tbsp white wine (or water)
• 1 lb spaghetti
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Scrub and debeard the mussels under cold running water
2. Bring large pan of water to a boil for the pasta. Place the mussels with a cup of water in another large saucepan over moderate heat. As soon as they open, lift them out one by one.
   
3. When all the mussels have opened (discard any that do not), strain the liquid in the saucepan through a paper towel ans reserve until needed.
   
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mussels, their strained juices and the water. Cook over moderate heat. Meanwhile add the pasta to the boiling water.
5. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to the sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding salt as necessary.
6. Drain the pasta when it is al dente. Tip it into the frying pan with the sauce, and stir well over moderate heat for 1-2 minutes more. Serve at once, without cheese.

Aaron and I laughed that they added "without cheese" to the directions.

Mussels Italiano

Aaron bought mussels at Costco yesterday, so I found a recipe that I tweaked. Preparing the mussels is the biggest task. Toss any mussels that are cracked. After they are cleaned and debearded it goes pretty fast. Everyone loved this.

Mussels Italiano

• 2 1/2 lbs mussels
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 c. celery, chopped
• 1/4 c. onions, minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 c water

1. Wash mussels in cold water; using a small knife, remove beards.
   
2. Melt butter in a medium sized pot; saute celery and onions til clear.
3. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
4. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until tomato is soft.
5. Add water and bring to a slow boil.
6. Add mussels, cover and steam for 6- 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until mussels are open.
7. Discard any that don't open.
8. Divide into serving bowls and cover with broth.

Shrimp Scampi

Aaron made this Saturday. We didn't have any angel hair, just spaghetti. And the wine was substituted with apple juice. It made it really sweet, but very tasty. We didn't have 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, more like 1/2 lb, but it was still really good. I'm not sure I liked the breading though.

Shrimp Scampi

• 1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add angel hair pasta and return pot to boil. Cook until al dente. Drain well.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter, saute garlic until tender, remove garlic and discard. Add shrimp and cook until colored pink. Stir in white wine. The bread crumbs are used as thickening, so stir in a little at a time until desired thickness is reached.
3. Serve shrimp over angel hair pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Mussels with Basil Cream

Aaron made this with the mussels we bought after camping. We looked for a recipe that resembled the dish I had at a great French restaurant in H* (not paid for by us). We substituted the wine with apple juice and the heavy cream with half and half. It was so good. Someone recommended doubling the sauce, and we did, but I think it would have been fine with the amount in the recipe. We did deplete my basil plant though. We'll have to wait a few days before any leaves will be ready to pick.

Mussels with Basil Cream

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), scrubbed and beards removed
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook onion and garlic in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine and mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until mussels just open wide, 6 to 8 minutes. (Discard any mussels that have not opened after 8 minutes.) Transfer mussels with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl, then transfer cooking liquid to a blender along with cream, basil, and pepper and blend until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Season sauce with salt and pour over mussels.

Makes 2 main-course or 4 first-course servings.