Tequila-fied Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Cilantro Rice Pilaf

I love me some fish! Many of my favorite summertime meals involve fish with some sort of cilantro-infused salsa. I'll admit that I served this dish with some jarred store-brand mango-lime salsa simply because I had a craving. It wasn't necessary though, because the sauce for this fish is mighty flavorful.

I'll also admit that we had a bit of a mis-hap with the grill. (I say "we" because Jay was my Grill Master for this dish.) When grilling fish it's recommended that one oils the grates (you can do so by carefully using a towel drenched in oil gripped with some tongs--I researched it hard-core), but because our grill is technically not ours we chose to place the fish on an oiled tray that we shaped out of a large piece of aluminum foil. Despite our efforts, the grill never got hot enough. After 12 minutes, the fillets still did not appear done. Not to be left with an un-crispified fish, I pan seared the fillets in an oiled skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side. The result? Well the pictures tell the story.

And as far as the flavor goes? You won't be disappointed. We weren't.

The Stuff:

• non-reactive bowl or bag for marinading
• grill (or apparently this can be done on a stove top with a skillet--who knew?!)
• small sauce pan (for the sauce)

The Edibles:

• 4 skinless mahi-mahi fillets, approximately 2 pounds
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 c. diced red onion (I used onion powder because we are presently onionless)
• 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (I used the juice of a fresh lime and supplemented with about 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
• 1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 T. minced jalapeno
• 1/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 c. tequila
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/4 c. freshly chopped cilantro leaves

The Making:

1. Rub the fillets with kosher salt and set aside.
2. In a non-reactive bowl or plastic bag for marinating, combine the onion, lime juice, orange juice, jalapeno, sugar and tequila. Mix to dissolve the sugar, and add the fillets to the bowl or bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, turning the fillets once after 1 hour.
3. Remove the fillets from the marinade and set it aside. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and lightly coat with olive oil cooking spray.
4. Heat a grill to high and place the fillets over direct heat until they are just cooked through - opaque at the center but still moist, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side.
5. While the fish is grilling, transfer the reserved marinade to a saucepan and heat until it is reduced to about 3/4 cup.
6. Using tongs, remove the fillets to serving plates and divide sauce equally among them. Top with the cilantro.

Rice Pilaf

The Stuff:

• medium sauce pan

Edibles:

• 1 T. butter
• 1/2 T. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced (or the equivalent in jarred or powdered)
• a shake of onion powder
• 1 c. brown rice
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. frozen spinach
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

The Making:

1. Heat a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add butter, olive oil, and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring to encourage the ingredients to cover the bottom of the pan.
2. Add rice; stir to ensure it is covered by butter and oil mixture. Cook over the heat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, allowing the rice to toast a bit.
3. Add lemon juice, onion powder, and water. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for the amount of time recommended in the instructions accompanying your rice. (Our was "10 Minute" rice, but some types require 20 to 30 minutes, so proceed as instructed.)
4. Once the rice has absorbed all of the water, allow it to stand 2 minutes. Add frozen spinach, and stir. I will often times add the spinach, recover the rice and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, after which it will have defrosted and make for easier encorporation in the pilaf.
5. Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

Salmon Cakes Mediterranean Style

One of the selling point of making a "cake" of this type is how inexpensive they are to make. For around $4 ($3 if you use tuna, even less if you use beans) you can produce enough cakes to serve four (or two people for two meals, as we ended up doing). On top of that, they can be a welcome change from the usual protein, and they're extremely versitile. In fact, I wavered extensively when I was in the imagining stage of creating this recipe; I was torn between doing a sort of Asian teriyaki-style cake or what I eventually ended up settling on: a cake enhanced with some Mediterranean ingredients. By all means you should use more feta and sun-dried tomatoes than I listed in my edibles list! Unfortunately, I was left scraping the bottom of the jar/container for both ingredients!

The Stuff:

• 2 medium-sized mixing bowls
• 1 medium-sized saute pan

The Edibles:

• 4 crackers, crushed
• 1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted and pulvarized into bread crumbs
• 2 T. milled flax seed
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 3 T. mustard (I used a combination of spicy brown and honey dijon)
• 1 T. miracle whip or mayo
• 2 T. water
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 2 packets of salmon, equal to 6 oz. of fish, flaked
• 4 sundried tomatoes, chopped small
• 1 T. crumbled feta
• extra virgin olive oil

The Making:

1. Combine dry ingredients (crackers through garlic powder) in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate, medium-sized bowl stir together wet ingredients (lemon juice through salmon).
2. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Using a fork or fingers, mix together. Add sun-dried tomatoes and feta, incorporating these additions into the mixture.
3. Form the mush into 6 to 7 patties. I recommend making at least 7, because they can be unwieldy when large.
4. Heat a medium saute pan over medium to low heat. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil per batch. Once the oil is heated, carefully place 3 to 4 patties in the pan. Cook 5 to 10 minutes per side, or until they have some color and flip easily. The key to knowing when they're done cooking on one side is that they will essentially "self-release" from the pan.
5. Serve with balsamic or Greek vinaigrette over a bed of quinoa pilaf and spinach.

Jacket Potatoes

Jacket potatoes were my favorite restaurant entrée when I visited London. Not only are they delicious, but they were often the most economical choice on the menu. Quite simply, they're a loaded baked potato, but instead of the American tradition of chili or bacon and cheese, I chose to recreate an option I commonly went for when I was Britt acting as a Brit: tuna with corn and a sprinkle of cheese. It's like a tuna melt, only with a bit of Irish potato-ness to really warm your heart and your belly.

The Edibles:

• non-stick olive oil cooking spray
• tuna salad, about 2 cans-worth (either your own favorite recipe or I provided mine below)
• several pats of butter (1-2 T.)
• about 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• optional: balsamic vinaigrette dressing

The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cook potatoes in microwave until soft (mine took about 4 minutes). Allow to cool for several minutes before handling.
3. Place potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Crumble the sides of the foil around the potato. This will keep the potato together and make it easier to remove from the pan once cooked.
4. Cut down the longer length of potato, not all the way through. Cut several times across and push longer sides together to open. Use a fork to break apart potato flesh. Add a pat of butter to the flesh and spread around the inside.
5. Disperse tuna salad evenly amongst the opened potatoes. Spray potatoes generously with olive oil cooking spray. Top tuna mixture with as much shredded cheese as you like.
6. Bake in the oven 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browning. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette if desired.

Tuna Salad (The Edibles... just mix together):

• 2 cans albacore tuna, drained and flaked
• 2-3 T. miracle whip or mayonaise
• 2 T. honey dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. dried chives
• 1 tsp. dried garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. frozen corn

Grilled Lobster Tails

Jay and I saw that fresh lobster tails were on sale and thought, "why not?!" I should mention that this shopping trip happened during the week that I was so overwhelmed with thesis work that Jay ventured to the store by himself. As we are two carless city-dwelling companions living a mile from the grocery store, he ventured on foot, armed with a duffel bag backpack. The bus is ridiculously unreliable, so he was forced to walk back with a backpack full of things I never would have purchased simply because of their weightiness. Yes, he did pick out some glorious lobsters, but I had to chuckle seeing that among the crackers and frozen pizza he lugged a large jar of pickles, some salsa, canned soup, potatoes, apples, a jar of pasta sauce... I could go on. Needless to say he was a bit sweaty.

Jay and I were in the mood for a dine-in surf-and-turf style meal, and this definitely satisfied our cravings without breaking the bank. You will see that I served this shellfish alongside a steak (actually, Bulgogi, because we love it so much), some broiled asparagus sprayed with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkled with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper, as well as some sauteed mushrooms drizzled with teriyaki sauce. It was quite an eclectic plate; it was sort of an east meets Key West (for some reason lime and seafood always remind me of that island), but for us it worked. I think another fun combo would be a steak seasoned with mexican-style flavors (such as cumin, garlic, and oregano) and served with a fresh, lime-y salsa to really play up the citrus flavors in the lobster.

Confession: This was my first foray into cooking lobster. By no means do I think I have preparing lobster down-pat, but these were insanely delicious.

Second confession: Preparing the tails really gave me the willies. In fact, at one point I flipped out and ended up dropping the lobster in the sink. I thought it moved!

Third confession: In addition to the spices listed below, I also used a bit of Fisherman's Warf seasoning. (I know! I cheated!) This brand is available at Whole Foods, and their whole line is amazing. Recommended, but not necessary. Its ingredients include: salt, black pepper, parsley, garlic, white onion, lemon peel, green peppercorns, and green onion. You could just as easily add all of those ingredients and you're golden. In fact, based on the spices I used, this probably was completely unnecessary. Ha!

The Stuff:

• kitchen scissors, or sharp paring knife
• large stock pot
• a grill

The Edibles:

• 2 garlic gloves, smashed (or equivalent in jarred or powdered)
• 2 lobster tails
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2-3 T. lime juice
• garlic powder
• onion salt (or onion powder)
• oregano
• parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T. butter, melted (if desired)

The Making:

1. Fill large pot with water and garlic and bring to a boil. Warm grill.
2. Prepare lobster tails by placing on a cutting board or in a shallow bowl with the soft side of the shells facing up. Cut the tails in half lengthwise though the soft shells using the scissors or soft knife. I chose to break off the little side fins and completely remove the soft shell from the body. I suggest researching this before you try it for the first time, because I felt like my method was way harder than it should have been. (Again, it was my first time.)
3. Once the water has reached a boil, drop in prepared tails. Cook for 3 minutes, remove with tongs, and allow them to drain in a colander or on the cutting board for a minute or so. The lobster may not be fully cooked. It's okay, because you'll be grilling it!
4. Spray lobster soft-shell-side with olive oil cooking spray. Drizzle with lime juice and season to your heart's content with the suggested spices and any other seafood-specific spices you may have on hand.
5. Grill lobster with the hard-shell side down for 1-2 minutes. Turn over and grill an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve with melted butter, if desired.