Healthy Baked Fish Sticks with Lemon Caper Sauce

 
Making fish sticks from scratch is quick and easy. Once you try them, you'll never go back to prepackaged frozen sticks again!

Firm meaty cod fish holds it's shape perfectly during baking, and to get a crisp golden flavorful crust I combined panko crumbs with a little Old Bay and spices to get a faux-fried coating without the need to deep fry. I'm a dipper, I love dipping my food in condiments, and was really happy with how this lemon caper sauce turned out – you can really taste the fresh chives and lemon, which is the perfect compliment to the fish.

Although there's nothing like catching your own fish, that's not always possible. So when purchasing seafood, I always look for sustainable options, whether it's fresh or frozen. The first time I heard the term "sustainable seafood" was a few years back in San Francisco at an Alaska Seafood cooking demonstration where I learned that unlike many of the world’s other fish populations, Alaska’s are managed for protection against overfishing ensuring a healthy, wild and sustainable harvest for our future generations. So when I see the Alaskan Seafood label, I know I'm making a sustainable choice. I also have the (free) Seafood Watch App on my phone which I LOVE and always refer to before purchasing fish. It's simple to follow – you simply type the name of the fish and it gives you a green, yellow or red dot, plus suggestions for good alternatives. It's also a great idea to talk to your fish monger!

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Flounder Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes

Breaded flounder lightly pan sauteed and topped with an arugula, lemon and tomato salad – a simple yet delicious way to prepare fish. Perfect for Lent, or any night you're in the mood for fish.

I was on a cruise a few weeks ago aboard the Norwegian and one of the meals I ordered more than once was the Flounder Milanese. I was able to recreate a lighter version of that meal; rather than deep frying it, I generously sprayed the fish with olive oil and pan sauteed it until golden. I love everything about this dish, it's light, quick and satisfying all for under 225 calories. You can use any white fish fillet you wish, and if you rather make this in the oven, I would broil it instead. Hope you enjoy!

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Baked Salmon Cakes

Baked salmon cakes make the perfect Holiday appetizer, made with wild Alaskan salmon, diced peppers, capers and breadcrumbs. For dipping, I made my favorite Zesty avocado cilantro dressing which compliments the flavor of the salmon and makes these absolutely addicting!

Target has partnered with the Target Inner Circle crew to put together a Holiday Party 101 blog series. As a team we are sharing everything you need to plan the perfect holiday party from cocktails, music, decorating tips, invitations, and more!

I was put in charge of the appetizers which was a fun challenge for me, and I came up with the idea to lighten up a recipe I recently had at a friend's house after stumbling on Simply Balanced Wild Alaskan Salmon at Target. I also picked up some holiday plates, napkins and this simple white flat plane platter from their Threshold collection which I will be using for everything.

When purchasing fish, I always opt for wild rather than farm raised so I was happy to see wild Alaskan seafood in Target. I adapted the original recipe from Ina Garten with lighter ingredients, then baked the cakes rather than frying and they turned out wonderful. I love a good dipping sauce and knew that my avocado cilantro dressing would be the perfect fresh compliment!

If you are looking for a healthy appetizer idea this Holiday season, look no further. Wild salmon is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s and these salmon cakes are pretty easy to make. You can assemble them ahead of time, then put them in your oven when your guests arrive. Set them out on the table and watch them disappear!

To tune in to more holiday party-throwing tips, be sure to follow #mykindofholiday and #targetinnercircle on Pinterest. Target will be compiling all the posts for an article on A Bullseye View. Happy party-planning everyone!

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Ceviche in Cucumber Cups and My Tour of the CIA

This very popular Peruvian dish is made with fresh pieces of raw fish (or shellfish) marinated in lime juice, onions and cilantro which slowly causes the fish to "cook", in very much the same way that heating does. The results are bright and refreshing with an opaque appearance and firmed texture of cooked fish. This dish is also gluten-free, paleo friendly and low-carb.

A few weeks ago I went on a fun tour to one of the world’s best professional culinary colleges – the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. 

Pictured from left to right is me, Jennifer from Bake or Brake, Kita from Pass the Sushi and Russ from The Domestic Man. I loved the tour and meeting new food bloggers – the group was small which was perfect to watch the classes in progress without interfering too much.

Lucky for me, that day they happened to be making ceviche in their Americas cooking class and I got to eat it for lunch. I LOVE a good ceviche, and I order it any chance I get when I go out to eat, so I was excited that they shared this recipe with me.

The good news – this is really easy to make and it looks so impressive if you're having guests over. Their original recipe was made with scallops, but I opted for some fresh Striped Bass which I picked up at my local fish store. You can use any type of ocean fish or shellfish to make ceviche, the only rule of thumb is that it should be as fresh as possible, preferably caught the same day. This would make a wonderful appetizer for Christmas eve if your family likes to have fish. While you can prepare the cucumber cups and the vegetables for the ceviche a few hours ahead, ceviche tastes best when it marinates no more than an hour or two before you serve it.

Funny where life takes you, I went to art school and studied graphic design at Pratt in Manhattan which led me to become a graphic designer/digital photo-retoucher prior to Skinnytaste. I believe those experiences helped me and my love of food photography, but if I was to go back to school now, I would LOVE to attend the CIA or at least take some classes their. They are teaching our next generation of leaders – chefs such as Anthony Bourdain, Duff Goldman, Micheal Simon, Cat Cora, just to name a few are all CIA graduates. I mean, doesn't this chef jacket and hat belong on me?

What's really cool about the school is that all students work in 3-week course rotations, the senior class works at one of three CIA’s restaurants – both the front and back ends. So during our first night there we were served by the graduating students, with meals that the students prepared. We ate at the new French Bocuse Restaurant, and the food was phenominal. The highlight of my meal was watching the students make ice cream in 30 seconds with a hand cranked mixer and dry ice – amazing!

If you're ever in the Hudson Valley, you can go on a group tour and dine at one of their three award winning student-staffed restaurants. And if you're thinking about pursuing a career in the the culinary arts, or have kids that are trying to decide their future, check out the CIA . A 4 year degree is completed in 3 years, they have new classes starting every 3 weeks and offer classes in culinary arts, baking, nutrition, and culinary science. What's more, they boast about their 99% job rate in leadership positions after graduating which is unheard of these days! 

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Broiled Wild Salmon with Apple Cherry Chutney and My Trip to Harry and David

 

This simple salmon recipe is easy and delicious – perfect for a weeknight family meal or elegant enough to scale up for a larger crowd if you want to host a dinner party.

Just a few weeks ago I had this at a dinner party hosted by my friend Sandy who blogs at The Reluctant Entertainer during my trip to Harry and David in southern Oregon. The Autumn weather in southern Oregon couldn't have been more perfect and we dined al fresco in her beautiful backyard on chalkboard paper lined tables with pears for centerpieces. 

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Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna casserole, the quintessential American dish. Perfect for potlucks and under $10 to make. Made with canned tuna, mushrooms, peas and noodles in a creamy sauce (and no canned soup) finished with toasted breadcrumbs – so good!

The first time I tried tuna casserole was back in 2011. Yes, you heard me right! In fact, when I told my daughter what we were having, she warned me she may be eating something else tonight. The good news is we all LOVED it, and I've made it for my family many times since then. Today I decided to give my photos a facelift since this was on the menu.

For those of you who haven't tried this yet, I originally posted this back in 2011 after getting many requests for a lighter version. Now it's become quite popular on my site. You can easily adapt this with different vegetables, swap the tuna for chicken, use whole wheat noodles – no rules to cooking, just have fun with it.

Can't wait to hear what you all think!

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Easy Grilled Fish Fillet in Foil Packets

 

This super easy method for grilling fish is pretty foolproof, and you can use any fresh fish that's available to you in your area. It's almost 90 degrees today, which means I'm grilling tonight. In fact I use my outdoor grill just about every night in the summer to make quick, easy, healthy dinners.

Living on the east coast, I love to take full advantage of the fresh caught local fish available to me here on Long Island. Nothing is quite better than eating fish that came out of the ocean the same day! My local fishmonger suggested the Long Island porgy that was caught early that morning – delish! I asked him to fillet it for me, and I kept the skin on, just my personal  preference. Oh, the possibilities are endless when making fish in foil, you can add any fresh herbs you like, wine, garlic, shallots, whatever you like! I also do this in a 400 degree oven in the Fall and winter months.

When I do this outside on the gas grill, I cook the foil on indirect heat, which basically means I heat up one side of the grill with the cover closed so it gets good and hot, and keep the burners off on the other side. You can also do this with a charcoal grill with a cover, by leaving the coals on one side. The fish goes on the indirect side of the grill so that it cooks from the steam created in the foil. In about 10 minutes, the fish cooked to perfection. My whole family enjoys this, even my three year old.


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Grilled Salmon Kebabs

These lovely grilled salmon and lemon kabobs are delicious and easy to make – with mega omegas in every bite! Seasoned with fresh herbs, lemon, and spices and grilled to perfection.

This was last night's supper, it was a beautiful night and we ate outdoors, oh how I love summer! I served this with a great big garden salad and everyone loved them – including my 3 year old which was a happy surprise for me.

I have so much oregano growing in my garden and I'm always looking for ways to use it. I came across this recipe on Bon Appetit and was intrigued because I would never think to combine cumin and oregano with sesame seeds. I also loved how the lemon sliced looked between each cube of salmon. This was fantastic and I plan on making lots of variations of this all summer long.


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Grilled Garlic Dijon Herb Salmon

Salmon fillets seasoned with a garlic, Dijon herb sauce and served with a squeeze of fresh lemon... delicious!!

Happy Wednesday! I'm busy as a bee, working on my cookbook so I wanted to share a recipe from the archives. Salmon is one of my favorite fish dishes to make, and this is a fabulous way to prepare it!

Salmon is a fatty fish, rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin A. When buying salmon, I prefer to go to my local fish store rather than the supermarket and try to look for wild Alaskan salmon, a sustainable fish that lives in pristine waters and consumes a diverse, healthy diet. It's available frozen year round.

I used a cast iron grill pan to make this but an outdoor grill works just the same, be sure the grates are clean and oiled to prevent sticking. If you don't own a grill, this can also be made in the broiler of your oven adding the mustard sauce during the last minute of cooking.

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Honey-Teriyaki Salmon

Asian honey glazed salmon – an easy dish you can make any night of the week. Simply fill a resealable bag with the marinade ingredients, then add the salmon until you're ready to cook.

Then when you're ready to start dinner, make your sides and your fish will be done in less than 15 minutes.

This recipe is from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen's new cookbook:Steamy Kitchen's Healthy Asian Favorites. The pages in her book are filled with beautiful photos and 100 fast, simple recipes anyone can make on a busy weeknight.

And this week, I'm giving away her new cookbook on Skinny Bits to one lucky winner! To enter for a chance to win, click here.

We all loved this simple dish in my home, it tasted like something I would order in an upscale Asian restaurant, yet it was so easy to make. I served this with forbidden rice and sauteed sugar snap peas on the side, but this would also be wonderful with edamame fried rice.

Today is also the beginning of Lent, so for those of you looking to try a new fish dish to make, this is a great place to start. Adding salmon to your plate is one of the healthiest decisions you can make. Studies link its high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients with a lower risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and more.

By choosing fresh wild salmon (your best bet is wild Alaskan or Pacific) over farmed, you will likely be getting better quality, less-contaminated fish. However, the health benefits of eating farmed salmon far outweigh the health risks associated with not eating salmon at all; so if wild salmon is out of your budget, go for the farmed variety.

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Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado

Tuna with minced vegetables on a toasted slice of multi-grain bread with avocado and sprouts. A quick and easy, satisfying lunch.

I grew up with avocados in my home way before they became popular here in the States, and squeeze them into my diet every chance I can. Avocados are a regular part of a South American diet, and my mom always served them along side a hearty bowl of hot soup or rice and beans.

Avocados are also good for you, loaded with heart-healthy fats and antioxidants. According to Bodybuilding.com, avocados are listed as one of the 15 Best Fat Burning Foods. I'd love to tell you I buy them for all those reasons, but quite frankly we just love them. In fact, I created an entire Pinterest Board in it's honor!

To make the tuna salad quickly, I throw all the vegetables in my chopper and pulse a few times. If I am eating one sandwich, I keep the rest refrigerated for the next day. Easy peasy!

Just under 250 calories and for those of you on Weight Watchers, 6 points plus.

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Arugula Salmon Salad with Capers and Shaved Parmesan

Lots of healthy fats and omegas in this salad! I just returned from the Dole Salads Blogger Summit and of course, all I can think about this week is salad!

So now that I'm back I'm having fun making salads and getting ideas that were inspired from the Salad party!! This was today's dinner, yes I used Dole Arugula of course. I'm on a salmon kick lately and whenever I make salmon for dinner, I usually cook an extra piece for lunch.

I used to bring this salad to lunch when I had a full-time job, the capers compliment the salmon so well and a touch of shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano on top sends my taste buds into a very happy place! An interesting fact I learned from one of the Dole folks, most of their arugula is shipped to NY. That made me laugh because I LOVE the peppery mustard taste of arugula and use it in so many of my salads. If arugula isn't available where you live, you can use mizuna or baby mixed greens.

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Smoky Spice Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Black Beans and Corn

Grilled salmon steaks rubbed with a spicy blend of smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, brown sugar, cumin and cocoa powder served with a quick side dish of black beans, grilled corn, cilantro and splash of lime juice.

You will love the spicy smoked flavors of the salmon paired with the sweet corn side with fresh lime and cilantro flavors. This is a complete meal ready in less than 30 minutes.

Salmon is an excellent source of high-quality protein, containing all the essential amino acids and a good source of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. When buying salmon, I look for fresh or frozen sustainable wild options such as Alaskan salmon which is raised in pristine waters - it costs a little more but it's leaner than farm raised because the fish are raised in the wild and get more exercise, the meat has a natural red color whereas farmed salmon is artificially colored. Coho, Chum and pink salmon have less fat than King and Sockeye varieties.

To make this quick side dish, I bought frozen grilled corn from Trader Joe's. I know many of you don't have a Trader Joe's near you so fresh grilled corn cut off the cob or regular frozen kernels would work fine too.

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Skillet Cajun Spiced Flounder with Tomatoes

Cajun spices, tomatoes, onions and peppers give any white fish extra pizazz and a little kick. Super easy and quick!

I try to incorporate fish in my diet at least twice a week, to keep it exciting I like to prepare it in different ways. This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight meal, you can use any white fish such as sole or tilapia. Serve this with brown rice or quinoa to soak up the delicious sauce.

Note: This recipe was re-posted from the archives for Lent, for your convenience I have labeled all my Lent-friendly Recipes.


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Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos

Flaky white fish, tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro and lime topped with avocado. A fresh and flavorful way to spice up fish, quick enough to make for a busy weeknight!

I like it spicy, so I chop up the jalapeños whole, seeds and all but you can tone it down to suit your taste. The avocado raises the fat in this dish, but it's all good healthy fats you want in your body, the saturated fat is under 2 grams per serving.

Serve this meal with a Skinnygirl margarita and some salsa music in the background and let the fiesta begin!

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Flounder Piccata

Lightly pan fried breaded filet of flounder served in a lemon, wine, butter sauce with capers and parsley. A wonderful way to enjoy flounder, tilapia or any white fish.

We often have this with chicken for those of you who don't like fish, but I discovered it's great with fish too, and perfect for Christmas Eve for those of you who eat fish.

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Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Baked Tilapia

Tilapia filets topped with crushed pumpkin seeds, panko, and seasonings, then baked until golden. I served this with roasted broccoli rabe but this would also be great with rice with spinach, or roasted broccoli with smashed garlic. This is super easy to make and is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Raw pumpkin seeds are everywhere this time of year. My toddler loves to snack on them and I feel good knowing she is having a healthy snack packed with vitamins, iron and minerals. They also add a wonderful nutty texture and flavor to fish. I simply grind them and toss them with panko and seasoning, then top my fish, drizzle a little oil and bake.

I had some pumpkin seeds left over from my pumpkin bread (which by the way had a typo on the baking soda, if anyone made the pumpkin bread, I apologize, the correct amount is now listed) you could swap the pumpkin seeds with any nut you have on hand, I think pistachios would also be great.
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Broiled Fish with Summer Grape Tomato Sauce

Broiled fish topped with a quick garden tomato sauce using summer grape tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic. I served this over orzo for a complete meal.

This simple sauce is also great over pasta or chicken.
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Grilled Tuna over Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette

A few fresh and simple ingredients make this the perfect light summer meal! Ready in less than 10 minutes.

Tuna is one of the easiest fish to grill because it almost never sticks if your grill rack is squeaky clean; spray your grill rack with oil before cooking for perfect results every time.

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Mayo-less Tuna Salad

Don't like mayonnaise? Then you'll love this salad made with canned tuna, arugula, capers and pasta topped with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil and vinegar. Delicious, satisfying and perfect for lunch - it's tuna salad all grown up!

This salad comes together in minutes and it's a great way to make canned tuna a little fancier. This would also work with canned salmon or crab meat instead, any pasta shape would do.

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