"Flash Fish" w/ Red Pepper Salsa

As a Southerner, and as a Jamaican, one of the best things ever to exist is fried fish. It brings comfort to the soul. What most people don't know, is that you can "fry" without "frying" -- does that make sense? In this recipe, I take a basic white fish (which is CHEAP) and coat it in cornmeal, then lightly saute it with a tablespoon of olive oil, which gives it that crisp "fried" flavor and texture without the vat of grease. 

A great topping to the fish (even though it tastes amazing on its own) is a red pepper salsa, which I made in 5 minutes by chopping a red pepper into strips and tossing it with avocado, black beans, and corn. Healthy, fresh, flavorful, and tastes like you're at a restaurant.Yup, best thing to ever exist.

Servings: 2

What You'll Need: 

• 2 filets white fish
• Examples: Whole Foods has frozen packages (2 filets each) of Tilapia ($2.99) and Cape Capensis ($3.99)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Frying pan
• 1 red pepper
• 1/4 cup corn (canned is fine)
• 1/4 cup black beans (canned is fine)
• If you do not have corn or black beans, salsa is fine!
• 1/4 an avocado, cut into small chunks

The Step-by-Step:

1. If your fish is frozen, take the package and thaw it in a bowl of cold water for an hour.
2. Place the egg white in a small bowl, and the cornmeal in another small bowl.
3. Wash your hands!
4. Take fish out of package and pat it dry with a paper towel (this will ensure it "fries" properly.)
5. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
6. Put the frying pan on the stove and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Let heat.
7. Dip one fish filet in the egg white, then try to shake off any excess (so its not dripping.)
8. Dip the fish filet into the cornmeal, and use your fingers to make sure it is coated all around.
9. Drop fish filet onto pan. After 2 minutes, flip over with a spatula. After another 2 minutes, remove from pan and place on a plate. Keep warm.
10. Repeat with the other fish filet, making sure to add another tbsp of oil to the pan.

Good on its own, with rice, or over salad! Get creative!!

To make the salsa, simply remove the core/seeds of the pepper, then cut the pepper into small strips. Put in a small bowl, then add corn, black beans, and avocado chunks. Toss lightly with your hands. The salsa tastes great fresh, but feel free to bag it and let refrigerate -- it tastes even better the next day!

xoxo n

Baked Cod & Black Beans

Yum, right?
This is the first dish I made after accepting Austin's "Eat Your Kitchen First" challenge, and it turned out wonderfully! Not only did it take 20 minutes to get on my kitchen table, but the flavors blended together seamlessly, and it was even better to know that I was eating clean and nutritiously.

Servings: Two (bag your lunch or feed a friend!)

What I found in my kitchen:

• Frozen Cod Fillets (thaw them before cooking, but if you have fresh fish, go for it!)
• Bell Peppers
• Can of Black Beans
• 1 cup dry quinoa (rice works too)
• Optional: Canned Chicken Broth
• Optional: Fajita Seasoning
• Optional: 1 lime

The Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat 2 cups of chicken broth (or salted water) on the stove. When it starts to boil, add quinoa and lower heat to medium. Let cook for 15 minutes or until "tails" of quinoa separate from the seed (a sign its done.)
3. While quinoa is cooking, heat the black beans in a separate pan on low.
4. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Slice bell peppers and place on pan. Season cod with salt, pepper, and fajita seasoning. Place the fish on the pan next to the peppers. Place pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until fish is no longer transparent and the pepper slices are nicely roasted.
5. To plate the dish: place 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa in measuring cup. Flip upside down on a plate so it makes a dome shape. Spoon black beans over quinoa. Layer on some roasted pepper slices. Lightly place baked cod filet on top. Slice a lime and put the "icing" on the cake.

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Challenge met. Happily.

xoxo n