I’ve included directions below for preparing this fish in a skillet cause its super easy. but we’ve also tried it grilled by making foil packets with the fish. hubby handles all things with the grill in this house so i don’t have any first hand experience with grilling but its super easy. we throw the packets on the grill with some corn on the cob & veggies and dinner is prepped and done in under half an hour! can’t beat that!

Tasty Tilapia

1 1/2 lbs tilapia fillets
2 tsp low-sodium cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil*

Combine cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, dried parsley, crushed red pepper, garlic and onion powder. Evenly season fish on both sides. Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in large skillet over medium heat. Add fish. Brown each side approximately 3-4 minutes per side (tilapia cooks quickly). Adjust cooking temperature if needed. Serve hot.

* for lower fat, use a olive oil spray mister and just give the fish a light coat

This dish goes back to my childhood. My mom used to make fish this way, usually with catfish cause its inexpensive and with the sauce who can really tell? I prefer to make this using tilapia but either works! I love it. Hubby loves. But to be honest, I’m not sure what the masses would think of it. I had intended on fixing this for guests for the first time, but we had some scheduling issues so I prepared our Chinese feast for just hubby & myself which meant a scaled down version of the feast. I’m curious to see if this is something others will like or not. We certainly do!

Some will probably be surprised to see the use of powdered ginger in my Chinese recipes instead of fresh… it boils down to my inherited dislike for ginger. My mom is the same way… the thought of possibly biting into a piece of ginger keeps me from using fresh If you are a fan of ginger, go for the fresh! Hope you enjoy!

Mom’s Chinese Tilapia

1 pound tilapia fillets
3 Tbsp rice cooking wine
2-3 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/4 tsp dried ginger powder
1 tsp olive oil

In a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine rice cooking wine, soy sauce, Sriracha chili sauce, garlic powder & ginger powder. Add fish to skillet, allowing to cook for a minute. Flip fish and add soy sauce mixture to skillet. Add green onion. Allow fish to simmer over low heat until cooked thoroughly, and most of the sauce has cooked off. Serve immediately.

Today was my second night fixing dinner in my new kitchen. Last night we had Giada’s Parmesan Pork Chops & mashed potatoes but I didn’t get dinner done til 10pm since hubby got home from work at 9pm. It wasn’t anything new for the blog and it was way too late to take time for pictures Tonight though, I made my first blog-worthy post in my new kitchen… Fresh Salmon Cakes. They were delicious!!! Definitely a keeper. This is a slightly modified Cook’s Illustrated recipe… I cut back on the oil, and I subbed olive oil for vegetable oil. It definitely didn’t need anymore. I’ve posted the recipe as I made it.

I have to say midway through making them, I thought this is taking forever and I bet they’re not going to be worth the effort because the last time I attempted making salmon cakes they weren’t that great honestly. But boy was I wrong! They were definitely worth the effort and I can’t wait to have these again! I served them with a simple spinach salad. It was a wonderful dinner!

Pan-Fried Fresh Salmon Cakes

1 1/4 pound salmon fillets, skinned, any bones removed
1 slice high-quality white sandwich bread, such as Pepperidge Farm, crusts removed & finely chopped
1/4 c grated onion
2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 c panko, or plain dry bread crumbs

Chop salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and mix with chopped bread, onion, parsley, mayonnaise, salt & lemon juice in medium bowl. Scoop a generous 1/4 cup portion and use your hands to form into a patty measuring roughly 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining mixture, making 6-8 patties. Freeze the patties until the surface moisture has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a second shallow dish. Spread the bread crumbs in a third. Dip the chilled salmon patties in the flour to cover and shake off the excess. Transfer to the beaten egg and with a slotted spatula, turn to coat; let the excess drip off. Transfer to the panko, shaking the dish to coat the patties completely. Return breaded patties to baking sheet.

Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until simmering, about 3 minutes. Add salmon patties and cook until medium golden brown on the bottoms. Flip cakes and cook until medium golden brown on the other side.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain for a minute. Serve hot.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

The menu plan was to fix Grilled Salmon & Asparagus Risotto. But making risotto sounded like too much work so I decided to make a quick pasta. This recipe turned out absolutely amazing. With every other bite, came a ‘mmmm’ noise for hubby’s mouth literally. I knew I had a winner on my hand! We tend to eat a lot of beef and chicken so this was a nice change of pace. This was delicious and something hubby declared must go into our normal rotation. I have to agree.

I used angel hair this time cause it was the only thing in the pantry, but I’d use something next time with a little more substance, probably linguine or a farfalle, even something like a spinach linguine would be absolutely wonderful! I’m going to submit this to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Once Upon A Feast.

Salmon & Asparagus Pasta

1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. pasta
1.5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
freshly cooked Salmon, cut into small pieces
black pepper to taste

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add cut asparagus and cook until tender but firm, 1-3 minutes. Scoop out the asparagus and put in an ice bath to stop cooking. Add pasta to pot of boiling water and cook until desired firmness. Drain when done.

Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet. Add asparagus tossing just to coat. Add heavy cream and lemon pepper. Heat until cream begins to thicken. Add pasta, salmon, Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Toss and serve hot.

Baked Garlic Salmon

2/3 lb. salmon
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp parsley
kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. pray baking sheet with cooking spray and place salmon skin side down. Season salmon liberally with salt & black pepper. Add parsley & minced garlic. Bake 10-12 minutes until flaky.

Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon

1 tsp ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 green onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet

In a large self-closing plastic bag, combine first six ingredients; mix well. Place salmon in bag and seal tightly. Turn bag gently to distribute marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Turn bag occasionally.

Lightly grease grill rack. Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove salmon from marinade; reserve the marinade. Grill 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush with reserved marinade up until the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Discard leftover marinade.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes