Fifteen-minute fish

Every week, we cook one dinner that includes some kind of seafood. I used to be intimidated by shrimp and fish, but they turned out to be very easy to cook! Here is the recipe for our 15-minute fish. It’s super easy and can be eaten straight out of the oven with a couple of sides, used in fish tacos, or even as a topping on salad. This recipe makes four servings of fish.

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5lb fish fillets (fresh or thawed)
• 1T olive oil
• Spices

You can use pretty much any type of fish. We generally use salmon, cod, tilapia, or mahi mahi. Since this a blog about ethical eating, I will point out that the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program gives great recommendations on the types of fish that are most (and least) environmentally-friendly. You can download and print pocket guides to take to the store or even download their iPhone app!

As for seasonings, anything goes really. Here are a few we have tried:

• The Spice Hunter Cajun Creole seasoning (liberally applied), a dash of cayenne pepper, and dash of kosher salt.
• Several sprigs of fresh dill from our CSA box placed on and around the fish, sea salt, ground pepper
• Mrs. Dash seasonings

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. If you have a wonderful amazing Silpat baking mat, lay it in a cookie sheet or other large, flat, oven-safe sheet pan. Otherwise, line a cookie sheet with foil and apply some cooking spray.



2. Rinse the fillets. Then, pat them dry with paper towel.



3. Arrange the fillets on the baking sheet. If they have the skin on, lay them skin down. Drizzle olive oil on the fillets. Using a basting brush or your fingers, spread the oil evenly over each fillet.



4. Apply seasoning.



5. Bake for 12 minutes. Test for doneness: the fish should flake easily with a fork and/or have an internal temperature of ~140°. If the fish is not done, continue cooking, checking for doneness every 2-3 minutes.



This time, we decided to use our 15-minute fish for tacos. In addition to the fish, we added shredded cabbage tossed with honey and red wine vinegar and some sliced avocado to our whole-wheat tortillas. As a side dish, we put together some beans and rice. I microwaved some frozen organic brown rice from Trader Joe’s, mixed it in a saucepan with pinto beans, diced green chilies, salsa, and a little pepper, and set it on low heat to warm through while the fish cooked. Altogether a quick and delicious meal!



Fifteen-minute fish tacos:
1 – 1.5lb baked 15-minute fish
4 cups shredded cabbage
3T honey
1T red wine vinegar
Ground pepper
8 taco-sized (small) tortillas
2 avocado


Stovetop beans and rice:
1 pkg frozen brown rice, heated
1 can pinto beans
2T diced green chilies
2-3T chunky salsa
Ground pepper to taste