Foodie Friday: Oriental Fish Cakes

First Friday of the month: Mom-Cook / Recipe

Hello! I'm back from my Holy Week blog break and with an easy-peasy recipe for this month's Foodie Friday. I got inspired by this dish from fellow blogging mama, Levy. She posted a photo of her fish cakes on Instagram and I immediately asked for the recipe. Since I wasn't inspired to experiment in the kitchen lately, I thought I'd try out simple dishes I spot on IG and FB. We got tired of our usual crispy panko fish fillet, and since it was Lent, I decided to cook fish cakes last week.

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Foodie Friday: 8 Meatless Recipes for Lent

First Friday of the month:  Mom-Cook / Recipes

It was Ash Wednesday the other day, the first day of Lent.  I attended the mass held at the girl's school and was reminded of the meaning of this holy season. The priest said that Lent is about alms giving, prayer, and sacrifice.  Two forms of sacrifice that Christians practice are abstinence and fasting.  It doesn't have to be just about food.  We can all choose to abstain or fast from wanting and doing things that we like, or giving up something for someone in need. For this post, it's about abstaining from eating meat.

Fusilli in Tomato Sauce with Sardines

Honestly, it's hard for me to give up meat, or a meal, more so to fast. But I'm willing and able to abstain for eating meat every Friday.  If you can abstain for 40 days, why not?

I have here 8 recipes from the past year, prepared with no meat, just to give you some ideas on what to include in your menus this Lenten season. Of course, you can cook these anytime of the year. Maybe some of you have already seen or read these food posts, or maybe tried them already.  Thank you for that!

Just click on the photo or title to go to the recipe page.

Spaghetti Vongole A'la Mom-Friday

Mixed Vegetables with Sayote

Seafood Salad in Asian Sesame Dressing

Garlicky French Beans

Smoked Salmon on Toast

DIY Hot Pot Meal (meat can be omitted from this recipe)

Oysters Teriyaki

You know I want things simple and easy.  No complicated dishes here, so I hope you can try them, if you haven't yet.  

Do you have a favorite meatless dish you care to share?

Get more meatless recipes here: Lenten Special - Favorite Meatless Dishes

I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
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Chuck's Grub, Best Fish & Chips in Manila

Fish and chips is always a safe choice when I want a light meal when dining out.  Before I tried Chuck's Grub a few weeks ago, I can't remember the last time I had some at a restaurant, which means they may be good, but forgettable.  Chuck's Grub Fish & Chips made a really good impression and tickled my palette with their freshly cooked specialties. I'm now craving as I look back at my photos here!

THE FULL MONTY

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Lenten Special: Favorite Meatless Dishes

Friday is my weekly blog day, but in observance of Good Friday, I will skip a post for tomorrow as my form of sacrifice.  As I mentioned on my Facebook status update yesterday, I cannot do fasting because I will definitely faint from hunger. =) 

In lieu of my Friday post, I've compiled some of my favorite meatless recipes that you can try this week.  Skip this and bookmark if you are fasting, heehee... try them on ordinary days.  You know I am all for quick and simple dishes, so nothing complicated here.

Click on the photo for the recipe.

COLD KANI SALAD

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Foodie Friday: Pan-Seared Sole Fillet and Basil

First Friday of the month:  Mom-Cook / Recipe

The simplest meal can be the most delicious...

That's how I felt after savoring my fragrant, moist, melt-in-your mouth sole fillet for dinner the other week.

I always stock on fish fillets in the freezer for those days, and nights, when I want something light and nutritious for myself and the family. It's most convenient too when I'm pressed for time and need to serve a nice meal in a flash. And this was one of those days.

Fast and easy to cook, yet filling and big in flavor! This pan-seared sole fillet is cooked the same way as my most popular food post -- Tanigue Garlic Steak, with a slight twist. The aromatic fresh basil and lemon juice lend a refreshing taste to this delicious dish.


Pan-Seared Sole Fillet and Basil

2 sole fillets
sea salt / rock salt
black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1/2 cup flour
fresh sweet basil leaves
olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter

To prepare:
Season fillets with salt and fresh cracked pepper on both sides.
(Cook whole or your can slice each fillet in 4 to 5 pieces like I did)
Squeeze juice from half a lemon over the fillets.  Leave for 10 minutes.
Julienne around 10 basil leaves. Set aside.

Heat a non-stick pan or skillet.
In an shallow dish or plate, very lightly dredge fillets with flour.

To cook:
Pour olive oil, around 3 tablespoons, in the heated pan.
Lightly toast minced garlic until golden then sear fillets, around 3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of fillet.
Before flipping over, sprinkle each slice with julienned basil leaves. Flip and toast until cooked through.
(Cook in two batches so as not to crowd your pan)
Fish will be soft and flaky when done.

Transfer to plate. Do not turn off heat.
In the pan, melt butter and squeeze half of the lemon (lemon-butter sauce)

Drizzle sauce over the plated fillets.
Garnish with more basil leaves and lemon wedge on the side if desired.
Serve immediately.

You can prepare and serve this dish in less than 30 minutes, with rice or potato mash. For this recipe, you can use any white flesh fish fillet like cream dory, bass, lapu-lapu (grouper) or labahita (sturgeon).

Somehow, this sweet sparkling apple juice makes a perfect match to this delectable dish. This pairing will definitely make another appearance on our dining table very soon!

A truly delightful 'meatless day' meal for the whole family!

Other fish dishes you may want to try:
Crunchy Panko on Fillets
Steamed King Fish in Light Soy
Creamy Salmon & Caviar Pasta


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Tanigue Garlic Steak

Consider this an express dish -- 15 minutes tops.  Delicious and quite healthy too!

Tanigue (Spanish Mackerel) fish steak, pan seared in olive oil and lotsa garlic. Does it ever get more simple than this?

Garlic is my number one spice and is a staple in the kitchen. I think anything with garlic is good! And garlic steak -- whether it's with beef, chicken, or fish, is the most simple yet savory dish you can easily prepare and enjoy with steamed rice or sauteed veggies on the side. This type of dish and style of cooking is also known as steak a'la pobre, or poor man's steak, classically served with toasted garlic and potatoes.

If you practice abstinence during Lent, or on a meatless diet, this is one quick-fire dish you can serve for lunch or dinner.

Tanigue Garlic Steak (A'la Pobre)

2 tanigue fish steak slices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

sea salt / rock salt

black pepper

liquid seasoning

half a lemon (or 2 calamansi)

olive oil

1 tablespoon salted butter, optional

To prepare:

Season the fish steaks with some salt and fresh cracked pepper on both sides.

Add a few drops of liquid seasoning (I used Knorr).

Squeeze juice from half a lemon over the fish steaks. Set aside.

Mince garlic.

Heat a non-stick pan or skillet.

To cook:

Pour in olive oil, around 3 tablespoons, in the heated pan. Set to medium heat.

Lightly toast minced garlic in olive oil until light brown.

Sear the fish steak, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on your preferred done-ness.

Flip over and continue cooking. Add butter if desired.

Plate and garnish with lemon wedge.

Pour over the remaining garlic-oil-butter over the fish.

Serve immediately. 

For this recipe, you can also use bangus (milkfish) belly, blue marlin or salmon steak. This tender fish steak is best eaten with garlic fried rice. And I like to press more lemon over my fish as I eat, delish!

Get more quick and easy recipes here!

As seen in Foodista

Atlantic Spanish Mackerel


I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
Get instant updates: My Mom-Friday on Facebook 
Follow @mymomfriday on Twitter 
Also on Google Friend Connect, or Subscribe Via Email. 
I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again!
(Comments with links will automatically be flagged by Disqus.)

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Crunchy Panko on Asuhos Fillets, et al

Crunchy chicken, crunchy fish, crunchy pizza, crunchy everything...that's what you'll hear from the kids every so often when it's meal time.

Panko, the Japanese bread crumbs is a staple in my kitchen as it gives that light, crispiness to everything I coat it with.

Most often, fillets of fish, pork cutlets, and slices of tofu gets dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and finally, evenly covered with panko for that perfectly fried, crunchy dish that the boy and girl are always clamoring for.

It is not often that I am able to buy this very convenient pack of de-boned asuhos fillet, so whenever I get a chance, at P280 a pack (I believe it was 24 fillets), I grab one and immediately fry us some thin and crispy asuhos fish fillet with honey mustard sauce. Thousand Island dressing would likewise be a perfect dip.

About Asuhos:  according to Wikipedia, this silver-banded whiting from the genus Sillago is an inshore marine species that inhabits an island on the shores of Palawan, Philippines

Quick, easy, golden, crispy goodness you can allow yourself, and the kids of course, to indulge from time to time. It's easy to forget they're deep fried in oil once you take a bite! It's crunch time!

 

SOLE FILLET cut to pieces, breaded and fried. 

I season the fish first with some rock salt, pepper and fresh-squeezed lemon. For a slight twist, this time, I mixed the panko with fresh chopped parsley.

 

 Golden, crunchy crust covers this soft, juicy white fillet

A very delicate Japanese tofu, similar to the fried agedashi tofu but without the sauce
 
PANKO CRUSTED TOFU. This dish takes a lot of practice to be able to serve them whole, from slicing to dredging, dipping in egg and finally covering with panko. So be patient and try to do this as often as you want 'til you get most of the slices out perfectly (",)

I used the same tofu variety from my miso soup recipe. The dipping sauce is a mix of a little warm water, Kikkoman soy sauce and pinch of brown sugar -- mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine) with Kikkoman is your best bet.

Note: Asuhos fish, photo from Wikipedia

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Sauce Express: Aligue & Pesto

I must admit, I am not a kitchen maven. I try to do with whatever is in stock and whatever I can remember from the long list of recipes I've browsed through. And so, with my limited repertoire of dishes, I try to incorporate a few versatile sauces to add a twist to the usual fare I serve at home. I guess it's a creative short-cut to stretch the menu and whip up something different at least once a week, given my very limited prep and cooking time.

Making something from scratch is ideal, but I can't deny that some store-bought preparations are God-sent and provides instant zing to our meals (whether my 'housemates' like it or not). My pantry is home to the staple 'bagoong gusiado' (sauteed shrimp pate/paste), the classic Reno liver spread, Hunt's chunky tomato sauce, to name a few. Here, I'm sharing one that's made fresh, and the other, bottled.
 

PESTO

My first bottle of homemade pesto sauce

A few weeks ago, I was able to spot a small bottle of pine nuts at Santi's Delicatessen. It was a bit pricey but quite hard to find this side of town, so I grabbed one up and left with the thought of fresh pesto sauce!

I don't have an exact measurement for this but I got me a bunch of fresh sweet basil leaves (90 gms.), garlic (around 5 large cloves, chopped), parmesan cheese (approx. 1/4 cup grated), coarse salt (approx. 1/2 tsp., optional), EVOO (at least 1/2 cup), pine nuts (approx. 1 1/2 tbs., toast in a pan until light brown).


Mix everything in a blender or food processor, while pouring more EVOO to suit your taste and preferred consistency. Store in an air-tight bottle and refrigerate. Well, you can always buy a bottled one if you wish.

I always believed that pesto is an acquired taste as many have aversions to the taste of herbs. That's why I am the only one enjoying my not-so-fancy pesto dishes at home!

Enjoy it with the usual pasta, rice, or try some of what I did below.

Enjoy your fresh pesto on toasted baguette, foccacia or bruschetta bread

On roast, baked, or even fried chicken

10-minute dish of pan-fried cream dory fish fillet

Also try my:  Chicken Pesto Rice

ALIGUE / TABA NG TALANGKA
(Small Crab Fat Paste)

This native side dish is one that I crave for on occasion and I always look for the richer, premium quality (read: more dangerously unhealthy) as it is supposed to be more 'pure' than other regular variants that may contain extenders, starch, etc. With quality comes the price, and at a little over P200 for an 8-oz. bottle, Navarro's Crab Paste really brings home the artery-clogging flavor I'm looking for.

To prepare the aligue sauce, it is usually sauteed in a little oil, with lots of minced garlic and freshly squeezed calamansi (calamondin; Philippine citrus fruit). Suggested preparation is also printed on the label. I use olive oil with my sauce, and a tad of butter (cholesterol alert). Alternatively, you can use lime or lemon, and you may opt to skip the butter if you're watching your triglycerides as the crab fat alone is already 'damaging' on its own :)

The dish below got me intrigued. It's Marketman's orkra with aligue creation, and I simply cannot resist trying this, as any dish with taba ng talangka is a winner for me.

My version here is sauteed with minced garlic, chopped onion and tomato, add a tablespoon of crab paste, calamansi juice (Marketman used dayap - a local lime), salt and pepper, in oil -- no butter.

Adjust calamansi and crab paste to your taste. Cook until tender.

I always sautee okra same way as above, but with bagoong (sauteed shrimp paste), so this aligue sauce is a welcome twist to the usual.

Preparing the crab fat sauce for my pasta

A plate-full of Garlic-Aligue Spaghetti, topped with grated parmesan cheese, serve with toast bread -- yum, yum!

Thanks so much for reading and for leaving any feedback. Please visit again!

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