Seafood – Kara Cooks and Eats

Not your mother’s tuna salad

I’ve always been a fan of tuna salad and I have many fond memories of tuna, celery, and mayo sandwiches. It was always chunk light tuna, packed in water. Then I switched to solid white, also packed in water, but then switched to half and half due to the higher mercury content in white tuna. And now I’ve become a fan of tuna packed in olive oil instead of water. I guess you could say “lesson learned” from dating an Italian.

I also try to pick pole and line caught tuna. It’s a little more expensive, but I think worth it. Here are six reasons to choose pole and line tuna from Greenpeace Australia Pacific:

Fewer sharks, turtles, whales and dolphins will be killed.
It’s easier to keep a lid on overfishing.
Tuna species under pressure will be given a break.
More local fishermen will be employed.
Developing coastal nations will benefit.
It won’t hurt your hip pocket!

Not your mother’s tuna salad

Serves: 4

Adapted from Food & Nutrition magazine, January/February 2016

Tuna salad

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cans (5 ounces) tuna packed in olive oil

1/4 cup Greek olives, roughly chopped

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, thyme, and garlic.

2. Mix together tuna, olives, and feta.

3. Serve over mixed greens or with some crusty bread.

Salsa tilapia

This recipe calls for taco seasoning, which I also like to make…sorry Ortega! It’s super easy and I usually have all the ingredients in my cupboard.

Taco seasoning

Taco seasoning
Makes: About 4 Tbsp

Ingredients
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

Ok, back to tilapia…actually this recipe would probably work with any type of white, flaky fish (such as catfish, cod, flounder). The heat (spice) in this recipe can be adjusted to your taste by increasing or decreasing the amount of taco seasoning used, and the type of salsa you use. I am a “medium” salsa girl, usually black bean and corn.

Pan-frying action

Salsa tilapia
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp taco seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb tilapia (usually 3-4 fillets)
1 jar salsa (16 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Beat egg in a shallow bowl. Mix bread crumbs and taco seasoning in a separate shallow bowl. Dip each fillet in egg, then coat with bread crumbs (on both sides).
2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Add breaded tilapia fillets and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Flip tilapia fillets, then spread salsa over the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover and cook until fish is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

A healthy dinner

Salmon (grain) salad

I made salmon for dinner tonight and this is one of my favorite things to do with leftover salmon. It’s a “recipe” I made up, so I apologize for the lack of exact ingredients and proportions. You can really use any type of grain…I usually make it with Israeli couscous, but this week I’m going to try it with quinoa. I’m a big fan of the wild caught Thai chili salmon from Trader Joe’s.

Salmon (grain) salad
Source: Kara

Ingredients
Salmon 1 fillet, cooked and shredded
Grain of your choice, cooked
1 cup chick peas, drained and rinsed
Vegetables of your choice, chopped (I like peppers, cucumber, shredded carrots)
Feta
Kalamata olives (this can easily be omitted if you are anti-olive)
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil

Directions
1. Mix ingredients together.

2. Toss with red wine vinegar and olive oil. I like a 3:1 ratio of vinegar to oil, but it depends on your taste.

3. Enjoy!