Lemon Panko Fried Red Snapper

This is twist on an old favorite I used to eat as a child when I'd visit my grandparents. It turned out really well. Even my daughter rated this dish a record 264% (her own scale of course), who is a pretty picky eater.

Lemon Panko Fried Red Snapper (serves 4-6)
1.5lbs Red Snapper
3 Egg Yolks
5 tsp Lemon Juice
2-3 cups Flour
2-3 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Ground Black Pepper

1. Place about 1/2" Vegetable Oil in a pan.
2. Bring the oil to ~325 F on medium heat while you prep the rest of the food.
3. Remove any skin from the Red Snapper and cut into tenders
4. Combine the Egg Yolks with about 5tsp water, 5tsp lemon juice, and 1 tbs Salt in a bowl. Whisk until mixed well.
5. Pour 2-3 cups Flour into a bowl
6. Pour 2-3 cups Panko into a bowl with 2-3 tsp Ground Black Pepper
7. Drag or Roll your Red Snapper tenders through the Flour, then Egg Yolk, then Panko. They should have a complete coat on all sides.
8. Once the oil reaches around 325F, gently place the Red Snapper into the pan one tender at a time. Be careful not to splash the oil.
9. Turn the tenders every few minutes until they are nice light golden brown (5-10min depending on size).
10. Once golden, place the tenders on a dish covered in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

I recommend serving with lemon wedges, ketchup, or possibly even a buttery hot sauce if you like to spice things up.

"It's Shake and Bake, and I helped!"

Some of the best dinners are the ones that you make up out of random things you have hanging around the kitchen. Tonight we had orange roughy that we took out to defrost last night. We couldn't decide what to do with it. We almost settled on the old stand by butter lemon pepper sauce, which is always tasty,but then Mike said it it was too bad we don't have any breading to fry it up in. That is when I spotted the shake and bake box in the spice cabinet. It was the Italian season flavor. It sounds a bit odd and even a little ghetto maybe, but it worked.
Mike used melted butter instead of water to moisten the fish and followed the instructions on the box. He cooked it on the grill for about ten minutes instead of baking it in the oven. "It's Shake and Bake and I helped!" Okay not really. I did make the vegetables though.
Mike is still mad he has not seen that commercial yet!
I cooked some fresh green beans and broccoli with a little,who am I kidding a lot....almost a 1/2 stick of butter :) and minced garlic. I also made a hot sauce butter concoction using Krystal Louisiana hot sauce and about 3 more tablespoons of butter. When I worked at Ombi , the chef Laura made the tastiest spicy beurre blanc with this stuff. This is her favorite hot sauce she discovered while living in New Orleans. When I saw it in the grocery store I had to get some!
My concoction was no way near as rich and decadent as Laura's but it was a great addition to our faux fried fish. Unfortunately we scarfed it all up before taking a picture of it!
There will be more pictures soon! Tomorrow we will be having pork tenderlion! Yum! :)

Black and Blue Swordfish

I picked this up awhile back when I was in Denver. It's a Blackened Swordfish with a Blue Cheese Butter Sauce. I prepared tonight's with Blackened Garlic Green Beans and Quinoa (Although typically I serve with garlic mashed potatoes). I've tried to recreate it a number of different ways. Tonight's attempt is probably the best so far. So, I decided to start my food blog with this recipe.

Black and Blue Swordfish
2 7oz Swordfish steaks
3 tbs Salted Butter
3 tbs Blue Cheese
4 tsp Blackening Rub or Cajun Spice
Olive Oil

First I marinated the Swordfish in Olive Oil. I went with 45 minutes, but I hear overnight is the best to keep it from drying out.

Second, I pulled the Swordfish out and gave it a nice light rub with Black Voodoo seasoning.

Next I fired up my magic grill (Holland propane).

While the grill heats it's time to sear the fish. Heat up 2 tsp Olive Oil in a pan on Medium heat. Once it starts smoking, place the swordfish in. Give it 1-2 minutes on each side to give it that blackened look, taste, and texture.

After that, I take it out to the grill, which is sitting around 375 and throw it on for between 5-10 minutes.

While on the grill (or whenever, it's a quick step), melt the Butter and Blue Cheese. I usually toss it in the microwave for about 1 minute. After it is good and melted, give it a quick whisk to blend it together.


Finally, take the Swordfish off the grill, and cover it with the Blue Cheese Butter Sauce .

I hope you enjoy, I did!