This dish looks elegant, but it’s simple… and believe me, it’s super easy to prepare. I love the crunchy pecan crust, and I love that it’s achieved in the oven. Plus, I lined the baking pan with tin foil, so there was no messy pan to clean up afterwards.

You can serve the fish however you’d like, but atop the Roasted Red Pepper Coulis was fabulous. Topped with some micro greens for perfection! It’s one of my favorites.  

Pecan Crusted Mahi

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 portions of Mahi Mahi
pinch of Salt 
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Pecans, crushed

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line your baking dish with tin foil, sprayed with a little olive oil.
Rinse and pat dry the 2 pieces of Mahi.
Lightly salt and set aside.
Break egg into a low shallow dish.
Add about a tablespoon of water and beat until blended.
Set aside.
Place the pecans in a low shallow dish.
Dip fish pieces into the egg to coat, and then into the pecans to cover completely.
Place on prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
If desired, turn the broiler on for a minute or two to brown the crust further…but be sure to keep an eye on it!
Serve Mahi atop Roasted Red Pepper Coulis (recipe below).

Roased Red Pepper Coulis

INGREDIENTS
2 Red Bell Peppers
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the bell peppers and place them over a low flame, either on your stovetop or bbq grill, turning frequently.
Once the pepper skin is blackened, remove from the flame and place peppers in a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the peppers are soft.
Remove from oven and allow to cool until you can handle the pepper.
Remove the skins, they should come off easily.
Place peppers in the food processor and pulse until somewhat smooth.
Place peppers in a bowl.
Add a few pinches of salt and pepper.
Stir in the olive oil.
Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.

This is a wonderful dish to make when you have company coming over for dinner. It’s easy, elegant, and most importantly… tastes delicious! It can be whipped up in no time, with minimal effort.

It’s important to use Filet of Sole because it is thin enough to successfully wrap the shrimp stuffing inside and end up with the perfect portion size. Filet of Sole is usually always available and it’s one of the less expensive fishes.  

For 2 servings (but easily doubled)

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter
1 small stalk of Celery, small dice
1 small Shallot, small diced
6 large Shrimp, peeled, deveined & diced small
1 Tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Bread Crumbs
Salt & Pepper
4 long thin pieces of Filet of Soul

For Sauce:
1 can Shrimp Bisque
2 Tbsp Sherry
a little Water or Milk of your choice, to thin Bisque to desired consistency

METHOD
Place the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat.
Add in the celery and shallot.
Saute for about a minute, and add in the diced shrimp and continue to cook for another minute or two until the shrimp is pink.
Remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs and 1 Tbsp of the shrimp bisque to the mixture.
Add a little salt and pepper.
Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a little olive oil in baking dish and set aside.
Place 2 pieces of the filet of sole in a cross shape on your work surface or cutting board with the underside facing up.
Place half of the shrimp stuffing in the middle of the filet of sole and pull the four ends up to make a mound.
Carefully pick up the filet of sole and place end sides down on your prepared baking dish.
Repeat process with the other two pieces of sole.
Top each serving of the sole with a little Italian Seasoning or a little salt and pepper.
Place in oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Since the stuffing is already cooked, you just need to be sure the filet of sole is cooked.
While the fish is in the oven you can prepare the sauce.
Heat the Shrimp Bisque in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the Sherry.
If you want the sauce a little thinner, just add in some water or milk of your choice.
Keep on low heat until the fish is done cooking.
Place fish on plate and top with Sauce.
Enjoy!

About 6 months ago I went to an Ethiopian Restaurant in Nashville. Everything was delicious, but what really stood out for me was their Ful dish. Ful is a dish made of Fava beans, tomato, green onion and spices. The Ful was served on top of Injera, which is basically a large flat pancake made with Teff (a gluten-free grain that grows in Africa). What made the dish so wonderfully good? It was the spice Berbere (pronounced Ber Bear Ree). What is it? It’s a blend of Cumin, Paprika, New Mexico Chili Peppers, Cayenne Pepper, De Arbol Chili Peppers, Nutmeg, Ancho Chili Peppers, Ajwan Seeds, Cardamom, Turmeric, Garlic, Salt and other spices. It’s amazing and wonderful and if you’ve never tried it, I sure hope you do!

Days after eating at the restaurant I was still thinking about the delicious flavor of the Ful dish… and I was determined to recreate it. I did recreate the dish and in doing so I needed the Berbere spice. I couldn’t find it in the grocery stores, so I ordered it online at Zamouri Spices.

Since I love this spice so much I thought I’d use it on some Tilapia. Tilapia isn’t my favorite fish, but it’s inexpensive and readily available fresh. Let me tell you, that the Berbere transformed the ordinary Tilapia into something extraordinary. It was fantastic and super simple!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
2 pieces of Tilapia
2 to 3 Tbsp butter
2 tsp Berbere
1 Tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped
a pinch of salt

METHOD
Wash and dry the Tilapia, and set aside.
In a medium large saute pan add the butter.
Cook the butter on medium heat until it is bubbly.
Stir in the Berbere spice, parsley, and a pinch of salt.
Place the Tilapia in the pan and cook for one minute on the underside and then flip over and continue to cook for another 3 minutes, spooning the butter mixture over the fish a few times.
To serve, plate the fish and spoon the butter sauce on top.
Enjoy!

This dish looks so colorful and healthy I just had to post it. As a matter of fact, the more colors of food you eat the healthier it is… and I’m not talking orange Cheetos (ewww).

The recipe is super simple and super delicious! This will work with any fish, but I chose Flounder because it was what the market had “fresh”, not previously frozen (although there’s nothing wrong with frozen).

We enjoyed this fish with warm corn tortillas, salad, and corn-on-the-cob. I put my fish and peppers in the corn tortilla and squeezed some fresh lime on top. Yummy!

This dish serves 4.

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. Flounder, or the fish of your choice
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Orange Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
2 cloves of Garlic, sliced
1 Lime, sliced

METHOD
Wash & dry the fish.
Sprinkle with some salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Set aside.
Add olive oil into a large frying pan.
Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic into the pan and saute until semi-soft.
Push vegetables to the side and add the fish into the pan.
Saute fish until done, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve fish with the veggies on top, and lime wedges all around.
Enjoy!

Grouper is a mild white fish that is easily available. I have also bought the packaged frozen Grouper and thought the flavor and texture was perfect.

This recipes serves 2.

INGREDIENTS
Grouper – 4 pieces
Smoked Paprika
Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp Olive oil
4 Tbsp Butter
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 cup White Wine
1 bag of fresh Spinach
salt & pepper, to taste
Lemon Juice

METHOD
Sprinkle some smoked paprika and a small amount of Italian Seasoning on the Grouper and set aside.
Place butter and olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
When the pan is hot and bubbling, add the Grouper.
Saute for a few minutes on each side.
Remove fish from pan and set aside, covered with foil to keep warm.
Add the shallot and white wine to pan and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the fresh spinach and saute over medium-high heat until the spinach is limp.
Season with a little salt and pepper.
Place spinach on plates and top with fish.
Spoon sauce over fish.
Squeeze fresh lemon on top and serve immediately.