Seafood Marinara with Capellini

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of making dinner for some of my favorite people: David, Urooj, and Nea. I quite literally started this recipe journey by going into the produce market up the street from my house and throwing vegetables into my cart that I enjoy. I had scanned some recipes online earlier in the day, and I knew that I was going to make a red sauce, but other than that it was anyone's guess as to what I was going to make.

The result was an amazing marinara that is delicious over jasmine rice or capellini. I served it with rice last night, but David mixed the sauce with leftover capellini that was in the fridge, and it was even better that way. This dish has an Italian base with some South Asian spicing and a whole lot of fun dashed into it.

Here, then, is my Seafood Marinara recipe...spaghetti ain't never been so good.

Seafood Marinara with Capellini

2 fillets tilapia cubed
1 lb shrimp deveined and de-shelled
2 red potatoes cubed
1 fennel cubed
1 large carrot sliced
2 jalapenos diced
4 cloves garlic diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup cilantro diced
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches green onions diced
1 large can of mashed or pureed tomatoes
1 lb capellini pasta aka angel hair pasta
salt to taste

First in a large pot heat the olive oil. Add to the olive oil the onions, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno. Let them cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Then add the cumin, turmeric, cayenne, oregano, and basil. Stir and let cook for another minute or two.

Then add the potatoes, fennel, and carrot. Stir and make sure that the vegetables are coated with the herb mixture. Then add just enough water to the pot to cover the vegetables. You want your end sauce to be thick, so do not put to much water into it. Let the vegetables simmer in the pot until the water is about half gone. Then add the fish, shrimp, bay leaves and tomato sauce to the pot.

Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer over a medium heat for 45 minutes (as with almost any sauce, the longer you let the sauce slowly simmer, the better it is going to taste). Stir occasionally to make sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan and all of the flavors have a chance to mix together.

Prepare your pasta and serve with a heaping helping of the seafood marinara. This dish will easily stuff 4-6 people and will leave leftovers. The entire she-bang will run you about $15-$20 depending on the price of the shrimp and fish in your area.

The Main Course: Tilapia with Mango/Mushroom/Jalapeno Chutney

So for the main course at the dinner party, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the concoction I had in my head would taste good on a plate. In general, when I experiment in the kitchen it works out, but now and again, every once in a while, something goes terribly terribly terribly wrong. What sounds good in theory tastes like horse ass sweat once it is served up. I usually save those types of experiments for when I am alone and can hide my shame, but this time I was going to serve the product to people I care about...and I was dearly hoping that the entire party didn't end up in the bathroom taking turns projectile into whatever available porcelain object was available.

It turned out my fears were unfounded.

The foodies loved my sauce and even said they were willing to bear witness to their adoration of it. So here, for your taste bud's pleasure, is the recipe.

Tilapia with Mango Mushroom Chutney

2 large pieces of tilapia
½ container button mushrooms
4 cloves garlic minced
1/8 cup red onion
¼ cup cilantro
1 large jalapeno diced
1 large mango
¼ cup olive oil

To begin, you will need to make your chutney. First, slice the button mushrooms thinly. In a small saucepan, saute the mushrooms, onions, and garlic until the mushrooms are cooked. Set aside.

Next add the sauteed mushrooms, mango (sliced into pieces), jalapeno and cilantro into a blender or food processer. Puree the heck out of it, and set aside.

Slice the tilapia pieces in half length wise. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add to it the tilapia. Pour the chutney over the fish. Make sure each piece is covered thoroughly. Cook the fish for seven or eight minutes and then flip over. Cook for another 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Lemme tell you...the combination of the sweetness of the mango with the mellow woody flavor of the mushrooms and the minor kick of the jalapenos will do your body good.

Serve the fish with brown jasmine rice and enjoy. This recipe will comfortably feed four people. You can find very affordable and cheap frozen tilapia at Trader Joe's....this delicious dish will run you about $8.

Tilapia a la Prima Anitra with Grilled Asparagus

So, today my cousin, Miss Anitra Brown, emailed me to ask me if I had any recipes for tilapia...and if I posted my recipes any place. I was SUPER flattered that she would come to me for some recipes...as I am just an amateur cook up in the kitchen. So, I sent her a tilapia recipe...it was actually my ocean perch recipe, but it is just as good with tilapia.

Check it out:


Hey Cuz:

I sometimes post my recipes to my blog, but I haven't pooled them all into one place. I thought about starting a second recipe blog...maybe I will do that.

This is how I love to cook me some tilapia.

Tilapia a la Parilla (Grilled Tilapia) con Grilled Asparagus

Tilapia Fillets
3 cloves garlic minced
1 to 3 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup diced scallions
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 lemon cut into halves
Tin foil
Salt
Pepper
3 to 4 fresh basil leaves minced

Get your grill going real nice like...if it is a charcoal grill (which is the best)...get your coals nice and toasty. If you are using a gas grill, turn the heat to medium.

Lay your tilapia on a sheet of tin foil. Sprinkle on top of the fillets your salt and pepper, lay on each piece of fish a pat of butter. Sprinkle on top of the tilapia the scallions, red pepper flakes and basil leaves. Then, squeeze your lemon all over the fish.

Place another piece of tinfoil on top of the tilapia and seal the edges by curling them up.

Place the fish in the foil on the grill and cover.

Cook on the grill for about 5-8 minutes, then open the foil, flip the fish, reseal the foil, and then grill for another 5-8 minutes until the fish is done, is flaky, but don't overcook it or it will dry out.

Grilled Asparagus Recipe

This great served with roast corn on the grill or asparagus.

If you get some of those wooden skewers, you can line up your aspargus side by side...about six to eight pieces, then, near the tip of the asparagus, insert one stick through all six to eight pieces and then insert another stick through the asparagus down near the bottom. Brush some olive oil in a thin layer over the asparagus, and lay them bad boys on the grill. Let 'em cook for a good 5-10 minutes...and then eat 'em up.


You can do the same thing with the tilapia in the oven, if you don't feel like grilling. But the charcoal is fabulous. Also, poke a few holes with a fork into the top and bottom of the foil...not too many...but enough to let the grill taste get up in there.

Love,
Bill Jr.

Again, if you live near a Trader Joe's or a decent fishmonger for folks on the coast (or, in Minneapolis, Coastal Seafoods near the Target on Lake Street), you should be able to get tilapia very affordably. Asparagus is seasonally priced and is best in the mid to late summer. This dish should run you about $9-$12.