Under the sea: get into the swim of things with these four simple & delicious ways to cook fish

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Ruth Carey

Many people don't eat fish because they don't know how to prepare it or just don't care for the taste. Maybe they tried fish that wasn't fresh or was poorly cooked. Yet fish is so healthy that experts are telling us to eat more of it.

You can start enjoying the health benefits that come with getting more of your menus from the sea by trying four tasty, quick-fix recipes I've created. I'm a "scratch" cook--I get my ideas from my favorite restaurant menu items or from cookbooks and then create healthy recipes with a goumet taste. Use these recipes as a jumping-off point to suit your own tastes. Part of the fun of cooking is personalizing a recipe by adding a touch of something here or omitting an ingredient there.

One piece of advice about cooking fish is to err on the side of under-cooking. Dry fish never tastes good, and if you have fresh fish, a medium-rare temperature is preferred over well-done. Remove from heat when fish just starts to flake.

BLACKENED TUNA with chutney

Fruit chutney is wonderful with blackened fish--it adds a sweet taste to a spicy dish. This homemade chutney recipe is delicious; however, many great chutneys can be purchased at your grocery store if you don't have time to make this from scratch. My favorite tuna is sushi-grade ahi, cooked rare. You can purchase a blackening seasoning, such as Cajun's Choice, but I find most of these too salty. I like to make my own seasoning instead.

BLACKENED TUNA

1 Ib. fresh tuna fillet
1 Tbsp. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Mix seasoning ingredients together and coat both sides of fish with mixture. Preheat a nonstick skillet over very high heat. Reduce heat to medium and place fish in skillet. Cook fish, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on desired degree of doneness. Serve with favorite chutney. Makes 4 servings.

PEACH CHUTNEY

4 cups peach slices, fresh or frozen
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped

In a non-aluminum saucepan, combine all ingredients except fresh mint. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook gently until onions are cooked and chutney is thickened (about 25 minutes). Remove from heat and cool. Add mint and stir.

Per serving with chutney: 309 calories, 30 g protein, 46 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, 7 g fiber.

baked ORANGE ROUGHY

1/2 pound orange roughy (or cod)
Garlic powder, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, sliced very thinly
2 thin slices sweet onion
1 tsp. capers
1 Tbsp. light margarine or light butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a large piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place fish fillet in center of foil. Sprinkle garlic powder and pepper over fillet. Place 4-5 lemon slices on fillet and top that with thinly sliced onions. Sprinkle capers over onions. Break margarine or butter into pieces and place on top of fish. Wrap prepared fish in the foil, bringing ends of foil together and folding to seal. Place the baking sheet in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with fresh lemon wedges or tartar sauce. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 189 calories, 17 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat.

GRILLED SALMON

1 lb. salmon fillet
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. golden brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice

Turn grill on high to preheat. Place salmon skin-side down in 9X11-inch pan. Mix garlic and brown sugar together in small bowl. Rub garlic/brown sugar mixture into salmon flesh, coating whole piece. Pour orange juice gently over fillet and let sit 20-30 minutes while grill is heating up. Place salmon on hot grill flesh-side down and sear 2-3 minutes on high. Turn fillet over and reduce heat to medium. Cook salmon to medium, being careful not to dry out fish. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of fish, but estimate about 5 minutes total for a 1-inch fillet. Skin will stick to the grill. Slide spatula between fillet and skin to remove salmon from grill. Top with dill sauce and serve. Makes 4 servings.

DILL SAUCE

2 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh or dried dill

Place first 4 ingredients into small bowl and stir until well blended. Add chopped dill. If using fresh dill, serve immediately. When using dried dill, let the sauce sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Per serving with sauce: 205 calories, 23 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat.

POACHED HALIBUT

1 lb. halibut, either fresh or frozen and thawed
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. light margarine or light butter
1-2 cups skim or low-fat milk

Coat a saute pan with non-stick spray. Place halibut in pan. Lightly sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper on fillet. Put margarine on top of fillet. Pour milk into pan until all but the very top of fish is covered. Turn heat to medium and cover pan, bringing milk to a slow simmer. Poach fish for about 20 minutes or until fish flakes, occasionally lifting the lid to spoon milk over top of fish. Remove fish from pan with a slotted spatula and serve topped with mango salsa. Makes 3 servings.