Red Pepper Parmesan Fish Fillets

So..... after pigging out on all that Super Bowl food, it's time to get back to eating healthy again, right? Right. (At least until Valentine's Day.) I love this fish recipe. It is so flavorful and so quick to make - it's an easy weeknight dinner entree. Don't be scared off by the red pepper - you can cut back to a 1/2 tsp. if you prefer. But honestly, that 1 tsp. mixed with the salt and all that Parmesan really is the perfect balance. Serve it with tartar sauce on the side, and the creamy tartar will cool any bit of heat you get from the fish. My son and I love this fish served with a Caesar salad. I used fresh Alaskan Cod fillets (because they were on sale), but use whatever mild fish you prefer.

Here's what you need:

• 1-1/2 lbs. mild-flavored fish fillets (Cod, Haddock, Catfish, etc.)
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp. low-fat milk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil; spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine the Parmesan, flour, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. In a shallow bowl, combine the the egg whites and milk. Organize your dishes so that you have your fish, then your egg white bowl, then your Parmesan mixture, then your baking dish.

Working with one fillet at a time, dip into the egg white mixture so the fillet is thoroughly moistened. Next dip into the Parmesan mixture and coat the entire fillet. Place the coated fillets on the greased baking dish.

When all the fillets are coated and ready to go on the baking pan, spray the tops of them lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (depending on how thick your fillets are), or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. This should give you about 3 large fillets, or 4 smaller fillets. Either way, it should be enough to serve 4 people.

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Oven-Fried Catfish

I love deep-fried fish fillets, but since we had 1000-calorie cheeseburgers yesterday, and 1000-calorie brownies the day before, I opted for this healthy, oven-fried dish today. The great thing about this entree is that it takes hardly any time to prepare... and there is no greasy mess to clean-up. I got these fillets prepped and into the oven in less than 30 minutes, and that included the time it took me to photograph everything. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry - you just need the fish.....oh, and possibly cornmeal - if you're like me, you don't use it very often. My canister of cornmeal was in the very back, darkest corner of my pantry, and I think it was about 5 years old. Okay, so pick up some fish and cornmeal and you're good to go. And although the recipe calls for catfish, any firm-fleshed, mild fish will do.... try it on orange roughy or cod.

Here's what you need:

• 1 lb. catfish fillets
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp. water
• cooking spray (Sorry, forgot to include it in the photo.)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In a shallow bowl, combine the egg whites and water; beat lightly, and set aside. In another shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

Set up your workspace so you have your fish, then your bowl of egg whites, your cornmeal mixture, and lastly, a baking pan (which I always cover in aluminum foil for easy clean-up) sprayed generously with cooking spray.

One at a time, dip each fillet in the egg whites, then into the cornmeal mixture, then place on the greased baking pan.

When you have all the fillets dipped and breaded and laid out on the pan, spray the tops of the fillets with cooking spray. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

After I take them out of the oven, I like to give them another dusting of paprika for color because they don't turn out as golden brown as if they were actually fried. Serve with baked potatoes and coleslaw or a salad for a quick, easy, and healthy weeknight meal. Serves 4.

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Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp with Spicy Soy-Sesame Rice

This shrimp is so delicious - next time I make it, I'm going to double the recipe. I made enough for 2 - for my son and me, as my daughter doesn't like seafood.  But we definitely could have polished off more shrimp between the two of us! Each of these recipes - both the shrimp and the rice are simple and quick, especially if you prep the night before. I always have a bag of frozen shrimp on hand (already deveined), so I can just defrost them in the fridge overnight. You can even make the rice ahead of time, and then just grill your shrimp at dinner-time. The shrimp only takes 15 minutes to marinate and about 4 minutes to cook. It's a quick, easy, and attractive dish. The Soy-Sesame Sauce recipe came from How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson.

We're going to start with the rice first because it takes longer to cook.

*Please note that the photos show me making a DOUBLE recipe of the rice. I'm sorry for the confusion - I overestimated how much rice we would need to go with the shrimp. The recipe, as it is written below, will make 1/2 the amount you see in the photos and will be enough to serve 2 people.

Here's what you need for the Spicy Soy-Sesame Rice:

• 1/2 Cup white rice
• 1-1/3 Cups water (not shown)
• 1 Tbsp. butter (not shown)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 2 Tbsp. chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or less if you don't like a spicy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Heat the butter in a medium saute pan over low heat until melted. Add the rice and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the water and the carrots, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine in a small bowl: the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and sugar.

When rice has simmered for 20 minutes, it should look like this:

Stir the soy-sesame sauce into the rice, and let cook over low for 2 minutes, uncovered. When finished, it should look like this:

You can store the rice in the fridge if you are making it ahead of time. Or just cover it, and keep it warm on the stove top until the shrimp are cooked.



Now for the Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp:

• 20 medium-sized shrimp, peeled & deveined and tails removed
• 4 bamboo skewers
• 1/4 Cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tbsp. local honey
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced (*When I buy fresh ginger, I peel it and put it in a zip lock bag in the freezer. Whenever a recipe calls for ginger, I just take it out and grate it over a micro plane to get the amount I need.)

Combine in a small bowl: the teriyaki sauce, honey, mustard, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.

Push about 5 shrimp onto each skewer and place in a shallow dish. (Note: if you plan to cook these on an outdoor grill or broil them, you should soak the skewers in water for several minutes.)

Pour the sauce over the shrimp and make sure they are all coated. Let them marinate for 15 minutes.

While the shrimp are marinating, preheat your grill or broiler. I cook them on my indoor George Foreman grill at 300 degrees for exactly 4 minutes. If you are using an outdoor grill, cook them over a medium heat until they turn pink - about 4 to 5 minutes. If you broil them, they will only need about 3 to 4 minutes under the broiler. Shrimp cook very quickly.

Serve them with Spicy Soy-Sesame Rice, or let them cool and put them in a salad. This recipe makes 20 medium shrimp, (which shrink when cooked), so I would say this serves 2.


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