The freshness of fish makes a big difference. I never liked fish much either, until I started buying freshly caught fish (caught within a day or so). There is a stand at my farmers market that I buy from--it is expensive, but hands down 100% better than the fish I used to get at the grocery store. If there is any place near you where you can get really fresh fish, I highly recommend it.
Here are a few of my favorite fish recipes that are a little different than usual. The first two are spicy. The last one (the swordfish) you can hardly tell has fish in it.
Fish in Coconut Milk- 1 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 serrano or jalapeno chile pepper, finely diced
- 6 oz onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Thai green curry paste
- 1 lb cod or other firm white fish (halibut, tilapia, etc.)
- lime wedges
Heat oil in a large skillet. And chile pepper, onions, and garlic and saute until softened. Add turmeric and green curry paste. Reduce heat and allow pan to cool for a minute or so.
Add coconut milk, increase heat and bring to a low simmer (if it gets too hot the coconut milk will separate). Add the fish and simmer until done, turning halfway through. It should only take 5 to 10 min to cook the fish. Serve with lime wedges.
4 servings at 225 calories each.
Coconut-Chile Snapper with Caribbean Bean Puree- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 cup sliced banana (about 1 banana or 4 oz)
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, divided
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
- 24 oz red snapper (or other firm white fish)
To make Caribbean Bean Puree, heat oil in large skillet over med. heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook about 2 min, until tender. Add banana and cook about 2 min more. Stir in beans, 1/4 cup chicken broth, lime juice, cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and simmer 5 min or until liquid is absorbed. Transfer all ingredients to a food processor and add remaining 1/4 cup broth. Process until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can just mash everything with a potato masher and stir in the rest of the broth.
To make the snapper, combine carrot, coconut milk, chili powder, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and jalapeno peppers in large skillet (you can use the same skillet you made the bean puree in). Heat over medium-high heat (not too hot or the coconut milk will separate) and simmer until carrot is tender, 5 min or so. Add fish and simmer until cooked, 5 to 10 min, turning once.
4 servings at 325 calories each (bean puree is 95 calories and snapper is 230 calories).
Spaghettini with Swordfish Ragu- 6 oz red pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 14.5 can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz small pasta (shells, elbows, wagon wheels), cooked al dente (8 oz is uncooked weight) (save some of the water the pasta was cooked in, just in case you need to add water to the ragu)
- 8 oz swordfish, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp minced fresh basil
Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat in large skillet. Add pepper and garlic and saute until just tender. Add the wine, tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and simmer until liquid is reduced. Stir in pasta and simmer until remaining liquid is absorbed. If it gets to dry add some of the reserved pasta water. Move ingredients to outside edges of pan and add remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil in center of pan. Place swordfish in olive oil and saute until cooked (this will only take a min or so--don't overcook it). Stir in basil.
4 servings at 325 calories.