Battle of the Salmon Steaks & Ginger Jasmine Rice
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: food from the sea recipes, sides recipes | Tags: Butter, cajun, food, ginger jasmine rice, jasmine rice, menu, Rice, salmon, seafood, sides 9 Comments »
NOTE: Eeep, I was going through my drafts and just realized that this was never published! Oh what a night that was! Definitely do give the ginger jasmine right a try, so good! Hope you all enjoy reading our fun date night! Have a wonderful day, xoxo!
We had a large filet of salmon so we decided to do a cook-off challenge, appropriately dubbed “Battle of the Salmon Steaks”.
The challengers: Kat vs. Boyfriend
The boyfriend made his specialty,baked salmon à la mon ami…
baked salmon à la mon ami
I remade an old favorite, but this time with salmon…
blackened cajun salmon
It’s really hard to say who the winner is because both salmon dishes taste delish in its own right! His is packed with buttery goodness, whereas mine is crisp and spicy.
I made ginger jasmine rice as a side dish for these salmons. The rice is packed full of gingery flavor, and who knew ginger and garlic would go so well together? I just love simple rice dishes like these! Let me know if you have other rice dishes I should try!
Do you do cook-off competitions at home?
xoxo, kat
Blackened Cajun Salmon
- salmon filet
- cajun/creole spice mix
- olive oil
Directions:
- Rinse and pat the salmon fillet dry. Completely coat both sides of the fillet with the cajun mix, and shaking off any excess.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, and pour some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot and sizzling, and cook until blackened, about 4-5 minutes. Then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes until blackened.
Baked Salmon À La Mon Ami
- salmon
- roasted garlic herb compound butter (or butter)
- olive oil
- dried herbs (oregano, rosemary)
- salt/pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Rinse the filet of salmon with cold water and pat the salmon dry.
- Rub both sides of the salmon with olive oil.
- Season with salt, pepper and any dried herbs according to your taste preferences.
- Coat the top of the salmon with a compound butter.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- Serve immediately.
Ginger Jasmine Rice (adapted from Food.com)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 cup jasmine rice
- 1 cup water
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Heat butter or oil in pan over medium to low heat. Saute garlic, ginger & salt for about a minute at most or until fragrant. Add rice and stir well.
- Add liquid. Bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat, simmer about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice tender.
Baked Cajun Fries
Posted: March 8, 2012 Filed under: sides recipes | Tags: baked fries, cajun, cajun fries, food, fries, menu 2 Comments »
baked cajun fries
One of my favorite foods of the moment is anything covered in cajun (or creole) mix!
So we have a bunch of mutated potatoes that I want to get rid of and I recently bought a big bottle of cajun mix that I want to use up because I really want to DIY my own cajun seasoning and bottle that up!
And this is what happens when mutant potatoes meet cajun mix…
Make sure to really coat the fries well with the cajun mix! Trust me, it’s really good!
Spread them out evenly on a wire rack and bake in a 425° oven for 35 minutes. They’ll be nice and crispy with a kick!
Mmm I just love cajun spice! Do you have any dishes that I can make with my gigantic bottle of cajun mix?
xoxo, kat
Baked Cajun Fries
- 3-4 medium russet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3-4 teaspoons Creole Seasoning Mix (or cajun mix)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil with a rack on top.
- Wash the potatoes and pat dry. Cut the potatoes into thin fries.
- Place the fries into a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Drain the water, and pat the fries dry with paper towels.
- Toss the dried fries into a bowl with the grapeseed oil and cajun mix. Toss well to evenly coat the fries.
- Lay the fries on the rack in a single layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until desired browness and crispness. Let the fries cool for a few minutes.
- Eat immediately!
Blackened Cajun Tilapia
Posted: March 6, 2012 Filed under: food from the sea recipes | Tags: blackened fish, cajun, creole, Fish, food, menu, Tilapia 6 Comments »
blackened cajun tilapia
I took the easy route and made fish for dinner for one of our date nights late last month. Also that month, my boyfriend made baked salmon, soooo clearly we’re a duo that loves fish!
In honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to make a blackened cajun-style fish. It was so unbelievably moist and juicy! My favorite part are the crispy edges of the fish! If you love the crispy edges, don’t be afraid to cook them a little bit longer :)
Also feel free to use any white fish you like! This is tilapia…sadly, I couldn’t find catfish anywhere! Rinse with water and pat the fish very dry with paper towels.
If available use a pre-made cajun or creole style seasoning mix. I had to go to three grocery stores (Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Fresh and Easy) to find this seasoning mix! Alternatively, you can google a recipe for cajun mix which is what I will do next time when this bottle runs out.
Season both sides of the fish liberally, shaking off the excess. You’ll want to really pat it on! As you can tell, I’m pretty heavy-handed with my seasoning :)
In a cast-iron or heavy-duty pan, pour some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat over medium-high heat. It is important to have a very hot pan when cooking the fish. When the pan is hot enough, add the tilapia fillets, and let cook until it’s blackened on one side (takes about 2-3 minutes) then flip and blackened the other side.
Cooking tip: It’s time to flip when you notice nice dark crispy edges forming along the sides of the fish.
In only a matter of a few minutes, you’ll have a nice piece of juicy delicious blackened cajun fish!
Another super easy and quick meal idea for date night! Hope you get to give this a try!
xoxo, kat
Blackened Cajun Tilapia
serves 2
- 2 tilapia fillets
- cajun/creole spice mix
- olive oil
Directions:
- Rinse and pat the tilapia fillets dry. Completely coat both sides of the fillets with the cajun mix, and shaking off any excess.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, and pour some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot and sizzling, add the tilapia fillets (one at a time) and cook until blackened, about 2 – 3 minutes. Then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until blackened.
