Parchment cooking En Papillote did not fail me. This Asian-Style Steamed Cod Fish Fillets with Cordycep Flowers, Gojiberries, Woodear Mushrooms turned out wonderfully delicious.
Cordyceps Flower or Cordyceps militaris is a type of mushrooms in family Cordycipitaceae, and are usually cooked in soups.
Instead of steaming the fillets over the stove, the fish wrapped in "parcels" are "steamed"/roasted in the oven.
Whole fish tastes better when cooked on the bone; and whole fish, especially when it is still swimming in the tank, is probably one of the freshest!
No whole fish today but fillets of trout are used here; just because fresh fillets (not labeled as "previously frozen") were available from the market's seafood section. These fillets may well work into my favor today, as the
marinade will be readily and quickly absorbed into the fish, and
certainly makes cleaner and fuss-free food preparation (as with whole fish, comes an additional step to proper clean the inside of the fish).
No time? Season with a little salt and pepper. 2 minutes more? Prepare some spice seasoning as marinade. With 5 minutes extra-time to spare, mince up
ginger-green onions paste on top of the spice seasoning.
Our family was never quite into tacos, burrittos, Mexican food and cuisine in general. However, this past year of occasional day-tripping and local travel opened up our travel food world to food trucks, especially taco trucks.
Though we prefer to have home-cooked food (these food storage containers will come in very handy), having to depend on prepared/store-bought food while travelling has become unavoidable. However, eating out past few years has become very expensive. When you are travelling on the road, what is your go-to for food?
For us, it's tacos - definitely not those fancy-schmancy $8 tacos in restaurants but traditional authentic basic no-frills meat tacos topped with onions and cilantro. We are always excited to discover and try great delicious $2-3 tacos on our road trips, and try to keep our meal budget under $15 (for two people).
Semi-homemade: carnitas tacos with pineapple salsa, cilantro
There comes a time to take matters into my own hands with semi-homemade tacos (check this best-selling taco holders) at home, getting some good quality pork carnitas from the store, then putting it together at home.
Besides lean fish such as tilapia, barramundi, snapper, trout, we also love oily (high in omega-3) fishes such as salmon, sardines, milkfish and mackerel.
Our family usually fall back on easy and fuss-free preparation methods e.g. en-papillote, oven-roast/grill when enjoying these fishes.
Oven-Roasted/Grilled Mackerel is so delicious, and super easy to prepare. They make protein bowls such pleasurable treats.
I remember trying milkfish porridge/ soup in Taiwan and it's equally mouthwatering to grilled/ pan-fried milkfish belly; both different but so delicious and satisfying in its own way.
When I bought frozen ribbon/ belt fish from online grocery store Weee!, I also purchased frozen milkfish skin*.
Most of us will turn to frying or air-frying fish skin to make crunchy fried fish skin (hey, the famous fish skin snack!) but I wanted to try something different to replicate something similar inspired by the milkfish soup in Taiwan (of course, I also do not have an air-fryer to make crunchy fish skin).
Belt fish, also known as cutlass fish, ribbon fish or hairtail fish resembles a thin ribbon or belt (therefore the name) with a sharp pointed head. Whole fish or frozen sections can be usually found in Asian (Korean and Chinese) supermarket. I bought frozen sections (frozen ribbon fish rolls) from online grocery store earlier, not knowing how I want to cook it. This fish is best pan-fried; but since I hardly prep the pan or wok for frying, opted for it to be grilled/roasted in the oven just like other types of fish such as salmon, mackerel, milkfish.
And personally, any grilled/roasted fish is great for protein bowls. It may not turn out as crispy as pan-fried version but this alternative delicate way of cooking helps to preserve the mild briny flavors and its nutrition - protein and omega-3 cannot be undermined.
Besides salmon and grilled milkfish in seafood protein bowls, our family also enjoys oven-baked mackerel.
With its fishy reputation, some people may find the taste of mackerel too strong, too fish, too oily. But for the same reasons, we enjoy mackerel for its rich, distinct flavors. Its flesh is also moist and flaky.
Besides frozen milkfish belly, whole milkfish is also available in 99 Ranch Market, select locations in California. However, de-boning this notoriously boney fish, said to have more than 100 to almost over 200 fish bones, is not going to be an easy task.
Oven-roast/grill milkfish belly and shrimps with broccoli, cabbage
Meanwhile, I am happy and satisfied with frozen milkfish belly. The preparation is easy and Oven-Roast Milkfish Belly is belly delicious.
Most of the times, there are no leftovers when it comes to cooked fish. Unlike leftover chicken, leftover cooked fish is trickier to deal with. But especially during inflationary times when bulk-buying groceries/produce/food items gets more bang for the buck - that's when you do buy more then usual, cook more than usual and THERE WILL BE leftovers.
Nothing comes to waste when it comes to frugal-living cooking, even for a tricky leftover cooked fish. There is always my beloved egg frittatas to turn to e.g. Onion Egg Frittata, Chive Egg Frittata, Gouda Cheese Egg Frittata and Frozen Veggies Egg Frittata.
So, the leftover snapper fillets from last night dinner were transformed to this Leftover Fish Egg Frittata upgraded with veggies and rolled oats.
Leftover cooked fish tend to be "dry", adding vegetables such as shredded carrots, or roasted zucchini helps re-introduce a little more moisture into the frittata. I also added (or sprinkled) some oats on top before oven-cooking the frittata, to make it texturally more exciting (plus it's added fiber too!).
Oh did I say? Though made into a protein bowl lunch here, these leftover fish egg frittata can be a great idea for a nutritious breakfast as well (yeah, that's rolled oats in there! right?)
A quick. easy and healthy weeknight dinner fix with this Snapper, Swiss Chard, Lemon En-Papillote/Parchment-Steamed Snapper.
The fish and vegetables selection may vary due to availability and preferences e.g. Salmon, Zucchini, Carrot En-Papillote or this Cod, Artichokes, Tomatoes En-Papillote.
En papillote or parchment cooking is one of my favorite (if not, my favorite) ways to cook fish; and other seafood too, like this Seafood Shrimps and Clams Parcel.
Fitting whole fish such as trout, sea bass in the wok-steamer has always been a problem. The wok-steamer method tends to work better for smaller-size fish (e.g. Pickled Chili Steamed Tilapia, Steamed Rockfish), so bigger fish finds its way in En-Papillote/ Parchment Cooking (see Herb-Roasted Whole Trout En-Papillote) - which is also one of the easiest methods (one of my favorite ways) to prep and cook fish (whole or fillets).
Whole Barramundi, Tomatoes, Green Onions in Soy Sauce-Sesame Oil
The entire fish can be roasted in the oven without enclosing in parchment packet; however, if the intention is to enjoy moist, succulent, tender steamed fish with some gravy and sauce; en-papillote or cooking in enclosed parchment packet might be the closest as it gets to steaming in a wok/pot over the stove.
Whole Red Tilapia, Tomatoes, Green Onions in Soy Sauce-Sesame Oil
The Pan-Fried Capelin Fish (part of Smelt fish family) were a real tasty treat but this Oven-Grilled/ Roasted Capelin/ Smelt Fish are even better, as they are equally delicious yet easier to execute.
Shishamo (Smelt Fish with Roe), a Japanese delicacy usually grilled or fried whole, when served in Japanese restaurants. This delicacy can be quite addictive if you enjoy fish roe. If you are not the diner who easily gets squeamish over fish head, and fuss about fish bones (in this case, smelt bones are very soft and not prickly) - you will find that it is super easy to enjoy this fish - deep-fried, pan-fried, oven-grilled or oven-roasted.
I pan-fried these smelt fish like how I have done it for sardines (recipe: Pan-Fried Sardines) and yellow croaker fish (recipe: Pan-Fried Yellow Croaker). Pan-Fried Smelt Fish is so delicious that no bones will be left. Good news! No food wastage. Better news! Great source of calcium.
Doubling on the winning streak of Sheet-Pan Turkey Egg Cup Asparagus is this easy and delicious Sheet-Pan Meal Mahi Mahi Asparagus Bell Peppers.
I only knew what milkfish was a few years ago while travelling in Tainan, Southern Taiwan where milkfish rice-porridge and pan-fried milkfish belly are traditional breakfast items in this city.
Milkfish has good nutritional value - high in niacin and Vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium. Similar to other oily fish e.g. sardines and salmon; milkfish is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - "nutrients" for the brain.
This 3C Rice Porridge/Congee cannot be bought with Cash or Credit Card. It is homecooked and worth many carats...or rather, carrots.
A fuss-free 3C - Carrots, Celery, Cod Fish Porridge/Congee recipe that you can easily make at home, this porridge/congee stands alone as one-dish meal consisting of vegetables (carrots, celery), proteins (fish) and carbs (rice/ grains).
The carrots add subtle sweetness and celery, a tender crunch to the savory cod fish porridge/congee.
I have given this big-eyed vivid-red fish a miss few times in our nearby Japaneses supermarket. For a small-sized fish, its eyes are intimidatingly huge.
I mustered enough courage to pick them up recently. I just have to try it for once, even not knowing what to do with it at point of purchase. But with all fresh fish, steaming is the way to go, so I did.
It's end of March but some days are still chilly and cold in the high 50s. Such weather calls for soups - not stew-like winter soup but something warm yet light and soothing like this spring weather Fish and Cabbage Egg-Drop Soup.
This Fish and Cabbage Egg-Drop Soup is loaded with carrots, Napa cabbage and fresh mushrooms then finished off with egg-drop/wash, lots of fresh cilantro and final touch of fragrant sesame oil - a all-in-one side-dish soup, perfect either on its own or paired with steamed rice.
Without Chinese fermented black beans, this Braised Yellow Croaker Fish with Bittermelon can still be perfected in its own way and enjoyed at its best.
Besides complementing well with chicken (Braised Chicken with Bittermelon), bittermelon also goes well with fish. The bitterness of this melon cuts through the briny subtly-sweet fish and brings balance to a otherwise single-dimensional savory dish.
Getting to the heart of this matter is tough. Heart of the artichoke, I meant. Perhaps I just don't have the patience to get to the heart of it (artichoke).
En papillote or parchment cooking is my favorite way to cook fish (also check this recipe: En Papillote (Parchment-Cooked) Shrimps with Asparagus & Artichokes).
Easy, quick, healthy yet satisfying for weeknight dinner - parchment cooking is also a great way to experiment with different vegetables and to discover new tastes. Today, let the artichoke hearts befriend the fish.
