Shrimp Cocktail Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To Go! recipe. On a hot day this makes an amazingly satisfying lunch or dinner.
Servings: Serving size 1-1/2 cups. This is your whole serving of veggies and protein.
Ingredients:
- 24 oz of cooked shrimp, tails removed
- 1 cup of chopped cucumber
- 1 cup of chopped bell pepper. (I used yellow)
- 4 Tbl of capers, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of chopped celery
- 1/2 cup of chopped green onions
- sea salt and pepper to taste, grated
- 1 cup of Zola's tomato-horseradish dressing
- Greens of your choice
Instructions:
Put all of the prepped ingredients through salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the dressing so the whole mess is coated.
Put the greens of your choice on a plate. Put on shrimp salad. Serve.
If you are taking this as a Zola To GO! dish be sure to keep the salad COLD or the shrimp will spoil.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Wasabi-Ginger Crusted Mahi Mahi with Baby Bok Choy
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Mahi mahi is often mistaken for dolphin. That’s because it used to be called “dolphin fish.” But it's not dolphin. Mahi mahi is a fish. The fillets look sort of like tuna or swordfish. They taste a bit like a fish steak. Meaty texture and great for grilling. Don’ t be mistaken if you decide to try this dish. It’s remarkably fun to eat and this preparation is very different. Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) gives it a bit of a kick, but you can really make this as mild or spicy as you’d like. Even I was remarkably surprised at how good this dish tasted. So take a risk. Get out of your comfort zone. You’ll be proud you did.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2, 6-8 oz pieces of mahi mahi
- 1 lime. You want to remove the zest from one half of the lime. Then cut it in half and remove the juice from the zested side and put it in a bowl along with the zest. Then cut the second half in half again so you have two wedges for garnish.
- 2 tsp of grated ginger. You can use fresh or jar ginger.
- 1 Tbl of wasabi powder. Wasabi powder is available in most grocery stores in the Asian section. It will be a small can or bottle. If your grocery store has a sushi section you can usually pick up fresh wasabi in little plastic containers or if I ask for it from the sushi chef they usually give me a small container for free. Not sure, why, but they do. This recipe is designed for powder for convenience, but it doesn’t have to be used. You can use fresh, too. Wasabi is hot. Be careful if you taste it straight.
- 1/3 cup of mandarin or fresh orange juice
- 2 baby bok choy. Trim off the major green leaves and trim off the bottom. Separate sections.
- 8 cherry tomatoes cut in halves
- 1/3 cup of Bragg’s aminos (instead of soy sauce)
Instructions:
Combine the lime juice, zest, wasabi, ginger and orange juice in bowl. Mix. Put your mahi mahi in a shallow container and pour HALF of the marinade over the fish. Turn a few times to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes to soak in some of the marinade before you grill it. Set aside the other half of the marinade. You can put it in little cups so you can use it as a dipping sauce (see picture).
In a large sauté pan pour in your Bragg’s aminos. Then place the baby bok choy in the pan. Heat til boiling and then turn to a slow simmer. The bok choy will cook while your fish is grilling. If you run out of Bragg’s while the bok choy cooks you can always add a bit more. Whether you will, depends on how hot your burners run. Just before you take the fish out of the grill pan (or off the grill), add the cherry tomatoes. You only want them in there long enough to get warm.
When you are ready to grill, take the mahi mahi out of the marinade and toss the rest. Spray grill or grill pan lightly with olive oil. Grill the mahi mahi on all sides at medium high until you get some nice grill marks on each side. The 7” per inch of thickness rule for grilling will apply so this dish should not take you more than six or 7 minutes to cook.
Plate your fish and your bok choy and enjoy a wonderful Asian meal. As you are eating your mahi mahi it should separate easily from the skin. Don’t eat the skin. Toss that after your meal is finished. Toss in the garbage. Disposals don’t “like” fish skin.
Cheers!
Enjoy!
Fish with a Tasty Mustard Glaze
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. You can do this with just about any approved fish. In the picture you’ll see I did it with salmon.
Serving size: Serve 2
Ingredients:
- 2 fish fillets, 6 oz each
- 1 clove of garlic mashed (jar garlic will work)
- ½ tsp of Italian seasoning
- 3 Tbl of Dijon mustard
- grated sea salt and pepper to taste
- lemon wedges for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl mix the garlic, seasoning and Dijon mustard.
Spray a sauté pan with olive oil. Put the fish in and cook on medium high for 2 minutes. Then flip it and spread on the sauce. If your pan is oven proof (I use my cast iron pan) then you can transfer it to the oven. Otherwise you’ll have to take it out of the pan and put it in a Pyrex pan or some other oven-proof pan that can handle the heat. Roast in the oven until the fish is cooked to your liking.
The general rule of thumb is 7 minutes per 1” thickness of the fish. So this won’t take long to cook in your oven.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with the lemon garnish.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cioppino (Seafood Stew)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Plan Z dieter Karen has taken the classic Italian seafood dish cioppino and turned into a Plan Z recipe. Thanks Karen!
Servings: Serves 4
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 fennel bulb cored and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
- 1 Tbl tomato paste or 1-1/2 Tbl no-sugar ketchup
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cups clam juice
- 6 oz king crab legs, thawed and cut into 4 pieces
- 6 oz fish, cut in 2" pieces
- 6 oz shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 6 oz scallops
- 2 Tbl flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbl fresh basil, chopped
Instructions:
Spray a heavy pot with cooking spray. Cook fennel, garlic, onion, bay leaf, red pepper, oregano, salt and pepper over medium heat stirring often until softened, about 4 minutes. Careful not to burn since you didn’t put in much oil.
Stir in tomato paste and continue stirring, 1 minute. Add chicken stock and reduce 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with the accumulated juice and clam juice, simmer, covered 20-30 minutes. Add seafood, and simmer gently, 3-5 minutes. Stir in parsley and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper.
Serve 4 in bowls.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Balsamic Glazed Truffled Scallops
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Another wonderful recipe from Plan Z dieter Karen. She is making my job so easy!
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces fresh dry pack scallops
- cooking spray
- 2 cups arugula, divided
- 2 Tbsp truffled balsamic vinegar (available at specialty markets or online)
- sea salt
- Zola's roasted onion strings
Instructions:
Prepare Zola's roasted onion strings and set them aside.
Pat the scallops lightly until they are dry and season them with salt. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat the pan on a medium/high heat. Add the scallops, cooking each side to a rich golden brown.
Place 1 cup of arugula in the center of each plate. Surround the arugula with onion strings. Top with scallops and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Season with salt to taste.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Grilled Tuna Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. When on ZReduction we, of course, cannot have mayonnaise. So I wanted a tuna salad and came up with this one. I bet you can make this with canned tuna to save money. I’m just one of those oddballs that doesn’t like canned tuna very much so I splurged and bought yellow fin tuna. You can make yours either way.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
Tuna Salad
- up to 12 oz of yellow fin tuna steaks
- ½ green pepper diced
- 8 - 10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ½ cup of celery pieces
- Greens. For this I used a combination of mixed baby greens and shredded Napa cabbage. The Napa gives it a nice Asian feel. Since your greens are unlimited I will leave that up to you.
Asian Garlic Dressing
- ½ cup of Bragg’s aminos
- 2 Tbl olive oil (optional)
- ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
- ½ – 1 full tsp of Truvia
Instructions:
To make the tuna salad:
Spray the tuna on both sides lightly with olive oil spray. Then grate sea salt and fresh ground pepper over both sides of the tuna. Heat your grill or grill pan on medium. Add the tuna. Grill to your liking. A lot of folks love rare tuna. I like mine medium. Just watch the first side. After about 2 – 3 minutes the tuna will look white on the bottom edge up about 1/8 inch. It will have formed enough of a crust at that point that you can turn it with your spatula. Then just grill the other side til your liking. Turn off the grill or pan just before it’s done because it will keep cooking. Take it to a flat surface so you can cut it into chunks. The size of the chunks is up to you.
It’s a good idea to have your chopping done before you put the tuna on because the tuna cooks so fast.
Arrange your greens on a plate or in a bowl. Then scatter your tuna chunks. Sprinkle on the tomatoes, green pepper and celery.
To make the Asian Garlic Dressing:
Put the Bragg's aminos, oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic and Truvia into a small sauce pan. Use the smaller amount of Truvia to start and then taste it later. If you want it sweeter you can add the rest. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium high so it’s bubbling but bubbling over. Cook for just a few minutes to reduce it to half so it has a slippery feeling to it (that’s called viscosity). You can continue boiling it until you have a syrupy dressing if you want. I decided to stop it sooner so the dressing went farther. Taste test it. Each person can have 2 – 3 Tbl of the dressing.
Drizzle the salad with the dressing and sit down to eat. The tuna will cool quickly. This is also great served cold. If you travel with it just keep the dressing separate until you reach your destination. When you want to eat, drizzle on the dressing and dive in.
*The Asian Garlic dressing can also be served warm over spinach to wilt a salad. It can also be stored cold if you would like cold Asian dressing. You can serve it with any salad. And if you are reheating it as a leftover you can add a few Tbl of water and heat it over again and reduce it just a bit. It won’t be quite as concentrated but I bet you won’t even notice the difference.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Salmon with a Sweet Mustard sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This dish sounds a bit exotic but the mint and the mustard make for a delightful sauce. You can use this sauce on any other type of fish you like too. Super easy!
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4, 6-8 oz salmon fillets
- ¼ cup of Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbl of a grainy mustard (you choose your favorite but make sure both mustards have no sugar in them)
- 2 Tbl of prepared horseradish
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 2 Tbl of minced, fresh mint
Instructions:
In a bowl or small blender put in the mustards, horseradish, and Truvia. Whiz to mix. Then let sit for a minimum of 15 minutes so the flavors meld together.
Next prepare your salmon. You can decide how you want to do this. I am going to explain one option but you can choose to grill it, broil it, bake it or follow my method of searing and roasting.
Lightly spray an oven proof pan* with olive oil spray. Spray the top of the salmon too. Heat the pan and add the salmon skin side down. Put the heat up to medium high and sear the salmon for 3 minutes. You want to do this to crisp up the skin so that when you go to eat the salmon it separates from the skin easily. In some cultures people eat the skin. However, while on Plan Z you don’t want to eat the skin as it contains too much fat.
Then transfer the salmon in the pan to a 400 degree oven. Bake it for approximately 12 minutes. How long you bake it depends on how done you like your salmon. I like mine cooked through but still juicy. Lessen the time if you like your salmon more rare in the middle or add time to cook it more thoroughly.
Transfer the salmon to your plate.
Now, add the minced mint to the sauce. Stir it in and serve. You want to add the mint at the last minute. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the sauce on each piece of salmon.
Serve with your choice of vegetable and a side salad.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Shrimp with a Creamy Mustard Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This dish comes together in what feels like an instant. The sauce is quick and easy and because you are using cooked shrimp it doesn’t take long to cook. Maybe 15 minutes total. This tastes very gourmet without the fuss. It’s nice enough to make for company.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 lbs of cooked shrimp (approximately 8-10 per serving of medium-large shrimp) thawed. Tails on or off. Your choice. I leave the tails on for looks but I don’t eat them.
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil spray
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 2 Tbl of minced, fresh tarragon
- ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup of organic chicken broth
- ¼ cup of heavy cream
- 3 Tbl of Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbl of minced, fresh chives
Instructions:
Using one or two large sauté pans lightly spritz with olive oil. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In the pan(s) add the shallots. Saute lightly just to loosen up the shallots. Add the tarragon. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar. Then add the broth and the shrimp. Heat until the shrimp are hot. Then add the cream and mustard. Simmer on medium just until the sauce begins to thicken a bit. There isn’t that much cream in this dish so it won’t thicken like a regular sauce but you should be able to get it to thicken a bit.
Serve the shrimp on plates with a scattering of the fresh chives.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Onion-Poblano Saute
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 large poblano peppers
- 2 large sweet yellow onions, sliced thinly
- ¼ cup of vegetable broth
- ¼ tsp of grated sea salt (or to taste)
- ½ cup of crème fraiche or sour cream
- ½ cup whipping cream
Instructions:
Cut your poblano peppers into quarters. Take off top stem. Take out seeds. Spray a cookie sheet and place them on the sheet with the shiny outside facing up toward the broiler. Broil the pepper pieces until the skin is dark brown in most spots. Take out and let cool. Then rinse the pepper pieces under cold water and flake off as much of the darkened part as you can. Dice.
In a large sauté pan, spray olive oil spray. Add the sliced yellow onion. Begin to cook on medium-high to loosen it up. Spray the onion lightly with olive oil spray. Grate on sea salt to taste. When the onion is just beginning to brown on the edges add the vegetable broth. Cook on medium low until the onion is completely loose and cooked. (If it starts to run dry just add more broth). Add the poblano bits, the crème fraiche and the heavy cream. Cook on low until well blended and hot.
This is mild, full of flavor and a huge hit around my house.
This dish would be wonderful with a steak or a meaty fish too.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tomato Shrimp Chowder
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Talk about easy to make. This dish is done in a flash. If you’re like me, you’ll make a triple batch of the tomato base. You can freeze the portions.
Servings: Serves 4
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups of tomato base plus your shrimp.
Ingredients:
- olive oil spray
- 1-1/2 cups of chopped onion. You can choose which kind to use. I used Vidalia onions.
- 1 large rib of celery, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic (jar garlic will work)
- 3 cups of organic chicken broth
- 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 2 tsp of Italian seasoning blend
- a pinch of cayenne (optional)
- 6 – 8 oz of cooked shrimp. I used 31-40 count size so you get to eat quite a few.
- seasoning of choice for your shrimp (I used a Cajun seasoning)
- lemon & parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Spray a soup pot lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Then add the celery and onion. Cook on medium until the celery is a little soft and the onion is slightly wilted. It only takes a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the chicken broth and the crushed and diced tomatoes. Add the Truvia, Italian spice blend and cayenne. Then, in batches, whiz the soup in a blender to make it smooth. If you prefer your soup chunky, you can skip this step.
Stir and cook on medium-high for 15 – 20 minutes. The chowder will boil and bubble. Stir fairly often. The melding of the flavors comes together and you have great meal.
While the chowder is bubbling away, take out your shrimp. Pull off the tails. Rinse and pat dry.
Spray your grill pan or a sauté pan with oil. Pop in the shrimp. Dust them generously with whatever spice blend suits you. I used a Cajun blend. You decide what works best for you. Toss the shrimp around in the pan and cook them on medium until heated through. You don’t really have to cook them since they are already cooked.
Now you can put the chowder in your bowl and top with your portion of shrimp. Garnish with a lemon wedge and some fresh parsley. This is your whole meal. Serve with salad greens, add your breadstick(s) on the side and you’re ready to eat.
If you are not a shrimp eater I can see this being done with crab meat, or even a grilled piece of tilapia. You can then break it up and sprinkle it on your chowder or stir it in.
Big YUM.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Sea Bass Poached in Tomato Water
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This recipe was submitted by Plan Z deiter Karen, who is a huge fan of Charlie Trotter. Thanks Karen!
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2, 6-8 oz pieces of sea bass, halibut, or scrod, skinless
- a small pinch of saffron threads(optional)
- 2 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 4 -6 grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/3 cup fresh spinach
- olive oil cooking spray for sauteeing
- 2 cups of tomato water
- lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions:
Trim the fennel stalks off of the bulb, discarding stalks. Chop the fennel bulb and onion into small pieces. Mince the garlic. Saute the fennel, onions and garlic in a large saute pan until they are slightly softened. Add the tomato water and bring to boil. Add fish and cover. Simmer about 3 minutes per side (the time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish). After you flip the fish add the asparagus and grape tomatoes. Just before serving add the spinach.
To serve, place fish fillets in a good sized bowl and ladle the broth and vegetables over.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Salmon Hash
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To Go! recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 18 – 20 oz of salmon with skin removed
- 1 cup of chopped celery
- ½ cup of diced shallot or onion
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- Jazz it up with a spice. I use 1 tsp of Cajun seasoning (no sugar). You can do this or Italian or Mexican. Up to you.
- 8 melba rounds ground into 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs
- 1 egg white
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a light spray of olive oil, begin to sauté your salmon on medium. Break it up into bite-sized pieces while it begins to cook. Add celery and shallot along with your choice of spice mixture. Add tomatoes.
When is about half-cooked and the onion and celery are loosened up a bit, turn off the heat. Add ½ of the breadcrumbs and the egg white. Stir to mix both in. Then transfer the hash to a 9" x 9" ovenproof pan. Top with the rest of the breadcrumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes or until hot and cooked through.
I served this on top of a bed of spinach. Serving size is about a cup. You can just divide what’s in the 9" x 9" pan into quarters.
Salmon hash can be enjoyed warm or cold. It will transport to work in a container quite well.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Thai Shrimp Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To Go! recipe.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 5 diced green onions. White and light green parts only.
- ½ cup of bamboo shoots
- ½ of a whole red bell pepper sliced
- ¼ cup of water chestnuts
- 4 Tbl of Braggs aminos
- ½ cup of organic vegetable broth
- 1 tsp of lemon juice
- 1 lb cooked shrimp (6-8 oz per person. You choose the size. The smaller the shrimp the more you get to eat—see picture. I leave the tails on for looks. Some eat the tails. Others remove them)
- cayenne to taste
- 1/3 cup of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ¼ cup of shredded fresh basil
- salad greens
Instructions:
Lightly spray a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the green onions, bamboo shoots, pepper and water chestnuts. Immediately add the Braggs. Saute until onions and red peppers are moist and loosened. This will only take a minute on medium high. Then add the veggie broth. Get the broth warm and add the shrimp and lemon juice. Because the shrimp are already cooked you are only getting them hot.
Now add your spice. Cayenne is powerful stuff. I only lightly dusted mine and it was plenty of Thai heat. If you don’t like your food hot, you can back off or leave it off altogether.
When ready to serve, add the cherry tomatoes and basil. Just stir to combine. You are not trying to cook these items. Then serve all on salad greens. You won’t need dressing. The juice from the veggies makes your dressing.
This is a very fast meal to prepare. It can also be enjoyed cold as part of Zola To GO!
If you are taking it to the office, transport the salad and the veggies/shrimp mixture separately. You can heat the mains at the office and serve on cold salad greens and it will be crisp and fresh-tasting.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Fish with Red Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This simple meal can be a romantic option for a ZReduction dinner. Use high quality ingredients and in less than 20 minutes your meal can be complete. Plating makes it even more special.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2, 6-8 ounce pieces of high quality fish. I suggest halibut or sea bass.
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup of vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup of minced yellow onion
- 1-1/2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 15 oz can of diced organic tomatoes. I used the ones with garlic added or you can add your own bit of garlic for extra flavor.
- salt to taste
- cayenne to taste
Instructions:
For the fish: Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Spray lightly both sides of the fish with olive oil spray. Broil the fish, skin side down 5 – 8 minutes or until firm. You definitely know these fishes are done when they start to separate.
For the sauce: In a sauce pan, add the broth. Then add the onions and red pepper bits. Saute on medium-high until they are both fully wilted and just beginning to brown on the edges. Add a bit of a sprinkle of cayenne (to your taste. Be careful. You can always add more, but it’s impossible to take it back out). Set aside.
In your blender add the tomatoes. Then carefully add the peppers and onion mixture. Blend until smooth. Put back in the pan and reheat. Taste again to see if it needs a bit of salt or cayenne.
Each person gets 1/3 cup of sauce and a half cup of veggies on the side for a full Z2 portion.
Special plating can make it even more romantic. Sea bass most especially has a beautiful buttery flavor.
You will have extra sauce left over that you can use for a steak sauce or over chicken.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Shrimp Ole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe contributed by Plan Z dieter Jean.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup celery
- 1/4 cup onion
- 1/4 red pepper
- 3 slices tomatoes, diced
- 1 can medium deveined shrimp (5 oz. can)
- sprinkles of fish and seafood seasoning (I use Hy-Vee grocery store brand)
Instructions:
Put the onions, peppers and celery in a small pan with the juices of the shrimp and saute them till they are just about cooked.
Then add the diced tomatoes and the shrimp and put the seasoning on and cook till thoroughly heated.
Serve with a small salad and garlic bread stick or garlic Melba toast round.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Curried Fish Filets
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This dish is quite flavorful and more exotic for the American tastes. This would classify as East Indian food. It’s full of flavor but not too spicy the way I did it.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp of minced, fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced. You can use jar garlic for this.
- 1 tsp of curry powder
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- a sprinkle of cayenne or to taste
- 4, 6-8 oz fish filets. This works well with a meaty fish and one that’s thicker. ¾”-1” in thickness. Options include halibut, mahi mahi, tuna or salmon steaks
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl combine the ginger, the garlic, curry powder, cumin and cayenne. In a 9" x 13" ovenproof pan, spritz with olive oil spray and place in the fish fillets. Spread the seasoning combo over the top of each piece of fish. Cover and put in your refrigerator to marinate a minimum of 15 minutes or as long as all day. The longer it’s in, the stronger it will taste. Also be sure to cover it completely or when you get home from work your whole refrigerator will smell like a curry factory. Even the 15 minutes of marinade time is long enough.
When you take out the filets and get ready to cook you can decide if you want to scrape off some of the marinade. I do. I don't like mine strong. I want full flavor but not the intense flavor of the ginger and garlic directly on my tongue.
Roast the fish in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes or until done to your preference.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cajun Salmon
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Super easy. A couple of notes on the recipe: A news bulletin came out to say that farm-raised salmon is not particularly good for you. They are recommending wild sockeye salmon instead. The problem with that is availability and cost. Wild salmon will run you about $14 a pound depending on where you live so, for many, that's a major budget splurge.
I am also recommending you use a Cajun rub on this salmon. If you don't want to buy a pre-made rub or don't have access to one, you can make your own. Just combine one-eighth teaspoon of each of these: Hungarian paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Shake all of these dry spices in a jar and you're set for a few recipes of Cajun salmon.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- two 6-8 oz pieces of salmon (skin on one side)
- cajun spices
- olive oil spray
Instructions:
Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Get out an ovenproof pan. I use the old-fashioned cast iron one. Spray your pan bottom and heat it on medium high. Dust the flesh side of your salmon with the Cajun rub. How much you put on is up to your taste.
When the pan is heated, put your Cajun salmon in the pan flesh and spice side down. Cook the salmon for a minute or two just to brown the top of it. Turn over and cook skin side down for one more minute. Then take the whole pan and put it in your oven.
The salmon will now cook by roasting it. It will be moister this way. If you like your salmon medium rare, roasting will only take about 10 minutes. Cook longer if you want it all light pink in the middle instead of dark and light pink.
Serve with a side of veggies.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Simple Grilled Tuna, Swordfish or Salmon Steaks
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 fish steaks
- ½ cup of Bragg’s Aminos
- ¼ cup of lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced (for this one I’d just fresh garlic for sure)
- sea salt and pepper
Instructions:
Get out your grill guys and gals!
Put the marinade ingredients in a 9" x 13" inch pan. Stir. Add your fish steaks and coat both sides of the fish with marinade. Let sit in the marinade in the refrigerator up to 30 minutes. You don’t want to let it marinade longer than that or the lemon will begin to ‘cook’ your fish.
Heat grill to medium high. Now oil the grill and put on the fish. Rule of thumb is 4 minutes per inch of thickness (2 minutes per side) for fish to be grilled. You can vary this if you like your fish more well-done.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cajun Crab Cakes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Crab cakes are a fun way to splurge. These are healthy and a bit on the zippy side with the Cajun seasoning. You can make your less spicy if you’d like. Just use any other rub as a substitute or just leave that ingredient out.
In the Italian culture it’s good luck to eat seafood on Christmas Eve so this dish is perfect if you want to follow that tradition.
Servings: This makes 4, 4 oz crab cakes. 2 servings. Each person gets 2.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 1 Tbl of prepared (dry) mustard
- 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp of Cajun seasoning
- sea salt and pepper to taste. A good grating of each will do it.
- ¼ cup of crumbs made by grinding up your breadsticks.
- 1 pound of lump crab meat (the most expensive) or 1 pound claw meat (less expensive) or even use canned crab meat (least expensive).
Instructions:
In a bowl, combine the egg, mustard, Italian and Cajun seasonings. Add the crabmeat with the salt and pepper. Mix well.
Form patties. Dip each side lightly in the crumb mixture.
Saute in a pan lightly spritzed with olive oil. The crab is already cooked so you are just cooking these to brown the edges and heat them up. Serve immediately.
I served this with sautéed peppers drizzled in a bit of balsamic vinegar.
These do store in the refrigerator well. They can be transported in a container and heated in the microwave or in a pan at work.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To Go! recipe.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- juice from one lemon
- 1 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic can be used)
- ½ tsp of sugar-free mustard
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 2 six ounce tuna steaks or up to 12 ounces of canned tuna
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of celery chunks
- 1 cup of bell pepper strips
- salad greens
- balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, shallot and Truvia.
If using tuna steaks:
If you are using tuna steaks you will now sprinkle them with salt and pepper and grill them on your grill pan to your liking.
Put the greens, celery and bell pepper on the greens. Grate sea salt and pepper on top. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
When you go to serve this, spoon some of the garlic lemon mixture on top. A tablespoon or two is plenty. It’s tart but quite tasty on the fish. You can eat this warm or cold.
If you are using canned tuna:
If you are using canned tuna I’d mix the topping and the tuna in a bowl. I’d either cut the peppers into dice and add them to the tuna mixture or leave them just as I did with the tuna steaks on the side. I feel the less combined it is the more satisfying the flavor will be because you get to eat more separate items instead of putting them all together and then serving them on top of plain greens. But if you are transporting this dish to work it might be easier just to put it all together and just take the tuna salad and your greens in separate containers and put them on the plate when you go to eat it. Then the balsamic drizzle is optional too.
Enjoy!
Cheers,