#SpicyChat Goes Deep Sea Fishing for an Elegant & Healthy Summer Meal

This week’s Theme for #SpicyChat is ‘Deep Sea Delicacies’.  Joining me this week is the talented Ms. Sumayya of Pukka Paki all the way from London.  While she tantalizes our palates with a spicy Pakistani dish ‘Achari Fish’ (guest post for Thursday, July 19th); I am indulging my family with elegance in a healthy and flavorful summer meal.

My son recently has caught the ‘health’ bug, meaning that he has become extra careful of his calorie intake as he is weight lifting. Lately since he is ‘bulking’ he is constantly craving for proteins. Now there is only so much of red meat or poultry one can eat. Since variety is the spice of life, this week I hankered with fresh seafood and paired it with summer produce.  The menu I ended up with:

• Peach Gazpacho with Goat Cheese
• Heirloom Tomatoes & Fresh Mozzarella Salad Tossed in Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Spiced Pecan Crusted Cod with Apple Vinaigrette

So get your flippers and crackers ready, #SpicyChat is diving for ‘Deep Sea Delicacies’ this coming Thursday, July 19th at 8 PM EDT. We love to make new friends. Join us at 8 pm est and serve this meal to your family and friends!!

 

Peach Gazpacho with Goat Cheese

Food should be light but intense, rich but refreshing, and above all, balanced. The precise balance between sweet and hot elements is key to any tasty meal. And this Peach Gazpacho accomplishes exactly that with it’s sweet & tangy flavors. The original recipe on Food & Wine Magazine calls for fried croutons but since I favor freshly baked bread, I substituted the croutons with slices of fresh baguette. White balsamic vinegar is a key ingredient in this recipe, if you haven’t had a chance to taste white BV, I highly recommend popping over to Ancient Olive (they ship too). Check out my review of Ancient Olive.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sliced peeled peaches
• 1/2 cup finely diced peeled English cucumber
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons fresh goat cheese or sour cream
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (I used Ancient Olive)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt
• 2 large garlic clove
• 1 large twig fresh rosemary
• fresh baguette for serving
• chiffonade basil leaves, for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Toss the sliced peaches, diced cucumber, yellow pepper and raisins with honey, goat cheese, rosemary, 1/4 cup white  balsamic vinegar,  2 tablespoons of the olive oil, kosher salt, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Discard the rosemary twig and garlic. Transfer the contents of the bowl to a blender and puree with 1/2 cup of water. Strain in a large sieve to smoothen the soup and season with salt and pepper. Chill the soup for a couple of hours before serving.
3. Pour the peach gazpacho into desired bowls, garnish with fresh basil leaves and goat cheese. Drizzle lightly with good quality olive oil and serve with freshly sliced baguette.

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine Magazine.

 

Spiced Pecan Crusted Cod with Apple Vinaigrette

I discovered this recipe on Leite’s Culinaria. What caught my attention was the use of pink peppercorns. I adore the delicate and floral aroma of freshly crushed pink peppercorns.I had bought my prized secret stash from Hediard’s in Paris. And to be honest, use them rather sparingly. The use of pink peppercorns in the vinaigrette adds the right touch of delicacy & exoticness to this dish. The original recipe calls for Halibut but since I tend to utilize fresh ingredients, I used fresh Cod from my local grocery store. The spiced crust imparts bold flavors to the cod which goes beautifully with the tangy apple vinaigrette. Though I personally feel this dish could be eaten without the vinaigrette too.

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh cod sliced into 6  fillet pieces

For the Apple Vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large apple, peeled and diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
•  1 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Nut Crust:

• 2 cups coarsely chopped  pecans
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. Saute apple and shallot in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, sugar, and remaining olive oil.
2. Puree the mixture to a fine chop or smooth if you prefer. Stir in the mustard, thyme, and peppercorns. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
3. Chop the nuts in a food processor to have the texture of bread crumbs. Stir in the lemon zest, salt, mustard, and cayenne pepper.
4. Melt half butter half olive oil in a large cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.
5. Coat the fish fillets evenly on all sides with the nut mixture. Saute 3-4 slices at a time till the crust is well browned and the fish is opaque throughout, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
6. Serve immediately with apple vinaigrette on the side.

Renee Behnke’s recipe adapted from Leite’s Culinaria.

 

Do you fancy deep sea delicacies? What are some of your favorite seafood recipes or spices you enjoy working with? Join us tomorrow, Thursday, July 19th at 8 PM EDT on Twitter to share our common passion for exceptional recipes and good food.

Join Us Every Thursday at 8 PM EDT for #SpicyChat Twitter Chat to bring some spice in your lives! We Love to share ALL recipes. Simply add the #Spicychat hashtag to your link, we will RT and also add your recipes to our Pinterest Board.

 

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