Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

I tend to think that shrimp tastes the best when flavored with lemon and garlic, so this dish did not disappoint. As an accompaniment to a steak and lobster New Years Eve dinner, I actually didn't have enough room to eat as much shrimp as I would have liked. No real worries though, the flavor goes a long way in this dish. Even though it's highly unhealthy, my favorite part of this dish was using crusty bread to sop up all the melted butter yumminess hiding under the shrimp!

*Note, I halved the original recipe, making enough for 4 people

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 pound Raw Shrimp, Deveined, Shells On

1 stick Cold Unsalted Butter Cut Into Pieces

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 cloves Garlic, Peeled

1/8 cup Fresh Parsley

1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 of a Lemon, Juiced

 

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse frozen shrimp to separate, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

In the bowl of a food processor, add cold butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and red pepper. Pulse until combined. Sprinkle cold butter crumbles evenly over the shrimp.

Bake until shrimp is opaque and butter is hot and bubbly, roughly 10 minutes.

Serve shrimp and melted butter with hot crusty bread.

Pistachio Crusted Tilapia

I like my fish crunchy. However, I like to stay away from the greasy, fried stuff. Sure, a greasy filet-o-fish from McDonalds hits the spot every now and then, and how can you resist them after the catchy tune that comes around every Lenten season?? But I've realized I can get a crunchy fish without the full-out breading/frying aspect....enter pistachios!

This recipe is so stinking simple, and it takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. I thought this had really good flavor from the dijon, but the pistachio mixture was a bit dry and lacking in spices. Next time I will add some salt and pepper to the coating, as well as one more tablespoon of olive oil to add a bit more moisture. The recipe below reflects my changes.

Pistachio Crusted Tilapia
Source: Adapted from You've Got Supper

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup(s) pistachio(s)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 tilapia fillet(s)
4 tsp Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS
1. Chop 1/2 cup pistachios in a small food processor into medium - fine pieces. Place in bowl.  Add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs to bowl of pistachios. Add parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in 3 tbsp olive oil and mix with fork.

2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

3. Brush 1 tsp of dijon on each tilapia fillet. Pat breadcrumb mixture onto each fillet until it is covered with a thick coating. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

Tilapia is our go-to item when we get sick of chicken, and I think this recipe will become a regular. This was the second time making this dish, even though the hubby doesn't remember it! The crust on top of the fish is crunchy, with a nice saltiness from the celery salt, and it really hides the sometimes "fishiness" of the tilapia. I put the fillets in the broiler while still frozen, so they took at least 10 minutes to get flaky.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia
Source: You've Got Supper

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb tilapia fillet(s) (about 4)
• 1/4 cup(s) parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp butter, with salt, softened
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise, light
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
• 1/4 cup(s) breadcrumbs (panko is great too)
• tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• tsp basil
• tsp pepper
• tsp onion powder
• tsp celery salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat broiler. Grease broiling pan (or line with foil and spray with cooking spray).

2. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the pan. In a small bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients and set aside.

3. Broil the fillets a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip fish over and broil 2 more minutes.

4. Remove fillets from the oven and spread the cheese mixture on top.

5. Broil 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Asian Salmon

This past summer my parents went Salmon fishing and brought some home for Andy and I to try. Salmon is one of those foods that I "think" I'm not going to like so I have never really given it a chance. I actually enjoyed this meal, but I'm still not sure if salmon is anything I would ever request for dinner or order at a restaurant.

Since I've never made salmon before, I knew I wanted to find a really good recipe so I had the best chance of enjoying it. My mom and I perused a bunch of my cookbooks and I finally decided on this Cooking Light recipe, and I already had everything it called for! This particular recipe uses a plank to grill the salmon, so I adapted it to bake in the oven. I've posted the original recipe and noted my baking changes. We served the salmon with Peanutty Noodles.

Asian Salmon

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 (15 x 6 1/2 x 3/8-inch) alder grilling plank (I omitted)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 (3 1/2-pound) salmon fillet
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I omitted because we didn't have them)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (I omitted)

Preparation
Immerse and soak the plank in water 1 hour; drain.

To prepare grill for indirect grilling, heat one side of the grill to high heat.

Combine vinegar and the next 6 ingredients (vinegar through lemon) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Shake to combine. Add fish; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

Place plank on grill rack over high heat; grill 5 minutes or until lightly charred. Carefully turn plank over; move to cool side of grill. Remove fish from marinade; discard marinade. Place fish, skin side down, on charred side of plank. Cover and grill 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with onions and sesame seeds.

*If not grilling, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake salmon for 15 minutes, until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork

Baked Shrimp in Lemony Garlic Sauce

In my world, lemon and garlic are always perfect together. When you add shrimp, it becomes an amazing combination. I have been making this shrimp for awhile, but I think this time I finally found my favorite way to serve it.

This dish comes together in a matter of minutes, and you can serve it with rice, pasta, crusty bread, cous cous etc. Another plus is if served alone, it is relatively healthy for you, only 4 weight watchers points per serving!

Baked Shrimp in Lemony Garlic Sauce

Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (I always just use frozen shrimp, and it works out great if you pull of the tails after you defrost the shrimp so you don't have to worry about them when you eat)
1 spray cooking spray
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbls. butter, melted
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper
2 Tbls. parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange shrimp in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine lemon juice and next 5 ingredients; pour over shrimp.


Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle parsley over shrimp; serve immediately.

*I served this with cavatappi pasta and green beans that were boiled along with the noodles for about 4 minutes; drain noodles and beans, pour shrimp and sauce in with noodles and beans. Grate some parmesan cheese in, add extra extra-virgin olive oil if needed.

Fish Tacos

For my first time making fish tacos, I think this recipe was perfect. They were so simple to make and turned out to be quite delicious. Compared to the normal tacos we eat, these were so light and refreshing, and I felt good about eating them because they came from Cooking Light.

I found the recipe here, but because I made some of my own adaptations, my recipe is below. I had never used smoked paprika before but I am so glad I went out and bought some. It added a lot of depth to the fish and I can't wait to find more uses for it. This recipe would be equally tasty using shrimp or chicken.

Fish Tacos

Adapted from Cooking Light

Sauce:

3 tbls. fat-free sour cream

3 tbls. fat-free mayonnaise

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp. lime zest

2 tsp. lime juice(about 1/2 a lime)

1/4 tsp. salt

Tacos:

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. salt

4 tilapia filets (mine were frozen)

Cooking spray

Corn or flour tortillas

Shredded lettuce

*we also added a bit of shredded cheese, but definitely not necessary

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare sauce, combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; chill until ready.

To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 17* minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork.

Top tortilla with fish, sauce, and lettuce. Serve.

*Since my tilapia filets were frozen, I baked them according to the package. If using thawed filets, it will probably only take about 9 minutes.