fish tacos with mango-avocado salsa and goat cheese

This is such a simple, beautiful and delicious meal. The fresh avocado, mango and lime brighten up the sweet, mild roasted red pepper with a shock of rainbow color. The spicy sriracha is cooled by the creamy goat cheese and clean-tasting cilantro. This took less than 20 minutes to throw together and is true health food. Make this on a busy weeknight and skip the delivery pizza!

Fish Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa and Goat Cheese

Salsa

Makes enough for four to six tacos

• Two mangoes, chopped
• Two avocados, chopped
• 1/4 c red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c roasted red pepper, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Fish tacos
Makes enough for about four tacos

• 1 lb. fresh fish, such as tuna
• Small corn tortillas
• Sriracha
• Fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Cook the fish in a little olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with sriracha sauce, salt and pepper. While the fish cooks, stir together salsa. Remove fish from heat, slice it into strips, and distribute evenly in the tortillas. Top with salsa, goat cheese and more sriracha. Serve immediately.

salmon with chickpea ragu

I didn't eat seafood until I started dating my husband. That was eight years ago. Tentative at first, he wooed me in slowly (probably with something covered in bacon), tempting me with little bites at a time. Then I started really learning about how good for you fish is and I started to work it into my diet creatively.

I would cherry-pick only my favorite ingredients and find a recipe that incorporated them into a seafood dish. At first I'd eat only those ingredients and pick at the fish. But slowly, my tastes changed and I came to appreciate the flaky – and sometimes steak-like – texture and variety of flavors, ranging from mild and sweet to pungent. Good stuff.

This dish was one I discovered about halfway along my journey to liking seafood dishes. But I loved this dish, even though salmon is a strong fish. The tomatoey-chickpea ragu stands up to it, though, and even non-salmon lovers will enjoy this one. Try it when you're looking for something healthy and hearty. It's quick enough for a weeknight, too.

Salmon with Chickpea Ragu (courtesy Ellie Krieger)
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons, plus more for garnish
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 (6 oz.) skinless salmon fillets

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion, and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot, zucchini, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the carrots are firm-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring to incorporate completely. Add the chicken broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the liquid thickens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove the skillet from the heat, and add 1 cup of the basil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper (and crushed red pepper flakes, if using), and stir to incorporate. Cover to keep warm while you cook the salmon.
3. Preheat the broiler. Season the salmon with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Broil the salmon for 8 to 10 minutes per inch thickness, turning once.
4. To serve, spoon 1 ½ cups of the chickpea ragu into a shallow bowl or rimmed plate. Top with a fillet of salmon and garnish with the ribbons of basil.

cornmeal-fried fish with curry and veggies

My husband digs fishing – especially deep-sea fishing. And thanks to him (and our friends and family with boats who are kind enough to include him in their trips, for which he gladly repays them with gas money and beer), our freezer is stocked with fresh-caught, minimally processed, white, flaky fish. It doesn't get better than that.

Tonight was a fish night. Said hubs was craving sushi from our local joint, and in an effort to save money and to one-up dinner from a nutrition standpoint, I made another Mark Bittman recipe, slightly modified to save time since it is a weeknight. Let's just say we weren't thinking about sushi after one bite.

Dredged in flour, cornmeal and curry, this pan-fried sheepshead was paired with sauteed snow peas and red onion, and a simple steamed side of zucchini and squash. Quite the tasty and healthy meal. Give it a whirl with any white fish or seasoning you like; you won't be disappointed.

Cornmeal-fried Fish with Curry and Veggies

• 1 lb. white fish fillets, cleaned and deboned (we used sheepshead, which is a crustacean-eating fish that in turn tastes a lot like shrimp or lobster)
• 1/4 c flour
• 1/4 cornmeal (do not skip this!)
• 1 tbsp curry or any other seasoning, such as Italian herbs or Old Bay
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

1. In a shallow dish, stir the flour, cornmeal and seasonings. Dredge the fish fillets through it, pressing lightly to help the mixture stick.
2. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add a couple of fillets at a time, turning after about 4-5 minutes, or the breading is just starting to brown. Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all fish is pan fried and serve immediately.

Serve with sauteed snow peas and sliced red onion, seasoned with salt and pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Enjoy!