I'm Back! And I'm Cooking Marlin...

Marlin is high in mercury, as is tuna, so it's not something you should eat every day.  Which is really too bad because it's incredibly high in protein and low in fat.  We're talking 41g of protein and less than 1g of fat for 6 ounces (which is a HUGE piece of fish, my friend).

Tonight, we are trying our first marlin; blue marlin, to be exact.  It's marinating now in soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic.  As I was prepping the marinade I was wondering aloud to hubby why some marinades call for oil...oil and water don't mix, and the other ingredients are typically water-based.  It's like putting oil in your pasta water:  A big waste of good oil.

Once the steaks have set a while I'll be spraying them with olive oil using our oil atomizer and searing them in a hot, hot, hot pan for about 2 mins per side...I want them raw in the middle because this fish has no fat and gets chewy if you cook it all the way through (I'm told).

We'll be serving this with a little canned pineapple and fresh peppers.  It ought to be pineapple salsa, but we don't have any of the other ingredients so we're making due with what we've got.

Serves 2

1/2 cup soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 blue marlin steaks (4-6 ounces each, 1 inch thick)
2 tsp olive oil

1 cup pineapple chunks
3-4 mini peppers or 1 medium sweet pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Marinate the steaks in soy, lemon and garlic for 30 mins to 2 hrs (put in the fridge).  Sear in olive oil in a very hot pan for 2-3 mins per side.

Chop peppers and mix with pepper flakes and pineapple.  Serve with 1 cup of brown rice per serving.

Without rice per serving:
Per Serving:  268 calories, 16% fat (4.7 g), 62% protein (41.5 g), 22% carbs (15.8 g, 1.9 g fiber).

With one cup of brown rice:
Per Serving:  486 calories, 12% fat (6.3 g), 38% protein (46 g), 50% carbs (61.6 g, 5.4 g fiber or 21.6% of RDA).


AAAAnd the verdict:
It was awesome!  This marinade was beautiful and I highly recommend (could also be used on swordfish or non-sashimi grade tuna).  We adapted this marinade from the garlic-ginger-soy, or sometimes just garlic-soy, marinade with typically use for flank steak (when we're not rubbing it with cumin-lime for fajitas). The addition of the lemon went wonderfully with the clean, slightly bitter taste of the fish.

Usually we are grilling when we use this marinade, so it's fair to point out that things got VERY smoky during the 5 minutes of pan searing due to the low smoking point of the soy sauce.  Five minutes, which was too long, in my opinion.  I said 2 mins per side and should have stuck to my guns.  I did 3 on the first side and 2 on the second and it was a little more done that I had hoped (barely pink in the middle).

If you can grill these instead I'd do it.  It's not likely to stick if you oiled your fish and gotten your grill super hot before you start, and it won't fall apart once it starts to cook (so it's actually a pretty ideal fish for the BBQ).

The fish is, indeed, a bit tough, but given it's pretty low price point ($10 per pound) and delicious flavor I'm willing to deal with a less-than-ideal texture (it's not that bad, anyway).  I was left thinking that this fish might be a good candidate for braising in a tomato-based broth next time.  Sound weird, but given the texture I think it would hold up just fine.  The flavor is pretty clean and I think it would be delicious with tomatoes.

On the Menu: Mango, Fennel

Why does fennel get me so inspired?  Dunno.  This week I have two large, gorgeous bulbs from our produce box.  I'm gonna try this (easily serve 2 people):

2 fennel bulbs
1 orange
1 can chicken broth (or 2 cups homemade)
salt and pepper

Cut bulbs into 2 inch wedges (leave a bit of the root attached so they hold together)
Braise the bulbs in chicken broth and the juice from one large orange and about a tsp of grated peel if you're feeling energetic.

Simmer for about 20-30 mins (add water if the liquid cooks off too much).  Make sure they are nice an tender before you take them off the heat.  Strain them from the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper.

Per Serving:  59 calories, 0% fat (0 g), 10% protein (1.5 g), 90% carbs (13 g, 3.6 g fiber).

I may serve this over arugula with some thinly sliced spring onions and some white wine vinaigrette.  We'll see.

The other thing we got was some Ataulfo mangoes.  I am going to make salsa with them and have them with fish.  This salsa is so good, although it takes a lot of chopping.  It will serve 4 (or, two people for two days):

red onion (1/3)
small bunch of cilantro
1 small jalapeno
2 mangoes
1 red bell peppers
1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil

chop 1/3 of a red onion and let soak in water, changing the water several times.  Soak for at least 20 mins.
cut the bell pepper and mango into dice
mince the cilantro and jalapeno (leave out the seeds for mild; include them in desired degrees for spicier)
combine all chopped ingredients (drain the onion and pat dry) with the juice of the lime and the olive oil.  season with salt and pepper and allow to macerate for 15 mins to overnight before serving.

Per Serving:  132 calories, 46% fat (7 g), 3% protein (1 g), 54% carbs (18g, 2.6 g fiber).

I'm going to serve this with Alaskan cod.  I may dredge said fish in flour, egg and cornmeal before frying, or I may simply broil it with salt and pepper.

Dinners for the week

This week we are having:

Quinoa with summer veggies and pork tenderloin
Creamy pasta with salmon and summer veggies
Roasted sweet potato, green bean and chicken salad
Turkey breast with veggies and mustard

This last meal is an old favorite:
Serves 2
1 skinless turkey breast half
1/2 lb baby carrots
1 broccoli crown, cut into pieces
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp whole grain mustard

Sprinkle turkey with salt, then spread mustard over turkey breast.
Drizzle carrots with 1/2 tbsp oil and sprinkle with salt.
Roast carrots and turkey at 425 for 20 mins.
Drizzle broccoli with 1/2 tbsp oil and sprinkle with salt.
Add broccoli cook for 20 to 30 mins more, or until turkey is approximately 155 deg f.

Serve with extra mustard on the side.

342 calories, 23% fat (9 g), 60% protein (51 g), 17% carbs (15 g, 6 g fiber).

"No Stove" Summer Dinner

If you don't have a grill I highly recommend getting even a tiny, cheap one. Grilling is a great, healthy way to cook during the summer. It keeps you from having to heat your house up with your oven or stove! My favorite summer dinner, which we are cooking up tonight, is:

Buttermilk and Herb marinated grilled chicken breasts:


1 cup (or 2 half pint containers) lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp coarse salt

1/4 (approx) tsp fresh ground pepper
4 6 to 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts (organic free range are the most delicious)


Combine the first four ingredients in a flat bottom bowl or deep pie plate. add the chicken and marinate 30 mins at room temperate or overnight or longer in the fridge.
Preheat your BBQ and grill on medium 5 to 8 mins per side (depending on the thickness of your chicken pieces). We have a gas grill with two burners. We preheat both on high, then turn one side down to low, put the chicken on the low side and close the lid.


This has 329 calories for each 6 ounce breast. Approx 13 g fat, 1 g carbs, and 50 g protein.


I serve this with bread salad...yum!


2 medium tomatoes sliced into wedges
4 1 inch slices of whole wheat bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
juice from 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons mint (or basil) cut into thin ribbons
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to macerate for at least 5 and up to 30 mins. Toss before serving.


157 Calories; 9g fat; 16 g carbs (3g fiber); 4g protein.


These recipes and picture are from everydayfoodmag.com