Fish Bottoms and Four Year Olds -- Guest Post

Today, fellow twin mom, Donnelle, gives us a glimpse into the wild world of a family with twins...AND another kid. Phew. Check her out at Neverending Laundry.

...


Life with four-year-old boy/girl twins and their older brother has been exhausting for years, a never-ending battle of interrupted sleep, laundry and self-replicating messes. It's only in the last six months that it's started to become enjoyable. Their developing sense of humour is particularly fun, when it's not endless "Knock Knock Mr Potato-head" jokes.

Recently we sat down to a mid-week-exhaustion dinner of crumbed fish fillets and oven chips. “What kind of fish is this?” our eldest asked. “Hoki,” I said, at the same moment that hubby said “Fartfish.” This is what passes for humour around here. The kids laughed and laughed. 

Vieve said “Fartfish? Do fish fart?” 

Straight-faced, her big brother replied “All fish fart. It’s how they communicate.”* 

As Finn and Vieve laughed, I quietly high-fived him. 

“Do fishes have bottoms?” Vieve asked. 

“Of course they do.” 

“No, they don’t! They don’t have a straight line and two funny cheeks!” 

“Our bottoms only look like that because that’s where our legs join on. Fish just have a sort of a hole.” 

“What does a fish bottom look like?” At this point I had to tell Finn to sit down, as he was enthusiastically trying to demonstrate what our bottoms look like. 

Hubby whipped out his phone and started a verbal Google search. “Find me pictures of a fish anus.” 

“NO!” I shouted. 

“Wha- oh. No, we probably don’t want to do that.” He thought for a moment. “Find me pictures of a fish’s bottom.” He was rewarded with pictures of the back of Wedgwood and Spode plates. He sighed and tried again. “Find me pictures of the bottom of a fish.” At least it was fishes this time, not dishes, but it wasn’t really what we were after. 

I snaffled the phone off him and typed in “fish cloaca”. That got us what we needed to know. The kids duly admired and discussed the picture of a fish’s cloaca. 

“Do fish pee?” Vieve asked. And this is why I will never take my family out to eat in public.

*So it turns out some fish actually do communicate by farting. I thought he was mimicking his father's trollish sense of humour, but no.

 

Recipe Monday - Lemon Spice Mahi Mahi

This has been the most delicious way I've yet prepared Mahi Mahi.

4 mahi mahi filets, about 6 ounces each

Seasoning (see instructions):
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried dill weed
Lemon pepper
Sweet Hungarian paprika

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter, divided use
1/2 cup sweet white wine (may substitute fish or chicken broth) ... I used broth. I needed the wine.
Juice of half a lemon (reserve other half for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard

Preparation:

Rub each mahi mahi filet with olive oil, then sprinkle both sides of the fish lightly with each of the listed seasonings.

Preheat broiler on high.

Place a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter, swirling to combine and coat the pan. Sear filets until golden brown on one side. Remove to a platter. Add wine, lemon juice, and honey mustard to the hot skillet. Whisk, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until liquid is slightly reduced and thickened. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter.

Return fish to the skillet, uncooked side down, and place in the broiler 6 inches from the heat. Broil 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with pan sauce and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.




 

Recipe Monday - Asian Inspired Tuna Steaks

 Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 clove garlic minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
4 8oz yellowfin tuna steaks (1 1/2" thick)

 Set a large frying pan on med-high heat. Remove tuna from the marinade and dry on paper towels. When the pan is hot, pour 2 Tbsp of oil from the marinade into the skillet. Add tuna steaks to a pan. Shake the pan couple of times so that steaks don't stick. Sear 2.5 minutes on one side. Flip and sear 1.5 minutes on the other side. This will cook 1/4" of tuna on each side and leave the rest rare. If you like your tuna more cooked through, cover the pan, turn down the heat to medium and cook flipping the steaks half way until desired doneness.

 I cooked the shit out of these because I don't trust my own rare tuna. I'll leave those to the restaurants.





 

Recipe Monday - Mushroom Mahi Mahi

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 pounds mahi mahi
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water



In a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook onions, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until onions are transparent.

Cut the mahi mahi into 3 inch long filets. Place the Mahi Mahi fillets over the onions, mushrooms and garlic.

Salt and Pepper the first side of the filets to taste.

Add white cooking wine and lemon juice. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes.

Turn the filets over and salt and pepper the second side to taste. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Remove only the fish to a heated plate and keep warm until sauce is ready.

In the same skillet with all the onions, mushrooms, garlic and cooking wine, raise heat to medium/high. Bring to a boil.

Dissolve cornstarch in the 2 tablespoons of water; stir into skillet. (I didn't do this part...the sauce thickened for me without it.)

Stir the sauce continuously until sauce thickens to desired consistency. Pour sauce over mahi mahi filets.

 

Recipe Monday - Mushroom Salmon

I know this looks like we eat a lot of salmon, but really, I just love the recipes!

1 1/2 lbs fresh salmon
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dry white wine (or 2 T water with 2 T fresh lemon juice)

Cut salmon into 4 equal portions and put in a lightly oiled baking dish.
Heat butter in skillet and add mushrooms and green onions
Saute over medium heat until mushrooms are tender then stir in flour, parsley and salt
Add milk and bring to a boil
Stir until thick, then add wine or water and lemon juice
Boil one minute, then pour sauce over salmon
 Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily.


This was a great alternative to our typical salmon recipes.


 

Recipe Monday - Easy Rubbed Salmon

This recipe is thanks to my mom who one day while we were on vacation made us all salmon and I was like wat?

Salmon
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Garlic powder
Paprika
Lemon pepper

Heat oil on medium high in a frying pan.
Liberally shake each seasoning over the salmon and rub them in with your hands.
Place the salmon pink-side down in the pan and cook for five to ten minutes depending on thickness.
Flip and cook for another few minutes.

It's the most delicious salmon I've ever had...and the easiest to make.






 

Recipe Monday - Mediterranean Mahi Mahi

A great, savory fish dish.

• 1 pound thick-cut, firm-fleshed fish fillets (Pacific halibut or mahi-mahi)
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons dry white or red wine
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
• 8 black olives, preferably Kalamata, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut fish into 4 serving pieces and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a 10-inch pie plate or baking dish.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and garlic and simmer for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, olives, oregano and orange zest. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture over the fish.
3. Bake until the fish is opaque in the center, about 15 minutes.

 

Recipe Monday - Delicious White Fish

I never have good titles for these things, but this recipe is great.

Ingredients:
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Stewed or diced tomatoes
Mushrooms
Olives
Capers
Garlic
Olive oil

Cover the fish in a mixture of the flour, salt and pepper. Fry it in oil until browned...about 3 minutes on each side.

Toss in the mushrooms, olives, capers, garlic and tomatoes (with the juice). Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.


 

Recipe Monday - Beer-Battered Flounder Bites

These are great if you're in the mood for fried food.

3 medium-large flounder fillets, cut into bite size pieces
1 can of beer
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika


Mix one can of beer with the flour, salt, and paprika.

Mix the flounder nuggets, in batches, until well coated.

Drop into hot fryer or deep frying pan with lots of oil until golden and crispy.



   

Recipe Monday - Baked Lemon Cod

My husband is Portuguese, and as such, really likes cod in a way I'll never understand. Here's a great recipe for the thick fish!

1 lb cod fish fillet
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
paprika

Directions:

Mix butter and lemon juice.
In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper.
Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture.
Place fish in ungreased square baking dish
Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika.
Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes.





 

Recipe Monday - Pineapple Salsa Mahi Mahi

Delicious summery recipe, ready in 15 minutes!

 1 cup of fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup of salsa
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp honey mustard (didn't have, used 1 tsp each of dijon mustard and honey)
olive oil
lemon juice
pepper

Combine pineapple, salsa, cornstarch, horseradish and honey mustard.

Heat oil in frying pan. Saute fish for 3 minutes.

Salt and pepper fish. Sprinkle on lemon juice.

Turn fish and add salsa. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes.


 ___
If you like this blog, please vote for it here at Babble's Top 100 Blogs list.  

 

Recipe Monday - Maple Cajun Mahi Mahi

This takes 15 minutes. It's amazing.

• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 tablespoon cajun seasoning (can use more or less depending on whether or not you want a sweeter or spicier piece of meat) 
• Small onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 mahi mahi filets

1. Mix all ingredients together except for fish and onions. Spoon mixture over fish.
2. Place fish into shallow pan (sprayed heavily with cooking spray) and sautee with onions if desired for about 3-5 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second side. Add more of the syrup mixture if you want.
    
   
    
    
    ** You can also marinate fish for a few hours for maximum flavor. (But I didn't. No time.)

 ___

 If you like this blog, please vote for it here at Babble's Top 100 Blogs list.  


 

Recipe Monday - Easy Cheesy Fish

I used flounder for this, but any white fish will work. It takes only 10-15  minutes from start to finish. Also, it's delicious!

• 2 pounds flounder or sole fillets
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Coat a piece of heavy-duty foil  with nonstick cooking spray. Place fillets on foil; brush with lemon juice. Crimp foil, forming edges. Place foil flat on the grill (do not seal). Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 4 minutes. Combine Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions and salt; brush over fillets. Grill 3-4 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork. (I didn't grill these. I baked them at 375 for five minutes on each side.)

Recipe Monday - Tilapia with White Wine Caper Sauce

If you've got a family that doesn't like fish, here's a fish dish for you. The tilapia has a mild taste to begin with, completely overridden by the delicious tastes of garlic and capers.


1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained


Place flour in a shallow dish. Season fish with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.

 Heat oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter starts to turn nutty brown, add fish; fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes each side. Transfer fish to plates and cover to keep warm.

Add wine to the hot empty skillet and using a spatula, scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by half and then stir in the garlic, remaining butter and capers. Let sauce simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to blend the flavors. 

___

If you like this blog, please vote on Babble.com. Tales of an Unlikely Mother is number 17, just scroll down and click on the thumbs up! Thank you so, so much.

Recipe Monday - Fruity Salmon with a Kick

The best thing about fish and steak when you can afford them, is that they consistently provide a gourmet meal for the family, and yet take just ten minutes to cook.

I have tried all kinds of fruity sauces for my salmon, but there was always something missing. This recipe provides that something...just a little kick to bring out the flavors of both the fish and the sauce. So, without further ado...


Pineapple Jalapeno Salmon:

• 1 cup white rice
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 salmon fillets
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 fresh pineapple
• 1 jalapeno

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Whisk together the maple syrup and mustard in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. Heat broiler. Place the salmon in a foil-lined 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Season with the salt and pepper.
4. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters, then cut each quarter into ½-inch-thick triangles. Scatter the pineapple and jalapeño around the salmon.
5. Brush the salmon with the syrup mixture and broil for 5 to 7 minutes or until it flakes easily and is the same color throughout.
6. Serve the salmon and pineapple with the rice and drizzle with the remaining glaze, if desired.

The peppers offset the pineapple and maple sauce perfectly. This is on our family's favorite list now. Of course, the kids get fish sticks. There's no accounting for taste, I guess.

___

If you like this blog, please vote on Babble.com. Tales of an Unlikely Mother is number 17, just scroll down and click on the thumbs up! Thank you so, so much.