Tom Yum Pla - Hot and Sour Fish Soup

Recently, my husband came home from work looking like death warmed over. He collapsed onto the chaise, cough drops and box of tissues in hand.

"What would you like for dinner?" I asked. "Nothing", he responded between coughing fits. After thinking a moment he added, "Unless you're making something tasty."

Tom yum pla fit the bill (more like tom yum yum!)...with good protein, leafy greens, and a nice spice, I hoped to feed his cold and kick the nasty virus out of his body.

This recipe is fast and easy. You can even shorten the broth simmering time to 10 minutes if you need to.

Broth Ingredients and Directions:

2 cups fish stock
2 cups water
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn (use zest of one lime if no lime leaves are available)
4 bird's eye chilies, stem removed and cut in half lengthwise
3 pieces of dried galangal
3 stalks of lemongrass, halved lengthwise
2 shallots, chopped

1. Put all ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Strain the broth through a sieve into a saucepan.

Soup Ingredients and Directions:
12 ounces of fish (white fish like halibut, sole, etc), skinned and filleted
1 lb green leafy vegetable, chopped (ex. water spinach, baby spinach, baby bok choy)
1 package beech mushrooms
1 package straw mushrooms
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs lime juice
Cilantro, a handful, chopped

1. Bring the broth to a boil.
2. Add the fish and the mushrooms to a pot. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for one or two minutes, just long enough for the greens to wilt or soften.
4. Divide into bowls and serve.

Dinner Snapshot - Thai-Style Whole Fish

The Crazy Monkey House motto is: If it has gills, eat it. Our favorite method for eating fish is to cook one whole. If you've never ate the "cheek meat" of a fish, boy are you in for a treat! Cooking a fish this way inevitably leads to chopstick wars as we fight for every last remaining flake. The fish pictured in this picture is a Mandarin fish but any meaty fish will work well. This method involves cooking it in banana leaves, an inexpensive ingredient found at almost any Asian grocer.

Thai-Style Whole Fish

Ingredients:

1 large, meaty whole fish (have the fish monger clean and descale the fish)

1 lime, sliced

8 kaffir lime leaves, torn in half

10 Thai basil leaves

5 Thai peppers, whole

banana leaves

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of a fish pan (or any deep baking dish) with banana leaves.

2. Place fish on leaves.

3. Spread the lime slices, lime leaves, basil leaves, and Thai peppers out inside the fish cavity.

4. Cover with banana leaves, tucking the top ones under the bottom ones.

5. Bake in a 350(f) oven for 30 minutes or until fish is cooked through and flaky.

6. Serve with rice, using optional garnishes like nam prik, sriracha, or a bit of soy sauce.

Dinner Snapshot - Panko Trout with Rainbow Chard

While the photo isn't very attractive, the food itself was fantastic. My father, the wandering fly fisherman, brought back a brown trout that would have made salmon cry. It was very long, very large, and very pink inside. The fillet in the photo is just one half of one side! Both of us agreed that it put most wild salmon to shame.

While I could have just cooked it up in a pan with a little bit of lemon, I was dying to use panko breadcrumbs on it. David's declared rainbow chard to be his new favorite vegetable...I'm pretty sure that he just likes it for the colors. Anyway, be prepared for more dishes that include rainbow chard.

Panko Crusted Trout

trout fillets - as much as two people can eat
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary, ground
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 grated parmesan
1 tbs butter, melted
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a small bowl, combine the panko crumbs, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.
3. Place fish in a baking pan and top with crumb mixture.
4. Sprinkle butter and lemon juice over the top.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until flaky.

Sauteed Rainbow Chard

1 bunch rainbow chard
5 heads garlic, thinly sliced
shaved rind of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbs olive oil

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil over a medium flame.
2. Remove thick bottoms from chard. Cut leaves and remaining ribs into 2 inch pieces.
3. Saute garlic for one minute.
4. Add chard to pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Top with lemon rind and serve.

Dinner Snapshot - Mahi Mahi Salad with Garlic Bread

David's sister, Nyron, requested that we start posting the recipes with the photos of our dinners. Great idea!

Mahi Mahi Salad

8 oz Mahi Mahi
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
4 slices uncured, thick-sliced bacon chopped
Baby spinach (enough to feed two people)
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 large shallot, minced

Remove skin from mahi mahi. Cut flesh into small chunks and season with sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Add bacon and cook until most of the fat has cooked out and bacon is crisp. During cooking, maintain flame so that bacon grease remains in pan.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and shallot in a small bowl. Pepper to taste. Pour vinegar mixture over bowl of spinach.

When bacon is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and put on top of spinach. Pour two tablespoons of the bacon grease over the spinach and toss.

Bring remaining bacon grease back to medium-high. Add mahi mahi and cook until opaque. Toss mahi mahi into salad and serve.

Garlic Bread

½ a baguette, sliced into ½ pieces
Olive oil for brushing
Three peeled garlic cloves, slightly crushed

Preheat oven to 400. Brush bread slices with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes at 400. Increase heat to 500 and bake for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and rub each side of the bread with a garlic clove.