April, 2021 - Homemaker Geek

Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Cream Sauce

I served it with steamed spinach carrots and broccoli…and Cole slaw… recipe in the files.

This Sauce is supposed to be kind of thin, but can be made thicker if you want by adding Rounded Tbsp of Cornstarch in stead of level.
serves 2. If you like the Sauce then you may also enjoy my Creamy Lemony Chicken Soup. Link here. Creamy, Lemony, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup IP.
Use 1 recipe of the Lemon Cream Sauce. (Click link for recipe)
Lemon Sauce for white Fish….Creamy & light .. Simple

FOR THE SAUCE:
You will need
1 c water.
1/4 c Heavy Cream.
3 tsp fresh Lemon juice plus a little more in case you need it
2 tsp lemon ZEST plus a little more if you need it.
3 tsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken
1 Tbsp Butter.
1 Tbsp Cornstarch (Rounded for a bit thicker Sauce)
I added a couple tsps of Dill, 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes and 1 tsp Capers to it this time.
DIRECTIONS:
Use a Sauce pan or Frying pan and a whisk. Add everything to the pan and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly and well, getting all around the pan, until bubbly, but not Boiling, Sauce will thicken a little as it cooks. When it’s ready, remove from the heat and check thickness with a Spoon. It will lightly coat the Spoon, but should not thicken too much. See the pictures. Taste the Sauce and add a touch more Lemon Juice or Bullion, if desired, but just know that too much Lemon may overpower the white Fish. Ladle onto the plate before putting your Fish and Veggies down on the Plate. Enjoy!

FOR THE FISH:
2 -1” Thick Steaks or Fillets of Chilean Sea Bass, brought to ROOM temperature.
1/2 tsp Slap Ya Mamma Seasoning or Creole Seasoning. Divided.
1 Tbsp Butter. For searing
1 tsp EVOO for searing.

Pat your Bass dry with paper towels.
If you have Fillets with the skin on, score the skin in a diamond shape before rubbing the seasoning into the skin cracks.
Lightly Sprinkle both sides of the Fish with the Slap ya mama Seasoning.
Spritz the top with EVOO. Let it set while making your Sides and Sauce.
Make the Lemon Sauce, and taste it to see if you want to add more Zest or Lemon juice. It’s important to use a clean spoon if you taste it again…don’t double dip, or your sauce could break down. Set aside, keep warm. Also make up your Veggies and any sides that you will serve with it. It only takes about 7 min to cook.
When you are ready to cook the Bass,
Turn a fan onto high because searing the Fish will smoke.
Pre warm your Plates, you will serve directly onto the plate.
Preheat the Skillet or Griddle to Med – Medium High. You know your stove top, a drop of water should sizzle when you drop it into the pan. When your Pan is hot, add the Butter and immediately add the Fish. For Steaks, place them onto the Evoo side down. If you have Fillets with the Skin on, then you will sear the skin on the flip side, second to keep it crisp.
Sear for 3 min, and then very carefully with a spatula under the whole piece, hold the Fish with a Fork on top of it and flip it over and sear the other side for another 2 min. Then, carefully turn the Fish onto the edge, skin side…you will have to support it., cook for another minute to crisp the Skin.
To serve, spoon about 1/3 of a cup of the Lemon Sauce onto the Plate and carefully place the piece of Fish onto the Plate so that it bathes in the Sauce. Add your veggie beside, or just touching the Sauce.

I made 4 fillets this time. The pot is full of fresh spinach, it shrinks down to Two good servings.

Stuffed Shells.. Breville or Oven

These pretty little jewels are so good. Bursting with Italian flavors. They can be made using your own Marinara Sauce (recipe in the files) or you can use your favorite Jarred Sauce. I use Bertolli and Rao’s both, when I don’t have my own.
This recipe can be cut in half if you desire, or in my case, I make a full recipe and bake half of them in the sauce and freeze the other half without the sauce under them, for cooking later. (When you pull them from the freezer You will have to add a half of a jar of Rao’s sauce to your Cassarole pan and increase cook time to an hour).
If you prefer, change it up with a Cream of Mushroom sauce.. ( 1 can soup plus 1 c milk recipe for that in the link. You can also look up manicotti/stuffed shells or mushroom cream sauce. )

Marinara Sauce with fresh Roma Tomatoes Mushrooms and Basil IP

Mushroom Cream Sauce

Makes 24-26 Shells

Oven 425°

26 Shells (cook as directed.)

For the Meat sauce:
1 Lb Hamburger.
1 lb sweet Italian sausage.
1 sweet Onion chopped finely.
4 cloves garlic Minced
1/4 c Parsley chopped.
1/4 c Fresh Basil chopped.
1/2 Tsp Salt.
1/2 Tsp Pepper.
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Jar Bertoli Spaghetti Sauce (this will go into the meat mixture)
3 Tbsp Evoo

1 Jar Rao’s Spaghetti Sauce divided, for the bottom of the Casserole pan. (Use half if only cooking 1/2 recipe and freezing the rest. You can freeze the sauce in a baggie along with the Shells if you want)

For the Cheese Mixture:

1 regular sized (16 oz) carton of Ricotta Cheese. (BelGioioso is super creamy)
1/2 c Cottage Cheese.
1/2 c Parmesean Cheese.
2 1/2 c Mozzerella Cheese divided in half (save half for the last 10 minutes)
2 cloves minced Garlic.
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/3 c chopped fresh Basil .
1/3 c chopped Fresh Parsley.
1 beaten Egg

Bring a Pot filled with 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the Shells to the water and par cook them until al dente’. (About 7 min…ish, check them). As they cook move on to the Meat mixture and as that cooks, mix up the cheese mixture.
As the Shells get done, use a slotted Spoon to carefully remove them…. a few at a time. Drain the water from each by tipping the spoon. Lay them on a plate to cool slightly. Off to the Next thing while they cool.
Working on the Cheese mixture now, add all ingredients to make the mixture into a medium Mixing Bowl. Stir it all up and set aside.
Next, is the Meat. Using a large Frying Pan, heated to medium high. Add the EVOO and the Burger and Sausage. Fry it up until done, drain… but leave a couple Tbsp of the fat. Next, add the Onion, Garlic, Parsley, Basil, Salt, Pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook until the Onion and Garlic are cooked. Add the Bertolli and stir in. Set that aside as well.

Preheat Oven to 425°
At this point, you will fill all of the Shells and either Cook them all, or cook just half and freeze the rest for another time, but you need to choose a Casserole dish accordingly. You can use a small Casserole dish, 8 x 11” or a 9 x 15” pan for them all.If your cooking just half like I do often, Pour Half of the Rao’s cold Sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spread it evenly.
Fill the Shells with the Meat filling, using a Tablespoon or Soup Spoon, filling each one to the top and not to tightly… don’t pack it in. Lay the 12 that you will be cooking into the Spaghetti Sauce in the Casserole pan. Put the others onto a non stick Pizza pan or sprayed with cooking spray to prevent them from freezing to the pan, or use something that you can easily place into the freezer.
Next, spoon about 1 Tbsp full of the Cheese mixture on top of the filled Shells, pat it down gently.
Put the ones that you won’t be cooking. And when they are frozen, transfer them to a gallon sized baggie carefully and keep frozen until ready to use.

Cover the Shells that are in the Casserole Dish with Aluminum foil and put it into the Oven.

Bake for about 30 min at 425°, they should be bubbling around the edges and hot in the center ones. Remove from the Oven and remove the foil. Sprinkle each Shell with about 2 Tbsp Mozzerella. Return them back to the Oven for another 10 min, until the Cheese is melted and browned.

Lettuce wraps… Pork, Turkey or Chicken

If you like PF Changs Lettuce Wraps, I bet you will love these.. I didn’t use the crispy noodles, instead I used Shiritake Rice…see pic. This is a lower Carb version.

Serves 4 for a meal-6 for appetizers

12 Lettuce leaves (6 Ice berg cut in half lengthwise, Romain or Butter Lettuce)
2 lbs Ground Pork Turkeyor Chicken
1 1/2 c Cabbage sliced thin and chopped
4 cloves Garlic minced
1 inch fresh Ginger minced
3 Scallions chopped
1/2 c Cilantro
2 c Carrots grated
1 1/2 c Celery sliced thin
1 c Snow peas chopped
1 Hot sweet orange Pepper from Costco or jalapeño
2 Tbsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp Fish sauce
2 Tbsp Chili Garlic sauce
1 tsp “Simply Asia” Sweet garlic ginger spice blend. (More at the end if desired)
3 Tbsp Shoyu (soy sauce)
3-6 Tbsp Hoisin Teryaki sauce (or sweet chili sauce with soy added) add more at the end if desired. (I like 5-6 Tbsp total.)
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 small pouch Miracle Noodle Rice (Shiritake Noodles chopped like rice. if you can’t find these, chop your own.) or substitute crispy rice noodles.

Pull off whole leaves of the Lettuce. Wash and drain them in warm (not hot) water, and lay on paper towels to drain. The warm water will slightly wilt them and when they go in the fridge, they will really crisp up. If using Ice berg, slice leaves in half lengthwise.
Place lettuce leaves in the fridge. About 1 hr or at least 30 min as you cook the filling.
Preheat a Wok or large skillet to Med High. Add sesame oil, Stir fry the Pork or Chicken until just done.
Push the meat to the sides leaving the bottom of the Wok exposed. Some of the pork grease will collect so you want to scoop out a couple Tbsp of the fat in the bottom of the Wok but don’t take it all.
Add Fish Sauce to the bottom, then add the garlic, ginger and pepper. Fry for a minute. Before adding the Veggies, save out some of the scallion, cilantro and peas to add fresh back in, then add the rest of the Veggies to the Meat, and cook well then stir into the meat. When the Veggies are cooked down, clear a hole again in the bottom of the Wok and add the Hoisin. Stir just the Hoisin to heat through until it is nice and bubbly.
In a seperate small bowl, quickly combine the Corn Starch and Shoyu (Soy). Mix well and then pour into the bubbling Hoisin in the hole, stirring constantly and quickly, bringing in just a bit of the meat mixture in a little at a time until the cornstarch and soy have cooked and thickened.. then mix into the rest of the mixture. Add the Shiritake rice in stead of using crispy noodles .
Finally add the rest of the Cilantro, Scallions and Peas. Taste, and add more Hoisin Teriyaki Sauce, and more Simply Asia Sweet Garlic Ginger seasoning if needed.
Serve hot with Lettuce leaves on the side..
I had some seaweed salad in the fridge left so I had some with it. That is what the bright Green stuff is.
We just love this stuff! You can even heat up some of any leftovers and add a fried egg for breakfast.