Monday, August 15, 2011

Fried White Fish with Quinoa

I surprised myself about a week ago with a new recipe that turned out more nicely than I could have hoped. I've thought about holding off posting this recipe until the next time I make it, but since it's about time I posted a new recipe, and since I probably won't be making this again for at least a couple of weeks (I forgot a few of the ingredients at the store this week and I'll be out of town next week), I figured I might as well put it up. I am sure to make it soon after I get back, though, because I have been craving it ever since I finished it off! I'll add a picture to this post at that point. (Updated 9/17/11 with picture!)

It was one of those nights when I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner until I meandered into the kitchen about an hour before dinnertime to check out what ingredients I had handy. (I am usually more of a planner than this, but these days happen to the best of us, right?) So, I had some white fish in the freezer... some mushrooms... some capers left over from another recipe... some quinoa in the pantry, and other random products that I usually have hanging around the kitchen. I peaked at Allrecipes.com for some inspiration, and saw something about fish with capers and tomatoes. All I had was diced tomatoes... Could all those ingredients come together somehow? I donned my "Chopped" thinking cap, and the recipe below was born. I honestly couldn't believe how well the flavors combined and how much I liked it. If you try it, let me know what you think! (And put me in my place if you disagree with my taste buds... but I am practically drooling right now thinking about this.)


FRIED WHITE FISH WITH QUINOA

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. white fish (I used 3 skai fillets)
3/8 c. brown rice flour
3/8 c. powdered Parmesan cheese*
¼ tsp. pepper
1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ c. milk (or milk substitute)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg
vegetable oil (enough for frying)

1 c. quinoa
1 ½ c. chicken broth**
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
¼ c. capers, drained

2 c. chopped mushrooms
1 c. chopped onions
½ tbs. butter or oil

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa, broth, tomatoes, and capers. Bring to a boil, lower heat; cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. (If this sits for a while or even completely cools, it should still taste fine. I actually preferred it that way.)
2. While quinoa is cooking, combine milk, egg, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Then on a large plate or in a large bowl, combine flour, cheese, pepper, and thyme. If fish is soggy (as it will be if frozen and defrosted), pat dry with a paper towel. Dip the fish in the liquid mixture, then coat with the flour and cheese mixture.
3. In a large saucepan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by about a quarter or half an inch. Fry fish until the breading is golden brown, and fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. (Cook time will vary depending on type and thickness of fish, but should be around 3-5 minutes per side.)
4. In a separate pan, saute mushrooms and onions in ½ tbs. butter or oil until crisp-tender (about 3 minutes).
5. Plate by placing a serving of quinoa down, then a portion of fish, then topping with mushrooms and onions. Enjoy!

*Sorry... While this recipe is low on dairy, it is not totally dairy-free. The cheese definitely adds a lot to this dish in my opinion, but if you can't have it, I would try using about this much more rice flour, cornmeal, or some other grain flour, and adding ½ to 1 tsp. salt.
**This is the main reason I didn't post this recipe right away... I think the liquid here needed adjustment. I used 2 cups of broth, and it was a bit too watery. If you want a more accurate measurement, I would drain the juice from the diced tomatoes into a measuring cup, add it to the pot, and then reduce the 2 cups of broth by that amount. (I'm estimating the tomato liquid would be about ½ a cup, hence my 1 ½ cups of broth recommendation above.)

2 comments:

  1. I commented on your post over at msm! checked out your site. I'll definitely be back. We have a very similar lifestyle. I have 4 kids 4 and under and we are doing gluten-free also. I need lots more easy to make, cheap gf recipes. Do you have a posting of cookbooks you'd recommend??

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comments, Jennifer! I don't actually use cookbooks much in general... So far I've found that many of the specifically GF writers end up being either too expensive, too difficult, or not very tasty. Hence this blog. :-p

    The only GF cookbook that I own is "Gluten-free Girl and the Chef" by Shauna and Daniel Ahern. (She writes at glutenfreegirl.com and has another book that she wrote on her own.) Other than the ideas for GF baking from scratch, though, I haven't used it a whole lot. She knows what she is talking about and her recipes look FABULOUS, but she seems to use a lot of ingredients that are too expensive for my liking.

    I also found the book "Gluten-free Gourmet" at my local library, which contrary to the name, seemed to have several recipes within my budget level. It may be a bit out of date, though, and the one recipe I tried from it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked (though I did substitute a few ingredients... might have been better, but probably more expensive, if I'd done it correctly). So I mostly end up adjusting recipes I already know or find in standard cookbooks or cooking websites, and some GF websites. I've seen a few other cookbooks that look interesting, but haven't gotten around to purchasing them yet. (I'm all about free recipes at this point. :-p)

    Sorry I can't help more! I'll be sure to make a note in my posts if I find a cookbook or website that I really love!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!! If you have a story or recipe you would like me to share, please email me at glutenfreecheapskate@gmail.com. If you would like to make a recipe request, please leave a comment or drop me an email, and I will do my best to oblige. :-)