Broiled Mahi Mahi on Red Pepper Sauce with Mint-Almond Pesto, side of Mint-Honey-Soy Shrimp

It was over 100 degrees today, so I was craving something cool. Mint sounded cool. No meat, maybe fish or chicken? Hmm...decisions. So I opted for fish. Probably because I wanted to stay indoors, and the idea of broiling fish sounded appealing.

But what to do with the mint? I've been craving a pesto for a while, but was also craving some North African flavors. I needed red peppers in there somewhere. Ah ha! A red pepper sauce, and something like Chermoula on the fish. But not real Chermoula, the idea of it, because I wanted something that crossed between Chermoula and pesto. Something with mint, but no cheese. Something with almonds too.

Right, got it.

Broiled Mahi Mahi:

I wanted a basic salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil, season. Let the sauce and pesto do the talking and use the fish as a palette. So, season it up and let it sit for about 10 minutes on the counter or 30 minutes in the fridge. Heat up your broiler, and broil on a wire rack for 4-5 minutes, then flip and broil another 4-5 minutes.

The fish was cooked, but I wanted a bit more blackening on it, so I busted out the torch. 30 seconds of flame and it was good to go.

Red Pepper Sauce:

You need a good 30 minutes to make this sauce, so I'd start it way before you even pop the fish in the broiler.

You need a jar of roasted red peppers, drained. Puree in a processor and set aside. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup of white wine and 1 large, minced shallot, to a boil, then reduce heat for 5 minutes. Add red pepper mixture and simmer for 10 minutes on lowest setting. Use an immersion blender and blend. Add salt and pepper, and continue simmering.

You'll notice when you blend a vegetable or fruit, like tomato, red peppers, etc., once you use the sauce, the solids will release liquid onto the plate (see picture for liquid escaping the solids in the sauce). The flavor was great, but I think I'd do one of two things next time - either strain the mixture, discard the solids, then using only the liquid, finish with butter, or keep everything, but thicken with a roux. A sauce like I made is only good for about 15 second before it starts to release liquid and destroys your plating. Salt and pepper to taste before plating.

Mint-Almond Pesto:

I grow fresh mint in my backyard. It's like a weed, and right now I have a ton of it. I grabbed about 1 smashed handful of it, shoved it into a processor, along with about 1/4 cup sliced almonds, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, juice from 1 lime, and salt and pepper. Process that into a chunky paste. The garlic gives it a wonderful bite!

Mint-Honey-Soy Shrimp:
Mix 1-2 Tbs honey with 2-3 Tbs soy sauce and about 1 Tbs chopped mint. Add salt and pepper. Mix well into shrimp and let them marinate at least 20 minutes. Before cooking, drain them well. Heat a small amount of oil and pan fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes. Top with a small amount of fresh mint.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Crab Cakes with Harissa Aioli and Tunisian Corn with Sweet Sticky Rice and Harissa Sauce

There's something so warm, so diverse about North African cuisine. Though there are common base ingredients in American cooking - fish, meat, grains - the flavors are nothing close. At least not to your average meal. I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon, for instance, but when ground down with paprika, cumin and coriander onto a nice cut of beef, it's mind blowing.

For my part, I often build meals around a single ingredient or something specific I want to see on my plate. In this case, I've been craving Harissa, a common hot chili sauce found in North African cooking. That was the starting point, and also knowing that I wanted crab cakes.

That was a little tougher for me, because I seriously doubt North Africans eat crab cakes. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong, but it just didn't sound common. But, that's what's happening up in my house...Harissa and Crab cakes!

And you can't have a good crab cake without aioli, can you? I like to tie my dishes together with a common thread. Often it's just garlic or tomato or something like that. But, in this case, I felt the Harissa presented a nice, strong connector. Harissa aioli? Why not?

As it came together, I recalled seeing an image of a crab cake atop some vegetables formed through a round. To be honest, I didn't really feel like having a vegetable. I also needed to consider texture and I wanted something unique - unexpected. So, I opted for corn over sticky rice.

There you have it.

Crab Cakes:

1 pound crab meat (I used claw meat from a can, but you can use any good quality crab, not imitation).
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup mayo
2 Tbs fresh herbs, chopped (I used rosemary, basil, Italian parsley, and thyme)
salt and pepper
Panko

Mix everything except panko together, leaving the crab lumps intact. Form balls and roll them in panko. Remove to baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out in panko again and pan fry in olive oil a few minutes per side. Medium-high heat, light film of oil.

Harissa Aioli:

Make your Harissa first. Then add a little bit at a time for taste to some mayo. I also push 2-3 cloves of garlic through a press and into the aioli. I'm a huge fan of garlic, so you might want 1 clove. Squeeze a bit of lemon and mix to a nice consistency.

Tunisian Corn:

Heat on medium some olive oil and throw in 1 diced onion. Stir for 5 minutes, then add an equal amount of corn. Push 3 cloves garlic through a press. Stir mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Grind down equal parts of paprika, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and caraway seed. Add salt and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Stir this into the mixture. Cook another 5 minutes, then add 1-2 Tbs tomato paste. Stir and cook another 5 minutes. At the last minute or so, add in a Tbs of Harissa.

Sweet Sticky Rice:

I used Japanese sticky rice. Soak it for 1 hour. Line a steaming basket with banana leaves. Spoon the rice onto the leaves and steam for 20 minutes. Open, and pour on 1 Tbs sugar and 1 tsp Harissa. Stir and steam another couple of minutes. Ready to eat.

Harissa:

I don't know why I saved this for last, since you need it for all the other parts, but oh well. There are many ways to make Harissa. Try this one:

1 large jar of roasted red peppers, drained, placed in a blender or processor
2-3 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic through a press
ground cumin, coriander and caraway. crushed red pepper or cayenne
Some juice from a lemon

Blend and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use.

Plating:

You can see from my picture how I prepared this dish. I think the crab cakes work well stacked on or against something. Think about the textures.

Enjoy!

~ Brock