Quick and easy red snapper recipe. Great for a workday evening when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare or clean up. Works well with Mahi-Mahi, too!

1 whole Snapper
1 sprig of marjoram
1 sprig of parsley
1 clove of garlic crushed
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the skin of fish three times and drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper both inside and out.
Stuff the fish with the marjoram, parsley and garlic. Then place in a pre-heated 400 degrees oven for 8-10 minutes.
Serves 2-4

This recipe is a variation on the traditional Veracruz sauce. Veracruz is a Mexican state on the southern shores of the Gulf of Mexico. It has mountains in the west and beautiful beaches, and seafood, on its eastern border. Spice up your evening with this easy to prepare dish.

4 red snapper fillets (4 ounces each)
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
4 green onions, sliced in 1/2 inch lengths
1/2 cup chopped Anaheim pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
Cilantro for garnish

Place red snapper in a shallow baking dish. Combine lime juice, lemon juice and chili powder in measuring cup. Pour over snapper. Marinate snapper 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Sprinkle onions, tomato and peppers over snapper. Cover. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or just until snapper flakes in center. Let stand, covered, 4 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serves 4.

Lavendar is more than just a beautiful fragrance. It is also a spice. Originally from France, lavendar is now also being commercially grown in central Texas.

1 1/2 pounds center-cut Ahi tuna or 4
 1-inch thick sushi quality tuna steaks
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried culinary
 lavender flowers
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups savory mixed fresh greens and herbs
Mustard Seed Dressing
 If using the center-cut Ahi tuna, trim and cut the tuna into a block approximately 2 inches across; then cut into 1-inch steaks.
 Crush the salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and lavender with a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin. Lightly oil the tuna with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil; evenly coat the tuna with the lavender-pepper mixture, patting off any excess.
 In a heavy bottomed sauté pan or a cast-iron pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Increase the heat to high and place the tuna in the pan. Sear for 1 minutes, then turn over carefully, reducing the heat to medium. Sear the other side for 1 more minutes until medium rare. Remove from heat and immediately refrigerate the tuna for at least 1 hour but no more than 3 hours. Serves 8.

The zesty tang of lime and the warm bite of pepper combine to spark up this tuna recipe. This is especially useful if, like me, you often have trouble finding the highest grade of tuna. The powerful flavors in this recipe allow you to get away with less than sushi grade tuna. Have fun!

4 tuna steaks
 (3/4 to 1-inch thick, about 6 ounces each)
Zest and juice of one (1) lime
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil

 Rinse the tuna steaks and pat dry with paper towels. Grate the zest from the lime (you should have about 1 1/2 teaspoons), then squeeze the juice and set aside.
 In a small bowl, combine lime zest, thyme, pepper and salt; stir to mix. Lightly rub both sides of the tuna steaks with olive oil. Rub the seasoning mix on the tuna steaks; coating them well.
 Using a heavy bottomed sauté pan or a cast-iron pan, warm the olive oil. Increase the heat to high and place the tuna in the pan. Sear for 1 minute, then turn over carefully, reducing the heat to medium. Sear the other side for 1 more minute until medium rare. Pour the lime juice over the tuna steaks right after you take them from the stove, then serve. Serves 4.

Fresh tuna is always better than frozen. Tuna season runs from late spring until early fall. Target those months and your chances of getting fresh tuna are better. Ask your fish market about where they get theirs, and if they are frozen or fresh. Avoid any tuna with dark brown areas.

Serves 4
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds tuna steaks
1 lemon, cut in wedges

 In a jar or bowl, combine oil, garlic, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Shake or whisk to blend well. Rinse tuna steaks under cold running water and pat dry. Place the tuna in a shallow bowl; cover with marinade, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
 Cook the tuna steaks on a lightly oiled broiler pan under a preheated broiler for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until tuna is opaque. Serve with lemon wedges.

Capers come from a Mediterranean bush called the Caper, which has white flowers. Capers are the buds taken from the Caper bush. The caper buds are then pickeled to become the capers we use in our cooking. Capers are sorted by size, with the smallest being the best. These smallest capers are referred to as non-pareil.

4 tablespoons butter
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoon capers, drained, rinsed & chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
Olive oil
4 tuna steaks
Salt and pepper

Heat broiler. Oil the rack of a broiler pan and place in the oven. In a small skillet over low heat, melt butter; add garlic, lemon juice, zest, and capers. Simmer for 30 seconds. Stir in parsley. Remove from heat. Rub olive oil over the tuna steaks; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange tuna on the hot prepared pan. Broil about 6 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning carefully about halfway through the cooking time. The tuna steaks should still be somewhat pink in the middle, depending on how you like your fresh tuna done. Drizzle warmed lemon caper sauce over the tuna steaks before serving.  Serves 4.

Mahi-Mahi is low in saturated fat and is a good source of vitamin B12, phosphorus, and potassium and a very good source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, and selenium. Between 66 million and 88 million pounds of mahimahi are delivered to the global market each year.

Fish:

6 mahi-mahi filets, 3 oz. each
1/3 cup pistachios, ground

Salsa:

5 ears fresh corn
24 tomatillos
1 red pepper
1 tomato
1/2 jalapeño, seeded
2 Tablespoon cilantro

Sauce
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tablespoon pistachio nut oil

Salsa: Prepare a hot grill. Remove silks from ears of corn and pull husks back to cover. Place on grill and char on all sides until corn is cooked, about 5 minutes. At the same time, remove the husks from tomatillos and place on grill with red pepper and char on all sides. When vegetables are cool enough to handle remove the husks from the corn and cut off the cob. Finely dice the tomatillos and tomato. Peel, seed and dice the red pepper. Place them all in a stainless steel bowl and mix with the jalapeño and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Sauce: Place orange juice in a stainless steel saucepan and reduce by half over high heat until lightly thickened. Add the lemon juice and pistachio nut oil and reserve.

To serve: Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat. Roll fish filets in ground pistachios. Spray oil on skillet and cook filets on both sides to lightly brown and cook through. Divide salsa between six plates, place fish on top and drizzle sauce around the fish. Serves 6.

Grilling with Cedar Planks from Tim Aupperle, Whole Foods Market West Coast Culinary Expert. Cedar-planked salmon began in northwest Native American culture, the fish roasting slowly, downwind of the fire, for wonderful flavor and delicate texture. Here is Tim’s modern take:

Use cedar planks designed for cooking (or 9–12" untreated, kiln dried).
Soak 1 hour or more in water (weigh down with food cans to submerge).
Heat planks on grill grate for 3 minutes.
Place salmon fillets or 1"-thick salmon steaks on the planks and cover grill.
Cook without turning about 15–20 minutes or until just done.
Before placing fish on the plank, brush with a glaze and top with fresh herb sprigs. Try maple syrup and bourbon with rosemary; honey and white wine with tarragon; or sesame oil, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar with sesame seeds (instead of herbs).
 
Recipe Courtesy of Whole Foods Market®

Don’t put just any rum in this dish. Be creative. There are many different kinds of rum, and each can add a slightly different flavor. Dark rums have more flavor. Try Appleton from Jamaica, Casique from Venezuela, Pussers from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and Myers from Jamaica. And never forget this advice from the legendary Cajun Justin Wilson, “If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t put it in your food!”

Ingredients:

2 medium Mahi-Mahi fillets
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 lemon, sliced thin
2 TB fresh oregano
2 onions sliced into thick rings
4 TB butter
1/2 cup dark rum
1TS sea salt
2 TS coarse ground black pepper

Directions

Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lime juice and rum over fish and place onion on each fillet. Let marinate for 3 hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove fish from marinade. Place onion and lemon slices on each fish fillet. Sprinkle with oregano and black pepper. Add butter to dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. 

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, granular cheese, named after the Italian areas that produce it: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, and Mantova. Better known in English as Parmesan, a name which actually refers to any cheeses imitating real Parmesan, those in the know are aware that only cheeses that originate in the above mentioned areas of Italy are true Parmesan, much as only wine that originates in the Champagne region of France can really be called Champagne. Produced in wheel size blocks, the cheese is softer in the middle than near its edge. The harder edge produces the dry, grated cheese which Americans are most familiar.

Ingredients:

4 large Redfish fillets
2 eggs
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup of flour
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup cracker meal
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup olive oil
1/4 pound butter, unsalted

Directions:

Mix half and half with eggs until well blended. Then mix all other ingredients except the flour, oil and butter. Coat the fillets in the flour, then dip in half and half  and egg mixture. Coat with all of the other dry ingredients combined. Saute in olive oil and butter on medium high heat until fillets are golden and fish starts to flake. Garnish parsley.