Tuna & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Not only is this pasta sauce adult & kid friendly, but it’s a great way to get healthy fish into anyone’s diet! In addition, it can be made almost entirely with pantry staples. Plus it’s quick and simple to prepare – so add this one to your list of good fall back options for weeknight dinners.

The most important thing about this recipe is using the best tuna you can find – that doesn’t mean the most expensive – but the most delicious. Tuna in olive oil tends to be of a higher quality and that is what I prefer to buy and use. No matter what type or style of tuna you decide to use, adjust the seasonings at the end and enjoy a delicious pasta dish!

A note on quantity – this recipe will make about 2 cups of sauce. Feel free to double the recipe and play with ratios, it is a fairly forgiving recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 can of chopped or diced tomatoes (plain, fire roasted, with garlic, etc. anything goes but avoid green chile type additions)
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1/2 t balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 t sugar (optional)
• 1/4 – 1/2 t mixed herbs (mixed italian spices, thyme, herbs de provence, etc.)
• 2/3 can of tuna (preferably tuna in olive oil) drained & flaked
• 2 T cream cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium to med-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes until soft.
2. Add all other ingredients except tuna and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat uncovered for about 12 minutes, stirring often.
3. Reduce heat to low, add flaked tuna and heat through.
4. Stir in cream cheese until melted, remove from heat.

This sauce keeps very nicely for a few days in the fridge. I have also frozen it in cubes for the baby with no problem.

Based on a recipe from First Meals by Annabel Karmel.

Dinner tonight was fantastic! And I love the fact that at 7p on the west coast, it is still bright and sunny outside for me to enjoy while I type. Hard to beat!

Miso Glazed Salmon sounds super fancy, but frankly, it couldn’t be easier! Adding the sides are virtually no work, though having the ingredients on hand is the trick. Yesterday I picked up a lovely piece of salmon and today I was browsing through my copy of Simply Ming by Ming Tsai. It is really a fantastic cookbook and I haven’t (yet ) spent as much time with it as I should have considering I have owned it for years! Several salmon ideas popped out at me but the light pink Umeboshi Rice swayed me towards a miso glaze on the fish. I threw in the turnip greens because, well, it wouldn’t be dinner at the Wheat’s without a green on the plate.

I modified Ming Tsai’s recipe for the fish quite a bit, but I’ll share with you the way I made it. I hope you give it a try – let me know how it goes! The recipes for the rice & greens will be following.

A few hints & ideas:

1. You don’t have to use salmon! I’ve used nearly the same marinade on many white fishes, but in particular black sea bass is delicious.
2. Line your baking sheet or broiler pan with foil & spray with a touch of cooking spray before putting the fish on it. This will help keep clean up simple and the fish in one piece.
3. If you like sauce, boil the marinade after removing the fish. Boiling it for a few minutes will thicken it and ensure the sauce is safe to eat. You can drizzle onto the fillets when they are on the plate or just serve the sauce table side & let folks help themselves.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. Mirin (sweet)
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 c. light miso
• 1-2 T. fresh ginger, minced or shredded on a microplane
• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 2 salmon fillets

1. In a medium bowl, combine the mirin, soy, lemon juice, miso, & ginger. Stir well. Slowly add in the canola oil while whisking.
2. Pour the glaze over the salmon and refrigerate for about 4 hours. (You can do this a bit longer or shorter, but try not to go too long because the acids will cook the fish a little bit)
3. When ready to cook, turn the broiler to high. Arrange your oven rack about 4-5″ below the broiler. Place the salmon face down (skin side up) on a broiler pan and cook for about 5 minutes. If the skin begins to burn either turn the broiler heat down or lower the rack. Flip the salmon and continue to cook for another 2-4 minutes until the fish is just cooked to the doneness you like.
4. Serve immediately & enjoy!

This photo may not look like the best sea bass dish you have never had, but let me assure you – it is! Brad – while being a wonderful critic is not usually the first to rave about a dish. However he is still talking about this fish & veggie combo weeks later. That is pretty unbelievable around these parts – so I feel compelled to highlight that fact.

Sea bass has gotten a bad rap because there has been a LOT of over-fishing – especially of the Chilean Sea Bass. Some species of sea bass are endangered and it is important to understand where & how the fish you buy came from before just purchasing. However (at least in the bay area) finding sustainably fished sea bass is as easy as visiting Whole Foods or the Ferry Building (The San Francisco Fish Co. is my favorite). And you do not have to buy the Chilean variety – many others exist and are exquisite!

Something else I would like to note is while I love fish, I shy away from cooking it at times. I dislike sautéing fish exclusively because I have a hard time determining when it is done. I also don’t like the splattery mess. Roasting fish only works well with substantial pieces – and I usually cook for only two people so I don’t need THAT much fish. Poaching is really the perfect solution – but not all fish is quite right for poaching. Sea bass is a fish that will work beautifully being lightly seared then finished by poaching. It takes the “fear” out of cooking fish and produces a perfectly finished fillet.

The picture above shows the sea bass with the Roasted Winter Vegetable dish highlighted the other day. It was a perfect combination and I would encourage you to try it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. sea bass fillets (you can use another white fish such as red snapper, catfish, monkfish, etc. if desired)
• flour for dredging
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 t. saffron threads
• 1/2 c. dry white wine or white vermouth
• 1 c. vegetable stock (or other stock)

1. Heat 2-3 T. of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet (non-stick works well here). Dredge each fillet of fish in flour and shake to remove excess. When oil is hot add the fish to the skillet. Cook until browned, flipping once, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside.
2. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Add 2 T. olive oil and return to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the onion and continue to cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the saffron, wine, stock, and a pinch each of salt & pepper. Place the fish on top of the onion mixture then cover the pan. Cook at a simmer for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked thru.
4. Serve with roasted vegetables and sauce on the side.

And we’re back! After a technical glitch that was affecting my photo serving ability, my web host has helped get things back on track. Recipes have been piling up and I know you are all waiting expectantly for more.

This Miso Glazed Black Cod recipe is my own twist on the wonderful Roy’s & Nobu versions of this dish. It is incredibly simple and rich in flavor. You can usually find miso paste very easily at Whole Foods.

Ingredients:

• black cod filets (also known as Sablefish)
• 1/2 c. miso paste (I used yellow, but white would be lovely as well)
• 2-3 T. rice vinegar
• 2-3 T. mirin (sweet cooking sake)
• a dash of soy if desired

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients except cod the rub all over fis.
3. Broil cod until nicely browned, then return to bake for approximately 5-10 minutes until cod is opaque in the center.
4. Enjoy!

Last night was broiled salmon over cabbage and shitake mushrooms. This made a fantastic and easy dinner! The method I will share for broiling salmon is no secret and can be used with any types of spices. I’m just posting what I used yesterday – it is very tasty and easy. Enjoy!

Turn oven broiler on low and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray (Pam) and put the salmon (skin side down) on the tray.

Sprinkle the salmon with Chile and paprika, then spread a very thin layer of Dijon mustard over it. Drizzle with honey.

Cook under the broiler about 10 minutes though time will vary depending on the size of the fillet. If it is getting too charred but not cooked, lower it down away from the broiler a bit.