Fried Calamari with Aioli

Fried calamari from a restaurant is really hit or miss for me. It's either great, or it's yucky. It's not that easy to overcook calamari in the deep fryer so I just don't understand how some restaurants can get it so rubbery. I've had some excellent calamari at Carrabba's, but the Rain Forest Cafe was pretty decent also. Remember, I don't live near the ocean. :)

What you'll need to make it at home:

1 package calamari. I bought the Private Selection Brand (Kroger) and they come whole with tentacles separated. About a pound?

Oil for deep frying. If you have a deep fryer, even better. If not, you'll need about 3 cups vegetable oil.

1/2 cup or so of flour

salt

dried oregano, parsley

seasoned salt to taste

pepper

garlic and onion powder

any other seasoning that you'd like to add to the batter to make it more tasty :)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a big bowl or baking dish to make it easy to dredge several pieces at a time. Set aside.

Take the squid to the sink and thoroughly rinse each one and cut into rings.

I used kitchen scissors, it is SO much easier. Keep the tentacles if you're going to eat them. Some do, some don't. My boys like to pretend they're eating spiders! haha.

Don't worry if the rings stay very flat after you cut them. They will open up when you fry them.
Now that you've rinsed them, strain them to get off most of the liquid. Prepare your deep fryer to 360 degrees or add your 3 cups of oil to a deep pot and heat until a drop of water sizzles.
Dredge your squid in the flour mixture making sure that each piece has a nice thin coat and is thoroughly coated.
Add to oil a few at a time, I did 10-15 pieces at a time, and deep fry for about 3 minutes.
They float so you'll have to carefully try to flip them over about halfway through that time.
Use a slotted metal spoon to remove and set on a dish layered with two or three paper towels to catch the excess oil. Continue until all are cooked.

For the Aioli Sauce(which is basically a flavored mayo):

3/4 cup mayonnaise

tsp garlic (diced)

bout 1 tsp or more lemon juice

fresh parsley

salt

Mix all ingredients together. Voila!

Serve with aioli, marinara, and lemon wedges for a delicious appetizer.

Baked Fish Fillets

Here's a quick and easy way to make a delicious fish dinner in the oven.

What you'll need:

1 1/2-2lbs white fish fillets (I used frozen/thawed cod fillets)
1 lime
mayonnaise or light mayonnaise
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper
around 1/2 c seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbsp butter(melted)
fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray and lay your fish in a single layer in the dish. It's ok if they overlap a little as long as they're mostly single layer.
In a medium bowl mix lime juice from 1 lime (about a tbsp), 2 tbsp or so of mayo, a couple of shakes of onion & garlic powder to taste, and some black pepper.

Spread this mixture all over the top of your fish...Trust me.

Evenly pour the breadcrumbs over the top and then the melted butter over that, like so.

Now just pop this baby into the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the fish easily flakes with a fork. Top with some fresh parsley.

All in all, this dish shouldn't take you more than 35 minutes from start to finish. Before I started, I threw some rice in the rice cooker and everything was done at the same time. Great weeknight meal!

Citrus Grilled Tilapia Packets

When I was a young mother I thought the only way to cook fish was directly on the grill and the only fish I (thought) I knew how to cook was catfish. Needless to say, I hated to cook fish because it never really turned out right and half of it ended up in the bottom of the grill.
Today we're talking about Tilapia packets but making foil packets in general is a really great way to use the grill. You can be creative on what you add and it will always turn out perfectly! I love the way everything steams together and takes on each other's flavors. Easier cleanup is another bonus.
On a side note: if you make this recipe I would suggest adding some red or yellow pepper rings to the packets. I wish I would have. Ok, on to the recipe...

Ingredients (per packet)
1-2 filets of tilapia depending on their size. I used frozen and they were tiny
1-2 orange slices
2 lime slices
some shallots or red onion thin sliced
bit of diced garlic
fresh thyme sprig
2-4 tbsp white wine
salt & pepper
about a tbsp butter or margarine

Start by making a foil "bowl" to hold everything. I formed mine to the inside of my glass baking dish to keep anything from spilling out. Put down the orange, lime, shallot, butter, garlic. (as shown)Remember, this is not an exact science, you can put more or less of anything or omit things, change stuff around, whatever you want!

Add the fish on top, sprinkle with salt & pepper, add thyme (you could easily substitute dill here). This is where I would have added a slice or two of bell pepper..add wine. If you don't like wine, add a little water or more butter. The point is that you need the liquid to steam the fish. I would NOT suggest adding beer. We made a couple of these with beer and it made the fish way too bitter.

Now it's time to fold up the packets. First bring the two long sides of the foil together and fold a few times, then fold the ends up towards the fish. Keep the packets seam side up and poke two small holes in the foil so that steam can escape. Put these on the grill for around 12-15 minutes keeping the grill right around 350-400 degrees. I also alternated opening and closing the grill depending on if the corn was getting too hot.
P.S. If you're going to grill corn in the husk, make sure you soak it in water first or it will catch fire.
You'll be able to hear the liquid boiling inside of the packets.

The fish is done when it is white and opaque. Enjoy.