Fish on Christmas Eve

It’s Christmas Eve. Will there be fish on the table? In our house — absolutely!

In fact, seafood is the star attraction on this most special night.

Where exactly this tradition came from is buried deep in history — even the Italians in Italy don’t celebrate fish on Christmas Eve as they do here in North America — but word is the tradition started decades ago in the U.S., and travelled north to Canada.

So it’s a given we’re going to be tucking into fish this evening.

Here’s a selection of recipes perfect to create during today’s crunch time – and great for future dinners.

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Orange Chili Sauce

A truly fast and flavourful dish, enough to make several times into New Year’s Eve celebrations. Recipe courtesy of Hamiltonbeach.ca .

1/2 cup (125 mL) EACH orange marmalade and sweet chili sauce
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup (175 mL) sweetened shredded coconut
1 egg white
1 lb. (450 g) extra-jumbo shrimp (16-20 in pkg.)
Cilantro
favourite jarred chutney

In a small bowl, combine marmalade, sweet chili sauce and lime juice. Set aside. Heat oven to 450F (220C). Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and salt.

Add panko breadcrumbs and coconut to bag. Seal and shake to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg white until foamy. Dip one shrimp at a time into egg white. Place shrimp in crumb mixture and press mixture onto shrimp until well coated. Arrange in single layer in prepared baking pan.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown. Serve with chutney. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves: 8-10.

Mediterranean Baked Fish

Tasty and easy to make, buy your fish today, enjoy this evening! Recipe courtesy of Foodland Ontario ( foodlandontario.ca )

4 pieces cod, halibut or haddock, about 6 oz (175 g) each, (1-1/2 lb/750 g total)
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) olive oil
1 lemon
3 medium tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) sliced mushrooms (cremini suggested)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tsp. (5 mL) dried basil
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) EACH salt and pepper
8 black olives (such as Kalamata) pitted
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Brush shallow baking dish just a little larger than fish with some of the olive oil; place fish in dish.

With fine grater, grate 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) lemon peel from one side of lemon. Cut 4 lemon wedges from other side for serving. Core tomatoes and cut in half crosswise; squeeze out seeds and chop tomatoes.

In skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion, mushrooms, garlic and anchovies; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes, lemon peel, basil, salt and pepper; spoon over fish. Bake, uncovered, in 425F (220C) oven until fish flakes easily when tested with fork, 15 to 20 minutes.

Scatter olives and parsley over top. Garnish each plate with lemon wedge.

Serves 4.

Mini Rice and Fish Pies

Comfort food can be both elegant and hearty as experienced in these divine, flaky, homemade fish pies, befitting any occasion. Store-bought pastry is a great shortcut. Recipe courtesy of USA Rice.

2 Tbsp. (30 mL) butter
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) olive oil
1 thinly sliced leek, white part only
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup (60 mL) flour
1 tsp.(5 mL) pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine
1 8-oz. (250 mL) bottle clam juice
1 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. (250 mL, plus 30 mL) milk
1/3 cup (75 mL) grated Swiss cheese
10 oz. (300 g) haddock, cubed
3.5 oz. (100 g) smoked trout, flaked (or plain trout)
1 cup (250 mL) chopped watercress
2 cups (500 mL) cooked long-grain white rice
14 oz. (397 g) store-bought puff pastry

Heat butter and oil in a large deep skillet over high heat. Saute leek and garlic until softened. Add flour and pepper, cooking for 1-2 minutes; while stirring, add wine and clam juice a little at a time creating a thick sauce with the flour. Stir in milk and Swiss cheese; bring to a simmer and add haddock, simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in smoked trout, watercress and rice. Spoon filling into 4 individual sized baking dishes.

Roll pastry to 1/4 inch (5 mm) thickness, cut pastry 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger in diameter than baking dish size. Drape pastry over dishes and brush lightly with remaining milk. Arrange dishes on a baking sheet and bake on centre rack of preheated 425F (220C) oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Makes four 1 cup (250 ml) portions or eight 1/2 cup (125 ml) portions.

Classic Maritime Seafood Chowder

A velvety chowder with classic flavour is guaranteed to become a go-to favourite. Courtesy of DairyfarmersofCanada.ca .

1 Tbsp. (15 mL) butter
2 stalks celery chopped
1 onion chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. (5 mL) dried dill or dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced
2 cups (500 mL) water or fish stock
1/3 cup (80 mL) all-purpose flour
3 cups (750 mL) milk
2 cups (500 mL) chopped raw skinless fish fillets or cooked seafood (shrimp, lobster, scallops, crab, clams, oysters) or a combination
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
whole grain crackers, crumbled

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat; saute celery, onion, bay leaf, dill, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and 1/4 tsp. (1 mL) pepper for about 5 minutes or until onions start to brown. Stir in potatoes; saute for 2 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high; stir in water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and boil for about 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender.

Whisk flour into milk and stir into pot; bring to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in fish or seafood; simmer, stirring often for 5 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork or seafood is hot. Discard bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with crumbled crackers.

Serves 4-6.

TIPS:

Add up to 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped carrots, red bell pepper or corn kernels with onion for extra colour and nutrition. For the Adventurous: Omit butter and add 3 slices bacon, chopped, and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) hot pepper flakes with onion.