Fish

Citrus marinated salmon, Mama ía blog

Citrus Marinated Salmon —and musings on Christmas preparedness

Citrus marinated salmon, Mama ía blogHere we are again, days away from a major feast, with a recipe I would love you to make —because, trust me, your guests will love it! I serve citrus marinated salmon as an appetizer, and it’s always a hit. Pretty simple to make, it looks and feels as if you took special time and care to make it, as something special, for a special occasion. The occasion is certainly special (Christmas), but the dish is not complicated. The main thing you have to remember is to make it at least 3 days before you plan on having it.

Thanksgiving 2019, Mama ía blog

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Arroz Negro, Black Rice with Squid, Mama Ía blog

Arroz Negro, Black Rice with Squid, a Showstopper

Arroz Negro, Black Rice with Squid, Mama Ía blogI know, I know, two posts in a row with recipes for fish. Not only fish, but mollusks, so popular where I come from, Spain’s Mediterranean coast, but not so where I live, Indiana. There’s an explanation, I’m still on detoxification mode from sweets after Christmas, and hard on the Mediterranean diet, the tried and true. But don’t fret: Valentines is around the corner, then a number of family birthdays, and soon after, Easter. Lots and lots of opportunities for sweets. So tag along with me, follow the Mediterranean diet, and your heart (and your waist) will thank you.

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Octopus with potatoes, Mama ía blog

Octopus with Potatoes, the Unexpected Guest at our Christmas Table

Octopus with potatoes, Mama ía blogThe anticipation of Christmas break is always special, no matter what one’s age. As a child, it was a magical time in every sense —the miracle of the birth, the visit of the Three Magi, loaded with toys, and the school vacation! As an adult, the excitement doesn’t wane, but new layers are added: this year was the first one we had two of our children away at college, and therefore back home for Christmas. What better opportunity than to celebrate with special dishes they don’t usually eat?

Octopus with potatoes, Mama ía blog

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Stuffed calamari, Mama ía blog

Stuffed Calamari, Another Meatless Option for Lent

Stuffed calamari, Mama ía blogWhen I asked my husband if I should translate this recipe, calamares rellenos, as stuffed squid or stuffed calamari, he immediately responded stuffed calamari, “Americans are grossed out by the thought of eating squid”. I had to laugh, but I think he’s probably right, since his American/Canadian perspective is always more accurate than mine. So here it goes, stuffed calamari.

Alcocebre, Mama ía blog

Stuffed calamari, Mama ía blog

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Braised cod with white beans, Mama ía blog

Braised Cod with White Beans, and a Year of Lasts and Firsts (Hint: Video Recipe)

 

Braised cod with white beans, Mama ía blogThis is not the first time I post a recipe for cod, and it will certainly not be the last. You know that cod is one of my favorite kinds of fish, and I like it in any way and manner: baked, seared, in soups (click here), in fritters (croquetas or buñuelos, click here ), in green sauce, pil-pil style, with roasted vegetables or esgarraet, you name it. The recipe I am sharing today is delicious, but what can I say! The cod is first salted for ten minutes and then rinsed and seasoned with Spanish flavors, pepper and pimentón de la Vera, garlic, thyme. It’s then baked in a cocotte, and laid over a bed of black-eyed peas simmered in a butter, olive oil, and lemon sauce (you could use almost any kind of legume or dry bean of your liking). Serve the braised cod with white beans with fresh crusty bread and you have a fantastic meal.

Senior Night, Mama ía blog (more…)

Calamari and bean salad, Mama Ía blog

Calamari and Bean Salad —and a hike on Sierra de Irta

Calamari and bean salad, Mama Ía blogI am very glad the weather is still decent and we are going to have a very nice weekend, because I’m not ready to let go of summer. I’m harvesting the very last of my vegetables, and dreaming of all the fish and seafood I ate while in Spain and Portugal this summer. So before I start thinking and cooking fall recipes, allow me one last one, which transitions very well from summer to fall, and where I can enjoy the last of my homegrown vegetables: calamari and bean salad.

Alcocebre, Alcossebre, Mama ía blog

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Roasted red pepper, eggplant, cod salad, Mama ía blog

Roasted Red Pepper, Eggplant and Cod —or Esgarraet

Roasted red pepper, eggplant, cod salad, Mama ía blogI don’t know in which category exactly to place esgarraet, salads or appetizers/tapas. Esgarraet is a dish typical of the Valencian community, and very often it is served as a tapa, on top of a slice of crusty bread, or grilled or toasted bread. It consists of roasted red peppers, salt cod, garlic and olive oil, and in some areas of (more…)

Soupy seafood rice, Mama ía blog

Soupy Seafood Rice, and thinking of Las Fallas

Soupy seafood rice, Mama ía blog

If you subscribe to Mama Ía blog, or if you’ve been following it, by now you’re probably familiar with Spain’s dry rice dishes, like paella in all it’s varieties, or arroz al horno (click here and here and here). But there’s a different category of rice dish in Spain, which is not as familiar outside of the country as paella is. In Spanish we call it (more…)

Oven baked tilapia over potatoes and onions, Mama ía

Oven Baked Tilapia Over Potatoes, a Quick One Pot Dinner

Oven baked tilapia over potatoes and onions, Mama íaIf I were in Spain, this dish would be made with hake. But you know the chances of me finding hake in the Midwest are zero, zip. And yet, as always, I can’t go without enjoying the dish. Filetes de merluza al horno con patatas becomes oven baked tilapia over potatoes. It is a very tasty dish, and yet, easy and relatively quick to make, which makes it (more…)

Cod in salsa verde, Mama ía

Cod in Salsa Verde, and Valencia’s Ciutat Vella

Cod in salsa verde, Mama íaIt is the season, I know, for pumpkins and squashes, for persimmons and stews, and soups, of course. It is autumn, after all. And yet, I’m thinking fish, and had to make bacalao en salsa verde, cod in salsa verde, green sauce —cod, as you know, is one of my favorite kinds of fish. When I’m in Spain, I buy it in salt, then soak it for hours, changing (more…)