Taco Night Twist

Taco Night Sundays has become a weekly staple for us. This Sunday I wanted to change it up a bit, still keeping it simple but a tad bit healthier. Instead of using the familiar ground turkey and caloric crispy taco shells, I opted for a lighter tilapia fish in corn tortillas. My fiance was a bit bummed at the sound of it, but when I watched him scarf down dinner raving about how good it was...well, let's just say "I told you so".

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa and Black Bean and Corn Salad

Cooking spray
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh corn kernels (about 2 large ears)
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas
juice from one lime
1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 Tbsp jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 (19-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 lb tilapia fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
3/4 cup avocado, halved, pitted and sliced
Tomatillo Salsa, store-bought or homemade

To prepare salad, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add corn; saute 8 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan; cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, 3/4 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt. Combine the corn, tomatoes, red peppers, onion, jalapeno pepper, fresh cilantro, oregano, and black beans. Drizzle juice mixture over the corn mixture, and toss gently to coat.

Heat the tortillas by wrapping in foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Sprinkle fish with 1/4 tsp of salt. Combine the rest of the salt, flour and 1 tsp cumin in a medium bowl; dredge fish in mixture and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in the large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add fish. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork.


Build your tacos by folding the tortillas in half and placing the fish down the center first, followed by slices of avocado and topping off with tomatilla salsa. You can pile on the black bean and corn salad or serve alongside. I used store-bought tomatilla salsa to save time. You can create your own by combining tomatillo peppers, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, garlic, and jalapeno pepper.


Use leftover Black Bean and Corn Salad for lunch the next day! I piled salad in a warm corn tortilla, wrapped tightly and sliced into small bite-sized pieces. Top with tomatillo salsa. Enjoy!

Summer Nights

It was my official last weekend spent in the Hamptons and it seemed only right to end on a high note with long beach days, fresh food, local wine and of course prokadima contests. We spent Friday night cooking in. It's always a gastronomic affair with our group. The grocery shopping on the way in only started the process... Waldbaum's for the essentials, The Seafood Shop for the fish, and a final stop at our local wine store for bottles of their best. Once the wine was corked, culinary cheer filled the room. I had the honor of sharing the chef's hat this summer with my friend's boyfriend, Ben. He pulled out his own set of knives and I knew it was on. Simplicity, healthsome, tastefulness. We had the same mindset. It was gonna be gooooood. Fish tacos with Ben's spicy cole slaw and avacado. His tuna ceviche; my summer salad. Fresh, tasty goodness. We used talapia for the fish. Simply pan seared with olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. I used a fork to pull into perfect pieces. I am still trying to convince Ben to share his slaw and ceviche recipes with us. Hopefully this will be soon to come! There is nothing better than old fashioned S'mores for dessert. We weren't camping out on the beach like our previous weekend at a friend's Lobster Bake, so we had to settle with the good ole' gas stove. (I have to say it was a step up from our only other option...the microwave.) This was the treat of the weekend...every late night snack, as well as the final morning's breakfast. An absolute hit.

The summer in the Hamptons will be one not to forget. Jitney rides, beach days, cooking out, eating in, Surf Lodge, watching sunsets, Pierre's, Physique 57, Yama-Q, Della Femina, 3 dogs too many, bike rides, Turtle Crossing, summer playlists, Talkhouse....now looking forward to being back in the city for the start of fall in September: "The hottest party month in the city" -Chris Sweet.

Little Fish, Big Flavor

This week in the kitchen...

Baked Cod with Turkey Sausage and White Beans

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

2 ounces turkey sausage

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 lbs cod, cut into 4 pieces

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven at 425 degrees.  Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium to high heat.  Add shallot, turkey sausage and thyme and cook until turkey sausage is cooked through. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup of wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes.  Stir in beans and 1/2 tsp of salt and remove from heat.

Sprinkle fish with the remaining salt and pepper and place in the baking dish.  Top each piece of fish with equal amounts of the tomato mixture. Pour remaining wine into the pan and cover with foil.  Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cod is a white, mild flavored fish that is available throughout the year and is an excellent low-calorie source of protein. Along with turkey sausage and burst of flavor from the juicy tomatoes, this dish is hearty but low in fat and high in protein!  Enjoy!