Fish Packets on the Grill

We had a good time making this dinner, the kids love eating anything that comes in their very own packet, and nothing's easier than packet-clean-up!

We set up the food processor and grated carrots and parsnips using the shredding disk.  Then we switched to the slicer for the zucchini and yellow squash (since they cook faster, they needed some extra heft!).

The veggies made a colorful bed for some fish filets (we used cod, but any firm fish would work), and we wrapped them in aluminum and parchment paper packets, folded over and well sealed on the top and sides.  The only seasonings were salt, pepper, olive oil (on the parchment paper and drizzled over the fish), and some thyme.

The packets sat directly on the grill over a medium heat for about 12 minutes.

The carrots and parsnips got sweet and everything stayed really moist and flavorful.  Salmon also works well this way.  With the food processor rinsed while we waited for the fish to cook, clean up was a snap.

The only real secret is to get the veggies sized so they'll cook as quickly as the fish - julienne, grated, thinly siced etc.  From there, it's all about experimentation with flavor combinations and seasonings. 

Fish Tacos

Once in a while, I get a hankering for fish tacos.  Thankfully, the most recent episode was on a Friday, so we had time to be relaxed after work and school.  This dish doesn't take long to put together, but it did require a quick trip to the grocery store for fish, since I didn't have any on-hand.

The traditional fish taco is a little different than ours, but we improvised with a few extra ingredients (more veggies) and they were wonderful. 

This kind of dinner is fun to enjoy with kids.  You have to play with your food!  The only cooking was done in one pan, and since I think it's best to serve the fish warm, but not necessarially hot-off-the-stove, it makes the whole dinner more relaxed.

As people drifted in and out of the kitchen, the tomatoes were sliced, the limes were sliced, the peppers were chopped and the zucchini was stirred.  The fish was last into the pan, for just a few minutes, and when it was all spread on the table it looked like a party.

Friday Night Fish Tacos

3 small tomatoes, sliced
1 lime, quartered
lettuce, shredded
8 small flour tortillas
guacamole

0.5 lb fish per person - sea bass, cod or other white, firm-fleshed fish

options:
sliced zucchini, sauted with fish
shredded cabbage
salsa
sauted green/red peppers

Prepare and set out the tomatoes through guacamole.  Saute any veggies in the pan that need to cook more than a few minutes.
I added a little olive oil and sauted the peppers and zucchini for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the fish, lightly salted, to the hot pan.  (you can remove the other veggies and put them aside in a serving dish if they're cooked though at this point, if not, they can cook with the fish).  Cook the fish about 4 minutes each side for thick pieces, 3 for filets.  When the fish is opaque and flakes easily, it's done.  Put fish in the serving dish, break into chunks and serve.

We assemble ours by putting some guacamole on the tortilla, adding the fish and other ingredients and wrapping.

I suppose this approach would work with lots of other ingredients - chicken, tofu, scrambled eggs - time to play with our food!

In fact, playing with the ingredients on the table led to another wacky-flavor combination: apple slices and lime juice!  I'm wondering if there's a new Fall pie in this one!