Linguine with Mussels and Clams

Is there anything better than fresh caught fish on a New England summer's eve? OK, so it wasn't "caught," but they were fresh and picked (?) that day. And it's not quite summer yet, but it sure feels like it. Next to a good old-fashioned BBQ, this meal is second in my favorite summer meals.

6 oz linguine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup clam juice
1/4 cup fresh chopped clams
1 pound clams, scrubbed
1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped


Boil pasta until only cooked halfway (it will finish cooking in the sauce later).

Meanwhile, in a high-sided skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the wine and tomato paste, stirring constantly and until the wine has almost completely evaporated.

Add diced tomatoes (with juice) and clam juice. Bring to a boil and add the chopped clams. Cook for 3-4 minutes until clams are cooked through. Add partially cooked pasta and toss well. Add clams and mussels and cover the pot tightly. Allow shells to steam open, about 7 minutes. Toss in fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Yields 2-3 servings.

Tilapia with Avocado-Mango Salsa

I can't remember where or when I fell in love with tilapia. I feel like it just all of a sudden magically appeared in my shopping cart one day at the store, and we have been in love ever since. I found a dish at a local seafood restaurant that used a mango salsa on tilapia but without the avocado. One night, I found myself with a ripe mango and avocado and decided to get crazy.

Let me tell you—when the mango and avocado start to warm up from the hot fish, their flavors really come out in ways I've never had them before.

1 large avocado
1 large mango
juice of 1 lime, divided
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
4 (4 ounce tilapia) fillets
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
non-stick cooking spray

Slice avocado in half, and remove pit. Carefully remove flesh and cube into 1/2" pieces. Do the same for the mango. Toss in a bowl with half of the lime juice and cilantro. Set aside.

Wash the tilapia fillets and pat dry. Sprinkle remaining lime juice over fillets, and season with salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Place tilapia fillets in the skillet. Cook for 3-4minutes on each side, until cooked through.

Remove fillets from pan and divide salsa equally over tilapia. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Yields 4 servings.

WW info:
flex: 5 points per serving
core: included

East Hampton Clam Chowder

Ina Garten, I have no words. The Barefoot Contessa is one of those chefs that I watch on the Food Network that I watch knowing I'll never make any of her recipes. There was one episode where she used 9 sticks of butter in one meal! My arteries clogged up just watching. Last weekend, my husband and I were happily spending the whole weekend on the couch, vegging out in front of the TV. When Ina made this soup, my husband said, "Thats it? I thought chowder would be so complicated." I offered to try it this weekend (with slight modifications to accommodate my dietary preferences).



One word: wow! I cut down slightly on the amount of butter and flour and I used 2% milk instead of whole milk (which actually surprised me that she used. No cream for the Contessa?). I also used Yukon Gold potatoes instead of boiling potatoes. I thought this was a mistake at first because a lot of them broke down, but then realized that it was actually a blessing in disguise. The broken down potatoes help thicken the chowder, making up for the lighter milk and decreased amounts of butter and flour. I also used clam strips, rather than Ina's suggested whole-belly clams. The girl at the fish market recommended strips over the whole bellies. She said the whole clams would discolor the chowder and make it brown. The strips were a perfect choice. They also chopped them up for me. One less thing for me to do! I heart my fish market.

Original recipe

10 tablespoons light butter, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 1/2 cups medium-diced celery (4-5 medium stalks)
1 1/2 cups medium-diced carrots (2 large carrots)
4 cups peeled medium-diced Yukon Gold potatoes (4 large potatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups clam juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat 2% milk
3 cups fresh, chopped clam strips (approx. 1 1/2 pounds)

Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a small pot, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in a cup of the hot broth from the pot and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.

Add the milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes to cook the clams. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Yields 10-12 servings (1 serving = 1 heaping 1/2 cup)

WW info: 4 points per serving.

Tilapia Oreganato

I have to confess that I kind of licked my plate a little. This came out better than I thought it might. The breadcrumbs were perfectly crunchy and the fish was light and flaky. Its pretty basic. You can definitely substitute the butter spray for real butter, just make sure you count for that if you are on Weight Watchers!

non-stick cooking spray
4 (4 ounce) tilapia fillets
salt and pepper to season
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, divided
imitation butter spray
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp plain breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Place tilapia fillets on foil covered sheet and season with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and drizzle the other tablespoon over the fillets. Give each fillet one spray of butter and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs, remaining lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, and 5 sprays of butter. Mix until well blended. Spoon a quarter of the mixture onto each fillet, covering the top surface completely and evenly. Give each a light spray of cooking spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes with a fork and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Yields 4 servings.

WW info:
core - 2.5 points
flex - 4.5 points

Cajun Cornmeal Crusted Catfish

I don't know if catfish is my preference, but I will definitely be making this recipe again. The crust was incredibly crispy for not being fried. Probably better than if it had been pan-fried in oil. This would be great on any flakey fish fillet. Snapper, tilapia, cod ... whatever your fancy.

non-stick cooking spray
1/4 cup coarse cornmeal
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1/8 cup egg substitute
4 (6 ounce) catfish fillets

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.

Mix cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a shallow bowl. Pour egg into a second shallow bowl. Dip each fillet in the egg and then dredge through seasoned cornmeal. Place on baking sheet and spray tops with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is flaky.

Yields 4 servings.

WW info:
core: all included
flex: 5 points

Swordfish Kebobs

The hubby is out of town so that means its fish night! It may be in the 40s outside, but I'm still grilling. This is a keeper for next summer. Next time I'm adding some zucchini and red peppers to really beef up the veggie content.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 pound swordfish steak
1 small red onion, quartered and separated
1 pint cherry tomatoes
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, stems removed (about 20 mushrooms)
non-stick cooking spray

kebob skewers

If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 10 minutes prior to using.

Remove any skin from swordfish fillet and cut into 1" cubes. Add swordfish cubes, onion pieces, tomatoes, and mushroom caps to a bowl. In a small bowl, mix vinegar, oil, and seasoning. Add half to fish and vegetables; reserve half. Toss fish, vegetables, and dressing until everything is well coated.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. and spray grates with non stick cooking spray. Make skewers, being especially careful to spear the fish directly through the center of each piece (spearing it off-center can cause the fish to fall off the skewers while cooking).

Place skewers on grill and cook for about 10 minutes, rotating skewers once or twice. Use reserved dressing to baste skewers halfway through cooking. Cook until swordfish is cooked through.

Yields 4 servings.

WW info:
core- all included
flex- 5 points per serving

Mini Crab Cakes with Herbed Aioli

These were fabulous! Very light and fluffy. And healthy! The original recipe from Cooking Light called for lump crab meat, but at $40/lb at Whole Foods, I opted for claw meat and they came out just fine. You have to be really careful when turning them in the pan and transferring them to a baking sheet. The lack of egg in this recipe causes them to be very delicate. Next time I'll add an egg white for good measure. Also, I did not need the canola oil for the pan. Cooking spray did just fine.

Yields 7 servings (1 serving equals 2 cakes and 1 Tbsp of aioli)

WW info: 3 points per serving.

Lazy Tilapia

Why does it look like something peed on my tilapia?

There is a recipe below for a wonderfully fancy Tilapia with Bagna Cauda...but I couldn't be bothered with all the effort so I just sprinkled some S&P on my fish, sauteed in PAM, melted a little butter in a sauce pan, squeezed a lemon in, added a splash of white wine and some of the lemon zest and voila! Lazy Tilapia.

Garnish with lemon slice and serve with...thats right! A starch and green. Did you expect something else?

WW info:
core - 1 point for 1/2 Tbsp of light butter
flex - 7 points

You could totally cut down on the points but using a butter spray instead. I think that would work fine.

Salmon Burgers

(recipe adapted from In Great Taste: Fresh Simple Recipes for Eating and Living Well by Evelyn Lauder )

1 tablespoon EVOO
1/4 cup chopped scallions or yellow onion
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 pound salmon fillet, bones removed, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp plain bread crumbs
salt and pepper to season

Heat 1/2 Tbsp of oil over medium heat in a small non-stick skillet. Add onions and cookfor 2 minutes, until translucent. Add lemon juice and raise heat to medium high, cooking until most of the liquids have evaporated. Remove from pan and add to bowl to cool.

Place raw salmon in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add to onions, and mix in egg, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Form into 2 equal size patties.

Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sear patties for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve over a salad or on wheat bun as you would a burger.


WW info:
CORE - all included (well, the breadcrumbs account for .25 points per burger, so you can go 0 or .5)
FLEX - have to figure it out

Tilapia with Citrus Bagna Cauda

I have no idea what "Bagna Cauda" means, but maybe it means yummy? Got this recipe from my boss (who raved about it) and I'm going to try it soon. Just logging it in here so I don't forget about it. I will probably pass on the anchovys. And I bet this would be tasty on chicken as well.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
6 (6-ounce) skinless tilapia fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the butter and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over low to medium heat just until the butter is melted, stirring frequently. Add the anchovies and stir until the anchovies dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Stir in the orange juice, basil, and lemon and orange zests. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt.

The bagna cauda sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and brush both sides of the fish with remaining 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil. Working in 2 batches, fry the fish until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven while cooking the second batch of fish. Drizzle the sauce over and around the fish and serve.

WW info:
CORE- 1 flex point (for the butter)
FLEX - 6 points