Simple fish tacos with leftover mahi mahi

Cooking for one is not as ideal as cooking for 2 or 3. For one, you should share your delicious meals with someone so they can be impressed with your culinary skills. Another is at the end of the night, after you've slaved away in the kitchen, you end up with a lot of leftovers. I'm always impressed with people who are able to be creative with their leftovers the very next night without having to taste "old." I ended up having 2 fillets leftover from my citrus-glazed mahi mahi (see post here) so I did a quick search and found a recipe for fish tacos. To tie my citrus-glazed mahi mahi to the Mexican theme, I made my own salsa fresco with some lemon juice and made a cabbage-salad side dish with the rest of the lemon juice to make a citrus dressing. This is an important thing to remember about leftover-cooking: use previous flavors of your leftovers and add fresh ingredients with slightly different flavorings to take away the refrigerated taste from any meat. I also added some spiced sour cream as another note with my taco. Dairy can help balance the lemon zing of the salsa. 


Try this recipe out with your leftover (or fresh) fish. Try using lean and flaky fish like tilapia, snapper, cod, catfish or here, mahi mahi. 

Citrus Glazed Mahi Mahi

Tricia here!  I just recently bought the new Nokia Lumia 900 phone which has given me the nicest Carl Zeiss 8 megapixel camera one can find. To christen my new phone, I decided to showcase my "amateur" photo skills by posting my recipe of seared mahi mahi topped with a citrus glaze. Using citrus fruits as a marinade for seafood is really great for giving the fish a flaky texture without leaving the fish too dry. Also, marinating your fish is pretty quick and easy compared to marinating other meats. As a plus, you can use the remaining marinade as  a thick and yummy glaze to accompany your cooked fish.

Now, I try to be a good cook just like Siddharth, but unlike Siddharth, I try to keep things simple. Simple ingredients, simple technique. But I'm learning to be more sophisticated for my viewers. 


I bought frozen mahi mahi and let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Before cooking, I let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour. This is a pretty important step, because if any part of the fish is still frozen, it will not cook properly and you'll have a mix of really bad sushi-grade fish and an overcooked fillet.

As side dishes, I roasted a few purple and red potatoes and cauliflower, absolutely delicious, healthy and hearty.


Here is the recipe:

Pandan-Sesame Crepes

An electric green crepe? How's that for fun with food! The outrageous hue here is derived from pandan essence. Pandan essence comes from the leaves of the screwpine, which resembles but is not related to a palm tree. In Southeast Asian cusine (think Malaysian, Thai, Philipino), pandan is used similarly to vanilla in western food, imparting fragrance to desserts, drinks, and various dishes. The taste is difficult for me to describe, but I have to say I love it! In this dish, I added a few drop of pandan essence (found at a local Asin store - it is impossible to find actual pandan leaves here in Ithaca) to a basic crepe batter. I then made a sweet black sesame filling for the crepes. This is an incredibly easy recipe that produces an exotic looking and delicious dish in a short time and makes for a nice snack or breakfast item.

Eggplant Parmesan

I love sandwiches. Enveloping something in delicious bread just seems like such a great strategy for success! Of all the sandwiches that I typically make, Tricia's favorite is my eggplant parm. Go figure - the only vegetarian sandwich that I ever make (not counting grilled cheese of course)! This past weekend, I was trying to think of a simple meal, and I resorted to this trusty sandwich. The keys to making this delicious are properly cooking the eggplant, making a delicious marinara sauce, and choosing the right bread. All of these are incredibly easy, and I hope you give it a shot! And for those of you that are thinking, "eggplant? not my favorite thing..." I urge you try this - when cooked correctly, it's delicious.

A trip to Philly's Italian Market and Pasta Carbonara

On my latest visit to see Tricia, we decided to drive down into Philadelphia for the day. Our exact destination was the city's famous Italian Market on 9th street. This would be our first time visiting this South Philly market, and we were excited to see what the hype was all about. Unlike Reading Terminal Market, the Italian Market was not surrounded by parking lots and garages, and we were forced to circle the bustling scene until we found a spot on the street to parallel in.

Caramel-Walnut Oatmeal Bars

OK, as much as I love chocolate, sometimes one just craves for caramel. Here is a simple recipe that incorporates that caramel craving while adding some nutritional value, oats. These bars are absolutely delicious and will certainly satisfy your sweet tooth while not harming your waistline. OK I'm all about indulging here and there, but this bar is definitely healthy, I swear! The caramel just oozes throughout the bar and the extra nuts we added really give the bar the extra crunch without drying the dessert. This recipe makes a decent portion that can be cut into small pieces to share with your neighbor.

Here is the recipe:

My Valentine's Day Dinner

This is a bit of a belated post, but I thought still worth sharing. To return the homage Tricia paid me for her birthday dinner back in January (see post here), I figured I'd tell everyone about the surprise meal she planned for me the weekend before Valentine's Day when I went down to PA to visit her. For those that haven't followed us closely, it's worth noting that Tricia typically specializes in the sweet treats that we share here on The World Tasters. This foray into cooking a fancy meal for two was one of her first, but I must say that I was impressed. I will state that she didn't do everything you see on her own: I helped by buying her the flowers that served as the backdrop for some of these photos and I took the pictures of her cooking this delicious feast!

Spicy Tomatoe Bisque (and Grilled Cheese)

Grilled cheese and tomato soup - an American classic. It's an incredible combination for those cold winter afternoons up here in Ithaca. While people across America might go with Kraft singles and Campbell's to do this at home, it's quite easy to punch this up into a more interesting meal. On a recent weekend, I did just that! It's simple and easy and was well worth the minimal effort of freshly chopping some vegetables instead of reaching for that condensed soup can.

Paper-wrapped Sponge Cake

My parents and I share a love for Chinese pastries. Any chance we get, we would stop at a Chinese bakery after a dim sum lunch to pick up pastries for our weekday morning snacks. At a Chinese bakery, you can purchase a plethora of savory, sweet, meat-filled or paste-filled buns, breads and tarts. If you've never been to one in your local Chinatown, I strongly suggest you find one! I guarantee you you will find a pastry that you will love. 

My mom and I share a favorite pastry - the sponge cake that is wrapped in paper - that is the literal translation of the pastry. Mom loves this pastry because of it's cake-like texture that isn't too sweet - yes, my mom doesn't like a lot of sweet things. Light and airy, this pastry is heaven and so much better than angel food cake and my mom would agree! To achieve this pastry, you need to bake them in tall paper cups that are lined with parchment paper. The height of these cakes help with the airy texture, so don't use your muffin tin.  This pastry is best when made fresh because the cake often dries out unless the sponge cake is kept wrapped with the paper. Try this with a cup of Hong Kong style tea!

Monkey Bread Muffins

Hello fellow bakers! Happy new year!

I was just reminded by Siddharth that I haven't contributed much to our blog. My apologies and to make up for it, I have compiled a few recipes that I have tried since the holiday season.

My first recipe I tried is monkey bread with apples and cinnamon. I've made this before for Siddharth, thinking he's never had it, but to my surprise, he told me this is a pretty common baked good he had in elementary school. Monkey bread does not have bananas (that was my first guess) but it is simply sticky bread. Some say the etymology of monkey bread comes from the fact that the bread looks like monkey puzzle tree while others say that peeling the pieces of the monkey bread resembles monkey behavior. Who knows, who cares, right? This is a great, fast recipe that will give your guests something to munch on in place of coffee cakes and fruit muffins. This recipe calls for a can of prepared can of biscuits, cinnamon, sugar, butter and apples. I used Pillsbury's Grands Homestyle buttermilk biscuit dough and modified the recipe by Pillsbury to make muffins.

Lump Crab Cakes

 Ever since my allergy scare with lobster, I've been pretty cautious with shellfish. I miss lobster a lot and thankfully, it's only lobster that does not seem to agree with me. I can still enjoy crab, oysters, clams and the like - at least for now.

After a long day at work, I was craving for something - a buttery protein, some sort of seafood. I drove past a Legal Seafoods restaurant on my way home and automatically thought, "crab cakes!" I stopped at the restaurant, thinking to do a take out order of their famous crab cakes, but some voice in the back of my mind stopped me. The voice said "Trish, how hard can it be to make crab cakes? You can do it yourself, you can DO IT!" With the challenge in mind, I got back in my car and drove to their nearest grocery store, Wegmans. Wegmans sells lump crab for about $15 for 8oz, not a bad price since 2 crab cakes at Legal Seafoods is about $24. With 8oz, I was able to make 5 delicious crab cakes with a side of roasted brussel sprouts and and baby portobello mushrooms at a total of $26! Wahoo!

Char Siu

Char siu is quite possibly the most famous Cantonese dish of all. Literally meaning "fork roasted," char siu is pork that is marinated in a sweet and thick blend of sauces and then roasted until it becomes crisp and almost candy-like on the outside. Traditionally, char siu is made over a charcoal fire, but my recipe here was simply done in an oven (although I think I may try it in the grill come warmer weather!). To be honest, I was quite impressed with myself for making this - it was my first try and it came out delicious (not to mention gorgeous to look at)! For those that have only had char siu prepared at a restaurant or at a Chinese deli, I think you'll be impressed by how tasty and relatively simple it is when made at home.

Chili (Stew Style)

Chili. Arguably a very simple dish, but definitely one that there is a lot of arguing about. Are beans allowed? How spicy is spicy enough? What kind of meat goes in there? Everyone has opinions (especially those Texans!). I've had a go-to recipe for years the involves ground chuck and pork as a base. But, I decided to move outside of my comfort zone on my last attempt. I decided to start with a chuck roast that was cubed instead, and I let the meat slow cook until it was tender like stewed meat. I have to say that I was pleased with the result. And while I won't be abandoning my tried and true original recipe (it's part of the Super Bowl tradition after all!), I think I'll be remaking this again in the future.

Chili-Lime Swordfish

Swordfish is a wonderful protein to cook with - it's meaty holds up well against strong flavors, but it usually requires a fairly simple preparation and it cooks in no time at all. As long as you remember to thaw out a frozen fillet before work (or if you're able to pick up a fresh one before dinner), it makes for a fairly simple and delicious meal with minimal effort! In the summer, swordfish does really well on a hot grill, but when the weather cools it can be equally good in the oven or pan-seared. Most recently, I used my trusty cast-iron grill pan to handle my swordfish. With a quick simple lime and soy-based marination in addition to a rich coconut milk based sauce, this recipe turns out an immensely bright and flavorful fish:

Shanghainese Buns - Mantou

For Thanksgiving at Siddharth's house, I decided to skip the typical sweet potato rolls and make authentic Chinese steamed rolls called mantou. These are little steamed wheat buns that are shaped like little pebbles, a staple in northern China.  I had these at my grandma's house a lot in lieu of a bowl of rice. They could be purchased at any Asian food markets in the frozen aisle. The texture of the mantou is similar to the buns you would order at Chinese restaurants for dim sum also called bao, but these buns don't have anything inside. Our family would eat it as a side with our meals. Some people eat them as snacks by dipping them in condensed milk or even deep frying them! I've never tried, but I'm sure these would be delightful. 

Homemade Poutine

Poutine is a dish that is unfamiliar to most Americans. It originated in Quebec as a distinctive way of eating French Fries. It is so popular in some parts of Canada that places like McDonald's and Burger King have it on their regional menus. In reality, it is a fairly simple construction: french fries + cheese curds + brown gravy. The genius is in the combination of these simple ingredients. Putting this together at home is fairly easy, and it is well worth it (nothing beats homemade fries!). Below is my recipe.

Autumn Harvest Soup

As autumn comes to a close, and the cold winds of winter blow in to most of the country, this soup evokes the essence of the fall harvest flavors. Combining pumpkin and sweet potato as a base, it expresses the characteristic hues of the season that are so beautifully displayed outside the window. I've also thrown in some warming spices (things like cinnamon, cardamom, etc.) and even apple cider to really create a sweet and savory soup. The recipe is easy to follow, and it is equally simple to substitute some of your own favorite flavors to enjoy!

White Lasagna with Spinach, Sausage, and Mushrooms

Lasagna is that fabulous type of dish that can provide multiple meals by virtue of storing well and being easy to make in large quantities. It's the kind of food that anyone can make at gourmet quality as well. Conveniently, it allows you to put all the elements of a balanced meal (vegetables, meat, carbs) into one preparation. And one recent weekend, when I was alone and in the mood for some simple yet hearty sustenance, I elected to make a less-conventional white lasagna with a bechamel-based sauce, and to incorporate hot Italian sausage, fresh spinach, and mushrooms. It came out really well, and it fed me for an entire weekend!

"Mocha" Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is a nice meat to work with because it cooks relatively quickly (due to its low fat content, it doesn't need a long braise or roast), and if treated properly it is moist and delicious. It is also amenable to a variety of marinades and sauces. I decided to try and be fairly creative with my most recent preparation. Although unexpected by many, cocoa is known to compliment pork very well. I decided to make a cocoa-based dry rub for this recipe. For the "mocha" aspect, I paired the cocoa-rubbed pork with an espresso-based glaze. This was a fun recipe that ended up turning out really well. Give it a try!

Siddharth's Triple Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't like Mac & Cheese? It's one of the finest American comfort foods. And yet, many people don't know how to make a good mac & cheese from scratch. The presence of TV dinner-style mac & cheese or velveeta and shells is proof that many people are missing out on delicious homemade goodness.The best part about making mac & cheese at home from scratch is that you can make it as decadent as you like, and it's really simple! In my recipe here, I used 3 cheeses: extra sharp cheddar, colby jack, and smoked gouda. I also used pancetta, which can easily (and deliciously) be substituted by bacon (or omitted altogether).