In my family, we’ve always been fans of seafood. In some case, more so that meat. Reason for that goes back to when I was growing up in Spanish Harlem. At the time, fish was cheap compared to meat. This was something that harked back to life in the island of Puerto Rico where seafood was plentiful and meat expensive. That’s not to say that we didn’t like meat. My father always enjoyed  good a good T-bone steak but, when times were lean, it was seafood or shellfish that kept us going. The seafood dishes invariably were fish fillets that were plentiful and cheap in the old Marqueta on 116^th street. The Marqueta is gone, but the memories remain.

Through the years I’ve discovered numerous ways to season fish fillets so that it never becomes boring.  Nothing cooks better than fish fillets with a repertoire of seasoning be it criollo seasoning or, for that matter any other herb-spice combination. Below, we give three seasoning recipes for fish fillets so that you can do a variety of dishes to please family and friends. You’ve got the traditional Nuyorican method, an Italian version, and a Greek version. Each has its own spark and verve, and none will disappoint.

In all cases, the fillets should be baked for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork in a 370 degree preheated oven.

NUYORICAN FISH SEASONING

4 boneless fish fillets, about 1¼ pounds
2½ tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
¾ cup and milk
1 tablespoon dark Puerto Rican rum (optional)
Half of a small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 bay leaf
1`/4 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste

1. Rinse fillets and pat dry with pepper towels.
2. In a small saucepan, combine2 tablespoons butter and flour over moderate heat and boil for 1 minute.
3. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add rum at this stage, if using.
4. Lower heat and add onion, garlic, bay leaf, pepper and salt. Stir together for about 1 minute.
5. Place fish in a greased baking pan. Pour sauce over fillets, dot top with remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, as noted above.

ITALIAN FISH SEASOINING

4 boneless fish fillets, about 1¼ pounds
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh leaf basil, crumbled or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1. Rinse fillets and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, tomato paste, vinegar, basil, salt, pepper and garlic.
3. Place fillets on a baking pan and spread seasoning mixture over fish. Bake, uncovered, as directed above.

GREEK FISH SEASONING

4 boneless fish fillets, about 1¼ pounds
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh leaf oregano, crumbled or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Rinse fillets and pat dry with pepper towels.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon, juice, oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Place fillets on a baking pan and spread seasoning mixture over fish. Bake, uncovered, as directed above.

This is a recipe that I invented at the spur of the moment. I had some fillets on hand and needed a quicky dish for dinner. So, here is my version for Stuffed Salmon Fillets. As noted, I used salmon, but any firm fleshed fish fillets will do. Apart from the fillets, all you need is seasoned bread crumbs, and that’s it. For four regular servings, four fillets is all that’s needed., since the fillets will be cut in have to serve four people. If you have big eaters on hand, then you serve the stuffed fillets for two two people.

For the recipe you can either buy seasoned bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs that you can season as you like. And that’s what I did. I seasoned the bread crumbs with ½ teaspoon each dried basil, marjoram and thyme. But you can use any seasoning combination you like. That’s the beasty of this dish: you can doctor it up any way you want. For the final touch I baked the whole shebang in a lemon butter sauce. And it came out superb. With some good crusty bread, and some good chilled wine, either a white or light red, it makes for a fabulous repast.

STUFFED SLAMON FILLETS

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs (see above)
½ stick melted butter
Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Wash fillets under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
3.  Brush fillets with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Place 2 fillets in a baking dish (we prefer cast-iron). Top each fillet with half of the seasoned bread crumbs. Top with remaining fillets. Combine butter with lemon juice, and drizzle over fish.
4.  Place in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until fillets are tender.  Cut fillets in half and serve  or, as noted above, serve each stuffed fillets for two hearty eater.

I am a fan of Cajun cooking. Have been since the first time in my youth when I first heard Hank William’s ode to Cajun eats, the song  ‘Jambalaya.’ A little history first: ‘Cajun’ cuisine originated with the Acadians, French settlers who immigrated to Canada in the early 17^th century and lived in what is known today as the Maritime Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia. Their cuisine, at the time, was inspired by rural French cooking. Then, in 1755, after refusing to swear allegiance to the British crown, most of them were deported to Louisiana, where they set up roots again and incorporated into their cooking most of the ingredients found in the South, which included crab, oysters, crawfish, bell peppers, and spices such as black pepper and cayenne. Add to that, influences from Spanish, Native American and African-American cooking, and you have the mix of Cajun cuisine today.

Cajun cuisine can be very spicy or mild, depending upon the ingredients and how much you use. For instance, in the recipe given, I prefer a hot, spicy rub. My wife prefers it mild. So, again, let your palette be your guide. I make enough spice mix to last me for a while, and leftovers can be stored as you would any spice or salad dressing.

Also, the recipe calls for a dry rub. I tweak it by adding olive oil to the salmon. I find it enhances the flavor.

GRILLED SALMON WITH CAJU N SPICE MIX

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets, about 8-9 ounces each or 4 salmon steaks, about 1-inch thick
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon celery seed
5 bay leaves
3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon died oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Wash fillets or steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2.  In a mortar, crush peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seeds. Crumble the bay leaves with your fingers and add to mortar. Crush it until it mixes all together. If you have a large mortar, add paprika, cayenne oregano and thyme. If not, then mix everything in a small bowl.
3. Season the salmon with the spice mix, and then brush with olive oil  Heat grill to medium , about 370 degrees to 400 degrees F. Grill salmon on each side until seared and golden. If using fillets, cook skin side first for 4 minutes. Turn and cook 4 minutes more. Note that both  sides should show grill marks. If using salmon steaks, grill 4-5 minutes per side. Grill the salmon over direct heat with the grill closed. Remove  from heat and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
   Yield: 4 servings.

This recipe is one of the easiest ways to prepare salmon, be it salmon fillets or salmon steaks. It was immensely popular with our family when  I was growing up back on the block in Spanish Harlem. It is also very versatile in that if you want to cut corners even more, you can skip the bread crumbs given in the recipe and broil the salmon as is with the condiments. But I like the crunchiness the crumbs bring to the dish.

It should be noted that I broil my salmon fairly close to the heat source, about 2-3 inches. Thus the initial broiling time is cut down to no more than 6-7 minutes. It should also be noted that this is one of the recipes included  in my first cookbook Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press).

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
(Note: if using salmon steaks, they should be about ½-inch thick)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons Puerto Rican rum, light or dark (your choice)
½ cup light bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2.  Rinse salmon fillets and pat dry with paper towels.
3.  Brush both sides of fillets with olive oil. Place in a slightly greased broiler pan (we prefer cast-iron).
4.  In a small bowl, combine  butter, salt, pepper, garlic, rum and bread crumbs.
5.  Put half of bread crumb mixture on top of salmon (skin side), and broil  2-3 inches from hear source for 3 minutes.
6.  Carefully turn over salmon with a spatula. Put on the remaining crumb mixture. Broil 4 minutes longer.
   Yield: 4 servings.

This is one of the easiest ways we know of cooking salmon: simple roasting in a skillet. In this case, a cast-iron skillet. You can try it in a non-stick pan or other, but it won’t be as good. Something about cast-iron develops the flavor.

This recipe renders  salmon fillets that are rich, crisp and juicy with a minimum of effort; and the cooking time is minimal.

SKILLET SALMON

4 salmon fillets, about 6-8 oz. each or one 2-pound large fillet, cut into 4 portions
Salt and black ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges for garnish

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Rinse fillets under cold running water and pat  dry with paper towels.
3.  Generously season fillets with salt and pepper. Set a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add oil to skillet and immediately lay in salmon, skin-side down. Cook 30 seconds.  Remove skillet from heat and place it in oven. Cook until medium-rare, 5-6 minutes, or 1-2 minutes longer for medium-cooked. Do not flip salmon or move it in skillet until cooking is complete.
4.  Remove skillet from oven and use a large spatula to transfer salmon to a serving platter, skin-side up. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
   Yield: 4 servings.

LEMON-ONION SALMON

This is one of my innovations. I had some salmon steaks on hand plus some good fresh red onions (also known as Spanish onions). I decided to combine the two; and the result is given below. I find that red onions have a sharper flavor than common yellow onions. That’s what makes them great for this dish.

Served with a grain like rice, quinoa or couscous, the dish is a winner. It’s also great by itself with good crusty bread, potatoes or a side vegetable.

Ingredients:

4 salmon steaks (about 8 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse salmon steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels
3. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Place in a baking pan or dish (we prefer cast-iron). Drizzle with lemon juice and top with onion slices.
4. Place in oven and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
   Yield: 4 servings.