So, this meal was inspired by Pete telling me he saw spinach polenta at Whole Foods that looked good and then figuring out a spinach polenta recipe and something to serve with it. We both loved the fish -- I did not care for the polenta, but Pete thought it rocked. The fish recipe was adopted from a yummy Indian cookbook Karen gave Pete called "American Masala" and the polenta was the creation of a number of recipes I found on-line.
Ingredients for the Fish and Marinades:
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
- Juice of a lemon
- 4 mahi mahi fillets (about 6 oz each)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 c fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbs olive oil
Fish Preparation:
- Marinade the fish for 1-2 hours in 3 cloves of garlic, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp pepper, and the juice of the lemon.
- While the fish is marinading, make a second marinade for cooking by blending in a food processor or blender 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp ginger, 1 1/2 c cilantro, 2 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar, and 3 Tbs olive oil.
- When you're ready to cook your fish, remove from the first marinade, cut 2-3 slits in the fillets, and then coat each fish with some of herb sauce.
- Cook on a grill or on a stove in a grill pan for 5 min (or so) on each side, and keep slopping on the herb marinade while you cook.
Ingredients for the polenta and spinach side dish:
- tube of pre-cooked polenta, cut into 1/4 in. rounds
- 1 large red onion, cut into thin slices
- 1 lb fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1 Tbs oregano
- 1/2 c - 3/4 c of paremsan cheese, grated
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Polenta preparation:
- saute the onion in olive oil and oregano until translucent (low and slow, my friends)
- remove the onion from the pan and saute the spinach until wilted
- lay the polenta in a single layer in a glass casserole dish (prep'd with Pam or olive oil), top with spinach and then the onion and then the cheese
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Serve:
I served the fish and polenta together and we shared a great bottle of Mondavi Chardonnary. The fish was to die for -- I didn't even want to bother with utensils, just wanted to lower my face to the plate and eat. The polenta didn't float my boat, but Pete really liked it. Go figure.
