Eye for a Recipe

So I have a new kitchen toy, the T-fal OptiGrill™ Smart. It’s an indoor grill with sensors that measure the thickness and internal temperature of the food being cooked. It cooks the food to the temperature you want – rare, medium or well done –and notifies you of each stage through beeps and a light that changes colour. It is also equipped with Bluetooth technology, so you can operate it from your phone or tablet.

OptiGrill Smart

It has six settings on its dashboard — burgers, chicken, panini, sausage, red meat and fish — plus settings for seafood and bacon that you can enable from your Bluetooth device. It will also cook frozen food. I was a little skeptical, but it does work! So far I have cooked steak (perfect medium rare), chicken kebabs (juicy), lamb chops, fish, vegetables and panini and all have been great. It’s also fast and easy to clean. It’s not very big so cooking large batches is a bit tricky. But if you don’t have a barbecue and like grilled food, it’s a pretty good option.

This tilapia dish is from OptiGrill’s online recipes. The grill preheated in 5 minutes and cooked the fish perfectly in 8 minutes. To make this without the grill, just bake or broil the fish in the oven until it is done.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Eden Organic red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar to avoid sulfites. Use fresh lemon juice, as the concentrates contain additives. I used President’s Choice garlic-stuffed olives.

Brush half of parsley, vinegar, oil, lemon juice and garlic mixture over fish

Add olives, tomatoes and lemon zest to the rest of the mixture

Tilapia with tomato olive relish

Ingredients:

¼ cup (50 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 tbsp (15 ml) white wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

¾ tsp (4 ml) each salt and pepper, divided

4 tilapia fillets, about 5 oz (150 g) each

1 cup (250 ml) seeded and finely chopped tomato

¼ cup (50 ml) finely chopped green olives

1 tsp (5 ml) finely grated lemon zest

Preparation:

Whisk the parsley with the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar and garlic; divide into two equal portions.

Sprinkle ½ tsp (2 ml) each salt and pepper on both sides of the fillets. Brush one portion of the parsley mixture over the fillets. Stir the remaining parsley mixture with the tomato, olives, lemon zest and remaining salt and pepper; set aside.

Preheat oven or indoor grill. On OptiGrill, cook until the indicator light has changed to orange. In oven, cook the fish until cooked through. Serve the fillets with the tomato mixture on the side. Serves 4.

From OptiGrill Recipes

This tasty dish from Food and Wine takes about 20 minutes to make. Sear the fish in butter and then transfer to the oven to roast. Meanwhile, fry bread cubes and then add lemon juice, wine, capers and herbs. Serve the sauce over the fish and dinner is ready!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the butter does not contain colour and the bread is preservative-free. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and a wine with a sulfite level of less than 10 parts per million. I use wine from Frogpond Farm organic winery. Unico capers are additive-free.

Sear fish

Fry croutons and then add lemon juice, wine, capers and herbs

Fish with Capers and Croutons

Ingredients:

¾ cup (180 ml) unsalted butter, divided

1 teaspoon (15 ml) olive oil

4 skinless fish fillets, such as cod, halibut, tilapia or skate (about 2 pounds/1 kg total)

Kosher salt

White pepper

½ pound (250 g) crusty bread, cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) cubes (about 3 cups/750 ml)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons (30 ml) dry white wine

¼ cup (60 ml) salt-packed capers, rinsed well and drained

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped parsley

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped tarragon

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 475° F (245° C). In a large ovenproof skillet, melt ¼ cup (60 ml) of the butter with the oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper, add to the skillet, and cook over moderate heat until bottom is browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the fish, transfer the skillet to the oven, and roast until the fish is just white throughout, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to plates and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining ½ cup (125 ml) of butter. Add the bread cubes and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and wine, and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in the capers and herbs. Spoon the mixture over the fish and serve. Serves 4.

From Food and Wine

This delicious fish dish from Canadian Living’s The International Collection is delicious and colourful, thanks to the turmeric in the marinade. Bursting with flavour, the fish is served over vermicelli noodles, with a tangy sauce and pickled shallots.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure your fish sauce does not contain MSG; I use Cock brand. Use turmeric with no colour or anti-caking agents added and fresh lime juice.

Marinate the fish in the fridge for about an hour

The fish is served with a tangy sauce and pickled shallots

Hanoi-style vermicelli noodles with fish

Ingredients:

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh dill

1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar

1 tbsp (15 ml) water

1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) minced gingerroot

3/4 tsp (4 ml) ground turmeric

1/2 tsp (2 ml) pepper

1 lb (454 g) tilapia fillets

8 oz (227 g) rice vermicelli

2 cups (500 ml) bean sprouts

1 cup (250 ml) packed fresh coriander leaves

1/2 cup (125 ml) coarsely chopped unsalted peanuts

Noodle Sauce

2 tbsp (30 ml) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) finely shredded carrot

2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce

2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice

2 tsp (10 ml) white vinegar

1 Thai (bird’s-eye) chili pepper, minced

Pickled Shallots

3 shallots, thinly sliced in rings

1 tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar

1/4 tsp (1 ml) granulated sugar

Preparation:

Using mortar and pestle, mash shallots with garlic to make paste. (Or very finely chop with knife.) Stir in dill, fish sauce, vinegar, water, oil, ginger, turmeric and pepper; spread all over fish. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Noodle Sauce: Meanwhile, whisk sugar with 2/3 cup (150 ml) hot water until dissolved; let cool. Stir in carrot, fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar and chili pepper; set aside.

Pickled shallots: Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine shallots, vinegar and sugar; set aside.

Broil fish on greased broiler pan until nicely charred and flakes easily when tested with fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Cut into 4 portions.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well; shake. Set aside to air-dry.

Divide noodles among 4 large bowls. Top with bean sprouts, coriander, fish and pickled shallots; sprinkle with peanuts. Serve with noodle sauce, adding as desired and tossing to coat. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living’s International Collection