Tag Archives: fish

Zopf Bread Fish Sandwiches: The Return of Foodie Tuesday!

October 4, 2016Cookingbread, cooking, fish, food, International, kitchen, recipe, sandwich, Swiss, Switzerland, tartar sauce, yummy, zopfbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

This is a bread recipe that you gotta try– zopf! My sister found it on the internet over a decade ago, and our family still makes it to this day. I’ve taken it one step further, though: it is now the base of a delicious fish sandwich. My husband was impressed enough that he requested it again for lunch tomorrow. Yes, I do believe the Swiss would approve. Although I haven’t asked any yet. If you’re Swiss, leave a comment and let me know what you think. Actually, do that even if you’re not Swiss.

Ingredients

Zopf Bread:

One package dry yeast
1 1/3 cups milk
1 egg yolk
2 T butter, melted
3 1/2 cups flour
1 egg white
1 T water
Lettuce and tomato (optional)

Fish & Tartar Sauce

6 frozen breaded fish patties or fried fish fillets
1 C mayonnaise
2 T relish
1 T lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Follow the instructions for zopf here on Allrecipies.com. Instead of one big braid, though, make six little braids.
Bake or fry your fish.
Combine the mayo, relish, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Once the bread has cooled, slice it like a hamburger bun. Place the fish inside and top with sauce, lettuce, and tomato.

Enjoy! This recipe serves 6.

I know I’ve said it before, but I really am going to follow through on Foodie Tuesdays from now until I get distracted again. If you’ve missed it and wonder why it’s been absent, scroll through my last few posts and see what a crazy summer of travel I had! I ate a lot of good food, but I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking. I’m back home and in the kitchen again, though, so be looking out for a lot of great recipes in the future! Check back every Tuesday and be sure to subscribe (up there in the right-hand sidebar) so you don’t miss them. See you next week!

Puppy at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

August 21, 2016Canada, International Travel, Ontarioaquarium, canada, discover, downtown, field trip, fish, jellyfish, kids, Ripley's, sharks, toronto, tourism, tourist, travel, tripbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

I’ve been in the ocean with sharks, and I don’t exactly love it, but I do love walking through an aquarium tunnel and seeing them above me! Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto is a fantastic place to do just that. I got to chaperone a big group of kids from my home island, Sint Maarten, on their trip to Canada and Ripley’s Aquarium. Puppy, our littlest in the group at six years old, had a wonderful time at the aquarium.

Of course, the first thing Puppy wanted to do when he saw the inside of the aquarium was take off into the crowd and find something loud, shiny, and colorful. There’s plenty of loud, shiny, and colorful in the aquarium building, but Stacey and I made sure to keep a tight grip on Puppy! Fortunately, all the kids were dressed in matching bright yellow shirts, so we adults had a fairly easy time keeping track of them all.

There was so much to see! And everyone seemed to want to see it. We squeezed through the crowd to press up against glass tanks full of colorful fish. Puppy liked anything that moved quickly and stayed within his field of vision. I liked the jellyfish, particularly the upside-down jellies that we have on our own island in Simpson Bay Lagoon. The pink ones were also pretty cool.

“I shall call him squishy, and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy.” -Dory

Then, of course, there are the jellyfish’s cousins, the anemones.

The best part of all was the moving sidewalk through the shark tunnel! Puppy was absolutely mesmerized as we glided past the huge sharks, sawfish, groupers, and turtles. He had a thousand questions to ask about everything! Stacey and I tried to convince him to get in a #sharkselfie with us, but he couldn’t pry his eyes away from the sharks right in front of his face.

As much fun as Ripley’s Aquarium was, there was a lot more to this field trip than just letting a bunch of kids see some fish. For some of the boys, this was the first time they got to see what’s beneath the waters surrounding their island.

They are the ones who will make tomorrow’s decisions about how those waters will be protected– or not protected. The marine ecosystem of the Caribbean island is so delicate! It’s under threat from tourism, over-fishing, chemical spills, and people just not caring. It’s vital that the people who live on the islands understand the importance that their reefs hold in many arenas, from tourism to preservation of species.

I hope that a peek at that underwater world, plus follow-up conversations from us, will encourage the kids to take an interest in their world and their responsibility to care for it. And how can you not care about this happy ray?

Puppy actually wasn’t so sure about the rays, but he did love the kid-sized shark tunnel and even convinced some of his friends to squeeze through it with him. There were a lot of cool interactive things like this that encourage little ones to kinetically engage with the ocean life around them and look at it from a different angle.

The aquarium was a blast! There was so much to do, see, and investigate. At the end of the morning, Puppy was worn out!

Read Tre’s article on camping

Read Theo’s article on Safari Niagara

Read Tristan’s article on Harriet Tubman

Read Lewis’ article on the Welland Canal Locks

Read Adonis’ article on the Ontario Science Centre

Read Skijlaar’s article on Niagara Falls fireworks and magic

Read Little King’s article on their little league game in St. Catherines

Read Big King’s article on Niagara Falls and the Maid of the Mist boat ride

Boiled Lobster and Fish Bake

May 10, 2016Cookingbake, cooking, dinner, fish, food, lobster, seafood, steambreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Last Saturday, I got a special treat: Steamed lobster dripping with melted butter, and a night off from cooking. That’s right– my man made me a fancy dinner just because my weekend was busy. He and his friend Matt made an amazing seafood meal of baked fish and steamed lobster. You can make it, too! Here’s how:

You will need:

One small lobster per person
Enough patience to catch a some fish (or a few free minutes to grab some from the grocery store). For the record, I got the blue tang!

Melted butter
2 lemons
Garlic, rosemary, and lemon spice
Rice

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil.
Place lobsters inside and make sure the water covers all areas. Boil 10-15 minutes until the lobsters are bright red.
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Prepare fish by sprinkling them with the herbs (I wrote about another version of this, if you want to get more fancy: see my last Foodie Tuesday).
Bake fish on a greased sheet in preheated oven.
Prepare rice
Cut lemon wedges and melt half a stick of real butter for dipping
Serve and enjoy!

Check back every Tuesday for a new Foodie Tuesday recipe!

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Rosemary Garlic Tilapia

May 3, 2016American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Cooking, Spouses Organizationcooking, fish, food, rice, tilapiabreanamjohnson@gmail.com

This is perfection, as my husband put it. If you’re looking for a healthy, light summer dish, browse no further. You found it.

The American University of the Caribbean community is fantastic. We look out for each other and share whatever we have. To prove it, I decided to make a meal using only things that I have been given! The result was a candle-light-dinner-worthy date night at home.

You need:

-Two tilapia fillets

-1/4 cup of rosemary garlic lemon seasoning

-A few servings of rice

-1/4 cup of olive oil

-1 cup of white wine

-Four artichoke hearts (I used canned)

-2 cups chicken broth

-2 lemons

-3 T capers

-Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375* F. Grease a cooking sheet. Coat fish in the rosemary garlic lemon seasoning and bake for 20 minutes or until fish is white and flaky.

Meanwhile, prepare your rice.

To make the sauce, start by heating the olive oil in a pan. Separate the layers of the artichoke hearts, place in oil, and allow to cook for a few minutes. Next, add your wine and the juice of one lemon. Let it come to a boil, then turn it down. Add your broth and capers.

Once everything is done, remove the sauce from heat. Serve sauce over rice and place fish on top. Slice the second lemon and serve on the side. Enjoy!

Many thanks to all the friends and neighbors who gave us the food to make this meal! With the exception of the wine and lemons, everything was a gift. Some people gave us the contents of their fridge because they were moving, some were leaving on vacation, some people didn’t want it to go to waste and some gave it to us just because. We’re blessed to live in a great community where people live generously! When people give to us, it makes us want to pay it forward to other people. That cycle of goodness is what makes this place what it is. We thank God for our friends here at AUC.

Foodie Tuesdays: Parrotfish Fajitas

December 30, 2015Caribbean, Cooking, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Nature, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Uncategorizedadventures, Caribbean, cooking, fajitas, fish, fishing, food, foodie tuesdays, ocean, parrotfish, sea, seafood, Sint Maarten, snorkelingbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Before you can begin to cook these deliciously fishy fajitas, you must obtain a fish. You could buy one at the grocery store, or you could catch one with your own rod and reel.

We spent today adventuring around our island home: first to the French side for fishing and snorkeling, and then to the Dutch side to see Fort Amsterdam. My parents gave me a waterproof phone case for Christmas, so while Ben caught fish for dinner, I caught fish on camera.

Ben caught a parrotfish, two glasseye snappers, and two doctor fish. Since ciguatera toxin is prevalent in our area, we checked online to make sure the fish are safe to eat. We threw out the snappers because they are high-risk ciguatera carriers. The doctor fish were tiny and rarely carry the toxin anyway, so we kept them. We were a little concerned about the parrotfish since it was over six inches, but it’s low-risk so we decided to try it. I guess we’ll find out in the morning if we’re OK; Ciguatera poisoning hits within twelve hours.

I think we’ll be alright.

Once the fish were home and cleaned, it was time to start cooking.

To make the fajitas, gather your ingredients:

four
water
salt
oil
fish
bell peppers
onions
shallots
lemon
Spices: salt, pepper, cumin, garlic salt

My favorite tortilla recipe is from Taste of Home. I never buy tortillas from the store anymore! Mix 2 cups of flour, a little salt, 3/4 cups of water and 3 Tablespoons of oil. Let rest, roll out, and fry.

Season fish with salt, pepper, and lemon.

Slice onions, bell peppers, and shallots into thin slices.

Put a quarter cup of oil in a flying pan and heat it to medium heat. Mix in seasonings to your preference. Fry veggies for a few minutes and then add whole fish.

Yum, yum! Smelling good, now. Make some rice while you cook the fish and veggies. The onions should be caramelized.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Break out the salsa.

Remove the skin from the fish, flake off the meat, and pile it all on the tortillas.

Enjoy your fajitas!

What to Do for a Week in Sint Maarten

August 28, 2015American University of the Caribbean, Caribbean, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization, Uncategorizedadventures, Caribbean, Dutch Side, Eating, fish, French Side, hike, Island, Marigot, Mullet Beach, nature, Saint Martin, Shopping, Sint Maarten, snorkel, St. Maarten, surfbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

We have now been living in Sint Maarten for a week! We have a week yet to explore and enjoy before classes begin for Ben at American University of the Caribbean. We’re going on as many adventures as we can on our beautiful island home. Here are some of the fun things we have done. If you ever come to Sint Maarten, take some time to try a few of these!

1. Mullet Bay Beach

We love Mullet Bay Beach! I can’t believe we live just a short walk away. Mullet Bay has gorgeous fine white sand, warm clear water, and best of all, not too many people. There is even a little beach snack shack with umbrellas and chairs for rent.

2. Fort Louis

We took an excursion to the French side of the island last week. On the north side of the town of Marigot, there is a short hike to the ruins of an old French fort. I’m not sure if the best part is the view or the awesome vintage cannons.

3. Fishing

I’m not sure about the French side of the island, but on the Dutch side, one does not need a license to fish. And the fishing is good! We’ve done just about every type of fishing you can imagine. It’s fun, but the downside is that most fish aren’t edible. The majority potentially carry Ciguatera, an incredibly toxic virus that affects people quite badly. Fortunately, the little ones and the herbivores are generally clean. We made fish tacos last night. They were delicious.

Ben catches a barracuda. Can’t eat these, unfortunately.

4. Shopping

Both the French side and the Dutch side have great shopping. Most of it is pretty expensive, but what do you expect on an island? Our shopping has been limited to fishing equipment and groceries for the most part.

I'm not sure what exactly this is useful for, but I've always wanted to be a mermaid! — I’m not sure what exactly this is useful for, but I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid!

5. Snorkeling

The fish here are beautiful. There are few things more fascinating than watching tropical fish go about their little fish lives. The variety and color is amazing! So far, the coral we’ve seen is a bit drab, but the fish make up for it. The other day, I saw a scary huge barracuda and the biggest granddaddy spinefish I’ve ever seen!

One of three good watersports stores we discovered in Marigot

6. Casinos

I wouldn’t recommend the gambling, and a definitely wouldn’t recommend the bars. I’ve heard of the sketchy and dangerous things that happen in some of these bars. However, the casinos sometimes have pretty great food for a reasonable price at their restaurants! We ate at Thai Savanh’ in Stars Casino for Ben’s birthday. They have a nice patio for dining away from the smoke of the casino.

7. Hiking and Running

We went on Guana Bay hike with friends yesterday. We loved the views! There are so many little islands that you can see from this trail. This is just one of many hikes on the island. There are good opportunities for running, too, whether on the beach or the golf course.

8. Surfing

Ben and his friend Matt bought a couple of surf boards today and took advantage of tropical storm Erika’s big waves. There aren’t too many days with good surfing, so today was lucky. Unfortunately, Ben ended up getting thrown onto a sea urchin, so right now he’s experiencing the bad side of the:

9. Wildlife

The flora and fauna here is awesome! Ben climbs coconut palms so we can have fresh coconut milk. There are a few fruit trees here, too. I’ve already mentioned the fish, and in addition to sea creatures, there are interesting land creatures, too, like the giant iguanas that sun themselves on the golf course.

Until next time!

Breana's Blog

A writer's adventures around the world