ArcaMax

I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten into a rut since this whole COVID thing started. Really, I've gotten into a bunch of ruts. As things start to loosen, it’s time to start brainstorming how to get out of the ruts without endangering our recovery.

The topics of what kind of ruts we’ve gotten into vary and can be really personal. I, for instance, dug a new pair of shoes out of my closet that I have yet to wear since I bought them about six months ago.

For the first six months of lockdown, I wore the same pair of sandals every day. I noticed I was doing it, but I really just didn’t care. Who was going to notice? I was working at home. When I decided I needed a solid shoe for the cooler months I went out and bought two pairs. You guessed it, I wore the same pair of solid shoes for six months. It was not until today that I dug out the other new pair and put them on. The act made me feel sort of special. A little lighter. Maybe even a little cleaner. The psychological toll of this thing has hit us all. We just need to turn inward to find out how it has affected us and start to bring it to the surface so we can do things to heal.

Since so much of my writing focuses on food, I thought I’d point out a few ruts I have noticed and offer up ideas on how to get out of them. Some of these may apply to you.

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Pecan Crusted Fish Fillets with Lemon Sauce

I made my version of this with salmon because it’s my husband’s favorite. I can see this being done with any thick fish fillet. You can try cod, halibut, swordfish, or even tuna steak. The sauce makes enough for 4 people so if you want you can add two more fish fillets and a bit more of the breading recipe.

Servings: Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 fish fillets

For the Pecan Crust

1/4 cup of Pecan halves
1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs. You can use regular but these are crispier.
Grated sea salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce

2 Tbl of butter
1/4 cup of honey. I use Whole Earth 50. It has 50 percent less sweetness and carbohydrates.
1 Tbl of tamari, coconut aminos, or Bragg’s aminos. These are healthier soy sauce options.
1 Tbl of brown sugar substitute. I use Swerve or ZSweet brown.
1 Tbl of minced ginger
1 tsp of garlic powder
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp of cornstarch

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

To make the crust, combine the pecans and bread crumbs in a small food processor or Bullet blender. Pulse until mixture resembles crumbs. I made mine in my blender and they did not get completely chopped up. I just poured it on my cutting board and finished the chopping with a knife. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge your fish fillets in the coating (if you are using salmon or another fish option that has skin on one side you can skip dredging that side).

Melt the butter in a large oven-proof skillet (I use cast iron). Heat on medium-high. Add your fish fillets and cook both sides until golden brown. About two minutes per side. Don’t mess with them. If you leave it alone it will get a better crust. Just watch for browning signs. You want them golden.

Place the fish in the oven and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork. About 10 to 12 minutes. How long this will take will depend on which fish fillet you choose to use.

Make the sauce while the fish is in the oven. Combine the honey, tamari, brown sugar sub, ginger, garlic powder, and lemon juice with the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Heat over medium. Then bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to simmer. When it starts to thicken it’s done, stir often. If it gets too thick you can add a couple of teaspoons of water to thin it out. As it sits waiting for the fish it might continue to thicken but that’s easy to fix.

When the fish fillets are done you can drizzle on the sauce.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola