Fish Archives - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Fried Cod in Sweet Chili Black Bean Garlic Sauce

The Best Black Bean Garlic Sauce for Cod

This is a very popular recipe in many Asian Restaurants and I’ve seen recipes listed all over the web but, once again, the ingredients and preparation fall short and these food bloggers aren’t teaching it correctly. I guarantee that this is the Best Cod in Black Bean Garlic Sauce recipe you’ll ever try because I give you a fish marinade (no one else does), a light fried breading (most recipes skip) and a super easy and delicious sauce that comes in premade bottles, that you can purchase for cheap. You just have to know the proper amounts to mix. Otherwise you’d have to combine over a dozen different ingredients just to make the sauce from scratch. I recommend 3 bottled ingredients and a broth to thin and stretch out the sauce.

One Cod filet, weighing just under a pound, sliced into 2″ inch portions.

This Marinade can be used with Calamari, Shrimp, Fish, Chicken, Pork and/or Beef.

White onion, several sweet peppers and one Jalapeno pepper, chopped into 1″ inch pieces.

Potato Starch for a light coating on the fish, for frying, after it’s marinated.

Deep fried Cod fish portions that were marinated and dusted in potato starch.

Black Bean Garlic Sauce

If you don’t already know, Black Bean Garlic Sauce can be purchased, as is, in a jar, ready to go. The problem is, it leaves much to be desired because it’s just fermented black beans. It’s very potent, sour and other ingredients need to be added to balance out the flavor. In a restaurant setting, a wok cook would combine at least half a dozen ingredients to create the fusion. The 3 bottled sauces, pictured above is all I combine to create a sauce the properly balances this Cod in Black Bean Garlic Sauce recipe. The sauce is a bit thick for this dish, however, so I thin it out with Beef or Chicken Broth.

I also use these 3 bottles to make a sauce for my Salt and Pepper Calamari and one of my Sea Scallop recipes.

How to make Fried Cod in Sweet Chili Black Bean Garlic Sauce video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Fried Cod in Black Bean Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

1 Cod Filet, sliced into 1″ X 2″ inch pieces

Marinade
1 egg
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp White Pepper
3 tbsp Corn Starch

1/3 cup Potato Starch for Fish breading

5 Lunch Box Peppers, chopped 1″ inch pieces
1 Jalapeno, chopped into 1″ inch pieces
1/4 White Onion, chopped into 1″ inch pieces
2 Green Onions, chopped into 2″ inch pieces
2 tbsp Canola Oil, for stir frying

Sauce
1 tbsp Black Bean Garlic Sauce
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
1/2 cup Beef or Chicken Broth

Canola Oil for Frying

The amount of marinade in this recipe can marinate up to 3 lbs of cod so only use about 1/3 of it for filet this size. This dish easily feeds 2 to 3 people and is traditionally served with steamed rice. Follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Fried Cod in Sweet Chili Black Bean Garlic Sauce.

Tuna Casserole

The Best Tuna Casserole

This is better than a basic recipe for a Tuna Casserole but it is easy and it’s delicious. Last week, I made a very simple and basic recipe, which was descent, but it didn’t strike me as a yeah I want more kind of a dish so, I decided to step it up. The end result turned out great and I really think you’re going to be pleased because I stuck with all of the basics and through in some ingredients to give this dish more bite.

Frying pan on the stove half full of chopped Holy Trinity ingredients, garlic and peas.

The Holy Trinity with Peas

Many basic Tuna Casserole recipes call for frozen peas but I decided to take it a step further and add the Holy Trinity. As you may or may not know, the Holy Trinity is just 3 simple ingredients made famous in in French and Cajun Cuisine; chopped onion, celery and bell pepper. These three ingredients are a fundamental start to many recipes and I decided that this dish shouldn’t be any different so, I added them.

Mixed Tuna Casserole ingredients, in a large bowl, before baking.

Creamy and Crunchy

One of my favorite things about a casserole is the top layer. I like the crunchy flavor of salty Potato chips and/or fried French Onions. In this case, I decided to add both for more flavor. I crush the potato chips and add them to the mix and add the french onions as a topping with cheddar cheese. That’s not the only cheese I add to this recipe, however. Again, I’m going for flavor and I like anything creamy to be rich so, I added grated Parmesan cheese to the mix along with some cream of mushroom soup and a little milk.

You have to be careful with the mixture of all of these ingredients because you can, very easily, do one of two things; either make it runny, with too much liquid or dry it out with not enough. Those potato chips and the “Al dente” noodles like to suck up that moisture with the casserole is baking so, be sure you’ve added the right amounts that I’ve listed below. And, if by some chance you’re tastes are different than mine, just adjust the liquid, milk, accordingly.

Oh, I almost forgot… I usually salt the boiling water before I cook my noodles to add more flavor but, in this case, I chose Chicken Bouillon. Just think of it like adding the seasoning packet to your ramen and flavoring the noodles. It isn’t weird, it’s pretty much the same frickin’ thing!

Tuna Casserole video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Tuna Casserole Ingredients:

1 12 oz bag Egg Noodles
Cook the Noodles in Chicken Broth or use Bouillon. Approximately 4 quarts of water and 1/3 cup of Knorr Chicken Bouillon.

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 bunch Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 stick Cellery, diced
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1 cup Peas, frozen
1/2 Onion, diced
2 cans Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 cup French Onions
1/2 cup Potato Chips, crushed
3 cans tuna, Solid White Albacore
1 tbsp Worcestorshire

Salt and Pepper to taste

Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes then add the Cheddar cheese and French onions and bake for another 5 minutes, then serve.

P.S. You can easily turn this dish into a Chicken Noodle Casserole by swapping out the canned Tuna for Chicken and the canned Cream of Mushroom Soup for Cream of Chicken Soup, instead.

Cooking King Crab Legs | How to Steam, Bake or Grill

Peeling cooked King crab legs and dipping the meat in butter. — 2 lbs of cooked Alaskan King Crab Legs on a sheet pan with butter.

Delicious King Crab Legs

Cooking King Crab Legs is so easy and it’s my all time favorite thing to eat. I love Snow and Dungeness Crab too but nothing else is so satisfying. Rewarding one self with a hefty sized piece of crab meat dipped in garlic butter is definitely my idea of heaven on earth. The flavor is so rich and sweet, it literally melts in your mouth. The only problem is that they’re usually horribly expensive. I believe, however, that there is a time and place for everything, special occasions like birthdays and holidays have always warranted a place in my heart to splurge a little, even on a budget.

Over 2 lbs of frozen King Crab Legs wrapped and sold for $24.98 lbs. — 2 pound package of frozen Red King Crab legs labels $24.98/lb, total price $50.83!

King Crab Legs Market Price

The market price of seafood changes like anything else judging by the supply and demand. The only problem is is that it’s a little bit more unpredictable than, let’s say, beef or cattle because no one really knows how much is actually available. All we can do is judge the market by the previous and current catch recorded by quality control and government observers that keep track of the numbers.

I worked in Alaska, for a time, on a fishing factory trawler so, I know a little bit about how it works. I lived on a 220 ft fishing boat, out at sea, for 3 to 4 months at a time, depending on the fishing season. The difference with crabbing is how much further north they have to go and how much colder it gets. Crabbing is considered to be one of the most dangerous and deadly professions in the world. If you’ve ever caught an episode of Deadliest Catch, you know what I’m talking about.

All things considered, there are many other factors that go into pricing King Crab Legs when they hit the market. I can tell you that the price jumped 3 dollars more per pound, when I decided to film this video, from the previous week. If you want to know how I’ve gotten them cheaper, and I mean 1/3 this cost, check this out.

Frozen King Crab Legs

It’s no secret that when we buy King Crab Legs we’re usually buying them frozen but did you realize that they’ve already been pre-cooked, too? So, cooking these up at home really isn’t going to be that difficult because all we need to do is reheat them. They can easily be over cooked, though, so that’s something you should avoid at all costs. Following these simple methods should help you cook your crab perfectly and without complications.

Holding the largest meat portion of a King Crab Leg. — Fully Cooked King Crab Legs and one thigh meat portion removed from the shell.

Baked, Grilled or Steamed King Crab Legs

The 3 most common ways to cook and/or reheat King Crab Legs is baked in the oven, barbecued on a grill or, the most popular, steamed in a large pot on a stove top. In this video tutorial, I demonstrate how to do all three with ease and I’ve listed the cooking time and temps, for each process, down below.

More Crab Recipes

Crab Dip, Seafood & Crab Enchilada, Fried Jonah, Dungeness or Blue Crabs, Seafood & Crab Salad Mix, Cheddar Bay Crab Cakes, Santolla Red Crab Legs, Blue Crab & Shrimp Gumbo, Santolla Red King Crab Legs Only $7.99 lbs.

King Crab Legs Baked, Grilled or Steamed by PoorMansGourmet.

King Crab Legs Time and Temperature

Baked: 425° F. 15 minutes.

Grilled: 400° F. 20 minutes.

Steamed: 2″ Boiling water 8-10 minutes, with the Lid on.

Category: Fish