Fishing yourself out of a recipe rut, and island thighs

With busy schedules and hot days when I really don't feel like cooking, I feel I am in a recipe rut. I need to try some new recipes and put some new flavors on our table. Fish is something I don't make real often, so I decided to find a few new fish recipes to try. In that process, I did find one new chicken-thigh recipe I will be making too.

I hope you can find these recipes new to you and enjoyable as well.

Traditional fish tacos

Fish tacos are really good, easy to do, and the sauces are quick and easy, too. The sauces just take a few minutes to do, then put them in the refrigerator and the fish cooks in no time when you are ready. The sauces are very typical of what you would get on the beach in Mexico.

For the fish:

Orange Roughy, SWAI, Basa or Sutchie (Any nice white fish, no strong flavor and easily flaked)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Ground coriander

Place fish on a cookie sheet, lined with foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and ground coriander. Broil about 4 or 5 minutes or until opaque, let the top crisp up, then shred with two forks as you would do pork for BBQ.

Use whatever kind of tortilla you like, but corn is traditional. If you have a gas stove, char the tortillas a bit over the flame, or heat in a skillet till warm and a bit browned.

To assemble the fish tacos, layer the fish, Mexican slaw, lime crema and salsa verde in the prepared tortilla. Serve immediately.

* For the Mexican slaw

Thinly sliced cabbage

* For the dressing

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons fat free plain yogurt

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all dressing ingredients together. Depending on how much slaw you are making, you may with to double the dressing. Do not make too much though, as this is to be eaten on top of the fish on the taco, so it does not take too much.

* For the lime crema with cilantro

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons lite sour cream, or plain yogurt

1/4 cup thin sliced green onions, or use sweet onions, as Vidalia

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

* For the salsa verde

1 bunch cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and pepper

1/2 chopped jalapeño pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Italian tuna-melt burgers

4 1-inch-thick slices of crusty bread cut from a wide, round loaf

Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling

1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled

3 (8 ounce) tuna steaks, cut into large chunks

3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped (a couple of tablespoons)

1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 navel orange, 2 teaspoons of the zest reserved, then peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar

4 thick slices red onion

8 slices of Fontina cheese (about 4 ounces)

2 cups shredded radicchio, arugula or baby spinach

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high. Drizzle the bread with extra virgin olive oil and grill until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Rub the garlic all over the grilled bread.

Place the tuna in a food processor and pulse until ground. Transfer the tuna to a bowl and add the rosemary, grill seasoning, orange zest, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar and a liberal drizzle of olive oil.

Brush the onion slices with olive oil and grill them until tender, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

While the onions cook, ready the burgers to go on the grill by forming 4 large patties. Grill the patties with the lid down for 2 minutes on each side for rare and up to 5 minutes on each side for well-done. A minute before taking the burgers off the grill, top with an onion slice and 2 slices of cheese. Place the grilled bread on a platter, top with the orange slices, radicchio and burgers. Season with salt and pepper.

Fish creole

4 (3-ounce) fish fillets

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

4 tablespoons reduced-fat margarine, divided

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, undrained

Pepper to taste

2 teaspoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fish fillets in baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Mix together lemon juice, onion, and 2 tablespoons melted margarine. Pour mixture over fish. Bake uncovered or until fish flakes easily with fork, about 15 minutes. While fish is baking, prepare Creole sauce.

* For the Creole sauce

Sauté green pepper in the remaining margarine. Add tomatoes and pepper. Stir in flour. Simmer until mixture is heated.

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I just had a conversation with my friend Jack Herron about chicken thighs. We both agree that they are very flavorful and economical cut of meat. I will be making this with the large package of thighs I just purchased. I will pair it with my son's favorite oriental slaw.

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

This grilled chicken recipe sizzles with the flavors of brown sugar, ginger and soy sauce. "Huli" means "turn" in Hawaiian.

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup chicken broth

2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

24 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 5 pounds)

In a small bowl, mix the first six ingredients. Reserve 1-1/3 cups for basting; cover and refrigerate. Divide remaining marinade between two large resealable plastic bags. Add 12 chicken thighs to each; seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink; baste occasionally with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes. Yield: 12 servings.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.