Seafood Wednesday: Baked Cod with Tomatoes and Onions

Exactly a week ago (as of yesterday when I made this dish), all 33 miners and the rescuers made it to the surface safe and sound. Last week I skipped Seafood Wednesday because we had a small 'asado' or grilled meat to celebrate the success of the operation. I even got to sing the national anthem with my family and millions of Chileans who were watching the rescue from their homes, at the Mina San Jose, and other places around the world. It has been an event that has touched my heart.

So yesterday's dish was first of all dedicated to my family and to Chile and to anyone who loves fish. 

Want to give it a shot? 

1. Place cod in a bowl and season it with salt (i used sea salt) and black pepper. 

2. Make some fresh lemon juice and add it to the fish. Let it stand while you continue making the other parts of the dish. 

3. Melt some butter in a pan and add onions. 

4. Add paprika or 'aji color' (it's a type of chile powder) to the onions.  Cook until the onions are tender/soft. 

5. Add peeled and diced tomatoes to the mixture. Mix well for a couple of minutes. Just enough so the tomatoes are cooked. 

(It is Chilean tradition to peel the tomatoes. I've always been challenged in this aspect even though I am Chilean, ha! This time, however, I peeled the tomatoes in no time!) 

6. Then use a clay baking bowl if you have one or a regular glass bakeware. Have the potatoes cut up and diced and make a layer of them. 

Clay Bakeware - bought at Los Dominicos
Santiago, Chile

7. Then make a layer of the tomatoes with onions mixture.

8. Top it with the fish and bake at 350 for about 15-20 min. Just long enough so the fish is cooked. If you leave it too long, the fish and the mixture will dry. 

9. Serve with rice and garnish with lemons (and parsley if available)

10. This is my favorite salad: Lettuce with tomatoes and tuna. PERFECT salad to go with this dish!!!! 

11. Enjoy! 

~ Have a great day! 

Seafood Wednesday: Stuffed Tomatoes - Tomates Rellenos

I've been really looking forward to Today's Seafood Wednesday's recipe for three reasons:

1. It includes some of my favorite ingredients,
2. It's a very special dish that my Grandmother used to make for me when I was a young girl, 
3. It's a Chilean dish.

(BTW - Chile celebrated 200 years of Independence this past Saturday, September 18)

I seriously went to the grocery store and got all the ingredients in less than 20 minutes. Now that's a record for me :-) I walked into the store and headed straight to the produce section. I found the tomatoes and sorted through them until I found eight beautifully shaped tomatoes. I split them into two bags to make sure they wouldn't get squished along the way.

notice how well the tomatoes made it home

Ingredients:

Fresh tomatoes (2 per person)
Corn
Canned Tuna in oil (2 cans to make sure we get a really amount of the fish)
Cooked Rice

ingredients

Preparation:

1. Rinse off the tomatoes and remove the sticky labels.

2. Remove the stem of the tomato.

*  This is what all your tomatoes should look like now:

3. Here comes the fun part - Scoop out each tomato.

I used a knife to remove the center part and scooped out the tomato.





4. Almost ready to stuff!

5. Having your tomatoes in one bowl, add the remaining ingredients one at a time.  Mix well.

I have got to tell you this was my favorite part of making this dish! The fresh smell of tomatoes with tuna and corn made my day!!!

6. Stuff the tomatoes - it took two full spoons to stuff them.

Now look at all of them:

I started feeling like a Chef at this point :)

7. Get your plates ready! - It's time to eat!

It is Chilean tradition to garnish the stuffed tomatoes with a bit of mayonnaise at the top. You could also use a black olive with a small leaf of basil to decorate the dish.

It is also part of the tradition to serve this dish with white rice.   It's served in a round shape; you could use a cup to obtain the same results.

Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice

Time to eat!

~ The Wife

Hot Dogs - Chilean Style

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The first recipe in our blog features one of the easiest meals one could make and most definitely a family favorite. The reason? This food is typical of Chile (in South America) where both my husband and I grew up. There are many cafes, restaurants, street kiosks where you can get a completo. Even McDonald's makes it down there.

Ingredients:

1. hot dog bun 
2. hot dog
3. (sauerkraut)
4. avocado  
5. tomatoes 
6. mayonnaise
7. mustard
8. ketchup

*Note: the ingredients have been listed in the order we make them at home. 

Ways to get the most of your completo: 

• Eat it with a very cold Coca-Cola
• Heat the bun in the oven (not the microwave). Ideally, the bun will be warm and toasty. It helps bring the full flavor of the bread and the other ingredients. 
• Use fresh tomatoes - there is nothing like enjoying fresh vegetables! 
• Have as many napkins or dish towels available to clean your hands as you eat. 
• Be ready to eat more than one! 

Preparation: 

1. Pre-heat the oven - I usually set it at 200 degrees while I get everything else ready. 
2. Prepare the hot dogs as desired (boiled or fried) 
3. Mash your avocado with a fork, add some oil and salt. 
4. Dice your tomatoes into small squares. It makes them look so pretty afterwards! 
5. Heat the buns for about 5-7 minutes. You want them to be toasty, not burnt. 

You may be skeptical about this recipe, but I can guarantee you will like it :) All of our friends here in the States who have tried this dish have asked us to make it for them in multiple occasions.   

If you have an opportunity to visit Chile, be sure to eat a Completo at Doggis or Domino.

I invite you to leave your comments and impressions of this dish! 

Homemade Completo with Sauerkraut