Caribbean Seafood Stew by Everyday Paleo

Sarah over at Everyday Paleo has quite the following, and if you haven't checked out her website yet, DO IT. She comes up with some pretty original dishes. With three kids, she needs to stay on top of her game to keep them interested, and she does a fantastic job. Take a look at this recipe she posted yesterday (Mango Chicken Salad with Chipotle Mayo)... I'll be cooking this soon.

Tonight however, I tried her Caribbean Seafood Stew. I've been meaning to try more dishes with coconut milk. So far I've only been using it for smoothies, but I'd love to find other tasty ways to get more coconut in my life.

The Recipe

Her picture looks way better

The Good
Light dish
Very tender fish
Delicate coconut flavor

The Bad
A little bland

Overall - 2/5 Stars
This dish was a little underwhelming. I felt like it was missing an ingredient or two. The coconut milk gave the dish a great base, but it wasn't enough for me to enjoy this recipe. That being said her directions are spot on. We simmered the fish for 4 minutes and it came out perfectly tender.

Did you have a different experience with this dish? I'd love to hear what your opinion is.

Fish and Chips by Pragmatic Paleo

Haddock was the only thawed meat in my fridge, but thanks to Wikipedia... "Haddock is a very popular food fish, sold fresh, smoked, frozen, dried, or to a small extent canned. Haddock, along with cod and plaice, is one of the most popular fish used in British fish and chips." Brilliant!


A quick Google search for "Paleo Fish and Chips" only turned up a couple results surprisingly. But this recipe from Pragmatic Paleo looked like a winner.

The Recipe 

They may look like boring fish sticks,
but these things pack some flavor!

The Good:
Fantastic flavor thanks to the coconut oil and dill
Quick to make
Few ingredients


The Bad:
Not the most detailed directions
I wish I cooked more


Overall - 4/5
I will definitely cook these again. They were a snap to make, although following the directions was a little tricky. They say to finish the fish off in the oven, but don't tell you how long to put them in for. My fish was cooked after browning both sides, so I didn't want to risk over cooking them.


In terms of flavor they were great. They were light, crispy, and buttery. I initially thought I would be begging for ketchup (which we were out of), but they were good enough that I didn't even need any. Also, I probably added a little too much salt, but these little guys were a hit with the whole family. If you are looking for a simple and healthy fried fish recipe, look no further!

Know Thy Fishmonger

I failed. Not once but twice. Both times I over cooked my tuna steaks, and they turned out horrible. Cooking salmon seems to be easy enough - especially with the skin on. You just toss it in the pan with some oil over medium heat. Then I usually flip it over for a minute or so and presto! Delicious. Tuna - not so much.

The tuna steak is interesting because it bridges the gap between surf and turf (sort of), giving non-red-meat eaters something to be excited about. Typically the tuna that I eat comes in a can, and most of it tastes and smells like cat food. Enter Tonno. This is tuna packed in olive oil and a little salt and is downright delicious. When I lived in Charlotte, I found it at Harris Teeter, but I have been unable to find Tonno at our local Giant. I might have to venture over to Wegmens to find it. That place has everything you could ever want. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could live there - permanently.

This is great if you are on the go or need to make a quick meal, but what if you have more time? What did I do wrong? Did I need to marinate it? Obviously, I needed to cook it less, but how much less? How pink can you leave it?

After a little digging these seem to be consistent tips for cooking your best tuna steak:

1. Make sure your fish is pink and has a firm flesh. (thinking back, my tuna was more of a gray then pink - gross)
2. Buy the steak the day you intend to cook it, or put in fridge overnight. Do not freeze the steak. (I had it in my fridge for 4 days, but to be fair I don't think it was fresh to begin with. Sorry Giant)
3. Marinate over night for best flavor (I should have done this)
4. Use salt and pepper to taste (Check)
5. Put heat source on high (Check)
6. Sear both sides for 3-5 minutes. Do not cover. (Perhaps over cooked by a few minutes, plus I covered it. Now, I'm breaking rules left and right)
7. Allow it to cook 1/4in on each side, still rare in middle is fine. (Definitely not still rare when I was done)

So, now that I have some tips I'm going to go back to the grocery store to give this another shot. Do you have any favorite tuna steak recipes? Here are two that look uber tasty and paleo-friendly too.

Recipe 1: Blackened Tuna Steaks with Mango Salsa
Recipe 2: Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Steak