Potato Crusted Cod and Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

On Sunday night, after a wonderful late lunch on the patio at Bouchee and wandering around the SOWA Open Market, B and I were completely wiped out.  We wanted to make something for dinner that was quick and easy but still tasty.  We looked through our freezer and decided to cook the frozen potato crusted cod that Sea Cuisine sent over for me to try out.

Since I had such a great experience with my previous Sea Cuisine frozen fish, I knew that the cod would be equally delicious.  The preparation for the fish was very simple and we put it on a cooking tray in the oven at 375 degrees for twenty-five minutes.

While the fish was cooking, we decided to make two simple sides to go with the fish.  The most obvious was a very basic salad with Olivia's Organics spring mix salad with a sliced vine-ripe tomato, sliced cucumbers, sliced avocado, and aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

While the salad was refreshing, we wanted to make something that didn't really go with the meal but we both really wanted to make.  We saw a recipe for cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers in the most recent issue of Everyday Food.  Our friend M makes something very similar as an appetizer for parties and we both really wanted to make it ourselves.  We went to Savenor's Market and picked up half a dozen jalapeno peppers.

After the peppers were washed, B sliced them in half and I de-seeded them.  We saved a few seeds aside to put in the cheese stuffing.  I shredded a generous quarter cup of the aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

I then added half a package of cream cheese and added the jalapeno seeds, fresh cracked black pepper and salt.  Using a small spoon, we delicately spooned the stuffing into the jalapenos.

B placed the jalapenos on the tray with the fish and broiled it for about ten minutes.  The end result was a very simple but surprisingly delicious dinner.  The cod was delightfully moist with a thick potato, cheddar and chive crust.  The crust was so flavorful that it didn't need any sauce.  While the salad was a light and refreshing side to the fish, the spicy jalapenos added a nice rich and cheesy goodness to the meal.

Better still, the meal made great leftovers the next day.  I added some canned tuna to the salad for lunch and we reheated the jalapenos for dinner, which added a delicious golden brown crust to the cheese.  Although the jalapenos were a strange addition to our meal, I know that I will definitely repeat it for an appetizer some time.

Have you ever seen a recipe that you had to try out right away? What was it?

Sea Cuisine Boston Giveaway

Last month, I received an email from Sea Cuisine about a promotion they were offering to Boston residents.  I had never heard of or tried any Sea Cuisine products prior to this so I did my research.  According to their website, Sea Cuisine is part of the High Liner Food family and offers frozen seafood meals that are already prepared.  When I read this, I'll admit that I was skeptical.  I was envisioning some form of fish stick that would contain an unidentifiable and mushy fish filling.  So when the folks at Sea Cuisine offered to send some products my way, I wasn't sure what to expect.

But I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised.  I got a few different products but the one that I've tried out so far is the Coconut Crusted Tilapia:

In terms of preparation, the fish can stay in your freezer until you are ready to cook it.  It just requires a simple twenty-five minutes in the oven at 375 degrees.

Since I was already reaching into the freezer for our dinner, I also found a package of edamame in the freezer.  I decided to do a simple preparation by steaming the edamame and then tossing the cooking edamame with some fresh cracked sea salt.

As the tilapia was cooking, I was surprised to smell enticing aromas from the oven.  And it looked delicious when it was done.  The golden brown crust was lightly crusted with coconut flakes and crushed tortilla chips along with hints of pineapple and papaya.  I will admit that fruit flavors did get a little lost in the crust.

This was a surprisingly delicious frozen meal and definitely a great alternative to my lazy stir-fry or pizza delivery nights.  Although I'm not the biggest fan of frozen dinners, there is no denying that the tilapia tasted fresh and was light and flaky.  In other words, it totally didn't taste like the frozen fish stick I was envisioning.

So, here's where the promotion comes in.  Throughout the month of May, Sea Cuisine will be giving away 4,000 free dinners to Boston residents.  You can enter by heading to their Boston giveaway website.  In addition, they are also giving away a $200 seafood celebration to one Boston resident to host a seafood dinner.  The "seafood celebration" package includes:

• 12 Sea Cuisine free entrée coupons for hostess and friends;
• $75 grocery gift card;
• $50 beverage gift card; and
• $50 hostess thank you gift.

If you have any questions about the promotion, let me know and I'll be happy to direct you to the right people at Sea Cuisine.  Thanks to Stacey Allaire at Sea Cuisine for introducing your product and this promotion to my readers.