serves 2 to 4
The Ingredients
aluminum foil
2 tilapia fillets
1 teaspoon dried ginger
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced
2 bunches bok choy, coarsely chopped
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay a length of foil out on your kitchen countertop. Place the fish fillets in the center, sprinkle the ginger and red peper flakes onto the fish, and top with the soy sauce. Add the green onions and bok choy. Fold the foil over and crimp the edges to make a packet. Place the packet in the bottom of your slow cooker (do not add water). Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
The Verdict
We eat a lot of tilapia in our house, and I’m happy to have another recipe to add to the rotation. The fish gets nicely flavored and steamed in the foil packets. This was more than enough food to feed my family of four fish eaters (the baby was only six weeks old when I made this!), but you might need to add an additional fish fillet if you have bigger eaters in the house.
serves 2
The Ingredients
aluminum foil
2 firm white fish fillets (I use tilapia)
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 red onion, sliced in rings
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay out a length of foil onto your kitchen countertop and place the fish fillets in the center. Top the fish with the slices of fennel, tomato, and onion. Sprinkle on the dill and lime juice. Fold the foil over and crimp the edges to make a packet. Put the packet into an empty slow cooker (do not add water). Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The Verdict
Adam and I found the fennel and tomato a great combination with the dill and lime. The tilapia cooked perfectly in the foil packet—just like always.
serves 4
The Ingredients
aluminum foil
4 catfish fillets
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried dill
2 lemons (1 juiced, 1 sliced in thin rings)
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay a length of foil out on your kitchen countertop and place the fish fillets in the center. Sprinkle the spices directly onto the fish, and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon all over. Lay the lemon slices on the fish, fold the foil over, and crimp the edges to form a packet. Place the packet into the bottom of your slow cooker (do not add water). Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
The Verdict
I was on the phone when my eight-year-old daughter asked me what we were having for dinner. I wrote “herb catfish” on the kitchen chalkboard, and she took off running through the house to inform her younger sister that we were going to eat a catfish named Herb. (P.S. Herb tasted delicious!)
serves 4
The Ingredients
aluminum foil
4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 (10-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
salt and pepper to taste
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay a length of foil out on the countertop and place the fish fillets in the center. Dribble the balsamic vinegar and honey over the top of the fish, and pour on the drained mandarin oranges (my kids like to drink the juice). Fold the foil over the fish, and crimp the sides to make a fully enclosed packet. Put into your slow cooker (do not add water) and cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Add salt and pepper at the table.
The Verdict
When I was growing up, I spent my after-school hours at my grandparents’ house. My grandpa liked to tease that mandarin oranges were actually tiny little boneless goldfish. This means that in my head, this fish dish is seasoned with baby goldfish. I know this sounds terribly odd—but this thought evokes such fond memories I don’t ever want to shake it.
serves 4
The Ingredients
aluminum foil strips
1 (14.75-ounce) can salmon, drained and deboned
2 cups toast crumbs (I used brown rice bread)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chicken broth
The Directions
Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Tear out four 6-inch lengths of foil. Fold each length into a 1-inch-wide strip. Place two strips of foil in the bottom of the stoneware insert lengthwise and the other two crossing these (you are going to use the foil strips to lift the cooked loaf out of the slow cooker). In a mixing bowl, combine the canned salmon, toast crumbs, and spices. Pour in the melted butter and Parmesan cheese. Stir in the eggs and form the mix into a rounded blob. Put this mixture (it should resemble a wet meatloaf) into the middle of the crossed foil strips at the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth evenly over the top. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or on high for 2 to 3 hours. Use the foil strips to carefully lift the loaf out of the pot.
The Verdict
Ah! This is so good! I was hesitant to give it a try—the recipe was e-mailed to me a few times from several readers, but I was concerned that I wouldn’t like it. Not only did I enjoy this, so did the kids. Although you can eat this as a full meal, I served it on rice cakes as a midmorning snack.
