junk food challenge: pairing 2 fresh fish, with corn nuts?

sautéed fresh dover sole
grape tomatoes, garlic, chili flakes, corn nuts
basil garnish

pan seared fresh local swordfish
cherry tomatoes, garlic, chili flakes, corn nuts
parsley garnish

★★★★★

the junk food challenge

corn nuts
a snack food made of deep fried corn kernels

“Let’s have some fun this month with something a little different – Junk Food!   Take your favorite Junk Food, something you are addicted to, for example chips or fries, and use it in a gourmet dish!   Note it is not a makeover of junk food, you must use the junk food item in your 5 star creation.”

The 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group hosted by Natasha the 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! is an outstanding monthly event for sharing ideas and creating gourmet makeovers of selected classic dishes or flavor combinations.

the inspiration

photos from our trip to peru over a decade ago

Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels in water for three days, then deep-frying them in oil until they are hard and brittle. The kernels are soaked because they shrink during the harvesting and cleaning process, and rehydration returns them to their original size.

Albert Holloway invented corn nuts in 1936. He originally sold them to tavern owners to be given away free to their patrons as a snack that would be great with beer.

After Holloway and his sons learned of a breed of corn grown in Cusco, Peru that grew large one-inch kernels, the company researched developing a hybrid of the Cusco corn that could be grown effectively in California. After a decade of research, the company introduced CornNuts made with the hybrid variety in 1964. (from wikipedia)

swordfish recipe

Lightly coat fresh swordfish with mayonnaise. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook in a dry non-stick skillet over high heat to sear both sides until the fish is just cooked through.

Meanwhile, toss cherry tomatoes with crushed garlic, red chili flakes, olive oil with a splash of white wine. Cook in a 400° oven until the tomato skins break open. Toss with corn nuts.

Serve swordfish topped with corn nut mixture and fresh parsley.

dover sole recipe

Dust fresh dover sole filets with Wondra flour, season with salt and pepper
then sauté in olive oil.

Toss grape tomatoes with crushed garlic, red chili flakes, olive oil with a splash of white wine. Cook in a 400° oven until the tomato skins break open. Toss with corn nuts and a chiffonade of basil.

Top dover sole with corn nut mixture.

the fun junk food challenge round-up

donuts, pretzels, hot dogs, chocolate covered espresso beans, velveeta
beef jerky, funyons, beer nuts, instant noodles, potato chips, wheat thins
mcdonald’s fries, waffle fries, cheetos churros, corn nuts
popcorn, onion rings, cinnamon toast crunch, wasabi peas

Please visit the Five Star Foodie for this month’s super creative Junk Food Round-Up, posted here.