Loving Cucumbers...And Fish?

Ok, another for today. Here is a recipe for a cucumber relish that goes great with the fish recipe that follows. Of course, it also goes great with pretty much any other summer meal - salad, chicken, tofu, burgers. Just try it, you'll find many uses for it.

Cucumber Lemon Relish
1 cup finely diced peeled cucumber
2 lemons
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1/8 cup finely diced fennel
2 Tablespoons chopped fennel fronds (or parsley)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and supreme the lemons (remove the lemon sections without any pith) then chop the lemon segments. Add to the other ingredients, mix gently. This can hold in the fridge for several hours.

Picnic Tilapia with Cucumber Dipping Sauce

for fish:
1-2 tilapia filets per person
beaten egg
1 cup flour
2 tbs sesame seed
ground cumin
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
olive oil for cooking

for dipping sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbs finely minced cucumber
dash of toasted sesame oil
cumin, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

for fish:
Cut each filet in half along the body line. Mix together the flour and the spices, adjusting quantity to your taste. Usually a small dash of cayenne is enough to and heat without making it too spicy. I like a lot of cumin and garlic. Put flour on flat plate. Heat a pan with enough oil to coat the bottom. Dip each filet in the egg then coat with the flour mixture then cook fish until brown on both sides. Remove to a plate or cookie sheet and refrigerate until cold. Handle the fish with care while hot as it is a tender fish; it will firm up when cold.

for sauce:
Mix all the ingredients together, adjust seasonings. Keep cold until ready to serve.