This is a very yummy recipe that is great for Passover! I was with my mom in citarella – she was going to buy salmon for dinner. Instead, I felt creative and came up with an idea of what to eat – stir fry with matza. I composed a list of what ingredients I thought would taste good together and my mom and I bought the ingredients I desired (I never looked online for ingredient ideas or meal inspiration). Then, we went home and i started preparing and cooking – my nanny helping me with the ingredients I didn’t know how to cook. When my family tried the finished dishes, they said my food tasted really good. I was surprised, yet happy, and wanted to share the recipe with you all.
Serves: around 6 people
Time: around an hour if you know what you’re doing – maybe a little more if you don’t – but don’t worry this recipe is very simple and easy to make!!
Health: This recipe is very healthy and delicious.
Ingredients:
Cucumbers – 3 skinned cucumbers
Parsley – a bundle
Mushrooms (smaller ones ) – a bunch, probably around three or four cups worth
Onions – a half of an onion
Sesame seeds – use like 5 finger punches – you can add more to your liking
Garlic – two cloves, crush them
Sesame oil – I would say around a teaspoon
(honestly, you can use any fish – I’ve also tried branzino which works well also) Salmon or scallops (either, or – I wouldn’t encourage mixing both) – for salmon I would say use 4 pieces, for scallops – use 1 pound of bay scallops
Olive oil – 6 teaspoons (may need to use more while you are cooking but that is a good starting point)
Salt: only a little bit, as this is a very healthy recipe. Maybe a few pinches
Matza – maybe 5 egg-free whole squares
Thyme – as much as you want. I would say around 6 strands.
Procedure:
1: matza: preheat the oven to around 250 degrees. Put pieces of matza on an oven tray and place in the oven once the oven is heated fully. Continue to check on the matza periodically, turning it over on the tray. You want it to be toasted, slightly browned on both sides of every piece.
2. Cucumbers: Take out the cucumbers and cut all of them into small pieces (small little squares but not too tiny) – you probably want to cut the cucumbers on a cutting board. When fully cut, place the cucumber pieces on a plate or in a bowl.
3. Onion: Next, take off the onion sleeve and cut the onion into pieces a little smaller than the cucumber slices. When done, you can put the cut onion pieces into a bowl or on a plate, keeping them separated from the cucumbers.
4. Mushrooms: cut the mushroom stems off. Slice the mushrooms into 4ths and wash them thoroughly. Place them into a cup or bowl, keeping them separate from the other ingredients.
5. Parsley: take the parsley, wash it, and chop the leaves up into small pieces (only use the stems if you want). Place the chopped pieces of parsley into a plate or bowl.
6. Toasted matza: By this time your matza will most likely be toasted. Check on the matza again, and if it is toasted, crumble it up into pretty small pieces. You want it to be around the size of uncooked rice, although some pieces can be a bit bigger than that.
7. If using salmon: take four strips of salmon, cutting each into 4 square-like pieces.
7. If using scallops: take the scallops and cut each in half.
Cooking:
1. Put the pan on the stove, place the olive oil in the pan. Then, put the sesame oil in the pan. Put the setting on medium high. Put in the sesame seeds, spreading them out around the pan. When they start to brown, pour in all of the onions and stir. Wait until the onions start to brown. When the onions start to brown, put in the mushrooms, stir, and top the pan with a cover to keep the heat trapped inside.
2. When the mushrooms have shriveled, after like 5 minutes (more or less), put in the thyme, trying to take the leaves off of the thyme stems and discard the stems. However, if a few stems are place inside the dish, that is completely ok. Stir. After around 2 minutes, put in the parsley and stir. Next, after around 2 minutes, pour in the matza. Stir. Turn the stove to low. Wait around 30 seconds and then put in the salmon or scallops (depending on which sea creature you wanted to use). Turn the stove to medium. Put in the salt. Stir and continue to flip over the salmon/scallops until fully cooked. When the salmon/scallops are fully cooked, turn off the heat and wait for your finished dish to cool a little.