Make a New Orleans seafood boil as part of your Rosh Hashanah feast


Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on Wednesday evening, Oct. 2.

A favorite saying on Rosh Hashanah is “We should be heads and not tails,” which refers to a wish for success at school, at work and in general. To allude to this motto, it’s customary to eat fish during the holiday’s ceremonial dinner and to serve it with its head on; in some households even a lamb’s or goat’s head is served. These days many people modify this tradition; friends of ours who used to follow this custom now serve fish fillets and display a drawing of a whole fish instead of the real thing.

This year we’ll prepare our take on a New Orleans seafood boil that is classically made with shellfish as well as potatoes and corn. We substitute tilapia, a kosher fish, and cook it as a sheet pan dinner with the same vegetables and the dish’s seasoning.

“Have a good and sweet year!” is a popular greeting on the holiday. Several dishes in our Rosh Hashanah menu have touches of sweetness: Grapes in our chickpea and hearts of palm rice salad; peaches and plums in our green salad; and sweet tomatoes in our couscous and quinoa salad.

We’ll serve a healthy, fruity dessert too — mango and banana pudding topped with berries and Greek yogurt. To give it Rosh Hashanah flair, we’ll drizzle the fruit with honey.

New Orleans Style Fish Baked with Potatoes and Corn

Fish is traditional on Jewish New Year’s dinner menus. We’re serving our kosher version of a Louisiana seafood boil, which we make with tilapia as an easy sheet pan dinner accompanied by baby tomatoes and lightly cooked chard and zucchini.

Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound small yellow or red potatoes, or some of each

1/2 ear corn, halved lengthwise

1 small onion, sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning

8 ounces mild fish fillets, such as tilapia

1 lemon, cut in wedges

Chopped Italian parsley or cilantro, or a mixture (for sprinkling)

6 spiced pecans (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat air fryer oven or conventional oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut a small slit in each potato and place whole potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water; microwave on high for 5 minutes. Rinse potatoes in cold water until cool enough to handle.

3. Microwave corn half, covered, 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut in 2-inch pieces.

4. Halve potatoes lengthwise; place in a bowl. Add corn and onion. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning; stir to coat. Transfer to a foil-lined baking pan.

5. Place fish on a plate and add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning.

6. Roast potato mixture in oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and keep warm.

7. Put fish fillets on foil-lined baking pan in oven and roast for 7 to 10 minutes or until they can be flaked with a fork.

8. Serve fish, potatoes and corn with lemon and parsley or cilantro. Garnish with pecans.

Chickpeas and Hearts of Palm Rice Salad with Grapes gets a festive zing from spiced cashews and feta cheese. (Photo by Yakir Levy)
Chickpeas and Hearts of Palm Rice Salad with Grapes gets a festive zing from spiced cashews and feta cheese. (Photo by Yakir Levy) 

Chickpeas and Hearts of Palm Rice Salad with Grapes

This easy to prepare salad makes use of low-carb no-cook hearts of palm rice, and ready to eat chickpeas. Red grapes, spiced cashews and feta cheese add a festive touch.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces hearts of palm rice

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 teaspoons Hatch pepper seasoning or all purpose seasoning, or to taste

9 ounces cooked chickpeas, drained

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