garlic mustard crusted red snapper: when you're sick, why not?

Tweet

There's something about putting a succulent forkful of fish on your tongue and lightly pressing it to the roof of your mouth, feel it part into flaky little bits. I find its the one 'meat' that I can really handle when my throat hurts.

Snapper has a light taste which lends itself to a strongly flavored crust. Simple, quick and delicious, breaded snapper was just the meal to make last night (and I could eat it quickly, even with a sore throat, in order to do more sewing!). 

Garlic Mustard Crusted Red-Snapper

1 small snapper fillet
2 tsp. seedy dijon mustard
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. tarragon leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. panko bread crumbs
3 tbs. olive oil

1. Blend together mustard, lemon, tarragon, garlic cloves, 1 tsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Marinade the snapper for 20-30 minutes in the mix.

2. Drain the marinade from the fish, place it in a small bowl and beat in the egg. Place bread crumbs on a large plate. Coat the fish in the marinade/egg mixture and then coat it in the bread crumbs.

3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet on medium high. Add the fish and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until brown. Flip and cook on the other side until it is completely cooked and browned.

4. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Place a sliver of fish on your tongue and let it melt down your throat.

citrus red curry basa fillet: smells to greet a wanderer.

Tweet

I wanted a simple dinner. Poached fish, in my head, equates to this. I thought one friend was going to come to dinner, and another showed up in his place. Kevin had to stay home, it had been a long day, and Allison came to my door. Spectacular! As long as I am feeding someone, I am happy (and when they are lovely friends that you've been wanting to visit with for a while, it doesn't hurt). 

I had some red curry paste left over, some fish in my freezer, and some onion in my fridge. Combined all together, it created a lovely spicy main meal.

Allison and I enjoyed our meals with Don Draper, the manliest man from Mad Men.

And once again, I exchanged one friend for another, as Allison left, Wesley literally came in the door. He arrived, fresh off the ship (well, airplane), from Haiti, where he has been doing disaster relief. I was glad I was able to greet him with lingering smells of delicious food, and hot mint tea. Having the aroma of red curry in the background is the best way to catch up with an old friend.

Citrus Red Curry Basa Fillet

1 fresh basa fillet
1 tbs. red curry paste
3 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1/2 large red onion, sliced
2 tbs. olive oil

1. Blend curry, lemon juice and garlic together until smooth. Coat fish.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet on the stove on medium. Add in onions. Let cook for a minute, or until slightly browned. Add fish and place a lid on the skillet.

3. Let steam in the skillet for around 6 minutes, check occasionally to see if it is steaming or browning. Remove and serve on a bed of jasmine rice or greens.

4. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Ensure you have aromas floating through the air when old friends come to call; they'll come back just for the smell and the food.

pan fried salmon with sweet mustard sauce: fish to remind me of a good day.

Tweet

My 'real' birthday was on Sunday.  It was a more mellow day than the one before as we were in 'recovery mode' from our adventures.

Again. Yet again. Breakfast. At Nice Cafe. We had to show Robbie and Gord - they loved it.

After our hearty meals, we headed over to the Latin American Festival at Trout Lake. Filled with music and food, we couldn't help our hips from swaying, but then realized - we were expending way too much effort in the heat.

We settled on the long, damp grass, with a warm breeze playing across our shoulders and echoing beats of Latin music in the distance (accompanied by the constant snapping of a lens as Robbie played with my camera - is that what it is really like for me to be around?!).

After Stel and Robbie left us, we met up with Steve and went to the pitch and putt at Queen E Park. It's funny - I always resisted playing the game where you hit a ball with a stick, for the only reason I would ever play would be to please someone else - however, when I made the choice myself to go, just for the heck of it, I had the time of my life. I think I might adore this odd-game-that-Robin-Williams-makes-fun-of. 

On my first hole, I hit par. Oh yeah baby.

On around the 14th hole, Steve almost hit a birdie, but then missed the hole by a few centimeters. Oh no, poor baby.

The boys then treated me to dinner. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

Because the previous day was so good, I decided to try to recreate at least the culinary feeling by making salmon for dinner on Monday. Hopefully this recipe conjures up lovely memories for you too - it will always make me think of the amount of expletives that golf makes you use.

Pan-fried Salmon with Sweet Mustard Sauce

1 lb. salmon fillet
1 tbs. seedy mustard
2 tbs. dijon mustard
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tbs. dried tarragon
1 tbs. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs. olive oil and 2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste


1. Combine all ingredients except salmon and 2 tbs. olive oil in a bowl. Spread the marinade all over the salmon.

2. Heat a frying pan over medium with 2 tbs. olive oil. Place the salmon fillet, skin down first, for about 4 minutes on each side, covered with a lid.

3. Serve on quinoa and a bed of greens with skin side down. Spoon remaining marinade and onions over the top.


4. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Golf.

poached halibut with roasted garlic and dill sauce: a warm, flaky welcome home.

Tweet

There is nothing like coming home (and being able to bring dirty laundry to your mom!).

As I flew in, I was thinking that what we make for dinner should mimic the comfort of home. Evidently mom agreed with me - for right before she picked me up, she went down to the docks and bought fresh halibut (a perk of living in a small coastal town).

Mom loves dill. Always has. I didn't when I was younger. I do now. It is an interesting herb. It's strong, distinct taste either draws people to use it, or discard it (much like the reaction to cilantro). The Romans believed it was a sign of luck while the Greeks thought it created wealth. Some used it for love potions while others used it against witchcraft (wouldn't a love potion be considered witchcraft . . . . ? I love the ancients' reasoning). Well, all good associations, and all the more reason to use it in a recipe. It also seems that dill and fish just fit, embody comfort, represents home.

I love being with my mom, she is just wonderful. And a good 'calmer-down' before an intense (but blessed and wonderful) day tomorrow.

Tobey did his part as well. We all know our place in our small dysfunctional family.

Poached Halibut with Roasted Garlic and Dill Sauce

2 lb. fillet of halibut
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 c. cottage cheese
3 tbs. mayonnaise
1 head, roasted garlic
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
black pepper, to taste
1 tsp. sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place fish and following 7 ingredients (mixed together) in a shallow baking dish. Let marinade for about 15 mins. Place in the oven, covered. Cook for about 15 minutes covered, and 5 uncovered, or until fish flakes with a fork.

2. While fish is cooking, place the rest of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, but not so smooth that you lose the definition of the pieces of dill. When fish is served, drizzle over.

3. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Always enjoy going home and appreciate those you love and adore.

lime-poached fish tacos with salsa verde and pico de gallo: food for fireworks fiestas.

Tweet

I always look for something to inspire my culinary pursuits for any given night - whether it is a colour, event, person or even request. Last night, it was fireworks.

There is a competition concerning fireworks here in our lovely city. Yesterday, it was Mexico taking center stage and, inspired by that great country's cuisine, I decided to make soft tacos. But they weren't just any tacos, they were wrapped up pockets of tender goodness, supplimented by the spicy charred taste of  salsa verde.

I'd never created this lovely salsa before - I liked to stay inside the proverbial salsa box, filled with ripe tomatoes, lime, avocados, and onions. But I'd partaken of salsa verde many times at many different restaurants and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, stepping out of my comfort zone, I decided to unwrap some tomatillos, give my hands a little burn from a jalapeno, and make my eyes water from cut onions.

It was a sauce to complement a perfectly poached basa. It created the smokey spice, the basa created the fluffy softness, the standard salsa gave the crunchy, and the corn the sweet. Man, it was good. Except for the fact I burnt the arroz rojo (red rice) - I can seriously cook anything, anything, except for rice. Thank God for rice cookers - literally. It's my Achilles heel of cooking. Sad eh?

With the spice in our stomachs spurring us on, we walked across the Granville street bridge. With the sun setting, creating silhouettes of uniform buildings, we let the wind caress our faces and bring excitement for the night to come.

I've love fireworks. I have ever since I was young. One of my favorite childhood memories is from when I was ten(ish). We had a houseboat and on one particular Sunday, every summer, we would cruise out not too far from the shore, situate ourselves perfectly, and watch the Sea Fair fireworks in my hometown. I would sit on the roof, curled up warm under a duvet, with the dew collecting on my eyebrows, and marvel at the lights bursting over my head. Just pure flashes of beauty.

Luckily, once during the summer I get to relive these fond moments with the Celebration of Light here in Vancouver (though these are on a much greater scale than our piddly little trying-to-be-spectacle in Powell River).

One nice man behind me complained they use too much gold and not enough other colours. I thought the gold suited the night sky's majesty while the others were too garish.Well done, Mexico. Painting the night sky in colours it more than deserves, draping it in a million specks of gold. Well done.

Pico de Gallo (regular ol' salsa)

3 3c. roma tomatoes, (750 mL) diced and seeded
3/4 3/4c. (175 mL) white onion, finely diced
1/4 1/4c. (50 mL)  fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 1/4tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 avocado, chopped (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients. Mix gently.

2. Serve with following fish recipe, or with taco chips.


Salsa Verde

8 tomatillos, peeled (covering leaves off) and quartered
1/2 c. white onion, coarsely chopped
2 Jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
salt, to taste


1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place tomatillos, onion, jalepeno, and garlic in the oven and let roast until brown (about 10 minutes). Turn occasionally, and cook for another 10 if not brown enough. Remove and let cool until you can handle them.


2. Throw all ingredients in a blender. Blend until desired consistency is reached. Add more spices if needed/you-want-to-burn-your-face-off.


3. Serve with the following fish, or just taco chips.

Lime-Poached Fish Tacos

1 lime, juiced and zested
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 fillets of white fish (we used basa)

1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 cob o' corn, slightly cooked, kernels removed
Pico de Gallo (see above)
Salsa Verde (see above)
soft tortillas

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the fish. Marinade for no more than 30 mins.

2. Place in a saucepan on the stove on medium. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes on one side, then 5 minutes on the other.

3. Serve with corn kernels, lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and soft tortillas. Revel in the deliciousness of the mix of flavors.

4. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Become a child again, in awe of the beauty of fireworks.

seared sesame-crusted ahi tuna: a holy fish?

Tweet

One of my favorite appetizers, at any restaurant, is seared ahi tuna (also known as yellowfin or albacora). There is something about the smooth texture and the deep, rich colour of a tuna steak. Maybe it's just because I'm in trendy Vancouver, where the ability to eat sashimi is crucial to move in fashionable yuppie social circles, but I like raw fish. Lightly seared to make a crust with that deep rich red remaining in the center - that is perfection in a steak - any steak actually (except for if I was to make a steak out of chicken, then that would just be bad, and very salmonella-y . . ).

Anne and I attended mass after work. I've been thinking of taking RCIA classes - there is something about Catholicism, just as there is something about Anglicanism for me. Perhaps it is the tradition, the order with which every action is done, and the meaning every word, every movement has. After communion (well, a blessing for me), I prayed to find a good tuna steak (seriously, I did! It isn't blasphemous to pray to find good food!), and God acquiesced.

There is nowhere better to buy fresh fish (near my house) than Granville Island Public Market (that, and its just an experience in and of itself every time I'm in there!).

I have an obsession when I walk around the Market - I have to look inside every stall, delving for spices, herbs, and odd ingredients I can't find in my 'normal' supermarket. One of my newest exclamation was 'kaffir lime leaves!!! I can't find these anywhere! Oh joy!' and my friends looking at me oddly as did a celebratory dance in the middle of the stall. They really can't take me anywhere, or at least anywhere concerning cooking. 

Supposedly, only one percent of tuna comes to the North American market fresh - the rest is canned. So it may be a little hard to find good ahi, but trust me, it can be done (especially in BC where sushi is all the rage). Tuna has been eaten since ancient times, yet it was only in the late 1800s that it was termed 'tuna'. But heck, it is a big fish - it can range from 10 - 600 lbs. - I have no idea how they would have caught that in ancient times, help from Hercules? I know, bad joke, but seriously, how.

The fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids, yet it is also full of mercury, so please, only partake once a month (and if pregnant, don't consume at all!)

It was delicious. An expensive triumph (fresh tuna is not only filled with mercury, it is also dang expensive - even more of a reason to savor only once a month!).

Seared Sesame-Crusted Ahi Tuna
(adapted from Use Real Butter Blog)

1 ahi tuna steak, 1/2 lb.
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper, coarsely ground
1 lime, juiced and zest(ed)
3 tbs. grapeseed oil

1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tbs. wasabi powder
3 tbs. water

1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbs. brown sugar
3 tbs. rice wine vinegar

salad stuff
avocado, sliced

1. Combine sesame seeds, pepper, salt, lime zest and juice in bowl. Dry the tuna steak with paper towel, then completely coat in the mix - press seeds and seasoning in.

2. Mix mayo, wasabi and water in a bowl until smooth, set aside. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until it has reduced - about a minute (and it thickens afterwards too! Remember that!).

3. Heat grapeseed oil over high heat in a cast iron frying pan. When it is hot (take some water on your fingers and flick it in - it should sizzle!). Place steak in, and sear for about 50 seconds on the large flat bottom and top, and about 20 seconds on the sides. Remove steak to a cutting board and slice into peices about 1/2 inch thick.

4. Set on a bed of greens or whatever salad stuff you choose. Drizzle plate with the mayo mix, and then the soy sauce mix.

5. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Perhaps attend a mass.