9 posts tagged “fish”
When I told you that my spicy, pickled carrots were so good that you'd want to plan a meal around them, I was speaking from experience. From first tangy crunch, I knew that a taco night was imminent. Do I sound like I mean business or what?
If Santa Monica Seafood and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, we would be broken up. Game over. We were honeymooning for a while there and high on aquatic life eating our way through the freshest seafood. Then somewhere along the way, they moved into their new fancy pants storefront and got lazy and dumb. Beauty does not replace quality or knowledge people. Let me explain. Last Thursday, I walk in and before I can peruse the whole counter I get asked if I need help by a guy that we'll call Mr. SMS. I say, "I'm making fish tacos tonight. I'm thinking of a firm, white fish." Mr. SMS asks, "When's the last time you made fish tacos?" I think, "Why does that matter?" but I say, " Never. Is your tilapia fresh?" He replies, "No it's been frozen but I think the white roughy would be good." He's pointing at the Basa, which is out of the question, since it's actually a type of catfish and B thinks catfish tastes like dirt. This guy totally just made up a type of fish and I found this article to prove it. They are trying to pass off catfish as roughy. Jeez. Try to dupe me. Just give me a cubic zirconia already and call it a day. Long story short, or really I should say, short story long, I went with the black cod and was happy with my choice until I found rows of pin bones running down the fillets. Now tell me why I pay a premium on fish from Mr. SMS and why I should stop watching Youtube videos about objectophillia.
Getting back to the eats now. After tedious tweezing of the pin bones and much cursing under my breath, I battered my strips of cod in a batter of Dos Equis Amber beer and flour. To punch it up I added a spoonful of chile powder, salt and pepper. A quick bath in hot Safflower oil and they were all set to be nestled in warm corn tortillas with a red cabbage slaw and lots of salsa. Also quick squeeze of lime is essential.
Having a refreshing salad of jicama, radishes and oranges cuts nicely through the heat and any richness from the battered fish.
Cravings be gone.
I had the most inspiring meal last weekend. There was no nine course meal or wine pairings or molecular gastro-anything, but all the same, this meal revitalized my taste buds in a way that redefined "hitting the spot". It's these simple, unadorned meals that leave me and my appetite satisfied. My Thai meal at Jitlada with fellow food lovers Jamie and Susan left me yearning for more boldly spiced food. I was thinking lots of spices and flavors and definitely lots of garlic.
Going through my regular Saturday morning routine of the farmers' market for produce, Italian deli for bread and Santa Monica Seafood for seafood (duh!), I found myself getting embarrassingly giddy over my prospects for dinner. Big food nerd, I know! We had ordered a delicious whole fried Sea Bass smothered with fried garlic bits at Jitlada. The garlic was fried to a deep, dark golden brown. A second longer in the oil and they would have been bitter, but at this point they were perfection. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Mmm... so good! I wanted to make a rendition of this at home, but frying a whole fish at home was out of the question. Too much oil equals too big of a mess to clean up. Besides the scent of fried fish would linger in the air for days. I decided that I would cook my whole Branzino (aka Loup de mer) en papillote (encased in parchment). It would steam and bake at the same time. How healthy of me right?
I rubbed the outside with a mix of turmeric, toasted coriander, mustard seeds and sea salt. I stuffed the cavity with ginger, garlic and fresh cilantro. After wrapping it up in parchment, I popped it in the oven along with some fresh peanuts (also snagged from the farmers' market). I thought these would be fun served alongside the fish. Interactive eating creates a fun relaxed dining atmosphere.
I fried some thinly sliced shallots and garlic. Don't make the same mistake as me. Use a big pot. The shallots and garlic hold a lot of moisture which causes the oil to bubble up - or over in my case. I was also thrilled to served it with a bunch of tatsoi for a fresh counterpart to all the assertive spices. I couldn't pass up these guys with their delicately curved, spoon-like leaves. Every meal needs a little green.
Lots of aggressive spices, tempered by the mild white flesh of the Branzino left a little heat in your mouth. Now crack open a few peanut shells to enjoy some freshly, roasted peanuts. Have a bite of tatsoi to refresh your palate. Now repeat as needed.
Being the overzealous type of person that I am, often times, little pit stops leave me riding my bike miles and miles with a freaking melon in my backpack. A sad but true story. Usually, it's safety first. Big, dorky helmet - check! Epilepsy-inducing blinky back light - check! I put my foot down at wearing an orange reflective vest, but you get the idea. That fillet of escolar, pictured above, is the only thing that has deterred me from my usual code of conduct. How you ask?
After work last Tuesday, I made a bit of a detour to go pick up parchment paper and chocolate at Surfas. The Ballona Creek bike path picks up right by work and literally drops you off right in the heart of Culver City. Get to where you want without dealing with cars. Conveniently enough, the Culver City farmers' market was going on that day. Maybe subconsciously I had planned it that way. Dunno. The mind works in mysterious ways, I'll say. I had only meant to poke my head in, but was immediately enticed by the West Coast Fish Truck. Beautiful, giant, glistening fillets of fish chilling on ice. How can a girl resist? Give me fish over diamonds any day. :) After a quick survey, I decided upon a pound of escolar. It had just come in yesterday and at $13 a pound, the price was right. The guy, in all his expertise, sliced off a piece that measured to exactly a pound. He wrapped it up with a bunch of crushed ice and as I walked away, I realized that I had a dilemma on hand. Pun intended. The bag reeked of fish. My backpack which contained two pounds of Callebaut chocolate, parchment paper, stilettos and my change of "business casual" clothes, left no room for a condensating, stinky bag of fish. That would just not work. Fishy chocolate!
Against my better judgment, I slung the flimsy plastic bag over one of my handle bars. I have heard horror stories about bags getting tangled with bike tires, broken arms, etc. I was equally worried about the plastic bag giving way to the weight of the fish/ice. There I was, huffing and puffing all the way home, trying to make good time. Me versus the sun. Needless to say, I won. And with all the hard work that went into procuring this slab of deliciousness, I decided to keep the preparation nice and easy. Sweet corn and garden fresh cherry tomatoes (thanks Helene) dressed in lime juice and basil topped my pieces of pan seared escolar. It doesn't get much easier than that.
If I were to be a Spice Girl, I'd definitely be Asian Spice. Number one, I'm asian (duh) and two, I just love asian flavors. It's always a go-to style of cooking for me. Salty balanced by sweet - you can't go wrong. On a recent trip to Ranch 99 (same trip as Win Hop Fung), I picked up two whole butterfish. People often forget that there are many parts of the fish that are yummy to eat besides the fillet. As a child I was known to fight for the eyeball, but that was just a stage that I've grown out of. Aren't you glad? Now if any of you come over for dinner, you can have all the eyeballs you want. :)
I marinated the butterfish in a ponzu dressing, that I got suckered into buying. I am a bonafide sucker. Not a fan of pre-made anything really (usually too many preservatives and other weird stuff), but on one of my trips to SM Seafood, they were giving away generous, card deck-sized samples of chilean seabass cooked in the said marinade. That's how they get you. While you have your mouth full, they give you their whole pitch about how great it is. Feeling obligated/guilty for eating such an expensive sample (Chilean Seabass, really?) and for taking up time he could have been suckering someone else, I grabbed one on my way out. A salesmen's dream consumer. Sigh!
Back to dinner... since these fish are so thin, they only take a few minutes under the broiler on each side. It was accompanied by garlic stir-fried bok choy and shiitakes that I had braised in oyster sauce. The butterfish had a million tiny bones in it, so eater beware! Other than the bones, I loved this simple, school night meal. I'm going to go look at the nutrition facts on the marinade bottle now just to give myself nightmares. :)
Happy Hump Day! Sorry for the lack of blogging. I've got a lot to catch up on, but I'll be back in town tonight. I've been in Napa for the Tour de Cure bike ride. Don't worry about me though. As much work as it was, I was able to fit in a few incredible meals. Most notably, one at the infamous French Laundry. Now I can die happy. :)
Broiled Chilean Sea Bass Collar in Miso Broth
1 Chilean Sea Bass Collar, brought to room temperature
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
white pepper to taste
1 tsp white miso paste
1/4 cup of snow pea leaves
1/4 cup napa cabbage, finely shredded
1 shiitake mushroom, finely sliced
1 scallion, sliced on a diagonal
finely diced jalapeño, to taste
Turn the broiler on high. Coat the collar (or fillets if you cant find collar) with the next four ingredients. Place the fish on a sheet tray a few inches from the flame. Bring 11/2 cups of water to a boil. Add shiitake mushroom to the boiling water and after a few minutes turn the heat off and dissolve the miso in the water. Flip your fish once it's caramelized on the first side and once it's gotten a good color on the second side it's good to go. Ladle your broth into a bowl and add your napa cabbage and snow pea leaves. Nestle your fish on top and garnish with your scallion and jalapeño.
Serves 1 hungry girl post-yoga
I played the role of Super Shuttle this week at work, carting co-workers to LAX. It's a straight shot from work and conveniently enough it passes right by Bristol Farms. I don't shop there much, but every once in a while it's nice to pick up a few "special" items that you can't find in your typical grocery store. I got a container of morel mushrooms (score) and while perusing the seafood counter noticed that all of their seafood is "Safe Harbor Certified". What the heck does that mean, right? Were dolphins kept safe through safe fishing methods? Maybe these fish were environmentally sustainable. I didn't have to stand there looking confused for too long (another perk of shopping at a "fancy" store) before somebody asked me if I needed help. He explained to me that the levels of mercury had been tested and are considered to be at a "safe" level. With all the recent news about the frightening levels of mercury in fish, there certainly has been a cause for concern. Especially for me, since my diet is heavily pescatarian. This put me at ease a bit and inspired me to pick up some trout fillets for dinner.
Trout Fillets with Asparagus Coulis and Asparagus, Celery & Chive Salad
1 lb of Asparagus, tips sliced thinly on a heavy diagonal, reserve the tougher stems to make the coulis
2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly on a heavy diagonal
1/4 cup of chives, cut into 1" pieces
juice from half a meyer lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 trout fillets, about 1.25 lbs
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Have an ice bath ready. Cook the sliced asparagus tips for 30 seconds and plunge them into the ice bath so they will stop cooking and keep their vibrant green color. Strain and reserve. Have another ice bath ready. Boil the bottom half of the asparagus stalks for about 60 seconds. Plunge them into your second ice bath. Strain and puree in a food processor. Next pass the asparagus puree through your tamis and season with salt and pepper. There's your coulis. In a medium bowl, mix together your blanch asparagus tips, celery and chives. In order to keep everything crisp, wait until the last second to dress.
Heat a pan to hot heat (cast iron if you have it). Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season fillets with salt and pepper. Put fish in pan skin side (presentation side) down first. This should take a few minutes before the skin is crispy and brown. Turn the heat down to medium high and flip the fillets. A fish spatula is a really great kitchen tool to have for this. Flat and flexible, yet sturdy. It's nice and slotted so that you can drain any excess oil from the fish. After a few more minutes, transfer the fillets to a plate. Tent with foil and repeat this procedure until all fillets are cooked. Drizzle salad with meyer lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper. Serve fish on top of a mound of salad and a smear of the coulis. Finish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.
Serves 4
Tomatoes and capers are a classic combination. Here, I've freshened it up with the addition of lemon zest, parsley and scallions. Red pepper flakes add just the right amount of heat. Olives would be nice too, but for these improv dinners, we just work with what we have on hand.
Once B got home, I salt and peppered the fillets and cooked them in the sauce for about 15 minutes or so (time will depend on the thickness of your fillet). I knew it was ready when the halibut began to flake ever so slightly. I take it out at that point since the residual heat continues to cook the fish. I paired it with a simple green salad dressed with a spritz of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. I don't know when dressings got so complicated (damn you Hidden Valley Ranch, Wish-bone Spray Dressing, etc). Let's bring it back down a few notches. One calorie a spray... no thank you. Excuse the digression. My deeply hidden aggression for bottled dressings is something I'm just coming to terms with myself. Admitting I have a problem is the first step, isn't it? :)
I've got a little surprise brewing in my crock pot. Can you guess what it is? I'll give you a hint. It started with the French press.
I'm on day three of my six day "vacation". I call it a "vacation" since I'm just visiting the family for the holidays (no sunny island getaways). It's nice to get out of LA once in a while, though my blood has thinned and I've been freezing my tushie off. :)
Tonight I cooked for the family. I wanted to make something fun without venturing too far from their normal diet. I made a visit to the local asian market and settled upon a beautifully marbled piece of pork belly (rib in for the extra flavor and meat). To contrast the rich pork, I picked up some fillets of rock cod. I had been dying to try out the whole wrapping in banana leaf thing, so this was exciting for me. Baking the fish in banana leaves is like the "en papillote" method, where the fish steams as it bakes.
I bypassed a shopping trip to get the pork belly into the slow cooker, since it would take a few hours to cook. I sauteed onions, ginger and carrots... deglazed with red wine...added vegetable broth... and left it to work for five hours. Pork belly is the true gluttons dream.
I was able to prep the fish packets in advance also. I went with asian flavors such as ginger, cilantro, soy sauce and sesame sauce. I wrapped up individual-sized packets and they were ready to pop into the oven once dinner time rolled around.
Once the clock struck 9 pm I began. I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. Placed my fish packets to bake for 15 minutes. Next I moved onto the pork. I was planning on crisping up the outside. I began by sliding the rib bones out of the pork belly. They came out with such ease... like a hot knife on butter. I cut the belly into individual-sized pieces and pan fried them with minced garlic and diced jalapeno until it had a crispy browned crust. Yum. Stir fried gai lan (Chinese broccoli) and simple steamed, white rice accompanied the meal. We finished with some winter melon soup (compliments of Dad). By the way, I just thought of something... by cooking the fish in banana leaves you avoid the whole fishy stench that sometimes lingers in the air. That's a very good advantage that I highly recommend. I'll definitely be cooking my fish that way again.
I literally got to SM Seafood last night three minutes before closing. Rushing around as usual. Tick-tock... The pressure was on... I put on my dinner thinking cap. I didn't want to be "that person". You know what I'm talking about, don't you? I use to work in retail and there was nothing worse than having a customer come in near closing, mess up your store, make you stay late and then not buy anything in the end. Arg! I definitely didn't want to be that person, so I ran in and quickly surveyed the wide range of seafood on display. They always have great cuts of fish there, so I knew my decision would be easy. "Hmm," I thought, "Scallops?" As I made my way down to the shell fish, something caught my eye. As soon as I laid my eyes on the beautiful filets of sashimi grade Kona Kampachi, the light bulb switched on. I had one of those "ah hah" moments where it all comes together. I scooped up a pound of the kampachi and was out the door before 7. Close call. Yeah for not being an a**hole! :)
Nothing would compliment the fresh fish as well as fresh herbs and produce. I decided to prepare it two different ways. I would do a sashimi and a seared version to contrast and compliment the flavors of the fish. For the seared version of the kampachi, I prepared an Italian-style salsa verde (no tomatillos here) with parsley, capers, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice and EVOO. After a quick salt and peppering, I seared up the filet pieces for just about a minute on each side. Still nice and rare in the middle, just the way I like it. Sliced the seared pieces of kampachi to about 1/4" thickness and topped it with the salsa and diced red and green zebra heirloom tomatoes.
For the second version, I served it up shashimi-style with a citrus soy dressing and thinly sliced kumquats. For the dressing, I whisked together soy sauce, minced ginger, kumquat juice (yes, I had to use the mortar and pestle for this one), lime juice, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. The kumquats really make the dressing special by giving it a tanginess that leaves your mouth feeling very refreshed. I sliced up the kampachi as thinly as I could, spooned on the vinaigarette and topped it with thinly sliced kumquats and scallions.
Both pretty and tasty. The warm seared kampachi had a slight crust and buttery rare middle. The lemon juice and capers from the salsa verde lent the perfect amount of acid to cut though the richness of the fish, while the parsley and tomatoes heighten the sweet flavor of the fish without being overpowering. I actually preferred the kumquat version, though I am admittedly biased. I adore kumquats. Growing up, we had two kumquat trees in our back yard and eating kumquats for me is very nostalgic... like the evil food critic in Ratatouille when he gets the ratatouille. Warm fuzzy memories. The sweet peel contrasting with the tart pulp balanced the richness of the sashimi perfectly. This made for a no-fuss Wednesday dinner. The only thing we were missing was Kona Kampachi a third way!?! :)
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