If wishes were fishes…

Recently, a dear friend shared a link with me that I find myself checking out when I am making my grocery list and want to choose a fish that is both good for me AND the planet.  I’d encourage you to visit www.blueoceans.org/seafood .  You can search for fish you usually consume to see if it is safe to eat and not overfished, or just peruse the list and get ideas.

I rediscovered Tilapia thanks to this website.  While it is farm raised, the farming practice is not damaging to the environment.  It is worth mentioning that tilapia has a pretty reasonable price tag, a lovely delicate flavor and flaky texture.  It makes a great backdrop for trying out new and exciting spices, and is VERY easy to prepare (I usually lay out fillets on a foil lined sheet pan, sprinkle with spices and olive oil, put it in the oven set to 400* and it flakes easily with a fork in less than 10 minutes.  In fact, check in after 5 minutes), and comes without the skin or bones.

Also thanks to this website, I’ll never EVER buy farm raised salmon again.  This is also known as Atlantic salmon.  Wild caught Alaska salmon?  Now that is something worth investigating…

Enjoy!

Ginger Glazed Salmon dinner salad

Now that it is warmer and approaching summer temperatures, I’ve been diving back into one of my favorite warm weather cooking/eating habits:  The Dinner Salad.  We just finished tonight’s version, and I was thinking to myself that this was “blog-worthy”, when Kurt said “This should go on your blog!!”.

So, here is what I did:  I took the 1# fillet of Alaskan wild caught salmon I bought today, and put it on a foil lined sheet pan.  Then I carefully smeared about 3 Tbs of “Ginger Spread” made by Ginger People (ingredients:  Ginger, Sugar) all over the slab of fish–I say carefully because the sticky spread didn’t want to stick to the fish.  Next time I might thin out the paste with a LITTLE soy sauce until I get a thick glaze consistency…water would probably work too.  Then I put it in the oven at *400.

Next, I took out the container of washed mixed greens from the fridge, along with a cucumber, half of an avocado, and the roasted red potatoes and sweet potatoes I prepared on Monday.  I grabbed the container of sunflower seeds from the cupboard and the bottle of Annie’s Goddess dressing (a favorite dressing that has a nutty asian flavor).  I set to work building our salads by laying down a green foundation of mixed greens (about 2 cups per plate–which equals 1 “cup” of veggies).  Then I cut up and sprinkled the other ingredients (for a total of another 1 or so “cups” of veggies) over the bed of greens.  Then, I drizzled the Annie’s dressing over that.  I checked on the salmon, and when I could flake the thickest part of the fillet easily with a fork, it was done (about 10 minutes or so in my oven, but I checked on it after 5…).

I served up about 3 ounces for me and 4 for Kurt (because he is bigger and went for a long run today) and placed it on top of the salad.  SO good.  The flavors and textures reminded me of sushi (crunchy cucumber, velvety avocado, zingy ginger…) and one I’ll make again for sure.  I’ll also share more of the versions I come up with that are equally delicious!

Roasted Asparagus (and others)

This past week at the farmer’s market, Asparagus made its debut appearance for 2008.  How exciting!!!  I excitedly bought twice as much as I thought I’d need, promising myself that we would eat it.  It is thursday, and the last of the roasted asparagus disappeared yesterday.  In fact, I roasted it Monday night and then climbed into the shower.  As I was toweling off, Kurt appeared with the container of roasted asparagus in his hand, munching happily on this green snack…note to self: “buy even MORE asparagus this week!”

Here is what I did (and I have to say, this basic method applies to every vegetable I roast–potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower florets, fennel bulb, brussels sprouts, winter squashes…):

Make sure that the bottom end of each spear is tender by finding the natural “snapping point”.  If you buy the bouquets of asparagus in the grocery store, you can just cut off the bottom third–composting the scraps, of course …I’m a little particular, so I like for the tips to all line up–it makes for easier plating and prettier presentation.

Lay the asparagus spears on a lined sheet pan, drizzle a little olive oil over all and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put everyone into a 400* oven, and check on the party in about 5 minutes.  Using tongs (for the asparagus–a spatula works best for the other stuff I roast), redistribute/gently toss the spears so that they get even roasting.  For the other stuff I roast, the reason for this step is to ensure even browning.  Another few minutes and the asparagus is done.  “Done” means that the spears are a pretty bright green and slightly “bendy” and the tips are starting to brown.  It took 8 minutes or less in my oven.

This is a recipe/method I use all year.  In the colder months, roasted veggies are wonderful warmed up and served with the rest of the meal, in the warmer months, they make an interesting addition to dinner salads, a staple at our table and in our lunch boxes.  In any season, roasted veggies provide a deeper more complex flavor, and since you are not boiling them, any heat resistant nutrients are not going down the drain with the cooking water.  This is probably a more “green” cooking method, because it takes less energy and time to roast vs boil water to cook with…