Ceviche with Blood Orange on Tostadas

It's the tail end of citrus season so I knew I had to get in my last fix of ceviche before all of that delicious fruit disappears until next winter.

I grabbed a blood orange, a ruby grapefruit and lots of limes to make this version, hence the pinkish purple hue to the fish. But lime and lemon are traditional, so don't feel the need to splurge on other citrus. Make sure at least half of the marinade is lemon or lime, the other citrus doesn't have enough acid to cure and thus transform the fish from raw to cooked.

My ceviche marinade always includes several cloves of garlic, at least half a jalapeno (deseeded and deveined if you like less heat) sliced in rounds, and some cilantro. But you can limit it to just citrus juice, if that is what pleases you.

Usually ceviche is served with chips, but here I wanted more fish and less chips, and a tostada worked perfectly.

Salmon Cakes

There are so many reasons why living in Humboldt is such a delight, but getting local and fresh caught salmon is near the top of my list. It was the first meal I ate in Humboldt, cooked over a wood fire at the campsite I stayed at on my first night here and it continues to be one of my favorite meals. 

Too often the salmon burgers or cakes found in restaurants are breadcrumb heavy to hold the patty together. Not this version! It uses the salmon itself as the means to meld the patty together, ingenious! Incidentally, this works for crab cakes as well, only I would suggest using a few shrimp as the binder rather than the expensive lump crab. 

My favorite accompaniment is remoulade - a Cajun spicy mayonnaise - but use whatever pleases you!

Asian Tuna Salad Bowl

Poke bowls are new to me but I am embracing them whole heartedly! Yes, I know the above photo does not have raw fish in it, but hear me out. Mark Bittman - my personal food god - put out a recipe that inspired me to go with the look if not the exact ingredients of a poke bowl - canned tuna.

Add soy sauce, wasabi and lemon juice to canned tuna and surround it with a bunch of fresh, raw chopped veggies and herbs and presto! Deliciousness that you didn't know existed!

While Mark uses cooked rice as a base (similar to a poke bowl) I often stick with more veggies, but feel free to use what you like. This dish is definitely great for using up odds and ends in your veggie drawer, but there are a few staples that I think work well: cucumber, radish (daikon, red), and bell peppers. After that, it's a grab bag. Avocado is always good along with pickled onions or ginger. It's your bowl, make yourself happy!

Smoked Salmon Phyllo Pie

Not everyone grew up eating hunks of raw cabbage in their high school brown bag lunch...ok, almost no one. You can guess who is the exception!

But even if you do not share my love affair with cabbage, you will be bowled over by the transformation of humble green cabbage in this phyllo encased pie.

Sweating onion, cabbage and finely sliced fennel in olive oil brings out the sweetness in cabbage and blending it with a minimum of ingredients creates what looks fancy, but us cooks know was actually quite simple to make.

While this pie features smoked salmon or lox, you could easily make it with pork or veggie sausage or just make it a cabbage pie for those of you who share my love of this member of the brassica family.

Mustard Glazed Salmon

This is one of those almost no-recipe recipes that the New York Times Cooking email sends out to my inbox each day. And one day I decided it looked interesting and possibly delicious. And it was!

The North Coast is blessed with salmon year round, so I am always looking for new ways to cook it. This one is a winner: quick, easy, delicious!

Mustard Glazed Salmon
(serves 2)

1/2 cup Dijjon mustard
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar to taste,
1-2 teaspoons coarse country mustard (optional)
2/3 lb salmon
salt
lemon for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together mustard(s), brown sugar and salt salmon. Spread mustard mixture on salmon and roast for 15 minutes or so until salmon is cooked through, stick a sharp knife in the center and see if it is cooked through, slightly paler than when it is raw. Serve with lemon wedges.

Hugs!

Best Fish Tacos Ever!

Fish Tacos are as common in California as Chef's Salad in mediocre golf restaurants across the country. So to make one that really (and I mean REALLY) stands out for a native Californian, it has to be something pretty special.

And this is it.

Yup, it's got some special ingredients, but nothing really beyond the pale. There is no deep frying (something done only maybe once or twice a year in my home kitchen), but there is a special sauce made with butter, lime, jalapeno and sambal oelek that gives this taco its claim to superiority.

A cabbage salad is de rigor to balance the spice of the sauce and the fish. It still is a really quick meal that comes together in 30 minutes if that is important to you.

Eggplant and Sardine Gratin, Sicilian Style

I know, I know, you are thinking, "What the hell kind of dish is this?" And, "she's taking an awful lot of poetic license with that name...!"

Yes and no.

It is cooked veggies - garlic, eggplant and some tomatoes (canned, pureed, I've even used a little leftover soup) plus sardines just for the fabulous taste of them, and mixed with some capers and hard cheese and baked with garlic breadcrumbs on top. So, sue me if the title doesn't quite fit the description. It is mind-blowingly delicious!

The Sicilian part is the eggplant and sardines; the gratin is the precooked portion mixed with cheese and topped with breadcrumbs. Now do you see how the name evolved? No? Forget about it! Just make it!

Bearnaise Sauce...on Halibut Steaks

As mentioned before, French cuisine has always intimidated me. But since mastering hollandaise (and aioli ages ago), Bearnaise sauce was next on the list to conquer. Eh Voila! So easy if you follow these steps!

Usually Bearnaise is served on steak or lamb (and it is also delicious with fries!) but being mainly pescatarians it was halibut steaks for us and it worked beautifully.

A few words of advice. Do be overly cautious about overcooking the yolk mixture; remove the double boiler bowl from the heat often because once you overcook the yolks, the sauce is ruined. You will have to start over. Believe me, this has happened to me with hollandaise sauce, and it is as frustrating as it sounds! But patience is a virtue and this sauce is worth the time!

Reread the recipe several times to understand the process. Don't be overwhelmed by the length of instructions, it is just helpful tips so that you will be successful on your first try.

Nicoise Inspired Chopped Salad

This is one of those dinners that was thrown together with what was in the fridge and because it "looked pretty" according to my hubby, I took a picture. And thinking that more people should do likewise in using up odds and ends from the frig, it has now become a blog post.

Nicoise inspired because there is fish on it (that would be leftover cooked salmon and anchovies), boiled potatoes and eggs, but the sauted zucchini, avocado and feta is just what was available and looked tasty. This is one big satisfying salad, and I have made it with canned sardines, cooked asparagus, radishes and cucumbers. Make it with whatever is in the pantry to bulk up your meal. Try it, you'll like it!

Sockeye Salmon with Green Sauce

Salmon is truly one of life's great pleasures, at least from my perspective. And having it so readily available in our fish counter at the North Coast Co-op has surely spoiled me, but that is just fine and dandy with me!

Finding new ways to prepare salmon aside from my usual favorites is a fun pastime, and this version from David Tanis of the New York Times (and Chez Panisse) never fails to please. It is more of a summery version, all fresh green herbs and lemon juice.

French in origin, it pairs wonderfully well with mashed potatoes (of course, to my hubby and I, everything goes with mashed potatoes! especially Indian food, really, you'll love it!) But it also is great with boiled new potatoes, steamed green beans or asparagus, or some other spring/summer like veggie.

My version relies heavily on the fresh tarragon, but that's just me. Use chervil if you can find it/grow it. This is my go-to salmon dish when there isn't any creme fraiche brewing for this version. But only make it with fresh tarragon. Either way, prepare for a repeater; it's easy and scrumptious!

Herb Crusted Baked Halibut

Although my diet has technically been pescatarian for most of my adult life, cooking fish was not a standard of my repertoire until I relocated to the North Coast of California. Not to brag too much, but the abundance of locally caught (often line caught!) cod and salmon is truly astounding and awe-inspiring. Cooking fish well, like doing most anything, comes from practice, and learning a few simple tips.

Always buy fish the day you want to cook it!!

Almost all fish, unless you bought it off the boat in your local port or harbor, came to where it is sold on ice or most likely frozen. It is then defrosted and sold. As it defrosts, it loses textural integrity and gets mushy: totally unappetizing.

Like cuts of meat, fish needs to rest and will continue to cook off the heat.

Most fish gets overcooked because cooks are afraid of it not being done in the center and overcook to compensate. You can stick a knife in the center of a thick steak (salmon, halibut, swordfish) to check its doneness. But it really will continue to cook as it rests.

Also similar to cuts of meat, the flesh becomes noticeably firmer once it is cooked.

All fish (and scallops and shrimp/prawns) will become more opaque as they cook, and the flesh becomes firmer. Notice how raw fish feels, because the flesh tightens up when it cooks, and often forms dense flakes of fish flesh.

Keeping these tips in mind will lead to beautifully cooked fish and happy diners! Add this super easy creamy garlic herb topping to any fish and they will be ecstatic!

Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli

Once I discovered how easy it was to make aioli, it has been a struggle not to make it all the time. It could make an old shoe taste good! Imagine what it does for a gorgeous piece of Sockeye Salmon like that pictured above. It boggles the mind!

This dish is almost too simple to be an actual recipe, more of a suggestion. So if you need another excuse to make aioli (or force yourself to learn) here is the link to my post with all the tips to ensure success.

As for cooking salmon perfectly, make sure your pan is really hot and that you have a cover for the pan (preferably one that does not fit snugly). Unless you are blackening the salmon, only cook it on one side, skin side down, and cover it to steam it so that it doesn't dry out. Remember that salmon is similar to any meat you cook and will continue to cook once removed from the heat source. Once the white stuff begins to ooze out of the flesh (which you can scrape off for a more appealing presentation), it is getting close to being done. Don't be afraid to stick a knife in the center to see if it is cooked through. The flesh will turn a slightly duller color when it is cooked and you can also feel how the flesh is firmer once cooked. You do want the color to change all the way through the fillet but just barely so that it is not dry.

Spectacular Fish Cakes

Fish cakes have never been high on my list of recipes to make. They were never something my mother served our family. In fact the first image that comes to mind is greasy, smoke filled cottages in England or Ireland where I'm guessing fish cakes were a staple simply due to the abundance of the sea. But when I was gifted with two pounds of fresh, local, ling cod from a friend for showing how to cook Sticky Sesame Tofu and Mei Fun Noodles, fish cakes was what sprang to my mind as the best way to showcase the cod.

And then the internet led me to this recipe and a love that I never knew possible was born. Ultimate may sound like hyperbole, and because my repertoire on fish cakes is limited to this one version, I am just going to take their word for it. But believe me, these are freaking amazing! Out of this world, smack your mama good! (that would be Southern for why didn't my mama make this for me when I was a child?!)

The tartar sauce alone blows your mind but mashed in with some potatoes and then combined with fish? Holy cannolis! Two-three servings is really only two (or one!) if you are willing to share! These will be making a regular appearance at our table for sure!

Bengali Fish Stew - Maacher Jhol

It turns out that the first Indian recipe that made it into my regular cooking rotation was from Bengal, specifically a dal that still holds a special place in my heart. I posted about it here when it was transformed into a soup, but it wasn't until this fish stew - Maacher Jhol - crossed my path that I realized that Panch Phoron was distinctively Bengali. It was what made the dal delicious and definitely is a defining part of this stew.

The interesting part about first learning to cook Indian cuisine is getting used to what feels like little finicky steps which turn out to be essential. For this dish, it is tossing the fish with some turmeric prior frying it. Seems like a throwaway step, why bother? But it is essential. Follow what mistresses of the kitchen have done for centuries, they know of what they do!

Also, while you can substitute cayenne pepper for kashmiri chile powder and use another oil (ghee, olive oil) for the traditional mustard oil, if you can procure either or both ingredients (usually at an Indian grocery store; I stock up when I'm near them), it is so worth it since it enhances the flavor dramatically. You won't regret it!

Incidentally, the photo above pictures a version made with fish that was gifted to us from my beau's daughter's friend who had caught some fresh ling cod and we were the happy beneficiaries! Thanks Rico!

Garam Masala Salmon with Mango Peach Salsa

One of the greatest delightful surprises about where I now call home is the abundance of incredible, local, (and reasonably priced!) salmon. Our co-op fish counter carries sockeye, king, and steelhead (a cousin of salmon) and almost always for less than $20 a lb. You will often find me at said counter ogling without shame and taking home salmon at least once a week when it's in season (which seems to last longer when it's local, lucky us!)

Since variety is the spice of life, preparing it in different ways is always my goal. When I noticed that altufo mangos were ripe and cheap, they went into my basket along with some of the first peaches of the season to make the delicious salsa pictured above. Mango peach salsa is delicious on anything but it went especially well with the slightly spicy mix of garam masala. And a quick meal to prepare!

Altufo mangos are much smaller mangos than the ones usually available, but their flesh is softer, sweeter and less fibrous than their bigger cousins. At $1 each, they were a steal!

If you deseed and devein the serrano pepper, there is hardly any heat to this dish; garam masala generally lends only a hint of cayenne as well. If you are a heat seeker, go whole hog and add more serranos to your salsa!

Other Salmon recipes to try:

Creme Fraiche Salmon and Peas
Four Spice Salmon
Grilled Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze
Sesame Salmon
Hoisin Marinated Salmon

Cilantro Grilled Shrimp with Polenta

Shrimp or prawns as the large shrimpies are called, are a favorite on our table. I'm always searching for new ways to prepare them. This version is similar to something we ate last Christmas Eve at a seven fishes Sicilian dinner and I've been wanting to duplicate it ever since.

If you don't have preserved lemons, make some soon! If that fails, just use the juice of half a lemon and the zest of 1 and 1/2 lemons. It's the zest that is important.

All my life I have never referred to large shrimp as prawns, but for some reason here on the North Coast they are really particular about calling them prawns (the correct term for sure). So let's acquiesce and be agreeable!

Mei Fun Noodles with Seared Ahi Tuna

So there comes a point in your life when, much to your chagrin, you will admit that your mother was right about something, something that you have resisted and fought for a long time. And you will once again be reminded of how stubborn you can be....Of course "you" would be me, there is no denying that any longer!

Of what do I speak? The carb thing, how it does help you to lose weight to reduce your carb intake as well as you glucose levels (let's stay far away from being pre-diabetic, thank you very much!) And as we age, or s-age as Shirley McLaine put it, we need to pay attention to such pesky things. Hence my exploration of rice noodles.

But rice is a carb! you might exclaim.

Yes, yes, dear reader, it is. But when it comes to weaning my family and myself off of wheat and carbs, it takes slow adjustments or all hell would break loose. It turns out these rice noodles are way fun! And they really are called mei fun or chow mei fun depending on who you ask. Let's just say that "fun" with rice noodles also means deliciousness!

Fish Tacos with Avocado and Cabbage Topping

Fish tacos can be boring, lackluster, and a waste of calories.

Or they can be like these pictured above: surprising, moan-inducing, mouth-watering morsels that make your taste buds dance ecstatically.

I've had both kinds in restaurants up and down the California coast. But I've got to say, that this version is one I have perfected, at least to my tastes (and my beau's too). We're enthralled and entranced. May they do the same for you!

Classic Nicoise Salad

Nicoise salad is one of those classic dishes that I usually trust from any decent restaurant. And most of the time I don't think to make it at home since it requires quite a bit of preparation - all of those different ingredients that make it such a fun dish to have someone else prepare! But a few brunches ago the beau and I were wanting a more green meal rather than potatoes and eggs, and since I had potatoes and green beans on hand, Nicoise it was!

This prep is made quicker if you boil the potatoes first and then in the last few minutes of cooking them add the beans and voila, both are done! Be sure to drop the green beans in cold water to stop the cooking process so that they don't go limp on you.

If you can, buy the highest quality canned tuna you can afford, it makes such a difference. I happened to have some leftover aioli in the fridge and we used that to dress the lettuce. This didn't seem too far fetched since a quick internet search of Nicoise dressing turned up three different ones, all of which claiming to be authentic. So use what you like! 

Crème Fraîche Braised Salmon and Peas

Salmon is one of my family's favorite fish to eat and I'm always looking for new ways to cook it. Since my boyfriend loves sauces and particularly French style ones, I was thrilled to find this one. Not only was it incredibly delicious, but fast and easy to boot!

If you can, make your own crème fraîche, it's ridiculously expensive if you can find it in a store and so easy to make at home; you pour a tablespoon or so of buttermilk into a jar with heavy cream and cover it and let it sit out on the counter for 24 to 36 hours until it thickens. Then refrigerate and voila! crème fraîche! It's the key to this dish and you'll be surprised how you'll find other ways to use your creation - with fresh fruit, swirled into or on top of pancakes, anywhere you'd use sour cream, because that's what it is!

The original recipe called for fava beans along with the peas, but I skipped them and simply served it with the best broccoli you've ever had (use this recipe, it's the truth!) and definitely mashed potatoes. A real winner, 5 star dish in our house!