Holy Mackerel

For all my complaining about the lack of fresh ingredients in winter, you'd think that by the time summer rolled around I'd be cooking incessantly. But the great irony of our warmest season is that the overwhelmingly abundant produce is already so perfect that I find myself unwilling to do much to it at all. The tomatoes that I've spent nine months pining for typically prove to be well worth the wait—sweet and juicy with just a hint of that signature tomato acidity. Why mar their already candy-like flavor with heat when popping them straight into your mouth is so easy and free of dirty dishes?

My answer to this laziness is to put enough great summer ingredients together so that it looks like you've cooked-up something delicious, when you've only just assembled a bunch of perfectly delicious stuff. But if you're looking to easily (and convincingly) make a full meal out of naked summer produce, there's no better foil than bluefish. It's flavorful, abundant (cheap!), and quick-cooking. Spanish mackerel is a personal favorite, with just a few easily picked-out pin bones running down the center of each filet, and beautiful bright yellow spots down the middle. I like a simple pan-to-oven preparation (a restaurant trick that works just as well in every home) that makes for crispy skin, moist meat, and takes less than 10 minutes. 

As for those barely-touched summer veggies, I like to go southern European-style with a simple tomato-herb salad and roasted baby summer squash (no chopping necessary). For the salad I used sungold tomatoes, the sweetest variety of cherry tomatoes (and my all-time favorite bit of summer produce), along with finely sliced basil and sorrel, a healthy squeeze of lime juice and plenty of salt and pepper. The squash couldn't be easier, tossed whole with extra virgin olive oil, basil, salt and pepper, then roasted in the oven. What's great about this dish is that everything comes together while another element cooks. While the squash roasts, the salad comes together in a flash and the fish is pan roasted (skin side only) for less than two minutes and into the oven for about five. For a half an hour of cooking and prep you get a simple and fresh dinner. Minimal effort, maximum flavor and dinner is...done.

Spanish Mackerel with Tomato-Herb Salad and Roasted Courgettes

serves 2

14 small courgettes

1 pint sungold cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup basil, divided, finely sliced 

3 sorrel leaves, finely sliced

2 Spanish mackerel filets, pin bones removed

1 lime

extra virgin olive oil

salt 

pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Season the halved tomatoes with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Finely chop half of the sliced basil and place in a large bowl with the courgettes, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Spread the courgettes out onto an aluminum foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, juice of half the lime, sorrel and remaining sliced basil to the tomatoes. Toss to coat. Set aside.

3. When there's about 10 minutes left for the courgettes, heat a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in an oven safe, non-stick skillet, over medium heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and add to the skillet, skin side down. Cook until skin is just starting to crisp and brown around the edges, about 1 minute. Flip fish over and transfer skillet to oven. Cook another 5-6 minutes or until fish is just white and opaque. Serve over the courgettes with tomato salad on the side. Enjoy!

-Laura

Releasing Some Steam

Well, folks, it seems I've slipped down a slippery slope. Not Britney or Lindsey style--I'm not partying hard or flashing anybody; I'm merely guilty of forgetting that I need to make at least one of my meals a relatively healthy one. I've always believed that indulging is okay, but when those little treats start to become routine...well, they become something else that's a little less special, don't they? And I must admit, for the past few months I've been taking indulgences to a level where nothing I ate felt special. It may have been delicious and enjoyable, but there was no feeling of reward, merit or prize. So, as I planned out a few meals for the coming weeks, it became clear that I'd have to forgo the fried chicken and decadent pasta dishes I love in favor of something that was still tasty, but perhaps less deep fried and carb-centric. A few articles I've read recently have agreed that people who eat fish more often when trying to eat healthy (or lose weight) than they do chicken or other lean meats, are more successful, lose more weight, and even have improved skin and less sluggishness.

So, I decided I'd just have to make sure I didn't fall back into bad habits and use some of my less healthy crutches for quick cooking dinners. While whole wheat pasta is great, and significantly better for you than regular white flour pasta, having it 3 times a week does not a healthy or flattering diet make (no matter how many delicious, fresh veggies I may throw in there). Obviously, somewhere along the way I lost my once innate ability to cook balanced meals throughout the week, alternating proteins and fitting in a veggie-only day whenever possible. To begin on a good note, I stopped by my fishmonger and picked up some lovely fish to bake in the oven and pair with some of my leftover spinach. Fish and greens make a really great combination, especially a mild fish like cod, monkfish or snapper, that don't bring much flavor to the party on their own and need a little pick-me-up. And thank goodness I now know after all these years of cooking, that healthy doesn't have to mean steamed and flavorless (I promise).

I've done citrus crusted fish in the past as a light dinner, but this time I just made a simple crust of panko bread crumbs, parsley, sage and olive oil. The real flavor came from slathering the fish in a mixture of Dijon mustard and honey, which I used to adhere the breadcrumb mixture to the top of the fish. It was a delicious sweet and sour preparation that also helps keep the fish moist as it bakes in the oven, and adds real depth of flavor. For the greens, I just barely wilted them in a pan with a few thinly sliced garlic cloves and hit them with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for some acidic kick. It paired really well with the fish, and as the dish came together it almost felt like a deconstructed honey-mustard vinaigrette. I was surprisingly full afterward, but didn't have that gross feeling of being overstuffed (that I've recently been feeling all to often). There was plenty of flavor and plenty of food, and I felt really great afterward. It can't hurt that the whole thing was done from start to finish in 20 minutes, since the fish only took 10 minutes to bake and the spinach came together while it cooked. Here's the final recipe:

Panko-Crusted Fish with Balsamic Sauteed Spinach

1 pound fish fillets, cut into 4 portions (any hearty, flaky white fish like cod, monkfish, or snapper)
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 cup chopped parsley
5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
3 cups packed spinach
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Heat oven to 450 F degrees. Combine mustard and honey in a small bowl and set aside. Combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, panko, sage and parsley in a bowl and set aside.

2. Season each fish fillet with salt and pepper and slather top of each piece with honey-mustard mixture. Top fish with breadcrumb mixture, pressing down lightly so it sticks.

3.Place fish on a parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil lined baking sheet and cook until opaque and just cooked through (10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish).

4. Meanwhile, heat garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach before garlic starts to brown (you can do this in batches if it doesn't fit) and toss to coat in olive oil. Add balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until all of the spinach is half wilted but still has some volume.

5. Remove fish from oven and serve over spinach. Enjoy!

-Laura

Taco Town

Meeting people from the west coast can give you an entirely new perspective on life, especially where food is concerned. I always thought that the tacos I ate back home in Maryland were the best around, but after moving to New York for college and talking the the many Californians I encountered, I learned that there was a whole world of tacos west of the Mississippi. Although I'd long been a fan of the hard-shelled beef taco, sharing a room with a food savvy Los Angelino for a year brought me around. She constantly spoke of the wonders of the taco stands back home in L.A., and how no New York City taco could even compare. After sampling what New York's taco joints had to offer, my former roomie introduced me to the culinary delight that is the fish taco. Strongly contrasting everything I'd always known and loved about tacos, the fish taco presented me with a wonderful new food option.

Before I knew it, my love for crunchy, meaty tacos was tossed aside and replaced with an obsession for soft tacos filled with crispy fried fish and topped with fresh avocado. My roommate was of course correct in suggesting that there were few fish tacos in the city worthy of a west coaster's praise. To that end, I have taken it upon myself over the years to perfect my own recipe for the fish taco. I often find that those at restaurants are drowned in a million toppings or swimming in a sea of salsa. The fish itself is often not so tasty or juicy, and generally lacks a great deal of flavor and crunch. The first thing to figure out when trying to make an excellent fish taco is deciding on the kind of fish you should use. I like something that can be cut into nice thick 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch strips and holds up to frying while staying moist inside. I bought a lovely piece of pollock at the farmer's market on the recommendation of the fellow behind the counter. He suggested that I use it for both the tacos and a ceviche I'd be making the same day.

After finding the right fish, I got to figuring out what a good coating would be. Cornmeal has worked well for me in the past, so I took a cue from the fried green tomatoes I made the other day and did something similar, replacing the spicy smoked paprika with sweet smoked paprika, and adding a few turns of fresh black pepper and salt. The result was a savory cornmeal mixture that created a thin but crispy coating on the fish after it was fried. I topped the tacos with a simple avocado salsa, crunchy iceberg lettuce, and some chopped Mexican chorizo I had in the fridge. A few extra squeezes of lime juice over the whole thing and they were ready to serve.

Crispy Fish Tacos

1/2 lb boneless, skinless pollock (or other flaky white fish) cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch strips (this will make 4 tacos)
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
salt
vegetable or canola oil
4 soft flour tortillas, warmed through in a dry, non-stick skillet

1. Combine cornmeal, smoked paprika, pepper and salt (2 tsp) in a shallow bowl and set aside.

2. Season fish with salt and coat in egg, then in cornmeal mixture.

3. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable or canola oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add fish and cook until browned and crispy on both sides. Remove to a paper towel covered plate to drain.

4. Top flour tortillas with fish and toppings of your choice (I like avocado, lettuce and chorizo) and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!

-Laura