eggs on sunday

We usually eat some kind of fish for dinner at least once a week. This means that at least once a week, the conversation in my head goes something like: “Oh, let’s have fish tonight!,” immediately followed by, “Oh rats, how am I going to cook it?” For some reason I feel particularly challenged when it comes to making a good fish dish. I don’t know why I feel that way; I can think of plenty of times I’ve made fish that I’ve liked how it turned out, but I just always feel like I have to try a new way of preparing it. Some would say that’s a good thing; others might say “Amy, why don’t you just pick your favorite way and keep doing that?” To which I would say, “yes, that is very logical.” Unfortunately that’s not always the way my mind works.

But in fact, I do repeat a particular method every so often: baking in parchment. Looking for a quick, healthy meal that’s ready in 20 minutes, with almost no cleanup save throwing out the parchment paper? This is your lucky day. It’s also the lucky day of whoever does dish-duty: I will not name names but I know that in our house, a certain someone whose name starts with B is always happy when we have fish baked in parchment (as great as he is about doing dishes, and never complains — I know he’s always pleasantly surprised when there’s no cleanup.) (more…)

The coconut rice by itself would be a delicious accompaniment to any spicy stir-fry dish.

Adapted from Gourmet, July 2006

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups well-stirred unsweetened coconut milk (preferably not the lowfat kind - use the 13 to 14 oz. can)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 lb broccolini or broccoli, trimmed into roughly 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp (raw; 20 to 25 per lb)
1 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (hot sauce - found in the Asian section)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water, then shake well to drain and transfer to a heavy saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, 1 cup coconut milk, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand at least 5 minutes.

While rice cooks, toss the peeled and deveined shrimp with the Sriracha sauce and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Trim broccolini or broccoli and cut into roughly 1 inch pieces, and set aside. In another small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, 1/4 cup chicken broth/stock, and remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat until it’s screaming hot, then add the tablespoon of vegetable oil; swirl to coat. Add the broccolini/broccoli and stir-fry until bright green, then add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and stir-fry until the liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Stir up the cornstarch mixture again, then pour it into the wok and stir the entire mixture until the sauce is slightly thickened and the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp and broccolini/broccoli over the coconut rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Nice, bright flavors. One of my favorite ways to eat salmon.

Ingredients

2 6-oz. salmon fillets
2 tbsp white wine
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1-2 tbsps)
salt and pepper

Directions

Fill a large stock pot with about 1/2 inch of water; place a steamer insert into the stockpot. Place salmon fillets on a small plate; place the plate onto the bottom of the steamer insert in the stockpot.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Drizzle the white wine and olive oil onto the plate holding the salmon. Sprinkle the shallot and parsley onto the salmon fillets, and squeeze the lemon half over the fillets.

Cover the stockpot; turn burner on high so water comes to a boil, and cook until salmon is done, usually around 12 minutes. Serve with the juices from the steamed salmon spooned over the fillets.

Serves 2.

You could use any firm, mild white fish to do this dish (salmon, on the other hand, I think would be a bit strong.) The yogurt dipping sauce to accompany it, however, could go with any simply prepared fish — I can eat it by the spoonful!

Ingredients

2 cod fillets, about 3/4 lb to 1 lb total weight
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup pistachios (natural, not the red-dyed ones!), shelled and crushed or chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp yellow cornmeal

For the lemon-herb yogurt:
1/2 cup plain yogurt, either the thick Greek kind or regular (if using regular yogurt, you’ll need to drain some of the liquid off - see note below)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 scallion, minced
1 tsp grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp coarse salt, kosher or sea (start with 1/4 tsp and add up to 1/4 tsp more to taste)
fresh ground black pepper

Directions

If you’re using plain yogurt (not the thick Greek kind), place the yogurt in a fine-mesh seive or colander lined with a paper towel and drain it, covered, over a bowl in the fridge for 1 hour, to drain off some of its liquid. No need to drain if you’re using Greek yogurt.

Place the cod fillets in a glass dish, pour the milk over them, and cover the dish. Let this rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pistachio crust. To make the pistachio crust, place 1/3 cup shelled pistachios in a plastic sealed bag and whack with a rolling pin or meat mallet (flat side) until crushed into small pieces. Pour this out onto a plate, add 3 tbsp cornmeal to the plate, and toss to mix, lightly, with your fingers.

To make the lemon-herb yogurt dip:

Stir together the yogurt and sour cream, then add the cumin, fresh parsley, garlic, scallion, lemon zest and extra-virgin olive oil. Grind in some fresh black pepper, to taste, and then add 1/4 tsp salt. Taste this, and add more salt if you wish — I usually end up using a total of 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Put the dip back in the fridge if the cod isn’t yet ready to cook; I usually take the dip out when the cod is cooking so the chill comes off a bit before serving.

To cook the cod: preheat the oven to 425. You’ll be pan-searing the cod to crunch up the crust, then flipping it and finishing cooking in the oven (in the pan.) Take the cod out of the milk and shake it off to drain. Pat it dry, and season both sides generously with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge one side of the fillets in the pistachio/cornmeal mixture so they get a nice crust, and set aside on a separate plate until you’re ready to cook them. To cook, heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet (I use a cast iron skillet) until very hot. It’s really important to get the skillet quite hot before placing the fish in it — the hotter it is, the less the fish will stick and the easier it will be to flip. Once the skillet is pretty blazing hot, set the fillets in, pistachio-side down. Let these cook until the crust is golden brown, which I find takes around 5 minutes (but will depend on how hot your skillet is — you can use a spatula to lift up one side of the cod to check.) Once the crust has nicely browned, use a spatula to flip the cod — the crust sides will now be facing up — and place the entire skillet in the oven. The cod will finish cooking here, which takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes more, depending on the thickness of your fillets. You’ll need to stick close by to keep checking them; once they flake when the flesh is gently pulled with a fork, they’re done.

Remove the pan from the oven (carefully! use potholders) and set on a cooling rack or back on the stove. Remove the fish to their serving plates, and serve with a good dollop of the lemon-herb yogurt.

Serves 2.

This is terrific with cherry tomatoes that are in the peak of ripeness. The original recipe had more olives — you can certainly up the amount according to your tastes.

Adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2002.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb (or 2 servings) firm white fish (tilapia works well; cod would be good)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

Heat the olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish well with kosher salt and pepper, and saute it in the skillet until just opaque in the center. Transfer the fish to a platter. Into the skillet add the chopped parsley and crushed red pepper; saute for about a minute before adding the garlic, cherry tomatoes, and olives. Saute until the cherry tomatoes have softened and released some of their juices, about 2 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve.

Makes 2 servings.