Incredifish

After much experimentation, I've found a consistent way to make really good salmon. If I follow these instructions, it comes out awesome.

 

The trick to making good salmon is to start with high quality fish. In Seattle, that means going to one of the relatively direct fish markets (Ballard Locks, the place in Issaquah that shares space with Fischer Meats). You can find some at places like Whole Foods, but I don't think it's quite as good, and you'll pay an even more exorbitant rate per pound. Usually I buy a whole fish and have them pack it into one-pound vacuum bags (which they do for free if you're getting the whole fish), which I then freeze.

The species is key - you want king salmon, a.k.a. chinook salmon. It's by far the tastiest, richest, tenderest, and probably highest in omega-3s (and spendiest). And did I mention tastiest?

Second very important point: meat thermometer. You want to measure temperature, not time. The perfect temperature is about 135-137. Ideally you want a piece of fish that's the same thickness across its size so that it cooks evenly, but unevenness can be worked around - pull out the pan when the temperature in the thinner part is right, cut that part off, and then put the rest back in. Use multiple meat thermometers if you have them, or if you have one, start it off in a thin section, and then move it to the thicker section after the first round.

Now, an actual recipe! As listed, this is spice-rack-intensive and probably really annoying if you don't have a big alphabetized array of 40+ spices to choose from. The most important ones are listed first within each amount group. Dill, garlic, onion, and ancho in particular make a good mix. Turmeric is an effective anti-inflammatory (I feel noticeably better after eating it), so I look for things to add it to.

• Olive oil
• 2 lbs fish (feeds 4)
• 4T butter
• 2t - 1T each:
• dill
• garlic powder
• onion powder or flakes
• parsley
• chervil
• tarragon
• 1/2 t - 1t each:
  • salt (optional, to taste)
  • ancho chili pepper
  • cayenne
  • turmeric
  • marjoram
  • kelp
• pinches:
  • cardamom
  • nutmeg
• 2 oz lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread olive oil in an oven pan (nonstick or Pyrex, preferably) and put your fish in it. Ideally, the pan should be just barely bigger than the fish, so that it's sitting in a bath of butter and lemon and spices coming a finger's width up its side. Take the butter, spices, and lemon juice and microwave them (small pot on a stove would work too) til the butter is melted, give them a mix, and then pour over the fish so it coats the whole surface. Stick in your meat thermometer(s) and put the pan in the oven. Keep an eye on the thermometer and pull it out at 135-137 (will take 15-25 minutes depending on thickness).

If you're lucky (I haven't figured out what determines whether this happens), the spice mix will caramelize on top and make this fantastic, complex-flavored lightly crispy crust. Even if that doesn't happen, it's still dang tasty.

Serve on wilted spinach or just by itself. I like to scoop some of the spiced oil from the pan over the fish after it's done cooking.

Chicken 'n' Egg Drop Soup

This is a variant of Ye Olde Tastye Chickene Souppe that I just stumbled upon and really liked. The egg adds a subtle but enjoyable flavor and texture, and makes the soup more visually interesting. All ingredients measured after being cut into bite sized pieces.

• Olive oil
• 1lb chicken
• 1-2c onions, green onions, or leeks
• 3/4 lb mushrooms
• 2 qt broth or equivalent from bullion (or use less with more water to make less salty)
• 1/2 head of cabbage
• 1-2c potatoes
• 1/2 lb pasta (I used a mixture of veggie shells, rotini, and some other thick stubby shapes)
• several eggs

Sauté chicken and onions in olive oil in the bottom of an 8-quart stock pot until starting to brown. Add mushrooms; sauté another 2 minutes. Add broth, cabbage, potatoes, and pasta and cook until pasta is done (if using short-cooking small pasta, wait to add it until the potatoes have had a few minutes head start). Now, the "egg drop" part - I just did this in my own bowl right before eating, and used one egg; hence not having a count. The soup should be basically boiling hot when you do this, so either in a bowl straight out of the boiling pot or in the pot itself while simmering. Beat the egg, then drizzle it in with a fork, stirring every few drizzles. The egg should cook immediately.

Nom nom nom.

Fruity Oaty Bars

These are incredibly easy, and super tasty! Especially for breakfast.

• 1/2 c softened butter
• sploosh of vanilla
• 1 c flour
• -> for wheatless, use millet flour, or barley
• 1 c thick-cut rolled oats
• dash salt
• dash cinnamon
• 3/4 c raspberry jam (You really want to make sure to use really high-quality ingredients for this, since there are so few ingredients. So get the fancy grass-fed butter, and super-extra-high-quality jam. :) )

Soften the butter (I usu just cheat and melt it) and mix in vanilla. Mix together dry ingredients separately, then smoosh in the butter + vanilla mixture until moist and crumbly.

Press 2/3 of the mixture into an 8X8 pan (notice this is small! 9X13 would be too big, so if you don't have a small pan, may want to double the recipe). Spread jam on top, leaving a quarter-inch gap between jam and the edge of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining mixture over the jam, and lightly press (just so it sticks into the jam). Bake 350F for about 30 mins, until browning and jam is bubbly.

It's tempting to eat this with a spoon as soon as it comes out of the oven, but it's best after it's set and cool. Then the jam congeals into bar form, and the squares are chewy. Mmmmmmm!

Update: Lately I've been mixing in shredded coconut, ground flaxseed, and crushed walnuts. EVEN BETTER.

Grog

(aloggalogg!)

• 2 cl of rum
• a dabble of orange juice
• a shake of brown sugar
• very hot water

Put everything into a mug, in that order. Stir; add a thin orange slice. Enjoy!

Savory Quiche

Quiiiiiiche! What else is simultaneously delicious, satisfying, pretty, and super healthy? Exactly: everything on this blog. :) And like everything else, quiche is also easy!

• a 9" deep dish pie crust (or just a greased deep dish pie pan, for crustless)
• whole small onion
• a spicy chili
• optional: a little ham, or bacon, or other tasty porkstuff. Or some chicken. Whatever!
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups: whole milk, or cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese, or a combination of all of them
• 1 tsp sea salt, shakes of pepper, a dash of nutmeg
• veg, veg, veg! I did a springtime mix of spinach, green beans, red bell pepper, and tomatoes, but I imagine having a "theme" would be pretty rocking, too: maybe spinach + olives + tomatoes + feta, or asparagus + cheese, or ground beef + corn + cheddar + salsa, or a seafood scramble...
• some cheese. Mozarella, parmesan, gouda, something yellow, anything that shreds and melts.

Chop and sautee the onions and chili with the meat. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and dairy product. Add the spices and beat some more; then add the sauteed mixture. Chop up the veggies. 

If using a crust: Smear some ricotta or a couple sprinkles of shredded cheese on the bottom of the crust. Add the chopped vegetables, then pour the liquid layer over of them. Top with shredded cheese. 

If making crustless: Then don't worry about separating the layers, just add the veg to the liquid mixture, mix well, and pour it all in your pie dish. 

Top with shredded cheese. Bake on 365 F (185 C) for about an hour or until the middle is firm. If you want to get fancy, you can first cover the pie with foil to keep the cheese (and possibly crust) from browning too darkly, then remove it for the last 15 minutes for a light golden color. Let it sit for ten minutes or so after removing from the oven. 

Serve with a salad and garlic herb toast.