600170 Sun Mar 01 08:01:38 -0800 2009 88 31 Home Cooking 0 4462525 **March 2009 Cookbook of the Month** is Fish Without a Doubt by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore. Please post your full-length reviews of recipes for baking and roasting, searing and sautéing, and frying here. Please mention the name of the recipe you are reviewing and the page number, if possible, as well as any modifications you made to the recipe. A reminder that the verbatim copying of recipes to the boards is a violation of the copyright of the original author. Posts with copied recipes will be removed. Thanks for participating! Sun Mar 01 08:01:38 -0800 2009 56490 foxy fairy 1 4474966 Baked Scallops (page 217) with Porcini Butter (page 410) Quoting JoanN from http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584841: "I made a half recipe of the Porcini Butter. You combine softened butter with dried porcini powder, truffle oil, sherry vinegar, and S&P, set it aside to mellow for an hour, then refrigerate. He doesn’t say to, but I rolled it into a log knowing I’d be using only a small amount and would want to freeze the rest. "Smear softened Porcini Butter on a gratin dish, put in scallops, smear more porcini butter on top, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake at 450F for 10 minutes." After JoanN and LulusMom raved about this recipe, it was on my 'to make' list for sure since I adore scallops. I should have looked at their pictures, though, since I was sure mine had gone terribly wrong when I opened the oven and could still see lumps of the porcini butter on the scallops. I had imagined the butter smeared on top would all melt and be bubbly, but only the porcini butter smeared on the bottom of the dish melted. Also, I couldn't manage to 'smear' even soft butter on the scallops, but ended up putting dollops on each instead. Which appears to be what they did too. My take: the flavors were great and the scallops were cooked beautifully. I gave them 10 minutes, then another 2 minutes (after checking and being dubious about the lumps of unmelted better), then let them rest a few minutes while plating the rest of the dinner. However, it was definitely more butter than I wanted to eat. And I really didn't like having the lumps of butter on top of the scallops. I served out the scallops with their lumps of butter then saved the melted butter remaining in the dish for another use (I'm thinking eggs!). What I think I'll try next time, is use only half the butter called for, melt it in advance, brush it on the dish, place the scallops in the dish, then drizzle the remaining butter over the scallops and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. No pictures, but they pretty much looked like theirs. I served mine with plain black rice which was great for mixing with the porcini butter. Wed Mar 04 21:21:34 -0800 2009 4462525 19542 Karen_Schaffer 2 4475211 Yes, I definitely had leftover porcini butter. I think eggs is a great idea, or even some sort of stuffed pasta (if not another fish dish). My butter was pretty soft, so I didn't have a problem with smearing it, but can see what you mean. Thu Mar 05 02:34:31 -0800 2009 4474966 56762 LulusMom 2 4515902 I made the scallops with basil-sundried compound butter and the same thing happened to me. The butter just sat on the top of the scallops and did not melt at all. My butter was room temperature, so I thought 450F should melt it. When I saw the lumps at the end of 10 minutes, I gave it 2 extra minutes under the broiler, but that din't melt the butter either. I should have melted the butter as you suggested, but its too late now. Also I don't think this was a great combination, atleast for us. The scallops and tomato-basil-butter did not compliment each other. Wed Mar 18 07:35:02 -0700 2009 4474966 111643 cpw 1 4483944 Sautéed Char with Hoisin Glaze and Wasabi Butter Sauce, Pg. 238 This is a 4 part recipe and here's the order in which I made it: 1. Wasabi Butter Sauce 2. Hoisin Sauce 3. Wilted Cabbage 4. Sautéed Char 5. Serve 1. Wasabi Butter Sauce, Pg. 406: To the Basic Butter Sauce on pg. 402 the following ingredients are added: 2 T Wasabi powder( I love this stuff!) moistened with 3 t dry vermouth, to make a paste. The wasabi paste is added the butter sauce and "zapped with an immersion blender." Keep it on a back burner till needed. (Yum) 2. Hoisin Glaze, Pg. 439: The following ingredients are stirred together in a small bowl: 2 T hoisin sauce, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 t honey, 1 pressed garlic clove, 1 T minced fresh cilantro. After combining, season with a bit of Kosher salt. (Yum Yum) 3. Wilted Cabbage, Pg. 452 One of the suggested side dishes to be used under the fish... Olive oil, shredded Savoy cabbage, 4 thinly sliced scallions, 2 t soy sauce, 1 t water are stir-fried for 30 seconds. The soy and water are added and all is stir-fried till the cabbage wilts. (Ho Hum.) 4. Sautéed Char, Pg. 439: I had to substitute swordfish, one of the alternatives suggested. Each piece of fish is seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper and the skin side is lightly dusted with flour. (I used one pan for 2 pieces, if you're cooking 4 pieces per the recipe use 2 skillets.) The directions are rather specific for cooking the fish: heat a skillet over high heat, add olive oil, add the fish with floured side down, reduce heat to medium, press down on fish with a spatula to hear the sizzle which tells you that a crust is being formed. Then add a T of butter to the pan. When the butter melts, baste the fish and cook for 3 minutes. When the fish is almost cooked through turn over and turn off the heat. The fish sits for about 30 seconds then is transfered to paper towels. 5. To serve: Place a portion of the Wilted Cabbage in the center of plate, set a piece of fish on top, brush the fish with the Hoisin Glaze, pour over the Wasabi Butter Sauce. Pour a great big glass of Gewürztraminer and enjoy!! Sun Mar 08 04:40:26 -0700 2009 4462525 75332 Gio 2 4483951 What did you think of it? If I remember correctly, JoanN found it a littel too sweet (or was this a different recipe?). I like the idea of the wasabi butter. Sun Mar 08 04:55:46 -0700 2009 4483944 56762 LulusMom 3 4483956 We liked it very well. While I do not like overly sweet food, I thought this was not too sweet. The wasabi butter was fantastic! Perhaps I focused on that and perhaps I didn't brush on as much hoisin sauce as Joan did. I didn't read her report. It must be in the separate thread????? Sun Mar 08 05:01:29 -0700 2009 4483951 75332 Gio 4 4484060 Yes, in the other thread. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584841#4309317 And a different recipe. The one I made was grilled, not sauteed, and no Wasabi Butter, which I'm sure I would like a great deal and might make all the difference. Although frankly, considering that I don't think I've ever liked any sweet element with fish, I'd probably like it a lot better with just the Wasabi Butter. Sun Mar 08 06:49:26 -0700 2009 4483956 11407 JoanN 2 4484128 Great report, and very helpful as I am about to start cooking the arctic char I bought last night. I was debating between this recipe and the one on the next page with moroccan spices. I think I am sticking to this one. Also, very helpful tips on what to start cooking first. Sun Mar 08 07:40:16 -0700 2009 4483944 111643 cpw 2 4485846 I made the arctic char for lunch today and I am glad I did, it was very delicious! I had few substitutions: I made the butter sauce in food processor which is little tricky, but it worked (Processed it before adding the butter). Maybe the texture would have been better if I used the immersion blender, but since I have nothing to compare to, I liked it. I could'nt get myself to add 1 stick of butter, so I stopped at 3/4th. Also I added the jarred wasabi instead of the powder one. In the hoisin glaze, I did not add the honey, as I got scared of the sweetness (isssue raised by LulusMom-thank you). I tasted the pre honey version and it tasted absolutely delicious-really yummy stuff. I served with brussel sprouts, sauted as she suggests, and with roasted beets from sunday suppers. This was the first time we had arctic char and I not sure any recipe will top this one for this fish. Sun Mar 08 19:52:36 -0700 2009 4483944 111643 cpw 2 4566842 I made this dish and we loved it. I only made half portions of the hoisin glaze and wasabi butter sauce. I should have read the earlier reports about the hoisin glaze. When I did a quick taste, I found it a bit too sweet (shouldn't have added the honey). However, I added more lime juice and it became more palatable to me. Also, I added the full amount of cilantro as well. The wasabi butter was fabulous - and my wasabi powder wasn't the freshest. Next time, I may add more to give it more of a kick. But, the reason why it went so well was the contrast of silky spicy wasabi butter to the mildly sweet cilantro hoisin glaze. On top of that, the searing technique was fabulous. I used char and the skin was incredible. While I had great success roasting the fish to get it crispy, this was the first time I used fish that had the skin on it, and it was even better (it was kind of hard for me to fathom since I loved the roasting as well). I also agree with Gio about the wilted cabbage. If I had known earlier, I would have used the other cabbage recipe. This was just an ok recipe and I upped the soy sauce for more flavor. In its defense though, the cabbage may have tasted better if I followed the instructions on plating - to place the fish and sauce over the cabbage. I had it on the side so it didn't get as much buttery fishy goodness as it should have. Regardless, this was a marvelous recipe. And, the bonus was that it looks and tastes more complicated than it was. At first, I was put off bc the recipe kept sending me to other recipes. But, putting together the sauces took very little time in all and it was well worth the effort. ETA: for the wasabi butter sauce, when I first tasted it, I was disappointed, then I realized I didn't add salt to it. Whoa, what a difference. Jfood notes the same below. Note to self: re-read threads before shopping and cooking. Sat Apr 04 06:03:23 -0700 2009 4483944 10214 beetlebug 2 4705828 I made this with striped seabass last night and we both just loved it. I though the sauteeing techinque was wonderful, and the fish was perfectly done, though I did cook it slightly longer as my filets were bigger and thicker. That glaze is delectable. I had decided to serve it with bok choy before even having read the recipe (I knew I wanted to make that glaze), but just cut it into pieces and sauteed on high heat with peanut oil and garlic cloves. I didn't make the wasabi butter, but will next time, as my husband loves wasabi. Fri May 22 04:17:43 -0700 2009 4483944 10985 MMRuth 2 5059025 I made this tonight with some Wild Alaskan salmon. I kept the skin on the fish. Another new way to cook fish [I am really starting to love this book] that is quick, easy and results in delicious fish with great texture. I made two changes.... no honey in the hoisin glaze and no wasabi butter. I served it with Cradle of Flavor Bok Choy with garlic and peppers and some jasmine rice. The bok choy was a great counterpoint to the sweetness of the hoisin glaze. This was a surprising dinner that we both enjoyed. Fri Sep 25 17:16:27 -0700 2009 4483944 59258 smtucker 1 4497106 Mackerel with Puttanesca and Potatoes, Pg. 216 Another multi part recipe. Here's the order in which I cooked: 1. Potatoes 2. Puttanesco Sauce 3. Parsley/ Garlic Breadcrumbs 4. Assemble dish & bake 1. Small red potatoes are peeled, boiled till just tender, drained then sliced. I did not peel, but sliced and steamed them. 2. Puttanesca Sauce, Pg. 430 Cook 1 cup chopped onion in hot olive oil for about 7 minutes. (I used about 2 cups sliced leeks because I wanted to use them up). The recipe calls for 1/4 cup chopped garlic but given past experience with the amount of recommended garlic I chopped 4 cloves. A small tin of anchovies and a "good pinch of crushed red pepper" are added to the pot and all is cooked till the anchovies are melted. Add 3 cups of chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives and 1/4 cup drained capers. The heat is reduced and the sauce is simmered for 15-ish minutes or till "thick and fragrant." (I could not find the jar of capers I *knew* was in the pantry so I poured about 2 T of red wine vinegar into the tomato can and swished it around a bit then added it to the sauce). This sauce was delicious and I can see using it for just about anytime a spicy red sauce is wanted. Breadcrumbs: While the sauce is cooking make the bread crumb mixture by chopping a bit of parsley to make 2 T, press 2 cloves of garlic and add in a small bowl along with 2 t olive oi. 4. Assemble and Bake: Although the recipe calls for 4 6 - 7 oz. of Mackerel fillets, which have been at the market every time I've gone for the last 300 years, there was None so I boughtTilapia, 6 small fillets. So.... preheat oven at 450. Oil the bottom of gratin dishes, one for each serving.... I used a 9" X 9" casserole dish. Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom and drizzle with 4 T dry vermouth. Season the fish with salt & white pepper. Lay the fish on top of the potatoes and cover all with the Puttanesca sauce. Sprinkle the crumbs over all and set in oven to bake for about 12 minutes.. I think we went for 15 min. This dish was very tasty and we liked it very much. I could not detect the vermouth. I suppose it's because the potatoes absorbed it, but the sauce is so full of flavor that became the predominate taste. Frankly, I can see the potatoes and the sauce used alone or with simple sauteed chicken breasts then finished en casserole in the oven.....Oh - or even grilled eggplant in the middle... maybe. Thu Mar 12 06:17:00 -0700 2009 4462525 75332 Gio 2 4568768 I had some problems with the Mackerel (Bluefish)with Puttanesca and Potatoes. (Not the taste of it; it tasted great). First, I didn’t precook my potatoes long enough and second, I didn’t cut the bluefish fillet in half and make it in separate gratin dishes as he recommends so it was a real mess to serve. Because the puttanesca sauce and bread-crumb topping covers everything, I couldn’t see to cut the fish into two servings. I’m guessing Gio didn’t have this problem with the tilapia fillets since they were skinless and probably broke apart easily when cut into. This recipe is somewhat similar to a recipe from James Peterson, Baked Whole Sea Bass with Potatoes, that’s a standard at my house. Peterson layers uncooked potatoes with thyme, garlic, olive oil and S&P and bakes them for 20 minutes to get a head start on the fish. I think I’m going to use that technique for this recipe just because it’s always worked for me before, it uses one less pot, and it gets a lot more flavor directly into the potatoes. Instead of a full-blown puttanesca sauce, Peterson just puts the fish on top of the potatoes and arranges chopped tomatoes and olives around it. There’s no anchovies, no capers, and no bread-crumb topping as with Moonen, but the Peterson recipe is for a milder fish. .The much more assertive puttanesca was just perfect with the bluefish—a real winner of a combination. I was out of bread crumbs so I used panko and I did like the added crunch as well as the additional hit of garlic. Since I don’t have individual gratin dishes, what I’ll probably do next time I’m making two servings is cut the potatoes much thinner and cook them a la Peterson for 20 minutes before making two separate mounds of potatoes, fish, sauce, and topping in a single baking dish so I can lift out an entire serving with a spatula. I couldn’t detect the vermouth, either, Gio. And I was disappointed since I’d bought some specifically for this dish. And I agree, too, that you could probably substitute sautéed or baked chicken breasts with excellent results. Sun Apr 05 06:40:05 -0700 2009 4497106 11407 JoanN 3 4568782 Wonder why the pic didn't post? Trying again. Sun Apr 05 06:47:44 -0700 2009 4568768 11407 JoanN 3 4568928 IIRC, I placed the fillets across the baking dish, not lengthwise. Therefore I didn't have any trouble serving. Also, you seem to have had more breadcrumbs than I did. I reread my post and I see that I didn't write the quantity in the recipe, But more of the sauce showed in my baking dish... guess I was stingy with the crumbs. We live about 4 hours north of you but won't see Bluefish in the market till summer!! I hate to admit it to You, Joan, LOL... but I have the Peterson book too and now after your description I have to try the recipe for Baked Whole Sea Bass. Sun Apr 05 08:12:52 -0700 2009 4568768 75332 Gio 4 4568993 Ah. That makes sense. I just had one big hunk of bluefish and plunked it down in the center of the potatoes. I just wasn't thinking the whole thing through. As for quantities, I must say I was pretty much eyeballing everything rather than measuring, but I only made half a cup of crumbs for half the recipe so the proportion of crumbs to fish and sauce should have been about right. I think, though, that stingy might be more than enough and will make a note in the book to halve the bread-crumb topping next time. I bought the bluefish yesterday from the fisherman who caught it and he told me they're just beginning to see them. He said he'd caught only two so far. So I'm sure you're right that it will be a while before we see it in the markets. That Peterson recipe has been a go-to for me for longer than I can remember. I love that it's a quick and easy one dish meal and I can always get the ingredients at the last minute. Helps, too, that my BF from London loves it so I make it for him whenever he comes to visit. Hope you like it as well. Sun Apr 05 08:48:03 -0700 2009 4568928 11407 JoanN 1 4497116 Sounds good Gio. I would think that a robust oily fish like mackerel would probably work better than tilapia though. What do you think? Thu Mar 12 06:20:43 -0700 2009 4462525 110146 greedygirl 2 4497226 Oh yes, I agree GG. The tilapia was completely lost in the sauce. A nice place to be, though.... I intend to be on the look out for mackerel and will make the recipe again when I find it. Thu Mar 12 06:56:05 -0700 2009 4497116 75332 Gio 1 4500679 Broiled Fish Fillets with Butter and Herbs (pg. 122) We liked this very much but I had some very slight technical difficulties in making the dish. I used very thin flounder fillets and had enough for three servings. So, I slightly modified the amounts of butter and herbs. It's a pretty easy recipe: chop herbs (parsley and chives) and melt butter in separate dishes. Dip the fish into the butter and sprinkle herbs on top. Lastly, sprinkle bread crumbs (I used panko) and broil. My problem was that my fish fillets were still too cold. So, when I dipped the fillets into the butter, it immediately congealed on the fish and the resting plate. When I lifted the fillet into the pan, most of the butter on the bottom of the fillet, stayed on the plate. Regardless, it was delicious. I really liked the preheating the pan under the broiler. I used a flat cast iron skillet and don't know why I don't do this more often. After all, this is the Zuni roast chicken way. But, slight technical difficulty here too. After placing the fillet into the skillet, the whole thing started smoking. I put the skillet under the broiler for under two minutes which was still too long. There was slight sticking to the pan but I easily scraped the crispy bits off. My second batch, for about a minute, didn't stick and was perfect. Overall, I enjoyed this dish and it was a quick easy dinner. Fri Mar 13 05:41:01 -0700 2009 4462525 10214 beetlebug 2 4500742 I'm loving this book, but if I got nothing from it other than the preheat-the-pan-under-the-broiler method of broiling fish it would have been worth the price of admission. I've only done it so far with skin-on fillets, and the crispy fish skin is as much a revelation as the chicken skin is in Zuni. I had some difficulty with the bread crumbs burning ( http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584841#4313265 ). Doesn't sound as though you did. I, however, didn't have the smoking problem, and both times I tried this I let the cast iron skillet heat up under the broiler for the full 15 minutes he recommends. I imagine it's all just a question of getting to know your broiler and getting to know your pan. But it's well worth it. I doubt I'll ever use another method for broiling fish ever again. Fri Mar 13 06:12:46 -0700 2009 4500679 11407 JoanN 3 4500860 I did the full 15 minutes and probably then some. I think the smoking thing if because I have some kind of oil (either butter or olive) on the bottom of the fillet before placing it into the pan. The sear is intense. And, I've used skinless fillets, but damn, that crunchy stuff is so good. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think my rack may be too close to the broiler. I saw some flames shoot off the side when I put it into the oven. Didn't effect the taste at all though. ETA: my bread crumbs may have been slightly scorches, but there weren't that many on there to make a difference. Fri Mar 13 06:57:08 -0700 2009 4500742 10214 beetlebug 4 4500907 Apologies. Read your post too quickly and misattributed the cause of the smoking. My skillet was most definitely too close to the broiler. I think that with broiling, more than any other cooking method, one-size instruction just does not fit all. The same timing and distance just cannot work for both gas and electric. It may take a bit of fiddling to figure out what works best with your equipment, but the experiments sure are tasty. Fri Mar 13 07:10:16 -0700 2009 4500860 11407 JoanN 1 4500693 Broiled Fish Fillets with Compound Butter (pg. 124) I loved, loved, loved this dish. JoanN reported this on the original thread, but I'm too lazy to find it. But, it's such a versatile recipe in fish choices and compound butter choices. A fish and butter mix and match. Anyway, I chose the porcini butter which has ground porcini mushrooms, truffle oil, sherry vinegar and salt and pepper. My porcini butter was really soft so I was able to spread it on my tilapia fillets. An interesting thing is that the author has you slice the tilapia (and catfish fillets) down the center seam. I did it, and it was fine, but don't really see it as necessary. Anyway, for the broil, I had the same smoking, sticking and overcooking problem with the first batch (as reported above). The second batch came out perfectly. But, the sticking isn't that big of a deal because the crispy bits are wonderful. So much umami goodness into this dish. I'm looking forward to making it again. I suspect I'll have a hard time spreading the butter since I put it in the freezer but dabbing it on will be just fine. Fri Mar 13 05:47:41 -0700 2009 4462525 10214 beetlebug 2 4501983 Hi beetlebug, Can you please advice what kind of store did you find porcini powder - regular grocery store or some ethnic one. TIA! Fri Mar 13 12:03:35 -0700 2009 4500693 111643 cpw 3 4502006 Not beetlebug here, but I made my own porcini powder. I just put some dried porcinis in the dedicated coffee grinder that I use as a spice grinder and let 'er rip. In fact, I think this is the only way to do it. I don't think I've ever seen porcini powder sold commercially. Fri Mar 13 12:07:58 -0700 2009 4501983 11407 JoanN 4 4502804 I made my own porcini powder as well. I ground it in a mortar and pestle since I don't have a spice grinder/coffee grinder. (Sad face.) Fri Mar 13 15:53:29 -0700 2009 4502006 10214 beetlebug 5 4502919 I didn't have one either. I used this as an excuse to remedy the situation (always nice to have an excuse). Fri Mar 13 16:47:42 -0700 2009 4502804 56762 LulusMom 3 4502108 I ordered mine from http://www.igourmet.com. It was $2.00 more when I ordered it last summer ($11.99 instead of $9.99). Hmph! Great flavor, nice fine texture. I know I could have made my own, but I treated myself. I tried to link to the product, but got a generic page. Just do a search for porcini powder. Fri Mar 13 12:38:43 -0700 2009 4501983 19542 Karen_Schaffer 3 4502483 Also not beetlebug but I did the same thing JoanN did ... just zapped it in my spice grinder. Took less than a minute. Fri Mar 13 14:05:59 -0700 2009 4501983 56762 LulusMom 4 4502848 Thanks JN, BB, KS, LM! Knowing this makes life so much easier, I don't have to go store to store looking for the powder. Now all I have to do is go shopping for dried porcini. And, I do have a dedicated coffee grinder. Fri Mar 13 16:14:50 -0700 2009 4502483 111643 cpw 2 4555424 My second time with this dish was not as successful. This time, I used catfish fillets and I didn't slice it down the center seam. I suspect that this may have been the culprit, although I don't know why it would make the difference. When I broiled the fish, it threw off a lot of water. Very odd. This dish was still delicious (it's the porcini butter) but this time, I lacked the crisp bottom. Maybe it's because I used defrosted butter, or maybe it was because I didn't slice it down the middle (I wanted one fillet on my plate and not two). Regardless, I still am really enjoying this book. Tue Mar 31 14:56:42 -0700 2009 4500693 10214 beetlebug 3 4555540 I doubt it was the butter; I’ve used the frozen porcini butter a number of times and never had any problems with it. And I just can’t see how cutting a fillet in half could possibly have made a difference. There’s some substance in fish that usually coagulates when the fish is cooked but fails to do so when the fish has been kept too long resulting in a watery exudate. Is it possible your fish wasn’t as fresh as it usually is? Tue Mar 31 15:46:06 -0700 2009 4555424 11407 JoanN 4 4555766 Maybe the fish wasn't as fresh. That explanation makes sense. Although, it looked really nice and I bought it from the local fishmonger. Well, it still tasted delicious and neither of us got sick so it's still a win win in my book. Tue Mar 31 16:58:24 -0700 2009 4555540 10214 beetlebug 1 4502202 I can't believe no one has tried the Chicken-fried Trout! That's first on my list! I know, I know, I'm so healthy... try not to be too envious of my healthful lifestyle! ;-) Fri Mar 13 13:01:52 -0700 2009 4462525 12813 Katie Nell 2 4502488 I have a feeling there was a report on this on the original Fish Without a Doubt thread - a rave review if I'm remembering correctly (but after 12 hours in a car, my brain is mush, so maybe not). You might want to check that thread and see. Fri Mar 13 14:06:49 -0700 2009 4502202 56762 LulusMom 3 4503245 You were right... bayoucook made it and raved about it: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584841#4440890 Fri Mar 13 19:15:34 -0700 2009 4502488 12813 Katie Nell 1 4503895 Sauteed Char (Salmon) with Moroccan Spices and Harissa Tomato Sauce (p. 239) This was the first recipe that wasn't an out of the ballpark hit for me. The harissa tomato sauce, however, was a total hit, and I'm trying to figure out how to serve the leftovers - I'm thinking over maybe a bit of penne, but honestly both Lulu and I were eating it straight out of the pot with a spoon. I was just home from a few days away, so cheated and used store bought harissa, but it was still delicious. In anticipation of making this I had made the moroccan spice mix before leaving so this was all very easy to put together. I used frozen skinless salmon, and my husband says that is why I didn't love it - just not very tasty or juicy fish. But I'm not sure that was all. I tend to love moroccan food, and somehow the salmon just didn't work with these spices for me. You make the spice mix and rub it on the fish (char, salmon or even catfish or tilapia), then sear in a pan for a very short amount of time. Serve on a bed of the tomato sauce and lentils or canned chickpeas. I decided to go with the flexitarian roasted chickpea and couscous side instead, and loved that as always. Sat Mar 14 06:22:08 -0700 2009 4462525 56762 LulusMom 2 4503912 Well that certinaly Looks delicious, LLM. I'll probably make it before the month is out. But, his substitue fish is disparate I think. Tilapia tastes nothing like salmon, in my estimation. It's curious that I can't find Artic Char in this neck of the woods... so I'll have to use either catfish or tilapia again. Or perhaps I'll just use what ever looks good at the market the day I do cook it. Sat Mar 14 06:32:03 -0700 2009 4503895 75332 Gio 3 4503918 Why thank you Gio! I think tilapia would be a better fit, somehow. The tomato sauce (and that was something I slightly cheated on too ... I used a simple can of diced tomatoes without draining instead of the pomi brand) is nice and spicy and delicious. Sat Mar 14 06:35:26 -0700 2009 4503912 56762 LulusMom 2 4503935 This is great news. I have some harissa left in the fridge and was thinking of making the Harissa Tomato Sauce, but wasn't sure what to do with it. If if's that good, I'm sure I could serve it with any simply cooked fillet and some rice and it would be terrific. Thanks for the inspiration. ETA: Just picked up some hours-old flounder fillets at the farmers market, so I know what's for dinner tonight! Sat Mar 14 06:42:05 -0700 2009 4503895 11407 JoanN 2 4503950 It sure looks delicious! I am so glad you tried this recipe and this is on my 'to-make' list; so your loving it is quite an inspiration. Though I am not sure that I can make my toddler try it-she isn't eating well this month (well so is my husband, but that's another story) Sat Mar 14 06:51:34 -0700 2009 4503895 111643 cpw 3 4504054 Just to be clear ... I loved the harissa tomato sauce, but the salmon with the spices didn't totally win me over. Sorry to hear about the toddler - these things pass, if that helps. One of the hardest things for me has been learning to not stress over seeing food I've made for Lulu just sit there (she's a very adventurous eater, but not a big eater). I think the sauce would be great over rice or really any starch at all. I thought maybe it would be good to try chicken this way, using up some of the leftover spice mix and just making up a new batch of the sauce. Hope you both enjoy. Sat Mar 14 07:41:30 -0700 2009 4503950 56762 LulusMom 4 4515871 Thanks! Hopefully I will find Char at my nearby fish market (I just discovered that I have one). My little girl is not so adventurous - her favourite food is plain white rice. Wed Mar 18 07:23:54 -0700 2009 4504054 111643 cpw 2 4515926 Has anyone found the baklouti peppers around Boston? Penzeys didn't have it, but haven't investigated much past them. Wed Mar 18 07:42:04 -0700 2009 4503895 59258 smtucker 3 4516330 Hi sm... I don't know where you can find the Bakloutis around Bosxton but - I do know they are a rather new introduction to the hot pepper seed markets even though they are a traditional Tunisian pepper. I think you can substitute any hot to medium hot pepper.. Are you making Harissa? Wed Mar 18 09:33:13 -0700 2009 4515926 75332 Gio 4 4516653 I was thinking about it. My pepper knowledge isn't thorough enough to start substituting but this doesn't seem to be a common pepper. Wed Mar 18 11:00:43 -0700 2009 4516330 59258 smtucker 3 4516513 I used guajillos to make the harissa and it was terrific. He says you can mail order the baklouti's from Kalustyan's, but they're not listed on their Web site and I haven't had a chance to get down there and look for them. Wed Mar 18 10:20:17 -0700 2009 4515926 11407 JoanN 4 4524075 Ah, the luxury of getting down to Kalustyan's! We've got lots of great stuff out here, but nothing as wonderful as Kalustyan's. Fri Mar 20 18:24:24 -0700 2009 4516513 10245 oakjoan 2 4519774 The Tale of the Ongoing Leftovers I had some leftover Harissa (page 443). LulusMom’s rave for the Harissa Tomato Sauce (page 429) sounded right up my alley. In order to make the Harissa Tomato Sauce you first have to make the Moroccan Spice Mix (page 440). So I made the spice mix, then made the tomato sauce. I served the tomato sauce over rice with a simply broiled flounder fillet. Loved the sauce, but it was waaay too spicy. Not sure if I had too heavy a hand with the harissa or it was just that my harissa was extremely hot. Probably a combination of both. So now I had leftover too-spicy Harissa Tomato Sauce and leftover Moroccan Spice Mix. I rubbed the spice mix onto a couple of bone in chicken breasts and baked them for 45 minutes. I added another can of chopped tomatoes to the tomato sauce and heated it up. When the breasts were cooked, I tried a sample. Oh! My! The chicken breasts with the spice rub were so good, I just ate one of them plain. Never even got to the sauce; put it into the fridge. Had one breast left. Now I’ve got leftover hopefully tamed-down tomato sauce and a leftover chicken breast. I cut the chicken meat off the bone and cubed it, simmered it for only a minute in already simmering tomato sauce, and served it on rice. Really, really good. And I still have more tomato sauce and spice mix to play with. So then I made the Sauteed Char (Steelhead Trout) with Moroccan Spices, Lentils, and Harissa Tomato Sauce. Unlike LulusMom, I thought this was another great dish and that the Moroccan spices were perfect with the Steelhead trout. Maybe I just had a better piece of fish. And I loved the lentils with it. They’re plain, just cooked then rewarmed in butter. But they were a marvelous foil for both the fish and the spicy tomato sauce. Okay. I acknowledge it. I’ve turned from an unbiased tester into a full-blown proselytizer. But so many side recipes in this book have been the gift that just keep on giving. Both the Harissa and the Moroccan Spice Mix are going to get a lot of use in this house. Very happy camper here. Thu Mar 19 12:26:53 -0700 2009 4503895 11407 JoanN 3 4520285 (warning: martinis in action - never drink and post) - I'm really glad you liked the fish with the spices. When we had the cioppino I said to my husband "another big hit - the only one I haven't loved from this book is the moroccan salmon." And he shook his head vehemently (um, martinis -sp?) and said "No no, that was really good." So we, too, are full blown prosel-ers (oh, never mind). But to be honest, I do think I'd like this preparation better on chicken breasts than on the fish, for whatever reason. Our sauce was pretty spicy, but not what I'd call too spicy. But then again we used store bought harissa (although I did add extra crushed red pepper). I had a bit of the leftover sauce on some penne and it was heavenly. I hope, JoanN, that your extra tomatoes calmed it down enough that you can fully enjoy. Thu Mar 19 14:49:26 -0700 2009 4519774 56762 LulusMom 1 4518701 Sautéed Turbot with Leeks and Red Wine Butter Sauce, Pg. 233 Please note: I 1/2'd the recipe and subbed Wild Alaska Salmon per the suggested substitutes. 1. Red Wine Butter Sauce, Pg. 407 1 cup sliced shallots, 3 sprigs thyme, and 1 1/2 cups dry red wine are brought to boil in a small saucepan. The heat is lowered and the wine is simmered till reduced to about 2 Ts. 1/2 cup ruby port is added and reduced to 1/3 cup. Thyme is removed, heat is turned to very low and the shallots are pureed with an immersion blender. As the shallots are being pureed 2 sticks of unsalted butter ( I used only 1 !), cut into tablespoons, are added bit by bit till all is incorporated. The sauce is strained, returned to the pan and Kosher salt & ground white pepper are whisked in then 1 T balsamic vinegar. A very sassy sauce this and v. yummy. 2. Basic Leeks, Pg. 462 For the full recipe 5 large leeks are sliced in half lengthwise then into half rounds and washed very well. 4 T butter + 2 cups water with some Kosher salt are brought to the boil in a skillet. The leeks are added and covered with a piece of parchment cut to fit. After this comes to the boil again heat is reduced and the leeks are simmered for about 5 minutes. Drain before serving. 3. Sautéed Salmon This seems to be his standard procedure for sautéing any fish fillets or steaks. Salt and pepper the fish, lightly dust with flour the skin/skinned side, heat the pan, add the oil, drop in the fish, listen for the sizzle while pressing down with the spatula and flip to other side. I can type this from memory. 4. To serve: Place a serving of leeks in the middle of the plate, Place fish on top of leeks, Drizzle the sauce around the fish. We served steamed rice as a side. Loved, loved, loved this recipe! Absolutely delicious and will absolutely make it again and again. I usually do not make a sauce such as this one, but can definitely see how it really does enhance and adds another dimension to the dish. We're loving this book, even though we have to search for the exact type of fish we want. I gave the fish monger 5 alternatives and the only fish he had that we could use was the salmon. It worked out very well. Thu Mar 19 05:28:31 -0700 2009 4462525 75332 Gio 2 4518868 Great report, and so glad you liked it. I've got this on my "to make" list. Thu Mar 19 06:41:27 -0700 2009 4518701 56762 LulusMom 3 4518989 Thanks LLM. The Jasmine rice was a perfect counterpoint and absorbed some of the sauce to make it taste even better than usual. I think I'm all leeked out, though. Every other recipe I've made since last Friday has had leeks as one of the ingredients. And these were giganticus. There are 3 still in the fridge..... Edit... I've been trying for 1/2 hour to reply to this post! Arrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!! Thu Mar 19 08:00:48 -0700 2009 4518868 75332 Gio 2 4519782 Thanks for the specific measurements in this recipe Gio. I don't have the book, so I'm going to follow your instructions. That red wine beurre blanc sounds delicious, and I love leeks. Thu Mar 19 12:28:05 -0700 2009 4518701 10271 Rubee 3 4520700 It *was* delicious Rubee and there's mot a crumb left, though I thought there would be. Let me know if you need further clarifications..... Thu Mar 19 17:09:55 -0700 2009 4519782 75332 Gio 2 4521101 I think I made a similar leek dish, sticking them in my Le Creuset and then covering with parchment and cooking slooooowly -- recipe from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen in January 2008. I will have to check when the book is in front of me. :) That recipe also called for the tiniest amount of rice cooked in with the leek-y broth. Yay for leeks! Thu Mar 19 19:54:49 -0700 2009 4518701 56490 foxy fairy 2 4535090 I just made Sautéed Mystery Fish with Leeks and Red Wine Butter Sauce, Pg. 233 also served with a little rice next to the bed of leeks and red wine/port/shallot reduction. SO loved it. I've never had red wine based sauce with white fish, nor have I ever made a red wine reduction exactly. I liked it, not loved it - but it's nice to stretch and try something totally different. The wine sauce is grapey and a little sweet (I used a Malbec that tasted really nice -- I'm surprised at the sweetness) but it all comes together really well. And I didn't have any balsamic, so I used sherry vinegar. The main thing I learned was the fish cooking technique, as Gio details above. Perfect. And I love leeks. Tue Mar 24 17:37:46 -0700 2009 4518701 11989 pitu 3 4535126 OH I'm so glad you like this Pitu!! I'm so weight & health conscious that I hardly ever use sauces to finish a dish. It's so difficult trying to find just the right fish to use when you must substitute. This week Dover sole and Pollack are on sale in my area. I have the recipe for the sole.... but now i'm on a quest to see how I can use the pollack..... I think I can use it instead of cod which we're not buying this year. Tue Mar 24 17:47:57 -0700 2009 4535090 75332 Gio 4 4537391 : ) I also like the leek cleaning technique - cut them up, swish in a bowl of cold water, let the grit settle, and pick the clean leeks off the top. I do this with spinach, and don't know why until now I've done a more complicated rinse that looks like a newspaper-roll-palm-tree under running water . . . right, that's the delicious braise from Goins - the leeks need to not be cut into rings Wed Mar 25 12:04:04 -0700 2009 4535126 11989 pitu 1 4523549 Tandoori sable (p 188) My last chance to cook from this book before I head off to Greece tomorrow for the rest of the month. I gave Mr GG the choice between this and the mussels in black bean sauce and he chose this one. We don't have sable in this country so I used the suggested substitute of salmon. The preparation is very simple - melt a tbsp of butter or ghee and mix in some tandoori paste (I thought I had some but it turned out to be tikka masala so I used that) and yoghurt. Marinate the salmon fillets for an hour in the spice mixture. Scrape most of the paste off the fish when ready to cook then sear in a tbsp of butter in a hot cast iron pan. Finish in a hot oven for 3-5 mins depending on the thickness of the fillet. I cooked mine for 4 mins and it was perfect. I served the fish with steamed rice, broccoli and the suggested tzatskiki. We both liked this very much, and the tzatsiki got us in the mood for Greece. Simple and delicious -- perfect for an after-work supper. I'd use the suggested tandoori paste next time. Fri Mar 20 14:47:28 -0700 2009 4462525 110146 greedygirl 1 4548044 Sautéed Char with Hoisin Glaze and Wasabi Butter Sauce (p. 238) This is Jfood's first post for the COTM threads after looking through many opportunities over the past several months. And after taking this cookbook out of a local library he is glad he tried it. In fact while having a sundae for dessert at a local bar, he and Mrs. Jfood decided they should buy this book. Jfood decided to use salmon instead of Char for the recipe since Mrs. Jfood is not a huge fan of Char. He purchased about a 14-ounce filet for the 2 of them. Now onto the recipe. Wasabi Butter Sauce – This recipe is interesting as it first “simmers” butter, thyme and shallots and then blends together. Jfood's one comment would be that using an immersion blender for this amount of liquid is nonsense. Jfood used his mini-food processor, but would also suggest a blender. Likewise the recipe calls for using an immersion blender to combine the wasabi powder and vermouth, Jfood used a butter knife. He also used a whisk for emulsifying the butter. You MUST add the salt or the sauce is very flat. A little black pepper is also recommended. Hoisin Glaze – This recipe is a true keeper. If Jfood could give higher than a 10, he would, it is outstanding. And it takes about 5 minutes to make. Preparation – Jfood saw this method of searing and spooning butter over the top in a restaurant in MSP a couple of months ago and was intrigued since that meal was perfect. So Jfood took his oval pan, added the EVOO and sprinkled the fish with salt, pepper and flour. Then he placed the fish in the pan, pushed as suggested in the recipe and added the butter. He started the spooning process and was a bit nervous at the beginning, nothing seemed to color the top of the salmon as he witnessed in MSP. But he kept going. After a few minutes he noticed something very interesting. The fat from the salmon started to render and there was more “butter” to use over the top of the fish. Then he noticed that when he spooned the butter it started foaming on the top of the fish. Very interesting. When the fish was perfecting crusted he flipped. WOW this looked great. He spooned only a couple of times while side 2 was browning. He removed and plated. He spooned the Hoisin Glaze and then drizzled the Wasabi Butter Sauce on top. It was a beautiful contrast of pink, dark brown and a lemony yellow. The textures were fantastic as well with the crispy crust of the salmon, the moist interior and the smooth glazes. Then the flavors took over with the spicy wasabi, the sweet Hoisin and the flavorful salmon. This dish is now on Jfoods rotation for Sunday dinners. A perfect 10+ As a side, Jfood also made the Basic Bok Choy – p. 451 Very easy. When Jfood reheated though he kept the Bok Choy in the pan until he obtained a little color from the butter. A perfect side dish to the dish above. Thanks to all for choosing the book. Hopefully next weekend another try, but Passover may keep the Jfoods busy. Ciao Sun Mar 29 06:13:40 -0700 2009 4462525 11290 jfood 2 4548078 Welcome to COTM Jfood! Glad you liked the sauteed Char (Salmon). I made it the first week but subbed swordfish and still it was delicious. It was the first time I had wasabi butter and just loved it. I think you'll find many very good recipes in this book. Tasty, quick and easily found ingredients. This month I think I've cooked more from this book than all the other COTMs we gone through. Hope you'll try to continue to join us! Sun Mar 29 06:38:43 -0700 2009 4548044 75332 Gio 2 4550206 jfood, welcome to COTM. That salmon with the hoisin glaze sounds delicious indeed. What restaurant in MSP used this technique? Unfortunately, I had to return my FWAD from the library a couple of weeks ago, so, haven't been cooking from it. But, based on the couple of recipes that I tried, and liked, and the consistent raves the book has been getting from others, I will definitely check the book out again and add it to my "wish list" of books. ~TDQ Mon Mar 30 04:15:57 -0700 2009 4548044 12005 The Dairy Queen 3 4550284 Alma uses this technique in the poultry dish they made jfood in January. That guy can really cook. Mon Mar 30 05:46:57 -0700 2009 4550206 11290 jfood 4 4550399 Ah, yes, Alex Roberts, a nominee for a James Beard award this year. Roberts has earned his following. I will definitely try this technique. Thanks again, ~TDQ Mon Mar 30 06:39:12 -0700 2009 4550284 12005 The Dairy Queen 3 4550321 I'm in love with this book. I don't eat much red meat, and very, very rarely cook it, so we have a lot of seafood dinners around here, so the quantity and quality of the recipes in this book are very much appreciated. I'll be trying new things (and revisisting things I've made) for a long time. Mon Mar 30 06:05:38 -0700 2009 4550206 56762 LulusMom 1 4570976 Sauteed Char with Soy-Orange Sauce (p. 237) This method of cooking char is perfect - the char was the silkiest I've ever had. I will say that the skin didn't get as crispy as he says it will, but I think that is most likely because I hadn't let the pan get hot enough before adding the fish. We liked the soy-orange sauce, but I don't think I'd bother making it again. I used blood oranges and added a bit extra butter (as he advises). You really don't taste much of the soy. It is a perfectly pleasant sauce - sweet and tangy, just not terribly exciting. Instead of the recommended fennel puree I served this with roasted fennel, pure heaven. Mon Apr 06 05:44:28 -0700 2009 4462525 56762 LulusMom 1 4575462 Chicken-fried Trout, p. 272 with Spicy Remoulade, p. 416 (pictured with Hush Puppies and "Fingerling" Potato Salad from Bon Appetit Y'all) Followed the Chicken-fried Trout recipe exactly and it was fantastic! I loved the flavor of the marinade and the crispy-coating. The only bad thing about this recipe is that it made my husband want to leave for a fishing trip with a shore lunch! ;-) My "Spicy" Remoulade wasn't so spicy because I couldn't find harissa at my grocery store and didn't have time to go anywhere else, but was good nonetheless. Tue Apr 07 11:08:46 -0700 2009 4462525 12813 Katie Nell 2 4575465 Forgot the pic! Tue Apr 07 11:09:36 -0700 2009 4575462 12813 Katie Nell 1 4592764 Butter-Basted Scallops (page 253) with Green Beans and Chorizo (page 449) and Truffle Vinaigrette (page 434) Another multi-element recipe, but each part is simple and goes quickly. Green Beans and Chorizo I used andouille because I had one in the freezer. You trim and quarter the beans then blanch and shock them. The sausage is cut into a size similar to the beans, sautéed until it just begins to turn brown, add the beans and cook until hot. He says to check for salt. I didn’t think it needed any. Truffle Vinaigrette Sliced shallots are cooked in chicken stock (I used Better than Bouillon) until soft, whizzed in a blender with sherry vinegar and soy sauce, then add vegetable oil (I used grapeseed) and truffle oil. My emulsion broke. Was it a mistake to use grapeseed oil? I wanted something neutral that would allow the truffle oil to shine. I thought I added it slowly enough, but it wasn’t exactly drop by drop. Anyway, it may not have been picture perfect, but it sure tasted good. Butter-Basted Scallops I had gorgeous, fresh scallops from the farmers market. And just before the weekend I got an excellent report on my cholesterol, so I decided now was the time. You melt butter in a hot skillet; add patted dry, salt & peppered scallops to the pan; add more butter to the pan along with a sprig of thyme; and baste constantly for about 2 minutes, turning them for another 30 seconds if they aren’t cooked through. To serve, he says to pile the beans in the center of the plate, spoon dollops of vinaigrette around the beans, and place a scallop on top of each dollop. Well, I had no dollops, but I didn’t care. This dish was spectacular. Another run don’t walk. Every bit the wowser that the Thai Mussels were. I could see making it for Valentine’s Day or a special anniversary--one of those occasions when you want something knock-‘em-dead with minimal effort. And I think it’s adaptable, too. I can’t believe the beans wouldn’t be almost as good with sliced, toasted almonds. And the Vinaigrette is his accompaniment for Brandade Cakes, which I now have to add to my list of recipes to try. Mon Apr 13 16:45:02 -0700 2009 4462525 11407 JoanN 2 4593207 A scallop with a dollop is a scallop that is true. Or is that a mortar with a pestle..or a flagon with a dragon.???..Anyone remember Danny Kaye? Anyway - that just makes me want to go out to find scallops and dollop up a storm!! Mon Apr 13 19:35:21 -0700 2009 4592764 75332 Gio 3 4593338 And where is the brew that is true?! LOL Mon Apr 13 20:38:39 -0700 2009 4593207 19542 Karen_Schaffer 1 4597135 Butter-basted halibut with creamy corn and red pepper coulis (p. 251) Or . . . cod puts on a party dress and goes downtown! You essentially pan roast the fish fillet in brown butter, basting all the time, cooking it through. It works! Fish is moist from fin to tail --er outside and in -- with no oily taste from you often get from pan frying in oil. Before you cook the fish, you whiz up some cilantro, olive oil and salt in a blender (I used a mini-processor ‘cause the blender was called for later for the coulis), and stick in a plastic bag with the fish to marinate for an hour, or while you prepare the rest of the meal. Bell pepper coulis (p. 427) – calls for red or yellow. This was excellent and easy. You chop up some garlic and shallots, saute with chopped bell pepper – I used yellow. Add wine and cook down, then put in blender with champagne vinegar (I used white wine vinegar) and vegetable oil (I used canola). Sweet and flavorful, and tastes like essence of sweet pepper only sweeter, with no oily taste. Goes perfectly with the fish. The recipe suggests creamed corn but I had no cream, so skipped it and made roasted red potatoes, and called it a meal. One I would be happy to see again. You can substitute a lot of different fish(es?), including scallops. But very happy to have a vehicle for turning dull cod into a gourmet meal! Wed Apr 15 04:45:16 -0700 2009 4462525 33755 NYchowcook 2 4619358 Cod puts on a party dress and goes town.... that is SO CUTE :) Wed Apr 22 14:45:15 -0700 2009 4597135 56490 foxy fairy 1 4609939 Pecan-Crusted Turbot (page 247) I made this with flounder. (Yes, I know. But it was line caught by the fisherman I bought it from so I tell myself it’s okay.) And I made the optional Soy-Orange Sauce (page 424). Unlike LulusMom above, I really liked the sauce and didn’t think the dish would have been as interesting without it. I, too, used blood oranges, but I used Tarocco’s, which are sweeter (and less red) than other types. I also used less rather than more butter. I wonder if the type of orange could make that much of a difference? For the Soy-Orange Sauce (I made half a recipe), I reduced 1 cup of blood orange juice to a few tablespoons, added half a teaspoon of soy sauce, and whisked in a tablespoon of butter (half the amount, proportionately, called for). The fillets are seasoned, dredged in flour, dipped in foamy egg white, and coated with pecans that have been processed to crumbs. They’re sauteed in a pan filmed with oil over moderate heat so the pecans don’t burn—2-1/2 minutes on the first side, 1-1/2 minutes on the second. Supremed orange segments (I used navels for the supremes) are scattered on the fish and the Soy-Orange Sauce is drizzled over all. The fish was very good, but nothing unusual. I thought the sauce was terrific and made the dish. And the orange pairs surprisingly well with the nuttiness of the fish. That said, there are just too many other recipes in this book that I just adore and I doubt I’ll be revisiting this one. Sun Apr 19 18:12:20 -0700 2009 4462525 11407 JoanN 1 4613956 Tuna au Poivre with Fennel Salad, p. 231 I made this last night, as I had two beautiful tuna steaks, and really didn't cook much from this book when it was COTM. Unfortunately, I was less than thrilled with it. You rub the steaks with oil, then press into a mixture of cracked white pepper and coriander seeds, then sear for 30 seconds on each side. I used my cast iron skillet., and found that 30 seconds on each side was not enough - when I flipped them, some of the sides that had been seared had lots of raw bits. So, maybe I ended up searing for 1 minute on each side, which left lots of raw tuna inside. I didn't feel as if I got much of crust, but I did get lots of burned pepper/coriander bits that fell off, creating a lot of smoke. I plated this on an arugula salad with tomatoes and a shallot vinaigrette, rather than the fennel orange salad b/c (a) it was cold here and that salad seems more spring/summer-like, (b) my husband doesn't really like fennel and (c) I had a lot of baby arugula to use up. I think this substitution was fine. I then sliced the tuna, place it on top, and drizzled with the basil oil (p. 436). Well, the "crust" completely overwhelmed the dish, and you could barely discern the basil oil (which is sort of creamy). We ended up brushing off as much of the "crust" as we could. I do think the flavour combinations are a bit odd - white pepper, coriander, basil, fennel and oranges. The tuna itself was good - but I felt as if I'd sort of wasted it on this dish. Tue Apr 21 05:21:37 -0700 2009 4462525 10985 MMRuth 2 4614008 From a cooking standpoint, I've never understood this kind of crust on fish - seems to doomed to burn. I've only eaten it at restaurants - how do they do it? I was looking at za'taar as a crust the other day, and couldn't bring myself to do it because I thought it would result in scorched dry herbs/seeds.... Tue Apr 21 05:56:42 -0700 2009 4613956 11989 pitu 3 4614019 Yes, I'm coming to that conclusion as well. However, the seeds/pepper on the tuna itself were not scorched, fwiw. Tue Apr 21 06:02:55 -0700 2009 4614008 10985 MMRuth 3 4616287 I've done a Jamie Oliver recipe for coriander encrusted salmon (I think) which is great, and I didn't have a problem with scorching iirc. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spice-crusted-tuna-steaks-with-cilantro-and-basil Tue Apr 21 16:02:16 -0700 2009 4614008 110146 greedygirl 2 4616118 It sounds like just a bad idea from a technique point of view to have a crust that burns. For something like that, I would probably pop into the oven for the fish to cook after the initial two-side sear. It seems you'd need some liquid to add so the crust doesn't burn in the oven either. I am so into Thai these days that I even ad libbed (?) fish fillets w/ red curry paste enhanced with fresh lemongrass, ginger & garlic, adding coconut milk. The fish fell apart but all was delish. But it's a shame to have mediocre tuna steaks, and probably is just not a good recipe. Tue Apr 21 15:02:19 -0700 2009 4613956 33755 NYchowcook 2 4616369 What a shame. My husband makes tuna au poivre for me sometimes, just sort of cobbling together an idea from how he makes steak au poivre, and it is usually wonderful. But maybe it is more the sauce that makes it, and not any kind of crustiness. I'll see if he can remember what it is he does ... Tue Apr 21 16:23:58 -0700 2009 4613956 56762 LulusMom 2 4708807 My husband (aka LulusDad) is a professor, so now that summer is here he has a bit more time to help out, and has offered to cook a meal each week. Yay! His first meal of the summer was last night, and he decided to try this Tuna au Poivre. He skipped the fennel salad and made a cucumber salad instead (went with it perfectly- cooled down the burn of the white pepper and coriander). We like our tuna very rare, and maybe that is why he didn't have a problem with the cooking. It was rare, as we like, but the outside was nicely crispy with the rub. I will say that we also like very spicy food, so maybe for those who don't lean that way the crust could well be overwhelming. Sat May 23 08:17:12 -0700 2009 4613956 56762 LulusMom 1 4714737 Sauted Blackfish (Cod) with mushrooms and celery root and potato puree (simple mashers) p. 240. I've been wanting to make this for the past couple of months, but no matter where I've looked I cannot find blackfish, so I finally decided I was just going to go ahead and do it with cod instead. I think in the end I overcooked the cod a bit, but this was party because my husband has a strong aversion to undercooked cod, so I err on the side of cooking it a bit more than needed. Not a big problem, this was still delicious. Very, very rich though. I made mashed potatoes instead of the celery root/potato puree (he says this is an ok sub) and did top it all with truffle oil as he suggests (decadent and definitely added to the richness) - you'll see pools of oil on the plate. In the end, while I liked this very much, I doubt I'd make it again because it was just a bit *too* rich. Served with roasted asparagus. Photo a bit fuzzy ... Tue May 26 05:55:33 -0700 2009 4462525 56762 LulusMom 1 4803387 Fish Fingers at Home [page 268] Kid was having a craving for fish "like when I was in England" and we had a 4.8 lb cod sitting on the counter. Filleted the fish, and cut one fillet into reasonable-sized pieces and set on a paper towel to dry a bit. Meanwhile, I assembled the other ingredients. Whisked the egg and then discovered there was no seltzer in the house. I had a choice of Pellegrino and tonic water. The Pellegrino won. I created the flour based on his NOTE. At the last minute, I whisked the egg with the water, when it fizzed I added the flour. He includes a trick for using a bamboo stick to hold the fish. Oh, not good. The bamboo stick, covered with batter, spread the leftover batter around the kitchen when the fish was released from the end. I used my fingers. This was really good. Yea, fried foods, not good for you, but if you are going to eat them, they should be good. The batter was light and soft, and needed to fry a little longer than expected to get crisp. Served with french fries and freshly shucked peas, lemon wedges and a little tartar sauce. The leftovers reheat well in a convection oven straight on the rack. Wed Jun 24 16:50:14 -0700 2009 4462525 59258 smtucker 1 4942485 Baked Branzino (pg. 211) I subbed local bluefish for the branzino and I LOVED this dish. It's really easy and delicious and the oven is on for a short period of time. Essentially, you put the topping for the clams oreganata on to the bluefish and you bake it at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes. I can't find the previous post on the topping, but it's fabulous. It's a mixture of bread crumbs (I used panko), garlic, parsley, dried oregano, fresh thyme, parmesan, olive oil and lemon juice. The flavors worked beautifully with the bluefish and everything just sang in my mouth. I ate this with a sauteed chard and spring onions and it was a lovely solo meal. C was a bit peeved when he heard what I made for myself, especially since there were no leftovers. I guess I'll just have to repeat the dish... Thu Aug 13 05:47:05 -0700 2009 4462525 10214 beetlebug 1 4988043 Sole Piccata p. 246 My husband's been doing a once a week dinner for us, which has been wonderful. He's also fallen hard for this book, more than any other cookbook we own. Last night he made the sole piccata - his first foray into pan frying fish. He was nervous, but it was absolutely wonderful. Just dredge the fish in the flour/salt/pepper, then fry quickly in oil and butter. Set aside, saute shallot, lemon, white wine and finally capers, pour over the fish. Really good. Sat Aug 29 06:12:16 -0700 2009 4462525 56762 LulusMom 1 5060488 Coquilles St-Jacques (p. 218) Husband's turn to cook again, and lo and behold, he went for Fish without a Doubt yet again. He played with this recipe to make it easier (he's had a rough week, and has been traveling a lot). Instead of broiling these, he just did them in a pan on top of the stove. He seared the scallops (and he wants me to tell you that he was disappointed in how little they browned, and how he hadn't dried them enough) in the pan, then removed them and added the butter, some olive oil (not in the recipe), white wine, mushrooms (skipped the water and lemon juice) to the pan and let that cook down. Put the scallops back in to have them soak up some flavor. Served this over his (killer) mashed potatoes, with a frisee salad on the side. This was yet another great meal. Not as made as written, but based on the one in this book, and really a special treat for me, as this has always been one of those things I love to order in restaurants. Lulu was also a fan. Can I just mention that I lucked out husband-wise? Sat Sep 26 14:50:34 -0700 2009 4462525 56762 LulusMom