Reliving Crawfish Monica from NoLa's Jazzfest

It's in no way good for you (is any recipe that comes out of New Orleans ever good for you?), but I always crave it when I get close to the Gulf.  After a little reading, I understand why this is the official dish of Jazzfest in New Orleans--it's super fast and easy (and very 80s, which is when it was invented). I can't find decent crawdad tails here in the Rockies so I use shrimp, but you can easily adjust if you're luckier than I (and use a pound of tails instead of the 1/2 pound of shrimp I call for, as they're tiny).

A shot of the real deal at New Orleans' Jazzfest

Shrimp Monica

Serves 6-8

1/2 pound small shrimp, shelled, tails off, and deveined
1 stick unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 fresh chives, chopped
1 cup plain milk (any flavor)

1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (this should be a staple in your kitchen, anyway)
1 pound rotini pasta + a little pasta water


Set salted water to boil in a large pasta pot. In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and chives and cook 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add shrimp and saute for 2-3 minutes until cooked. Stir in milk, then add Creole seasoning to taste. Cook for 10 minutes until sauce starts to thicken. Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain (but reserve a little of the water). Stir pasta into the sauce, adding cooking water a tablespoon at a time if needed. Cook for another 5 minutes on low, stirring often, and allowing pasta to soak up the sauce.

What's for lunch?: Salmon, Greens, and Grains

I love sushi bowls and poke when I'm in L.A., but I don't trust our Rocky Mountain fish counter at Safeway for that quality of tuna or salmon.  This tasty lunch bowl gets around to a similar concept and level of healthiness without the risk of tapeworms...

Salmon, Greens, and Grains

Serves 2

1 4 oz. fillet salmon, thawed if frozen
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cups chopped greens (spinach, kale, mustard, or any combination thereof)
1 cup cooked barley (I like to make a big pot and keep some in the freezer for quick reheating)
1/2 cup cooked, shelled edamame
a few thin slices of raw red onion
ripe avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds and lemon wedges for garnish, optional

Line a broiler-safe tray with foil.  Rinse the salmon and pat dry.  Rub a thin layer of sesame or other neutral oil all over the fish and place skin-side down on the lined tray.  Combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha in a small bowl and slather over the top of the salmon.  Broil 4-6 inches away from the heat for 6-8-minutes (check for your preferred level of doneness). When cooked to your liking, remove the skin and cut into strips, pictured above.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over medium heat.  Add the greens and a pinch of salt to taste and saute until wilted.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the barley and edamame.  Heat gently if it's cold.

Build your bowl: Dividing all ingredients equally, spread barley-edamame mixture across the bottom of each of two bowls.  Top with cooked greens, salmon, avocado slices, and onion slices.  In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, and toasted sesame oil and drizzle evenly over the top.  Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and/or lemon on top if desired.

What is the Cocktail Hour equivalent of fika?

I've been really getting into the Swedish fika tradition now that it's cold and I am getting tired of grading online Intro to Music assignments...basically, I flaunt my Swedish heritage as an excuse to procrastinate and drink more coffee and eat snacks.  It's great, thank you Sweden!

I have also enjoyed replacing a big heavy dinner with light snacks to go with my cocktail around 5pm.  Here's a little plate I made up to go with my gin and tonic a couple of weeks ago (above).  What do you call that?  Just being a pig?  I'm OK with that.

These little snacks were totally delish with that G&T and super easy to make, though, so here's how you do it:

Deviled eggs: I've written about those here before. It's a kind of old-timey snack that's quick to make if you keep some boiled eggs available in the fridge and it's very filling, which I love. The one on my plate, above, is just a plain old deviled egg with some fresh chopped tarragon added to the filling. Obviously it was very artlessly stuffed after the filling was made.

Almonds: I love all varieties.  These are salt and vinegar almonds I got in the bulk section of my grocery store, but smoked, tamari, or wasabi all would have been great, too.

Smoked salmon: another quick, protein-rich snack that is much more luxurious tasting than it costs.  I put thin slices from a cheap, small package I bought at Safeway down on some Wasa crispbread, then topped with finely chopped pickled beets, thinly sliced red onion, a few capers, and a generous crank of black pepper.

Asparagus: who knows why it was on sale at the store yet completely out of season, but there it sat in the fridge with no plan.  So I steamed it, then tossed with a little soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and toasted sesame seeds. 

All of this took less than 30 minutes to prepare (I already had boiled eggs, though). And dinner somehow managed to feel like a festive holiday party without leaving me overstuffed and regretful the next morning. Now, we just need a better name than "evening fika"...

Thai Brussels Sprouts with Rice Noodles

Inspiration for this dish came from Momofuku's Brussels sprouts with fish sauce and a couple of standard traditions in my own kitchen (namely, fried shrimp with pasta and bacon + Brussels sprouts). The result looks and sound like a hot jumbled mess of stuff, but I promise is it delicious, and leftovers are heavenly hot or cold.  It's pretty salty, but nothing a nice glass of white wine can't mitigate. (PS--you could totally make this vegetarian by swapping out the shrimp for tofu and just omitting the bacon. I hear there's even a good version of vegan fish sauce recipe out there if you care to make the time.)

Thai Brussels Sprouts with Rice Noodles

Serves 4

1-1 ½ pounds small Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

1 cup broccoli florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

6 slices bacon

12-15 medium sized shrimp, deveined and shells and tails removed

8 oz. medium rice noodles (like what you’d use in Pad Thai)

For the vinaigrette:

½ cup fish sauce (adjust to taste -- some fish sauce brands are saltier)

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

¼ cup sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced, seeds intact

2 tablespoons each chopped mint and cilantro

Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and completely submerge in hot water.  Soak for thirty minutes, drain, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450⁰F. On a foil-lined baking sheet, combine the Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and tablespoon olive oil. Spread out into a single layer, season with a little salt, and roast until there are browned spots to your liking, about 20 minutes.  You’ll probably want to check on it and give a stir about 15 minutes in.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the bacon on low heat until browned and crunchy. Drain on a paper towel, crumble, and set aside.  Combine the shrimp with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a small bowl, then add to the bacon grease in the skillet.  Cover over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Add the onions and sauté until they just turn soft, about 4 minutes.

Lower heat to low. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl, whisk to combine, and add to the skillet. Add the drained rice noodles and stir thoroughly to coat.  Stir in the roasted vegetables and the chopped mint and cilantro, and serve immediately.

Brown Sugar Shrimp and Pasta

Consider this a kind of quick-and-dirty, Italian-ish sweet and sour dish.  And spicy, and garlicky...

Brown Sugar Shrimp and Pasta

Serves 4

12 oz. large shrimp, deveined and peeled
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil
small bunch kale, washed and cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into a small dice
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
4 scallion, thinly sliced (green and white parts)
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more)
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1 package spaghetti-like product of your choice

Bring a salty pot of water to boil. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

Place the (thawed) shrimp in a bowl and add the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Stir to coat thoroughly and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the kale, red bell pepper, garlic, and green onion over medium heat until everything is tender, about five minutes. Push to one side and add the shrimp to the middle of the pan. Cook until golden, about five minutes on each side. Add the crushed red pepper and capers and stir everything together; taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Stir in the vinegar, scraping off any brown bits in the skillet.

Add the cooked, drained pasta to the skillet along with the butter. Stir to combine everything thoroughly and serve immediately in bowls.

When in Rome...or Arkansas

I traveled with my trio to Southwest Arkansas last weekend.  The continuous deciduous forest everywhere I looked was pretty, and all the people I met were extremely nice.  I was staying in a town with a college, but no coffee shop (but three donut shops), in a county that had just gone from dry to wet in the past year, in a state that fries everything.  So, it wasn't like my usual haunts, but I nonetheless managed to eat some tasty stuff.  (I am still detoxing from the alt intake, but I hear you body needs salt, so...)

In Magnolia, AR:
Backyard Barbeque was way too much food, but crazy good. I had the pork sandwich (sliced rather than pulled, but the equally good brisket is pulled rather than sliced) with coleslaw and beans that came heaped with sausage, pepper and onions. They also keep mugs frosty in the chest freezer for one of the three beers on tap: Bud, Bud Light, and Goose IPA (?!) Apparently the pie is very good, but I don't know how I possibly could have digested it.

We went to Flying Burger several times, because they were often the only restaurant open, and they had salads.  Fried catfish, tilapia, crawdads. and shrimp can be put on salads, in po' boys or tacos, or served up on a platter with sides like greens, grilled squash, fried broccoli, beans and rice, etc. And everything comes with hush puppies, so no need to order extra.

I never made it to Marlar's Cafeteria. which gets high ratings on Yelp but was never opened when I wasn't working.  But I would have liked to have tried their chicken and dumplings with black eyed peas and greens. Another time, perhaps.  Also, the first Yelp review is a perfectly charming summation of my time in Magnolia.

Shreveport, LA:
Sadly, many restaurants, even in this booming metropolis, were not open for lunch Sunday on my way back to the airport. I can tell you that locals recommend the boudin at Bergeron's. We did manage to find an absolutely beautiful Indian buffet at Indigo Bistro, and it was heaven. The vindaloo was quite spicy and flavorful (pretty brave for a buffet, but maybe they're more hip to that sort of thing in Cajun country), tikka was surprisingly tomato-y but good, and the aloo saag was a surprising symphony of flavors. The service was welcoming and the restaurant itself was this glorious mix of Gothic Southern architecture and classic Hindu style, all cleverly disguised by its boring facade (see below) in a suburban strip mall. It's right off the loop that gets you to the airport. Go there.

PS--The staff at the Hampton Inn were so helpful that when we bought beer at Walmart because there were no bars and discovered we didn't have a bottle opener, they let us use their's for, like, three days.  Also the breakfast waffles were pretty good.

Fish piccata on the fly

...fish piccata is always on the fly, actually, which is one of the things I love about it. Even if you start with frozen fillets, this is not going to take more than 30 minutes. My recipe is heavy on the lemon and extra-saucy, because I love that stuff on everything, but you could make a milder sauce by just omitting some of the lemon juice. Try with any thin, tender white fish.

Weeknight Fish Piccata

Serves 4

for the fish:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and black pepper to taste
4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed

for the sauce:

1 clove garlic, minced
zest of 1 lemon
juice of three lemons
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place a serving platter into oven to warm.

Rinse and pat the fish fillets dry.  Season on both sides with salt and papper and dredge through the flour; shake off excess. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry the fish in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Keep fillets warm on heated platter in oven.

Pour off all but a thin film of oil in the skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour lemon juice into skillet and scrape off the brown bits into the juice. Mix in lemon zest, two thirds of the parsley, and capers and cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 more minutes. Whisk butter into sauce.

Lay fish fillets in the sauce and turn to coat; serve on the warmed platter and garnish with parsley.

No, you are not a vegetarian if you eat seafood.

You are a pescetarian if you eat seafood. It's a real thing, but you don't get to berate your waitress for getting confused on whether or not you will eat a bacon garnish when she has already brought you two other dishes with fish as the base. And you know, pescetarianism is alright.  The BBC thinks it's a good idea, and CNN even reports it might be better for keeping cancer at bay than strict vegetarianism (though really, all these diet assumptions turn out to be wrong in the end). Just don't be a jerk and eat endangered fish (this super-handy seafood recommendation guide should be bookmarked on your phone!), and don't go around calling yourself a vegetarian when you clearly are not, because that's very annoying.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you will notice that I like seafood quite a bit, so after you've checked out your local seafood market, maybe give some of these featured DFT recipes a try:

Broiled Salmon: Honey-Soy, Sriracha, and Herbed Mustard

Quick Fish Tacos & Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Easy Homemade Fish & Chips

Steamed Fish with Better-Than-Tartar Sauce

Thai Curried Fish in Banana Leaves with Coconut Rice

Peruvian Fish in Sour Onion Sauce

Blackened Broiled Tilapia

I tried Mark Bittman's Paella Master Recipe. It was OK.

Bittman's paella from NYT

I referenced Mark Bittman's latest cookbook, Kitchen Matrix, less than a month ago in this blog, and I still say it's a great book. It is written as a set of master recipes and basic techniques with ingredient options to cater to your tastes.  I have long admired Bittman's pedagogical approach to food writing, whether it's in the New York Times, his classic handbooks, How To Cook Everything and How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, or delivered charmingly on his various PBS shows. He is practical, flexible, and incredibly clear in his directions, and his recipes always turn out as promised (for me). So when I saw that Matrix contained a paella recipe, I jumped on it.  I remembered having it on various occasions during sea-faring vacations and loving it, but I have always been too intimidated to try to make it at home.  Partially because I live in a very landlocked place, and partly because I (therefore) have no experience cooking a good many of the creepy-crawlies that go into the dish, I never thought I should try it, until I saw Bittman's inviting instructions taking up no more than a page. So I got a packet of mixed frozen seafood and got to work.  

If you don't have access to Kitchen Matrix, you can also read his Paella Master Recipe on the New York Times site here. Basically, as he explains it, paella is rice and things, but what truly makes it paella is the lack of stirring, so that a crunchy, browned layer forms at the bottom of the pan. I followed his recipe, with this exception: instead of saffron, I used about half a packet of Goya sazon to season the rice.  I stand by that decision, as I really like the flavor, and it's way cheap, while saffron is far to precious for my taste. I also used water instead of stock, with a splash of red wine.

My flavoring agents were as follows: that mixed seafood packet, which contained mussels, shrimp, squid, and clams; a drained can of tomatoes, chopped Kalamata olives, half a zucchini, and some frozen peas; a chopped vegetarian sausage (why, you ask, when I'm already eating seafood? CANCER, that's why!), and of course the bell pepper and onion.  I also threw in  two minced cloves of garlic, because it's garlic.

As for the crunchy bottom, mine got a little closer to the black side of the spectrum, after having to add more water a couple of times until the rice was tender enough.  I probably should have lowered the heat more, and sooner; the rest of it I blame on the higher elevation (approx. 4700 feet above sea level), which can make cooking rice a little tricky. But again, a lower temp would have done the trick, so that one's on me. 

The result was...OK.  The shrimp were very rubbery and overcooked, but the rest of the seafood was a good consistency.  Everything else worked the way it should have.  It was a bit bland, and I found that generous squeezes of fresh lemon and hot sauce (Tapatio has a great chili flavor) helped, but I think that the nature of paella is actually to be quite bland.  So, in my cobwebbed memories of this dish, I think it was an accurate rendering, but I also discovered that, once the novelty wears off, it's kind of a boring meal. If you think you would like a very mild, tomatoey rice dish with bits of seafood and vegetables in it, this is a very user-friendly recipe to try.  If you want something truly exotic and/or brightly flavored, I would recommend Bittman's take on Asian dishes in the book, which are much more interesting and equally accessible to the home cook. 

My paella from Greeley, CO

Blackened Fish, the Yankee Way

When I was a freshman in college, the most exotic meal I tried was blackened catfish.  I had never heard of, let alone tasted, anything so vigorously seasoned at that point in my life. It was cooked by our token Southern professor, who probably got a real kick out of watching us dairy-fed Midwesterners poke at the dark slabs of fish, hoping it wouldn't burn our mouths too terribly.  I loved it, and that was my introduction to the magical world of Southern dishes.  

I still love blackened seasoning, but I don't do the ten pounds of butter or the frying so much.  I also think catfish is kind of a pain, with all those stupid bones to pick around.  So, here's a quick, healthy, and easy way to try to recapture some of the weird wonderfulness that was Dr. Hearne's blackened catfish back in 1993. You'll excuse me, I hope, if it's not as authentic as a Paula Deen recipe, but I promise it won't give you diabetes. 

Blackened Broiled Tilapia

Serves 4

1 pound tilapia fillets

olive or canola oil

Blackening Rub:

3 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

In a medium bowl, combine all blackening ingredients thoroughly.

Line a broiler pan with foil and add 2 T olive oil. Brush it over the foil in any area that will have fish.

Rinse and pat dry 1 pound of tilapia. Brush with olive oil. Cover the fillets with the spices and rub it in (both sides).

Place fish on broiler pan, then broil about 4 inches from heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

*If you decide to drop this onto the grill instead, which is delicious, don't bother with the liquid smoke.

Celebrating summer's simplicity

Fresh fruit and vegetables, cooking hunks of raw meat over an unpredictable open fire, and a cooler full of beer--I wonder why everyone loves summer?  Here are some of my favorite ways to be lazy in the backyard this weekend:

a simple watermelon salad: chunks of watermelon, fresh strawberries, and torn mint leaves.

Pimm's Cup: Muddle cucumber and lemon slices in a tall glass. Pour in 2 oz. Pimm’s and 3 oz. ginger ale, and stir to combine. Add ice to fill the glass and garnish with lemon and mint.

grilled salmon: marinate hunks of salmon in equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar for 30 minutes, then cook on a well-oiled grill until just done.

A month of brunches: week 2

Brunch doesn't have to involve eggs (though you could throw in some mini quiches to round out this meal in a more breakfast-worthy way for those who disagree).  But it should be kept simple, and reasonably fast if possible, so that you aren't already wiped out for the day by the time you sit down to eat. Serve this with a mixed green salad and some sweet potato biscuits sprinkled with a little cheese, and you've got yourself a great plan for Saturday. 

Leftovers from this salmon dish are fantastic served cold the next day. And I don't need to tell you to serve mimosas with this dish, do I?!

Asian-marinated Oven Salmon

Serves 4-6

Marinade:
1/4 cup honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha, optional

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds salmon
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Make the marinade: in a small bowl, whisk together honey, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and Sriracha.

Season the fish with salt and black pepper. Place salmon onto the prepared baking sheet and fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Spoon the marinade over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon, covering completely and sealing the packet closed.

Bake in oven until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Then unwrap and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred.

Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Mediterranean Green Bean and Farro Salad with Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

I decided to make these two recipes together the other day, and it was a greatmeal.  But you can keep both of these in your back pocket to mix and match (or not) with other things; the shrimp is my standard recipe for adding to pasta with sauteed vegetables, adding to Hoppin' John, or just eating with crusty bread.  And this green bean and farro salad is great by itself, as a side with any other kind of protein, and a perfect salad to bring to work.  

Fast Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon sugar
½  teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice and zest from one small lemon, divided
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped


Make the flavored butter: in a small dish, combine the butter, garlic, red pepper, lemon zest, and fresh parley.  Set aside.

Place the raw shrimp in a small bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and one teaspoon of salt; stir to coat and let sit while you begin the cooking process.  Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat.  When it smokes, add the shrimp, carefully making sure each is laying on its side, making full contact with the pan.  Allow to cook without disturbing for 1 minute, then quickly turn each shrimp onto its other side and repeat the process.  The result should be a nice bit of browning on each side of the shrimp without making the inside flesh too rubbery.

Lower the heat and add the lemon juice, scraping the brown bits of the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the juice. Add the flavored butter and stir until melted.  Serve immediately with more lemon wedges on the side.

Mediterranean Green Bean and Farro Salad 

Serves 6

1 cup farro
2 cups water
Zest from ½ lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup dry red wine
Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine the farro and water, along with plenty of salt, in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cover.  Cook until tender, about 30 minutes.  Drain, stir in the lemon zest, and set aside.

In another pot or frying pan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and fry it until is becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the green beans, olives, tomatoes, oregano, and about a teaspoon of salt.  Cover and simmer until beans are crisp-tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the red wine and season with more salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and allow the wine to absorb into the sauce, about 30 minutes.

In a large serving dish, combine the farro and tomato sauce.  Can be eaten warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Road (and food) trip across Georgia

After a whirlwind 10 days through Georgia (with, impossibly, four stops in Milledgeville, home of "Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo"-?!?) and into South Carolina, I think I could go at least 48 hours without eating or feeling hungry!  But despite the bloat, I wouldn't have skipped any one of the amazing meals I ate on the road:

Strong coffee and a homemade giant cookie, to keep me awake until Athens at Blackbird Coffee, 114 W Hancock St, Milledgeville GA











A veggie and hummus sandwich on homemade marble rye and Louisiana voodoo chips tucked away in an industrial park at Southern Sweets Bakery, 186 Rio Circle, Decatur GA

Poached salmon with pesto and an appetizer of the tenderest escargot on the planet at Circa 1875 Gastro Pub, 48 Whitaker Street, Savannah GA





Penne pasta in red pepper and goat cheese sauce and fried green tomatoes drizzled with Vidalia onion-bacon buttermilk dressing at Last Resort Grill, 184 West Clayton St, Athens GA

Pulled and ground pork sliders and a delicious Moo-Hoo draft brewed locally at Trappeze, 269 North Hull St, Athens GA






Spicy peel-and-eat shrimp and mussels with fennel at Pearlz Oyster Bar, 936 Gervais St, Columbia SC

A pork chop the size of my torso and a mini shepherd's pie made with pulled pork at Manchester Arms Pub, 1705 Virginia Ave, Atlanta GA (College Park neighborhood)








The only delicious banh mi I have every eaten, made with ground pork and served with a side of fish sauce for dipping at Immaculate Consumption, 933 Main St, Columbia SC

True soul food served on the line: fried chicken, butter beans, collared greens, a biscuit, and of course, sweet tea that hurt my teeth at The Bears Den Dine In, 1191 Oglethorpe St, Macon GA









Virginia oysters served with a housemade cucumber dressing, light-as-air gnocchi with octopus and lobster, and fizzy vinho verde at Seven Lamps, 3400 Lenox Rd, Atlanta GA (Buckhead)

A giant tamale made with pork shoulder and served with green chile-mole sauce and inventive bourbon cocktails at Alma Cochina, 191 Peachtree St, Atlanta GA (downtown)

Broiled salmon: a beginner's guide

No oceans here. 

I live in land-locked Colorado, and getting beautiful, fresh fish at the supermarket is impossible.  The seafood counter at my local Safeway sells thawed fish for the same exact price as the bagged stuff in the freezer case, and that's as good as it gets.  But I do like fish, and I'm not a snob about it being frozen, so I just go straight to the frozen section and stockpile bags of Alaskan salmon, swai, and raw shrimp for whenever I'm in the mood.  It's easy to thaw individual filets in a sinkful of water for half an hour, and the shrimp thaws even faster than that when placed in a colander under warm running water.

This Colorado selection needs some help in the flavor department, however; at best it's bland, and sometimes it's a little fishy.  None of this stuff is sushi grade. Ever.

Enter broiling.  Marinade the fish or slap a simple sauce on it, fire up the broiler, and your mediocre "wild" (I really hope it is) salmon becomes the centerpiece of a tasty little meal.  We may not be able to pull it straight out of the ocean and grill it on the beach, but we can still maintain the spirit of simplicity.

Here are some of my favorite saucy salmon broils; the Asian-y flavors go well with some jasmine rice with ginger and steamed edamame mixed in, and the mustard sauce is great with herbed roasted potatoes and a salad.

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

Combine:

½ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup honey
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, mince

• in a large zip-top bag.  Mix well and reserve about 1/3 of the mixture in a small bowl, then, add 4 salmon filets and marinade for 15-30 minutes in the refrigerator.  When ready, broil on high about 5 inches from the broiler for 6-8 minutes.  To serve, pour the remaining sauce of the filets and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Sriracha Salmon (also works with firm white fish)

Combine equal parts mayonnaise (I hear veganaise is amazing, actually) and Sriracha sauce and smear in a medium-thick layer over salmon filets that have been rinsed, patted dry, and lightly salted.  Broil on high about 5 inches from the broiler for 6-8 minutes.

Herbed Mustardy Salmon  (also works with firm white fish)

In a mini food-processor, combine:

2 garlic cloves
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Smear in a medium-thick layer over 6 salmon filets that have been rinsed, patted dry, and lightly salted.  Broil on high about 5 inches from the broiler for 6-8 minutes.

Scraping together a meal when the kitchen is bare, or, why people hate the holidays, # 789534262

In all the holiday-themed travel I have experienced the past month, I am often left making do with very little in the kitchen the night before a flight.  I hate the thought of food spoiling in my fridge while I’m in another part of the country, and so I stop shopping for groceries at least five days before I leave, but as a result, those last dinners before the long trek to the airport can look pretty dire.  Or perhaps you have stayed home this year and allowed a band of marauders (like your family, for instance) eat all of your food, and you just can't stand grocery shopping yet again. Fortunately, a few staples we all tend to have around can save the day.  Well, that and booze.  Plenty of booze.

Pasta with tuna, lemon, and capers

Serves 4

1 can water-packed tuna, drained
1 small lemon
½ pound dry spaghetti, linguine, etc.
1 cup frozen spinach (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoon capers (or roughly chopped olives)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
bread crumbs (optional)

Bring a pot of salty water to boil.  Cook pasta according t package directions.  Add the frozen spinach in the last minute of cooking, if using.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the tuna (break it up a bit with a fork), juice and zest of the lemon, capers, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in and stir to combine.

Drain cooked pasta and toss with the tuna mixture and serve on four plates.  Sprinkle each serving with bread crumbs if desired.

Santa Fe Roasted Potatoes

Since we tend to eat light dinners like soups and salads, this stands alone as an evening meal before an early flight out in my house.  However, you could easily combine this with some cooked meat or seafood for more protein.

Serves 4

4 large russet potatoes, washed and cut into 1-in cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
1 small lime
Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, if you have it

Preheat the oven to 425°F.  On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss the potatoes, olive oil, chili powder, and salt to coat evenly.  Spread out into a single layer and bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, thaw the frozen corn and broccoli under hot water in a colander and leave to drain. Sprinkle with a little salt to taste. When the potatoes are done, toss them with the thawed vegetables, canned chilies, and cilantro, and squeeze the lime over the top.  If you have any leftover crumbly cheese, like feta or queso, you can sprinkle that on top, as well.

Miso Poached Salmon and Wasabi Green Beans

Ugh, I always feel so faaaat after Thanksgiving.  It's times like these when I'm glad I keep some frozen fish on hand, and this meal comes together very quickly and with minimal babysitting. You can even poach the salmon without thawing it; just keep an eye on it to be sure it's thoroughly cooked before serving.

Miso Poached Salmon 

Serves 4

1 teaspoon peanut oil
4 salmon filets (or however many will fit in the pan)
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon miso paste
2 cups water

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onions with a pinch of salt until they are very soft, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the vinegar and scrape off any browned bits in the bottom of the pan, then add the water and stir in the miso paste.  Cover and bring to a boil; whisk in any remaining miso paste until you have a broth.  Lower the heat to a simmer and add the salmon, skin side down.  Sprinkle top of fish with a little salt and pepper, cover, and simmer no more than 10 minutes, or until fish is tender and cooked through.

Serve with jasmine rice with steamed edamame and chopped scallions mixed in, and . . .

Wasabi Green Beans

Serves 4 as a side

1 pound green beans
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste (adjust to taste)
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Drizzle toasted sesame oil

Toast almonds in a dry, hot  pan until golden, about 1 minute.

Clean and trim green beans. Place in well-salted water and bring to a boil; cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, wasabi paste, ginger, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and whisk to incorporate.  Pour over hot green beans, stir in almonds, and serve.

Steamed Fish with Better-than-Tartar Sauce and Rice and Lentils Provencal

This recipe uses a lot of parchment paper and aluminum foil, but the waste makes clean-up so easy. The earth will forgive you.  Steam some vegetables while the fish cooks (or roast them in the oven with the fish) and you've got a light, healthy, slightly fancy-like meal ready in about 30 minutes including prep time.

Steamed Fish with Better-than-Tartar Sauce

Serves 4

4 medium filets of Swai, Barramundi, or some other delicate, mild white fish
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh oregano
4 sprigs fresh tarragon
4 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, pulverized with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle
Zest and juice of ½ fresh lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup thick plain yogurt
1 teaspoon capers
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven at 425°F. Lay out four generous squares of parchment paper for wrapping around the fish.
Rinse fish and pat dry.  Sprinkle both sides lightly with salt.  In the middle of each piece of parchment, lay down one bay leaf, one sprig each of oregano and tarragon, and then evenly distribute the sliced onions.  Lay one piece of fish on top of each pile.  Bring two opposite ends of the parchment paper straight up together and fold down towards the fish until snug.  Do the same with the other ends.  Wrap each piece of fish this way, then wrap each bundle tightly in pieces of foil. Place fish bundles on a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. When finished, unwrap and serve on individual plates or a platter.

Meanwhile, assemble the Better-than-Tartar Sauce: combine all ingredients, garlic through salt and pepper, and stir thoroughly.  Serve alongside fish.  Leftovers can be stirred into mashed potatoes, tossed with pasta and steamed vegetables, or drizzled on any other vegetables or seafood.

If you have a little bit more time, serve with...

Rice and Lentils Provencal

Serves 4 as a side

1 cup jasmine or other long-grain white rice
½ cup red lentils (do not substitute a heartier lentil here)
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 oz. chopped mushrooms of any kind
1 large tomato, cored and diced
Mixed fresh herbs, chopped: parsley, tarragon, rosemary, basil, mint…

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker or large saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed (it should be a little saucy), about 25-30 minutes.  You can check periodically and make sure the water hasn't evaporated; if it does, just add a little bit at a time until the rice is done.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Lucky Fins Grill in Greeley could be somethin'

A new restaurant has moved into the old Blockbuster in the Centerplace shopping center (lordy, I sound like I'm reviewing Olive Garden in North Dakota...which was good, by the way).  Will it last?  I have yet to crack the code on what people in Greeley like. (For example, why is Red Robin so popular? And who eats at 3 Margaritas?)  But this place just might be the right balance of hip decor, inventive food, and shortcuts to the keep the price down that it might last a while.

Lucky Fins is a Boise, ID based restaurant; the Greeley location is their second. The menu boasts an impressive selection of "fresh" (for Colorado) fish, fruity cocktails, and a good selection of local beers on tap. The vibe is techno-geek sports bar with spare, industrial decor and a laid back atmosphere.  I think this place could cater to people looking for a slightly hipper, more urban feel than they can usually find in Cowtown.  But there are some caveats.

First, let's talk about what was truly terrific.  The Ahi poki on the appetizer menu was wonderful.  Generous chunks of raw sushi-grade tuna were accompanied by a small seaweed salad and a flavorful, light sauce, as well as ginger and wasabi.  I could eat that treat every day. Then there was the Mediterranean Mahi-mahi on special the night we visited, and it was excellent in every way.  The fish was cooked perfectly--flaky yet moist. The sauce was creamy, but much lighter than an Alfredo, and flecked generously with fresh herbs. The lemony rice pilaf was actually flavorful, fluffy, and a great compliment to the fish.  And the grilled vegetables included a great assortment of squash, artichoke hearts, broccoli, and more, and were lightly seasoned and left crisp-tender.  This was an excellent meal.

However, those grilled vegetables did taste a little bit like propane, revealing a probable short cut in the grilling process on that chilly October night.  And the other dish we ordered, the lobster tacos with lavender butter, were slightly better in the hypothetical than in real life.  The lobster was very well prepared--tender, buttery, and mild.  The fresh pico served on top was a lovely compliment.  And the lavender butter was...well, it was so intriguing I had to try it.  But in the end, the tacos tasted like well-prepared fish tacos that had been rubbed with a bar of soap.  I think there might be a reason you don't normally sea lavender butter on lobster tacos.  Any amount probably would have overwhelmed the delicate flavors underneath, and this particular preparation certainly did.

The beers on tap were great.  The cocktails were mostly geared towards those who prefer a little booze with their sugar water.  This will probably go over just fine with their main clientele, middle-aged Weld County citizens who have just gotten done shopping at Target a few doors down and want to treat themselves to something different.  I tried the cucumber-lime saketini, and it was powerfully sweet and limey; I don't think that could possibly have been fresh lime juice in there.  Or if it was, there was also a simple syrup thrown in for good measure.  It went down easily, but it was awfully bright and slightly artificial tasting.

We were treated to a free dessert of Captain Crunch Fried Ice Cream.  Sounds interesting, right?  Like the lavender butter, it didn't work as well as it sounded.  There was so much oil in the crunchy coating that it mostly tasted like canola, and very little like Captain Crunch.  This could be fixed, though, and I would encourage them to do so.  Because without the weird canola oil flavor, this would have been pretty fun to eat.

In general, I think these guys really know how to cook fish, and they care about the quality of their ingredients.  The more creative-sounding menu items were the most disappointing for me, but when it comes to preparing seafood, the kitchen's skills are solid.

Every weekend, some special seafood is flown in and featured on the rotating menu board.  Happy hour is 4-6pm on weeknights and offers some drink discounts. The service is friendly and the wait staff are generally knowledgeable about what they're selling. If you're in town from New York or Japan or some other riparian location, you're probably going to roll your eyes at this place.  But if you have been limited to land-locked seafood restaurants in the Rocky Mountain West, I think this place can definitely keep up with your needs. I will happily give them more chances to wow me; I think I'll just avoid the lavender butter in the future.

It's grilling time again...the shrimp issue.

As classical musicians, my husband and I rarely stop to smell the roses--there is always more work to be done, higher levels to achieve.  So when we were chatting over beers at the end of the spring semester, fantasizing about summer break, it wasn't surprising for him to ask me what my summer goals were.  I racked my brain to come up with some lofty answer: learn some new, crazy-hard solo; rewrite my flute pedagogy syllabus, that sort of thing.  But I wasn't feeling particularly ambitious while drinking beer after a long week, so I mumbled something vague and felt guilty about how it would likely compare to his answer, which I imagined would involve a lot of fancy research and stuff.  Imagine my delight when he proudly informed me that his goal was to do more grilling!  That's my boy--burned out at last. Never one to discourage my spouse's dreams, I have been trying to help with some shrimp recipes...

Peanut-Cilantro Shrimp Skewers

Serves 4-6

2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon sugar


For the sauce:
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, majority of stems removed
½ cup salted, roasted peanuts
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Crushed red pepper to taste


Toss shrimp with sugar in a ceramic or glass bowl and set aside. Combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until the mixture is still chunky but will hold together (add more oil if necessary).

Coat a grill or grill pan with canola or peanut oil. Place shrimp on skewers and grill over medium-high heat.  Cook 5 minutes, turn, and cook another 5 minutes.  Carefully press the chunky sauce onto the top of the skewers and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes, then remove skewers to a platter and serve.  I added some plain grilled vegetables in the photo above and served with Asian Rice Salad.

Garlic Shrimp Skewers

Serves 4-6

2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon sugar

For the sauce:

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Crushed red pepper to taste

Toss shrimp with sugar in a ceramic or glass bowl and set aside. Combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and thick (add more oil if it‘s not holding together). Stir into shrimp, coating thoroughly.

Coat a grill or grill pan with canola or peanut oil. Place shrimp on skewers and grill over medium-high heat.  Cook 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown around edges. Remove skewers to platter and serve. This is delicious with some pasta and Raw Puttanesca Sauce.