Grilled Grouper Two Ways

After another night in Marathon visiting with our friends Emmett and Lindsay, we were a little behind on things at the homefront. Plus, with Baz walking, there is new meaning to the word exhaustion. He is all over the place. It's freakin' adorable with his little Frankenstein arms stretched out before him for balance, but it requires a new degree of vigilance that my 6 month pregnant body is having trouble keeping up with.

Our new house is close to a great little tot lot that Baz really enjoys so we like to go there to let off some steam in the afternoons. And then on the way home, we frequently stop in at the supermarket to figure out what we'll do for dinner. Last night I picked up some red grouper they had in the case which is funny since Damien is working on a story about how some of these fish are actually banned from being fished. Guess Caribbean red grouper is not one of them, or if it is, hopefully not too many people are reading this from the Fishing and Wildlife Commission. Because it actually was delicious. Grouper is one of my favorites since it has a light flavor but is a meaty enough fish that you can grill it without it falling apart.

I was craving cajun spiced grouper but of course I get home and Damien is like, "Can we not have cajun fish tonight?" Um, fine, but that was my whole point of getting grouper and I was pretty excited about it. He acts like we have cajun fish every other night or something. So, I marinated his piece in a mixture of butter, olive oil, garlic, white wine, salt and pepper. Once Baz was in his crib sleeping soundly -- oh, how glorious after running after him all day -- we fired up the Weber and Damien cooked the mismatched pieces of grouper.

I served it with some steamed broccoli that I seasoned with butter, salt, pepper and some garlic powder. And I also used a frozen bag of brown rice. Not sure if you are aware of this, and I am sure there is some reason this is not as healthy as making browned rice from scratch and I'll probably die because of some unknown preservative in it, but Birds Eye makes cooking up some brown rice so easy. You just put the bag in the microwave for 4 minutes and it comes out perfectly cooked and fluffy unlike the big glob of mushiness I usually get after 45 minutes.

So, check it out -- and please leave me in the dark if there is some reason I am poisoning my family with BPA infused rice or something. Okay?

**Oh, and while I was in Marathon I cooked up a batch of Picadillo for the gang. Some of the guests, including our dear friend Betsy who was also there, asked for the recipe so here is the link from when I blogged about it.

Cajun Red Snapper

Today I went to West Palm Beach to meet up with my mother for some Christmas shopping and so that she could spend some time with Baz. It was a really lovely afternoon and it was great to see her. We even got his picture taken with Santa. But, then on my way home, I thought about how I needed to make dinner and I really just didn't feel much like making anything. How pathetic is that? All I did was do some shopping with my mom and that makes me not want to make dinner.

But, I pulled it together. I had to stop at Costco yet again to pick up some more formula for Baz -- oh, and this is after it started pouring rain and I got rear ended by some horrible Miami driver. Baz was really shaken up about it, but no damage to baby or the car. Anyway, once I finally arrived in Hades -- I mean, rush hour Costco -- I took at a look at what fish they had. I usually just go for the salmon, but today I saw that they had some reasonable portions of red snapper. Perfect!

So, I just sprinkled some cajun spices on the fish and sauteed the pieces in some butter and olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side. Then I heated up some of the left over potatoes gratin from the other night and microwaved/steamed some green beans, and it wasn't a half bad dinner.

I'll try and find out what exactly my cajun spice is made off. It's from a recipe my dad gave me years ago. We made a huge jar-full a while back and break it out every once in a while. It's fabulous.

Oh and thanks to Mima (that's my mom's nickname as grandma) for the awesome new truck she gave Baz. He loves it.

Salmon and Asparagus Linguini Alfredo (aka Heart Attack in a Bowl)

Having gotten over my cooking fiasco from Friday, I jumped back into the saddle tonight with a new meal. Publix was having a sale on Coho Salmon that looked really good, so since I had to go there to buy some milk, I bought a pound and had to figure out what to do with it.

I was also craving pasta, so I decided to make the linguini I bought at the Argentine pasta shop down the block. And I thought if I could make some sort of alfredo sauce to go with the salmon and some asparagus, well, that just sounded pretty good to me.

So here is my recipe (it looks more complicated than it is; total cooking time is about 30 minutes):

Salmon and Asparagus Linguini Alfredo
2/3 pound fresh linguini
1 pound salmon fillets (although a little less would be fine too)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 small onion, diced
10-15 spears of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Boil a large pot of water for pasta. But do not cook pasta until the very end.

Rinse off the salmon fillets and pat dry. Coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Press two garlic cloves on the salmon and rub in evenly. Sprinkle with a light coat of salt and pepper.

Heat the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onions and asparagus and saute until the onions are translucent and the aspargus is just tender. Put the cooked vegetables in a bowl on the side.

Using the same pan, cook the salmon fillets. Start with the skin side down. When you flip the salmon, peel off the skin and continue to cook until cooked through. This take about 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon. When finished, remove from pan and set aside.

In a clean saute pan, heat up the heavy cream over low to medium heat. When it just starts to bubble, add the butter and whisk together until butter is fully melted. Add the cheese and continue to whisk until cheese is blended in completely. Add in salmon - breaking it up with your fingers as you put it in the pan - and vegetables and coat with cream sauce. Stir in fresh parsley. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. If using fresh pasta, cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and serve in individual bowls.

Serve the salmon and cream sauce over the pasta.

Not to toot my own horn here, but it was pretty freakin' tasty. Okay, so you might have to go straight to the hospital and have your arteries cleaned out after this meal. But, before you go, don't forget to have a glass of wine. We opted for a Sancerre that we've been saving for a special occasion even though tonight wasn't a particular special occasion.

The wine was actually part of my fabulous anniversary gift from Damien (which was at the end of May.) He bought me several bottles of wine that commemorate special moments in our marriage. So, there was a pinot noir from the Anderson Valley from a weekend we spent near there when I first moved out to San Francisco. There was a Provence rose because I started drinking rose after a great night we spent out at Pearl Oyster Bar where we saw Jodi Foster drinking it and decided to try it ourselves. There was a trebbiano like the cheap, but good wine we used to get at our favorite Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, Noodle Pudding. And the sancerre, which... well, we just like Sancerre and order it on special occasions.

I guess the special occasion tonight was that Damien proclaimed the alfredo sauce the best he ever had. I'll drink to that!

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon

Tonight is very special. For one thing Damien is cooking for me. He is making his famous Honey Soy Glazed Salmon which is really spectacular.

And then, the other more exciting news is that I became an aunt today for the very first time. My brother, Raul and his beautiful wife, Meera welcomed their first son this afternoon and the whole family could not be prouder. I'll leave the details for later, but mom and baby (and dad, of course) are doing great.

Let's get back to the recipe now. Damien found this recipe on epicurious and adapted it to suit our taste.

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
fresh lime juice of one lime (should be about 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon water
dusting of flour
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound salmon fillets

Put honey, soy sauce, lime juice, dijon mustard and water in a plastic container with lid. Shake the container to mix well.

Remove the skin from the salmon and dust both sides of the fish with a little bit of flour.

Heat up the vegetable oil in a skillet big enough to fit the salmon. Heat the oil on high heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Place the salmon fillets in the skillet and cook until they are golden brown and cooked through which should take about two or three minutes on each side. Remove the fillets from the skillet and put aside.

Pour the honey soy glaze mixture into the skillet and simmer for one minute. Pour the glaze over the salmon.

Tonight Damien served with a side of string beans (I know, we eat a lot of string beans) and some coconut rice which was a bit of an experiment that generally worked.

Here is how we made it:

Coconut Rice
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup rice
2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Bring the water and coconut milk to a boil. Stir in the rice and shredded coconut and return to a boil. Lower heat to low setting and cook for 20 minutes.

Next time I think we will use coconut water instead of coconut milk. I also think we will try and toast the coconut in a bit of butter in the pot before we add the water and coconut water. And we should maybe try using jasmine rice next time, too.

We also drank a glass or two of Verdejo, a white Spanish wine, that went perfectly with the sweet dish.

It was a delicious dinner and I thank Damien for making it. I also thank him for cleaning up after himself.

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass

Once upon a time, Damien and I were the type of people who would show up at a restaurant like Nobu on a random Wednesday or Thursday night to splurge on a fabulous meal. During one such visit, I discovered Miso Glaze. Wanting to try something besides the wonderful sushi there, we asked the waiter for a suggestion. He highly recommended the Miso Glazed Black Cod. Not being the biggest cod fan, I wasn't so sure about it, but he REALLY loved it. So, we ordered it.

Well, it was just about the best thing I've ever eaten. And it turns out black cod is actually sablefish which is not really a part of the cod family at all -- although I have come to appreciate cod as well. But, that's beside the point.

Now life has changed and I don't get to make last minute decisions like that night not very long ago. Instead I make it myself for a romantic dinner at home or to impress friends. Turns out that if I plan a little ahead and can find the ingredients, it's freakin' easy to make.

Here's how I do it:

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass

1/3 cup saki - or maybe a little more : )

1/3 cup mirin

1 cup miso paste

2/3 cup sugar

1 pound Chilean Sea Bass

The hardest part about this recipe is finding the ingredients. Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine that I have been able to find at regular grocery stores. And sake can be found at most liquor stores. The miso paste can be a little more challenging if you live outside of large metropolitan areas. I buy it at Whole Foods, but when I lived in New York, they carried it at my local bodega and at Fresh Direct. It is often kept in the refrigerator section with other soy products, like tofu.

Once you've found all of your ingredients, it's quite simple. In a medium saucepan, bring the saki and mirin to a boil. Let it boil for 20 seconds to let the alcohol evaporate. Remove from heat and add the miso paste stirring it so that it will dissolve in the liquid. Put it over low heat if the mixture cools too much and the miso stops dissolving. Once it is smooth, put the pot back on the high heat and return it to a boil, stirring it constantly so it won't burn. Slowly add the sugar, stirring well and letting the sugar dissolve. The mixture will start to look a bit shiny, like a glaze. Remove from heat and let the glaze cool to room temperature.

This recipe makes enough miso glaze for about 1 pound of fish.

You can use this with all sorts of different fish but the black cod works particularly well as does regular cod. But, I found some frozen Chilean sea bass at Costco the other day, so I am going to make it with that. It has as similar texture and subtle flavor that's quite good for the glaze.

Pat the fish dry with some paper towels. Place the pieces in a one gallon size, ziplock freezer bag or some other non-reactive container that will fit in your fridge. When the miso glaze has cooled to room temperature, pour the the glaze over the fish in the bag. Make sure the pieces are fully coated. Zip up the bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate. The longer the better. I'm talking two or three days. But, if you can only do one, well, that's okay. It'll still taste good.

When you are ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and heat up an oven proof pan on your stove top. I use the All-Clad pan I got for our wedding. Heat the pan over high heat until it is very hot. Remove the fish from the bag a let the excessive glaze drip off of it. Place the fish in the pan and sear it for a few minutes on one side only.

Once the fish is seared on one side, put the whole pan in the pre-heated oven. Cook the fish for 10 or 12 minutes.

I like to serve the fish over mashed potatoes with a side of steamed asparagus. Even better, make the mashed potatoes with a little bit of wasabi in them. Yummy.

This is definitely one of my favorite meals. It's totally worth the trip to Whole Foods for the miso paste. Just try not to get suckered into all the other delicious-looking but overpriced items there.

**NOTE: Miso Paste lasts, like, forever. Okay, so really about a year. But, since it is a pain to find this is good because you can buy a big container of it and keep in your fridge for those days when you are craving a little miso.