Seared Wahoo with Avocado and Salsa Verde

Always in an effort to cook with more sustainable seafood, Michael followed the suggestion of Barton Seaver to substitute wahoo for tuna.  I had never heard of Wahoo but I love the name, it's sustainable, and it tastes great!

Here's a fast and delicious recipe from Food & Wine for a hot, summer night!

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 tablespoons drained capers
1 clove garlic, smashed
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 wahoo steaks, about 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds in all)
1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Put the parsley, capers, garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper into a food processor. Pulse to chop, six to eight times. With the machine running, add the 1/2 cup oil in a thin stream to make a coarse puree. Leave the sauce in the food processor and, if necessary, pulse to re-emulsify just before serving.

Heat a grill pan or heavy cast-iron pan over moderately high heat. Rub the wahoo steaks all over with the 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook the fish for 3 minutes. Turn and cook until done to your taste, 3 to 4 minutes longer for medium rare. To serve, top the wahoo steaks with the avocado and drizzle with the sauce.

AND HERE'S SOME HEATH PHOTOS!  He is smiling and babbling all the time now and he is just a joy to wake up to every morning.  He's growing up to be quite the charmer!

White Bean Salad with Preserved Tuna and Parsley Vinaigrette

Because of Seamus Mullen's Hero Food book, Michael's gotten really into cooking with dried beans instead of canned ones.  I heard about this cookbook from Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletter Goop - I know what you're thinking... why is M-W reading a celebrity newsletter... I hear ya... but it's actually really interesting! (You can read her interview with him and get some recipes here).

And of course Michael preserved his own tuna like the book suggests, but since then we've seen good-quality preserved tuna (no, not Chicken of the Sea!) at Whole Foods that we may try next time we make this.

The recipe says flake the tuna, but I really like Michael's presentation with the whole chunk of tuna showcased on top.  (In my opinion, it looks fancier than flaked tuna!)

Any way you want to eat it, this salad is hearty, healthy, and perfect for spring... definitely one of our favorites.

INGREDIENTS
For the salad:
1 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, divided
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
1 cup preserved tuna or good-quality canned tuna
1 head radicchio, finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the parsley vinaigrette:
A handful of fresh parsley leaves and stems
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup Arbequina or other good-quality olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the beans, carrot, 1 celery stalk, the onion and bay leaves in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups water, close, and heat over high heat until it starts to whistle. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, until the beans are tender. Alternatively, cook in a covered heavy-bottomed pot for 2 hours over medium-low heat. Once the beans are tender and cooked through, drain and discard the veggies. Set the beans aside to cool.

Thinly slice the remaining stalk of celery on the bias. Flake the tuna into a bowl and combine with the celery, beans, and radicchio. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the parsley vinaigrette (recipe follows). This salad can be eaten right way, but the flavor is even better if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.

For the parsley vinaigrette: A parsley vinaigrette is a terrifically versatile thing, perfect with all sorts of salads, like potato salad and bean salad. But I also use it to spark up a sautéed piece of fish or grilled meat and vegetables. All hail Lady Parsley.

Combine the parsley, garlic, lemon juice and vinegar in a Vitamix or blender. Process until smooth and bright green; remove to a bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

**********************
And just because I'm lucky enough to spend all day with my sweet little Heath and everyone loves pictures, here's the cute Shrek hat that Auntie Linda and Uncle Jim sent him!  I like to think that he's dreaming of lots of adventures when he smiles while sleeping like a perfect little angel...

...but he can be a cranky, little ogre sometimes too (usually when mommy forces him to take pictures with silly hats and he's tired or hungry or both!)...

...either way, he's just darling and we can't get enough of our little man!  More pictures and recipes to come!

Fish in Crazy Water

How fabulous is the name of this recipe?!?!  It tastes as fab as it sounds.

This is yet another Food & Wine recipe, but Michael is slowly working his way through the Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking book by Marcella Hazan that his mom got him a couple years ago and this recipe is in the cookbook too.  We are really starting to appreciate non-Americanized Italian cuisine and I keep daydreaming about a vacation in Rome and/or Florence (especially since my friend just got back from a fabulous Roman holiday)!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes—coarsely chopped, juices reserved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/8 teaspoon chopped fresh red chile, or more to taste
Salt
4 cups water
Four 6-ounce red snapper fillets, skin on
4 slices of grilled sourdough bread

In a deep skillet that’s large enough for the fish fillets to lie flat without overlapping, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, parsley, chile, a large pinch of salt and the water. Cover the skillet and bring the water to a steady simmer over moderate heat; simmer for 45 minutes.

Uncover the skillet and boil the liquid until it has reduced by half. Add the fish, skin side up, and cook for 2 minutes. Using two spatulas, gently turn the fillets. Season the fish with salt and simmer until just cooked through.

Put the grilled bread in shallow bowls and arrange the snapper fillets on top. Spoon the broth all around and serve.

BABY MERSCHAT UPDATE...

Mom and M-C arrived last weekend, my last day of work was last Wednesday, official due date was last Thursday, Daddy flies into town today... and still no baby yet!  We've been doing a lot of walking so we hope he comes soon!

Here are some photos of springtime in DC.  I look okay sitting down...

But I look much larger standing up!

Let's hope this baby comes soon!!!

Arctic Char with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes in Garlic Oil

From balcony garden...

To the dinner plate...

This recipe is one of our FAVORITE dishes in For Cod and Country and always super quick and easy to make.  Fortunately, the Denver Post decided to publish the recipe so now so I don't feel guilty copying the recipe out of the book and publishing it to the world wide web!

Enjoy while fresh cherry tomatoes are plentiful and delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, each cut in half
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Salt
2 portions skin-on arctic char fillet (about 5 ounces each)
(NOTE: We get frozen char from Trader Joe's and always keep the freezer stocked)

Preheat the broiler. Set a large cast-steel or cast-iron skillet on the stove over high heat until it is smoking hot. Add the olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic until it is blistered and golden brown. Add the tomatoes, but do this very carefully, otherwise searing hot oil will splash up onto you. Cook until the skins of the tomatoes begin to blister in the hot oil, about 1 minute, then season very generously with salt.

Carefully place the char fillets, skin side up, on top of the tomatoes and transfer the pan under the broiler. Cook for 6 minutes, then check on the fillets. The skin should be blistered and bubbling. Remove the char fillets to serving plates. Spoon the tomatoes onto the char fillets and serve immediately.

Cod with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Arborio Rice

This is our first meal cooking with the spices that we bought in Istanbul.  What I learned after the first bite is that spices purchased in Turkey are AMAZING compared with spices purchased in the United States.  The red pepper flakes and saffron did not disappoint AND we were able to use the oregano, bay leaves, and parsley from our balcony garden!

Food & Wine, once again, has given us a perfect recipe!

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
5 oregano sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 orange, in 1-inch-wide strips, plus finely grated zest, for garnish
5 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1 cup arborio rice
Four 4-ounce skinless cod or halibut fillets
Chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and saffron and cook over moderate heat until the tomatoes just begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and season with salt and black pepper. Cook the sauce over moderately low heat, stirring and crushing the tomatoes with a spoon, until the sauce is thickened and the liquid is reduced, about 35 minutes. Discard the oregano.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, combine the orange zest strips, bay leaves, cloves, rice and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook until the rice is al dente, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the rice, discarding the zest, bay leaves and cloves. Return the rice to the pot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.

Nestle the cod in the tomato sauce and cook, turning the fillets once, until just opaque throughout, about 12 minutes.

Spoon the rice into bowls and top with the cod and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and finely grated orange zest and serve.

Warm Scallop Salad with Mushrooms and Zucchini

Here's another Food & Wine favorite!  Perfect for a Sunday night dinner in the summertime.

INGREDIENTS

2 anchovies, minced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1/4 inch thick
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms
16 large sea scallops
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small head of Boston lettuce, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon
Finely grated bottarga (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the anchovies with the lemon zest, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the zucchini, season with salt and cook over high heat until browned in spots; transfer to a large plate. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the mushrooms to the skillet; season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over moderate heat until starting to brown. Uncover and cook until tender and browned; transfer to the plate.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet until shimmering. Add the scallops and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom. Turn the scallops and cook for 1 minute longer; transfer to a small plate. Add the shallot to the pan and cook until softened. Add the wine and simmer, then stir in the zucchini and mushrooms and reheat. Swirl in the anchovy dressing, any scallop juices and the butter.

Arrange the lettuce on plates and top with the scallops and vegetables. Garnish with the chives, tarragon and bottarga and serve.

Escarole-Stuffed Seared Trout

Michael's Valentine's Day present was to introduce me to another delicious mid-week meal! 

This seared trout recipe in Food & Wine took about 30 minutes, which was perfect with the Trader Joe's mushroom risotto that also took about 30 minutes on the stove top!
Actually, his REAL Valentine's Day present was just to take an evening off work to have a nice dinner with me.  Poor Michael is working nights and weekends to meet a tight deadline the first week of March so I'm trying to get accustomed to doing my own thing again... at least for a couple more weeks.

Hope everyone had a special and romantic Valentine's Day!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed chopped escarole
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 whole 12-ounce trout, cleaned
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a bowl, toss the escarole with the shallot, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Stuff the trout cavities with the escarole and close with skewers. Season the fish with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cornmeal.

In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1/8 inch of oil. Add the trout and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until the skin is crisp and the fish is just cooked within, 8 minutes. Transfer the trout to a plate. Wipe out the skillet.

Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the trout; turn to coat. Remove from the heat and let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the trout to plates; serve with lemon wedges.

Roast Salmon with Whole-Grain-Mustard Crust

Here's another quick, healthy and easy mid-week meal courtesy of Food & Wine!

If it was summer, we'd have all the ingredients at home... but our chives are dormant for the winter so we had to buy them this time.

The recipe suggests to serve with brussels sprout leaves sautéed with diced chorizo.   We already had broccoli and baked potato in the house and so we'll try the chorizo next time.  It still turned out pretty good though...

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
Four 8-ounce skin-on wild salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, olive oil and chives.

Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and place them skin side down on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mustard mixture over the tops of the fillets. Roast the fish for 6 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Broil the salmon 6 inches from the heat for about 4 minutes, until the mustard crust is browned and the salmon is almost cooked through. Using a spatula, carefully slide the salmon fillets off their skins and transfer to plates; leave the skin on, if desired. Serve immediately.

Salt-Crusted Snapper with Eggplant-Raisin Puree

Michael has been dreaming of doing a whole salt-crusted fish for a long time.  So when he saw this in Food & Wine, it was a dream come true.

I wasn't too sure about the eggplant-raisin puree but it turned out really good!  Plus we used our Chinese eggplants and bay leaves from our balcony garden to make it extra fun!

The fish was moist, juicy, and not very salty!  And the bones were really big and easy to pick out so not to get stuck in your throat like smaller fish.  Great summer dish.

INGREDIENTS
Three 4-inch cinnamon sticks
1 medium eggplant (1 pound)
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper
3 pounds kosher salt
2 cups water
One 2-pound cleaned red snapper
2 bay leaves
1/2 lemon, preferably Meyer lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 400°. Poke the cinnamon into the eggplant. Roast the eggplant on a baking sheet until tender, about 50 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly. Discard the cinnamon and peel the eggplant.

In a microwave-safe bowl, cover the raisins with water and microwave at high power until plumped, about 30 seconds. Drain the raisins and transfer them to a blender. Add the roasted eggplant and the olive oil and puree until smooth. Season the puree with sea salt and cayenne.

In a bowl, mix the kosher salt with the water until it is the consistency of moist sand. On a parchment paper–lined baking sheet, mound one-fourth of the salt slightly larger than the fish. Lay the fish on the salt and fill its cavity with the bay leaves and lemon wedges. Poke a short skewer into the thickest part of the fish, just behind the head. Pack the remaining kosher salt over and around the fish to enclose it; leave the skewer visible.

Bake the fish for about 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the skewer hole registers 135°. Let the fish rest for 5 minutes; crack and remove the salt crust. Serve the fish without the skin, with the eggplant puree alongside.

Serve With Arugula salad.

Pasta With Anchovies and Arugula

I saw this recipe on the NY Times this weekend and Michael quickly determined that we would make it that day!  Now it's one of his favorite go-to recipes.

The Minimalist posted a quick and easy video that will convince you to make this tonight too!

Pasta With Anchovies and Arugula
INGREDIENTS
Salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
8 anchovy fillets, or more to taste, with some of their oil
1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups arugula
1/2 pound linguine or other long pasta
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it.

2. Put the oil in a deep skillet, and turn heat to medium. A minute later, add the garlic, and then the anchovies and red pepper flakes. When the garlic sizzles and the anchovies break up, turn the heat to its lowest setting.

3. Cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, and drain. Add pasta to skillet, along with enough reserved cooking water to make a sauce. Off the heat, combine the pasta with the greens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Grilled Salmon with Orzo Salad

The flavors in this dish work perfectly together. The warm salmon on top of the cold orzo salad make for the perfect summer dish! I think this will be a fast and easy mid-week dinner for us in the coming months.

(from Food & Wine)
INGREDIENTS
1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound orzo (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet, about 1 inch thick, cut into 4 pieces
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

In a strainer set over a medium bowl, toss the cucumber, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and let drain for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly. Toss the orzo with the 1/3 cup oil, the lemon juice, the 1/3 cup dill, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Light the grill. Coat the salmon with the 1 tablespoon oil, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill the salmon, skin-side up, for 4 minutes. Turn and sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon dill and the lemon zest. Cook the fish until golden brown and just barely done (the fish should still be translucent in the center), about 3 minutes longer.

(If you don't have a grill (like us) pre-heat the oven at 425F.  While it's pre-heating, sear the salmon skin-side down for a few minutes in an oven-proof skillet.  Then turn your broiler on "HI" and put the skillet on the upper rack for about 4 minutes.  Center will be on the rare side.)

Serve the fish on the salad.

Seared Tuna Steaks with Citrusy Soy Sauce & Crisp Sushi-Rice Cakes

Mirin is one of my favorite ingredients of all time!  The sweet and savory sauce spooned over the fish is so delicious... I wanted to spoon it over my entire plate!  Here are two more Food & Wine recipes to add to the rotation.

Seared Tuna Steaks with Citrusy Soy Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
One 3-inch strip of lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Four 4-ounce tuna steaks, 1 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, shallot, jalapeño, orange juice, lemon zest and juice, sugar and coriander. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Strain the sauce.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat for 1 minute per side. Transfer the tuna to a platter and let rest for 1 minute; thickly slice and serve with the sauce.

Crisp Sushi-Rice Cakes
1 cup sushi rice, rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Vegetable oil, for frying

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, water, mirin, vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Fluff the rice. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Season with salt.

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil until shimmering. For each cake, pack the rice into a 1/4 cup measuring cup; unmold and flatten slightly. Cook the cakes over moderately high heat, pressing, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 minutes longer. (Don't overcook... the cakes get too hard when over fried so scoop them out when they are light brown).

Serve hot.

Now spoon over the yummy sauce and serve it with a veggie.  We had some steamed organic broccoli and it was the perfect compliment!

Tangy Slaw and Sweet Salmon Glaze

When we get cabbage from the Merschat's garden, I usually make soup.  But with this overwhelmingly hot summer, soup is a 4-letter word when it comes to dinner options.  We're not usually a fan of mayonnaise-based slaw so I found this recipe in Food & Wine for a vinegar and mustard based slaw.  But you can't just eat slaw for dinner so we had some salmon fillets in the freezer and used another Food & Wine recipe to make the soy-maple glaze.  We already had some of our favorite sesame noodles prepared so this combo made for a quick and easy summer meal.

Tangy Cabbage Slaw with Golden Raisins
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or canola oil)
2 tablespoons walnut oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 medium head of green cabbage, shredded (8 cups)
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup snipped chives

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain, pressing out any liquid.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar with the whole-grain mustard and sugar. Whisk in the grapeseed (or canola) and walnut oils and season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add the shredded cabbage, carrot, onion, chives and raisins and toss the salad well. Season with salt and pepper and toss the salad again. Refrigerate until chilled, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and serve.

Salmon with Soy-Maple Glaze
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
4 salmon fillets
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 scallions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large, shallow dish, whisk the soy sauce with the maple syrup and sesame oil. Add the salmon steaks and turn to coat. Press the garlic onto both sides of the fillets. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the salmon a few times. (We didn't marinade it that long... maybe 20-30 mins)

2. Remove the salmon from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and boil over high heat until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Strain the glaze into a small bowl.

3. Pan fry salmon fillets and brush glaze on top. Transfer to plates and spoon remaining glaze onto fillets. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve.

Trout with Lemon and Dill

Michael has cooked some great new recipes lately, but the last couple weeks have been crazy for me so I'm a little behind on posting our new favorite dishes.

I found this recipe on one of my new favorite blogs Sweet Paul. Michael has been talking about trying to cook a whole fish for a while, so this quick and easy recipe was perfect (and DELICIOUS!)

INGREDIENTS
4 small wild trouts, gutted and cleaned (we bought our de-boned too)
salt
pepper
olive oil
2 lemons, sliced
1 small bunch of fresh dill, chopped
(you can always save some dill sprigs for serving too - it's pretty!)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Wipe off the fish with paper towels and run both the inside and outside with salt and pepper.
Drizzle a little olive oil in the cavity of the trout.
Add 4-5 lemon slices and dill and place in a large baking dish thats been drizzled with oil.
Drizzle the top with oil.
Bake for about 18-22 minutes, all depends how big your fish is.
Use a sharp knife to see if the meat falls off the bone, then its ready.

We served it with garlic mashed potatoes and sweet & sour green beans (green bean recipe to come - it tasted A LOT better than it sounds).

Simple Fish Tacos Made Simpler

Arthur was in town for a conference in Baltimore so we were lucky to have him stay at our place last night. For this special occasion, we made quick and easy fish tacos and they were delicious! If you have time to make your own guacamole and all that jazz, feel free to use the Food & Wine recipe from which this simplified mid-week dish was inspired.

INGREDIENTS
1 small head of napa cabbage, shredded (4 cups)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds firm fish (like Mahi Mahi - we get the fish in the frozen section at Trader Joe's and let it defrost in the fridge overnight)
1 pkg. 7-inch flour tortillas, warmed
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 pkg guacamole (we like the fresh guacamole from Whole Foods)
1 pkg or jar of salsa
Hot sauce (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, toss the shredded cabbage with the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush the fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat until lightly charred and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter and slice longways.

To assemble each taco, spread a dollop of guacamole on a warm tortilla.* Top with a piece of fish, a few tomato slices, the salsa, and a large spoonful of the cabbage slaw. Serve with the hot sauce and lime wedges.

Perfect for quick and easy spring and summer dinners and pretty healthy too!

*NOTE: It's easy to heat the tortilla. Just put a wet paper towel on the bottom of a plate, put one or two tortillas on top of the wet paper towel, and then put another wet paper towel on top. Then microwave for 30 seconds or until warm.