Salmon with Swiss Chard

This is perhaps my favorite fish dish in the world. It’s taken me a long time to get it on the blog, primarily because I have had a hard time getting a good photo of it. The last time I made it, I was so eager to dig into it that I forgot to take a picture until the dish was in shambles: messy, half-eaten, unappetizing. So at last I have a photo that is good enough. What’s more I’m not waiting any longer to share it with you. You will love this dish—or at least I hope so.

2 pounds Swiss chard, red or green, about 2 bunches
5 ounces pitted Kalamata black olives
1½ pounds salmon fillets, cut into serving size pieces, skin removed if you desire

Marinade (chermüla):
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika or smoky sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground chile molido or any chile powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon salt

1. Remove the stems from the chard; save for another purpose or compost. Wash the leaves very well to remove all the dirt and cut into ½-inch strips.
2. Put it and the olives in the top of a steamer. Cover and steam over high heat for 5-10 minutes or until the chard is al dente. Remove from the heat. Take off the lid, cover with a cloth, and leave the chard to cool.
Note: You can do this step the day before you’re making the dish, preferably before trying to stuff the unwieldy bunches of chard into your fridge.
3. Combine all the ingredients in the marinade. Rub it all over the fish and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours in a cool place. Less time is fine too.
4. When you are ready to roast the fish, spread the chard and olives on the bottom of a baking dish. Place the salmon fillets on top of the chard, skin side down, surrounded by the marinade. Pour the liquid of the marinade over everything.
5. Roast at 425ºF. for about 30 minutes, checking after 25 minutes to see if the fish is done to your liking. The time depends on the thickness of the fish fillets.
6. Serve with bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

4-6 servings

Adapted from Anissa Helou’s Street Café Morocco

A Fish Dish for Wooing and Wowing

Fish with Teriyaki Sauce
Katherine Fulton wooed me and wowed me with this recipe in the opening stages of our relationship. At that point, almost 21 years ago, we were unaware of the mercury these wonderful deep sea fish were ingesting. Knowing the health dangers as we do now, I choose to eat them only occasionally and to buy them from a fish purveyor whom I trust to get the best and safest available.

I served a Lemon Barley Pilaf (from my May 19, 2010 blog) and a light salad of cucumber, jicama, lettuce, and avocado, along with the fish.





2 pounds fish, thick fillets or steaks (tuna and swordfish both work well)
¼ cup chopped scallions, garnish

Marinade:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
½ cup mirin
OR as a substitute for the mirin
¼ cup sherry or sake with 2 teaspoons sugar and
¼ cup white or rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice

1. Combine the marinade ingredients.
2. Rinse the fish fillets or steaks and place them in a deep bowl. Pour the marinade over the fish and chill for ½ to 1 hour. Remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before cooking.
3. Place the fish with the marinade in an oiled plan. Cover and bake at 350°F. for about 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
OR
Remove the fish from the marinade and grill or broil it, basting occasionally with the marinade. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side so as to keep it a little pink in the center.
OR
If you want to use a grill pan on the top of the stove, heat it over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and cook it for about 3 minutes on each side so as to keep it a little pink in the center.
4. If you grill, broil, or pan grill the fish, heat the remaining marinade in a small saucepan until it boils. Pour into a small bowl and serve with the fish.
5. Garnish the fish with chopped scallions.

4-6 servings
Adapted from The Moosewood Collective’s New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant

Back to Blogging

I have been absorbed these last five weeks--probably just like you--in some vacation/family travel and in some household cleaning out and refurbishing. In the travels I had to chance to cook and photograph some of the "keepers" which I have been wanting to share with you. Coastal South Carolina has really good seafood. Although I don't eat tuna more than a couple of times a year--I would love to have someone tell me that my concern about the mercury content was bogus--I suspect it is not. But occasionally I just love a nicely cooked tuna dish and the one I give you below is just wonderful and easy as well.


Chilled Almond Gazpacho with Grapes (Ajo Blanco con Uvaas)
This makes a great first course soup for a dinner party. It wouldn’t quite work as a whole meal. You could serve it in small mugs or tiny bowls while your guests are standing around the kitchen, working up an appetite. I must admit that it is not to everyone’s liking. But I find it delicious, refreshing, and anything but ordinary. I think you will too.

6 ounces stale bread, crusts removed
1 cup slivered almonds
3 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
2-3 cups water, but start with 2 cups
Red or green seedless grapes, cut in half
OR
Roasted Grapes (see my August 13, 2009 blog)

1. Soak the bread in water to cover until it is softened, about 15 minutes. Squeeze the bread to remove some of the water.
2. Put the garlic in a small frying pan with a small amount of oil. Roast slowly over low or low-medium heat until they are soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to let them char.
Note: It is easiest to do this next step in two or three batches, depending on the size of your blender or food processor. A blender will give you a smoother consistency.
3. Measure the almonds, olive oil, water, vinegar, and salt. Take some of each, plus some garlic, and place them in a blender or food processor. Blend until very smooth. As you finish each batch, pour it into a bowl large enough to hold all your batches. Stir them together.
4. Add additional water until it is the soupy consistency you like. Check for seasonings and adjust as you see fit.
5. Chill. Right before serving, stir the soup, ladle into bowls and garnish with grapes.

6 servings
Adapted from Janet Mendel’s My Kitchen in Spain

Tuna Steaks with Onion Marmalade

4 center-cut tuna steaks, about 6 ounces each
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black peppercorns
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or fresh parsley
Onion Marmalade (see recipe below)

1. Place the tuna steaks on a flat surface and cut out the dark streak of meat, if any. Brush with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt, thyme, pepper flakes, and peppercorns. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes before cooking.
2. You have a choice as to cooking method: grilling, broiling, or pan searing.
3. If you are using a grill, preheat the grill and rub the rack lightly with oil. Place the fish on the grill. Cook for 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes. The fish should have a nice streak of pink in the middle.
OR
If you are using a broiler, preheat the broiler and place the fish on a rack about 4 inches from the heat. Cook for 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes. The fish should have a nice streak of pink in the middle.
OR
If you are pan frying, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over high heat. When it is hot, add the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. The fish should have a nice streak of pink in the middle.
Whichever method you choose, adjust cooking time to the thickness of the fish and to your taste—but try not to over cook.
4. Place each tuna steak on a warm plate, with the Onion Marmalade. Sprinkle the tuna with the chopped basil or parsley.

4 servings
Adapted from a 60-Minute Gourmet column in the Raleigh News and Observer

Onion Marmalade

4 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 whole clove
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt to taste
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons honey

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the onions. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions start to brown, uncover and add the vinegar, clove, Tabasco and salt to taste. Cook briefly, stirring, until the vinegar has almost evaporated.
2. Stir in the capers and honey. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes more. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Set aside.
3. Rewarm if necessary before serving.

6 servings
Adapted from a 60-Minute Gourmet column in the Raleigh News and Observer

You could add the following dishes to this menu and have yourself a splendid dinner party:

Roasted Potatoes
From my June 27, 2009 blog







Sautéed Spinach
From my May 31, 2010 blog







And a wonderful dessert of your choosing. Mmmmm.

Menu 14: A Dinner Party

So here’s the process I use to create a menu. As I said above, you get to choose whatever you think you and your guests would enjoy eating. These guidelines might give you some help in putting it all together.

Catfish with Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon Sauce
I’m going to fix Catfish with Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon Sauce for the main dish. The dish can be put together ahead, refrigerated and baked right before serving. The sauce can be made ahead. I imagine what it will look like with the breading and the cherry tomatoes. (Cookbook photos are so helpful.) I imagine tasting the lemon sauce and the capers in the breadcrumbs.

Breadcrumb Caper topping:
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
¼ cup capers, drained
1½ cups fresh bread crumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper

1½ pounds catfish fillets of similar thickness or other white fish fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Basket of cherry tomatoes
Lemon Sauce (see recipe below)
Parsley for garnish, optional

1. If you need to grate the cheese and make the breadcrumbs, you can do both in a food processor. Grate the cheese with the grater insert, remove the cheese, and then make the breadcrumbs with the regular blade.
2. To make the topping, combine the cheese, garlic, capers, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place the olive oil in a baking dish. Turn the fillets in the oil to coat both sides and lay side by side in the dish in a single layer.
4. Sprinkle with the topping and the cherry tomatoes. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness. When the fish flakes easily, it’s done.
5. While the fish is baking, make the lemon sauce. When the fish is done, sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve with the Lemon Sauce.

Lemon Sauce

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Serve at room temperature.

4-5 servings
Adapted from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi’s Come On In

Stir-Fried Sugar Snap or Snow Peas
I know that the texture of the fish is nice and soft. The peas would be good because of the color and the crunch. The peas can be de-strung ahead. They need to be fried at the last moment.

1 pound fresh sugar snap or snow peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

1. Pull the strings, if any, from the peas, snapping off the top stems and bottom flags if necessary.
2. Heat a frying pan or wok. Add the oil and the salt.
3. Toss in the peas and stir fry until the peas are tender, but still bring green and a little crunchy. You might add a tablespoon or two of water to speed along the cooking. Stir until the water disappears.

4 servings
My own devising

The breadcrumbs on the fish take care of starch. No rice or bread or potatoes are necessary unless one of your guests would feel neglected without it.

If I wanted a salad to serve with the fish and sugar snap peas, I might choose a slaw, such as Jicama Slaw (June 21, 2009 blog) or Erasto’s Slaw (May 23, 2009 blog). Either can be put together ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Stir again just before serving. It might be best to serve in small side bowls.

For dessert, I probably wouldn’t want a big lemon hit because of the fish’s Lemon Sauce. Tiny Chocolate Pots (December 8, 2009 blog) might be just right. They can be made ahead and are ready whenever you are, unless you want to add some whipped cream.

If you want to have something to eat standing around the kitchen, what about a Green Olive Tapenade (August 10, 2009 blog) with crispy crackers or cucumbers? Nice color, can be made ahead, and has a strong distinctive flavor.