grilled mahi tacos with avocado cream

I think everyone who picked up the most recent Domino mag fell in love with this recipe. Not just the idea of fish tacos (who doesn't love fish tacos any day?), but the beautiful outdoor table setting, all the colors, all the "I just threw this little impromptu get-together with my friends and my backyard picnic table and strings of lights in the trees, you know, just because" - it's so appealing. Well, I don't have a picnic table, but I did decide to invite a couple of our friends over to share this meal. The idea of it was just too good to keep to ourselves. The avocado cream is nice, although next time I'll do what I always do and make guacamole (dual purpose -for tacos AND chips!) and keep the sour cream on the side. Red cabbage with a splash of vinegar and pinch of salt - the crunchy texture was absolutely perfect with the grilled fish. I made another batch of the jicama mango salad and the entire meal was just perfect.

Grocery list: corn tortillas, mahi-mahi fillets (skin-on), red cabbage, avocados, limes, sour cream, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro (I added a little fresh corn to the pico de gallo since it's in season and I can't help myself when I walk by fresh corn at the farmers' market - ever).

Make the avocado cream by blending 2 avocados with 1/2 c sour cream and the juice of 2 limes in the food processor (season with sea salt). Finely chop the cabbage and dress with a splash of vinegar and salt. Make fresh pico de gallo by chopping a couple of tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, a handful of cilantro, and as much jalapeno as you like - plus the (optional) kernels from an ear or 2 of corn. Mix with lime juice, salt and pepper. Grill the mahi-mahi skin-side down (brush with olive oil first to make sure it doesn't stick to the grates) until fish is flaky and cooked through. This can all come together in 20 minutes, and with everyone serving themselves, it might just be the least stress you've ever experienced at a dinner get-together...

cookbook review: raising the salad bar

I heard about this cookbook on NPR, where they were reviewing their favorite 10 new cookbooks, and had to order it. Here's a little background: I already cook what I believe to be "healthy." This doesn't mean dieting or counting calories at all; my definition of healthy involves eating organic fruits and vegetables, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, seafood harvested in a sustainable way, whole grains, and above all, no processed foods (i.e. "made from scratch" whenever possible). Because A has a ridiculous daily requirement for protein, I've found myself cooking a less-than-ideal ratio of meats to everything else. This has been bothering me lately, and I won't get into all the reasons here (some related to consuming more than my fair share of natural resources, some purely health related). So I'm going to make an effort to make more creative salads and vegetables as the focus, with smaller portions of meat, and fish in lieu of red meat more often. That's why this book really caught my attention.

I started by making the cover recipe, an arugula and avocado salad, with a light lemon and olive oil dressing with a little shaved parmesan. (I took half a leftover chicken breast, combined it with walnuts and grapes, mayo & dijon, to make a small portion of chicken salad, stuffed into a small pita pocket - a great "side" to the salad!) The recipe makes 4 servings; I halved it for 2 salads. The half recipe is below.



The dressing was simple: one garlic clove, minced, plus the juice of half a lemon and a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil. Toss this with 2 cups of arugula, and divide onto 2 plates. Slice half an avocado and arrange the slices over the salad. Add a few strips of shaved parmesan, a pinch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper on top.



Here's the result - looks pretty similar to the photo on the cover, right? The fact that the recipe turned out like the picture is one of my criteria for a positive cookbook review; the other is the actual recipe tasting delicious. So far so good! I'll post another salad later and see if the trend continues...

grilled salmon with basil aioli

What I'm about to tell you is a true story, and hopefully no one will get in trouble for it... The other day my neighbor, who works for a major airline here in Atlanta, knocked frantically on my door. She was holding a plastic bag and practically jumping with excitement. What's was in the bag? Fresh salmon fillets, each about 3 pounds, that were flown in that morning from Alaska. Why was she holding them? Because the crate they were flown in on (via a competing airline) had fallen to the ground during cargo unloading, and my neighbor was kind enough (devious enough?) to sneak several fillets away before the competition noticed they were missing. She was generous enough to share one of these with me. I have to say that it was, hands down, the best piece of salmon I have ever had. I just grilled it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and made this basil aioli featured in July's Bon Appetit. On the side I made grilled polenta squares and a little caprese salad (to use up an avocado and some extra tomato and mozzarella I had leftover). It was the perfect summer meal.

Grocery list: salmon fillet (2-3 pounds), mayo, anchovy paste, basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, worcestershire. For the avocado caprese, tomatoes, basil, avocado, mozzarella, balsamic, good quality olive oil. For the polenta cakes, just polenta and parmesan.



The original recipe calls for making your own mayo as the base for this aioli. Considering my past disasters with attempting homemade mayo, I decided to pass on this extra step and use good old-fashioned hellman's. Mix together one cup of mayo mixed with a few T of chopped basil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp each of red wine vinegar and worcestershire, plus 1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste, mixed together with a dash of hot sauce.



On the side, I made a simple grilled polenta. Cook your polenta according to the package directions, season well with salt & pepper, then spread into a thin layer in a pan, about an inch thick. Make sure you brush the pan with olive oil well first; then allow the polenta to harden as it cools (refrigerate to speed up the process). Invert the pan over a cutting board, cut into squares, brush with more olive oil, then grill over med-high heat.



I also cubed some leftover mozzarella, an heirloom tomato and an avocado, plus a handful of torn basil leaves. Tossed with some good olive oil and a few drops of balsamic, this made a great contrast in texture to the polenta and salmon.

one more thing to love about weekends: ABLT egg sandwiches

Bacon, egg whites, lettuce, heirloom tomato slices, mayo, extra sharp cheddar, all on a toasted bun. How could you NOT have the best Sunday ever?

chilled avocado and crab soup

In the June issue of F&W, there's an article about "great ways to use guacamole". Normally if I make guacamole, there's never any leftovers that I need to worry about, but since I'm always looking for ways to eat more avocado, I really liked this recipe. Starting with a base of guacamole, you can puree it into this soup, which is actually both creamy and airy (yes, airy -- check out the bubbles in the picture) because of the addition of buttermilk.

Grocery list: 2 avocados, 1 lime, 1 clove garlic, 1 jalapeno, 2 scallions, cilantro, buttermilk, 1 bottle clam juice, and about 1/3 pound of jumbo lump crab meat.


Start by making a basic guacamole. The recipe in F&W suggests roasting the scallions, jalapeno and garlic first, then mashing everything into the avocado. Since I was only making this for the soup, I went with as little effort as possible, mincing everything (note -- I only used about 1/3 of the jalapeno - a whole one per 2 avocados would be pretty spicy). I squeeze half the lime into the mixture along with a generous amount of sea salt, and some chopped cilantro.



Next, put the guacamole base (should be about 1 cup) into a blender with 1 cup cold buttermilk, 3/4 cup bottled clam juice (one bottle is 8 ounces usually), 1/2 cup ice water, and the rest of the lime juice. Puree until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Pour the soup into bowls and top with jumbo lump crab meat. The recipe also calls for a creme fraiche and fried tortilla strip garnish, but the soup was rich enough that I left it out.

grilled grouper with cheddar grits, tostadas and chipotle salsa

Several weeks ago I went to Buckhead Diner for lunch, and had one of those entrees that you think about for days afterwards. It was such a unique combination of things - cheesy grits underneath a couple of crisp tostadas, with grilled mahi-mahi, all topped with a smoky chipotle sauce and fresh guacamole. I decided to try and recreate it on my own, and while definitely not exact (I admit, I used a jar of "homemade" salsa that I found in whole foods since I had no idea what to do with the original), it was delicious.

Grocery list: grits, chicken broth, garlic, cheddar cheese, blue corn tortillas, chipotle salsa, avocados, cilantro, tomato, lime, fillets of halibut, mahi-mahi or grouper.


Start by making the cheese grits. For "dinner" grits, I like to make them with chicken broth instead of water, and with the addition of garlic. I think this is especially necessary so the grits can balance out the strong flavor of the chipotle sauce. Bring 1 quart of chicken broth a 2 minced garlic cloves to a boil, then add 1 cup of old-fashioned (i.e. slow cooking) grits to the pot. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the grits are done, usually about 20 minutes.


Stir in a handful or 2 of shredded cheddar cheese, 2 T of butter, and a few T of whole milk or half and half. (This will help the grits to keep their creamy consistency while you prepare the rest of the meal.)

This is the point where I would make the guacamole as well -- by mashing 1 avocado with salt, juice of 1/2 a lime, some chopped cilantro, and half a chopped tomato (covered in a previous entry).



Next, prep the tostadas. Heat 2 T of olive oil over med-high heat in a small fry pan. Place a shallow dish on the counter right next to the pan, and pour in about a cup of the chipotle salsa. Using tongs, place one corn tortilla carefully into the hot oil and fry for 20 seconds, flip, fry for another 20 seconds, then transfer into the dish of salsa. The idea is to crisp the tortilla, then cover with the sauce. Repeat until you have enough tostadas for 2 per plate (this recipe can easily feed 4, so make at least 8).

To grill a flaky white fish like grouper or halibut, you have a couple of options to prevent the fish from falling apart on the grill (this happens when the fish sticks directly to the grate, and when you try to flip it or remove it, it falls apart - very frustrating). You can either oil the grates of the outdoor grill AND the outside of the fish and then cook it directly on the grill, or you can wrap it in foil and cook it indirectly. I prefer the first option, because I like the charred marks on the fish and the flavor the direct flame imparts, but the second option is less risky. Either way, season the fish with salt and pepper, and grill for 4-5 minutes per side over medium-high heat, or until the fish flakes easily and is white throughout (no longer translucent in the middle).


To assemble the dish, spoon a layer of the cheese grits onto the plate, and follow with 2-3 tostadas. Top with a piece of grilled fish, then another spoonful or 2 of the salsa and a dollop of fresh guacamole.

guacamole

I'm obsessed with avocados in any form, so guacamole is one of my favorite foods. This is how I normally make it, although you can make this as basic as avocado, lime juice and salt and it would still be delicious.

Grocery list: per 1 avocado, you'll need 1/2 diced roma tomato, 1 T chopped cilantro, juice from 1/2 lime.



Slice the avocado lengthwise, then pop out the seed (if you use a knife and quickly hack the seed so the blade gets stuck in the core, then just twist the blade and it pops right out). Spoon out the avocado into a bowl, sprinkle generously with salt and add lime juice. Mash with a fork to whatever consistency you like, then stir in the tomatoes and cilantro.