Keepin' It Simple

In science, the idea of parsimony carries a lot of influence. The simpler explanation is often the correct one. It's not always true, but it's a nice rule of thumb. The same can be said of food. Sure, sometimes your meats and veggies are just a vehicle for the spices you're using. But often enough, good food can speak for itself. Sometimes, you're actually doing yourself a disservice by masking the freshness and quality, especially at this time of the year. Some might even say grilling veggies is too much. I think it was just right. 

The main point is, we grilled walleye in the cage, and salmon on the plank (because that's how pirates do things, it's either the cage or the plank). Both turned out well, but the walleye was a little dry and was definitely better when eaten before the salmon. 

Walleye: 

raw walleye, descaled

salt and pepper to taste

**a squirt or two of lemon might have been a good idea... 

The salmon was marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar, with a little lemon juice to add some acidity. It was fantastic! We mixed about two table spoons of brown sugar into half a cup of soy sauce, and half a lemon's worth of juice. Feel free to adjust these ratio's to taste, but they worked well here. 

salmon:

large fresh salmon steak

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 a lemon, juiced

CATCH of the day, SOUP of the day!

Of all the adjectives suited for this soup, VERSATILE is probably the most fitting. The brothy and fishy qualities complement the summer season, while the parsley and tomato aromas belong to the winter kitchen. This is truly a soup for any season. This soup also works with almost any fish you have at hand, making it the perfect dish for whatever happens to be biting today. Ready to give it a try? Here are the simple directions, and as always, feel free to modify and let us know which substitutions work and which additions don't! 

You'll need: 

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon basil 

1 teaspoon oregano

salt

pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chunky tomato sauce (or 1 can crushed tomatoes)

1 cup water

24 oz fresh fish

Start by:

Melt butter and heat oil over medium flame in a stock pot. 

Add diced onion and garlic, and simmer until the onions become translucent (fairly standard soup starter).

Stir in parsley, basil, and oregano, with a pinch of salt (be sure to save a few pinches of parsley for garnish).

Add white wine and let the mixture cook down for a few minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, water, and continue to cook down for a few more minutes.

Cut the fish into 1 inch cubes, stir into the soup, cover, and boil until the fish is fully cooked through (10 to 15 minutes).

Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a pinch of parsley and a sliver of butter.

This soup goes great with a crusty French or Italian bread. It's never better than with a fresh parmesan baguette! Enjoy!

Cocktail of the Week: Summer Sangria

I came across this interesting article earlier today, on pairing fish and wine. (Sneak peak: it's not all white wines, and it's not all salmon!) While looking through the extensive list of pairings, I started to get thirsty. Really thirsty. But not for a glass of wine. My hankering was for something cold. And sweet. As the pieces came together in my minds eye: wine, cold, sweet, the cocktail of the week snapped in to focus: Summer Sangria! It's fruity, refreshing, and since it's mixed the night before, it'll be ready as soon as you get home from work!
Ingredients:
1 orange, sliced into wedges
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
2 limes, sliced into wedges
1 apple, sliced into wedges
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup rum
1 bottle dry red wine
1 can lemon-lime soda (to taste)
1 cup orange juice (to taste)

Method:
Mix the orange, lemon, limes, apple, and pineapple together, with the cup of rum. Let it sit at least between 2 and 24 hours in the fridge.
Gently smash the fruits with a spoon, and stir in the red wine, lemon-lime soda, and orange juice. Stir gently and taste. Add more wine, rum, orange juice, or soda, depending on taste. Don't drink it too quickly, this one will sneak up on you!

Cocktail of the Week: Basil Mojito!

By now, you must know it's summer. I don't need to remind you of that. Your taste buds are surely telling you things like "don't drink stouts" and "it's not the time for hot beverages". It's the season for ice'd coffee, light beers, and fresh cocktails. It's also that time of the year when harvesting from the garden becomes a daily activity! Right now, basil is the order of the day. It's flourishing, and crowding out our tomatoes in some places. Seeing as it's friday afternoon, I've decided to turn our 

excess basil into a fresh and tangy cocktail to celebrate the end to another week. Here's a simple modification to a trusty old classic: the basil mojito. This summertime favorite is usually made with mint, but (like everything) can be personalized and modified to your tastes! Give this one a try and let us know what you think!

Ingredients:
5-10 basil leaves, depending on size
tablespoon suger

3 lime wedges

3 oz (2 shots) rum
sugar
soda water

Directions:
Mix sugar, basil leaves, and lime wedges together your class. Smash 'em up till the sugar is dissolved and it really smells like basil. Fill the glass with ice, add the shots of rum, and top it off with soda water. Stir it briefly and don't drink it too fast! Enjoy!

Food Of The Week: Grilled Teriyaki Chicken!

Boy I'm starving, not only because it's dinner time, but also because I keep thinking about this grilled teriyaki chicken recipe. It's a great midweek meal! You can mix the marinade the night before, and once you've got the grill going, it's only about 10 minutes from there. Here's the simple version, but like almost everything in the kitchen (or backyard grill) it can be tweaked in a million different directions…  one tablespoon of brown sugar or a teaspoon of cayenne pepper can really change the taste of this one, depending on how you like it! Add your favorite variations to the comments section so we can all give it a try!  

Ingredients: 

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Steps:

1. Place chicken, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and sesame oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours, turning every so often.

2. Preheat grill for high heat.

3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove chicken from bag, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes each side, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

TIP: I prefer to skewer the Chicken, it makes it easier to flip and manage, and certainly doesn't hurt the flavor! Plus, you can skewer it with pineapple, onions, tomatoes, or just about any veggies for a great, well rounded meal! 

Fish Tacos!

Given how often I eat tacos, I figured it was about time I shared one of my favorite recipes for fish taco's. There are lots of ways to modify this recipe, we seem to make it slightly different every time, so feel free to experiment and let us know what works, and what doesn't! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Marinade
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 pound tilapia (Mahi-mahi works great as well) fillets, cut into chunks 
• Dressing
• 1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
• 1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
• salt to taste
•  
• Toppings
• 1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
• 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 red onion, diced 
• 1 avocado, cubed 
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 small head lettuce, cored and shredded
• 2 limes, cut in wedges

Directions

1. To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the fish in a shallow dish, and submerge in marinade. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
2. To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
4. Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Bake fish in preheated oven until it easily flakes with a fork, 9 to 11 minutes.
5. Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and lettuce; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.

*modified from a recipe by mabcat on allrecipes.com