Kevin Lynch has a great website, Closet Cooking, and chronicles his "adventures with food in search of flavour," cooking in a closet-sized kitchen. He takes great photos, too. His photo of his Maple-Miso Dijon Salmon inspired me to try his recipe and presentation--it came out so delicious that my husband exclaimed, "This is SO much better than a restaurant!"
I cooked this in the oven--it cooked fast, only ten minutes at 400ºF.
I served my salmon on a bed of oven-roasted asparagus and some micro-greens. Kevin served his on roasted beets and sauteed beet greens with some pea sprouts for garnish. When my dad grows beets again, I'm going to try that!
My husband prefers to have a bowl of rice with fish--are there any other Japanese-Americans out there that don't think a meal is complete without rice?
1. Marinate the salmon in the mixture of the maple syrup, mustards, miso, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic for at least 30 minutes.
2. Place the salmon on a baking dish and bake in a preheated 400ºF oven until the salmon just starts to flake easily, about 10 minutes. (For the last two minutes I put the salmon under the broiler for color.)
I didn't have any rice vinegar, so I used white wine vinegar. The amount of marinade will cover a small package of salmon from Costco. The leftover salmon tasted just as delicious the next day on salad--and again, just as the first day, my husband remarked on how tasty it was!
She's the best mom--kind, patient, thoughtful and funny. She's also very talented. She taught me how to cook and sew, too. That took a LOT of patience!
Mom loves to grow things--she's got a green thumb.
Mom's also a little camera-shy, but is a good sport and models my boutique clothing--when I make her. That's my niece Leslie on the left--she's off to graduate school on the East Coast--we're all so proud of her!
My mom is funny--she makes me laugh when she fools around in front of the camera!
(Pretend you don't see this picture, Mom!)
My mom still takes care of me. She brings me flowers and vegetables to plant in my yard. I can't grow them as well as she (or my dad), but I have a little garden. Recently, she brought me some fall vegetables, and I planted them before the rain, so they're growing!
That's okra left from summer in the middle left. I didn't pull it out yet--it's still got some okra growing.
My mom says I need to pick them when they're not so big so they aren't tough.
This is kale.
Romaine
Cabbage
Cauliflower
The smell of cauliflower growing reminds me of fall and high school. Across the street from my high school, the Kiyan brothers had a big field where they grew vegetables. In the fall the whole school smelled like cauliflower--and in the spring it smelled like strawberries. It's a nice memory of Mr. Kiyan (either one, I thought they looked exactly the same), working the field on his tractor.
My little kaki--persimmon--tree is getting big and it's loaded with kaki this year! Time to get out the dehydrator and dry them!
Thank you, Mom, for the vegetable and flower plants and for taking good care of me even though I am old enough to be taking care of myself. And thank you, Dad, for always paying my way, even though I am old enough to pay for myself.
1. Marinate the salmon in the mixture of the maple syrup, mustards, miso, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic for at least 30 minutes.
2. Place the salmon on a baking dish and bake in a preheated 400ºF oven until the salmon just starts to flake easily, about 10 minutes. (For the last two minutes I put the salmon under the broiler for color.)
Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Special Edition had a photo of their Grilled Salmon with Tomato-Red Onion Relish on the cover that caught my eye. I couldn't find a picture of that edition to link to, but that photo inspired me to make this Grilled Salmon with Tomato-Avocado Relish when we went camping.
To make the Tomato-Avocado Relish, simply slice cherry tomatoes--both red and yellow--in half, dice an avocado, thinly slice some green onions & half a bunch of cilantro, toss with some lime and/or lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. The citrus juices go well with the fish and the avocado adds a nice creaminess.
Scroll down to the end of this post for a recipe if you'd like to skip the details of our camping trip. I don't mind.
For years, we have been camping in the Eastern Sierra, but this year, with my new granddaughter only several weeks old, my son-in-law Mitchell found us a campground on the Western Sierra side, closer to them.
Mitchell spent a lot of time researching campgrounds to find us one that met our requirements at Dinkey Creek--we appreciate your hard work, Mitchell! As it turned out, they had to suddenly fly to Florida and were unable to join us.
Dinky Creek was really nice and shady, a nice change from the hot sun of our campsites at Convict Lake.
We arrived in the late afternoon and started to make dinner after setting up camp.
Jessica made the tomato-avocado relish. You may remember her from her Thai Chicken Salad.
After dinner we sat around the campfire and made S'mores.
This is our first time trying the JUMBO marshmallows.
See that look of love on Jessica's face?
Jessica LOVES marshmallows.
Jessica roasts the marshmallow and Rick melts the chocolate for her.
That is a JUMBO marshmallow!
It makes the graham cracker look tiny!
Gary had to add another graham cracker, and it oozed out the sides--the sign of a good S'more. He likes them best with mint chocolate.
Jessica loves S'mores! We made them every night and she never got tired of them.
The next day we made a hash with the leftovers from dinner. Simple and delicious!
Shaver Lake is not too far from the campground, about 13 miles or so. It seemed like there was mostly swimming and boating there, we didn't see anyone fishing.
There was nice hiking at Dinkey Creek.
We went on an early morning hike.
Dixie's cooling off in the water.
Back at the campsite, we played Ticket to Ride. It's a fun game--I didn't think so at first, but now I'm hooked.
Our last dinner camping, we had surf and turf.
Sliced tomatoes from my dad's garden, yellow squash & green beans and brown long grain rice made the meal complete.
After every meal, Rick & Jessica did the clean-up. Thanks for working so hard!
I liked Dinkey Creek! A BIG thank you to Mitchell for finding us another nice place for camping. We missed them this year, but I'm sure we'll go again.
***
This is Mitchell's grandmother, Nana.
My daughter describes her as a lovely Southern lady with impeccable manners, a graceful dignity, sparkle in her eyes and a quick wit.
Our condolences go out to our family in Florida over the sudden loss of their precious Nana.
***
Grilled Salmon with Tomato Avocado Relish
adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Special Edition
Ingredients:
salmon fillets, seasoned
2 cups red cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large avocado, diced
juice of 1 small lime and/or lemon
3 thinly sliced green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
optional: serve on a bed of arugula
Season salmon fillets with salt, pepper, paprika and/or lemon pepper. Grill.
While the salmon is grilling, chop the vegetables and toss lightly in a medium-sized bowl. Season with lime and/or lemon juice, salt & pepper.
Some people might say this dish should be called fish stew.
I had always thought bouillabaisse was a peasant dish that fishing families made with the bounty of their catch and there were as many variations as there were families and types of fish.
I have learned that there are those out there that are a little fussy about what qualifies as bouillabaisse--especially since I am not using *gasp* white fish.
"When looking for a Bouillabaisse recipe in US, you’ll quickly learn that there is a Bouillabaisse police. If they could give out violation tickets for using the name of this holy soup in vain, they would. You used mussels in your broth – $50! You didn’t fly in the appropriate varieties of fish from the Mediterranean -- $100! ...Don’t even get me started on what makes authentic Bouillabaisse – I don’t care."
I don't have a set recipe, I don't know (or, like Helen, particularly care) what is authentic--I generally use whatever I feel like putting in it, or what is available.
In any and all ways, bouillabaisse is a favorite at our house.
At one time, it was our go-to dish for special occasions--and we had it with our extended family every Christmas day.
Now we have shabu-shabu for special occasions, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this dish.
I'll have to make it more often and be sure to invite my friends that love it--the more people you have, the bigger the pot and the more kinds of seafood you can have!
The key to making good bouillabaisse is to make it with seafood you like.
I don't care for mussels, so I don't add them--but I have friends that love them and say they are a must--so use what you like.
Traditionally, the fish used is a white fish, but my family loves salmon and I've been using salmon for the last few years with rave results.
Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook
Ingredients:
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 large leek, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
1 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups canned tomato puree
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
2 bay leaves
4-6 cups water or stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 6 tablespoons butter mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 heaping teaspoon saffron threads
an assortment of fish such as:
cherrystone or manila clams, scrubbed
raw shrimp
crab
fish--sea bass, snapper, cod or salmon
scallops
lobster
Saute the chopped leek, onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until soft and lightly colored.
Add the canned tomato puree and fresh chopped tomatoes along with the wine, and bay leaves.
Then I zipped about a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves off the stems and added them to the pot.
Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Then add the chopped parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Taste the broth.
I added a tablespoon of brown sugar and some water to balance the flavors.
Balance the flavors according to your tastes.
Turn heat to low or turn the heat off until just before you're ready to serve.
Scrub the outside of the clams with a vegetable brush.
This is a picture of Warren, me and Gordon fishing in the Sierras when we were little.
We must be attempting to show off a fish we've caught.
I'm sure we couldn't have been fighting.
If we were fighting, I would have been mad.
Warren's my buddy.
He's smart and has a lot of talents.
Warren is a mountain biker.
That's their dog, Lucy.
Warren's also what I'd call a Foodie.
He knows what's good and is always going out to restaurants to try different things.
Warren loves fishing.
For a while, he fished in the bass circuit.
He's good at trout fishing, too.
He knows where all the big fish are in Gull Lake and Crowley Lake in the Eastern Sierras.
He grew his hair out for several years.
But got it cut recently for his son's wedding.
He looked nice.
And 20 years younger with short hair.
He recently went deep sea fishing for three days and won the jackpot fish each day.
He's really good at fishing.
***
Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook
Ingredients:
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 large leek, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
1 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups canned tomato puree
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
2 bay leaves
4-6 cups water or stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 6 tablespoons butter mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 heaping teaspoon saffron threads
an assortment of fish such as:
cherrystone or manila clams, scrubbed
raw shrimp, shells removed
crab, shells cracked & broken apart
fish--sea bass, snapper, cod or salmon--cleaned and cut bite-sized
scallops
lobster, cut into pieces
Prepare seafood and set aside.
Saute the vegetables and garlic in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly colored, about 30 minutes.
Add the tomato puree, fresh chopped tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust seasonings, adding 1 tablespoon brown sugar and water if necessary.
Mix 3-6 tablespoons of softened butter (depending on how rich you like it) with 1 tablespoon flour into a smooth paste.
Whisk into simmering soup and add a heaping teaspoon of saffron threads.
Add the seafood and gently cook for about 5 minutes or until the clams have opened, the fish is firm and the shrimp is pink and curled. Do not overcook. Garnish with basil, parsley or chives.
Ladle into warm bowl and serve with a green salad, hot rice or bread.
Print This Recipe
