Growth! (Too much, even)

In my last post, I mentioned basil from my garden. One would think that suggested I've had success in this realm...one would be wrong. My basil seed had one tiny tiny sprout...and then it died. This is a common problem here in the Northwest - it's just not hot and sunny for long enough, and the basil can't tough it out like the rest of us. But to me, summer is caprese salad. My local farmers market has tomatoes early on, since it's a relatively short drive across the Cascade Mountains to the warm and dry climate, so I feel like I should make caprese...and last weekend I ran out of patience. Trader Joe's, which just opened down the street, had $3 basil, so I figured it was worth it. Well, I got down there and it wasn't bundles, like I assumed, but full-on plants!

 I clipped what I needed and plopped the remaining plant (or five, actually - quite a deal, this) right into the dirt that had once held a tiny spring of short-lived basil, and have had multiple caprese salads since, with these fun black zebra tomatoes from the market (and those other pretty orange ones...I forget what they are, though). So, I kind of (totally) cheated, but the end result is good, no?

In related news, my own tomato plants have had a growth spurt, including the one I planted from seed - I think it has almost caught up to the start I bought, which is very exciting.

Even better, the mint and rosemary - while not quite thriving - have recovered from their various ailments, (I don't think I talked about the mint here, but it had this weird white foam on it for a while which seems to have been harmless) and my peas are happily popping along in what the rest of the country calls "cool spring-like weather". 

The spinach does well in this climate, too - I've only got one little pot of it, but have gotten multiple salads and omelettes out of it. I just cut it back again - it's growing so fast that some of it was on the verge of bolting. 


I'm still having some challenges, though. For one thing, my thyme might be the slowest growing thing ever. I have approximately one recipe's worth, fully two months after I planted it. And those tomatoes have some sort of odd underleaf drooping happening. Google seems to suggest this is normal, but previous plants haven't done this, that I recall. On the upside, the only droopy branches are the ones that are leaves only, not blossoms or beginnings of tomatoes. I'm trying to make myself prune them...my first tomato attempt, on my deck back in Portland, went totally unpruned because I had no clue what I was doing. This led to a 6 foot cherry tomato plant. Literally. Needless to say, it wasn't the sturdiest thing in the world. 


So here's my challenge, and I need ideas. My sage plant has gone CRAZY. It kind of muddled along last summer, and just barely survived the winter...and suddenly it's huge, and when I wasn't looking it started producing gigantic leaves. I've trimmed it and frozen some, since all the recipes I typically use sage for are autumnal (roast poultry, roast pork)...and I have plenty of it dried already. What do I do with the rest?? Would love suggestions...

Something's Fishy 101

Summertime culinary adventures are a challenge. On the one hand there’s so much freshness – salmon and halibut are coming in fresh, vegetables and fruit are colorful and inviting at the market – but on the other hand, it’s hot, and cooking sounds only marginally appealing.

Here in Seattle, however, summer doesn’t arrive till early July, so it’s still cool enough to play around. The catch is that we have these weirdly long days that I didn’t know about before moving here. It’s bright by 4:30am, and not actually dark till 10. As a result, the light level doesn’t trigger my brain to think “mealtime” till a good 8pm (at the earliest), by which time I do not want to spend more than 15 minutes prepping anything. The resulting meals have been the following basic combo: pan-cooked fish of some sort + salad of some sort. If I’m feeling ambitious, and/or have something that’s about to go bad, and/or do NOT lose track of time, I may also steam some green thing of some sort – green beans, asparagus – either way it’s a three minute process. Take the other night’s meal: pan seared halibut + caprese salad. The caprese actually included basil from the back patio…which isn’t the success it sounds like. More about that in another post.

Anyway: I assumed pan-cooking fish was too basic for blogging, but I’ve had a decent number of people ask how to cook various types of fish lately, so maybe not. No judgment here – I still haven’t mastered a basic steak. Embarrassing but true. Anyway, I’ve been mostly doing salmon and halibut lately, and while they're essentially the same recipe I'll cover the salmon here - halibut is a little pricey this season.

Pan-grilled Salmon (not adapted from anyone!)

Ingredients

• Filet of salmon, skin-on, at least an inch thick (I roughly plan for about 1/3 lb, or a little more, per person)
• Olive oil (this is for coating the salmon, so about a tablespoon for every two servings. Also, if your kitchen doesn’t have great ventilation you might want to use grapeseed oil, as it has a slightly higher smoke point. You shouldn’t get a ton of flavor difference with the quantity you’re using, and if you’re paranoid about your smoke alarm – like I am – this gives you a little more space.)
• Fine sea salt, or kosher salt – just not coarse. You want it to cook in.
• Fresh cracked pepper

Get a decent salmon filet – the highest quality you can find and afford, and none of this Atlantic farmed business. Wild Pacific only (certain wild Scottish versions are acceptable, but it's still a different flavor). Ideally it won’t have been previously frozen, but if that’s what you’ve got it’s fine.

[*Note from your blogger: If you happen upon the gloriousness of Yukon King salmon, do NOT use this recipe. You want to have the least possible input on the flavor – it’s that good – and your best bet is to either go out to your grill or find a friend who will share their grill (they’ll be happy to do so forever after once they taste this), get some cedar planks, and plank that baby. It will be the most delicious thing ever, and unbelievably rich while still crazy healthy. Many recipes out there advise rubbing it down with crazy things like brown sugar, mustard, and – of all things – salad dressing. Ick. This may be useful for Atlantic salmon, which doesn’t have a dramatic a flavor so you’re not ruining anything, but for the love of Pete please don’t do this to anything from the Pacific. A little oil to keep it from sticking, some simple salt and pepper, and let the natural flavor shine through.*]

Now back to the recipe I’m ACTUALLY talking about…which is actually pretty similar. The key here is a grill pan – I have a heavy duty (but not cast iron one) and this recipe is based on that. The grill pan is key here, as it lets most of the oil fall away and gives it those great grill lines – and really, aesthetics are half the fun.

How you prepare the salmon for the pan is your personal discretion. If you cut the large piece into portions first, it’s much easier to deal with at the end, but I find that cooking it whole keeps it more moist. I do often mangle it at the end, though (see above picture), so your call.

Heat the pan over medium heat. You can adjust this depending on your range – most recipes say medium-high, but I’ve found that medium works better for me – more even cooking – plus I think my range isn’t calibrated 100% accurately.

While pan heats up, spoon the oil over both sides of the fish, making sure it’s evenly covered but not totally drenched. We’re not deep-frying here, people. Give each side a very generous coating of salt and pepper – you’ll get a great semi-crust later.

Once your pan is hot enough, place the salmon on the  grill ridges, skin side up. Be ready for the oil to sizzle and splatter a little bit. Leave it be and do not fuss with it, for roughly 3-4 minutes, but do keep an eye on the sides to make sure the color is changing. Once it looks to be cooked about halfway through, flip it gently and cook it for another 3-4 minutes (it will seem like it's cooking faster, but be patient). At this point it’s a combination of judgment call/thickness of fish. I like mine a little rare in the center, so I stop here. If that makes you nervous, you can leave it for another minute – but keep an eye on it! You don’t want to overcook it and lose the flavor.

And…that’s it. Oil, salt and pepper, pan. Add a big simple salad of some sort, and you’ve got dinner.

[*Note from your blogger: If you aren't a salmon fan: when I make halibut (or redfish if I'm in NOLA), I use essentially the same recipe, except I use a normal skillet and not the grill pan. My opinion, not universally shared, is that even the thick white-flesh fish isn't firm enough to sit happily on the grill pan's ridges. So: normal skillet, about 1-3 tablespoons of oil (depending on the size of your fillet), with the oil heated in the pan instead of on the fish. You're looking to sear it here, and this will give you a nice golden crust. Cook it for roughly 4-5 minutes per side, following the same protocol as salmon (don't fuss with it, prepare for splatter).  These cooking times are all based on the thickness of the fish and the calibration of the stove, so unlike the professionals I can't give you an exact calculation - but that's a good thing, as the best way to get the hang of this is trial and error.*]

Let me know how yours turns out! If you're already past this stage of beginner fish, what twists do you add in? Interesting sauces? Something else in the oil/salt/pepper mix?