Seafood / WHAT JEN DOES

Seafood

Showing posts with label Seafood. Show all posts

lobster pesto caprese

9.03.2017

I'm going to admit that I've slightly overdone it with the tomatoes, burrata, and pretty much pesto of any form. It is pretty much the only thing that I've eaten for several weeks now. The fact that I've tired of burrata is terrifying to me. But - this season is fleeting and I'd rather eat them until I'm exhausted than have regrets in November. Ugh November.

But last weekend we had some beautiful warm weather. Like the days we dream of all winter. I took a mid-afternoon kayak ride and timed it just right that I could float without the tides taking me away. Then we had a casual sunset bbq to capture more glow from our fleeting summer.

When I lived in Boston, none of my neighbors gave me anything. I guess that's not totally true. I had Rinato who repeatedly invited me over for dinner but also said his wife would kill me. But - there was no "leaving things at doorsteps" happening. Which is really okay because this is a city and there are rats. But now, I have neighbors and last weekend one brought me a lobster. That he caught that day. And shelled for me.

Since I was already in the middle of eating a hot dog and fritos (I'm fancy), I waited a night to capitalize on the lobster generosity. I think I nailed it - and you should also do this with your lobster. It is a perfect way to give people lobster in summer without going broke buying lobsters for everyone. Not everyone can have neighbors that drop lobsters at their door.

Here's how it goes. It's incredibly simple - especially if you already have the pesto made and the lobster shelled.

Using a food processor, prep and make your pesto. Follow this recipe here. I used walnuts for this pesto.
Cut up your lobster meat to a medium/small size and then toss in the pesto.
Plate the lobster with some freshly cut garden tomatoes and a half ball of burrata.
Drizzle the plate with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with basil and a bit of salt.

Shopping List
basil
grated parmesan
garlic
lemon
lemon juice
walnuts
burrata
cherry tomatoes
lobster meat

fish en brodo

11.17.2016

I might have found a new favorite way to cook fish. It is so shockingly easy. I found it when I was flipping through Better Homes & Gardens magazine while eating an almond croissant and watching the tide come in. So, it was clearly a rough day.

The picture on the page completed lured me in. There were fresh tomatoes and a seemingly uncomplicated recipe for a flavorful fish. Plus, when I see broth.... I immediately see an option for delicious bread to be dunked. This dish will be your new friend. In hindsight the thing about this recipe is that it is essentially like making mussels - but with fish. Making mussels is one of the easiest things and you can do many things to the broth. When I was looking for a link to the original recipe, I found that some people have even tossed mussels into this dish - which makes perfect sense.

Other notes? It's a pretty clear guarantee that this will be one of the last meals cooked from my garden. While it was really satisfying to be eating from the garden in mid to late November, I know that I'm on extremely borrowed time. The tomatoes weren't exactly the prettiest and the thyme is starting to dry out. I loved how quick this meal came together. It's insanely fast without being one of those meal that requires your attention. I spent much of the day outside and bumbling around. A trip to Weir River Farm, browsing at Anthropologie, and a killer yoga class. The farm was amazing.

But - here are a few things about this dish:

Tomatoes // Slice your tomatoes extra thick. I cut mine into 1/2 inch slices and they didn't stay together very well.
Fish // The original recipe called for striped bass which my grocery store didn't have. I knew that I needed a white fish and wasn't really willing to pay $10 more for haddock over cod. Cod works fine. It's really the broth that is the home run here.
Serving Size // I'm continually cutting my fish servings in half. Recipes routinely call for like 8 oz fillets per person but I'm always happy with about 5 oz. You do what you want.

Here's how it goes.

In a large skillet, combine wine, 1/4 cup water, and oil. Then add in tomatoes, shallots, thyme, garlic, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes soften.
Place fish fillets in skillet and spoon some of the broth over the them. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for about 8 minutes. You'll know the fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
Using a flexible spatula lift the fish and plate in a shallow bowl. Then add tomatoes and broth to the dish. You can discard the thyme at this point and add fresh sprigs for effect.
Serve with toasted bread for dipping in that great broth.

Shopping List (serves 4)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 shallots, sliced 1/4 in
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 lb of white fish (sea bass or halibut preferred, cod works)

Cod with roasted tomato thyme sauce

9.26.2016

I'm still holding on tight to any element of summer that I can grasp. Despite my wardrobe beginning to adjust, I'm holding off on switching to Fall flavors. I'm not ready for root vegetables, cranberries, and stews. I still want caprese salads.

In direct correlation, I was having someone over for dinner this weekend. We had made a lot of jokes about my phenomenal carrot crop and how some of them looked downright prehistoric... but I couldn't quite bring myself to cook with carrots yet. When I think of carrots, I think about soups and stews, roasts, and cold weather.

For the dinner, I prepared myself with two options. Despite my excitement over the abundance of carrots, I was pretty thrilled that we chose option 2. This meant for more time watching a gorgeous sunset and looking for cranes... than searing a pork loin on the stove.

Option 1: Rosemary pork loin with roasted carrots and goat cheese
Option 2: Cod with thyme roasted tomatoes

Despite printing out the original recipe, we followed almost zero of those notes. Except to combine tomatoes and thyme and fish. There are a few things that made this meal a flipping A+ effort:

GARDEN FRESH // We cut the thyme and plucked the tomatoes right from the vine after a beach walk.
FLEX TIME // The slight caveat for this dish is that you can make it with probably 5 minutes of prep and 30 cooking minutes... or 15 minutes of prep and 45 cooking minutes. The later will yield a more flavorful dish as you give the tomatoes more time to roast. If you are short on time, toss everything in at once and you'll be fine.
BREAD // I'll admit the bread was a late add - but it was so necessary. I'll also be honest and say I have no idea how it came out so evenly and perfectly toasted. But man, dipping bread in roasted tomato juicy goodness is one of the best things that can happen to you.

Here's how it goes.

Preheat oven to 400 F
Generously add olive oil to the baking dish and then add in the tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over everything. I cut my tomatoes into wedges and slices in the effort to reduce time needed for getting them nicely roasted. There is no need for perfection here. You'd be wasting your energy.
Add the thyme to the dish too. You can take the time to remove it from the stick part... or just toss it in whole. Roast the dish for about 20 minutes or so. Season your cod fillets with salt and pepper ... then add them right on top of the tomato mixture.
Cod will take about 12-15 minutes at 400.
With about 5 minutes left, generously drizzle sliced bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add your sliced bread to the top to toast up.
Fish is done when it flakes easily.

Shopping List

2 cod fillets, about 6-8 oz each

olive oil

salt & pepper

lemon juice

6-8 tomatoes, cut into wedges and slices

1/2 medium onion, sliced

lemon juice

sprigs of thyme

2 cloves of garlic, roughly minced

great bread

White fish in lemon caper chili sauce

4.05.2016

I made this dinner so long ago that I barely remember what happened.

All I remember is that I had some brussel sprouts and mushrooms ... and while I really wanted to eat this meal again... I felt like I had to try something new. While new isn't always better, it does mean that you've at least tried something new. This white fish dish is very easy to come together... and a refreshing change of palate. It has a ting of citrus and a kick of spice from the chili.

Seared cod with pancetta roasted leeks and mushrooms

2.24.2016

Man oh man. This was an amazing dinner. So many surprising and delicious elements - and so fast. I pulled this one (literally) from the pages of Real Simple during my winter plague. I never really believe the "30 minute meals" call out - especially for the first time you make something. So, it was surprising to me that this actually could have been a quick weeknight meal.

I managed to make this dinner on a "busy" Sunday. I went to yoga, finally packed away the Christmas stuff, and prepped for Spring plantings. I am so excited about this. With all my time on the couch, I somewhat methodically planned out how this will all happen. It's probably going to fail but at least I have a spreadsheet tracking my plan. Spring is coming though - it's in the air for sure. There were 19 people on the beach during sunset including sweet Ruby May and that is about 18 more than I've seen the past three months.

Crusted haddock with apple, fennel and toasted pepitos

10.12.2015

I can't believe how long it has been since I actually cooked in my apartment. Over the summer I made a handful of meals, but I'm really talking slightly fancy avocado toast, homemade mayo, and different iterations of naan pizza. No complaints really here... but as I was standing over my stove sautéing onion and fennel, it just fundamentally felt right.

In the past four or so years, I've targeted cooking 52 recipes a year... and I really made it like every year but this one. The wheels just fell off the wagon a bit. I'm not sure that I'll get back to 52 again but it is a nice goal... and gets me to try new things like this recipe here.

I picked up the original recipe for Apple and Fennel soup from a Whole Foods flyer in the South End. I was walking through on Friday night hiding from the rain and it caught my attention. I stuffed this sucker into my bag and pulled it out on Saturday morning. I opted to make this sucker two ways: (1) normal soup and (2) slight reduction of the apple/fennel base... and top it with a seared haddock.

lemon thyme haddock

5.01.2015

I find it so comical that people don't like to cook for themselves - and by themselves, I mean "cooking for one". Some of my most favorite meals have been cooked in small batch style. Just me trolling the internet for an idea, roaming the grocery store, and then patiently waiting until the meal is ready.

I've always loved cooking - and while I really appreciate cooking for a few people - there is something pretty great about making something just for one. Plus for people who lack self-control (that's me), it also means I'm not constantly going back to the pot for more mac and cheese. The fact that a box of mac and cheese is supposed to serve 3 people baffles me.

This week a new grocery store opened up in Boston and you would legitimately think they were giving away free groceries it was so crowded. As a family, we love going to the grocery store - especially a new one. This was actually my second new grocery store of the week having hit up Whole Foods in the Ink Block on Monday after going to the Flower Exchange. Roche Bros Downtown isn't as exciting as Whole Foods - but it is beautiful inside, the food is bright and fresh, and people are so damn nice it hurts. Plus, majestic subway tile everywhere and $5 tulips.

Pancetta wrapped cod... stuffed with artichoke pesto

12.21.2014

I'm really behind on recipes.... and life... so I'm going to get straight to the chase.

This recipe is pretty great. In my opinion it looks a little tacky and impressive all at once. Wrapping things in pork is super tasty but also makes me feel a bit like I'm ordering an appetizer at a chain restaurant... or trying to trick a toddler into trying a new food.

Lastly, in general I think I make a pretty great cod. One person actually told me that I made the best cod they've ever had outside a restaurant... but to be fair we were dating at the time. I feel like the nature of this recipe actually dries the cod out a bit more than others. It is still great.... but loses some of the flakiness from the preparation and stuffing.

tomato tequila salsa ... and seared cod

5.05.2014

Admittedly, I was making slow progress on unpacking my apartment. Slow by steady progress. Each trash day I tried to make sure I was tossing 2 empty packing boxes.

But the entire time, my kitchen looked like all the cabinets threw up dishes. It was terrible. So, for about a week and a half I've been eating goldfish and chicken finger takeout. No jokes. Then on Friday I hired some freelance copywriter slash philosophy major organize my kitchen. It was phenomenal. When I walked back in after 3 hours, I immediately wanted to make scones. But instead, I ordered more chicken fingers .... and saved my energy.

Sunday has always been my day for trying a new meal... and this one was no exception. It was also probably the first day that I really felt at home in my apartment. I had a Peapod delivery, I drank coffee in the morning while I watched the news, and I finally cooked. Last year for Cinco de Mayo, I made tequila butter ... this year I made a warm tomato tequila salsa.

cod with potatoes and salsa verde

10.29.2013

Guys, this dish was so good that I ate it in less than 5 minutes. If I had cooked for more than one, I would have gone back for seconds. I have zero self-control so I think it is a mere miracle that I didn't just make more of the potato and onion part.

Amazing.

I had originally planned to make this dish on Sunday evening... but then obviously made Mexican Chicken Soup. Monday night came around and I was so hungry that before I could thinly slice potatoes... I had faced a bunch of cheddar cheese, pretzels, and meats. According to the internet, fresh fish is only really good for 2 days in the fridge which meant today was the final day.

I wouldn't have thought this was a week night meal going into this honestly. I recently decided to make a concerted effort to cook more from the multitude of magazines I get (Food & Wine, La Cucina Italiana, Bon Appetit, Cooks Illustrated, and Cooks Country). So this weekend I piled a few in my bag before I set out for some light city adventure. Adventure = eating pizza and reading in the sun. I found this recipe in Food & Wine and loved it for the simple ingredients ... and seemingly simple prep.

beer clams + heavenly kale salad

9.08.2013

Birthday dinners are rather important. I'm not saying they need to be fancy - but there needs to be thought behind it. I'd be perfectly happy with a pizza for my dinner because then it'd be about the atmosphere or getting to binge watch my favorite shows on Netflix while we ate.

But, one of the best things about seeing my lovely friends Meghan and Sarah is that they also love to cook and appreciate thinking about meals. I mean, I am always thinking about my next meal ... and especially when it is a birthday dinner for someone we all love.

So this is what we whipped up while on the coast of Maine...
- Beer clams
- Heavenly Kale salad
- Faux margarita swordfish

pesto crusted baked cod (and clams)

9.07.2013

Cooking in the summer is not for the faint of heart. Cooking in the threat of summer is almost worse. See, technically we are on the tail end of summer... it could be hot one day or not at all. But since the threat is still alive, I still need to think about whether it would be advisable to think about turning on my oven for a dinner. I don't look at the weather for rain... I look for heat.

Planning meals is something I absolutely love to do - but it also sometimes has me spinning more than my non-existent washing machine. Do I need a side? But how big of a filet do I really need? What if they hate garlic? Does anyone have a nut allergy? Seriously.

Ginger Margarita Swordfish with homemade butter

5.07.2013

I love cooking for specific occasions. Cooking is great and all, but when there is a theme or purpose ... it is just a million times more fulfilling. Maybe not a million, but still.

I'm particularly proud of the themed Downton Abbey dinners and the Julia Child meals last summer. There is a chance that I still haven't stopped sweating from making that chocolate mouse.

I haven't done nearly as much cooking recently and this weekend I got right back into it. Prepping for 3 weeks of vacation, taking the vacation, and recovering from missing vacation will make a pot of Mac and Cheese more alluring than a fresh batch of english muffins. A little Cinco de Mayo helped me bust out of that rut in a great way.

citrus haddock with bak choy and mushrooms

2.18.2013

Then there was the time that it was the season finale of Downton Abbey.

It had been a few weeks since I attempted a full three course meal and so the finale was a great opportunity to get back in the swing of it. Baby Sister threw a bit of a wrinkle in the plans with the requests for a slightly healthier meal. I haven't exactly been making terrible things for us to eat but an asparagus cheese tart isn't the best thing on the earth. So I appreciated the challenge.

My original plan was for a 4 course meal that would kick off with oysters. But, nobody told all the stores in the North End that I wanted to do that. So everyone was sold out of oysters. Whamo. Moving on and down to three courses.

Split pea soup
Citrus Haddock with bak choy and mushrooms
Orange merengue with strawberry sauce

Not terrible. Oh, and we had champagne. I used to not have a taste for the bubbles but now I love them. I'm not a huge drinker but I'll never turn down a glass of bubbles.

Roasted Cod with Tomato Pancetta "Stew"

1.15.2013

Based on the previews for this week's Downton Abbey episode, I felt like we needed to prepare for a wedding. I'm not going to spoiler the episode for you but I will say Edith is still living the life of a middle child.

Womp womp.

I spent a lot of time searching for "the right" main course. I had visions of a seared fish for some reason and couldn't quite get that out of my head. I did some googling for "wedding halibut dish" and "Downton Wedding" and "winter wedding meal". In the true spirit of a party meal, what I ended up cooking wasn't that close to what I had planned.

I stumbled upon a reference to a Thomas Keller seared halibut on the interwebs which prompted me to reopen one of my favorite cookbooks, Ad Hoc at Home . The asparagus tomato bacon stew seemed like a perfect base for the halibut. I can't resist bacon or San Marzano tomatoes.

it's a fish party (for one)

5.23.2012

You can cook a decent meal for one person. I swear.

I met this person on Monday who said they like to cook but don't because "you know, it's hard to cook for one". I told this gentleman that I had no idea what he was talking about. This is obviously an exaggeration. Cooking for one without leftovers is not easy folks, but it is totally possible. I know because I did it tonight. I also spilled an entire glass of pinot grigio all over my kitchen because I didn't want to turn on the light, but let's talk about the dinner instead.

Right? Ok.

One of my biggest food regrets is that I said for the first 26 (?) years of my life that I didn't like olives. I'm not sure why, but nobody fought me on this. Go ahead hate olives Jen! I was also permitted to avoid asparagus (which I distinctly remember my grandmother cooking on family holidays). Asparagus just looked so boring and limp (twss). Olives were intimidating and mysterious. Well, tonight I put them together... with artichokes and some lemon ... and some swordfish ... and of course other things ... like love.

This wasn't as quick or pain-free as last Wednesday's dinner (cod with lemon caper vinaigrette) but it was super tasty. Plus, it calls for white wine and I'm really good at drinking white wine. Except for last night that is. Spoiler alert folks, you can't have 4 glasses of pinot grigio coupled with limited dinner and expect to get off scott free.

Tonight, I took some inspiration from a recipe I had seen on MSNBC of all places. I saw olives, seared fish, and artichokes and knew it was a win. The original recipe called for a whole process of using fresh artichokes, which would be great if you had time. And you had an unlimited budget. And you didn't want to shove cheez-its in your face the minute you got home from yoga. So, as an alternative I went with canned artichokes and they worked like a breeze.

Here's how it goes.

(Step 1) Get a skillet to medium high heat with a bit of olive oil. Add in about 3 artichoke hearts that you've cut in half. Place them flat side down so they sear up a bit nicely.

(Step 2) Add in the minced garlic and butter. Watch the heat of the pan so as to not char up the garlic. That would be an obvious negative. After a minute-ish, add in the coriander, asparagus, thin lemon slices (3?) and the white wine.

(Step 3) There isn't a lot of liquid in the pan at this point obviously, but you essentially just want to simmer all the goodness in the pan until the liquid reduces a bit and all the flavors get a chance to mingle. Pretend it's like a middle school dance. If you think you need more wine, add it. Or drink it. This is pretty free form folks.

Once you are satisfied, remove this business from the skillet and get ready to sear up your fish. You absolutely don't need to clean the skillet, but just make sure you don't have any garlic / artichoke remnants behind since they'll burn and then your kitchen will be smokey and not in a cool way.

(Step 4) Gently pat your fish dry with a paper towel. This seems weird but it helps you get a delightful sear slash crust ... and trust me, it's kinda like the best part. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a high-medium skillet with olive oil. Cook 3 minutes on each side (which means flip in between obviously... unless you know magic). You'll know the fish is done when the skin edge is looking crispy. Need more advice? Google it.

(Step 5) Plate and eat. After you put your amazing fish on the artichoke business, squeeze a bit of lemon on top and toss a smidge of parsley on there as well.

Now eat by yourself and love it. If you are me, you'll get one of the million magazines you subscribe to flip through and pretend to educate yourself. Set some mood music (think Ingrid Michaelson) and perhaps light a candle. Oh, and I spent some quality time basking in the glory of the flowers I arranged at Floral Class on Tuesday. Yep, I'm going to floral class. More on that another day.

Shopping List (for ONE!)

artichoke-y delight

olive oil

Can of artichoke hearts

1 T of butter

Asparagus (like 3 stems? do we call them stems? I have no idea)

Lemon slices

3 cloves of garlic minced

4 kalamata olives sans pit, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp Ground coriander

1/4 cup of white wine

fishy business

Salt and Peppper

5-6 oz of swordfish (halibut would also be amazing)

olive oil

parsley

lemon zest / juice

ah-ma-zing weeknight fish.

5.17.2012

And now we make .... Baked White Fish with Lemon Caper Champagne Vinaigrette

So guys. Three things.

(1) I can’t for the life of me learn how to spell vinaigrette

(2) I love easy meals. This is an easy meal.

(3) Using the phrase “casserole dish” makes me feel like I’m 67 years old. There is nothing wrong with being 67 but it makes me feel like my kitchen is 70s orange and I’m pumped about AquaNet.

You know how when people tell you “oh, yeah. This is a great weeknight meal. You can totally do it in 15 minutes.” But then, you end up eating at 9pm because you f-ed up the rice twice or cutting up the ingredients took twice as long as Giada / Rachel Ray / Ina says it should. Well folks. I’m not going to lie to you. Because I don’t want you to lie to me. This literally took me 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes in the oven.

Let me paint you a picture. I start thinking about dinner at 7 in the morning. This is a slight exaggeration but I love food and I think about it all the time. Food makes me happy. I eat my feelings … regularly. One time someone cancelled a date with me and I ate an aggressive amount of bread and a way too old Easter chocolate bunny. Even though it wasn’t really worth it. I can often diagnose my moods by what I’m eating before I can really understand my own emotions. Weird? Maybe.

So, if you ever see me hugging a loaf of bread in front of a dish of olive oil and grated parm … it’s probably best to throw me a pound of cooked bacon and walk away.

But back to dinner.

I ended up picking up the fish from Mercato del Mare during my lunch break so as to streamline the cooking process post yoga. Baby sister and I were working on making curtains for her apartment, so it was going to bea full evening. There was no time for extensive prep, excessive dishes, or post eating coma. This meal really fit the bill and I’ll have it in my back pocket for the next time I want to cook for someone on a week night. The best part about it is the minimal prep and zero babysitting.

(Step 1) Preheat oven to 400 F.

(Step 2) Salt and pepper both sides of the fish filets andlay them in the bottom of a glass casserole dish. If there is a “skin side” to your fish, put it facing down.

(Step 3) Toss into the dish some cherry tomatoes cut in half and cut up asparagus. There is no specific amount, just do as much as each person wants to eat. I know that’s not helpful but if you’ve found this recipe, then theoretically you can think for yourself. I tended to put the veggies around the edges of the fish as opposed to smack on top. You should probably dothis as well.

(Step 4) Drizzle the dish with olive oil and a gentle dash of salt. Toss in the oven and set the timer to 20 minutes.

(Step 5) Now, let’s make our vinaigrette. It’s really easy. Don’t get stressed out. I don’t know how “juicey” you like your meal… but I like juice. So, I’d rather make extra than run out and have my plate dry as a bone at the end of the meal. Combine the following: lemon juice, champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and capers. Taste it. Want more ofsomething? Add it. I added a bit more olive oil and honey after my first taste. Note, if you don’t use salt packed capers, add a smidge of salt. If you do use salt packed capers, then we can be friends for forever.

(Step 6) Pull the fish from the oven when its flaky and done. Use a big ole flat spatula to transfer the fish from the casserole dishto the plates. Distribute the veggies and pour the vinaigrette over….. and eat. And love.

Seriously that’s it. So easy and so light, which is greatbecause as we discussed I’ve going to FLA this weekend and nobody wants to havea bread baby by the pool. Unless it comes with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and extra crispy sweet potato fries.

Shopping List (for two)

For the fishies

2 6 oz white fish filets (anything you want… I went with cod because it was on sale. But seriously. Pick what you want.)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Halved cherry tomatoes

Chopped asparagus

For the juicy tasty vinaigrette

2 T Lemon Juice

2 T Champagne Vinegar

3 T Olive Oil (most flexible here… add more of this before adding more vinegar or lemon juice)

1 T Dijon Mustard

Smidge of Honey (1 teaspoon?)

Capers (… as much as you want. I’m not the caper police, but I wish I was. That sounds like a great gig)

Bonus picture:

Check it. I legit wrote this recipe out. Kinda exciting no? I've never actually done that before. Weird.

Fishy Business for One

1.03.2012

I haven't made anything myself recently ... at least that I both remembered to take pictures of ... and was worth writing about. It's been a busy month or so apparently.

I ended up working from home today and while that was super awesome.... it makes one a little bit stir crazy at times. I fought off the cabin fever by going to lunch at one my new favorite neighborhood spots (Sal's Lunch) and by making myself a decent dinner.

Enter: Seared Tuna with Tomatoes and Olives ... and love. Oh, and roasted potatoes.

Corny? Maybe.

Delicious? Yes.

This was really easy to make and actually a great meal for just one person. Super easy to control the portion size and really light as well. I can see myself loving it in the summer and in the winter. Win... and Win.

I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen too - with the exception of the tuna steak. Since it was about negative one million degrees out tonight, I wasn't about to walk the half mile to Whole Foods for fish... plus I live in the North End. Culinary Adventures abound right? So I procured the fish at Mercato del Mare. Pricing was a bit steep for my taste but nothing you can do when you refuse to walk. I also grabbed some extra olives at Monica's Mercato. I am a fan of this little shop for a few reasons. One of which is they call you "bella". The other is the great selection. But the first reason might be my favorite :).

So this is how it all went down....

Before starting on the fish, I nicely chopped up some Yukon potatoes and tossed them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley. Tossed those babies in an oven set to 425. Based on the size I cut them, they took about 30 minutes.

Yum. Slightly reminiscent of the potatoes that we had with our roasted NYE chicken named Greta...

As those tater babies were roasting away, I got to work on the fish. As an fyi, I like to prep my ingredients before... it makes me feel like I'm cooking dinner on morning tv when I toss them in all smoothly. Anyways....

Got a skillet nice and hot with a little bit of olive oil. Seasoned my tuna with salt and pepper and tossed it right on it. I like my tuna more rare... so I just put it in long enough to sear both sides to a nice crust.... which was not long at all. Like less than a minute.
Pulled the tuna off and tossed a 1/4 of thinly sliced onion in the skillet. Once that had softened up a bit, I put in about 2 cloves of diced garlic. Yep, I clearly wasn't expecting company tonight :).
Now that my kitchen was starting to smell awesome, I tossed into the skillet the tomatoes, capers, olives, and red wine. Because I had elected to use fresh tomatoes as opposed to caned, I added a little bit of olive oil for juicey-ness.
Then I covered this baby and let it simmer on medium-ish heat for maybe a bit less than 5 minutes. Pretty much just enough time to do the dishes I had already dirtied. Yep, I'm clean like that.
With my potatoes already out of the oven and on my plate, I put the tuna back in the skillet to let it swim around in that delish sauce a bit. Think just long enough to put the tuna in the skillet and grab a spoon to move the tomatoes around a bit. So like a minute-ish.
Move to that plate... and enjoy.

saucy business....

If you want to replicate my evening exactly do the following as well. Wear some large sweatpants over capri leggings and an equally large sweatshirt. Put on "Wheel of Fortune". Criticize Pat Sajak for showing his 17 year old daughter's country music video at the end of the episode. And plugging her website.

Here's a shopping list for you. I like to make your life nice and easy. If you'd like to make mine easy, you can find me some glorious striped sheets for my bed. I'm pining away for some currently.

Shopping List (for one person.... yep, it'll be a big party)

1 cup of Grape Tomatoes diced up or 1/4 of a can of diced tomatoes

2 cloves of Garlic

1/8 cup of Red Wine (for some people the type of wine matters.... I used what I already had open. I'm fancy like that)

1/4 of White Onion cut to thin slices

1 Tbsp Capers

Olives (like 8ish? you be in charge here. I like olives)

6ish oz tuna steak

olive oil

salt and pepper

parsley

baby yukon potatoes

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