Archive for June, 2008

Almond Crusted Halibut

Published by Hal on June 22, 2008 in Fish Fry-day and recipes. 1 Comment

When we were on vacation a few weeks ago, we got a phone call from Stacie’s brother, Donnie. Donnie is currently in the military, stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I’m sure you can imagine what kind of adventures one can get into when you’re in Alaska. This particular weekend, he went fishing and managed to catch some halibut. Thirty pounds of it.

Donnie wasn’t sure what to do with it, so he did the first thing that came to his mind–he shipped it home to his parents. Which was funny, because it’s really just his parents at home, with the occasional kid popping in for the weekend–hardly the crowd to feed thirty pounds of fish to! But, that’s okay, because Stacie and I benefited from two pounds of this easy to cook fish.

I made the first pound on Thursday, and it was definitely a treat. What’s great about halibut is its versatility and its mild flavor. I paired it with some crushed almonds, pan fried it, and served it along side some garlic and shallot snow peas.

Almond Crusted HalibutIngredients

  • 1 pound of halibut, cut into two pieces
  • 1/2 cup crushed almonds
  • 1/2 cup of flour or plain breadcrumbs
  • salt & pepper
  • vegetable oil

Directions

  1. Generously season the fish with salt and pepper.
  2. Combine the flour and the almonds, then dredge the fish in the mixture.
  3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, over medium heat and add the fish.
  4. Cook the fish for 5-7 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked through. Serve immediately.

To make the garlic and shallot snow peas, simply heat some olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, and add a clove of chopped garlic and a chopped shallot. Cook until both are translucent, but not caramelized. Add the snow peas, and cook until heated through–but not too much, because you still want them crunchy.

That’s it–easy, simple, and great for tonight’s supper!

A good combination

Published by Hal on June 10, 2008 in observations of food. 1 Comment

Cherries and nutella.

Yum.

An $8.50 salad

Published by Hal on June 9, 2008 in admin and observations of food. 1 Comment

I went out for lunch today, because life got in the way of going to the grocery store this weekend and, unfortunately, hunger stops for no one, not even two weddings and monsoon-like downpouring of water (and the subsequent flooding that keeps people from getting home in a timely manner from said weddings).

And I must tell you, I’ve been fleeced. I knew the restaurant I chose was expensive, but I thought that, surely, a salad would not be terrible. After all, the components, while not as cheap as they once were, still are not very expensive and pound-for-pound, are much less expensive than other options.

$8.50 later, I am a little annoyed.  $8.50 paid for a half a tomato, two tablespoons of cheese, a quarter of a shredded carrot, a half a chicken breast, one crumbled strip of bacon, 1/4 head of lettuce, and 1/4 cup of dressing.

I don’t have solid figures to break this down for you, but I know I could have purchased enough raw materials to make at least 3-4 salads for that same price. From a boutique health food store.

Can you tell I’m annoyed? I’m going to the grocery tonight, and will probably buy these same components to have this same salad again later this week. And I’ll be able to eat 4 times for the amount of money it cost to eat just my lunch today.

Keep this perspective when you think about that dinner from Applebee’s or Friday’s you might order tonight.

—

So, Joseph from Louisville sent me an email asking me where I’ve been.

I’ve been horrible about writing for the last two months, but here’s why:

  1. I’ve been extremely busy between work and personal commitments, and
  2. I’m not immune to food price inflation, which leads to
  3. I haven’t been cooking very much.
  4. However, the item in number 2 some how hasn’t stopped me from going out to eat, which probably results from the item in number 1.
  5. I also didn’t realize that I had enough of a fan following that someone would actually miss me (Thank you, Joseph!)

So, in short, I’ve been eating, but I haven’t been cooking very much. I do have a recipe I should share with you, and several food places to write about. And, now that I’m aware someone is paying attention, maybe that’ll light enough of a fire to post more frequently. Don’t expect a new recipe every day (when I started out, I didn’t realize how expensive, in both time and money, that kind of commitment would take), but I’ll make it a stated goal to do this at least once a week going forward.