Seared Halibut with Shiitake Mushrooms

For my Mom's birthday we had seared Halibut with shiitake mushrooms for the main course. I've been trying to eat a lot of mushrooms lately as I have this strange feeling that mushrooms, onions and garlic are all super foods for our brains. It's a combination of them being here on earth for so long, plus their many layers, and for mushrooms their ability to communicate through microscopic roots miles away. There is a special feeling I get when I eat fresh organic, hearty mushrooms. This shiitakes I picked up at the Friday, Heart of the City Farmer's Market. I recommend serving this with salad and a hearty rustic bread or over a bead of quinoa. White wine and some Carlos Santana. 

Seared Halibut with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 fillet of Halibut

1 lemon, zest & juice

1 tablespoon of capers

1 pint of shiitake mushrooms

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat

2. Sprinkle the halibut with salt and ground pepper on each side. Squeeze the lemon juice on it.

3. Sear the halibut in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side. The halibut should turn white the whole way through and have a nice golden hue on the top and bottom. Remove the halibut from the pan and put on a plate. Do not overcook as it will become too dry.

4. Add the mushrooms to the pan, drizzle a little more olive oil on them. Sprinkle the lemon zest and capers, salt and pepper on the mushrooms. Add a little more olive oil if you want.

5. For presentation I cut shallow wells in the halibut and stuffed the shiitake mushrooms into it. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Seared Halibut + Bluegrass on the Beach

Of some of my favorite things in life, live music, seafood, beaches rank in the top 10. I recently had the pleasure of all three on a Sunday in San Francisco with a good friend. The picture above is of a lemony seared halibut with a caper onion sauce, roasted Romanesco and red quinoa on the side. Recipes below

A couple Sundays ago there was a mini version of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass on Ocean Beach in honor of Warren Hellman, our beacon of the bay. There was a lovely montage of pictures and quotes from his life lining the beach. 

The quote above reads “money is like manure, it stinks if you hold on to it, but if you spread it around good things grow.” This from a man who created a trust so that Bay Area music lovers can enjoy Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in Golden Gate for another 20 years! Along with creating a free health clinic in San Francisco and keeping the SF Ballet afloat, these philanthropic efforts are just the tip of the iceberg. He’s an inspiration and I’m grateful to enjoy the fruits of his legacy in San Francisco. Here is the line up:

 For a late lunch – we had the famous Lobster Roll from Sam’s Chowder Mobile – the official truck of Half Moon Bay’s Sam’s Chowder House. The lobster roll lived up to its expectation of being sufficiently meaty, buttery, & delicious. I was happy they didn’t serve it with chips and coleslaw as last time – that just lowered the bar on the over all Lobster Roll experience.

 As the sun set and in true San Francisco style, clouds rolled in and temperature dropped a solid 15 degrees we packed up and went home.

We stopped to pick up some line caught Halibut, a tomato and some apple juice – AKA brain juice.  After a long day outside, I can’t think of many other things I’d rather do than cook up a feast. Cooking, and being in the kitchen, is relaxing and affords a safe environment for creative experimentation. In the world of fish I’m most familiar cooking salmon and tilapia. Halibut is still a little new for me, but I'm excited to learn it's ways...The menu was inspired by the contents of my refrigerator which included cilantro, capers, Meyer lemons, and romanseco. Pronounced Ro-Ma-Ne-sCO, the name sounds like a tall dark and handsome Italian….but it's the tastier cousin of the cauliflower.

K, enough jibber jabber - time for dinner!

Lemony Seared Halibut with Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Capers
2 halibut fillets
Salt and Pepper
1/3 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup white wine (plus more to drink while cooking)
1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons capers
1 Meyer lemon (zest & juice)

Directions:
1. Get your music going and a glass of wine. I recommend the German composer Tya, Akwaba
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the halibut fillets
4. Sear the halibut on each side until lightly golden brown on each side. About 4 minutes per side.
5. Set the halibut aside and cover with foil to retain heat
6. Add some more olive oil
7. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute
8. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Bring to a simmer to reduce the sauce
9. Turn off the heat and add in the butter, capers, lemon zest and juice
10. Serve the sauce over the halibut fillets

Ideas for serving:

• roasted vegetables
• quinoa or couscous
• grilled asparagus
• a slab of thick country bread
• dessert: green tea or ginger ice cream

Warren in the Army

Restraurant Review: Fish.

Fish is hands down one of my top 5 Bay Area restaurants. A hidden hot spot at the end of a Sausalito harbor, the Fish Restaurant brings sustainable seafood to the masses all while supporting local fishermen, serving the best fish and chips west of the Mississippi, jamming to live music and... because we are in California, Fish makes some of the best guacamole and homemade chips I've had. After placing your order at the counter, you can join other excited eaters at communal wooden tables and benches perched on a large, outdoor porch with a constant sea breeze. The real attraction though isn't the peaceful view of sail boats, it's the freshest local fish made into unique daily specials. It's the large servings, fresh greens, chunky guacamole, the Winter Ceviche and the classic Po'Boy sandwich on San Francisco sourdough. It's the Tiburon Blonde served in a mason jar accompanying perfectly seasoned garlic bread. Expect a line of hungry people in windbreakers and hats:

Root beer float anyone? This is how it's done:

No trip to Fish is complete without ordering the chips and guacamole appetizer, which complements everything on the menu. Try saving this for the rest of your meal (they bring the dishes as they are ready) but a piece of fried fish tastes like heaven with some guac:

Feeling chilly? Warm up with a nice bowl of their minestrone (the e is silent BTW!) soup served with long shavings of Parmesan:

Below is The Crab Roll: a West Coast rendition of an East Coast favorite. Sweet Dungeness crab served on a toasted Torpedo roll with organic butter and chives and a heaping mound of shoestring fries and a pickle slice:

Below is Fish's fresh Alaskan Halibut fried fish, battered served with wedge potato chips and homemade tartar sauce. A jar of Anchor Stream beer, shining in the background like a sexy drummer to a rock band.

Next is Fish's Saigon salmon sandwich - grilled and marinated wild salmon served with a blend of fresh carrot, jalapeno, cilantro and a house made Vietnamese scallion ginger sauce all served on a toasted Acme torpedo roll. YUM.

A view of the outside porch:

Go for the food, stay for the friendly locals, laid back atmosphere and gorgeous sunsets.

Fish Restaurant
http://www.331fish.com/
350 Harbor Drive
Sausalito, California
415-331-FISH

Ono, Maui Style

So at some point in my life, I am going to live in Maui. It's been decided. I love Maui. I love island life. I love Ono. I'm not sure if we can buy Ono on the main land - I haven't done sufficient research however I imagine that on coastal regions, this delicious tender fish is available. I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Maui over winter break and after, spending most the day in the ocean, I loved preparing a meal for my mom and sister using local and seasonal ingredients. Ono is the Hawaiian name for fish and it is also referred to as Wahoo fish. This tropical fish is highly regarded by many gourmets. I'd never had it before and my sister ordered a butter Ono one night at a restaurant. After one taste, I was hooked and decided to create my own Ono dinner the following evening. In accordance with the easy life on Maui, Ono is very easy to prepare. It doesn't take much time, just a little island love. For my first time making this dish, I prepared it with garlicky sauteed zucchini, and side dish of roasted brussle sprouts and mini yellow potatoes. Here is a pic of the side dish:

Ono, Maui Style
(4 servings...although 3 will finish this)

Ingredients:
2 large fillets of ono
4 thin slices of lemon
Fresh lemon juice - to squeeze over fillets
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 small zucchinis thinly sliced
Dried oregano
Ono seasoning (sea salt, cracked pepper, ginger, garlic, alea salt)
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 30-40 seconds.
2. Place the zucchini slices over the bottom of the pan and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. While zucchini slices are on pan, cut a slice in the Ono fillets, don't cut all the way through, just large enough to put the lemon slices in.
4. Put in the lemon slices in the fillets.
5. Place the fillets in the pan and sprinkle with Ono seasoning, oregano,  and lemon juice.
6. Cover the pan and let the fillets cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip fillets over, and season the other side, cover, and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the fillets are cooked through. You want them to be white and flaky.

Mama's Fish House in Maui: The Best Meal of My Life

Every detail about this meal was absolutely EXCEPTIONAL! This was the first time going to Mama's Fish House and it was a special occasion for my Mom, sister - Billie, and I. Mama's Fish House is known on Maui for being the best seafood restaurant and we were excited to try a much raved about place however none of us had any idea on how truly incredible the experience would be! The restaurant is expensive and reservations are required although even with a reservation, we waited about 45 minutes to be seated. No problem though because the restaurant is located on its own private beach with an old fishing boat resting beneath the waving palm trees. You can hear the waves lapping up on the shore from your table and I've been told that during the day you can watch windsurfers gliding around in the ocean.

The outside decor of Mama's Fish House is well thought out and every little detail is bright, colorful, and 100% Hawaiian. Nothing has been left untouched. Here is a picture of my mom, sister and I waiting for our table. We had already decided what we were going to order because we spent about 30 minutes reading the menu in detail.

What I LOVED about the menu and the restaurant, is its appreciation for local ingredients and freshness. The menus are printed daily with the day's fresh catches and even the fisherman who caught the fish! Here is a picture of a section of the menu, you will see that it says the name of the person who gathered the fish:

Here is a photograph of the table set up, Classy Hawaiian, and my sister reading the menu...again:

To start the meal we received a small cup of warm lobster bisque, compliments of the Chef:

The was followed the warm fresh loafs of Hawaiian bread that they bring to every table:

For appetizers we ordered one plate of  "Wild Shrimp Wantons with Macadamia Nut Dipping Sauce." The shrimp were large and fleshy and sitting on a bed of crispy Asian cabbage salad. They had a nice crunchy battered crust that was neither too thick nor oily.

Next we shared an appetizer of "Seared Ahi Sashimi with Cucumber Tamarind Sauce"...wow! The sashimi was so fresh and a deep, gorgeous, magenta color. It tasted buttery and wonderful. The Cucumber Tamarind Sauce was a nice touch. It did not have too strong a taste, so it was a perfect compliment for the sashimi.

In between courses we had a palate cleanser of fresh Poi. Poi is steamed and mashed, wetland taro. Taro is a traditional Hawaiian root crop. Poi has a bland-starchy palate cleanser. My sister initially thought it tasted like baby food, however the fresh poi ended up growing on us both and we nearly finished the bowl they provided for us. Due to lighting issues, I struggled with getting an accurate color of the poi, it was grayish purple:

For the main course I had the "King Salmon, grilled in chili, ginger and soy with papaya salsa, coconut rice and baby bok choy." I ordered the salmon medium rare. It was DELICIOUS! The salmon fillet is perfectly and evenly grilled. The papaya salsa is chunky and a little bit sweet. The coconut rice is very coconutty and served in a little ball on a piece of fresh coconut with flakes of fresh coconut on top of the rice. It was fantastic!

My Mom ordered the house speciality "Mama's Stuffed Mahimahi Stuffed with Lobster, Crab and Maui Onion, Baked in a Macadamia Nut Crust" Wow!! It was warm and when you sliced into the buttery mahimahi, there was packed lobster and crab, cooked to perfection. It was served with a chunk of grilled corn on the cob and roasted asparagus and a pile of flavored, herbed orzo.

Here is a picture of inside the mahimahi, it was difficult to capture the lobster and crap stuffed inside the fish:

For dessert I ordered the "Banana Macadamia Nut Crisp, served warm with homemade Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream." It was exquisite and in my opinion, the best of the three desserts we ordered. This was like Hawaii's comfort dessert, Hawaii's answer to the apple pie is this made with local sweet bananas.

My sister ordered the "Mama's Chocolate Kua Pie, baked in a caramel cookie crust." The pie was a little too dense for us however the cookie crust was lovely and the best part of this dessert. My mom, again going for the house speciality, ordered the "Polynesian Black Pearl, Chocolate mousse and liliko'i cream in a pastry shell." This one was definitely the most beautiful dessert that I have ever been allowed to eat. It actually looked like a black pearl!

Everything about this dessert was truly Divine. The sauce on the plate was no exception. The brown is a milk chocolate, the white is a liquor cream and the light orange sauce is a mango sauce. The pastry shell dipped in the sauce was fantastic!

It is no surprise that the three of us polished off the desserts, with me, admittedly, having done most the damage. Here is a blurry picture my drunk-off-food sister took of me with the empty dessert plates...she took this right before falling into a food coma that would make her literally pass out in the car ride home:

Even her too-dense chocolate pie was finished...

The cherry on the top of the meal was that at the end, they brought out a small plate with cool, lavender scented washcloths and unbelievable fresh coconut sweets with little pistachio crumbles on top:

Halibut Fish Sticks with Dill Caper Tartar Sauce

When most people hear the words "fish sticks" they think of those unidentifiable pieces of breaded fish that come packaged in a box and we heat up in the oven and eat with ketchup. I remember my mom heating up fish sticks and I loved them! We usually had them with ketcup, a side of steamed green peas and a warm loaf of San Francisco sourdough. For me, fish sticks out of a box is comfort food. So, taking it to the next level, I decided to make a healthier, maybe a slightly gourmet, version of fish sticks. And, since they are supposed to be served with tartar sauce, I did that too. I had some really great ingredients to work with: like my good friend's mom's homemade dill pickles! Fresh halibut. Honey panko crumbs. On a sunny Sunday some friends and I met for a picnic and I brought these fish sticks, some may call them fish nuggets due to their size, and tartar sauce. I will definitely be making these again and most likely in a larger quantity. The great part, is that these are super easy to make and healthy.

Halibut Fish Sticks with Dill Caper Tartar Sauce
(Adapted from recipe on epicurious.com)

Ingredients:
For tartar sauce:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 heaping tablespoons chopped dill pickles
1 tablespoon juice from dill pickle jar

For fish sticks:
2 pounds halibut fillets, cut into strips
2 cups honey panko
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

Directions:
1. For the tartar sauce, mix the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. For the fish sticks: whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Pour the panko crumbs onto a shallow dish.  Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Douse the halibut strips in the egg mixture then generously coat with the panko. Place them on the pan and let cook until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with tartar sauce.

Herb Crusted Salmon

Last week a friend from out of town, John, came for dinner. To go along with the stuffed artichokes and the fennel and cabbage salad, I made a main course of herb crusted salmon. With a hearty roll of whole wheat bread, this was the perfect combination. I am used to having salmon every Friday night growing up and now I crave it on Friday nights. This is one tradition I would like to keep. To keep things simples, I made the salmon in a pan and covered it and let it do its thing for about 15 minutes. When you remove the cover, the salmon continues to cook a little bit longer but it remains really delicious and flaky.

Herb Crusted Salmon
(Serves 3)

Ingredients:
4 filets of salmon
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
6 whole garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For herb crust:
Fennel seeds
Dried oregano
Ground coriandor seeds
Garlic powder
Dried thyme leaves

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Place the zucchini slices around the pan, making room in the center for the salmon fillets. Add the tomatoes around the pan and the garlic cloves. Place the salmon fillets in the center of the pan and generously lather the tops of the fillets with all the herbs so that it is completely covered. Drizzle the lemon juice over the whole lot.

2. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium and let the salmon and vegetables cook for about 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

Stuffed Salmon After 9 Mile Hike

Last Saturday I went for a wonderful hike with two friends, Pam and Amy. The hike was in the Black Rock Forest and it was a 9 mile loop that went up and over three summits. Here is a picture from the summit of Rattlesnake Hill where we had lunch, it's not everyday we get a view this lovely for lunch:

Here are the three of us by a resevoir we passed on the way up to the summit:

After the hike, we were dropped off near Fairway's on the Upper West Side. Being the endorphin pumped foodie that I am after a 9 mile hike, I called a couple of friends to come over for dinner and it quickly snowballed into a spontaneous dinner party for 6 people. Not sure of what to make I decided to keep it simple and healthy and filling. Four courses would be suitable. This is the first and main course of the dinner and the other dishes will be featured later. As an appetizer we had a fancy cheese plate with fresh warmed bread, chutneys, and fresh fruit and honey. We also had couscous cakes with corn salsa. We had two vegetable dishes: fancy sauteed string beans and roasted root vegetables. For the main course we had stuffed salmon and lots of white wine. Even though it can be a bit pricey, I love buying fresh wild salmon. Fairway's is wonderful for anything fresh. I decided to stuff the thick salmon fillets with a spinach, sun dried tomato, and pine nut combo. Broiled with some herbs, it was perfect, flaky and yummy and I've been eating leftovers with my lunch all week! This dish literally takes 15 minutes.

Stuffed Salmon
(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
6 large salmon fillets, no bones
1 10 ounce bag baby spinach
Sun dried tomatoes
Pine nuts
Oregano
Kosher salt
Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Finely chop the spinach and sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts and mix them all together in a small bowl so that you have an even amount of each ingredient in the bowl.
3. Slice a pocket in the thick part of each fillet and stuff the spinach mixture inside so it is almost over flowing. Spinkle each fillet generoulsy with salt, pepper and oregano. Place them on a broiler pan.

4. Turn the oven onto a high broil and broil the fillets for 8-10 minutes until they are just cooked through. A little trick I have learned is that if you remove the fillets from the oven when they are still pink and just barely uncooked on the inside, they will cook the rest of the way outside the oven so that they will be perfectly flaky and lovely.