something fishy

If you haven't noticed a trend yet, I absolutely love fish. While salmon is a regular in my kitchen, I am pretty much willing to cook with, and eat, any fish that comes my way. Because I don't eat meat, fish is one of my regular go to's, whether eating out or cooking in. I think that a lot of people are afraid of cooking fish; it has a strange consistency, is a little bit smelly sometimes, and can be a little tricky to handle. But, if you give it some spice and some love, I promise you, you'll be cooking fish in no time. It has nice flavor and texture when cooked, and there are so many different kinds to try. Though seemingly intimidating, it is actually relatively simple and quick to cook. Plus, when treated right- fish is incredibly delicious.

A couple of nights a week, I try to have fish. I'd like to say it's because of all of the nutritional value and protein, but really, I'm just a sucker for it. I love experimenting with different recipes, pairing it with various spices and sauces. One of my favorite ways to prepare fish is by crusting it. While I've done a ground almond-bread crumb crusted fish before, I was itching to try out something new. I've always wanted to crust a fish with sliced almonds, so last week I put it to the test. I put together this recipe (with the cooking help of my boyfriend), and let me tell you, it was a tasty success. It looks fancy, but it's really just a few simple steps to a mouth watering dinner. Impress your friends with this one --and try pairing it with this salad for a wonderful weeknight dinner.

dinner is served!

Almond Crusted Snapper with Warm Summer Squash Salad

2 fillets of snapper
1 splash of olive oil
1 egg white, beaten
A pinch of parsley
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 cup toasted almond slices

egg wash

almond crust

Rinse off the fish and be sure to remove any remaining bones or scales
Beat egg white with parsley, salt and pepper until it is fully combined and starts to get a little frothy (30 seconds with a fork should do the trick)
Soak the fish in the egg wash before topping the top side with almond slices. Press the almonds into the fish so that they stick well to it
Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan over high heat
Place the fish, skin side down in the plan and cook for 4 minutes
Once the fish begins to cook through, flip it over with a spatula and cook for another 4 minutes
Remove from the pan and enjoy!


1 yellow summer squash, cut into thin rounds
4 cups mixed greens
1 cup heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 good squeeze of honey or dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
Slice your squash into thin rounds
Place them onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray and top with another spritz of cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Put your squash into the oven and roast for about 20 minutes or just until they start to become translucent and are not quite browning
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper
Toss greens, tomatoes, and squash in a large bowl with the salad dressing and enjoy!

a dinner date

While I love baking, I also love cooking dinner. There is nothing more relaxing to me than scouring the racks of my fridge and throwing together something delicious. These days I've been cooking a lot with my friends, or dining for one, as my #1 cooking partner in crime has been tied up in his busy season at work. Lucky for me (though probably luckier for him), my boyfriend just finished up his busy season, and now is free to cook with me again (I mean, I guess we could have cooked dinner at 2am together...but that's a bit too late for me). He loves food almost as much (if not more honestly) than I do, and loves to cook. Making dinner together is one of my favorite things to do, right after eating dinner together. 

On Saturday, after making our usual rounds at the farmer's market, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, we ended up at home and ready to cook. Inspired by the delicious looking trout at Whole Foods, our dinner grew from there. We made an awesome broccoli slaw, a specialty that my mom and I have perfected over the years, along side some spiced brown rice. I have to say, it was delicious.

Spiced Trout with Broccoli slaw and Spiced Brown Rice

 1/2 cup short grain brown rice (you can use any variety here, I just like the puffy texture yet nutty flavor of short grain that it gets when cooked)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable stock

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

Bring ½ cup water and ½ cup vegetable stock to a boil in a small saucepan, before adding in ½ cup short grain brown rice

Cover and turn down to low so that the rice and water are simmering

After 30 minutes (check every so often to ensure that rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you find that the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, add in more), season rice with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika

Cover and allow all liquid to cook out. Rice should be puffy and soft, but still a bit nutty. Fluff and serve!

1/2 bag broccoli slaw (this stuff is great- kind of like coleslaw, except made of shredded broccoli stems; I like the Trader Joe's brand which also has carrots in the mix)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp agave nectar

2 tsp mustard (I used Dijon, but Honey or any other of your choice would work as well)

A good splash of apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Pour half a bag of broccoli slaw into a large bowl

In a small bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, agave nectar, 2 mustard, and a splash of apple cider vinegar

Whisk these together until emulsified, and pour over the slaw

Sprinkle on salt, pepper, celery salt, and sesame seeds

Toss well slaw so that all of the slaw is dressed before covering

Let sit for at least 30 minutes, covered to allow slaw to marinate fully

the seasoned fish

Two fillets of trout

1/2 tsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp celery salt

Rinse off trout fillets, and remove any remaining scales or bones

In keeping with the other spices used, season the trout with salt, pepper, paprika, celery salt

Heat oil in a pan on high before placing fish skin side down into the pan (the fish should sizzle once it hits the pan)

Cook the fish, skin side down for 2-3 minutes before flipping the fish over, and turning the heat down to medium to finish cooking

The fish should take about 5 minutes total to cook through (trout is a pretty thin fish, though the thicker the fish, the longer it will take to cook)

Once fish is no longer translucent and has a nice white flesh, with a slightly browned crust, take it out of the pan

Enjoy!

did someone say dinner?