Fish Wild v. Farm raised

My last post discussed how I really only want to eat wild caught fish.  The reality is that some farmed fish, especially salmon, are less nutritious than farmed fish.  My husband pointed out that some fish are actually farmed in their native environment.  So, I did some research...

When the topic of wild v. farm raised fish is brought up there are a lot of concerns about the nutrition of the seafood, the sustainability and the impact on the environment.

From what I have found clams, mussels and oysters are fine if they are farmed.  The consensus is that they are raised in their native waters and clean the water around them.  Like many other fish you really want want to avoid these shellfish if they are from China or Latin America due to pollution.

I have found this link to pocket guides that I think give you the best option for making the best decision for your seafood purchases.  It is called the pocket seafood guide and they are made for different regions.  You can get them here or it also comes as a smartphone app at no cost.  

I hope this helps make you happier about the seafood you eat like it will for me.

Anthoinette

Fish on the rocks a.k.a. drunken rockfish

Every Friday from now until perpetuity we will be having fish.  I will say that living on the coast I expect to be able to find fresh, wild caught fish all the time.

Not so much....

Today my choices were either Ahi or Rock Fish.  The Rock fish was not only much more affordable, but also something I had not cook with before, so the adventure begins....

Fish on the Rocks

Ingredients

2 lb rockfish
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/2 c vodka
1 t dill
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t chipotle
2 T capers
3 T butter

Directions

1)  preheat oven to warm

2)  heat olive oil in a large saute or fry pan on med high heat

3)  lightly season both sides of fish with salt and pepper

4)  cook fish on each side for 3 minutes on each side

5)  turn off oven and put fish on a cookie sheet in the oven

6)  turn off heat and mix remaining ingredients in pan until butter is melted

7)  put fish on a platter and serve with sauce over the top


This dish as been described as lightly savory with a touch of natural sweetness.  I hope you enjoy trying it in your kitchen as well.

Anthoinette

Chevre

I found some creamline goats milk at Trader Joes.  I just had to get it to make cheese.  As I was futzing on the internet I ran across an easy Chevre recipe.

The recipe is pretty simple.  You heat the goat milk to 185 then add 1 T lemon juice per cup of milk and stir for a few minutes then strain through cheese cloth and hang in the cheese cloth for 1 1/2 hours then mix with a little salt and herbs if desired.

I used the juice of 2 lemons which came to about 3 T of lemon juice and tried at 185, but it just did not perk.  Remembering previous adventures I tried between 200 and 205 and it started to perk.  I kept it in that temperature range for about 10 minutes, until it did not appear to be making any more curd then poured into my cheese cloth and hung it for 1 1/2 hours.

It is dryer than I expected and very lemony.  I did not think salt and herbs would be good with it so I put it in a mold in the fridge.  I think I will mix it with honey and use for a fruit desert or make a small cheese tart with it.

Either way it is not what I had expected or hoped for, but, I will have fun with it all the same.

Anthoinette

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Royal Macaroni and Cheese

Aurora and Charming love a certain amount of decadence in their charmed life.  This extends to their royal comfort food.

Royal Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

                   Skinny                                                    Rich
1 14.5 oz box macaroni noodles                 1 14.5 oz box macaroni noodles
1 1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese                     1 1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese
5 1/2 oz chevre                                           5 1/2 oz chevre
1/4 lb bacon                                               1/4 lb bacon
4 jalepenos                                                 4 jalepenos
5 T butter                                                   5 T Irish Butter
5 T flour                                                     5 T flour
5 c milk (2% or whole)                              3 c milk + 2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 t porchini sea salt                              1 1/2 t porchini sea salt (available at LaCrosse Olive Oil Co.)
1/2 t pepper                                                1/2 t pepper
1/4 c porchini mushrooms                         1/4 c porchini mushrooms
                                                                  1/4 c panko


Directions

1)  boil water for pasta and add a little salt, cook pasta for 7 minutes, drain and set aside

2)  cut bacon into 1/2" pieces and cook until squishy

3)  cut up jalepenos and porchinis and saute with bacon, until bacon is crisp, then drain grease and set aside

4) melt butter in pan and mix in flour to make roux then slowly whisk in milk and whipping cream(for rich version) and bring to boil, then drop to simmer

5)  grate cheddar and stir 1 lb into milk mixture

6)  break chevre into piecies and mix into milk/cheese mixture

7)  stir noodles, porchini salt, pepper, mushrooms and bacon into cheese sauce and put into a 13x9" pan

8)  spread remaining 1/4 lb cheese on top
     for the rich version evenly spread panko on top of cheese

9)  bake at 350 for 30 minutes

10)  remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving


I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as I do.

Antoinette

Auroras Spicy Hummus

I previously posted a very nice and basic hummus.  This recipe comes from Aurora and has big bold flavors.  The first time I had it I could not stop myself from eating all that was in front of me.



Auroras Spicy Hummus

Ingredients

2 15 oz cans chickpeas(garbonzo beans)
8 t garlic
1/3 c tahini
1 large or 2 small lemons, juice of
1 T kosher salt
1/2 T cumin
1 t coriander
1/3 c water
1/4-1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
paprika

Directions

1) Rinse garbonzo beans and set about a dozen to the side

2) Juice the lemon

3) mix garbonzo beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander, water and 1/4 c olive oil in food processor, slowing adding enough olive oil to make creamy

4) let sit for at least 15 minutes

5) garnish with garbonzo beans, extra virgin olive oil and paprika

6) serve with flatbread, chips, cucumber slices, olives, and what ever else makes your heart palpitate.

Enjoy,

Anthoinette