I'm always looking for new ideas and ways to prepare food. If you have any suggestions for favorite recipes please post them here. I don't care if you can't cook, but you might be a genius when it comes to crafting the perfect bowl of cereal. For example, cornflakes with a chopped up poptart in it- just RULES! Or top ramen (a staple food for college students) with minced Italian parsley is rather yummy and makes it taste a little classier than the norm.
So, I'll begin the thread by sharing a not-so-popular dish (especially unpopular with kids): FISH.
But any person with a curious palate who doesn't exactly LOVE fish may change their opinion of it once they give this a try. This method works really well with Salmon, but you can do it with just about any type of fish available at your local supermarket.
Crusty Crunchy Pan Seared Salmon:
2 to 4 large Skinless Salmon Steaks (each about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
1 small bottle of virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Sea Salt (for each steak)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper- freshly ground preferably (for each steak)
2 cloves of fresh minced garlic (you can buy this stuff pre-minced/ comes in a jar)
1 small jar of sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup flour
1. Dab the steaks with paper towels to remove all the excess water.
2. Season them with salt and pepper (you can improvise here, depending on how salty or peppery you like your food to taste, but keep in mind that fish absorbs salt like a sponge and garlic also enhances however much salt you use- so be careful. Some people, like my mom, are very sensitive to salt, so the relish may provide sufficient salt if this is the case with you. Try it with and without to see which way you like best.)
3. Smear an ultra thin coat of the minced garlic on both sides of the steaks. It should barely be visible.
4. Smear an ultra thin coat of the relish on both sides of the steaks. It should be as close as you can get it to one relish thick (hope that makes sense.)
5. Put the Salmon to the side for about 10 minutes to give it a chance to soak up all the flavors. It also gives it a chance to become closer to room temperature. (you'll get better results when the meat is at room temperature.)
6. In a big bowl, using a fork or a wire whisk, fluff up the flour to get as much air into it as possible. The desired consistency is that of a fine powder- like baby powder.
7. Now dump the flour into a big brown paper bag and one at a time, lightly shake up each steak in the bag. After you remove each steak from the bag shake away the excess flour so that each steak isn't totally caked up with flour. There should be a translucent veneer of flour on each steak.
8. In a preheated (super hot) pan or skillet with the olive oil about a centimeter deep, gently place however many steaks will fit leaving enough room on each side to turn them with a spatula. (if your pan isn't hot enough, the steaks will stick, but not too hot or you'll end up burning them before the middle has a chance to cook. Be prepared to adjust the heat as needed between hi, med hi, and med to keep the temperature right. The amount of smoke will help you benchmark when to adjust the heat.)
9. After about 4 1/2 minutes of browning, turn the steaks over and repeat the process with the other side. You may need to add more oil at this point. You be the judge.
10. Now both sides should have a nice crunchy coat and your house should smell like a restaurant =). But to be sure the fish is cooked all the way through, using the back of a fork or your finger- gently press the top of each steak to feel how done they are.
If you think your steaks still need more cooking then slap those puppies in a preheated oven at 400 degress for about 3 minutes.
Serve with Uncle Ben's rice and steamed veggies. MMM MMM ! ! !
