eat more fish: salmon livornese

I'm not a new year's resolutions person, but I do like a reminder now and then to do better. And one of those things to make me a better person involves eating more fish. I'm always on the look out for a good fish recipe. A friend of mine had made this for me for dinner over the holidays and it was so delicious that I asked for the recipe. She used red snapper but I had some salmon filets so I used that instead and I decided to add in some lemon zest as well. It's a pretty versatile dish, so you could sub in most any fish fillet that you have on hand.

The tomatoes, capers and olives make this a tangy and flavourful sauce. I used to be a bit afraid of mixing tomatoes and fish (due to a bad fish dish my mom made when I was a kid), but that fear is definitely over. It doesn't take much preparation and the ingredients are all readily available. It's perfect for guests or just a cozy night in. Serve with steamed rice, broccoli and a nice red wine.

Want more excuses to eat fish? Here's some archive favorites:
Baked Fish with Potatoes and Rosemary
Braised Cod with Chickpeas & Corn
Miso Braised Cod with Soba Noodles
Roasted Fish with Rosemary, Olives, & Vegetables
Soy, Ginger, and Blood Orange Baked Trout Fillets

salmon livornese
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can of tomatoes
2 T capers, chopped
1/2 c sliced black olives, drained
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 lb salmon or red snapper
zest of 1 lemon
1 T lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large pan, sauted the onion in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes, capers, black olives, red pepper flakes and parsley. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Spread 1/3 of the sauce into an 11x17 baking dish and place the fish fillets over top in a single layer. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and then pour on the remaining sauce. Top with lemon zest.

3. Bake for 15 minutes for 1/2 inch thick fillets or 30 minutes for 1 inch thick fillets. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with extra parsley and serve.

simple sides: warm cauliflower salad & green salad with tarragon dressing

On Monday night our bowling league game was cancelled since the bowling alley was being used as a film set. Oh well, instead of an brisk bike ride to the lanes and all the resulting good times, I made due with cooking up a trout. Yup, a freakin' whole fish...with gills, fins, eyeballs, creepy looking fish face and everything! Cornelius' dad had fished the thing a while ago and it sat in the freezer for a bit before I worked up the courage to defrost it. Luckily, it was gutted and cleaned but I still had to contend with a fish and a face...but it was easier than I thought it would be. After rinsing it, I seasoned the thing with kosher salt, pepper and parsley and pan fried it in a little olive oil. I also made a caper-lemon-butter sauce (which is exactly as it sounds) to serve along with it and despite the evil look in that trout's eyeballs, it was a tasty dinner.


Alongside, I served up my favorite braised cabbage recipe from Orangette. It's a foolproof, delicious recipe that I've made many times and so perfect for these cool weather days. I also whipped up a plain green salad which looked like Christmas because of all the green and red! So pretty and tangy from the dressing made with bright green tarragon mustard. If you don't have tarragon mustard, use dijon and some finely chopped herbs. Yum! And if that's not enough vegetables, I had to use up some sad looking cauliflower found at the back of my fridge. I revived it with a recipe culled from epicurious and tampered with it, using what I had on hand. I'm sure it would have been great with anchovies and fresh parsley, but the resulting dish was pretty delicious as is.


green salad with tarragon dressing
1 head of romaine lettuce (or your favorite greens)
1 bunch of red radishes, sliced thin
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 T cider vinegar
1 T tarragon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

1. Tear up, rinse and dry your greens. Add them to your salad bowl and scatter the radishes on top.

2. Mix up your dressing and taste, adding a little bit more of what you feel may be necessary. Pour over salad and toss.

warm cauliflower salad
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t kosher salt
1 T drained bottled capers
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1. Steam cauliflower and set aside when it becomes crisp-tender, about 4-5 minutes.

2. Mix up dressing, mashing capers slightly with a fork. Pour over cauliflower, toss, and serve hot or cool.