Pan-Seared Lemon Cod
Sauteed lemon slices makes this dish really good, but the butter makes it great. This is a simple way to prepare fish that works with any delicate, mild-tasting white fish, such as sole, red snapper, or tilapia. Personally, I like cod.
In addition to the preparation below, Luke make a pan sauce with sherry and fresh dill, thickened with a little corn starch.
Pan-Seared Lemon Cod
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 pound cod
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, ends trimmed, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
Directions:
- Place the flour on a plate. Season the cod with the salt and then coat it in flour, shaking to remove any excess. Set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lemons and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- Push the lemons to the side of the skillet and add the cod. Cook until it’s the same color throughout and flakes easily, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the remaining butter and the capers. Remove from heat and tilt the skillet to swirl the butter until it melts.
- Transfer the cod and lemons to plates and spoon the capers ad butter over the top.
Michelle Obama Makes Farmers’ Market Shopping More Fun
One of the great benefits of living in DC are all the unexpected adventures. The opening of a farmers’ market two block from my office ends up being a press event with First Lady Michelle Obama, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty showing up…along with plenty of metal detectors and trench-coated Secret Service officers. It was an odd combination of “In the Line of Fire” meets “Babe the Pig.”
This White House Market was setup by FreshFarm Markets. I walked by the market on the way to a meeting and twittered (@Cookography) about all the metal detectors being setup. The FreshFarm Folks (@FRESHFARMMktsDC) tweeted right back with the tip. Twitter is clearly a powerful tool!
It was a great event and everyone who spoke talked about the importance of sustainable agriculture and accessible good food. Clearly there is a real change a foot when you see this level of attention being paid to improving the food we eat and the way we produce it. Of course compared to the goliath Ag industry, it is a very small gesture, but hopefully it represents a real shift in the way the nation looks at the importance of food.
DC Rules!
Eggs With A Summer Hash
There isn’t much to this recipe, but some nights that is not a bad thing. This recipe got “invented” one night when we were too lazy to cook much but we had veggies to use up. The result was a dilly summer hash top with a pair of fried eggs. It may sound a little crazy, but just think of it as a deconstructed quiche.
I am not going to bother typing up a recipe, this is supposed to be a quick and easy. The basic concept is taking a bunch of summer squash and even dicing them along with an onion. Saute the mixture with a good bit of butter, adding a healthy pinch of salt or two. After the vegetables have become tender add in a lot of minced, fresh herbs. I used dill, but I think you can get creative depending on what you have on hand. After you got this all mixed together, plate it and then fry up some eggs to place on top.
This recipe isn’t too crazy, but sometimes you don’t need to be in order to have good eats.
Watermelon and Peach is Actually a Good Salad Combo
With the Summer fruit and vegetable supply in full swing and abundance, Mark Bittman’s 101 Simple Salads for the Season is perfect timing. After getting a good haul of tomatoes, watermelon and peaches from the farmers’ market, we decided to start at the top of the list with two salad recipes that combine all of these.
The first salad called for cubed watermelon and tomato chunks, but we substituted peach for the tomato. Add basil and dress with a basic vinaigrette of olive oil, vinegar (we used apple cider vinegar), salt and pepper. We added a little bit of feta, as well.
The second salad called for tomato wedges and peaches, slivers of red onion, a few red-pepper flakes and cilantro. Dressing is olive oil and lemon or lime juice.
Delicious and refreshing!! Yay Summer!!
Weekend Eggs
Carolyn and I have a weekend tradition of making open face, fried egg “sandwiches.” They are more of fork-and-knife deal rather than dainty little affairs. They are a lot easier (and tastier) to make with fresh farm eggs. I like getting eggs from the farmers’ market on Saturday; their freshness is noticeable. The yolk of a fresh egg is tougher to break when you flip the egg and the egg white is a lot less runny. Notice the deep yellow color of the yoke…you don’t get that from the store! Once you’ve had fresh farm eggs, you will not go back to store-bought eggs!
This is pretty simple to make…something I require for a weekend breakfast.
Weekend Eggs
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs, cracked and divide into two bowls
- Salsa
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 English muffins, or other hearty bread
- Cheese
- Salt
Directions:
- Take two hearty english muffins and split them. Place a couple of slices of a hearty cheese, like cheddar, on each half and toast until the cheese is melty.
- Meanwhile heat a heavy cast iron skillet over a pretty high heat until it is nice and warm. Melt the butter until the foaming has slowed, you want the butter to brown a little. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium.
- Add the eggs. If the whites are pretty runny, try pushing the whites back towards the yolks to create a more compact, uniform shape. Give each egg a good sprinkle of salt.
- After the whites start to set up and turn opaque (2-3 minutes), give the pan a couple of shakes to loosen the eggs from the pan and redistribute the butter.
- Carefully flip the eggs, trying not to break the yolk. Just be confident and flip it with one quick motion. Cook for another minute or two, so the yolk is still runny.
- As the eggs finish, plate the english muffins and add a scoop of salsa on each half.
