With Apologies to My Mother

It can be difficult for me to pick a dinner menu when my parents come to visit.  My father has Celiac Disease which means I generally stay away from dishes involving gluten (which rules out all pasta).  My husband won't eat red meat or pork (which is my normal life) but my father isn't overly fond of vegetarian.  Which means that unless I'm going to serve chicken every night, I'm going to have to make fish.  So the last time my parents were here, we were standing in Whole Foods and I said to my mother, "I'm going to get cod for supper."  My poor mother.  She is not overly fond of fish, especially when it tastes like fish (and not like teriyaki sauce or fried deliciousness or the like).  My father hates fish that does not taste like fish.  So it was with grim determination that my mother said "ok."  But.  This cod is tasty! Delicious even! I'm about as much of a fish fan as my mother (show me a crab, lobster, clam, shrimp, squid or octopus and I'm there, but fish? eh) and I like this!  But I did not waste my breath trying to convince her.  I simply made the cod, with a light fresh tomato and balsamic topping and let it do the convincing.  I think we may have won her over.

CRISPY COD WITH TOMATOES AND BALSAMIC

Equipment: You really do need a cast-iron skillet, large enough to fit your cod without touching.  A small pan will make this much harder to make and also, it will not turn out as well.  Why?  Well, you want your cod to be crisp (or at least kind of crisp) and the fish will give off moisture as it cooks.  Too many filets in your pan means too much moisture, means no crisping.  Also, you have to turn the fish over.  It can't just sit there.  And if you've crammed the pieces in, there is no room for the spatula.  Oh right, also, you need a spatula, and you'll be far happier with a fish spatula, you know the long narrow metal kind.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb cod per person
1 tomato per person
1/2 T balsamic per person
fancy balsamic to finish - I have some aged orange balsamic that is amazing.
olive oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
For the cod -
Make sure your cod is deboned.  I buy mine from Whole Foods and generally don't have any trouble with it, but you may have a few pinbones in there.  If you do, pull them out gently.  Pat your fish dry then, sprinkle it with salt and pepper.  Add about 2 T of olive oil to your cast iron pan.  Basically you want a very thin covering over the whole bottom of the pan, so don't try to undercut the amount, and don't pour a ton, you're not frying it.  Heat the pan on medium or until the oil looks a bit shimmery.  Then add the cod.  Reduce your heat to medium low (cast-iron keeps the heat) or even low if it seems out of control sizzle-y. Cook for 4 minutes.  It should come up easily for flipping.  Try nudging your spatula under one edge.  If it doesn't budge, you may have to let it go another minute.  If the fish flakes apart and you can't do a perfect turn, no worries, you can hide it under the tomato sauce.  Anyway, flip the fish over and cook it another 2-5 minutes.  The cod should be white and flaky.  Carefully transfer it to a plate.
For the tomatoes with balsamic - 
In a small pot or non-stick fry pan, pour about a teaspoon of olive oil.  Chop up the necessary tomatoes (I cored mine, then cut in a large dice) and toss in the pan over very low heat.  Add the balsamic.  Let cook while your cod is cooking, you should end up with the balsamic thick enough to coat a spoon.  Right before I pulled it off the heat, I added an extra tablespoon of my fancy balsamic (I served 4 people, so I guess that's a 1/4 tablespoon fancy balsamic per person).  If you are lacking in the fancy balsamic department, just add an extra tablespoon of the regular stuff at the start.  It will cook down just fine.

Spoon the tomatoes on top of the cod.  Please fish lovers and the fish neutral alike.

For Boston

Today I read an article somewhere in the great internets about how the current generation is so self-absorbed that they tend to co-opt tragedy as their own.  They regale people with stories of how they could have been there at the site of the tragedy du jour.  There but for the grace of God...

This Boston tragedy was not mine.  It belonged to others, some near and dear to me who were at the scene of the bombings.  Others I've known and cared about over the years.  But it could not have happened to me.  I have been a long time gone from that city.  But in a time when the Yankees are playing Sweet Caroline to honor Boston, certainly I can say that in my heart of hearts, Boston you're my home.

And that my heart is breaking for all of those who have no need to co-opt tragedy, because it is their own.  Because it came right up to their doors and into their homes. Should you want to help, rather than retell your own plans to someday maybe run the marathon, check out charity navigator's advice on ways to donate.

And since you came here for food (you did come here for food, right?) rather than lectures on how to properly handle your reactions to crisis, how about a recipe from The New England Clam Shack Cookbook for some delicious scallops?  It's a much better way to feel like an honorary New Englander.

Verdict:  If I have any common sense, I'll get this in regular rotation in time for the summer.  Curing homesickness through cooking is something I definitely sign on for.




PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS
modified slightly from The New England Clam Shack Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb sea scallops - select scallops that aren't sitting in a lot of liquid, scallops are better when dry.  Also pick ones that haven't started to separate
1/4  t salt
1/4 t sugar
1/2 t thyme
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t onion powder
olive oil
lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the salt, sugar, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder.  Heat a cast-iron pan to medium high and add a bit of olive oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan (I used a paper towel to help smear it around and make sure I didn't have too much oil).  Pat your scallops dry and then sprinkle them top and bottom with the seasoning mix.  When the pan is hot, place the scallops in the pan, not touching.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then if they are golden brown, flip and cook for 2-4 minutes on the other side.  Cooked scallops should be more opaque than when they started, firm to the touch and have those nice golden edges.  Garnish with lemon wedges (you know, so you can squeeze lemon on them).

Ask and You Shall Receive...

My husband is many wonderful things, but he is not decisive when it comes to food.  In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not much better. Way back when we first started seriously dating and generally eating dinner together each night, choosing what we would make was an ordeal consisting largely of "I don't knows" on my side and "I don't feel likes" on his side.  This of course, leads to eating dinner at an ungodly hour. In a misguided attempt to solve our problem one day, I called him before he left work (this was back before texting was a thing) with some suggestions for dinner.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when he came back with "I can't choose.  I'm not hungry yet.  I won't know what I want until I'm hungry."  Needless to say, once we moved in together he pretty much lost all say in dinner entirely, and I just started cooking whatever I wanted.

Which is why last weekend when he suddenly developed a strong desire to have shrimp chowder for dinner, I was happy to oblige.  Not only was I thrilled that he was offering up a dinner suggestion, I just happened to have a recipe for shrimp chowder on hand that I wanted to try.  The recipe comes from a friend of my grandmother's. She hosted a lunch and my Nana thought the soup was so delicious that she got the recipe for me.  It had languished in my recipe file for awhile, but I'm glad Ryan gave me the motivation to finally try it.  It's definitely going into the rotation.

NAN JENSEN'S SHRIMP CHOWDER
altered slightly from the original

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined and chopped into bite sized pieces, but not too small!)
6 slices bacon (or turkey bacon)
1 1/2 C diced onion
2 celery ribs
2 medium baking potatoes, diced
3 bottles clam juice
1 C light cream
1 C milk
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, cook your bacon.  You can do it as slices and crumble later, but I chopped mine ahead and then fished out the bits when they were crisp.  Crisping will take 5-7 minutes over medium heat.  Remove the bacon to paper towels and set aside until later.  Chop your celery, I do mine in a fine dice because Ryan hates celery, but you can gauge your chopping size however you please. Add the onion and the celery to the pan (no need for butter or oil if you have bacon drippings in the pan).  Cook for 7 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.  Then add the clam juice and the potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.  Let simmer 15-20 minutes until your potatoes are tender.  Add the milk and cream (you can add all cream, even all heavy cream if you want full decadence).  Then add your shrimp and simmer for 3 minutes until they are pink.
Be really careful throughout these last 2 steps because if the heat is too high the cream will kind of separate and get grainy.  It'll taste fine, but look yucky. Add your salt and pepper to taste.  Once the shrimp are cooked you can add the bacon.  I served first and then used the bacon as a pretty garnish, but you're more than welcome to just stir it into the soup.

Marching On

These days there is exactly one thing preventing me from becoming a total failure as a food blogger and home cook: Lent.  If it weren't for this whole meatless Friday conundrum I would continue with my downward spiral of leftovers, takeout and waiting for Ryan to get home and cook for me.  But if I want to actually observe the dietary part of Lent, I must take matters into my own hands.  Being not a Christian, much less a Catholic, Ryan finds the whole practice ridiculous.  So to avoid any arguments about whether or not I should be skipping meat (especially hard to win when there's no Pope about) I have to be on my game and have Friday night dinner planned and in progress before he has time to notice or comment on the lack of meat.  This week I needed something fully pantry supplied because with disgusting snowy icy conditions outside there was no way I was venturing to the supermarket.  So despite some initial misgivings about mixing seafood and cheese, I decided on clam pizza.  Ryan was skeptical to say the least (although he hid it well, he's really a saint once I've decided about dinner, supportive, kind and willing to eat it) but it was delicious I think we both wished I had another waiting in the wings.

CLAM PIZZA (no, this will probably not compare to Frank Pepe's in New Haven and any stories I may have about aimlessly driving through New Haven in search of Frank Pepe's will have to wait for another blog post)

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 recipe of dough rolled out thin
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
pinch + a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (you'll need to follow your own taste on this)
3 cloves minced garlic
1-2 cans chopped clams (We buy Snow's.  Do you have a better brand?)
1 C grated mozzarella
1 C grated parmigiano reggiano
2-3 T clam juice (reserved from cans above)
sprinkle of oregano
cornmeal (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 475 F.  In a small pan, heat your oil, minced garlic and pinch of red pepper flakes on low.  Let that gently cook while you roll out your dough.  Sprinkle your baking sheet with a bit of cornmeal to prevent sticking and then lay out your dough.  Use a fork to poke the dough to prevent bubbles. Brush the dough with the heated olive oil, saving the garlic and red pepper flakes for later (I just dipped the brush in the pan and then basted the crust, no need for formal separation or anything).  Pop the dough in the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove the crust and brush with the olive oil and garlic mixture, this time using the garlic and red pepper.  Poke at it a bit to make sure the garlic is sort of evenly distributed.  Mix together your two types of grated cheese and then lightly sprinkle the crust with it.  I started with a half cup of each and it wasn't quite enough to cover so we grated a bit more.  For how we'd rolled out the dough it was a light covering of cheese.  If you like yours super cheesey you'll need more.  Drain the clams reserving the juice. Sprinkle the crust with the clams.  One can was delicious, but I wouldn't have minded some more.  I think two cans (which was not an option for us because one was all we had might be too much, so eyeball it if you go beyond one can).  Then drizzle over a few tablespoons of the juice (don't do too much, no one likes soggy crust).  Sprinkle the whole thing with oregano (mine has a shaker opening and I just very lightly went over the whole pie).  Then if you like some spice, do a very light sprinkle of red pepper flakes too (these are VERY strong in flavor and heat so be very cautious with them).  Put the pizza back into the oven for 5 more minutes.  Remove, cut, eat and wish you had more.

Worthy of the Barley Neck Inn, circa 1983

When I was a very little girl, Cape Cod was a lot less built up than it is today.  In particular, nice restaurants (as opposed to tiny fried fish and clam shacks) were often quite far from my grandmother's home in quiet Falmouth. But the Barley Neck Inn* wasn't just a "nice" restaurant.  It was truly fine dining, in a quintessential New England setting, a sea captain's house built in the late 1800s.  Back in those days, you used to dress up for this sort of thing, and the Barley Neck was formal.  I can still hear my grandfather complaining bitterly about wearing a tie, while my Nana would tell him to stop fussing with it.  We would drive a solid hour out to Orleans; it was an occasion and I loved it.  Going out to a fancy dinner was just about one of my favorite things.  In truth, I was a precocious brat who would have been insulted if a place had a kid's menu, much less invited me to select from one. I don't remember too much about the specifics of the menu probably because when I was little I was a creature of habit, more even than I am now and I likely ordered the same thing every time.  My favorite appetizer was artichoke hearts au gratin which came in its own little casserole dish and was completely heavenly.  I'm fairly sure that the piece de resistance was Beef Wellington (sweet heavens how I love Beef Wellington).  It was that kind of restaurant.  Classic dishes, New England dishes, but never banal, the chef clearly knew how to innovate. (e.g. my grandfather's favorite was a cauliflower and clam chowder).  While I could never tell you if they featured a shrimp (more likely lobster, considering New England's seafood supply) pot pie, it's certainly the kind of dish that would have fit in perfectly: elegant, rich, well-executed and with a classic Cape Cod spirit.

*Don't bother looking it up, the horror show currently bearing the name has no resemblance to the fine old institution.

SHRIMP POT PIE
This makes two hearty main dish portions.

INGREDIENTS:
puff pastry (I needed 1/3 of a sheet) - thawed
1 lb shrimp, cleaned, deveined and chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 T butter
3 T flour
1/2 C white or yellow onion chopped fine
1/2 C mushrooms (I used baby bella) chopped
2 t Old Bay Seasoning
2 T vermouth or dry white wine
1/3 C milk
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and placing the two oven safe dishes you plan on using on top of it.  It will be much easier to pull a pan out of the oven instead of two smallish dishes.  I used these Pyrex baking dishes of my Nana's that are marked 12 oz.  They're smaller than a bowl, but bigger than a ramekin.

In a large skillet, melt your butter over low heat.  Add the flour and whisk to make a thick paste.  Allow this (the roux) to cook for 3-4 minutes until a nice warm goldeny-brown color.  Add the onions and mushrooms and stir to incorporate them with the roux.  Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat until they are soft. Add the shrimp and toss with the Old Bay Seasoning. Increase the heat for medium high.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.  When the shrimp have lost their translucence (honestly, you're going to bake them later, they'll be cooked, don't worry about it) add the vermouth and continue to stir or whisk until the liquid is sort of absorbed to make a sauce.  Then add the milk and continue stirring a bit.  Give it a few minutes to thicken.  Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper accordingly (mine needed quite a bit of salt).

On a well floured surface, roll out the puff pastry and cut two pieces that will fit the top of your baking dishes. Spoon your thickened pot pie mixture into the bowls, top with the puff pastry and place in the oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  You want the top to be golden brown and puffed up.  Serve immediately.

Can't Stop

My Fourth of July post was really just the beginning.  Because when I go to New England, I can't help myself, I just can't stop eating seafood.  I had grilled shrimp, fried clams (twice), fried haddock, clam chowder, steamers, a lobster and shrimp cake, haddock and clam bouillabaisse, an a hot lobster roll (butter, not mayonnaise). Then when we got home, my parents invited us over for some crab salad.  It has been heaven. I cannot compete with how fresh and delicious the seafood is up there, but on the other hand, I just can't stop eating it!! These fried shrimp will assist me in my serious efforts to completely block my arteries with butter and oil, because they are so delicious, you can't stop eating them either. Go ahead, make them and let me know!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 C flour

1 T Emeril's "Essence"

9 oz of good beer

vegetable oil for frying

INGREDIENTS FOR ESSENCE:
2 1/2 T paprika
2 T salt
2 T garlic powder
1 T black pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T cayenne pepper
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme

DIRECTIONS:
Pat the shrimp dry.  In a large, heavy pot or pan (I use a dutch oven usually), pour in enough oil to deep fry your shrimp. This should be a couple of inches deep.  You'll want a thermometer for the oil, so that you can tell when it's ready.  I fry between 350 F and 375 F.  Put your oven on low (200 F?) and line a cookie sheet with a few layers of paper towel.  This way when your shrimp are cooked, you'll be able to lay them on the sheet and pop them in the oven to keep warm.  In a large bowl, combine the flour and essence. Quickly dredge the shrimp so that they have a thin layer of flour on them.  Then pour the beer into the rest of the flour/essence mixture while whisking so that there are no lumps.  Dip about 5-6 shrimp in the beer batter and sort of hold them up so the excess drips off a bit.  It's a pretty light batter, so if you notice the shrimp aren't really getting covered, don't worry about letting the excess drip, just coat them.  When the oil is warm enough, gently place the group of shrimp in the oil.  Wear long sleeves, oil hurts like heck when it spatters.  Flip them using metal tongs after about 2 minutes. They'll only need about 2-6 total minutes, how long depends on if you little shrimp or HUGE ones.  If yours are really big, put fewer in the pot at once.  I use a spider to fish them out and drop them on the tray I've prepared.  Let the oil come back up to temperature before starting your next batch.  When they're done, you are allowed to eat them.  But don't blame me if you can't stop.  I warned you!!

Grill Mooch

I have never owned a grill.  My parents have always had one, first a avocado green charcoal beast, most likely squatting over our gravel driveway, later a shiny gas number, lovingly ensconced on a new back porch.  The house where I lived  senior year in college had one.  I can't even remember what it looked like, I only remember the luxury of padding out onto the back porch and being handed a burger.  There is nothing more magical in college than food that appears before you, already cooked, particularly if it didn't come from a dining hall.  After college, my best friend set up house in Brookline, where her grandparents had lived.  In the same backyard she grew up playing in, she'd throw the perfect summer party:  tons of friends, floating around the pool and dragging yourself up to the deck for dinner off the grill.  I tended to ignore the ubiquitous burgers and dogs for her steak tips.  To this day, they are on my short list of ultimate summer grill foods and I beg for them each time I visit.  The fact of the matter is, I am a grill mooch.  I have not owned one, I cannot operate one, but sweet merciful heavens do I love what can come off one.  This Fourth of July, my father-in-law manned the grill.  I did  the prep, but in the end, there was more than a little mooching.  I'm also afraid that at least one recipe was largely improvisational.  Sorry!

GARLIC BREAD:

Take a loaf of day old bread, drizzle olive oil over it.  Peel a garlic clove and rub it against the surface of the bread.  Grill until it looks delicious (just like above.)  Unsurprisingly, the garlic bread portion of this post is NOT gluten-free.  The rest of the stuff is.

SHRIMP:

Have you made Mark Bittman's Spicy Shrimp? You really should.  They are dead easy, really delicious and can be made inside if you don't have a grill.  I made them in the oven just a few weeks ago, but they were even better on the grill. Oh, and did  I mention fast?  They're fast.  Just 2-3 minutes a side.  

AVOCADO, TOMATO AND CORN SALAD:

This was seriously delicious.  But I didn't measure anything.  I feel terrible. I promise to try it again with actual proportions because it was wonderful.  If you want to attempt it yourself, here's what I did...

INGREDIENTS(ISH):

2 ears of corn

2 very small avocados

2 tomatoes

freshly squeezed lemon juice

red wine vinegar

olive oil

less than a teaspoon of cumin

salt  and pepper

butter

DIRECTIONS(ISH):

Sprinkle the ears of corn with salt and pepper.  Rub them with a bit of butter.  Wrap them in foil and grill (I think he did them for 20 minutes, but don't hold me to that).  Remove and scrape the kernels off the corn into a large bowl.  They will be hot as all get out, so you can let them cool a bit, or handle them using an oven mitt, whatever works for you.  Also, if you don't have a grill, you could cook the corn however you usually do it (I usually bring a huge pot of water to a boil and toss them in for 5 minutes).  Chop the tomato and avocado into nice little bite sized bits.  Toss the tomato, avocado and corn together.  In a separate bowl, mix together the lemon juice (I know I didn't use more than half a lemon), the red wine vinegar (no idea how much) and some olive oil.  Add the cumin and some salt and pepper, then mix again.  Pour this all over the salad.  Taste and add more salt, lemon or cumin to taste. I added more salt (I didn't have access to Kosher, only table salt and had no idea how much I needed).  While the lemon may save the avocado from browning for a little while, I probably wouldn't really make this ahead, because I can't promise it would keep the avocado pretty for long.  Don't worry about leftovers, there were none.

Cooking it Old School

Some recipes are passed-down-from-your-grandmother's-grandmother old.  Some recipes are original-Good-Housekeeping-Joy-of-Cooking-whatever-is-your-recipe-bible old.  Some recipes are just I-honestly-can't-remember-when-I-started-making-this-I-can't-remember-when-I-didn't-know-how old.  This is the latter.  I have a very dear (and sadly pretty empty) cookbook that my mother gave me.  In it she wrote some "recipes" and some recipes for things we a) made a lot and b)she thought I could actually cook.  This recipe isn't in there.  Instead I have a recipe card, presumably right out of her recipe box, possibly predating my cookbook.  It was one of the first dinners I could make that you could actually serve to people.  I have never once made it for a dinner party (true confession:  I have never in my life had a dinner party.  I think I'm depressed by that.  I should have a dinner party.  Why don't my friends live close enough for a dinner party?).  But close to 10 years ago, I did walk my dearest friend Lizzie through making it for a dinner party she was throwing.  This strikes me as pretty hilarious in retrospect.  It's not like I was a particularly accomplished chef back then, but Lizzie is the kind of person who needs to be told that garlic is not supposed to turn black when you saute it in butter.  But evidently I considered myself enough of an expert (at least in comparison to her) to play the part of Cyrano de Berger-chef.  Although this may seem like a nasty put down of my friend and a disturbing display of overconfidence on my part, there's really only one take away.  This recipe is obscenely easy.  It had to be. When I walked her through it, I was in San Francisco, at least 3000 miles from any recipes I possessed and I was not at a point when I could cook without a recipe. She had exactly the culinary chops listed above.  And yet, instant dinner party!

Can you remember back to the first thing you knew how to cook?  Was it simple or dinner party ready?  Share in the comments!

SHRIMP WITH FETA

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 C canned chopped tomatoes
1 lb raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
3 T olive oil
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 to 1/2 C dry white wine (or vermouth)
1/2 t oregano
2 oz feta, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pan, heat your olive oil to medium low. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically.  They shouldn't brown.   Stir in the tomatoes, wine, oregano, and bring to a boil.  Cook uncovered until it thickens to a light puree (probably around 5 minutes).  Add the shrimp and cook over moderate heat about 7-10 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.  The exact amount of time for the shrimp varies depending on whether you have a pound of little shrimp (which will cook more quickly) or a pound of big shrimp (which will cook more slowly).  Remove from the heat and crumble in the feta.  Give it a good mix. Serve over rice.  Pretend you know how to cook.

Korean Obsession

Sometimes, it is really hard to order at our favorite restaurant, so many things sound delicious.  And it is a rare, rare night when we order wrong.  But a few weeks ago, the unthinkable happened.  Ryan ordered an appetizer that was not great, but merely fine.  And maybe he could have lived with that, but he made the mistake of asking for more details about his second choice, the Korean Rice Cakes.  When he heard the name of the sauce, he said something along the lines of "that stuff is the shit," and promptly pulled up an e-mail he'd sent to himself earlier in the week consisting of exactly one word: gochujang. For the rest of the meal, those rice cakes were all he talked about.  By dessert, it was time for extreme measures.  After a brief consultation with our favorite waiter who advised "Just do it, or you'll be in her ear about it for the rest of the night," he ordered the rice cakes for dessert.  It was a very happy time for him.  But he hasn't really let it go.  He can't stop thinking about the gochujang.  Finally, we made a trip to a massive Asian grocery and bought some of our very own. Of course, I had to make something using it right away to shut him up show my love.  I'm nice like that.

SALMON IN GOCHUJANG
recipe from Indonesia Eats,
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb salmon
1/4 C gochujang
2 T + 1 t rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T honey
1 T vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together the gochujang, rice wine vinegar, soy, garlic and honey.  Rinse the salmon and pat dry.  Pour the marinade in dish large enough to hold the piece of salmon.  Place the salmon in the marinade skin side up, then flip and place it skin side down, then return it to the skin side up position once the salmon is fully coated.  Marinate for 1 hour.

Heat up a large skilled with a little bit of cooking oil, something flavorless is best.  On medium high heat, cook the salmon 3-4 minutes a side or until an opaque pinkish-salmon color.

If you'd like to use the marinade as a dipping sauce, transfer it to a small pan and heat to a boil.  Then you're all set to use it again.

Go Ahead, Get Crabby

One of my less admirable qualities is that I am a bit of a crab. For example, my work year just ended and I have vacation now. But rather than being thrilled and jumping for joy, I find myself nettled by a million different things. Days are long and a bit lonely when you're home by yourself. Household chores must be done, because really, what's my excuse for not doing them? I never know what time Ryan's going to be home, so I have to chose between not quite finishing dinner, or letting dinner sit and get cold. But this dinner is absolutely perfect. Not only does it not get cold if it sits, it's incredibly easy to make, and it's crabby just like me.

CRAB AND AVOCADO SALAD
serves 2 as an entree

Salad:
1 head of Boston or Bibb lettuce (I used romaine because that's what I had but I would have liked something more delicate.
1/4 C of tomatoes (these are optional, I didn't feel they added much, but I always worry about things not being enough dinner for Ryan)

Dressing for Greens:
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1.5 Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Crab and Avocado:
1/2 lb fresh (not frozen)jumbo lump crabmeat
1 ripe avocado

Dressing for Crab:
2 tsp Dijon mustard ( I use Maille, which says it's gluten-free)
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch pepper

Assembly:
Rinse the lettuce and pat dry. Tear into pieces so you can actually eat it. If you want to use cherry tomatoes, rinse and quarter them now. Put in a bowl. Mix up the 2 T of lemon juice and the 1.5 T of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the greens and toss. Set aside.

Clean the crab by going through it with your fingers and picking out any shells. In a medium bowl, whisk the dijon mustard, 3 T of lemon juice and pepper. Put the crab in the bowl and toss gently. Cut the avocado into chunks (you know you don't eat avocado peel, right?) Add it to the crab and again toss gently. I used my hands because both the avocado and crab are so delicate, I wanted to be sure I wasn't smushing anything.

Arrange your greens around the edge of a plate. Arrange the crab and avocado in the center. Revel in the fact that you have not turned on a single heat creating device in your kitchen. Be glad that you have a legitimate excuse for being crabby.

Stars Align

You know how I'd been thinking about my repertoire, and how I didn't have enough fancy things that I could make for company? Well, about a week ago, someone was asking about for a scallop/mushroom/white wine recipe and something just clicked. Didn't my dad make some type of delicious scallop-y mushroom thing? The next night, I was a guest at my parents house and lo and behold my father was making exactly that for dinner. So for both my own purposes, and for the good of others, I followed him around as he cooked, diligently scribbling on a small scrap of paper and peppering him with questions. The result: We have a recipe! Now you (and I) can cook fancy scallops any time we feel like.

FANCY SCALLOPS
adapted from Julia Child - Julia doesn't have mushrooms. Poor Julia.
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lbs crimini/baby bella mushrooms (buttons only in a pinch) or 1 lb fresh chanterelles (if you'd like to go super upscale - DO NOT attempt with dried, it won't work)
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 C minced yellow onion
2 T shallot minced
1/4 t dried thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 C flour
1/2 T olive oil + 1 T olive oil
1 T butter + 1 T butter + a bit more for greasing casserole dish
1/2 C vermouth or white wine
1/3 emmenthaler or gruyere
1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare your scallops. Place them in a colander and rinse, then pat them dry. Be thorough. Then carefully trim off the foot/muscle area. Halve or quarter them (depending on size), you want uniform scallop chunks of about 1". Quarter or halve your mushrooms so they are in chunks only slightly smaller than the scallops. Mince up your garlic, onion and shallot. Prepare two skillets. In one, toss a 1/2 T of olive oil and the mushrooms. Cook on medium to sweat out the liquid from the mushrooms. In the other, melt the butter and cook the onions on medium low until they are translucent (about 5 minutes), then add the garlic and shallot and cook a few minutes more, then set aside. When the mushrooms are golden and there is no liquid in the bottom of the mushroom pan (5-7 minutes) set aside your mushrooms. In another small bowl, combine the thyme and bay leaf. Grate your emmenthaler. See?

Now, back to the scallops. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. In a large ziploc bag, combine the scallops and the flour. Gently shake to coat the scallops. Remove scallops from the bag and shake off all excess flour. Get a pan very hot and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining tablespoon of butter. When the pan sizzles with the addition of a drop of water, it's ready for the scallops. Sear for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side, you want a nice crust. DO NOT attempt to move the scallops before that time, or you will ruin everything. When the second side is seared and has a nice crust, add the vermouth or white wine, the shallot, garlic, onion, bay, thyme and mushrooms and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 5 minutes, covered. Remove the cover (and the bay leaf). The sauce should have thickened nicely, if not, reduce a bit more. Pour into a greased pyrex or casserole, sprinkle with the cheese (emmenthaler is terrific, if you use gruyere, use less as it is a bit stronger). Broil until the cheese is bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Sorry Folks

As about 90% of my readership already knows - I'm on vacation. Right now I'm on Cape Cod, visiting my Nana. I'm not going to lie, I've had lobster twice in the past two days. Life is good, but I can't say as I've been doing much cooking. I'll be home in a week and I just can't guarantee anything new or exciting until then. For now, have a little scallop pasta to tide you over.

SCALLOP PASTA
adapted from Marcella Hazan

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lb bay scallops (you can use sea scallops, but you'd need to chop them into smaller, maybe 1/2", pieces - if you live in New England and you wait until November - March, you can get Cape Bay Scallops which are the best!)
1/2 lb spaghetti
1/8 cup bread crumbs
1 T butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cloves garlic minced
1 t red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:
Start your water for the pasta. When it boils, add the pasta and start the sauce. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and the garlic and the red pepper flakes on low heat until the garlic is pale golden. Wash and dry the scallops. Turn the heat up a bit and add the scallops. Cook for 1-2 minutes until they are no longer translucent. Add the pasta when it is done and swirl it around, mixing well so it picks up all the oil and garlic and scallopy goodness. In a small pan, combine the bread crumbs and a tablespoon of butter. Stir until butter melts into the bread crumbs. Serve the pasta and top with sprinkles of bread crumbs. You do not need to use all the bread crumbs.

Summer Soup

For our anniversary a few weeks ago, Ryan and I went to our favorite local restaurant. For my appetizer, I had an amazing cucumber avocado soup with some peach and corn salsa. It was so refreshing and delicious, we knew we had to try to make some version of it. Of course, I decided to make it last night, which was probably the coolest night we've had all summer, and therefore the only night we wouldn't have minded turning on the stove, but I can't really complain about a no-cook dinner right?

CUCUMBER AVOCADO SOUP WITH CRAB
I made enough for two, and felt that perhaps the soup to crab ratio was a bit off. I didn't mind at all when I was eating it. I'm giving you a doubled soup recipe, so there'll be enough for four smallish soups (or two with leftovers), but what you do with the crab is up to you.

INGREDIENTS:
I used 1/2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat. You could use this much for four people, if you wanted the focus on the soup. Or you could use more.

2 ripe avocados
3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 T red onion
2 t seeded jalepeno
4 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (this would have been two whole lemons for me)
6 T plain yogurt (I used low fat)
2 T water
2 T olive oil
a bit of chopped tomato as garnish (optional)
hot sauce as garnish if you like (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Carefully pick through the crab and remove any hard bits. Jumbo lump won't have many, so you shouldn't have too much work to do. Chop the avocado and cucumber roughly and put them in a blender with the red onion, jalepeno, lemon juice, yogurt, water and oil. Process until smooth. I put mine through a strainer, partially because I put in two bits of cucumber with skin before I decided to peel it, but if you like your texture, feel free to skip the straining. Chill the soup. Top with crabmeat and a bit of tomato and a drizzle of hot sauce if you like.

Maryland Crab Cakes

My mother's crab cakes are to die for. The recipe comes direct from the Governor of Maryland. Of course, probably over 50% of all Maryland crab cake recipes claim to come from the Governor of Maryland. Then again Maryland has had over 60 governors since ye olde Revolutionary War, so hell, maybe all of them are authentic. I mean, if you're even willing to believe the governor himself (rather than his hardworking chef) has anything to do with it. Isn't everyone's enduring memory of Spiro Agnew(MD gov. 1967-1969) that of him carefully forming crab cakes and placing them in a hot pan? I know. There's nothing more confidence inspiring than Spiro Agnew. So with no further ado, a bona fide recipe from the Governor of Maryland.

MARYLAND CRABCAKES
from the Governor of Maryland or you know, my mom

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb crabmeat (use backfin and remove all the cartilage or use jumbo lump which is a bit easier to clean - either way, get Maryland crab, there's no substitute for that.)
1/2C breadcrumbs (unflavored)
1 egg
1t dry mustard
2t Worcestershire
3 drops Tabasco
for cooking the cakes
olive oil

We part ways with the governor, because he calls for 1/4 C light cream which we have never used.

for the sauce (family recipe, not governor's)
3 T mayonnaise
1 t dijon mustard
2 t lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Clean crabmeat. Mix all ingredients and form into flattened cakes. Pat cakes into more breadcrumbs to form a bit of a crust. I used to fry them in a small amount of olive oil, but lately I have broiled them. Cover the broiling pan with tin foil and and grease with olive oil. Using a spoon, smear about a teaspoon of olive oil on top of each crabcake (which you have placed on the broiling pan). If you fry the cakes, cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes per side. They should be firm and nicely brown. If you broil them, cook about 5 minutes per side, turning the pan for evenness halfway through each side.

The traditional family sauce has been a mix of 3T mayonnaise, 1t Dijon mustard and 2t lemon juice.

Score One for Mark Bittman

It is very hard to get back on track once you've started slacking. First, there was a hectic week at work, tying up loose ends before vacation. Then a whirlwind three state tour, where I spent time with family and then my best friend's delicious baby daughter (who you'll be relieved to know I did NOT eat, although she may be a bit nibbled on around the toe area). Finally, the long drive home from Boston to spend two hours sitting on the floor surrounded by papers trying to draft a fantasy baseball team that will not drive me crazy (I think I failed there). So last night was the first night I'd cooked in well over a week. I'd toyed with the idea during the crazy midweek heat wave, but it's hard to be serious about cooking when it's over 80 degrees in April. The heat did push me into hunting up this fabulous list of fast, easy, hot weather meals that Mark Bittman put together. Last night's dinner was right off the list, all you need is about 10 minutes, a few fresh ingredients and you're all set. The shrimp are delicious and the beans are so creamy. We had it with bruschetta, but crusty bread in any form would go perfectly.

SHRIMP WITH WHITE BEANS AND THYME
for 2

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 T extra virgin olive oil - don't skimp
3 T vermouth or white wine (these should be gf, skip if you're not comfortable)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (adjust according to your personal feelings on garlic)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, seasoned with salt and pepper
about a half T fresh thyme leaves - I didn't measure.
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pan, add the oil and garlic. Cook on medium low until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes. Flip the shrimp, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Add the white beans, cook for 3 minutes, then add 3 T vermouth or white wine, increase heat slightly and cook for 1 minute longer. Sprinkle with thyme. When the shrimp are opaque and pinky, they are done, so they should be done shortly after you've sprinkled with thyme. Check to make sure you like the amount of salt and pepper you used, adjust as needed and serve!

Fried Haddock

After that incredibly awful, embarrassing performance by the Patriots, Ryan and I felt that it was very important to remind ourselves of the good things about New England (since it sure as heck isn't their football team). Fried fish went a long way towards repairing the damage. In fact, when the first few pieces came out all golden and crispy, Ryan may have started to drool a bit. And when it became clear that we had an excess of beer batter, he became a bit overeager, searching the kitchen for anything else we could possibly fry. His suggestions ranged from the possibly delicious (the shrimp I need for tonight's pasta) to the ridiculous and possibly awful (dates, wheat bread, the batter by itself). Anyway. That first bite of sweet, flaky fish and it was like being back on the Cape in summer. Baseball season's gotta be better, right?

CRISPY BEER BATTERED HADDOCK
an oil thermometer is highly recommended for this recipe
from Epicurious adjusted to have the right amount of batter for 1lb of fish


1 lb fresh fish - I love haddock because it's thick and sweet and flaky. Cod will work well too, but it's a much thinner fish. Cod is best for those of you who like batter better than you like the fish.
1.5 C flour
9 oz beer (preferably ale) and yeah that's not a whole bottle, so go ahead and drink some while you cook.
salt and pepper
oil (veggie, canola) I use about 2" worth in my Dutch oven, I don't measure by cups, I measure by depth.

DIRECTIONS
Clean your fish, remove the skin if you prefer and remove any pin bones (run your hands down the center of the fish, anything poky-uppy is probably a pin bone, they are easiest to remove with a strong set of tweezers).
Get your oil set up in your deep heavy pot. Put the thermometer in, and you want the oil temp to be 375 F. Turn on your oven to low (maybe around 200? F). Prepare a plate with paper towels for draining your fish on, and a raised rack on a cookie sheet for keeping the fish warm in the oven.
Salt and pepper your fish, then dredge in 1/2 C flour, shaking off the excess.
Put the rest of the flour in a large bowl then add the beer slowly, while whisking. It can be a bit tricky, but make sure it's all the same consistency.
When your oil is ready, use a pair of tongs. Dip your fish in the beer batter (you may want to sort of drop it in and pick up again to get it coated and then gently place in the (HOT 375 F) oil. Work in batches, depending on the size of your pan - mine fit about 2 pieces of fish at a time. You want to fry it for 4-5 minutes total. I would do about 2 minutes on one side, then turn. It should be nice and golden brown. After 5 minutes, use the tongs to remove the fish and set it on the paper towels. Get the next two pieces in the oil, then you can transfer the fish to the rack on the pan in the oven to keep warm. Keep working until all your fish is fried. Serve with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.

Notes on working with oil - Oil is freaking hot. Wear long sleeves. Use tongs. Monitor the temperature, it will drop when you add the fish, so try to keep it as steady as you can, as close to 375 as you can. No it won't ruin the fish if it goes all the way down to 330 or up to 380, just watch it, okay? When you're done with the oil, let it cool completely, pour it off into a container and put it in the trash. Oil does NOT go down the sink.

Cook's Illustrated Salmon

Years ago, (a decade ago if I'm honest), I had a subscription to Cook's Illustrated. This was back when I sort of wanted to be a great cook, but certainly had no real skills. It turns out, over the years that cooking is one of the few things I actually stuck with.

A Brief Incomplete List of Things I've Quit This Decade :

• dog training (my own dog that is, ill mannered beastie)
• rollerblading
• knitting
• ballet class
• tai chi

At least I'm good at cooking right? I probably owe it all to this salmon.

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED SALMON WITH MUSTARD AND CRISP DILLED CRUST
modified slightly from the September & October 2000 issue
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lb to 1 lb filet of salmon (depending on appetite)- if possible request a piece that is a uniform thickness. If one side is fat and the other is skinny it is hard to cook correctly.
1 slice of sliced white bread, crusts removed (don't use something that is too mushy)
1/3 c crushed plain potato chips (you want the chips as potato-y as possible, and the bits to be little, 1/8" pieces)
2 T chopped dill
olive oil
pinch salt &pepper
1 T Dijon Mustard

DIRECTIONS:
I cook mine in my toaster oven, but if you use your real oven, cooks says to adjust the rack to the top position (about 3 inches from the heat source) and move the second rack to the upper-middle position and preheat to 400. For the toaster oven I don't preheat.

To make the crust, put the bread in your food processor and pulse until it's in small (1/4") bits. I needed to cut my bread in a few pieces before putting it in my mini-chop, but you may not need to. Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and toast (I do this in the toaster oven using my toast button, but if you're using the 400 oven, use the lowest rack). Shake the pan once or twice during cooking, it should be toasty in about 4-5 minutes, but watch it, you don't want it dark AT ALL. Then put the whole potato chips in a plastic bag and crush them down to size. In a small bowl, mix together the chips, the toasty crumbs and your chopped dill. Reserve to use as the crust.

Now turn whichever oven you're using to broil. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Rub it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until almost done - the end should be opaque and flaky and the flesh on to should be opaque as well. This should take 9 minutes for a thin piece and around 11 for a thick piece. Pull it out and spread the Dijon mustard over the top. This will help the crust stick, so make sure you cover everything. Then gently pat the mixture of potato chips, crumbs and dill onto the fish. Return to the toaster oven for 1 more minute (in a regular oven put it on the middle rack for that minute). Make sure the fish is cooked as much as you'd like and serve. The mustard and dill combination is delicious and the potato chips ensure that the crust is crispy and not soggy and yucky.

White or Red?

We have a fundamental difference of opinion around here that nearly eight years of togetherness has done nothing to resolve. Ryan does not like any sauce but red sauce on his pasta. I like red sauce with certain specific types of pasta dishes, but often prefer something else. Even when something else is as basic as butter and cheese. Tonight Ryan offered to make dinner and asked me for the recipe for pasta with clams. I was a little surprised, because he's told me before that he doesn't really like pasta with clams. The recipe's not written anywhere, it's just something my parents made when I was growing up, so I scribbled it down on a few post-its for him and handed it over. He looked it over and said, "I thought this was supposed to be a red sauce." Right. So I directed him to Rachael Ray, who has a pretty good pantry red clam sauce (no, really), and Marcella Hazan who can do no wrong. He flipped through the recipes, but then announced he was going to make it my way. After 8 years we may not agree, but at least one of us knows how to compromise.

CLAM PASTA
my recipe, but with a few things changed by Ryan
makes enough for 2

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb spaghetti or linguine
3 garlic cloves minced
2 anchovies (or about a teaspoon of anchovy paste, or omit it if you're a wimp)
1 T olive oil
2 cans clams (We usually use Snow's Chopped Clams)
salt and pepper to taste - the anchovies will make it saltier, so be careful
1 t red pepper flakes
1/4 C vermouth or dry white wine
fresh parsley (feel free to take some liberties with this, we used dried oregano tonight)

DIRECTIONS:
Put on a big pot of water to boil for your pasta. When the water boils cook your spaghetti according to the package directions. In a large saucepan, add the oil, the garlic and the anchovies. Cook on low for about 3 minutes, until the garlic is pale yellow but not brown at all. While its cooking, use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies so they're all mushed in. Then add the clams (and all the liquid in the can). Cook for 5-7 minutes until everything is warmed through. Add the vermouth and increase to high for 1-2 minutes, so that it boils. Then reduce the temperature again and season with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and parsley. Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and mix up. Serve (especially with garlic bread.) Yummy.

Shrimp with Orzo

At some point, I fully expect the reader(s) of this blog to turn on me and insist I cook something that was not initially from an Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I sincerely hope that you can bear with me for at least one more recipe though, because this is so delicious, and despite its use of the oven, is pretty quick and painless to make even in the hot summer. You can make it ahead, so if you live somewhere that has cooler mornings, just whip it up and pop it in the fridge until dinner. Roasting gives the shrimp a great flavor, the lemon and olive oil dressing is refreshing and the creamy feta works so well with the crunch of the cucumbers. This recipe does use raw red onion, which I know not everyone can eat. If someone you know is anti-raw onion, just saute red onion in a smidge of olive oil until it's lost its bite. The recipe won't suffer that much.


SHRIMP WITH ORZO
modified slightly from Barefoot Contessa at home (really wonderful cookbook, you should buy it).

INGREDIENTS
1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/2 lb orzo
1/4 c red onion minced
1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c dill
4-5 oz feta crumbled
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put a pot of water on the stove, on high. Bring it to a boil. Cook the orzo according to the package (mine said 8 minutes). When done, remove and drain. Put in a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil, add 2 t salt and 1 t pepper and set aside so the orzo can absorb the dressing.

Spread your shrimp out in a single layer on a cookie sheet (one with an edge helps because they'll give off juices). Drizzle your shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in the oven. Roast for 6 minutes, flipping them when they're half way through.

While the shrimp are cooking prepare your onion, cucumber and dill. Add the onion, cucumber and dill to the orzo and mix. When the shrimp are done, add them too. Crumble the feta over the pasta and then mix again until everything is incorporated. Set aside to allow the flavors to blend. Ina says at least an hour, but I don't usually have that kind of time. Of course, you can always make it the day before, pop it in the fridge and take it out before you're ready to serve. Let it get back to room temperature though, don't serve it freezing cold.

Salmon with Asian Noodles

True confession time - I don't love eating fish. I love mussels, clams, crab, lobster, all manner of shrimp, crawfish and langoustine, but fish is not my favorite. Ryan loves fish, and so sometimes because I love him, and I know it's good for me, I'll make fish. This salmon is so good, that the first time I made it, I wanted to make it again almost immediately. A very good sign indeed.

SALMON WITH ASIAN NOODLES
Ingredients:
6 T tamari
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 dried thai chilis
juice of 1 lime
1 lb salmon (make an effort to get a piece that is as even in thickness as possible, it will make it easier to cook)
snap peas
shitake mushrooms
1-2 carrots julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t brown sugar
1/4 c white wine or vermouth
1 T mirin
lo mein noodles (I used between 1/4 and 1/3 of the package)
2-3 T oil (peanut is good, veggie is fine)

DIRECTIONS:
Warning, this is not the easiest recipe, partially due to my own half-ass recipe writing. It would help if you know how to cook fish and vegetables. Okay let's get started.
1. Marinade - Mix 6 T tamari, grated ginger, chili and lime juice in a baking dish or pie plate large enough to accomodate your salmon. Marinate the salmon for 5 minutes on each size.
2. Veggies for the noodles - feel free to use any kind you like! I used snap peas, carrots and shitakes. Just trim the snap peas and slice the shitakes. The carrots you could grate with a mandolin or julienne if you're up to the knife work. The snap peas you'll want to steam quickly either in your microwave or in a small pot, using a steamer for 2-3 minutes. Set aside the cooked snap peas and the cut carrots and mushrooms.
3. Put on the water for your noodles, it will take a while to boil.
4. While waiting for the water to boil, cook your salmon. RESERVE THE MARINADE! In a frying pan, add a T of the oil and swirl so the bottom is covered. Put the salmon on skin side up. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the fish. The fish should no longer be as glossy, it should be more opaque. Just keep an eye on it. When it's done, set it aside.
5. Wipe out the fish pan and throw in another T of oil and maybe 2 T of water. Add your garlic, shitakes, carrots. Cook, covered, on low to medium for 3-4 minutes.
6. About the same time as you start your veggies, start your lo mein noodles. They'll only take about 3 minutes, read your package.
7. When the noodles are cooked, drain and set aside.
8. When your mushrooms have given off their liquid and the carrots are tender, add the cooked snap peas. Add 2 t brown sugar and 1 T of mirin to the marinade you used for the salmon. Mix it up and then add to your veggies. Then add the 1/4 C of white wine or vermouth and raise to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Add your lo mein noodles to your veggies and sauce. If they are sticking together, gently use a pair of tongs and sort of swirl them around in a circular motion, this should loosen them a bit as they take in the sauce. When the noodles are fully coated, you're ready to serve.
9. Plate the noodles and top with a portion of salmon.