Even though it’s mid-October, I am still picking tomatoes off my plants.  Yesterday I had an entire gallon-sized bag of tomatoes that I wanted to use up. So ripe, juicy and sweet- I knew  these tomatoes would likely be the last of the season and therefore needed to be used in a special dish. Earlier I had bought some wild salmon, fresh herbs, a sweet onion and some chanterelle mushrooms. Normally, I wouldn’t pair a delicate flavor like chanterelle mushrooms with rich salmon or tomatoes, but I was in a risky mood. What could those flavors be like together? Would the chanterelles get completely lost in the dish? I decided to find out.

I sliced about two cups of the tomatoes in half and gently coated them with olive oil, salt and pepper and fresh thyme leaves. Next I spread them out on a sheet tray and put them in the oven to roast. When sweet tomatoes are slow cooked, they get even sweeter. Candy-like actually. To really slow cook them, I would have had to cook them in a 200 degree oven for two hours, but most week nights don’t allow for that kind of time. So I put these in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes and reduced the heat to 300 degrees and cooked them for another 10 minutes.

While the tomatoes were cooking, I sauteed the onions and mushrooms with olive oil, added some garlic, salt and pepper and a little more fresh thyme. Once the tomatoes were done, I added them to the mushrooms and onions. Then I seared the salmon separately, just to medium rare, with only olive oil and salt and pepper. I placed the salmon on a plate and covered it completely with the rich tomatoes, chanterelles and onions. For a second I was like, oh man, you took something so great and you wasted it by drowning it in sweet tomatoes! But you know what- it worked! Juicy-sweet layers of flavor capturing the end of summer and the beginning of fall in one dish.

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood	3 Comments
Tags:	chanterelle mushrooms • end of summer • fall recipes • salmon • slow cooked tomatoes

Open your fridge. Can you tell the exact history of where one item came from? Eating local doesn’t seem like a hard challenge until you start thinking about it. Last Sunday night, a group of us got together and cooked a meal that was made almost entirely with local ingredients. The best part of it all was that we didn’t intentionally mean to have a dinner made completely of locally sourced ingredients, but once we realized we had the beginnings of one, we made it our goal to get as a close as we could to a completely local dinner.

When you start learning where your food really comes from, you learn how much labor, transportation and energy and resources go  into everything you eat. Eating local doesn’t just mean you help out the farmers, gardeners and butchers in your area, you are also saving other costs that add up, including energy, gas, storage and other hidden resources used to get those items off a truck and onto a shiny display. Challenge yourself to make it a personal goal to eat one thing at one meal a day that is sourced locally, not only will you feel good, believe me, it will taste better!

The Menu

Locally Caught Salmon with Lemon, Herb Butter: The salmon was caught locally by my friend Neil. Oregano, thyme and dill all from Washington state. Our splurge was the lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil, purchased from the grocery store.

All Blue Potato Salad with Fresh Dill: The all blue potatoes came from a farm that I was apprenticing at, about 20 miles away. Fresh dill and a sweet onion came from the Ballard Farmer’s market that morning. Our splurge was purchased Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper.

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad: The corn, basil and sweet onion came from the farmers market. The tomatoes were grown in my garden. Our splurge was olive oil, red onion and salt and pepper.

Winter Greens with Garlic and Lemon: The Swiss chard, kale and collard greens were all from the Ballard farmer’s market, our splurge was olive oil, lemon, garlic- (although it should have been bought at the farmer’s market), and Parmesan Reggiano.

Katy’s Blackberry Pie with Lemon Verbena Infused Fresh Whip Cream: The blackberries were purchased at the farmer’s market, the whip cream was from a Washington state organic creamery and the lemon verbena was from my friend Katy’s lemon verbena plant. Our splurge: organic pie crust from PCC, lemon juice, purchased spices.

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Categories:	American • Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Organic • Salads • Uncategorized • Vegetarian • Veggies • desserts	5 Comments
Tags:	all blue potatoes • blackberry pie • corn salad • eating local • eating local in the northwest • salmon • winter greens

There are three things that us Pacific Northwesterners have in our DNA: coffee, micro-brewed beer and salmon. Just before the Copper River Salmon season starts we’re like junkies in need of a fix. As soon as this beautiful salmon is available we race to our favorite fish monger, reach deep into our pockets, and shell out the big bucks for this delicious fish.

Ahhhh….

This variety of salmon originates from the Copper River in Alaska, a nearly 300 mile long wildly rapid river that dumps into Prince William Sound. The long and chilly river make it an Iron Man Race for the fish that grow into robust creatures with high levels of body fat and natural oils. The result of their physical effort: one of the richest and tastiest fish in the world. Its beautiful red color and firm flesh make this a must-eat at least twice (if not three times) a week in our household. The freezer is also stocked full of it!

Last night we gave the fillets a simple seasoning of salt and pepper, then grilled them for a brief time on both sides, keeping the centers nice and medium-rare. Barnaby whipped up a healthy version of a béarnaise sauce using olive oil instead of butter (gasp from the French!) and we placed it all on top of fresh linguine. With truffle oil drizzled over grilled asparagus and a butter lettuce salad on the side, we were in Copper River Salmon business.

Click below for a classic béarnaise sauce, but don’t be afraid to make it more heart healthy by substituting olive oil.

More photos of Copper River Salmon found here:

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood	3 Comments
Tags:	bearnaise sauce • Copper River Salmon • fish • heart healthy • salmon

Nestled in a little cubby hole-sized piece of Pike Place Market is the Market Grill, one of our favorite stops for fresh-out-of-the-water salmon sandwiches. Grilled to perfection, the salmon (or halibut or shrimp) is generously packed into a toasted baguette along with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and a tasty rosemary mayo.

These sandwiches are so good locals will even brave the cruise ship crowds to get one!

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood	8 Comments
Tags:	foodis • grilled salmon • Market grill • pike place market • salmon • sandwiches • seattle

I’ve said it before, salmon runs through our blood here in the Pacific Northwest. If there’s one food that sums up our culture I’m certain it would be salmon. In our home we always have fillets in the freezer, and eat it regularly (who needs Omega 3 supplements?!). Smoked, grilled, poached, burgers, sashimi, sushi, in bouillabaisse. Everything short of salmon sorbet, and I wouldn’t even put that past us.

We went with an Asian flavor in our latest preparation and glazed our fillets with miso. Then, we served it on top of forbidden rice (a tiny grain rice, but more on that later) and garnished it with seaweed salad and tsukemono (Japanese pickles).

For the simple glaze we used equal parts miso to mirin and coated the fillets on all sides. Then we popped it under the broiler for a few minutes on each side.

Delicious and easy!

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Categories:	Asian • Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Japanese • Sauces	3 Comments
Tags:	Asian • fish • Food • foodista • glaze • Japanese • mirin • miso • omega 3 • Pacific Northwest • salmon

When we heard that drastic cuts in wild chinook salmon fishing were being taken I admit I freaked out a bit. I live in the Pacific Northwest. Salmon is a staple food up here! We need it like we need fresh air to breathe (well, that’s a bit of a stretch, but I will miss my beloved chinook). Then I read an article about the severity of the situation and thought – I can happily refrain from eating it. I do, after all, have a rule against eating anything listed as an Endangered Species, and our poor aquatic friend is now firmly planted on that list.

The good news is we still have the farmed stuff. I know, there’s a big debate around farmed salmon, but really, we breathe in nasty exhaust going to and fro work five times a week, is a little farmed fish now and then honestly much worse?

Anyway…

Why is it when someone tells us we can’t have something we want it ten times more? Knowing we can’t eat wild salmon makes Barnaby and I want salmon for dinner every night. We just stocked up on the fatty farmed variety and tonight we are making salmon cakes (these would also make scrumptious burgers).

Don’t worry about following a set recipe here – we have none. Just let your heart and taste buds dictate…

Mince your fillet of salmon, then toss into a bowl. Add some chopped red onion, capers, an egg, and bit of panko. Mix up and form into patties. Slap them onto the grill and cook a couple minutes on each side. While they’re cooking, whip up some mayo with a good squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh dill. There’s your sauce.

Here’s to your delicious patties and to the free salmon proliferating in our waters!

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Sauces • Uncategorized	4 Comments
Tags:	chinook • fish • Fish & Seafood • grilling • salmon • salmon patties

This year several U.S. states and Canada suspended salmon fishing and are having major trade talks over fishing quotas. There is generally a wild salmon crisis in the Pacific Northwest, the world’s richest salmon fishery. For more, read the Seattle PI story: “U.S., Canada agree to cuts in 2 major salmon fisheries: Pact hopes to end tailspin of wild Puget Sound chinook.”

So where does that leave the consumer? I don’t know about you, but I feel torn over which salmon to eat, if any at all. I absolutely LOVE cooking and eating salmon and doctors tell us that we should have it in our diets. But, the wild salmon are facing extinction in some areas and are seriously overfished in most. Then we have farmed salmon, which is the subject of much debate, both from health and environmental perspectives.

I have yet to figure out what’s best, but one thing I do know is that if you do eat salmon, you should treat it as a precious resource and really enjoy it! This brings me to my cooking tip for today. I love grilled salmon steaks, but hate dealing with the bones. Some years ago a salmon fisherman taught me a super-easy trick to make boneless salmon steaks out of fillets….it’s so good it almost seems like magic.

I’ve demonstrated with a series of photos below, but the basic approach is as follows:

• Use salmon fillet with skin on
• Slice off a piece 3-5 inches long
• Slice the center of the flesh side down to the skin, being careful not to cut the skin
• Fold in half, the skin will create a hinge and stick to itself creating an “inside-out steak”
• Season and grill as you would a normal salmon steak.

If you like thicker steaks, cut a longer piece…for thinner cut shorter. One of the best things about this preparation is that meat stays more moist…overcooked salmon is a real waste of this resrource! See the slideshow below for the steps I took doing the above, starting with a whole Copper River salmon. Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll enjoy!

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood	6 Comments
Tags:	Copper River Salmon • Food • foodista • Inside-Out Salmon Steaks • salmon • Salmon Steaks • Wild Salmon

Barnaby has the uncanny ability to look into the fridge and be able to whip up some fabulous gourmet meal. I, on the other hand, will take a look and immediately say, “We have nothing, nothing at all. We need to go to the store.”

Last night was one such night. I saw nothing and Barnaby saw a cornucopia of delectables. So he took over (hmm, maybe I should just start feigning culinary ineptness more often!). What he grabbed from the depths of our pantry and cold storage was this:

Freezer: clams in an abundance of their juice, a fillet of King salmon and a few halibut cheeks.
Fridge: a bit of fennel, mayonnaise
Pantry: an onion, a carton of good quality tomato sauce, saffron threads, white wine, chili powder, the remainder of a loaf of pugliese, truffle oil…I’m sure I’m missing some other minor ingredients, but you get the gist.

The result of his genius was a beautiful and ever so scrumptious non-traditional bouillabaisse. We named it Pacific Northwest Bouillabaisse due to two of its key ingredients: halibut cheeks and King salmon. He didn’t stop there, oh no, he served it with toast drizzled with a bit of truffle oil and a rouille on the side (you want to move in with us, don’t you?).

It was the best darn scavenged meal I think I’ve ever had.

For further eating pleasure:

Here’s a great classic bouillabaisse recipe from Simply Recipes.
Jacques Pépin’s Chicken Bouillabaisse from Food and Wine.

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • French • Herbs • Sauces • Seasoning & Spices • Shellfish • Soup • Veggies	2 Comments
Tags:	bouillabaisse • clams • cooking • eating • fennel • fish • Food • foodista • halibut cheeks • rouille • saffron • salmon • seafood • Shellfish • Soup • tomato • truffle oil

Every now and then Barnaby and I pop up to Victoria, British Columbia. One summer we sailed our boat, Miss Eulie, across the Straight of Juan de Fuca (hello, Dramamine) and moored in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel (formerly The Empress Hotel). The Parliament building, which is located catty-corner from the hotel, is beautifully lit up at night with tiny white lights.

One of our favorite things to do while we’re in Victoria is to enjoy a leisurely Afternoon Tea at the Hotel. I must digress for a moment and give praise to our waiter who gave us unparalleled service. Barnaby is left-handed, and we hadn’t been sitting for more than two minutes before our exceptionally observant waiter silently switched all his glassware and teacup to the left side. Never have we experienced that. Brilliant.

You feel like English royalty as you sip the Hotel’s secret blend of tea while sitting in their elegant Tea Lobby. Although the foods are diminutive, they are served in glorious abundance, so make sure you are plenty hungry before you go.

Unfortunately, it’s not every day that we get to enjoy such pleasures as the Empress’s Afternoon Tea, so I like to create my own mini-version at home and serve with a hot pot of Earl Grey Tea. There are a plethora of tea sandwich recipes, but I like the traditional, egg, cucumber and salmon ones.

I use either white or a soft whole bread with the crusts cut off. I cut the sandwiches in squares, triangles or rounds. I never follow a particular recipe, but instead just whip up simple sammies of whatever I happen to have in my fridge. I also like to keep it fairly light so I don’t use butter for all sandwiches. I do, however, butter the bread for the cucumber ones to prevent the sandwiches from becoming soggy.

Smoked Salmon & Dill Mascarpone

Chop fresh dill and mix a healthy amount with the mascarpone. If you don’t have mascarpone, sour cream will work. It just won’t be as creamy.
Spread the mixture onto one side of two pieces of crust-less bread, add a layer of smoked salmon, place the other piece of bread on top and cut either at an angle or in quarters.

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches. Instead of mint basil or watercress is also delicious.

Traditional Egg Salad really is a no-brainer, which is why I love to make it. This recipe calls for dill, but I often use red or green onion instead for color.

Enjoy your tea!

Here’s a wonderful recipe from 101 Cookbooks for Egg Salad.

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Categories:	Uncategorized	3 Comments
Tags:	afternoon tea • British Columbia • Canada • cucumber • egg • egg salad • Empress Hotel • Food • foodista • recipe • recipes • salmon • sammies • sandwich • sandwiches • sannies • smoked salmon • Tea • tea sandwich • Victoria

During the holiday season when our bellies are consistently being pushed to maximum capacity with baked goods, carb-laden sides, hefty meats and poultries, it’s nice to have a break and eat something light and healthy.

It’s a cold, crisp night here in San Mateo, California. Perfect for nabe (nabemono). Nabe, or hot pot, is a typical Japanese soup eaten in the colder months, and usually cooked in a pot at the table. These popular nabe dishes may ring a bell here in the States: Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu, Oden. While typical nabes include vegetables and fish, seafood or meat, there really is no hard fast rule as to what you can throw in.

Tonight our nabe includes the following: Copper River salmon (one small fillet for the two of us), a few large shrimp, oyster and enoki mushrooms, mizuna (Japanese mustard greens), tofu and shirataki (konyaku) noodles. The broth is as follows:

2/3 C. mirin

2/3 C. sake

2/3 C. soy sauce

1, 1/3 C. dashi

2 T. sugar

Cook until sugar dissolves and alcohol reduces.

Serve with hot sake to make the meal complete.

Itadakimasu (let’s eat)!

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Japanese • Veggies	Leave a Comment
Tags:	enoki mushrooms • Fish & Seafood • hot pot • Japanese Food • konyaku noodles • Meat & Poultry • mizuna • nabe • nabemono • oden • oyster mushrooms • salmon • seafood • shabu shabu • shirataki noodles • shrimp • Soup • spinach • sukiyaki • vegetables