For a delightful weekend treat we’re eating simply-seasoned pan-roasted mahi mahi basted with garlic and herb-infused oil, served on a bed of french lentil and split pea purees and topped with avocado, vine-ripened tomato, fresh cilantro, and applewood smoked bacon salsa. The dish was garnished with an extra drizzle of herb-infused oil.
Folks have done worseT: This was a gorgeous meal, Amand-y
A: why thank you tyl-y 🙂 it was sooooo juicy and tender.
T: The pictures are gorgeous. Thank you macro lens, light tent, digital slr, and Amanda making an unreal plate of food. It’s so lovely.
A: these pictures really did do the food justice. it looks really moist and delicious and it really was SO moist and delicious.
T: let’s review the last 2 things you said…. “juicy and tender” …. “moist and delicious”
A: apparently my mind is distracted from all things not moist and delicious by this particular meal.
T: i definitely prefer moist and delicious food to food that is not moist or delicious.
A: 😛 yeah, for some reason dry and crappy food just doesn’t get me going in the same way.
T: down with… triscuits by themselves…
A: triscuits are not dry and crappy! i happen to like triscuits…. by themselves!
T: oh… what. ever. Let’s stick with moist and delicious.
A: hmmm moist and delicious fish. i know you’ve not always been the biggest fan of starchy-esque beans, but how did you feel about these two different bean purees?
T: they mixed awesome together. They were both quite different, and they mixed so well with each other and with the fish and avocado and bacon.
A: even just the undertones of bacon present in this meal really helped make it, you know?
T: yeah, and that’s really all it was… undertones of bacon, and they made it. It rocked the apartment. I have to give it a 4.8/5. Every individual element was excellent, and yet each complemented the whole so well. It was really good.
A: hell yeah! i thought it rocked too. I give it a 4.56/5. I thought maybe a red wine or tomato-y risotto could replace the french lentils and provide a little more texture than two bean purees provided. but otherwise i thought it really kicked some ass. i basted the fish a few times with some herb infused olive oil and i really think that helped add to the succulence of the dish.
T: I love how we’ve been eating fish the last couple of nights. It’s so refreshing after eating nothing but carnitas tacos and california burritos for lunch everyday. Damn… that food is starting to seem heavy. it is heavy. blaaaahhhh….
A: hmmm… you could always go to the sub place or pack your lunch to get away from the yummy carnitas tacos! i, on the other hand would go a head and enjoy them!
T: I have enjoyed enough california burritos (and carnitas tacos) for 3 to 8 lifetimes. A line must be drawn.
A: 🙂 can there really be too many california burritos and carnitas tacos?!? maybe so, but i still probably wouldn’t give them up all together.
T: it is hard to moderate. They are so convenient. And so tasty. I might need help.
A: I’m sure i’ve got the Carnitas Anonymous number around here somewhere. 🙂
A Fish Recipe, by Amanda
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Pan-roasted Mahi Mahi with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
2 pieces of fresh mahi mahi
herb oil (recipe follows)
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled or chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 large ripe tomato, seeded then diced
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
juice from 1/2 large lime
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the salsa: In a bowl, add the avocado, tomato, cilantro, bacon, and lime juice. Mix thoroughly. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as necessary. Refrigerate the salsa while cooking the fish.
Preheat an oven-safe pan over high heat. Add 3 tbsp of herb and garlic infused oil to the pan. While the oil is heating, season both sides of the fish liberally with salt and pepper. Once the oil has just barely begun to smoke, place the fish in the pan flesh-side down. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes or until the flesh has caramelized nicely and has released from the pan. Flip the fish and cook over high for another 1 minutes. Baste the fish with the herb oil using the oil pooling in the bottom of the pan or adding more if there isn't enough in the pan. After a minute, place the pan into the 350 degree oven and bake the fish for another 4 minutes, until the mahi mahi is just cooked through and still utterly moist and delicious. (If you're having a hard time flipping the fish and the fish is sticking to the bottom of the pan, the fish is not ready to be turn. This is the case when searing all meats - when the flesh releases naturally they are ready to be turned.) cook times may vary due to the thickness of the fillets Remove the fish from the oven and serve with the avocado salsa. Garnish the dish with a drizzle of infused oil. Goes great with bean purees! Enjoy!
An Infused Recipe, by Amanda
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Garlic and Herb Infused Olive Oil
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
2 twigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
2 sage leaves
4 sprigs of fresh oregano or marjaram
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Put the olive oil into a pan over low heat. Add the rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir the herbs into the oil then allow the pan to cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After the herbs have had a chance to infuse their flavors into the oil, strain the herbs and garlic out of the oil. This oil makes a great garnish or a dip for come yummy crusty bread. Enjoy!
A Bean Recipe, by Amanda
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Two Purees: French Lentil and Split Pea
1 cup dried french lentils
1 cup dried split peas
2 thick slices of bacon
1 medium onion, diced then divided in half
3 stalks celery, diced then divided in half
2 medium sized carrots, diced then divided in half
2 bay leafs
4 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
water
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Preheat 2 medium-sized sauce pans over medium heat. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil to each of the two pans. Add 1 slice of bacon to each pan. Cook the bacon over medium heat 5-8 minutes, or until nearly all the fat has rendered out of the slices and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan. Either eat the bacon, use it in the avocado salsa, or save it for another fun usage. Add half of the diced celery, onions, and carrots (mirapoix) to each pan. Saute the mirapoix over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery have softened. Add the french lentils to one pan and the split peas to the other pan. Stir to coat with oil and allow the beans to toast for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Tie together two bundles - each consisting of 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs of thyme, and 1 sprig of rosemary. This will make it easier to fish the herbs out later, if you don't have butchers twine or cheese cloth, don't worry- just fish out the twigs/leaves individualy. Add 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and 1 bundle of herbs to each pot. Stir. Pour enough water over the french lentils to just barely fully cover them. Pour enough water over the split peas to cover them with about a 1/2 inch of water. Season both pots fairly liberally with salt and pepper. Bring the beans to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally. The lentils will cook quicker than the split peas, so just be watching out for that. If eitehr pan of beans seems to be drying out before the beans are tender, add a little more water to them. Once the beans are tender, remove them from the heat to puree. You want a little bit of liquid still left in the beans before they get pureed so the outcome will be a lovely smooth and viscous dish rather than a dry and pasty puree. Using a hand-held immersion blender, puree each of the pans of cooked beans individually until smooth and viscous. If the beans are too dry after blending, simply add a tough more water until they reach the right consistancy. Taste the beans, then season as necessary with kosher salt and black pepper. For a stunning presentation, serve the beans side-by-side on a dish with a nice piece of fish or meat on top. Enjoy!
