Guest Post! Salmon en Papillote

This next cooking adventure is from my wonderful friend, Jennifer Snyder.  Fearless in the kitchen, Jenn creatively modifies recipes and improvises ingredients.  I always think of her when I'm struggling in my own kitchen, asking myself, "What would Jenn do?"  The answer is usually to not worry about it.

Alton Brown eats salmon every week. Not that I do everything Alton Brown does, but I do take his advice about the benefits of eating salmon. This is one healthy food that is delicious, easy to make, and with some planning, does not break the bank.

After getting a Le Creuset grill pan for my birthday, I have been cooking our fish on it just as my mom showed me. Our recent family favorite has been pairing maple syrup glazed salmon with a sauteed spinach-bacon salad. Today, we were out of spinach, so I figured it was time to get out of our meal rut. I remembered seeing Melissa D'Arabian's "Fish en Papillote" on TV a few weeks ago, and I did my own twist on it today.

I somehow can never follow a recipe (as my husband says, everything is a "creation"!) Instead of the julienned vegetables Melissa suggested, I used sliced carrots and onions. I didn't have a lemon (why do I never have one when I need one?) so I grabbed a clementine from my Cuties basket. After layering the veggies, salmon, and clementine slices on a sheet of aluminum foil, I finished it off with olive oil and a sprinkle of sage and oregano. The little packets (papillotes!) looked so colorful and pretty. I have to say it was one of the easiest recipes I have ever made. Being a new mom, I like recipes that I can pop in the oven and forget about. Today, I had 30 minutes to spare where I didn't have to be attached to the stove.

It was fun to open up the packet and see the transformation. I was nervous about knowing when the fish would be done, but it turned out great. Eating out of the aluminum foil reminded me of the dinners we have on the beach at the cottage. The nice thing about this meal is that any combination of veggies or seasonings would work well, and it's a perfect way to used up what's left in the fridge.

I would definitely make this again. I used to think that salmon was a special treat, but I found a way to make it more affordable. I buy the family packs for a discount, and cut and freeze individual servings. Our meal tonight only cost about $5.00 for the two of us. Not too bad considering all those omega-3's we got out of it!


Find more Jennifer on her blog, Growing and Going.

Never Again: I Hate You, Tilapia

I recently set out to reclaim tilapia.  The first time I made tilapia it was actually pretty good.  I marinated the two filets in a orange-ginger glaze from the grocery store, and I pan-fried them in a skillet on the stove.  For a side, I made rice with chopped red peppers and onions.  Okay.  Since this was a quick and easy night, I decided that the meal would be a reliable go-to.  And so the next time I made it, I was too confident.  First of all I thought I'd try a more ambitious side.  So I made a zucchini gratin from an Ina Garten book.  It seems so obvious now, but creamy, cheesy zucchini really does NOT go with an orange and ginger glazed fish.  Ugh, I shudder just thinking about it.  Really disgusting.  To top things off, I left the tilapia on too long, and had my first overcooked fish.  And, as it turns out, overdone fish is significantly worst than overdone steak or chicken.

So, in a Charlie Brown football move, I thought I'd make a good tilapia, canceling out the bad one, and reclaiming it for the future.  No such luck.  This time I got a plain rice pilaf in a box at the store for a quick side.  The whole meal was just...beige.  It needed just a little bit of vegetable so badly.  Marinating longer probably would have also helped the overall flavor.  Plus, it was the third tilapia in a matter of months; I'm sick of it.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.  This really may have been the last supper.