Soboro Bowl Bento

 

This is a delicious lunch time treat, with only three toppings on a bowl of rice.  I was introduced to it by my Auntie Agnes when I went to visit her.  A bowl of rice has flaked salmon, some seasoned scrambled egg, and a green shiso (perilla) pickle.  You could also garnish with some strips of nori (seaweed) if desired.

So here it is for one serving:

• large bowl of rice
• flaked salmon or tuna
• pickled shiso  Alternates could be green beans cut up, cooked spinach, shredded carrots, 
• an egg seasoned with a little soy and a pinch of sugar, scrambled int fine bits (1 egg is enough for two bowls.)
• nori, either in strips or torn into small pieces, (optional)

And there you have it. 😊. Enjoy!

Panzanella-- Bread Salad, top with grilled fish

Over the years, I've seen recipes for Panzanella, but I couldn't quite figure out the flavor and whether it would really work.  Then we had some in a restaurant topped with grilled wild salmon.  (Find out about sustainable seafood here. )  Delicious!  So I went on a hunt for a similar recipe.  It is especially good in warm weather, either alone or topped with some protein.  Start this one several hours before your meal so the ingredients can soak in the dressing.  To get even more veggies, layer this on a bed of salad greens of your choice.  Add in your favorite salad goodies or omit something if you don't have it.

4 cups sourdough bread, lightly toasted
*

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped# 


2 medium-sized tomatoes, seeded and chopped#

1 small sweet pepper (any color), seeded, deribbed and chopped

1 medium-sized red onion, finely sliced


1 cup pitted Kalamata olives (or your favorite olives), chopped

½ cup parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried


2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into wedges for garnish, optional**


2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese



Dressing


1/2 cup olive oil


3 tablespoons red wine vinegar


1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped


salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons capers

Optional: piece of grilled fish

Make the dressing by beating together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mash the drained capers; add to the oil/vinegar mixture.

Put dressing in a large bowl, then add the cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, onion, olives, parsley, and basil. Toss gently, cover, and refrigerate for several hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, add bread cubes and toss again.

Garnish with hard-cooked egg wedges, if using. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

*Preheat oven to 350 or dry in a skillet on the stove if you don't want to heat up the kitchen.  Trim bread of tough bottom and end crusts.  Cut loaf into ½-3/4” cubes.  Spread on ungreased baking sheet and toast for 8-12 minutes, moving them around with a spatula so they dry evenly.  (This step can also be done with 3-4 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil tossed with the bread cubes.  It should not toast, just dry out and get crunchy.  Remove from oven and cool.  Store in an airtight container if made before hand.

**If using other protein such as grilled meat or fish, skip the eggs. 



Note: # In this recipe, it is important to seed the cucumbers and tomatoes before adding to the dressing, as you want this salad to be as dry as possible. The dressing -- rather than any liquid from the vegetables -- should provide the moisture. 


http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/panzanella-and-tuscan-bread-recipe ** with adaptations from KAF book, and other recipes.

Seafood watch: Seafood Watch consumer-guides

Very Easy & Tasty Fish

I found fresh Alaskan halibut on sale, one of our favorite fish.  I'm not crazy about cooking fish indoors.  But I had come across this recipe from a webpage that no longer exists. It looked and sounded interesting.  

After making a few changes, it turned out to be very tasty.  I loved the sauce and wanted to find more things to put it on.  We used the left overs (since I didn't cook 2 pounds of fish) on slices of sourdough and put it under the broiler. Yum!

•   3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

•    scant 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

•   1/4 tsp. salt

•   1/4 tsp. pepper (try Aleppo)

•   1/3 c. butter, softened, plus more for greasing foil

•   1/4 c. mayonnaise

•   3 tbsp lemon juice

•   2-3 tbsp chopped red, yellow, or green onion

•   2 cloves garlic, minced

•   2 tbsp chopped parsley

•   2 dashes tabasco sauce

•   2 pounds skinless fish* such as halibut, salmon, or cod

1.      Pre-heat the oven broiler.  Line a 9×13″ baking pan (not a dish unless it can take the heat of a broiler)  with heavy-duty foil and grease with thin coat of butter.

2.     Trim fish of skin and dark areas. (The dark area next to the skin is where the fish collects undesirable minerals, so it is best to trim it away.)  Arrange fish in a single layer in the baking pan.

3.     Broil fish for 8 minutes or until it flakes with a fork.

4.     Meanwhile, mix together parmesan cheese, smoked paprika, salt, pepper,  butter, mayo, lemon juice, onion, garlic, parsley, & tabasco in small bowl until well blended.

5.     Remove fish from oven and carefully spread parmesan mixture over top. Broil 2-3 additional minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 6

* Check Seafood Watch site to see recommended seafood for your area of the country.

Teriyaki Salmon

We try to eat more seafood since it is supposed to be good for us.  We will only eat wild-caught salmon, preferably from Alaska, which has one of the best sustainable fisheries around.
(Seafood Watch Guides)

I usually like to have fish grilled outside, so it doesn't smell up the house.  This recipe from Just One Cookbook is so quick and there are no odors afterwards, a win-win situation.  Also, if you're looking for more Japanese recipes, this is a good site to check.

Seasoning sauce:
1 Tbsp sake or dry sherry
1 Tbsp mirin or (1 more Tbsp sake + 1 tsp sugar)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce

Combine the sauce ingredients above and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Set aside.

8-12 oz wild-caught salmon fillets, about 3/4" thick
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sake or dry sherry

1.  Rinse salmon and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and finally flour on both sides.

2.  Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until the butter melts.  Add the salmon, skin side down, and fry for about 3 minutes or until nicely browned.

3.  Turn over, add the sake, cover and cook for another 3 minutes until cooked through.  Remove to a plate.

4.  Add the prepared sauce to the pan and heat until it begins to boil.  Add the salmon back to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens.

5.  Serve immediately with the sauce spooned over.  Steamed rice and a green salad go nicely with this.

Singapore Crab (or Tofu)

Fish Tacos a la Monterey

Cabbage,  taco-seasoned fish, sauce, chopped cilantro

Assembled fish taco

This recipe comes from the Steinsons in Sitka.  And the fish I've been using to make this comes from them too. Thanks to Jenn and Jamie for the fish and the recipe.  Yummy!  

The sauce recipe is an adaptation from Cooking Light.

1 Taco seasoning packet

1 lb fish

Corn tortillas

Cabbage, finely shredded 

Sauce:

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup + 1 T   mayonnaise

1/2 cup + 2 T Greek yogurt, yogurt, or sour cream

1 lime, grated rind

1  tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4  teaspoon  salt

2  garlic clove, minced

Optional:  lime slices, chopped cilantro, avocado cubes

            Combine sauce ingredients.  Refrigerate if made earlier.  Cut fish into chunks about 1 inch.  Put into a plastic baggie with the taco seasoning.  Refrigerate for 30—60 minutes, if time allows.  Shred cabbage finely.  Prepare other condiments.

            Quickly fry fish in a little oil until done.  Heat corn tortillas according to package directions.

            To assemble tacos, place fish, cabbage, sauce, and condiments as desired on warm tortilla.

The leftover cabbage and sauce can be mixed together for a delicious slaw. 
Optional:  Mexican Rice