Fish and Chips

Isn't it wonderful to start a work week on a Tuesday?  For those of you who did not have Monday off for MLK Jr. Day, accept my sincerest apologies that you did not enjoy sleeping in past 8am, a late and long brunch, followed by meandering around the grocery store, fanning through a magazine and making a nice leisurely supper.  Oh, I mean, sorry about that.

Menu:
Roasted Tilapia with Potatoes and Asparagus (#20)
Dill and Shallot Butter Sauce (#21)
Spinach and Mixed Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Yesterday I had my spin on Donna Hay's spin of a fish and chips...of sorts.  Monday I bought some beautiful looking fresh Tilapia.  Be sure to ask the ________ (fish butcher?) if the fish has been frozen.  It will make a vast difference in the flavor quality of the fish.  Although I had wanted to try halibut for this recipe, Tilapia was fresh and in stock, so I went with that.  The coloring was really beautiful.

Although the recipe, - I will work on posting recipes I get from books and magazines, did not call for anything to be rubbed into the fish, I sprinkled kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on both sides of the fillets. I didn't have capers, which I should really get to keep in the fridge since they still good for a long time, so I used a handful of Kalamata olives, - which I eat compulsively while cooking.

Having a mixture of red-skinned and Yukon gold potatoes in, I sliced both types thinly.  Donna instructs us to halve the asparagus lengthwise.  Due to this instruction, and the fact that we'd be roasting the vegetable, I should've gone with a thicker stalk.  However, due to my extreme natural inclination towards those super skinny stalks packed together in a purple rubberband, I ended up with the latter.  But I did still want the nice look of the halved pieces, so I struggled through this.  Practice makes perfect.  Or, in this case, practice makes hacked up skinny asparagus halves.  I began to get the hang of it by, oh, maybe the penultimate stalk?  'Tis life, friends, 'tis life.

I am going to be working on the photography posted here.  Most people who know me, know that I flew the coop early summer, packed a single bag, bought a ticket to Spain and didn't come back for two months.  For this incredible excursion, I bought a very nice digital SLR camera, that I still have no idea how to use.  When the mean reds surfaced so cunningly a couple weeks ago, I thought, "Ok, start cooking and start learning how to take pictures."  Obviously the cooking came first, but I am also finding a need for paparazzi skills.   Keep me posted on how the changes look.

I sauteed about two tablespoons of shallots in a bit of olive oil before melting the butter and throwing in the dill.  It added a bit of flavor and texture to the sauce, and, well, I had them in the fridge. The smell was delicious, and I love the bubbly action of this picture.  These three ingredients really worked together here. Yum.

The fish was so tender, it was hard to get the fillets out of the pot in one piece.  I paired the dish with a white Bordeaux, which was nice and crisp.  

All together it was a perfect Tuesday night.

279 to go...