My Favorite Go To - Herb Crusted Salmon

One of my favorite places for lunch is the Nordstrom Cafe....I've never had anything there that wasn't delish!  But one of my fave's is the Salad Nicoise with Salmon!  Ever since the first time I had it, I've obsessed over it.  I went through ALL of my Nordstrom cookbooks (which are awesome, by the way) and I couldn't find the recipe!  Then one day I had a brainstorm.....I looked at their recipes for SALMON........and THERE is was!  Now go figure!

So today I ran into a friend at the grocery store and I mentioned I was making this salmon....it seems I'm not the ONLY one who loves this salmon!  I promised I'd send the recipe....only one problem....I don't follow recipes.....uhhh....I have NO recipe!

So, that meant I had to "blog" about it (<<>>)!  I love my blog(s) (yes, plural).....only  I'm a late life business bloomer and I'm busier now that I have ever been, hence no time to blog.  But this time I promised.

So, I had my favorite lady at the Farm Fresh counter cut me a beautiful piece of salmon....

When I got home, I rinsed it, blotted it dry with paper towels, then used my boning knife (or any danged knife that will cut!) to remove the skin.

The next thing you do is spread on some mustard.....BUT....not just any old mustard......MAILLE mustard...the best mustard in the world. 

 Well, my world anyway.  It's French, so you know it's amazing.  There is the traditional and there is the whole grain.  I typically used the traditional...but while at Shelby's we used the whole grain and it was awesome!

The next step is to chop up the herbs for the "crust".  I normally use basil, oregano and thyme, but you can use ANY combination of the three, in addition to rosemary.  I also add some parsley.

I make sure to dice extra.....this herb combo is the best and can always be stored......

because it is wonderful on chicken, beef or even in a nice vinaigrette..and it keeps for quite a while! 

Once you have the herbs chopped, you sprinkle them over the mustard that you have slathered onto the salmon.......

..The next thing I did was prep my veggie of the night....asparagus.....my fave....my vegetable weakness.  And I'm always happy that most people thing that the tiny thin ones are the best...because they leave the fat, buttery meaty ones for me.....

They are so delicious that I do very little to them before "grilling" them.  I just drizzle a little olive oil over them and sprinkle them with truffle salt, the most expensive stocking stuffer I've ever purchased....

Then I grill them.....well, kinda......actually we're out of propane!  BUT.....my girl taught her Momma something....grilling on the stove!  Whooda thunk!  I have never grilled on anything except a grill....and we are GRILLERS.  We have multiple grills.....gas, electric, ancient...you name it, we have it.  But we're into quick tonight, so I yanked out the grill pan that Shelby recommended (and I bought under her watchful eye!)....and I p-grilled my asparagus...

Meanwhile....my salmon is in the oven (my small Breville oven....because, after all, there's only the two of us!).....

cooking at 375 degrees for approximately 12 minutes (based on size of fish).....

As always, the salmon was delicious....the asparagus was especially delicious because it is, after all, the spring.....and asparagus is ALWAYS best in the spring!

The only thing that has ever bothered me about cooking any kind of fish at home is the smell.....sometimes fish smells like....well....fish!  Salmon typically isn't smelly...unless it's bad...and in that case, don't eat it!  But if you're wondering what the candlelight was in the background....it was my answer to "smells" from the kitche.  It's a wide glass cylinder, filled with coffee beans....then I added three votive candles, lit.  As they warm up, the coffee beans fill the house with that "first thing in the morning" smell.  And I swoon......

This recipe is for you, Diane......please tell me you'll try it....and please tell me you'll let me know how much you love it!

We've Got Crabs!!!

One of the best things about living on the water......is crabs!  We live on a small creek off the intracoastal waterway, and the crabbing is amazing!  Dennis usually has a pot off of our dock and then one or two off of the neighbor's bulkhead.  Last night he put out 3 pots and by 4 pm today we had almost two dozen crabs!

In our area EVERYONE loves to gather around a picnic table and eat crabs, and I've been eating them for years......but I've never loved them more than I do now that I've learned how Dennis does his crabs!  It's different that the way most do theirs....and it makes all the difference in the WORLD to me!

I always had extra paper towels next to me to soak up the yellow stuff.....I didn't like how it looked, what it reminded me of, nor the bitter taste it had.  But Dennis gets rid of all of that BEFORE he cooks them!

He puts them all in his sink on the dock....then he plucks them up one by one.....

.....pulls off the top shell....

....then he plucks off the lungs......

Then he uses the hose at full force to clean out the insides.....the stuff that looks gross.....and tastes as bad.......

This is usually my job....or Shelby's if she's here.  What cracks me up is how he lines them all up as they are being cleaned.....kinda like this:

He is also meticulous about how he arranges them in the pot....kinda like this:

He gets his pot of water, beer and vinegar going.....

....while he carefully layers them with Old Bay Seasoning.

Once the water/beer/vinegar starts boiling, he puts on the pot and cooks the crabs for just about 12 minutes.....almost ALWAYS they come out perfect, but I'm just not brave enough to put "always" and then yours don't turn out......umm....that's a disclaimer, I suppose. 

But I will tell you that once they're done, they're delicious.....all of that beautiful white meat.....

.....and NO yellow stuff!  Yummmmmmm............

Ceviche and Fish Tacos.......By Evan!

Who would have thought.....the child that wouldn't try ANYTHING new....the one who only liked cereal, hot dogs, pizza, spaghetti and chicken (and yes, we told him ALL meats were chicken)....hated all things vegetable.....now will try anything....and wants to be a chef!!!  I know!!  Who WOULD have thought?

Evan has been anxious to show me his new found skills in the kitchen, so he came over one evening with his girlfriend, Emilia, to cook dinner with me.  He was especially interested in making a ceviche....particularly a Peruvian style ceviche like the one we'd had at Side Street Cantina in Virginia Beach....but with Evan's own twist.

He started his slicing and dicing.....

Cucumber.....

The fish.....we chose tilapia....

Red onion and cilantro.....

and his twist.....avocado!  He then juiced his limes...

Then added the vegetables, shrimp and fish for a good soak....just long enough to "cook" the fish....

It was delicious....in fact, it was so delicious that we just ate....no photos.....just eating...

To go with the Ceviche, Evan wanted to make Fish Tacos for us and we had plenty of fish, so why not?  I helped out by making a Pico de Gallo with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice and garlic...I also added a little chili power and a tiny touch of sugar.

Evan did the rest.....he prepped all of his toppings....

He sliced the fish, tossed it in melted butter and coated it with blackening seasoning.....then cooked it...

It was a rather simple dish, but what I enjoyed most was watching Evan prepare it.....he is precise in his intentions and movements....organized in his thoughts and actions. 

He has a clear vision of how he wants his dishes to look and taste, but his real joy is sharing his food....and hoping that it makes you happy....

....and it does....

So, was I surprised when he called me only a couple of weeks later to announce that he wants to be a Chef?  No....not at all.....I'd been hoping he would figure that out for himself....and he did!  I'm looking forward to watching him grow in this new realm!  And I'm expecting some great  things from him......food related and not.  Note to Evan:  I'm proud of you!  Go and get what you want and deserve.....and keep the passion!

Product Review - Tyler Florence - Classic Pot Roast Sauce

The fall happens to be my favorite time of the year....I love the colors, the weather, the holidays AND the food!  Don't get me wrong.....I'm almost as exited in the spring with the anticipation of the warmer weather, beautiful flowers and the fresh vegetables to come!  But there's something about the fall that just makes me a little bit more excited.  I love cooking rich soups and thick stews.....and this is just the weather for it!

I was at the grocery store on Friday and found a beautiful, marbled roast beef and thought, "It's not quite cool enough.....but I can crank up the AC!!!".  I threw it in the basket....then headed down the aisle to get my fave french onion soup mix (Mom's recipe....we've all had it!), and I saw on the shelf the name "Tyler Florence".  If you know me, you know that he is one of my favorite chefs.  If I'm planning to cook something, I always check out "Tyler's Ultimate" to see if he has made that dish before I move on. 

So I grabbed the jar.....and it was Tyler Florence's Classic Pot Roast Sauce......

...I had to have it....and it would be perfect for that roast already in my basket.  But then I'm just not a fan of ready made sauces....I really prefer to make them from scratch (although I've been known to buy ready made spaghetti sauce....and I have my fave....a different post!), but roast beef sauce?  Oh well, it has his name on it....I'll try it!

I let Dennis taste it and he liked it, although I wasn't so sure.  It didn't taste bad, but it did seem to have that "ready made" taste to it......oh well, I paid a pretty penny for it, I was going to use it....even it it ruined my beautiful, well marbled roast beef.

So, I salted and peppered one side of the meat, while heating olive oil in my Dutch oven....

...threw it in the pan, salt side down, then salted and peppered the other side.

I was looking for a really good sear because I knew that would definitely help this sauce to shine....

Yea....that's what I'm talking about!!  Once both sides had a good crust on them, I pour the sauce over the meat, as directed on the bottle.

Ummm......make sure you stand back...and pour slowly.....

Yep....spot cleaner required! 

As per the instructions on the bottle of sauce: "Add sauce, cover, turn temp down low; enjoy amazing aromas while it cooks."  OK....I'll do that!  While it cooked I went down to visit with a neighbor and when we came back......yep....the aromas were amazing!  I was starting to have hope that this was going to be delicious after all!

The meat was starting to get quite tender, so I added my vegetables....

....carrots, onions and two week old celery.  Yes, you heard that right!  My celery had been in my refrigerator for two weeks!  And no, it wasn't limp....it was just as crisp as the day I put it in the fridge!  How you say?  Well, wrap your celery in aluminum foil!

My neighbor, Carol, lives alone and there are only two in our household, so we sometimes buy something and split it.....and two weeks ago she handed me half of some celery she had bought...and it was wrapped in aluminum foil!!  She explained that it would last much longer....and she was right!  These are the kinds of tips you get when you talk about food all of the time!

Now back to the pot roast......was it at delicious as a sauce by Tyler Florence might promise?  Yes....it was awesome....rich and thick.....and NO pre-made taste.  It tasted as delicious and rich as Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon.  Would I buy it again?  Probably.....although it is a little pricey, it is delicious!

Although what I will probably do more often is try to duplicate his sauce.....the front of the bottle says, "Earthy Porcini Mushrooms Take Pot Roast To A Whole New Level"......so the next time I make pot roast, I'll add porcini mushrooms.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Do you have a favorite pre-made sauce?

Mussels In Red Sauce

Oh, dear blog, I have missed you!!!  It's not that I don't cook anymore.....or take pictures of what I cook either!  It's just been a busy spring and summer in my mortgage world and I just haven't had a spare moment to spend time with you!  But today I was determined to start emptying my picture files and filling yours up!

So, yesterday was a "Cola" day....and I did what I most love to do and visited my fave mall....MacArthur Mall in Norfolk!  I visited all of my favorite stores and bought nothing!  So, to soothe my woes and rest my feet, I stopped in at Kincaids for a glass of wine and a bite to eat.  It was after 3, so I hit happy hour!!  I had a glass of chardonnay and a bowl of mussels in red sauce.....and it was fabulous!!!!

On the way home, I stopped at Harris Teeter to grab some grub for the week and they had mussels for $3.99 a bag, so I decided to try to duplicate this recipe sometime this week!  Well, Dennis saw the mussels in the fridge this morning and got excited, so I decided to try them today!  Mussels two days in a row?  Score!

I gathered my ingredients.....mussels (of course!), garlic (fresh!!!), basil (homegrown), onion, oregano (not fresh....mine didn't survive for some reason!), crushed red peppers,olive oil, red wine and San Marzano tomatoes (believe it or not, I'd never cooked with them before!).

I diced the onions (I guess it was about 1/3 cup)....

and crushed 6 cloves of garlic.

I heated my beloved dutch over, poured in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let that heat....then I added the onions and garlic and let them cook slowly, while stirring....just until they are softened.  I then added about 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red peppers and let those flavors blend.

Next I opened the can of San Marzano tomatoes....(oh wow!  They ARE fabulous!)....poured those in and let them warm up a bit...then I added about 1 cup of the red wine and let the sauce simmer on low for about 1/2 hour. 

While the sauce was doing its thing, I did mine.....I cleaned and sorted through the mussels.  Make sure you throw out any mussels that will not close when tapped and also scrub them well and rinse several times.

I also picked some fresh basil.....

....and diced into a chiffonade by stacking the leaves.....

....rolling them up.......

...and slicing them into thin strips.

Now back to the sauce.....I added the basil at this point....

..time to add the mussels.....

....and settle them into their warm bath!

I let them cook on a low simmer for about 10 minutes.....then I scooped them into a bowl and added minced fresh parsley....

....poured a glass of wine and savored every last mussel....ummmm....morsel!!!

I love mussels and typically make them with white wine, garlic, shallots and butter....but this was delicious!!!  I'll make these again...and again...and again!