Fish

Wild Alaskan Salmon with Anaheim Pepper covered in Olive Tapanade.

Satisfying

Thinking about food is a time consuming affair.  I have to sneak that thinking into strategic chunks of time, sometimes right in front of the refrigerator.

Who am I cooking for?  Who likes fish? Who will eat the potatoes?  Did I cover all the family members so that no one is left without something to eat.  This dish covered everyone.  I love it all while others prefer one or two of the ingredients.  Salmon, potatoes, tomatoes.

Peixe fresco

Carapau freco!!! Quem quer carapau fresco?

In 1976 and again in 1988, I heard the women selling the catch of the day as they walked through town.  I recently learned that someone I am getting to know through the education circle comes from a Portuguese family...  from the Azores to be precise.  She has never been to Portugal.  I feel fortunate that I did have a chance to live there if only for a short while. 

Carapau (mackerel) and salmon for those of us that eat fish in our house.

The zuchini side dish was to die for.

Chidhood memories

Having lived in places where papaya, mangos, and guarana were everywhere, I find going to Lee Lee's supermarked and adventure into times of long ago.

Chinese, and Indian eggplant. A pear. Mangos form Asia. Chorizo from Spain. Fish from an unknown place.

Sardinhas

Somewhere inside me I heard the cry of my Portuguese heritage when I flipped through the pages of my Mediterranean Cooking book.

I had sardines in my freezer. You can see that they have not been cleaned yet.

Belly opened and ready to rip out the gills and other unwanted stuff.

All clean and ready to cook.

Frying in olive oil, minced onion, and minced garlic. Salt is added to taste.

Served with boiled potatoes, sprinkled with parsley.

Although I ate alone in my home office, I was miles away in Ovar at a feast with generations of my fish loving family.

Light and healthy

Salmon and Chinese cabbage for lunch.

Drizzle a little olive oil in frying pan/wok. Add salmon and cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and soy sauce. Cover. Cook until the fish is cooked through and the cabbage is soft (20 minutes).