A Fish Tale

For some reason, I managed to make some really great fish tonight. I'm usually not very good with fish - it's kind of hit or miss for me. I tend to undercook or overcook it and I really have no idea what kind to buy.

So, I'm not sure what made it great tonight, but I can tell you what I did and maybe it'll all make sense. What I bought was Trader Joe's frozen, wild caught salmon. I defrosted it in the fridge all day and then cooked it on a preheated cast iron griddle (you know, the kind that fits over two burners). Incidentally, I used the grill side (with the lines on it).

The last time I tried fish on that griddle, it stuck pretty badly. It (the griddle) was brand new at the time, and even though it was supposed to be pre-seasoned, I thought maybe it wasn't seasoned well enough. And, I read that the first few times you use cast iron, you should cook foods high in fat, to avoid sticking. Of course, I didn't know that until it was too late..oh well. So, I decided to season it myself.

For those who care, here's where I read up on how to season cast iron (I followed the directions for "new pans", even though mine was supposed to be pre-seasoned. It worked pretty well, I think, because the fish didn't stick too badly this time (I used a short burst of cooking spray as well). There are a lot of bits left on the grill, but the fish came off without too much fuss. I cooked each side for about 3 or 4 minutes over high heat (they were pretty thin fillets. thicker ones may take a minute more). I also threw a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice on there while the first side was cooking.

On a very exciting note...I added a tiny bit of fresh cilantro and parsley (from my newly planted window herb garden), and it made an incredible impresssion. Just a little bit added SO much life to the fish. Very exciting for me, since I just started my little herb garden a couple of days ago.

It's also really easy to make a little sauce to go with the fish. What I make is very much like tartar sauce. It's basically mayonnaise, a little lemon juice, a lot of dill, and some salt. It's just all "to taste" - I don't really measure because you can hardly mess it up. Of course, this sauce is really fattening and high in calories (as far as sauce goes). But then again, unless you eat a ton of it, it's not really going to offset how "good for you" the fish is.

So, there you have it - my fish tale. Tomorrow, I may try Parmesan Zucchini Crisps. Stay tuned...