Tag Archives: lemon

Main Course: Fish

Lemony Octopus Salad

Octopus scares most cooks. Not because of its tentacles, or its slipperiness, or its often unwieldy size. It scares most cooks because  preparing it successfully (until it’s tender rather than rubbery) seems unlikely.

Why this should be the case is a mystery. Think of octopus as you would a tough cut of meat meant for braising: beef chuck, oxtail, pork shoulder, lamb shanks… You get the idea. All it needs is slow, gentle cooking to render it tender and soft, rather than chewy and tough. Forget all you have read about triple-dunking in boiling liquid, beating against the side of a rock (or the inside of your sink), whacking it with a meat mallet, or adding a cork to the boiling liquid. Just cook the octopus for hours, until a fork easily punctures it, and you’re done.

The recipe below is for poached octopus, which certainly doesn’t sound very sexy, but it is succulent, the ideal starter for a holiday seafood dinner. The first step is making what the French call court bouillon, which means short stock: a flavorful, often wine-spiked cooking liquid in which to poach fish and seafood (or anything else you wish to cook). Making a  court bouillon takes minutes of work, and you can add whatever aromatics you want to the pot: below are my favorites, but improvise as you like.

Once the court bouillon is strained, lower the octopus into it and cook it at a happy simmer for 2 or 3 hours, then serve it straight away, as below, or cool it in a bit of its cooking liquid and grill it later (a simple smoked paprika, parsley, and garlic dressing is my favorite post-grilling). You can also press the cooked octopus into a terrine mold (or loaf pan) lined with plastic wrap overnight, refrigerate it under the weight of a few cans, and when you take it out, you can slice it into a most impressive-looking octopus soppressata:  the gelatin in the octopus sets the layers so it looks like a gorgeous octopus mosaic.

Keep in mind that octopus shrinks tremendously when it is cooked, so even if it seems like a 3-pound octopus is overkill, it will be about one-third of its original weight after cooking.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 to 6 as an appetizer

For the court bouillon:

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • tops and fronds from 1 bunch fennel
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • cool water to cover

For the octopus and to serve:

  • 1 large octopus (ideally about 3 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • juice of 1 large lemon
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 garlic clove, grated on a microplane
  • 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

Make the court bouillon: Combine all the ingredients except the water  in a deep pot (preferably one with a built-in strainer). Add enough water to come as high as you think is safe, considering that you will later be adding the octopus to the pot.

Bring to a  boil and simmer 30 minutes. Strain to discard the solids and return to a  boil.

Lower the octopus into the simmering liquid. Cover and cook until the octopus is very tender over medium-low heat, about 2 to 3 hours. Don’t rush the process; octopus takes time to become tender. Add more water as needed to keep the octopus submerged throughout the cooking.

Remove the octopus from the liquid and place on a large platter. Cool until you can handle it easily with your hands. Slip off the slimy purple skin (but leave the suction cups attached to the tentacles). Discard the head (I find it tough, although you might want to try it in case you disagree).  Cut the tentacles into bite-size chunks.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili flakes, garlic, and parsley. Pour over the octopus and toss well; taste the seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature. We enjoy octopus with steamed baby potatoes, green beans, and kale sprouts (as pictured below) dressed simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper, but you can serve it atop baby greens, peppery arugula, or a shaved fennel salad.

 

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Appetizer

Corn & Scallion Fritters

Summer is corn season. We eat corn almost daily, usually just boiling it for 3 minutes, scraping it off the cob and savoring it plain, sprinkled with sea salt. But there are times I’ll hunger for corn soup or chowder, and times when a corn fritter beckons. Today was one of those days.

Almost anything is delicious in a fritter: boiled or raw vegetables; cooked grains; bits of savory meat; cheese and herbs… all benefit from a quick jump in a hot skillet with olive oil. But corn fritters are somehow even more addictive, perhaps because of corn’s natural juiciness and sweetness. Serve these fritters as a side to meat or fish, or with a lovely green salad as a starter. If you happen to be entertaining, they make perfect finger food as long as you make them no more than silver dollar-size.

Serves 2 as an appetizer

For the fritters:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (optional)
  • 1 ear fresh corn, kernels scraped
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, very thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

To serve:

  • 2 packed cups baby greens, washed and dried
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • juice of 1/4 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Place the egg in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the flour, beating vigorously with a whisk until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and thyme, and whisk again. Add the scraped corn kernels and scallions, and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Set aside for no more than 10 minutes (if the batter rests too long, the corn may exude moisture and result in watery fritters).

To cook: Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame for 2 minutes, or until quite hot but not smoking. Brush with half of the olive oil. Spoon in the batter, making 6 equal-sized fritters, spacing the fritters about 2 inches apart. Cook for 3 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and flip. Cook until the second side is also golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Remove to a plate.

To serve: While the fritters are cooking, toss the greens with the salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and then the olive oil. Toss to combine. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Pile onto 2 plates. Top with the fritters and serve at once, before the fritters cool down and the greens wilt.

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Soup

Chilled Beet Soup with Buttermilk & Dill

Our friend Grazina brought us a container of this shockingly pink soup two weeks ago, on a particularly hot day. It looked like nothing I had ever eaten before, and at first my husband and I could not quite figure out what was in it, other than beets and dairy and dill.

This soup, known in Grazina’s Lithuanian family as “Pink Soup”, is a chilled borscht of sorts. I grew up eating borscht (my Romanian Jewish grandmother made it often) and never really liked it. This soup tasted nothing like the borscht I knew. It is brightly flavored, herbal, and so refreshing. While the ingredient list looks daunting, the actual process is quick and easy: roast some beets; boil some eggs and beet greens (though Grazina uses spinach, and you can too); crush scallions with dill and salt; toss all of the above with buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, cucumbers; and enjoy the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to mingle and develop fully.

Serves 4

For the beets:

  • ½ pound beets( 2 medium or 3 small), scrubbed
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 packed cups finely chopped fresh beet greens or spinach
  • 2 large or 3 medium scallions, white and green parts, very thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup fresh dill leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons sea salt, plus extra to taste
  • 1 large or 2 small Kirby cucumbers, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, plus extra to taste
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • ¾ cup light sour cream

beetsroasted

Make the beets: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the beets on a roasting pan and toss with the salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 hours. Larger beets may take longer. Cool to room temperature, then peel and cut into ¼-inch dice.

Make the soup: Place the eggs in a small pot. Add cool water to cover. Bring to a boil and shut off the heat. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let rest 13 minutes to cook through, then drain and cool. Shell and cut into ¼-inch dice.

Place 2 cups of water in the same (empty) pot. Return to a boil. Add the beet greens and boil 3 minutes, or until tender and silky. Drain and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking. Squeeze gently dry.

In a mortar, place the scallions, dill, and salt. Crush with a pestle until the scallions and dill release their juice; they will still be chunky, not pasty.

Place the scallion mixture in a large container. Add the cucumbers, lemon juice, buttermilk, sour cream, cooked beet greens, roasted beets, and hard-boiled eggs. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Cover the container and chill overnight.

Adjust the seasoning if needed and serve very cold. The flavor should be slightly tart and sweet, and quite savory; if the soup tastes flat, add a drop more lemon juice and some salt until the flavors brighten.

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Main Course: Fish

Crispy Skin Branzino with Silky Broccoli Raab

I love branzino. It is absolutely my favorite fish. Its flavor is clean and sweet, its flesh moist and firm. I love it roasted whole, stuffed with a rosemary sprig, some lemon slices, and a few garlic cloves; filleted and baked in parchment paper, with a splash of white wine and a handful of fresh herbs; sauteed into a simple tomato sauce for pasta; or, best of all, crisped on both sides in a hot skillet with nothing more than a veil of olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt, and a bit of freshly ground black pepper.

We eat crispy skin branzino at least once a week, sometimes flaking it into homemade corn tortillas for the best fish tacos imaginable, or simply drizzling it with lemon juice and olive oil on the plate.

Please don’t be intimidated at the thought of crisping branzino skin: it couldn’t be easier. You just need a hot nonstick skillet, a spatula, and 6 minutes to get dinner on the table.

Serves 2

For the branzino:

  • 2 branzino filets, skin on, scales and bones removed, rinsed and blotted dry
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the broccoli raab:

  • 1 large bunch broccoli raab, tough stems removed, washed, and coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
  • water as needed

For the sauce:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
  • 1 garlic clove, grated on a microplane or the small holes of a box grater

Make the branzino: Brush the branzino filets on both sides with the olive oil, and season on both sides with the salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the broccoli raab: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the broccoli raab and 1 tablespoon of the salt, and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain and shock under cool water to stop the cooking, then gently squeeze dry with your hands. Place the olive oil, garlic, and chili in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the garlic is aromatic, after about 1 minute, add the broccoli raab. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the broccoli raab is very soft and silky, adding a bit of water if needed to keep the broccoli raab moist. Keep warm.

Make the sauce for the branzino:  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside at room temperature until needed.

To serve:  Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and heat for 2 minutes; do not allow the skillet to heat so long  that it begins to smoke though, as nonstick skillets should never get too hot or they let out toxic fumes.

Place the branzino filets in the hot skillet, skin side down, and press with a spatula. Cook 3 minutes, or until the skin is dark and crispy but not burned. Flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes, or until the fish is nearly done, pressing once with a spatula. Flip one more time so the filets are skin side down in the skillet and cook just until they crisp up again and the fish is completely cooked; it will no longer be translucent or pearly, and should be firm to the touch.

Spoon some of the sauce for the fish on the plate, and set the branzino filets on top of the sauce, skin side up; if you place the fish skin side down, the crisp texture will be lost. Pile the broccoli raab next to the fish and serve hot.

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