Grilled Mahi Mahi with Tomato and Bean Salsa

1 lb Mahi Mahi boneless fillets
1 recipe Tomato Bean Salsa
1 avocado, cut in half, pitted, peeled and sliced

Grill the fish for about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. A 3/4-inch fillet should be cooked with 4 minutes grilling per side. Salt and pepper to taste.

Plate the fish and top decoratively with sliced avocado and salsa.

Tomato and Bean Salsa

You can substitute most any green veggie such as zucchini or asparagus for example, if don't have and green beans hanging around.

1 large ripe tomato, diced and allowed to drain a bit
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup blanched green beans, sliced about 1/4 inch
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 fresh sage leaves, minced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Gently toss all ingredients together, and allow flavors to meld for 20 minutes.

Warm Potato Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

2 lb new red potatoes
2 Tbsp purple Bermuda onion, finely diced
½ cup finely diced crunchy veggies such as colored peppers, celery, fennel
1 Tbsp minced chives
½ cup Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Cook the potatoes in salted water just until softened – test with a knife. Drain and allow to cool, just enough to handle. Dice and toss gently with remaining ingredients. Serve warm.


A richer, more mustardy alternative – mix one rounded tablespoon of whole-grain Dijon mustard with the vinaigrette.

Grilled Wild-caught Salmon with Dill on a bed of Lentils

1½ lb wild-caught salmon fillet, skinned, cut into 4 servings
1 recipe Lentil and Green Bean Salad
1 tsp dill weed

Heat the grill and oil the grate. Prepare lentil salad (or bring previously prepared, chilled salad to room temperature). Grill salmon, serving side down for 2-3 minutes, just until the fish releases from the grill grates (do not rush this – if the fish sticks, it is not done yet). Flip and continue grilling for a total of about 5 minutes for a ½-inch thick fillet. Sprinkle dill on top of fish and salt and pepper to taste.

Plate a serving of lentil salad and top with a serving of salmon. Serve with lemon.

Lentil and Green Bean Salad with Herbs and Feta

I used canned lentils and green beans for this preparation for speed, even though this dish is much better made from dried lentils and fresh green beans, without question. However, let's face it - sometimes time is just of the essence. Canned lentils can be hard to find outside an ethnic or specialty food store - or unless you are in Canada or Europe where canned lentils abound! If you cook the dried lentil, use Puy lentils because they hold their shape so much better than common brown lentils - look for them in the health food aisles or bulk bins. Use fresh herbs if at all possible. I used a mix of thyme, oregano, mint and parsley. This salad can be served warm or chilled.

2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 lb green beans (or 1 can, drained)
2 Tbsp purple Bermuda onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Palmful of fresh herbs, such as sage, oregano and parsley, minced

1/2 cup Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

If you don’t have any made up, a quick alternative to Lemon Herb Vinaigrette for this salad:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook fresh green beans in some salted water only for about 3-5 minutes, just until they are just crisp-tender. Toss is a bowl of water and ice cubes to stop the cooking, then drain. Toss with all the remaining ingredients except the Feta. Turn into a serving bowl and top with the Feta.

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

You can use whatever fresh herbs you have in your garden or otherwise have on hand.

juice of 1/2 lemon, about 2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
about 2 tsp fresh sage leaves, minced
about 1 tsp fresh lavender or tarragon, minced
about 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

Broccoli Fifi

This is a quick broccoli prep that our daughter's good friend, Fifi really loves. Its faster than roasting broccoli - and another way to get a rich browned-flavor out of broccoli.
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 crowns broccoli, trimmed and chopped

In a large non-stick skillet or wok, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and garlic. Cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add 1 Tbsp water, the Balsamic vinegar and the broccoli. Cook an fairly high heat, stirring often, until the broccoli browns at the edges and is just crisp-tender. Tip into a serving bowl.

Pasta Bastille

Whole Poached Salmon

1 5-6 lb salmon, cleaned and scaled

Court Bouillon:
About 8 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 lemon, cleaned and sliced
Palmful parsley
Palmful other fresh herbs such as sage, oregano or thyme

Put water and wine in a fish poacher or other pot large enough to fit the whole fish, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add the vegetables and herbs to the water.

If you are using a pot you may want to wrap the fish in cheesecloth for easy removal after cooking. When the water comes to a boil, add the fish and return to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes.

Carefully remove the fish - with the insert rack if you are using the poacher or by grabbing the ends of the cheesecloth if younger using a pot. Let the fish cool to room temperature. Serve with Aioli sauce or mayonaise.

Cool Herb Tsatsiki Aioli
Mayonaise
Sundried Tomato Pesto Aioli

Cool Herb Tsatsiki Aioli

If you don't have Greek yogurt you can strain regular yogurt through a coffee filter for about an hour to remove a lot of the whey and get the thick consistency of Greek yogurt - so good for sauces. You can use any fresh herbs you have around the garden.

½ cup good real mayonnaise
½ cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, minced
½ Tbsp fresh lavender, minced
½ Tbsp fresh mint, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
Dash salt and ground white pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and allow flavors to infuse for at least an hour.

July 4th Grilling - Smokey Pimenton adds Flavor Depth

Pimenton, a smokey Spanish paprika adds a deep flavor to grilled foods, and a simple rub with it goes a long way. You can use this rub on most anything - chicken, pork, shrimp; the rich smokey flavor of pimenton cannot be realized with standard paprika, unless maybe you get fresh paprika from Hungary directly, maybe.

Smokey Pimenton BBQ Rub
2 Tbsp Spanish smokey pimenton paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried Italian or Provence herbs
1 tsp ground white pepper

Stir everything together and rub onto food to be grilled.

Here are some examples of grilled foods with this rub:
Chicken thighs.Mixed grill: chicken cutlets and shrimp kebabs.Grilled pork chops.

Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and White Beans

Another great visit from Thierry and Julie accompanied by great food and conversation. Julie brought the most delicious fresh mozzarella from a small family-run Italian shop on Long Island and made a delicious classic salad with fresh tomatoes and basil. She left behind delicious freshly made bulk Italian sausage and some broccoli Rabe sauteed with roasted garlic, giving me instructions on a dish she regularly prepares with these ingredients. Since the rabe was store-bought, I extrapolate it's preparation from imagination. I substituted some white beans for some of the sausage Julie left me because we love white beans so much and this leaves us a portion of sausage for latter use :-) I am sure the purist will prepare their own roasted garlic from scratch, which is not that hard to do, but you can also get pretty good roasted garlic these days in the olive/condiment bar in the market.

1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 large bunch broccoli rabe
1 can Cannillini or other white bean, drained
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup roasted garlic cloves
2 cups good low salt chicken
1/2 lb rigatoni or ziti
Dash red pepper flakes

In a big fry pan, sauté the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until they have released their water and have browner bit. Add the sausage and sauté until the sausage is well browned. Add the broccoli rabe and chicken broth, cover and cook about 10 minutes, or until the greens are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the garlic and beans to the sausage mixture along with the red pepper flakes. Add a bit more stock as needed to have a nice saucy consistency.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the sausage mixture in a large bowl. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Rice Primavera with Pimenton

You can used mixed frozen veggies or whatever leftover veggies you might have. This is a great dish to add a can of beans (drained) to, for a complete meal. You can also use leftover rice for even a quicker preparation.

1 cup rice (I especially love Jasmine with this because of its aroma)
2 cups water
½ tsp salt
2 tsp smoky Spanish Pimenton paprika
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 cups blanched mixed vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, zucchini
dash red pepper flakes

In a pot with a tight-fitting lid sauté the rice in a bit of canola oil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Let the rice turn white (from translucent) and become aromatic – about 5 minutes. Add the water and salt, cover and cook 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and add the seeds. Shake for a few minutes until they become aromatic. Add the veggies and pepper flakes and heat through. Fluff rice with a fork and fold into the vegetables.

Pimenton is a smokey paprika from Spain - very rich, deep flavor.

Fast Salmon and Scallops Fins Herbes

This is incredibly fast and delicious. These days you can get outstanding quality frozen seafood, certainly suitable for fast weeknight dinners, if not for the ultimate special guest occasion. I like Trader Joes's frozen seafood, but there are many, many other sources as well.

4 ¼ lb frozen skinned salmon fillets
1 lb frozen sea scallops
4 pads butter
2 Tbsp minced red Bermuda onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Palmful fresh mint, minced
Palmful fresh oregano, minced
About 6 fresh sage leaves, minced
Other minced fresh herbs that you like
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine
juice of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange the salmon fillets on top of a pad of butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Scatter the scallops about the fillets. Stir together the onion, garlic, herbs with the oil and top the seafood evenly with the herb mixture. Pour the wine and the lemon juice over the fish. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or just until seafood is cooked.

This is great served over cheese ravioli.