Panko Fish Tacos

If we are being honest, I have to admit that I am afraid of frying things. Eating fried food is one thing I am not afraid of (I'm looking at you, fried chicken and donuts), but making fried foods at home hasn't happened yet for me. The idea of filling a big pot full of oil, avoiding rogue spatters, and then figuring out how to dispose of the oil when you're done (down the drain, or not??) has caused me to avoid this particular cooking endeavor.

My answer to this has been an increasing love of panko bread crumbs. I love breading things with panko! Give me a piece of chicken and I will panko away - as evidenced in this earlier post on my favorite panko chicken, or as a key ingredient in these homemade turkey burgers. Then a while back, my favorite blog A Cup of Jo also told me that I could panko my fish! This was an even more exciting discovery, as I hate frying fish at home because if we are still being honest, cooking fish can get smelly no matter how fresh your fish is.

What can be better on a warm summer night than perfectly seasoned baked fish combined with a crisp lemony slaw? Adding guacamole and salsa is definitely a must! Find the best tortillas you can and add a margarita and we are looking at a pretty perfect evening.

For the slaw:
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced
2 carrots, grated
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. creme fraiche (or plain Greek yogurt)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt

For the fish
1 lb. tilapia, sliced (of fish of your choice)
1 egg, whisked
1 cup panko (find at Trader Joe's)
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. oregano
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. canola oil
8 tortillas
1 lime

1. Place sliced cabbage, grated carrots and chopped cilantro in a large bowl. Next combine lemon juice, creme fraiche, and olive oil for the dressing. Generously salt the cabbage mixture, pour in the dressing and toss everything together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

2. For the fish tacos, preheat oven to 425F. Next, rinse the tilapia fillets and dry them with paper towels. Slice them into 2″ long pieces and place them onto a plate. Pour the whisked egg over the fish and make sure each piece gets covered in the egg wash. This will ensure that the panko mixture completely coats the fish. 

3. In a Ziploc bag, mix panko, paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and oil. Place your egg-coated fish into the bag, seal and shake.

4. Once the fish is coated in panko, spread the pieces onto a foil-lined sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the panko is golden brown. Wrap your tortillas in foil and throw them in the oven for the last 3 to 5 minutes of baking.

A New Job & The San Juan Islands

Oh my goodness, where does the time go?? It feel like just yesterday that I was writing about our move to Monterey and promising that I was going to get back on a more regular blog schedule. That was...almost one month ago. Don't worry, as usual I am ready with good excuses for my radio silence. First off, I have a new job! Only at the end of July I officially started work as an Executive Assistant at Pebble Beach Company. Yes, as in the world-famous golf resort that hosts all the fancy celebrity golf tournaments. I know, you may be thinking that one important detail doesn't make sense...I don't golf. In fact, I will cheerfully admit that I don't know the first thing about golf, despite the fact that as an employee I can now play the world's best course for free.

It turns out that Pebble Beach is a lot more than just a golf course. I've learned over the past few weeks that it is in fact home to the world-famous scenic "17 Mile Drive," five golf courses, three hotels, a fancy award-winning spa, and almost 15 restaurants. It has a free employee dining room, which means no brown bagging it to work...ever. It is also absolutely gorgeous and only ten minutes drive from my house. In other words, somebody better pinch me because it doesn't seem quite real yet. My job is located at the Inn at Spanish Bay, where I support the general manager, food and beverage director, and rooms director. This is my first time working directly in the hospitality industry, and it is absolutely fascinating. Everyone I work with is extremely nice and very, very good at what they do. I'm still learning the ropes, the lingo, and the industry and probably will continue to learn for a long while to come.

As you know, training for a new job is exhausting just because everything is so new and there is a TON to learn. So, good thing Stuart and I had a pre-planned vacation to the San Juan Islands at the beginning of August! After a week of intensive training at my new job, we headed to the airport for some R&R. We started off with 24 hours in Seattle, followed up by four nights on Orcas Island to celebrate the wedding of two good family friends. It was just what the doctor ordered a great way to sneak a summer vacation into what has been a truly whirlwind of a summer. Here is a glimpse of our recent trip!

Catching up with good friend Lauren and enjoying a French 75 at Bastille in Ballard

A new gem in Pike's Place market - AMAZING yogurt at Ellenos (yogurt as in your breakfast Yoplait but 1000x better)

Brunch at Tilikum Place Cafe, an old favorite from our Seattle days. This beauty is the Dutch baby. 

 

 

Great food on Orcas Island at New Leaf Cafe

Annnnd it's wedding time again! This was our third wedding this year, we have one more to go in 2015!!

Salmon & Asparagus with Crème Fraîche

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a great last couple of weeks. I am happy to report that life in Monterey is going very well and I am finally settling into a cooking routine in my new kitchen! As you may know from previous posts, I have become a fan of planning out my whole week's worth of meals in advance so that I am guaranteed to have the right ingredients on hand for wholesome meals during the week. After some fits and starts as we continued to unpack and put off grocery shopping until things were getting dire, I am now back in the game and meal planning away.

This past week has been gorgeous and sunny, and while I have been assured that it is not normally so crystal clear and warm, Stuart and I have been taking advantage by lots of strolls along the ocean front and Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. There is a recreation trail that goes all the way around the Bay that's fun to walk, and yesterday we took advantage of the sun and went to spend the afternoon at Asilomar Beach. The smell of saltwater and warm air had me craving fresh fish and I wanted to try my hand at cooking something new. Luckily I had bookmarked the perfect recipe from a recent issue of Sunset magazine and lo and behold Salmon & Asparagus with Crème Fraîche was born. This dish is so quick and simple, but with fresh and interesting flavors as well as the richness imparted from the salmon and crème fraîche. It is bound to become a new staple in my home cooking routine!

I imagine this dish could be re-created to your taste in countless ways - for example by using halibut instead of salmon or by adding different vegetable combinations to roast underneath the fish. Wherever you are, I hope your weekend has involved sun, sand, long days, and delicious food.

Ingredients:

2 bunches asparagus (about 2 lbs. total)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

About 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

About 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided

4 skinned salmon fillets (5 to 6 oz. each)

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1 tablespoon each whole-grain mustard and chopped fresh chives

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler with oven rack about 4 in. from heat (my broiler was acting up so I preheated the oven to 450.)

2. Snap off bottom of an asparagus spear to see where it breaks easily. Line up remaining spears and slice off bottoms at the same spot. Put trimmed asparagus on a 12- by 17-in. rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with oil and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet.

3. Season salmon with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, then set on top of asparagus in a single layer. If you would like to serve rice with dinner, begin making it now.

4. Broil or bake salmon and asparagus until salmon is no longer translucent but still moist in center and asparagus is browned in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. If asparagus isn't done, lift salmon to a platter and return asparagus to oven for a few more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, whisk together crème fraîche, mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Serve salmon and asparagus with crème fraîche sauce.

Happy 4th of July and a Move to Monterey!

Happy 4th of July weekend! What's that you say? You thought I must have died or quit blogging because I haven't posted to this blog in over a month? Well, I don't blame you for thinking that! But, I promise I am alive and well and...living in Monterey now! To be exact, Stuart and I are now living in Pacific Grove (or "PG" as I am told the locals call it). It feels like a dream - we are now in an adorable little old house rental within walking distance to the ocean, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Stuart's new workplace.

Over the past few months, I've alluded to the fact that Stuart was preparing to graduate from Cal Poly's City and Regional Planning masters program and was job searching. Things got hot, heavy, and stressful the past few weeks as he navigated interviews with several interesting planning companies in different locations. For a couple weeks, we had no idea where we would end up - just that when we knew, we would have to act FAST.

In mid-June, Stuart graduated from Cal Poly and Monterey because a reality. On June 23rd we ended up finding a new home to rent after a week of intense rental hunting. The housing market in this area is no joke, people! (For most rentals, think very expensive + very outdated). Then, exactly one week later, we moved in on June 30th which just so happens to have been our third wedding anniversary. Some might say we are crazy, but I actually think it's quite fitting to be starting a big new adventure on the same date that we started the biggest adventure of all!

We have spent the last few days unpacking, settling in, and exploring the area. It's truly amazing to live so close to the ocean and experience the daily fog, spot sea otters and sea lions on our walks, and see all that blue water when you're just driving to the grocery store or running errands. "PG" is an adorable sleepy little town that feels like you walked back in time. It's filled with old hardware stores, Victorian houses, and almost no chain stores to be seen. We tried one amazing restaurant so far for our anniversary dinner (Passionfish) and can't wait to check out more.

Stuart starts his new job tomorrow, so send good vibes his way! If luck is in our favor, I'll soon find a new job of my own and we will be calling this area our home for a while to come.  Here are some photos that sum up our past few weeks...

 

Graduation Day!! 

 Pretending to ride a Vespa after our last meal out in San Luis Obispo. See you later babe, have fun with the moving truck!

Luckily, moving was made better by the world's cutest little helper, Dr. Watson. If only I had kidnapped him (and if only our new rental allowed pets).

 Our new place probably doesn't allow pets because it looks like this...quaint and adorable, non-working fireplace and all.

 

 Our little living room, finally unpacked and decked out with my signature string lights, a staple decor that's been twinkling since my college dorm room in 2005.

 Happy 3rd anniversary! Can you tell we are about to fall asleep on the table?

 Yum. Eat at Passionfish and get the halibut special.

 

 This is our new backyard. No big deal.

 Hiking the gorgeous trails earlier today at Point Lobos.

4th of July grilling, accomplished in our first-ever backyard/deck area! We can't wait for many new firsts and good memories in this new home base.

Easy Strawberry Jam + The Best Waffles

Ahhh long weekends are like a breath of fresh air. It's amazing what one extra day off can make in the normal routine of your week! Surprisingly, Stuart and I are staying in town this weekend and just relaxing. Last week we were at an engagement party and next week we are visiting my grandma in Oakland, so it's nice to have some time to just stay put and focus on things that need to get done on the home front. 

Yesterday I dragged Stuart to the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival, which takes place in a cute little town about 20 minutes south of us. We missed it last year, and I was very much anticipating it and picturing a utopia of strawberry everything. While they did have amazing activities for kids (including camel riding - random but amazing) most of the booths turned out to be nothing special and was a bit more like what you would find at a typical fair or carnival with a bunch of random knick-knacks.

The bright side was that we came home with a whole half-flat (six baskets) of perfectly ripe strawberries grown right in Arroyo Grade. They looked and smelled fantastic, and from the tastes I stole from the box as we were walking back to the car, it was well worth the $10 spent for local berries at the height of the season. And I had big plans for those berries, believe me. Ages ago I jotted down a recipe for "quick strawberry jam," containing just a few easy ingredients. You'll want to consume it within a few weeks as it has no preservatives, but I can't wait to spoon it on everything from yogurt to ice cream to pancakes.

My jam turned out almost like a strawberry sauce rather than a jam (cooking longer would have done the trick) but once I had my beautiful mason jars full of sauce I couldn't wait to pout it all over some hot fresh WAFFLES. My dad has the best recipe in the world for waffles, and I've just been dying for the right time to share this "family secret" with you all. So here we go: easy strawberry jam + the best waffles...

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

2 baskets ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved

¼ cup honey

¼  cup sugar (add up to 1/2 cup total if your strawberries seem tart)

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a heavy medium pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Reduce heat and cook over medium, mashing the berries slightly with a wooden spoon or fork, for about 30-40 minutes. You may need more or less time to reach the desired jam consistency. Let cool a bit, pour into a medium-size mason jar, and refrigerate until needed. Consume within approximately 2-3 weeks.

The Best Waffles

Preheat waffle iron of your choice.

Mix together in a medium bowl:

1 ¾ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Whisk together in another bowl:

3 large eggs, well beaten

1 stick unsalted butter, melted (all the way melted, not just softened)

1 ½ cups milk

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently whisk them together with a few swift strokes. The batter should have a pebbled look, similar to muffin batter. If you wish, fold in optional toppings such as berries, banana, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or coconut flakes.

Spoon approximately ½ cup of batter (or amount recommended by your waffle maker) onto the hot iron. Spread the batter to within ¼ inch of the edge of the grids. Bake until golden brown.