Broiled Sea Bass with Lemon Aioli

Four people currently live in my house. Me, Mom, Dad and Albert.

Wesley, Albert’s girlfriend Samm and Joshua make frequent appearances, but for the most part there are just the four of us.

When we started this year, I was the only one with a full blown, full time job.

Albert and my dad dabbled in things here and there, but everyone’s schedules were pretty open.

In a matter of two months, I got a new job that involves a lot of travel, Albert got a job an hour from home and Dad got a job where half his job is travel.

We went from zero to BUSY in no time flat.

Which means less time in the kitchen. That does NOT mean less delicious things being made. It just means I need to be making tasty things faster. We can’t be having any more ten in the evening dinners in the Samuels home.

So here is something absolutely DELICIOUS, that takes no time at all.

You will need…

4 sea bass fillets, about 6 ounces each

1 large lemon, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

12 small bay leaves (or a few big ones ripped into 12 small pieces)

4 cups arugula

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or other fancy light vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the broiler.

Arrange the lemon slices in a small roasting pan and drizzle the lemons with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

Broil the lemons until they are lightly browned. About 10 minutes.

Take 2 of the lemon slices and finely chop.

Transfer the chopped lemon to a bowl with the mayonnaise and cayenne pepper.

Stir until completely combined and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drizzle the arugula with vinegar and toss until all the leaves are very lightly coated.

Make 4 slits about ½ inch deep in each piece of fish. Slip a piece of bay leaf into each slit.

Then, top the remaining lemons with the fish (skin side up if you have skin). Season with salt and pepper and scatter the thyme on the fish.

Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and broil for 10 to 12 minutes.

You want the skin to be browned and crisp and the fish to be cooked through.

Remove the bay leaves from the fish.

Place 1 cup of dressed arugula on a plate and top with a piece of fish.

Serve hot with lemon aioli. 

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Broiled Sea Bass with Lemon Aioli

4 sea bass fillets, about 6 ounces each

1 large lemon, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

12 small bay leaves (or a few big ones ripped into 12 small pieces)

4 cups arugula

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or other fancy light vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the broiler.

Arrange the lemon slices in a small roasting pan and drizzle the lemons with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

Broil the lemons until they are lightly browned. About 10 minutes.

Take 2 of the lemon slices and finely chop.

Transfer the chopped lemon to a bowl with the mayonnaise and cayenne pepper.

Stir until completely combined and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drizzle the arugula with vinegar and toss until all the leaves are very lightly coated.

Make 4 slits about ½ inch deep in each piece of fish. Slip a piece of bay leaf into each slit.

Then, top the remaining lemons with the fish (skin side up if you have skin). Season with salt and pepper and scatter the thyme on the fish.

Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and broil for 10 to 12 minutes.

You want the skin to be browned and crisp and the fish to be cooked through.

Remove the bay leaves from the fish.

Place 1 cup of dressed arugula on a plate and top with a piece of fish.

Serve hot with lemon aioli. 

Chive Aioli

Normally, I am strictly a ketchup girl.

No, not one of those ketchup people who puts it one everything like my eggs or my steak. That is gross.

But I do it up big with that tasty tomato goodness on my French fries, my hamburgers and definitely my hot dogs.

I very rarely deviate.

And even when there is some sort of sauce on whatever I have ordered, I usually end up dipping it in ketchup anyway.

Until I discovered this little gem.

This aioli is great as a dipping sauce and amazing on burgers and sandwiches. I wouldn’t put it on my hot dog, but hot dogs are sacred.

You will need…

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon your favorite whole grain mustard

Here is where it gets complicated. Put everything in a small bowl and mix it well.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Chive Aioli

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon your favorite whole grain mustard

Here is where it gets complicated. Put everything in a small bowl and mix it well. 

Creamy Tarragon Dressed Butter Lettuce with Crumbled Croutons

Unless you live under a rock, you are a ware that 2012 is an election year in the good old USA.

No, I am not about to spill my guts to you about all my political beliefs and then go on and on and on and on and on about why I am right and why you should believe what I think.

I don’t really care if you believe that the whole universe is run by a unicorn named Janice or that the earth is really just a marble in some alien kids pocket.

What I do know is that I find most of the political figures these days very similar to circus performers.

I just feel like people I can trust are few and far between. On both sides of the aisle. And more than wanting to convince others of my political views, I just hope as a whole our country can get to a more honest place.

And there is my deep thought of the week.

Even though I don’t trust politicians, I do trust a really REALLY good salad.

Ignore a politician, eat a salad.

You will need…

1 cup homemade croutons
 (store bought work fine) smashed

2 heads butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup shaved (you can use a veggie peeler) good Parmesan cheese

1 large tomato, diced

1/4 cup diced red tomato, plus and extra tablespoon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

On a large platter, combine the tomato, lettuce, cheese, and ¼ cup of onion.

Then in a food processor or in a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Blend or whisk until they are completely blended.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Top with the crushed croutons, lightly toss again and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Creamy Tarragon Dressed Butter Lettuce with Crumbled Croutons

1 cup homemade croutons
 (store bought work fine) smashed

2 heads butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup shaved (you can use a veggie peeler) good Parmesan cheese

1 large tomato, diced

1/4 cup diced red tomato, plus and extra tablespoon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

On a large platter, combine the tomato, lettuce, cheese, and ¼ cup of onion.

Then in a food processor or in a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Blend or whisk until they are completely blended.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Top with the crushed croutons, lightly toss again and serve. 

The New Old Tartar Sauce

Growing up, picky eater Angela wasn’t that into fish.

The only fish I ate was salmon.

And the only way I would eat salmon was with tartar sauce.

Not until a fateful charity dinner in my early twenties where sea bass was the only dinner option, did I explore other types of fish.

Tons of new things to use my tartar sauce on!

In my old age, I have decided I need a new and improved tartar sauce. Something that still has that zest taste but with a cooling way about it.

And so the new old tartar sauce was born.

Lucky for you. Luck for me. Lucky for us.

You will need…

¾ cups mayonnaise

¼ cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed if in salt

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped

In a small bowl or jar, combine all of the ingredients.

Shake the jar or mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and keep for up to 2 weeks.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

The New Old Tartar Sauce

¾ cups mayonnaise

¼ cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed if in salt

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped

In a small bowl or jar, combine all of the ingredients.

Shake the jar or mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and keep for up to 2 weeks.

Zesty Orange Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

So, I’ve been living at home with my parents for just short of a year now.

I moved home because my good friend and roommate Lish was getting married and I decided it was time to buckle down and save some money.

The plan was to move home at twenty-five so I would never have to move home again. 

I’d have my own home.

For the first six months of living at home, I pretty much sucked at saving.

Wait, that’s not right. I flat out SUCKED at saving.

I didn’t save at all.

My first excuse was our family trip to Greece. I needed a whole new wardrobe so that I could walk the streets of Volos like it was my own personal runway.

Whole new wardrobe is a stretch, but I did spend a pretty penny.

Then there was the holidays. Always a costly time of the year.

But come January first, it was time to buckle down.

And buckle down I did.

Even though I’m more on the spiritual side than the religious side, I gave up shopping for lent.

And it felt good. Oodles of money went into the savings account and I survived the forty days.

Well, a couple of weeks have gone by since Easter came to visit and my shopping freeze has ended. The fruits of my shopping labors have started showing up at the house and one thing has become clear.

I have a major shopping problem.

MAJOR.

It became clear as day tonight as the family recounted all the bags and boxes that have shown up just this week.

I’m writing this all down in an attempt to turn over a new leaf.

The first step is admitting you have a problem. Right?

So from now on, I’m going to have to settle for food shopping.

And tomorrow I’ll probably go shopping for ingredients for this chicken salad.

It’s an amazingly fun and interesting version of an American classic and perfect for the upcoming summer season.

You will need…

4 large chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

1 large orange

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

(2 cups arugula and 4 of your favorite rolls if you want to make a sandwich)

Start by putting the chicken in a large saucepan and filling the pan up with enough water to cover the chicken.

Peel strips of orange zest from half of the orange with a veggie peeler and add the zest and 1 teaspoon salt to the water.

Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat.

When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmw, uncovered until the chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken and let it cool.

Zest the remaining orange peel with a small grater into a large bowl and then juice the orange into the same bowl.

Add in the mayo, yogurt, mustard, celery, pecans, green onions and poppy seeds.

Shred the chicken and add it to the mixture. I shred my chicken by using two forks to pull pieces of chicken apart.

Combine the mixture well and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Zesty Orange Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

4 large chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

1 large orange

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

(2 cups arugula and 4 of your favorite rolls if you want to make a sandwich)

Start by putting the chicken in a large saucepan and filling the pan up with enough water to cover the chicken.

Peel strips of orange zest from half of the orange with a veggie peeler and add the zest and 1 teaspoon salt to the water.

Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat.

When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmw, uncovered until the chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken and let it cool.

Zest the remaining orange peel with a small grater into a large bowl and then juice the orange into the same bowl.

Add in the mayo, yogurt, mustard, celery, pecans, green onions and poppy seeds.

Shred the chicken and add it to the mixture. I shred my chicken by using two forks to pull pieces of chicken apart.

Combine the mixture well and serve.