Summer is a fickle thing here in Seattle. Early yesterday morning it rained hard enough to wake me and today, as the school bus rattled past my windows, it was July all over again. There was grilling to be done.
I put air in the bike tires and rode up to my favorite fish market to see what was for dinner. As I was riding back, a handsome gray haired man in a Saab pulled up next to me at the light. “That’s the way to get around,” he said, and I could not have agreed more. The sun was warm, the air dry, and in my pannier rested .75 pounds of fine Ahi. We had a trite sunny day conversation. “Ditch your car and come to dinner,” said the voice in my right ear, while the voice in my left ear said, “Mine! All MINE!” Oh, my belly is full of Ahi, yes sir, and there’s about a quarter pound left to eat for lunch tomorrow. I am either hopelessly faithful or kind of a pig, you decide which.
I marinated the fish for a few hours in a combination of wasabi, sesame oil, and soy sauce. I started the rice cooker and then the coals. While they were getting hot, I sauteed some chopped beet stems in a generous splash of sesame oil. When the stems started to give up their bright red juices, I tossed in the leafy parts and turned off the heat. I try to serve my greens just past raw, I like them soft but not mushy, and they’re healthier if you don’t cook all the vitaminy goodness out of them. Note to beet lovers: Don’t toss the greens! They’re really quite delicious, even the stems. They’re kind of like swiss chard.
The fish went on to a very hot grill for about five minutes on each side. I brushed it with another coating of sesame oil just to be sure it didn’t stick. It came right off. I could have pulled it off a little earlier, even, it was starting to separate and the fat was beading up on the surface. While the steak wasn’t as rare as it could have been, it was still quite yummy, moist and dense and not chewy at all, even around the edges. There was just a ghost of pink in the middle – any longer and it would have been overdone. Timing, kids, cooking good fish is all about the timing.
I sprinkled the brown rice with a little furikake, a Japanese seaweed, sesame seed, and other odds and ends condiment. (I love this stuff, there’s always some in my kitchen. I buy the wasabi kind because it has a little kick to it. It’s good on rice or plain steamed tofu.) I splashed just a little bit of soy sauce on the fish, and then I feasted, but good.
Some day I’d like to go to the tuna markets in Japan. I have an old National Geographic that’s got a spread on the markets, but I guess the story never gets old because there’s an up-to-date photo spread here. The guy at my fish market looked a little sheepish and admitted he’d totally forgotten he’d promised to take me shopping, but also, said he’d try again to schedule something. “I know, it’s kind of a weird thing to ask,” I said, and he said, “No, not at all – let me see what I can do.” They sell two kinds of tuna at the market, Ahi and Tombo, the Ahi is a lot more expensive and yeah, it does taste better, it’s a whole other grade of quality. Tuna is tricky, sustainablity wise, you need to know where it’s from to evaluate if it’s okay. Don’t hesitate to ask your fish monger and if they don’t know, buy your fish somewhere else. Seriously. They should know their product. I asked the guy at the supermarket the other day and he answered my question right away. He gets to keep my business.
Today we send out an Omega 3 laden Fish Wednesday greeting to Jessmonster who’s embarking on September Fish Month for her Food Mondays. A finny hello to our new, fish obsessed, imaginary friend. If you’re cooking fish regularly, I’d love to know how it’s going at your house.
[tags]ahi, seafood, Fish Wednesday[/tags]
I’ve always wondered what to do with my beet greens, and felt guilty for tossing them. Now I know.
I’ve been reading through your fish archives for ideas. My neighborhood store does a good job of labeling where things came from and exactly how they were caught – no fish markets in biking distance for me!