Cooking for Two (22 page)

S
OUTHWESTERN
G
LAZED
S
ALMON
makes
2 servings

M
ayonnaise makes an easy but decadent glaze for salmon fillets—much like hollandaise sauce, but without the work. Here, it’s spiked with lime and chili powder. Serve this easy entrée with a fresh salad of baby spinach leaves, walnuts, and soft goat cheese, dressed with a light vinaigrette.

1.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F. Rub the flesh and skin of the salmon fillets with the olive oil. (Doing this will also allow you to check for bones, so rub carefully but thoroughly. If you find any bones, pull them out with your fingers or a pair of tweezers.) Coat the flesh of the fillets with the chopped cilantro.

2.
Mix the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl until uniform. Spoon this mixture on top of the fillets, spreading it out to cover the flesh.

3.
Heat a large, oven-safe skillet, preferably cast-iron, over high heat. Add the fillets, skin side down. Shake once to make sure they don’t stick; if they do, loosen gently with a spatula. Cook for just 1 minute, then place the skillet in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the glaze is set and the salmon is cooked but still pink in the center. You can also check for doneness by inserting a knife into the flesh, then touching the side of the blade gently to your lips; it should feel warm. Serve at once.

S
ESAME
T
UNA
S
TEAKS
makes
2 servings (with about
cup sauce)

M
ake sure you buy sushi-quality tuna, the freshest you can find. Look for ruby-red, almost translucent fillets or steaks without brown or white spots.

1.
To make the sauce, stir 1 tablespoon water with the cornstarch in a small bowl until pastelike; set aside. Mix the remaining 5 tablespoons water, the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, scallion, ginger, red pepper flakes, and lime juice in a small saucepan set over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the prepared cornstarch mixture in a slow, steady stream. Continue cooking and whisking about 10 seconds, or just until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lime juice. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and cool to room temperature. The sauce can be made in advance; store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

2.
To prepare the fish, position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Spread the sesame seeds on a dinner plate.
Coat each tuna steak with 1 tablespoon olive oil, massaging the oil into the fillet. Lay one steak on the plate; press down to coat with the sesame seeds. Turn, press again, then roll the sides in the sesame seeds. Set aside and repeat with the other tuna steak. Season both with salt and pepper.

3.
Heat a large, oven-safe skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium-high heat. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then gently lay the tuna steaks in the pan. Cook for just 30 seconds. Turn with a wide spatula, taking care not to scrape off the sesame seed coating. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then place the pan in the oven and bake for 3 minutes for rare (red and warm inside), 4 for medium-rare (pink and hot), or 6 for medium (cooked through). Besides cutting the steaks open to check, you can also insert a dinner knife into the thickest part of the flesh, hold it there for 10 seconds, then gently touch the side of the knife to your lips. It should be slightly warm for rare, warm for medium-rare, and hot for medium.

4.
Transfer the steaks to two serving plates with a spatula. Let stand for 3 minutes at room temperature. To serve, drizzle the prepared sauce over each steak.

You can add any number of spices to the sesame seed mixture before coating the fish, including any one of the following:

S
TEAMED
W
HOLE
S
NAPPER WITH
P
IMIENTO
S
AUCE
makes
1 whole steamed fish, or 2 servings

T
o make this impressive entrée, you steam the whole fish on a bed of parsley set on a dinner plate or small platter. A fish steamer will make it in a snap, but a small roasting pan with a tight-fitting lid will do just as well. So that the plate doesn’t rest in the water, set it up on four “columns” made from thick potato slices, which you will discard when done. When buying a whole snapper, look for clear, bright eyes, the true measure of a fish’s freshness. The sauce, by the way, is good on its own, as a dip for bread and celery, or as a light glaze for barbecued chicken.

1.
Toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a small, dry skillet set over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, tossing occasionally. They should be quite fragrant—a paler brown color will indicate a lighter taste; deeper brown, a nuttier flavor. Set aside.

2.
Place the pimientos, garlic, 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil, the rice vinegar, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the Tabasco sauce in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, in a mini food processor, or in a large blender. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Set aside.

3.
Rinse the fish with cold water, then pat it dry with paper towels. Score the skin twice on each side with a sharp knife, just deep enough to cut through the skin but not so deep as to cut through the flesh to the bones. Rub the fish on both sides with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Stuff the belly with the scallions.

4.
Place an inch of water in a roasting pan or fish steamer with a tight-fitting lid. (You can also use aluminum foil as a cover.) Set the pan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the parsley on a dinner plate or an oval platter that fits in the steamer or roasting pan; nestle the fish on top of the parsley. A piece of the tail and some of the head may hang off the sides of the plate.

5.
Cut the ends off the potato, then cut it into four equal pieces, like stout columns. These four pieces will become the base for the plate holding the fish in the steamer or roasting pan. Place these potato sections in the simmering water, then set the plate with the fish on top of them. Cover the pan and steam for 15 minutes, or just until the flesh flakes when gently pulled with a fork.

6.
Transfer the fish and parsley from the steaming plate to a clean serving platter using two large spatulas. Pour the pimiento-sesame sauce around the fish, then sprinkle the entire platter with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

S
MOKED
T
ROUT
C
REAM
C
HEESE
F
RITTATA
W
ITH
D
ILL
S
AUCE
makes
2 servings

H
ere’s a quick meal for two—whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Unlike an omelet, a frittata doesn’t require any fancy flipping; instead, the skillet is covered and the egg mixture is allowed to cook on the stovetop. Look for firm smoked trout fillets that are light beige, not browned, a result of overheating during smoking.