nicoise salad

kitchen improv is so underrated. all you need are some pantry staples, a feature ingredient or two, and a little culinary inspiration. these days, my muse is all the incredible food i enjoyed on my recent summer travels to the east and the west — quebec city, montreal & san francisco.

i’ve been MIA on the blog for the past few weeks (thanks for your patience!), but i hope you’ve enjoyed following my tweets @yumyumyummers about my culinary adventures in these wonderful, foodie-friendly cities. from hole-in-the-wall eateries and hidden neighbourhood bistros, to adventurous food trucks and fine dining restos, i’ve been happy to indulge in some fantastic fare this summer. i’ve also picked up some local delicacies along the way (bonjour, homemade blend of montreal steak spice!). and you’ll see some of this foodie inspiration infused in my upcoming posts on yumyumyummers. hope you enjoy. :)

nicoise salad is a popular dish in french bistros. i thought i’d put my own twist on this classic french recipe by omitting the typical anchovies, and swapping out the traditional seared tuna with fresh arctic char. hooray for kitchen improv!

the feature ingredient:
- heat up 2 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat
- add 1 fillet of fresh arctic char to pan
- season fillet w/ herbes de provence (both sides)
- cook arctic char to your preference (i opted to fully cook the fillet here, but some may prefer to sear the fish instead.)
- remove from heat & allow to cool. flake arctic char fillet into bite-sized pieces for the salad.

the pantry staples:
- fresh organic mixed greens
- frozen green beans & yellow beans (thawed & steamed w/ a bit of unsalted butter)
- 1 large egg (boiled, sliced)
- kalamata olives
- black olives
- balsamic vinegar

westcoast fish tacos

chances are, i won’t be ordering fish tacos when dining out anymore…

so i have one of the weird tendencies to order something that i wouldn’t typically cook on my own when eating out. you know, things like veal, rabbit, sashimi, or other adventurous foods. while i wouldn’t necessarily categorize fish tacos as ‘adventurous’, it’s one of those dishes that never really made it into my kitchen repertoire… until now. :)

prep fish:
- heat up large saucepan w/ 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) on high heat
- brown 1 large shallot (peeled, rough chop) w/ evoo
- reduce heat to medium, add 1 large fillet of wild sockeye salmon to pan (already thawed, if previously frozen)
- season salmon fillet w/ 1 tsp chipotle blend (combo of spices incl chipotle powder, ground paprika, cumin, coriander, granulated onion, garlic powder)
- cook until salmon lightens slightly in colour on outside & opaque in center (but do not overcook)
- turn sides to cook evenly, about 3min per side
- remove from heat & set aside. allow salmon to cool for a few min.

prep veggies:
- 1 large organic heirloom tomato (rough chop)
- 1/3 english cucumber (rough chop)
- 1.5 cups organic mixed greens
- 1 large haas avocado (halved, pitted, peeled, sliced)

mahi mahi cakes

so i felt a wave of foodie inspiration on a recent trip to baltimore. i was charmed by the yummy food in charm city. and i’m not talking about cupcakes & sweet treats here. it was all about the maryland crab cakes.

i’ve never made crab cakes before, but i thought i’d put my improv skills to the test and wing-it with some leftover grilled mahi mahi from a previous culinary experiment. here’s my take on mahi mahi cakes…

cake prep:
combine the following ingredients together in a large prep bowl:
- 2 fillets of leftover grilled pistachio mahi mahi (flaked)
- 3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup organic baby carrots (julienne-cut)
- 1/3 organic cucumber (julienne-cut)
- 2 medium eggs (whisked)
- season w/ ground black peppercorns to taste

(tip: fold & combine ingredients until well-incorporated. best to use your hands to combine ingredients in prep bowl.)

patty-cake, patty-cake:
- roll cake mixture into 4-5 large fishballs (approx 2- to 2.5-inches in diameter)

(tip: a bit larger than the size of a golf ball, but definitely smaller than a tennis ball.)

- arrange fishballs approx 2-3 inches apart on a plate
- use the palm of your hand to flatten each fishball into a mahi mahi cake