Seafood, fennel and lime salad

I have previously said (see my post here) that "Ottolenghi The Cookbook" is my favorite cookbook at the moment. I have already tried several recipes and many others are in the pipeline.
Among the recipes I have already made- all very appreciated actually - this Seafood, fennel and lime salad is so far one of my favorite; I'll prepare it again and again, both for family meals and dinners with friends (future guests, be prepared to taste it sooner or later!).
When I first read this recipe in the book, I loved it immediately as it reminds me one of my favorite Italian seafood appetizers, insalata di mare (seafood salad), a simple dish of usually steamed or poached seafood (any type of fish can be used, but a seafood salad usually has prawns or shrimps and squids, and sometimes shellfish, scallops and/or other firm fish) that can come in several variants; the basic version is made dressing the seafood only with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, but it is possible to add many other ingredients in order to have different combinations of flavors and textures: capers, olives, citrus zests, raw or cooked vegetables (celery is commonly used in Italy, but also zucchini, carrots, cherry tomatoes, steamed potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes work well), herbs (parsley is the most popular) and spices ... the range of possible combinations is almost infinite.  Also it can be served warm or at room temperature.

Ginger Roasted Salmon

Reading the list of fish recipes published so far on this blog, one could think that the only fish my family eats, or at least the one we prefer, is salmon (three recipes out of four, including this, are for salmon). But this is only partially true. As I have already said here, I like salmon and make it quite often. But, how can I say, it is the fish for my "lazy" days: when I want to make something tasty without much effort, when I want to have fish but I don't want to clean more than one pan, when I am not in the mood for trying a new fish, or when, after spending fifteen minutes in front of the fish counter, I cannot decide what to take and go home with two salmon fillets.
And in fact when I buy fish - but it is the same when I buy any other food, especially fresh -  I usually tend to choose, or better to search for local fish, that means local varieties, locally caught. Because local fish is (if seller is reliable) fresher than imported, and consequently tastier, and also more reasonably priced (less travel, less intermediaries). This is sometimes that I like to repeat (have a look at this post) because choosing well the food we buy help us to eat better and helps the environment too.
But let's go back to salmon, which I buy even if not perfectly coherent with the buying philosophy just mentioned.

Teriyaki Salmon

I love salmon and I make it very often at home: it is easy to find in all supermarkets, it does not require specific cleaning (of course if one takes fillets or steaks), it cooks rapidly and, not less important, it tastes really good and can make special even a standard mid-week dinner at home.
I also love Japanese style in cooking: apart from sushi and sashimi (that I really like but won't probably never make at home), I have always enjoyed the combinations of flavors typical of Japanese cuisine; no to talk about how beautifully food is usually offered, even when the recipe is one of the simplest. So I wanted to try to make at home salmon teriyaki, a Japanese cooking technique in which fish or meat is grilled or seared with a sauce made of soy sauce, mirin (a sweet rice wine) and sugar. Probably there are thousands slightly different recipes for salmon teriyaki; this one belongs to the list and is really delicious, a perfect balance of salty and sweet. And is ready in fifteen minutes, with very few things to wash after. Much much better than what is served in many restaurants.

Oven-roasted salmon with a mustard and herbs crust

As I have already said in a previous post, I think that cooking fish and making a tasty and healthy dinner may be very easy - of course if we do not aspire to replicate or even create a dish that can be found in starred restaurants. The following recipe is a valuable proof of this statement.
The recipe is my interpretation of one by the British TV cook and cook-books writer Lorraine Pascale: the combination of Dijon mustard and brown sugar originally inspired me, mainly because probably I would have never chosen these two ingredients, together with breadcrumbs, lime zest, fresh herbs and more, for topping a piece of salmon fillet before baking it in the oven. But the mix worked so well that, after some trials made according to the original recipe, I wanted to add my own touch, making these changes:

• I substituted dry breadcrumbs for panko breadcrumbs, which is a variety of airy, flaky breadcrumb used in Japanese cuisine for coating fried foods; the lighter texture of these variety of breadcrumbs allows to use a smaller quantity in the recipe
• instead of parsley- that in my opinion is an herb with a too neutral flavor - i used fresh thyme leaves which add a peculiar, yet delicate, taste to the dish

I am so happy with the final result that I recommend to try both my and Lorraine's versions before making your own preference: moreover fish is healthy and we should eat it more frequently; salmon in particular is rich in nutrients that are very helpful to our well-being, from high quality proteins, to omega-3 fatty acids, to vitamin D and more. And salmon is very easy to find, even in supermarkets.

Considering how easy and fast this recipe is, and considering also that the combination of flavor is all but ordinary, this dish is perfect for a weekday family meal as well as for a dinner with guests.

Oven roasted red snapper

Today I want to share one of the simplest, and in my opinion most delicious, way of preparing fish, especially whole fish. This recipe is the proof that cooking fish, and making it good, is not difficult as many people think. Probably fish scares people because the cleaning and preparation process is not easy and, at least for me, not at all a bed of roses; but fishmongers are always available and ready to do the hard job for us.
Of course, raw materials and the fish in particular have the most important role in this recipe. I think that this is a universal rule in the kitchen, but it is even more true when the recipe tends more to bring out the taste of each single ingredient than to combine and transform them to create a new blend of flavors.
But anyway, when it comes to fish it must absolutely be fresh (it's better a frozen fish than a some days old fresh one), this is the basic. Then I have some ideas regarding the origin of the fish I buy:

1. I prefer wild fish to farmed one (the only exception I personally make is for salmon because, if not living in or close to Scotland or Canada, it may be difficult to find the wild)
2. the fish must have not traveled a lot. This is a rule I follow for all ingredients I use, especially the fresh ones like fruits, vegetable and fish; I think this is important on one side because the closest food comes from the freshest and tastier it is, on the other hand because buying local is a form of respect for the environment (less fuel, less pollution) and contributes to local economy. And, other things being equal (quality level in particular), local food usually costs less.
3. if possible, I prefer to buy a whole fish instead of fillets

Going back to the recipe, when living in Italy, I used to cook this way fishes like sea-bass, sea-bream, turbot, or even whole monk-fish. Since I prefer local fish, as I just said, in Dubai I started trying new (for me) species and, so far, one of my favorite is red snapper. And made this way it is really delicious. 

Pair it with a good dry whine and the dinner will be perfect.