It's not difficult to explain why eating with other people is more enjoyable than eating alone. Nor is it hard to surmise why cooking has long been favored as a collaborative process. Simply put, when you're cooking with a partner, you can get away with all sorts of things otherwise impossible. You can blame them if something goes wrong, laugh at them when they hit their head on the kitchen cabinet, ask them to peel the ginger because you're not really that good at it, and -- best of all -- share dessert with them.
Brian is one of my favorite friends to be in a kitchen with, but it's not just because he fits the aforementioned bill so perfectly. It's also because he texts me photos of food that he makes. And because he gets genuinely excited over good deals on olive oil. And because he is always willing to go impossibly out of his way with me while investigating random restaurants our friends have recommended. He was also the first person that I ever tried cooking meat with, an endeavor delayed by years of stubborn vegetarianism. Oh, and he also went to Brazil with me.
To this day, Brian retains the honor* of being the only friend with whom I've cooked animals. Whenever I find a recipe that calls for the handling of raw meat (insert awkward/stupid joke), he's the first person I send it to. "Can we make this?" "Will you eat this with me?" The answer is always yes. Another reason why Brian is one of my favorite friends in the kitchen.
The inspiration for this recipe was torn from the pages of my friend Amy's copy of Martha Stewart Living (sorry, Amy!). It's incredibly simple, which is good for a fish-novice like myself. Also, it's a recipe for two. So I recommend finding yourself a friend before you make it. Simply!
*exaggeration of significance
Parchment-Baked Mahi Mahi with Bok Choy inspired by Martha
You Will Need:
2 fillets of mahi mahi
2 heads of baby bok-choy or 1 bundle of regular
4 limes, halved
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3/4 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
parchment paper
To Make:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix lime juice, lime zest, garlic, onion and ginger in a small bowl -- set aside.
Fold two decently sized pieces of parchment paper in half lengthwise. Place mahi-mahi fillets and bok choy in the crease.
Rub the fillet/boy choy with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Top each with mixture of onion/garlic.
Fold parchment over fish, making small overlapping folds along edges and sealing (paper clip works, we improvised with sewing needles).
Place on rimmed baking sheets.
Roast 10 to 12 minutes -- parchment will puff when the fish is finished.
Cut open and serve.
2 comments:
Yum. But i hope it was IMPORTED Mahi Mahi! http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?fid=21
I first learned this technique when I was a TA in grad school. One of the secretaries in the English department made dish this way--and her name was June Stone. For the longest time, I called the dish "Fish June." Has a certain ring, no?
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