Halibut with Chimichurri Sauce

chimichurri

This is a recipe I borrowed from my mom, because even though I have never been to South America, she has been to Argentina many times where chimichurri is king. A green sauce as traditional as salsa verde or pesto, this sauce uses up all of that parsley your garden has been producing all summer. Traditionally served with beef this sauce adds an herbaceous richness to halibut. The heat from the sauce can be tempered with the accompaniment of a dollop of lime-sour cream.


 

 

Crab and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

These delicious stuffed mushrooms are very easy to make and are a lovely appetizer for guests before dinner or to take to a potluck or a party. They can easily be made without the crab if that’s not your thing or if you want them to be vegetarian friendly. They are perfect if you have a little left over meat from a night of feasting on crabs ( my personal recommendation is Dungeness crab).


 

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Seared Scallops

Curried Cauliflower Soup

I feel like every fancy dinner party should have a soup course. You don’t have to make very much of it as everyone only needs a small bowl since it’s one course among many. I like making pureed soup for parties because they are really simple, can be made ahead of time without overcooking, and look super elegant. They can be made with almost any vegetable, in any color you desire. We had a seafood theme for the night I made this so I garnished it with a lovely seared sea scallop and topped it with locally grown radish and amaranth micro-greens for a pop of color.


 

Salmon with Mushroom Dill Sauce

 

Salmon with Mushroom Dill Sauce

I’m always searching for new recipes to make with salmon, since it’s so easy to fall into a rut of my favorite preparations. This is a sauce that I usually make if I’m cooking a German-style dinner of pork chops or schnitzel. I thought that by adding some fresh dill to the recipe it would really compliment some simply grilled salmon. Wow was I right! This was a home run all the way. The sauce really melded with the delicate salmon and also goes great as a gravy on top of a side dish of mashed potatoes. Garnished with a vibrant dill sprig this meal just pops with flavor and is perfect if you are having guests over for dinner. The salmon was prepared by simply cooking it on the grill, wrapped in an aluminum foil pouch with salt and pepper for about 7 minutes. Super simple, no fuss, delicious.

Salmon grilled in tin foil

Mushroom Dill Sauce

Fourth of July Chipotle Smoked Salmon Chili

Chili

In the summer of 2013 I attempted to compete in my home town’s 3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off. I wanted to make something really special, something that would help me stand out from the crowd.The last time I was I there I had made a chocolate mole chili and let’s just say not everybody appreciated it, but I thought that this one would be a contender! The smokiness of the chipotle accented the smokiness of the salmon, and this particular batch (that my dad smoked himself) was a tad dry so it had almost has a pancetta quality to it. Alas, I did not win…but my family was especially surprised with the tastiness of my chili experiment.