Cod Liver with and Open Mind

I wasn't so sure I wanted to try this. A colleague from Russia, who knows I am an adventurous eater, gave it to me. Cod liver oil has a reputation as the medicine a mean parent gives to their kids because its "good for them." It was difficult to try this with an open mind.

I steeled myself as I opened the can. I anticipated a strong iron flavor of calf's liver mingled with the over-ripe flavor of Thai fish oil. Instead I was delighted with a delicate tuna fish flavor with the silky texture of a perfectly seared foie gras.

Experiences like this are why I am an adventurous eater. This is simply delicious. If you get a chance, and can get over your fear, I highly recommend trying this.

Technique for Roasting Fish on a Stick

Tonight we grilled mackerel on a stick to try a variant of a traditional German Oktoberfest dish: Steckerlfisch. Lacking a fancy grill setup to hold and rotate the fish properly, I just laid the stick across the edges of the grill. That left me with the problem of how to turn the fish so it would cook evenly on each side.

I found a solution to this problem that worked so well, I had to share it. I clamped vice grips to each end of the stick so that the weight of the vice grips oriented the fish the way I wanted. It took a little effort to figure out how to properly position the tools to get the right orientation, but after a few turns, I had it down. By the way, the fish was good, although a bit overcooked. Careful with that.

Fish Tacos

We made fish tacos tonight from a recipe Gail adapted from allrecipes.com. This was the first beer batter we've made that called for egg. It was puffy, light and crunchy, adhering well to the fish. I also liked how it didn't over-darken before the fish was cooked.

The white sauce worked really well on the tacos. It was a Tex-Mex tartar sauce. We slathered on so much that it ran all over us. Even at that, we had way too much so the recipe below adjusts the proportions down. I think it will make a nice salad dressing, so too much wouldn't be a bad thing.

Fish Tacos
Serves 2

White Sauce
2 T plain yogurt
2 T mayonnaise
¼ lime, juiced
¼ jalapeno pepper
¼ t capers
⅛ t dried oregano
⅛ t ground cumin
⅛ t dill (we left this out because Gail doesn't like it)
¼ t ground cayenne

Beer-battered Fish
2 c vegetable oil
½ lb haddock or cod fillets, skinned and boned
½ c flour
½ c fresh cold beer
¼ t salt, divided
2 t cornstarch
½ t baking powder
½ egg (1 egg per cup of beer)
Freshly ground black pepper
Deep-fat thermometer

½ c finely chopped cabbage (or lettuce)
4 corn tortillas

1. Heat oil to 375 F (about med-high setting on our stove). Meanwhile remove skin and bones from fish, if necessary, and cut into 1” strips. Sift ¾ of flour into bowl; gently whisk in beer until combined. Stir in ¼ of salt.
2. Mix yogurt, mayo and lime juice. Mince and stir in jalapeno and capers. Add capers and spices; set aside.
3. Chop cabbage; set aside.
4. Pat fish dry; sprinkle with pepper and remaining salt; dredge in remaining flour. Coat fish pieces in batter; let excess batter drip off before dropping into oil. Fry 4 pieces at a time, turning frequently, until deep golden and cooked through, 4-5 min.
5. Transfer cooked fish to paper-towel-lined baking sheet, keep warm in oven while frying remaining fish.
6. Return oil to 375 F between batches; repeat for remaining pieces of fish.
7. Lightly fry tortillas in same oil as fish. To serve, place fried fish in tortilla, top with shredded cabbage and white sauce.

Olympics Day 17 (and final): British Fish and Chips

Tonight is the closing ceremonies of a great Olympic games. Congratulations London, you did a good job hosting. And congratulations to NBC for excellent coverage. But most importantly, congratulations to Gail for an amazing Olympics feast.

We started off the final day of feasting with a Japanese sushi lunch with Noele before sending her back to New York. We got takeout from Daikanyama in Lexington. They made some terrific rolls, which we augmented with edamame from Gail's garden and semi-homemade miso soup using Marukome miso paste.

A little later in the day I had most of a Sapporo Reserve beer from Japan. The rest I sacrificed to the batter for the fish we had for dinner. The beer had a golden straw color and a nice rich mouth feel. It had a light malty sweetness that finished clean. It tasted remarkably similar to the Murphy's stout I had with dinner, but without the chocolate malt flavors.

For dinner, Gail and I made fish and chips figuring that Great Britain deserved a second spot in the lineup for their performance. I think we've got the fish recipe tuned just right in the batter flavors, temperature and cooking time. I've added the recipe at the end.

The Murphy's stout from Ireland has a creamy head and terrific flavor. It was almost like drinking dessert.

British Fish and Chips

About 2/3 - 3/4 c vegetable oil for frying

For the chips (per 2 servings):

1 Idaho or russet baking potato

¼ t salt

For the fish (per 6 servings):
2 c flour, divided

12 oz fresh cold beer

1 t salt, divided

¼ t freshly ground black pepper

First make the chips:

1. Peel, rinse, dry potato.
2. Fill frying pan with oil, between ½ and ¾ full. Heat oil to 325 F (about med setting on our stove).
3. While oil is heating, cut potato into ¼” sticks; dry thoroughly with clean paper towel.
4. Fry, about 1 c at a time, until lightly colored but not brown, 4-5 min. Remove to plate lined with paper towels.
5. Repeat with remaining potatoes; sprinkle with salt; serve immediately.1 ½ lb haddock or cod fillets, skinned and boned
6. Keep warm in the oven

Then make the fish:

1. Adjust oil temperature to 375 F (about med-high setting on our stove). Meanwhile remove skin and bones from fish, if necessary, and cut into 1” strips. Sift ¾ of flour into bowl; gently whisk in beer until combined. Stir in ¼ of salt.
2. Pat fish dry; sprinkle with pepper and remaining salt; dredge in remaining flour. Coat fish pieces in batter; fry 4 pieces at a time, turning frequently, until deep golden and cooked through, 4-5 min.
3. Transfer cooked fish to paper-towel-lined baking sheet, keep warm in oven while frying remaining fish.
4. Return oil to 375F between batches; repeat for remaining pieces of fish.