Cookbooks – mmm-yoso

Take Out Revisits – De Cabeza El Único and Joyee Noodle House(UTC)

November 8, 2026 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Cookbooks, Mexican Restaurants, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

Well, the weather turned a bit cooler for about a week or so didn’t it? That meant the Missus was craving Her favorite Cabeza en su Jugo and She wanted me to drop some off for Her at work. So, off I went to:

De Cabeza El Único:

Man, I can’t believe that it’s almost been a year since I last visited. I guess the weather this year has been so much hotter for longer than usual. Anyway, I drove down to Chula Vista, went on in, said hello to the ever friendly Jesus and ordered two Cabeza en su Jugo. They were nice enough to separate the two orders. So, I could drop one package off for the Missus and take mine home to have for a hearty lunch.

Man was this good. The pungent flavor of the onion, the almost citrusy flavor of cilantro, a squeeze of lime, all that viscous, rich, collagenic beef head….so buttery in texture…so comforting.

This seemed to have more beef head pieces than I recalled. For folks having eaten at De Cabeza; I’ve seen Jesus do the “pasar por aceite”….the passing thru oil/fat on the flat top before serving the tortillas making them nice and pliable.

I could only finish a bit more than half of my soup….and when the Missus got home, She was only able to finish about the same amount. So, She got another meal to take to work the next day!

I almost wish for some nice, chilly, winter weather so we can have this again!

De Cabeza El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Joyee Noodle House(UTC):

I’m sure many of you are dealing with inflation and the crazy prices these days. It’s definitely impacted our eating and gas prices have cut down on how far or how often we’d even go and do take out. We’ve had to make compromises. I’m sure that you’ve noticed that many of my recent recipe type posts have been for side dishes. It has become part of our routine for meals these days. We now also sometimes do takeout based on how we can integrate items into meals. And prices do matter for those as well. Take for instance our usual takeout from Joyee at UTC. It’s the only two items we order, the Popcorn Chicken is $11.99, and while Soup du Jour makes better Popcorn Chicken in our opinion, with the help of the air fryer, even our one other item we order, the Smoked Duck at $19.99 works out for a couple of meals.

Again, the before above……the after below.

And integrated in various noodle/rice dishes (with for instance Moroheiya GreeNoodle) things can work out for three or even four meals.

And it even allows for some creativity. Recently, I was looking thru one of my old “local kine” community cookbooks, like this one, which belonged to my mom; which She got in 1963!

And came across a recipe for Karashi Miso dressing. I made it, then adjusted for our taste, but the Missus didn’t care for it much. I then replaced the “Oriental” hot mustard powder….back in the “old days” we didn’t have access to wasabi at typical markets….so folks would use hot mustard instead…..well, now we’re in the 21st century and we can get wasabi…anyway, I used that as a replacement. And came up with the Wasabi-Miso Dressing. We had some smoked duck left, so I air fried it and used it in the salad. Which looked like this.

Which the Missus loved! Go figure!

Anyway, it seems we’re living in the times where we have to be able to improvise a bit.

Joyee Noodle House(UTC)
8935 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92122

Hope everyone had a fun and delicious weekend!

Midweek Meanderings – Junior’s Mediterranean Eats Replacing Fujiyame, Recently Consumed, and a Dolly Parton Story

September 30, 2026 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Mediterranean Restaurants, yoso-silly

I saw this sign a few weeks back in the former location of Fujiyame:

A few days later; Tanje of the always informative guide Explore Clairemont mentioned the place in a post on IG. Unfortunately, I’m not able to find that post. Anyway, to sum up what I read; it’s the owners of PB’s Shawarma Shack that is behind this upcoming business.

4310 Genesee Avenue Suite 108A
San Diego, CA 92117

Consumed by the Heat:

Right? Been hot and humid enough for you all lately? At least it seems to be cooling off for the moment. Anyway, I’ve noticed that a lot of what we’ve been eating looks like this:

Yep, tofu with okra and mizuna from the yard, with pidan. And of course, the Missus just “needed” to have some ohitashi…..this one I made with kale from the yard.

I picked one of my chilies which gave it a good kick!

I made this tofu dish with watercress.

Based on one of the recipes from Aloha Veggies cookbook.

I deviated from the published recipe a bit; but it turned out good. Quite refreshing.

And since yesterday was “Meat Day” at Nijiya and the weather had cooled down a bit; the Missus wanted some Soboro Don. So, I complied.

Of course, we just “needed” some fukusai…..so I made two side dishes.

The Missus enjoyed the meal and was satisfied…..for now….

What have you been eating during this recent heat wave?

And Finally……

I was sad to hear of Dolly Parton‘s passing last month. I’ve read that She really loved the islands and even had a short lived restaurant there.

I even saw her having dinner one night in Kapahulu. Yes, that’s right. Back in the late 80’s, I was having one of my “date night” dinners at one of my favorite restaurants at that time; Keo’s which was located at the corner of Kapahulu and Mo’oheau Avenue at the time. My date and I recognized the tiny woman with the big hair seated at one of the discreet tables in the place…it was Dolly Parton! Of course we couldn’t help but stare. Instead of giving us the “stink eye”, she gave us the warmest smile, which immediately made me feel guilty for staring. So, we tried not to keep staring over our “Evil Jungle Prince”. As she and her entourage left she turned to us and said “enjoy your dinner darlings!” You gotta love it!

That photo above is from Vaquero Bar in Solvang. I remember seeing the photo the first time I visited during Covid. I recall telling the bartender that story about running into Dolly back in my old neighborhood of Kapahulu. And of all the interesting coincidences; the other bartender told me that Dolly Parton had a house in Solvang! You can see more on that here! Funny thing; I also remember seeing Steve Perry and Journey having dinner at Keo’s as well.

Anyway, thanks for letting me share this! Hope you’re having a great week!

Goya Tsukemomo (Pickled Bitter Melon – with some daikon too)

February 8, 2026 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

As you get older, do you find yourself eating more and more like your parents/grandparents? It came to me as I made us lunch the other day…..and no…sigh, the Missus cannot just eat Niku Doufu…She needs all those side dishes.

And while the takana (mustard greens) and kyuri (cucumber) asazuke are from the market. The one other item was not.

My grandparents loved bitter melon, at the age I was exposed to it….well, I hated it. When we lived in Kaimuki, our neighbors, the wife was Okinawan loved goya, and would give us goya and my mom, and later me; would make goya champuru…basically bitter melon and eggs. Being raised on a low income, it was a treat to have some Spam in it. They also gave us pickled bitter melon as well. Eventually, as I got older, I enjoyed it more, but still never really developed a taste for it until I was in my 30’s. Still, it wasn’t something I craved. And then we had our last trip “home”. My friends recommended a restaurant located on the second floor of McCully Shopping Center named Bozu. Yes, I know…waaaay behind on those posts!

Anyway, one of the dishes we ordered was the Pickled Bitter Melon.

And the Missus was smitten! We ended up have three orders of this!

Anyway, recently I’d been doing a bunch of pickling…mainly of stuff from the garden and I decided to try my hand at making Goya Tsukemono. I looked online and thru several of my cookbooks and after several tries found one that interested me in Machiki Tateno’s Japanese Pickled Vegetables. In the end, I used the recipe as an outline ingredient wise totally changing proportion and quantity. Not wanting to waste excess pickling liquid I fill the excess space with slices of daikon, which does well in this pickling solution as well as a few cloves of garlic.

Anyway, it’s a current favorite of the Missus. And now it seems to be getting a bit of play since it’s considered an important ingredient of “Blue Zone” diets. I dunno about that….we just think this tastes mighty good!

A couple of notes – I use the daikon and garlic to fill space after adding the bitter melon. I’ve cut down on the amount of dark brown sugar since the Missus enjoys more salty/bitter to sweet.

Goya Tsukemono (With daikon and garlic too)
1 – 7-8 oz Bitter Melon
Boiling Water
Slices of daikon (optional)
5-6 Cloves peeled garlic (optional)

2 dried chilies
1/2 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Light Soy Sauce – I used Aloha Shoyu
1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Slices of Ginger

Heat a pot of water to a boil
Slice bitter melon in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and scrape off as much white fibers and matter as possible. Slice into 1/3 inch slices cross wise.
Use boiling water to sterilize pickle jar and also pour over bitter melon and drain.
Add pickling ingredients to a small pot and bring to a boil.
Add bitter melon slices to pickle jar. Fill excess with slices of daikon and garlic.
Add boiling pickling liquid to jar, let cool until warm. Then cover and refrigerate.
Wait 2-3 days before serving

If you try this recipe; let me know how it turns out!

Ume Dressing

September 8, 2020 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes, Salads

The Missus was getting tired of Her typical Arugula/green salad, even though I made the vinaigrette from scratch.

So, I decided to start looking thru my cookbooks for some inspiration. This one is from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More. The recipe uses ume puree….so I went hunting for umeboshi paste and found a couple of different brands. The one that won out; both for intensity and balanced flavor was also the most expensive, $8.99 at Nijiya. Regardless; the Missus loves this sprout salad. I use three different types of sprouts; radish, a milder more conventional (i.e. broccoli) sprout, and something with a bit of peppery boldness – arugula or kale sprouts.

I usually make double this recipe, which is good for four good sized salads – in other words four lunches for the Missus.

It does deviate a bit from the original in Ottolenghi's book; but not greatly. I use more ume paste, less Sesame Oil, freshly ground black pepper, I also use more neutral oil (avocado); and also sneak in agave syrup (of course).

Ume Dressing – Inspired by Ottolenghi's Recipe in Plenty More:

2 Tsp Ume Paste (depending on brand, you may need more)
1 Tb Organic Rice Vinegar
1 Tb Lime Juice – Fresh Squeezed
2 Tb Minced Shallot
1 Tb Soy Sauce – I found the Kikkoman works well in this recipe
1 Tb White Sugar
1 Tsp Agave Syrup
1/4 Tsp Sesame Oil
5 Tb Avocado Oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

– Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl and whisk
– Taste and season with salt and pepper

That's it!

To make the salad I mix the base ingredients in a salad bowl – 1 cup shelled edamame, thinly sliced radish and onion (sliced then briefly soaked in cold/ice water to remove the harshness), thinly sliced red cabbage, cilantro leaves, sliced cherry tomatoes, the three sprouts…

I put into a Pyrex container for the Missus and add several more items….what She calls "the good stuff", sliced avocado, cucumber, and either thinly sliced smoked duck or duck prosciutto (we get ours from D'Artangnan). Add a container of the dressing. The Missus adds in a container of roasted sliced almonds and pumpkin seeds.

And we have Her current favorite salad. Which She's been enjoying during the recent heatwaves…….

Basic Mushroom Broth/Stock

April 17, 2020 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

Well, the Missus wanted Her Mushroom Risotto again.

And while I've already done a post on the risotto already; I thought I'd go ahead and post my very basic mushroom broth that I use to make the risotto and various mushroom soups and such; it's really simple. It's based on a recipe in the late Charlie Trotter's cookbook – Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home. The recipe is kinda hidden away in one of the soup recipes. There is a difference in the version I make. I use various mushroom trimmings that I freeze; the good stuff; you know chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, etc…..and in the case where the Missus wants a soup or risotto before I hit the two pound mark, I'll supplement with cremini mushrooms. It's a very nice broth.

Anyway, here goes:

Mushroom Broth:

2 Pounds Mushroom Trimmings or Cremini Mushrooms Chopped
3-4 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 1/2 Quarts Water
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 1/2 – 2 Cups Roughly Chopped Onion
1 Bulb of Garlic Chopped
1 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Oregano
salt and pepper to taste

– Add mushrooms to a cold stockpot. Turn up heat to medium-high and let sit until the mushrooms start giving up its liquid before stirring
– Add olive oil, garlic, onions, and saute until fragrant
– Add white wine to deglaze (the mushrooms will leave a bit of a "fond" in the pot)
– Add Thyme and Oregano and mix well
– Add Water and bring to a simmer
– Simmer for 2 hours
– Strain broth and add salt and pepper (if desired) to taste

You can freeze the broth – makes about 10-12 cups

We use it for our risotto instead of chicken or any other broth. I will also use it in addition to mushroom soaking liquid and reduce for pasta sauce.

I hope everyone is still doing well!

Have a great…and safe weekend!

Cooking the Book – Vegetarian “Eel” in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Inspired by Land of Fish and Rice

December 19, 2016 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

Yes, you read right…."mock eel"….like really. I've found some time to cook a bit recently and am now going to try to make it through those cookbooks I've got stacked on my coffee table. I've often done riffs on Fuchsia Dunlop's recipes. Her cookbooks hold a special place on my shelves. So when her latest cookbook Land of Fish and Rice was announced, I pre-ordered it.

Being married to someone from China and working with several others, I've noticed something quite interesting; the Missus's Shandong cum Hunan lineage struggles with the sweet flavors of Su-Cai and similar cuisines. As does our former coworker "Lily" who is from Shanxi. Meanwhile "YZ" can't deal with "Yang Rou"….and so one and so forth. Me? I love it all. So while I'm tempted to go for the Dong Po Rou, the Missus wasn't having any of that. While paging through, I found a rather simple recipe that caught my atttention it's called Vegetarian "eels" in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce in the book. I was mainly interested because the recipe didn't use tofu; which would probably have been the easy out. Instead, dried shiitake mushrooms were used.

Of course I adjusted the recipe to suit our (the Missus's) taste, upping the Chinkiang vinegar and soy sauce, adding a bit of five spice, mushroom soaking liquid, and a chili for some heat. And of course, using the Big Kahuna which cut the cooking time to mere minutes. The dish is best made in small batches. Also, do a good job of "scattering" the mushroom while deep frying, otherwise they tend to stick together.

The Missus really enjoys this; the sweet-salty-sour-savory components go together well.

Vegetarian "Eel" in Sweet and Sour Sauce:

10-12 dried Shiitake Mushrooms
About one-fourth of a good sized red bell pepper
About one-fourth of a good sized green bell pepper
Three thin slices of ginger
One medium sized red serrano pepper
Hot Water

2-3 Tb Potato Starch
1/4 tsp Five Spice Powder

2 cups peanut oil for deep frying

1 Tb Shaoxing wine
2 Tb strained mushroom soaking liquid

The Sauce:
1 Tb Shaoxing
3 Tb sugar
3 Tb Chinkiang vinegar
3 Tb light soy sauce
2 Tb strained mushroom soaking liquid

1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (you may also want to try Mushroom Soy Sauce)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

– Soak the mushroom in hot water for 20-30 minutes
– Slice bell peppers into thin strips. Julienne the ginger. Cut the serrano pepper in half, remove seeds than cut into strips.
– Remove mushrooms from the soaking liquid, squeeze out excess liquid, remove stems and cut into strips.
– Strain 4Tb of the mushroom liquid
– Combine sauce ingredients until sugar is dissolved
– Combine mushroom slices with potato starch and five spice until coated
– Heat oil and scatter the mushroom, you may need to do in two batches. Fry until slightly crisp and remove from the oil
– Remove all but about 3-4 tb of oil and heat until nearly smoking
– Add peppers into the hot oil and stir fry
– Add Shaoxing, mushroom liquid, and ginger and stir fry until fragrant
– Add the mushroom back into the wok, add the sauce and stir fry until coated.
– Remove from heat and add dark soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well.

Neua Nam Tok

November 11, 2013 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

After having Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao for breakfast, the Missus thought having Nam Tok for lunch would be the perfect thing. And it was…..

Like the Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao, this recipe was based on the one in Andy Ricker's Pok Pok cookbook. And just like the previous recipe, I made some adjustments for our taste; replacing the white sugar (we still used a bit) with palm sugar, using Thai Chilies instead of just ground chilies, since we had some growing in the yard. I also replaced the shallots with thinly sliced red onion.

The Missus really loved this. I'm thinking that there were several factors involved; first, we used grassfed wagyu skirt….'nuff said. Second, the recipe in the book mentions the use of 1 tablespoon of beef stock. What did was pour all the beef drippings into the "dressing". Third, I grilled over hardwood charcoal.

I believed this was going to turn out well, but the Missus shocked me when She said "this is better than Sab E Lee….."

The recipe format might seem a bit disjointed, but I thought I'd present it in the order I did things….

Neua Nam Tok:

Salad Prep:
1/4 cup small mint leaves
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro coarsely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly lengthwise

Steak Prep:
1 Tb lemongrass thinly sliced
4-5 black peppercorns
1 clove garlic
1 Thai chili
3 tsp soy sauce
1/2 lb skirt steak

– Combine lemongrass, black peppercorns, garlic, and chili in a mortar and pound to a paste
– Scrape to a bowl, combine with soy sauce, and work into the steak.
– Marinate for an hour
– Grill the steak
– While steak is resting put together the dressing

The sauce/dressing:
3 Tb lime juice
3-4 Tb fish Sauce
2 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp white sugar
4-5 Thai Chilies thinly sliced
1 tsp ground chilies
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
Beef Drippings

– Combine the first six ingredients and briefly heat to dissolve the sugar
– Remove from heat and add in onion and beef drippings

Putting it together:
2 tsp toasted rice powder
lettuce or cabbage

– Slice beef thinly on a bias against the grain place on a plate and sprinkle on half the rice powder
– Top with the dressing and sprinkle on the rest of the rice powder

Eat!

I can tell I'm going to have a lot of fun with this cookbook……

Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao and a visit to Minh Huong Market

November 8, 2013 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Markets & Grocers, Recipes

I finally had some time off this past weekend. It has been a busy and stressful couple of weeks and it ain't over by any stretch of the imagination. Things are starting normalize as I finally got a chance to enjoy a couple of cookbooks that arrived during that period which I hadn't had the chance to open. So during the weekend, the one I opened first was Andy Ricker's Pok Pok. I've eaten at Pok Pok in PDX a couple of times and really enjoyed the food, which really did remind me of what came out of all those wonderful street stands in Thailand.

A couple of recipes jumped out at me and I decided to start with an easy one for breakfast the next day, the Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao.

Free range ground chicken, organic eggs, and greens and peppers from our garden.

One of the main ingredients in this dish is the kaphrao…."Hot" Basil, also known as Holy Basil. So early Sundya morning I headed off to Minh Huong Market and got some Holy Basil.

The recipes are quite precise; even though I deviated to our tastes, I appreciated the gram based measurements.

I've taken to measuring things fairly well nowadays and I basically changed a couple of things to fit our tastes and what we had in our pantry. More garlic, more fish sauce, more chilies, which didn't over-power the dish at all. The long beans looked terrible so we decided not to buy any. In terms of timing; in the book, the chef cooks his eggs first and places them on the side while doing the rest of the dish, making this a basic one-wok process. I prepped and completed the stir-fry portion up to the point of adding the hot basil, then started on the eggs….I also added some coconut oil for cooking as well. Once the eggs were almost done, I put the wok back on the flame, heated and added the basil to finish.

This turned out real well though the Missus told me She prefers regular Thai Basil in this…….

Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao

12 ounces ground chicken
3 Tb Fish Sauce
2 Tb Dark Soy Sauce
3 Tsp white sugar
3 Tb grated garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
6 Thai Chilies sliced
2 Red Serrano Chilies thinly sliced
3 dried chilies crumbled
2 Cups loosely packed Hot (Holy) Basil
2 Tb grapeseed oil

3 Eggs
2 Tb grapeseed oil
1 Tb coconut oil

– Combine fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Mix to dissolve the sugar
– Heat the wok over high heat. When the oil is smoking remove it from heat, add the garlic and stir quickly.
– When the garlic starts to brown slightly, place back on the heat and add the onions and fresh chilies. Stir until fragrant.
– Add the chicken and stir fry, breaking up the ground chicken.
– When the chicken is almost done, add the fish sauce mixture and dried chilies, and combine well
– After about 30 seconds add the dark soy sauce – 1Tb first, until the color is right.
– Stir fry until the liquid has been completely absorbed by the meat.
– Start eggs in grapeseed and coconut oil
– When eggs are almost done as desired, put wok back on heat and mix in hot basil

Serve up with Jasmine Rice…..makes about 2-3 servings

Every once in a while I'll get an email asking where to get items like Holy Basil or Cha Om.

My usual recommendation is that they check out Minh Huong Supermarket.

Even if you're not looking for anything in particular and are in the general vicinity, drop by…..

You'll see some items you won't find in your local neighborhood Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean market. On this day we saw some young women with Thanaka, the distinctive Burmese cosmetic paste applied to their faces. Something I'd never seen in San Diego.

Minh Huong Supermarket
4029 Euclid Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Playing with my food – using Tapioca Maltodextrin: Sesame – Salt Powder

September 29, 2013 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Playing with my food, Recipes

Though I love food…both consuming and cooking; once in a while I kind of hit a rut and need a little change of pace. I don't remember where I first about Tapioca Maltodextrin and its effect as a fat stabilizer. I'm sure it wasn't in Modernist Cuisine at Home which I bought last year. And looking through it. Maltodextrin is only mentioned in two recipes and barely in passing. I do recall seeing something, perhaps on Youtube where an olive oil powder was made. Anyway, a couple of months ago I bought Modernist Cooking Made Easy, which had a short chapter on Maltodextrin. It just seemed like fun…..plus Maltodextrin is plant derived and a pretty common food starch. First I cleared things with the Missus who has a Masters in Chemistry, then I went ahead and ordered a pound.

Getting to the point; tapioca maltodextrin can turn fats and oils into pastes and powders. For my first try, I decided to use something that we have around the house and use in sparing quantities…sesame oil was an easy choice.

One of things you'll notice right away is that tapioca maltodextrin is lighter than air….so no sneezing….no heavy breathing either. You don't need anything more than a whisk for this one. Using the recipe in Modernist Cooking Made Easy as my reference, it was a simple as this:

Sesame-Salt Powder (based on the recipe in Modernist Cooking Made Easy)
50 grams sesame oil
2 grams kosher salt
25 grams tapioca maltodextrin (this was about 3/4 cup)
extra tapioca maltodextrin as needed

– Pour sesame oil into a large mixing bowl (a large mixing bowl)
– Add salt and mix
– Add 10 grams of tapioca maltordextrin…gently, unless you want clouds of the stuff all over the place
– whisk in until a paste forms. Slowly add the rest of the maltodextrin. It will begin to clump.
– Whisk until it starts to form "beads", you may need to add more maltodextrin to get the texture you want.

Other than a couple of maltodextrin clouds floating about, this was easy…..

It will stay in powder form as long as it doesn't come in contact with liquid…though it lasted a while even when on some poke I made.

There's quite an interesting sensation…ahem, "mouthfeel" when it turns back to oil in your mouth.

It was also delicious on my Hiyayakko Tofu…….

I really didn't detect much in terms of any additional flavor….by itself, there's a very faint sweetness, which I could not detect when using it with my poke or tofu.

Truffle Powdered Popcorn, caramel – salt powder, nutella, and probably duck fat or bacon powder seem around the corner. This will be great for dipping….

This was a fun experiment…..now it's on to Xanthan Gum and Lecithin!

Fish 3 Days, Fish 3 Ways Day 2: Olive Oil Poached White Sea Bass topped with Tapenade

January 10, 2013 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

I felt rather triumphant, having exceeded the Missus's expectations….basically pulling a recipe out of my….well, you know where, and making something She really enjoyed. The following day, the Missus sent me a text, telling me She, "wanted fish made totally differently from anything I've made before….no salt baked, no fried of any kind, no simmered, no baked, no saute, no stew, no pan fry, no stir-fry." No way!!! Not really knowing what to do, I picked up some olives on the way home…..I really don't know why.

I came home and started leafing through some of my cookbooks……some of the recipes were too elaborate to pull off on a weeknight. Until I went through Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore's Fish Without a Doubt. I found a recipe for Oil Poached Halibut with Gribiche. Sauce Gribiche is a classic French sauce, with cornichons, capers, vinegar, and such. Think of it as an unemulsified tartar sauce if you will….though I've come across recent versions of Gribiche that has been blended and it really did seem to be tartar sauce. Instead of that route, I used the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and basically made my tapenade minus the anchovies and artichoke hearts.

The fish itself was pretty simple……the one item being, even though I used the tiniest cast iron pan I had, we ended up using quite a bit of olive oil for this. Still it came out rather well.

There are just four ingredients needed to prepare the fish:

Fish
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

– Salt and pepper fish filets and let sit for 45 minutes
– Heat oven to 175 or the lowest temp. Our circa 1959 oven's lowest is called "low" and bottoms out at 190 according to the oven thermometer
– Place fish in skillet/pan and add enough oil to cover. Remove fish and set aside.
– Place pan in oven and heat oil to about 125 degrees. I could still place my finger in the oil and it just felt hot…..you may just want to use a thermometer though. I don't want anyone coming after me after burning their finger!
– Add fish back to pan, cover (I used aluminum foil), and place in oven. Check after 15 minutes to make sure oil is not too hot….i.e. no deep fry action going, just a mild poach.
– Check after 20-25 minutes.I use a very sharp paring knife and insert into the fish. If it goes in cleanly, almost with resistance the fish is done, or will be done by the time you get in on the plate. White Sea Bass is pretty dense. This took about 35 minutes.
– Remove fish, blot dry, and serve.

The fish is very moist…almost melting away in my mouth. The flavors are mild. Texturally, this didn't do it for the Missus, even with the tapenade. It was a nice experience for Her…..even though She probably won't want me to make fish this way again, at least She tried it.

As we took care of the dishes after dinner, She turned to me and asked, "so what are you going to do with the halibut for tomorrow night? I want something really good…….something with mushrooms!" Stay tuned for the finale!