Catawba Cuisine-Eastern style
created by Ginger Hillery
Far East, that is. This week’s market options offer up some wonderful ingredients for Asian cooking. Perfect for a hot sticky night. You don’t even have to use chopsticks, unless you are game to try!
Here is a nice menu for your weekend dinner with friends:
Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette
Teriyaki Trout
Sautéed snow peas
Rice
Sesame Vinaigrette
½ tsp. honey or sugar
2tsp. soy sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 TBSP toasted sesame oil
¼ c. veg oil of your choice
2 tsp. sesame seeds
Mix all ingredients in the blender or in a bowl and toss with salad greens. I sometimes add sunflower seeds and sliced up green onions to this salad and it tastes wonderful.
Teriyaki Trout with Snow Peas
2 big filets of Big Pine Trout Farm’s fresh trout cut into 4 pcs.
2 tsp brown sugar or honey
3 TBSP soy sauce
4 TBSP mirin (a Japanese cooking wine, or substitute cooking sherry, white wine or apple juice)
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Mix together all the ingredients not counting the fish. Pour them over the fish filets in a non-reactive dish and let marinate in the fridge for 5 or 10 minutes. Heat up a cast iron skillet, a griddle or your well oiled fish basket for the grill. If using a skillet, once the pan is nice and hot, add a little oil and carefully put the filets in the pan. It won’t take long to cook the filets. When the color starts to change around the edges, carefully flip the fish over with a spatula. When the trout is just done, pull it off the skillet and serve, hot or room temperature. Sometimes I like to press sesame seeds onto both sides of the trout before cooking it. What a great texture! If you like sauce with your fish, mix some wasabi (Japanese green horseradish), garlic, and lemon juice with mayo and serve on the side. Yum!
Snow peas cooked just barely in a little oil or butter taste amazing with a sprinkle of sea salt
Easy, fresh, local and delicious. Happy eating!
