Fish and Seafood

Salmon on Parmesan Polenta with Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce

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Kathy Beck

In June of 2024, my dear friend Kathy Beck crossed the river following a devastating fall, subsequent brain surgeries, and a stroke. To say my heart ached is somewhat of an understatement; the lack of her presence was palpable and remains so. She was smart, witty company and fitted with a wry sense of humor she–and everyone else– thoroughly enjoyed. In short, a fine role model and a comforting, intelligent presence. In the days following her death, I posted a recipe, “Salmon on Lemon Polenta with Vegetables,” and dedicated it to her memory as Kathy, who wasn’t a happy cook, often asked me for recipes or cooking advice. I do think Kathy would have thoroughly enjoyed the meal and I’m only sad I hadn’t the opportunity to make it for her. While not always attached to my blog’s statistics, sometime later I happened to check on them and was gobsmacked to see that post hugely at the top of the heap — where it still sits! I’ve made the salmon meal a few times since — just recently for a dinner party where we remembered Kathy warmly — and I kept promising myself I would come up with another salmon and polenta recipe as it has been such a happy match for my readers and guests. This week, after hosting my neighbor Mary Pat for a similar salmon dinner, I ended up with a little extra salmon — just perfect for spending the next morning working out what turns out to be a recipe for today’s Salmon on Parmesan Polenta with Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce.

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Chickpea-Pasta Salad with Shrimp + Feta

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Travels well to 4th of July picnics, under-the-weather friends, or campsites

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Early in our marriage, best sous husband Dave and I somehow fell upon a simple summer recipe for pasta –let’s face it, that was spaghetti back then — topped with lots of fresh, diced tomatoes, shrimp, chopped feta, and dried oregano. (Not to be confused with the more current uber-popular feta sheet pan meal.) For a few years, we served it a lot to ourselves and also to anyone who came to eat outside on the deck in warm weather, of which there was plenty in northern Virginia. Compared to the cookout meals we were used to in the midwest (i.e. burgers and dogs, baked beans, and huge bowls of potato salad and slaw), this felt like sophisticated fare indeed. And while we adored the shrimpy spaghetti, we later put it aside for a few years as seafood-averse children came and went, houses were bought and sold, and moves were made only 25 times or so. Occasionally, it would pop back up in the summer repertoire, but only briefly. I’m sad to say I don’t even think there’s a copy of the recipe in the house, though a recipe probably isn’t necessary. I just might have to put it on this summer’s desirable meal list.

For the last month, I’ve had a note on my fridge (where all important information in life resides) to make a chickpea and pasta salad that I thought I might stuff in halved sweet peppers or …. I don’t know. Somehow, it didn’t get made right away as we had so much cool, rainy weather, but the thought kept perking. Chickpeas, as you’d know or maybe not, have been having a moment for a few years now. It seems chickpea salad recipes keep flying across my social media feeds and, when I look back at my own blog, these peas (beans?) have found a home here, too. Just in case you think I don’t get trendy. But as I finally got around to creating the salad –which I knew would contain feta because I love it — the old Virginia summer spaghetti routine passed through my brain and, I thought, “Why not add shrimp and tomatoes to this chickpea goodness?” And that’s how you’re getting my Chickpea-Pasta Salad with Shrimp + Feta, along with a tasty oregano vinaigrette that could also grace a cold chicken sandwich or a grilled lamb chop.

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FRIDAY FISH: Tilapia Caesar Salad

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It is fairly, if not universally true: Wherever you go in the world, there is a Caesar Salad on the menu. You could be in a dive bar, a drive-in, a fast food place, a diner, a London hotel (as was I recently) or an honest-to-God halfway decent restaurant with your lunch girlfriends and there. it. is. A no longer cheap basic Caesar Salad is listed and then, at the bottom of the salad section– at least here in the U.S.– you’re told you can add the ubiquitous grilled chicken (or salmon, shrimp, or steak). Because I adore a well-made, simple no-chicken Caesar, I ordered it at a sweet place in Napa the last time– a few years ago now– our wine group visited. I was the happiest clam because this was not only one of the best Caesars I’d ever had (barely out-of-the-garden lettuce and the perfect Chardonnay in Napa, sigh) but it was bewitchingly showered with young, green-green, perfectly minced chives. Was anything ever better? Not that day! (Menu down below.)

At home, I make a few differently styled Caesars but don’t typically layer on protein except for copious amounts of salty Parmiagiano-Reggiano. My wannabe Caesars may contain a few different vegetables for health, happiness, and texture. But this last week, as I wondered how to use some of the three pounds of tilapia I’d scored for under $20 total at Costco, I realized I was going to throw together a Tilapia Caesar. Why not? If restaurants can put all that (ahem) grilled boneless chicken on their Caesar salad, why couldn’t I slip on a little fillet of nicely seasoned, tender white fish?! The tilapia, which my best sous and husband Dave had divided into 3 (1 lb.) packages, would, I know thaw quickly in a pot of cold water and cook in mere minutes. It would be not only good for us but cheap and fast. Nice.

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FRIDAY FISH: Shrimp-Arugula Salad with Louie Dressing

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Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5 and goes through April 17, 2025. (Easter is April 20, 2025) Some Christians fast from meat voluntarily on Fridays during Lent. I blog fish at that time as a spiritual discipline and learning opportunity, though I could also include vegetarian dishes, if I chose–and I might! This year I celebrate 10 years of FRIDAY FISH on More Time at the Table. Up your fish game with me for the next few weeks! Glad to have you on board.

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At our house, Friday night is date night. I realize that for other folks, this means running out to a restaurant, movie, concert, or maybe even ordering in a sweet meal to share in front of the fireplace. For best sous and husband Dave and me, it’s a thoughtful meal cooked right here in our own kitchen and served in a quiet dining room complete with paired wine, candles, music, comfy clothes, no phones and also… our own private restroom just across the hall–wink, wink. We rarely eat dinner in a restaurant unless traveling, and, if we do, it’s not during crowded weekend nights. Do I choose arduous recipes? Not typically but our dinners often– though not always– feature 3 or 4 painless courses, red meat, and an entire evening devoted to one another.

Here’s our Table for Two at home.

If I’ve presence of mind enough, I might say on Thursday, “Any requests for Friday night?” Dave usually leaves it up to me (he chooses wines, btw) but last week he said, “What about shrimp? Or maybe steak?” With that disparate mix in mind, I thawed shrimp for an appetizer and two hefty filets leftover from a birthday meal last October. When Friday rolled around, instead of old school shrimp cocktail, which was my first thought, I threw together a simple grilled shrimp and arugula salad that still included our favorite shrimp cocktail sauce — a spiced up Louie — as a dressing. Because I had olives out from a Friday afternoon glass of wine with good friend, Patti, I chopped those up and skinny-sliced a red onion. (If your onion is too hot, soak it in water or vinegar for 8-10 minutes before draining, patting dry and adding to salad.) This could be sounding vaguely like a Shrimp Louie salad to you aficionados –and you’d be right–but I made it out of what was on hand skipping the usual suspects of romaine, tomatoes, hard-cooked eggs, and avocado. Without the weightier ingredients and just a few shrimp, our salad was more first course-style than a typical main course Louie, which can feel something like a Cobb in size and heft. “Louis,” by the way, is right, too, but however you’d like to spell it, it’s pronounced LOO-ee. Turned out light, elegant (Dave’s word), pleasing, along with sooo appetizing. In other words, we didn’t spoil our dinner. From whence came Shrimp Louie?

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Shrimp Burgers with Fennel-Cilantro Coleslaw

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Granddaughter Piper w/ me in Michigan

You’re right. If you’re a regular reader, you might say this looks more like FRIDAY FISH (my 7-week Lenten posts) than August but August it is. Where is the summer going?! After over a month away from the blog (scroll down to LIFE GOES ON) getting ready for, celebrating, and taking a family trip for our 50th wedding anniversary, it’s feeling just plain old good to be home and to share a new –to me–dinner with you.

As always, when I arrive back home, I’m focused on making big over our 10-year-old flat coated labradoodle, Rosie; getting the unpacking/laundry going; stocking up at the grocery store; reading the mail and email; and enjoying my own coffee pot and bed. This time, as fall approaches (school starts in one district here today), I also did a good check of the freezer to see what needed to be used before its yearly defrosting and readying for fall cooking–think soup, of course. A big bag of partially used shrimp stuck out, oddly placed on the top shelf with baked treats and baguette. Time to do something fun with it before it turned all icy-crusty, as shrimp will do. There are a lot of shrimp recipes on this blog but right off, a quick burger came to mind as summer will soon be tapering off and burgers often feel like summer to me. I read through my blogs for Pepperjack Cheese Fish Burgers and Crab Burgers, as well as the one for Caprese Salmon Burgers to find a quick path to dinner. A run to the store for buns and some produce for the Fennel-Cilantro Coleslaw and I soon had dinner on the table. Both dishes, for speed, depend on the food processor but can also be done by hand if that’s your druthers.

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Salmon on Lemon Polenta with Vegetables

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For vegetarian guests, nix the fish, add extra veggies +/or grilled tofu, and top with big shards of Parmigiano Reggiano

Dedicated to the memory of my dear friend, Kathy Beck (1944-2024)

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As an official salmon fanatic, I cook one of the world’s healthiest and most popular fish year round. But once summer begins, I find it’s on my menu just a little more often because 1. it grills so easily, 2. is done quickly, 3. pairs with nearly anything, and 4. the leftovers are awesome–think frittata, salad, sandwich, pasta, appetizer spread, or fill-in the blank_____.

I’m rarely stuck about what to serve with salmon as I keep a fridge and countertop full of vegetables and even a plate of sliced tomatoes is fine if it’s hot and sticky. Sometimes I find myself cooking a boatload of this awesome fish because I need the leftovers for a specific purpose. This time, I wanted to take my Greek Salmon Pasta Salad to a friend, so cooked a whole side of salmon one night –making this Salmon on Lemon Polenta with Vegetables for us– then stirring together my friend’s pasta the following afternoon. I still had a little left and tossed that in the freezer so I can make Salmon-Cheese Spread some other day. Salmon: It’s the fish that keeps on giving. If you are one or two, don’t hesitate to cook a whole side of salmon. It’s the old cook once, eat three times mantra.

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Grilled Halibut with Basil Salsa on Corn and Poblano Risotto

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…shown here with cauliflower soup garnished with chopped sautéed mushrooms and garlic

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Menus: always in pencil!

When students or friends are talking cooking, the comment that comes up quite often is, “I just don’t know what to make for dinner.” Even I feel that way once a while and maybe you do, too. To avoid jumping in the car and going to a restaurant and spending money or cooking scrambled eggs and toast (though I love scrambled eggs and toast), I try and make a menu each week. That helps a lot. If the penciled menu and I are not on the same page on a given day –let’s say we ate some leftovers for lunch instead saving them for dinner– my fast meal answer is always fish. I keep 3 or 4 kinds of fish in the freezer and sometimes more. If I bag the fillets tightly in a ziplock bag (after removing the original plastic packaging for safety) and stick them in a bowl of cold water for thawing, I can be grilling or sautéing or roasting our meal in a half hour. A salad gets tossed while the fish cooks–or maybe only tomatoes sliced if it’s summer and the tomatoes are perfect. Soon, dinner is on the table. Other nights, I’ve planned ahead on a gorgeous fish dinner complete with scrumptious sides and that’s what today’s Grilled Halibut with Basil Salsa on Corn and Poblano Risotto is all about.

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FRIDAY FISH: Tuna Patty Breakfast Stack

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I think most folks keep a few cans of tuna in the pantry for quick lunches or emergency dinners. It’s lovely food, inexpensive as protein goes, shelf stable, and versatile. I buy a stack of tuna cans at Costco, alternating every few months with canned salmon just so we have a change. We’re tuna salad for lunch people, maybe once or twice a month but during FRIDAY FISH weeks, looking for new uses for canned fish is something that keeps me hopping. Two weeks ago, including fish in a brunch dish in the spring lineup began to flit through my brain. Eggy meals complete with red meats line the menus of breakfast shops with only a veggie omelet, a smoked salmon benedict, or the occasional bowl of tan, sticky oatmeal to tempt someone looking for a healthier alternative. Why couldn’t there be a benny-ish sandwich utilizing a filling tuna patty topped with a gorgeous fried egg? The easy answer was that there could. I took the fish burger or salmon patty approach, but opened cans of tuna instead of salmon or chopping up raw cod. I added a few typical ingredients (panko, onion, garlic, egg) and then threw in dill, Old Bay, and a bit of ground cayenne for fun. What was so amazing was how fast these little tuna patties, as they came to be called, came together. And when I toasted and buttered an English muffin, topped one with that hot egg and a few garnishes, I was happy as a clam with my breakfast. (Why are clams happy?)

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FRIDAY FISH: Sweet Chili Salmon with Black Bean Pasta Salad + Ideas About How to Make it Into a Dinner Party

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No Sweet Chili Thai sauce here; you create these flavors with chili powder and brown sugar.

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Coming up on the 15th anniversary of my blog (May, 2024- YAY!), I know and maybe you know, too, there are mostly original recipes here. I also know there’s nothing new under heaven, so it’s your guess how many of my dishes first existed elsewhere. I often, though not always, don’t want to know if someone else has come up with it before me. I’m happy in la la land, thinking I made it up, imagining I have a little creative bone of some sort in my body–and I do. But this doesn’t stop me from happily cooking or especially baking dishes others have perfected before me. (Why reinvent every wheel?) Both of the recipes featured in today’s FRIDAY FISH are happily-credited adaptations from other fine cook-writers (see recipe headnotes–which is where you should see credit to other cooks and writers or books) and luscious they are together. I wanted a different flavoring for salmon and thought, “Chili.” Author Andie Mitchell had already figured it out and thank you to her! I also knew my May, 2023 Black Bean Pasta Salad would be the perfect companion for a southwestern-flavored fish. When I needed a black bean salad for 50 last spring for my friend Sylvie’s high school graduation, blogger Cookie and Kate had a solid, flavor-full basic idea I only needed to embroider and enlarge. Together, the two recipes are all you want for dinner…and the salad leftovers could be lunch for a couple of days. Double win. Should you, however, want more, I include ideas for appetizers, wine, and dessert for a dinner party or special occasion. (See just below the recipes.)

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FRIDAY FISH: Shrimp-Tortellini Chowder with Black Pepper-Parmesan Corn Muffins

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First Congregational Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Each spring, my friend Chris Hall — who’s in charge of the Healthy Living cooking classes at our fine downtown church — emails me about choosing a date and topic for my yearly class. I like to teach individually or in small groups but make the exception for this fun and laughing, engaged group of loving cooks who can number anywhere from 20-40! Some years I even teach two times, depending on my schedule and Chris’ needs. Our 150-year old green church kitchen (no AC and difficult-to-reach windows) is hot anytime of year so I choose spring or fall and avoid summer like the plague it is. Chris usually wants to have a title for my class and having to settle on something so early leads me to choose a rather general topic that I can fudge as needed. This year, I was ready for her: It was going to be Whole Meal Soups with Dessert Pairings. While I haven’t gotten the corresponding dessert figured, the first soup will certainly be one of my new Friday Fish favorites, Shrimp-Tortellini Chowder, featured right here today.

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