by Peggy Guntis
Hi everyone! Here I am back in Tucson in 90 degree weather (yes, it's October 10), and McCarthy with its cool breezes and fireplaces lit at night, is just a fond memory. I brought some more recipes to share with you from those wonderful people.
Thanks to my daughter Kim and her husband Richard, all summer long we had as much halibut and salmon as we could eat. There's a great advantage to having someone in the family who loves to fish, runs a halibut charter in Homer, and will even clean and smoke or can the fish for you! I needed one of those quick fix 'em, throw 'em in the oven but taste fantastic recipes and Kim gave me one. It's a real McCarthy recipe, too, because you can substitute and use whatever you have in the house.
HALIBUT
Cut the halibut into 1" chunks. Dip them in egg, or milk or egg substitute if you're watching your fat. Then dip them in a combination of crushed Cheezit crackers (I used low-fat) and grated Parmesan (or whatever cheese you have.) Put the chunks on a lightly-greased or sprayed cookie sheet and bake until done. Do not overbake. Talk about easy and good!
The next is from Chris Haley. Chris has a barber shop/beauty salon set up in her wonderful house that she and Howard are so ably building. When Jim and I went to get our hair cut this summer, Chris and I talked food and recipes. She told me about some Thai wraps a friend had made for her. Chris was even neighborly enough to make some and bring them up to the house so Jim and I could try them. I would like to give you that recipe as well as one for salmon she gave me which is absolutely wonderful.
THAI WRAPS
Soak Spring Roll Skins (can be purchased at Carrs in Alaska or other groceries in lower 48) in hot water till soft enough to roll.
Ingredients:
shredded carrots
green onions
shredded cabbage or spinach
cilantro, to taste
mint leaf
cooked rice
chopped chicken, pork, beef or tofu
Place meat and rice on a spring roll and sprinkle with other ingredients. Roll like a burrito and dip in sauce and eat. Sauce: 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar, salt and some cayenne pepper.
I am one of those cooks who likes to know exact amounts and reads the recipe every time I cook! My last two cooks are the kind that say, “Use a little bit of this....” I must say though, both recipes were wonderful.
CHRIS' HONEY-ORANGE GLAZED SALMON with TOASTED COUSCOUS
4 - 5 oz. salmon fillets
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 orange (1/4 c. juice, 1 tsp. finely grated orange peel)
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 cup whole wheat uncooked couscous (Chris says you can substitute a multi-grain rice for this)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 chopped green onions
1/2 cup shredded carrots
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper. In a shallow dish, whisk together orange juice, peel, honey and cumin. Add salmon and turn to coat. Transfer salmon to prepared baking sheet and brush on any remaining marinade. Bake 10-12 min. until fork tender.
Meanwhile, heat peanut oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add couscous and cook 1 minute until golden. Add curry powder and stir to coat. Then add chicken broth, green onions and carrots; bring to a boil.
Remove from heat, cover and let stand five minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Serve salmon with couscous on the side.
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