no (ex)cuses
ripped from the ... making it work for youDining in one of Suzanne Goin’s restaurants in LA is truly a treat. Her recipes on the other hand should come with a disclaimer. Pay close attention to the timeline. I adore her cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, and was excited to see one of her recipes in Bon Appetit’s RSVP section. When I see recipe from a place I’ve actually been a patron I feel like doing a little shout-out.
I’m also extremely happy I got a prior shout-out about her recipes (from my ex-husband’s recent ex-wife- how LA is that!) that some of her recipes take days of prep.
It's spring in Dayton and if it's spring what could be better than peas and halibut. Actually Suzanne Goin’s recipe calls for fresh peas and fresh pea tendrils. You should have seen the face of the produce manager at the local grocery store in Dayton, OH as I tried to explain what a pea tendril was. To his blank stare I furthered that it was similar to a fern frond. With that I pushed my cart over to the freezer section and picked up a bag of Bird’s Eye Frozen Baby Peas (honestly a suitable substitute).
Foremost Seafood is a Dayton treasure. Seriously they have some of the best seafood I have encountered. Their center cut halibut fillets need little fuss. Goin’s citrus zest and fresh herbs, covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for a minimum of four hours and up to a day. How can something so simple and quick pack such a flavor punch?
Now it’s time simplify the pea puree. Thawing out frozen baby peas mainstreams the process.
It’s important to have a bowl of ice and a colander ready to refresh the peas, spinach and mint. You want to quickly blanch the green vegetables in hot water and just as quickly refresh them to preserve their green color and flavor.
Also note when you puree the vegetables with a hand blender use a high bowl or large cup to prevent splattering. No one wants his or her kitchen walls to look like Popeye has just crushed a can.
To make the lemon “salsa” use a vegetable peeler to thinly peel just the yellow part then stack the peel and julienne.
Everything is so delectable I’m not sure what’s missing by forgoing the tendrils. Guess I’ll find out next time I dine at Lucques.
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Love your photos. This makes me want to cook this tomorrow night. PS--bought pea tendrils at Trader Joe's last week but I agree, they are not needed for this dish. I love your blog, Sandy!