bourdain mackerel

I've had Tony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook for a long time, but have yet to make anything from it! Shocking! Awful! Well, I remedied that last night, by making his Whole Roasted Fish Basquaise recipe. Chow has the recipe on-line, so I won't re-type it here. I used some whole mackerel I had gotten from an oriental grocery store a week or so ago. They were cheap!! Um, probably because they hadn't been cleaned. So I put on my manly mountain man cap and gutted them all by myself! eek.

The recipe is easy and fairly quick...a good weeknight meal. Mine turned out quite tasty. I overcooked the fish a tad, so it was a bit dry...and there were so many little pin bones! That's okay; there is something so satisfying about picking meat off a whole fish...messy and primal. The broiling is key...it really lent a great flavor to this oily fish. The combo of ingredients in this recipe goes so well with fish...hearty but not overpowering.





I also made some sautéed okra as a side, idea via Alanna's Veggie Venture blog. I like okra, but hardly ever make it, because mine turn out slimy unless I fry them. Using fresh okra and stir-frying them at a high heat seemed to cut down on the slime.

As far as the Les Halles cookbook goes, fall and winter will be the perfect time for me to try more of Tony's recipes, as most of them are quite hearty sounding.