Entertaining a Pescatarian

One of our friends is a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats fish) and she was bringing her new boyfriend to meet us for the first time, so I wanted a delicious dinner that would impress, but also be easy to prepare in advance so I could spend all my time getting to know him. I decided to make Yucatecan-Style Grilled Mahi Mahi and I developed this starchy side and green salad to pair with the flavors:

Corn and Sweet Potato SaladServes 6

2 small sweet potatoes or 1 large
2 ears of corn (preferably yellow, for color)
2 carrots (preferable purple, for color)
½ fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
½ jalepeno, minced

Dressing:
2 T olive oil
1 T fresh lime juice
¼ t kosher salt

Dice sweet potato into small chunks and boil/steam just until tender (about 10 minutes).

Grill corn on the cob until some ears are starting to blacken. Cut kernels from cob.

Half carrots lengthwise, then crosswise in slices.

Mix dressing ingredients together, then toss all ingredients in dressing.


Arugula Salad with Peaches

3 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 t. kosher salt
4 oz arugula
2 small, ripe peaches, peeled and sliced *
2 T. spiced pepitas **

Mix 3 dressing ingredients together with a whisk, or I like to just put them in a jar, screw down the lid, and shake it vigorously.

You can mix this salad together in a bowl, but it's prettier (and not too time consuming for only four servings) if you plate it individually. Toss the sliced peaches in 1/3 of the dressing just to coat. Separately, toss the arugula in the remaining dressing. Arrange peach slices in a fan atop a serving of greens, then sprinkle with pepitas.

* Peaches (and tomatoes too) can be dipped for a couple of seconds into a pan of boiling water, and then plunged into an ice water bath to make them easy to peel. However, I've found that when peaches are ripe-ready to eat, they peel very easily without this step.

** Trader Joes sells pepitas in the nut section, and they can be purchased in the bulk food section of natural foods markets.

Fish Tacos

I am a big fan of the frozen, individual portions of white fish available at Costco. They defrost faster than other frozen entrees, so they're great for last minute. They're also affordable, and easy to prepare and clean-up after. Tilapia is a favorite, as is mahi mahi.  Both are firm, with large oily flakes. Tilapia is especially bright white, making it easy to pair with colorful side dishes. And both are mild in flavor, so they hold-up to and even absorb strong and robust seasonings.

The easiest thing for me to do in the summer is hand the fish filets to my husband, who puts them on the grill with just a light brush of oil and some salt and pepper. (For super easy clean-up, just put the fish on foil instead of directly on the grill; you'll miss the attractive grill marks but it's so fast, and tastes just as good.) Then I make a salsa of whatever fruit is around.  Peaches are a favorite, with some tomato, lime, garlic, cilantro, and jalepeno. Pineapple is another exotic twist. Flake the fish into a tortilla and you have a fabulous fish taco. 


This time, I decided to go a different direction with a pear mint salsa served on mahi mahi.

Pear-Mint Salsa for Mahi Mahi
Serves 4

1 ripe pear
1 small chili, favorite variety
2-3 cloves garlic
Juice from one lime
4-5 large fresh spearamint leaves
3-4 large fresh basil leaves
Salt to taste

2 large filets (4 portions) mahi mahi.

Crush and then mince garlic. Mix with lime juice.

Dice chili and pear. Toss with garlic.

Chop or tear herbs into tiny pieces. Mix with pears.

Sprinkle with salt to taste. Add additional lime juice to ensure all fruit is well coated (this will prevent browning).

Stir periodically.

Cook plain fish (without any oil or seasonings). Simply place it on a sheet of foil and bake or grill until no longer translucent in the center.

Plate and top with salsa.