Serves 4 to 6.
Note: Try salmon, tuna, sea bass and black cod here. From JeanMarie Brownson.
• 1 (generous) c. cherry wood chips
• 4 fish fillets, each about 1 1/2 in. thick and 8 to 10 oz.
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. natural liquid hickory smoke, optional
• 1 tbsp. melted bacon drippings, or more to taste, optional
• Chopped ripe tomato and chives
Directions
Put wood chips into a bowl of water to cover and let soak at least 30 minutes.
Rinse fish; pat dry and place in a large zip-close plastic food bag.
Mix the vinegar, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and liquid smoke, if using, in a small dish until the salt dissolves. Pour over the fish; close the bag and turn it to evenly distribute the marinade over all the surfaces of the fish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a gas grill to high or prepare a charcoal grill and let burn until coals are covered with gray ash. Move the coals to one side of the grill or turn off some of the burners on the gas grill.
Drain the wood chips and place them on the hot coals. (Or, place on a double thickness of foil and place the packet over the heat source on the gas grill.) Put the grill grate in place and cover the grill to let the smoke develop and the grill grate heat up.
Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry. If using bacon drippings, brush the fish with that. Place the fish on the grill away from the heat source. Cook, without turning, until the fish almost flakes easily with a fork, 13 to 15 minutes. (For thin fillets, cook 8 to 10 minutes.)
Brush with more bacon fat if desired, then remove fish with a thin metal spatula. Serve warm topped with tomatoes and chives. Or, refrigerate up to 3 days and serve cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition information per serving (with bacon drippings used):
Calories246Fat11 gSodium100 mg
Carbohydrates0 gSaturated fat2 gTotal sugars0 g
Protein34 gCholesterol96 mgDietary fiber0 g
Serves 2.
Note: Store-bought smoked fish, such as trout or salmon, can be used in this omelet. Reduce the salt added to the eggs if the smoked fish is very salty. This omelet is good served with thick slices of country bread, brushed with olive oil and broiled until crispy. From JeanMarie Brownson.
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 c. half-and-half
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz. smoked fish, such as halibut, whitefish, salmon, broken into large chunks
• 1 1/2 tsp. drained capers, rinsed
• 2 tbsp. very finely sliced red onion, rinsed
• 2 slices tomato, diced
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• Olive oil
Directions
Mix eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a pitcher until smooth. Set the fish, capers, onion, tomato and chives near the work surface.
Heat a small (7-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Reduce the heat to medium and add enough oil to coat pan nicely.
When the oil starts to be aromatic, pour in half of the egg mixture. Use a fork to gently pull the eggs that start to set into the center of the pan; tip the pan a little to allow the liquid eggs to run underneath. Keep moving the eggs in this manner until no liquid eggs remain. Let omelet cook, undisturbed, about 30 seconds, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent over-browning the eggs.
Put half of the smoked fish over the eggs on one side of the skillet. Top with the capers. Loosen the edge of the omelet with a heatproof spatula, then carefully roll the omelet out onto a serving plate, enclosing the fish as you roll.
Sprinkle the onion, tomato and chives over all. Serve immediately. Repeat to make the second omelet.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories358Fat18 gSodium970 mg
Carbohydrates6 gSaturated fat7 gTotal sugars3 g
Protein41 gCholesterol597 mgDietary fiber1 g
It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
