I know one very simple recipe for salmon, and I almost never make it anymore. My mom wrote me this first salmon recipe when I was in college. I was a sophomore and moving into an apartment with some friends. No more meal plan, I was feeding myself! So my mom sat down with a spiral notebook and wrote me a few easy recipes – one of which we called “plain-ass chicken.” Another recipe was for baked salmon. Take a fillet, season with salt, pepper, and a pat of butter. Wrap it in a little tin foil packet and bake in the oven until cooked through. I’d eat that with a box of Near East rice pilaf and broccoli I had defrosted in the microwave. That was practically my signature dish. That’s the only fish recipe I really know how to make.

But I’m older now and I wanted to learn something new. I found this recipe in BBC Good Food and I liked this because it has a few different vegetables and it’s mostly easy with a few Asian flavors to make it interesting.

In addition to being nervous about fish, I also have an awkward expat story to go with this meal. I went to Waitrose (the grocery store) to buy ingredients and I stopped in the packaged food section to buy the fish. I was being shy and didn’t want to talk to anyone. But I told myself, “No, Mariel. Be brave and go to the fish counter.” So I did. I got in line, was ready to order when I heard the guy in front of me order “sole fillets.” Only he said “fill-it,” whereas I would say “fil-lay.” So now I was hit with indecision and nervousness. What should I say? What I know? Or try to fit in? Instead I choked, pointed to the salmon and said “four salmon please.” Might sound like nothing, but I felt like a dork.

Anyway, back at home, I got to cooking. This recipe is pretty quick to make and beautiful on the plate. I think this was a good introductory fish recipe and I will be trying it, and other fish recipes, again. I’ll admit I cooked the fillets inconsistently with a few being a little underdone – but I’m new at this so it’s ok. If you’re new to cooking salmon too, just use your fork to flake off a bit and see if the salmon has cooked on the inside. Cooked salmon flakes, uncooked salmon looks like sushi.  Hope that helps.

[This is not food related – but I know some of you out there want more stories and pictures about sightseeing in London. I promise I will. I’m figuring out how I want to do it and I’ll post it here soon]

Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Ingredients:

thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 salmon fillets, about 5 oz each

7oz soba noodles

1 1/2 cups frozen soy beans

2 cups baby corn, chopped

2 cups snap peas, chopped

Directions:

1. In a dish big enough to fit the salmon, mix together the ginger, garlic, soy, and vinegar. Add the salmon and let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.

2. In  large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add the fish and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.

3. While you’re starting your fish, heat up the water for your soba noodles. Once the water has come to a boil add in the noodles. The soba noodles shouldn’t take too long to cook. 4 minutes before the noodles are supposed to be done, add in the soy beans. Add the rest of the vegetables in 2 minutes before the noodles are supposed to be done. The veggies will still  be a bit crunchy. Drain well when finished.

4. After the fish has cooked on both sides, add the marinate and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes.

5. Plate the salmon and noodles. Spoon some sauce from the pan over the noodles. The noodles aren’t too flavorful without the sauce. (Make more sauce if you think you’ll like  a lot!)

Messy level: Not only is this recipe relatively straightforward, it’s also not very messy. You need a pot for the pasta, a dish for the salmon to marinate in, and a skillet for cooking the salmon. The messiest part is flipping the salmon. You have to make sure to flip the fish gently, otherwise sauce will splatter and the fish will break.

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Throughout the flight I was excited and ready to arrive, but once I landed I was filled with fear. First, I live here now. This is where we live! This is real. It hit me all at once. And second, I got scared that maybe I wouldn’t be able to find Ryan at the airport. I know that seems small, but we had a rough go at an airport before. I had flashbacks to seven years earlier when Ryan and I were supposed to meet in Madrid. Weather had gotten in the way, things went horribly wrong, and we did not meet each other. Luckily, Ryan and I saw each other immediately and I had no reason to be afraid. He had gotten there early and was ready and waiting to meet me. Everything is going to be all right. We took the tube home to our new flat, it was pleasant and easy. And that was that, I now live in London. 

Our current flat is cute but very tiny. Here’s a picture of the temporary home of cooking is messy. It has a sink, a refrigerator (bottom right cabinet) and two burners. Oh and of course, an electric kettle. I am in England after all. The kitchen also came with a knife block, some dishes, cups, and utensils. In one of my giant suitcases, I brought some additional kitchen items like oven mitts, spatulas, and cookbooks. With all that, I think I’ll be able to make at least a few things for the blog. We’re going to try spaghetti today, but I’ll work on being fancier in the future. But I can’t get too crazy, there’s a little sign that says there’s a £200 fine for setting the fire alarm off for “heavy cooking.” Eep. So I better be careful.

In general news, Ryan and I spent the day walking around our area of London. We bought breakfast at a local shop then ate in a park. We went to King’s Cross where I got to push the cart at Platform 9 3/4. I love Harry Potter and was really excited for this! We also went to lunch in a pub where we had what we knew to be traditional pub food. Each of us had a pint, Ryan had fish and chips, and I had bangers & mash. I gotta say, I’m no Brit because one pint at 2:00pm made me flushed. But it was all a really tasty meal. We then walked around the British Museum until we were overheated and exhausted. All in all, a great first day in London.

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I got the recipe from Real Simple: Easy, Delicious, Home Cooking, spring/summer 2012 magazine. I love this magazine! The recipes use lots of seasonal vegetables which I’ve been finding in my weekly farm shares. I think it’s really a must-have book for people who have farm shares.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound baby potatoes halved, or quartered if especially large

1 lemon, thinly sliced

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup pitted kalmata olives

6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. In a large bowl toss the potatoes, lemon slices, and thyme with the 2 tablespoons of the oil, and about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Once well mixed, arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Roast, stirring once, for 20 minutes. The potatoes should begin to soften.

4. Add olives to potato mixture. I put the olives only on half of the sheet because someone doesn’t like olives.

5. Place the tilapia on top of the potato, lemon, and olive mixture. Drizzle the tilapia with the last teaspoon of olive oil and season with the paprika. Also season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Continue to roast until the tilapia is opaque and the potatoes are golden brown. This should take about 12-15 minutes more.

Messy level: Two spoons and just because you’re basically making two separate things.

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