Tonight we grilled up one of our favorites—steelhead (often called salmon but it is actually trout)—and also tried a new experiment grilling broccoli. Both were delicious!
Shannon took this from out by the grill ...
First, if you live anywhere near Central Market in Poulsbo or Town & Country (called simply T&C by locals) on Bainbridge Island, you should consider yourself very lucky. These two grocery stores (two of the five in the local Washington chain) are excellent, catering to those of us who love fresh, local ingredients as well as the odd and necessary condiments. [We will write a proper review of these stores in a later post, but quickly: if you are a cheesesteak person, do not miss the one at Central Market, nor the ham and brie panini at T&C—a perfect lunch for the ferry on the way to the city.]
Tonight we picked up a pound of steelhead, some broccoli, and a bag of dark greens. A feast transpired.
We used to put all sorts of spices and marinades on our grilled fish, but then we discovered the magic of the simple lime/salt/pepper combination. Hey, don't get me wrong, a good steak rub or a horseradish/mustard combination is also utterly delicious, but to bring out an extra-special smokey goodness on the grill, lime takes the cake (or at least that's our current cosmology; no worries though, it WILL change, and often).
Badger—someone who grew up in rural Maryland without the benefit of salmony things (his people are Blue Crab folk)—has learned the art of grilling fish. It took a few unfortunate attempts, but he's got it down to an easy science now. And he adores salmon and steelhead; can't get enough if them. It will probably be the thing that we most miss when we leave the Pacific Northwest (unless of course we get stationed in Alaska next: wOOt!). Plus, his doctor told him to eat as many ω-3 fatty acids as he can, which gave him carte blanche to eat smoked, grilled, or raw salmon/steelhead at every turn ... and he does.
We love us some roasted broccoli. Kerry makes a fantastic version in his wood-fired oven at Cafe Miranda in Rockland, Maine, and they have a lovely side dish of it here at Agate Pass Cafe in Suquamish, Washington. We got inspired by the mountain of broccoli at the market and decided to try throwing it on the grill with the salmon. Epic win, peeps! The smokey smells of the roasting steelhead juices permeated every crevasse of the broccoli, and the splashes of tamari we added carmelized perfectly.
We love our dark, leafy greens. Here Badger stirs a combination of baby kales and chards that were steaming in a splash of water. The produce department at Central Market supplies a large bin of freshly prepped and washed greens that need very little attention; even for those of us who might be on the finicky side. The ones we picked up today were so tender and fresh that they didn't even need salt or pepper. Nom nom nom.
We added a few spoonfuls of brown rice and called it supper.
And for dessert: Badger loves all things orange, but his very favorites are probably Sumos. And they're back! I thought he might fill up the shopping cart ...
All told, we ended up with enough leftovers for a significant lunch. No bad for $20—and half of that was the cost of the lovely steelhead.