#$@&%*! it happened again
10 years ago I made a deal with the devil. I decided to give up takeout and delivery. And while I have gone as long as a year, I have yet to truly succeed. It has come with a cost.
What do you think the results of permanently eliminating takeout and delivery from my diet would be? The perfect figure, a bank account that grows exponentially each month, a rainbow appearing over our home and unicorns roaming the back yard?
Yeah, I’m not sure what I expected either. I did learn a lot. I learned new recipes. I learned that I had far more energy to cook than I ever imagined, even on those nights I didn’t feel like it. I discovered my fridge was never as barren as it seemed and that a delicious dinner really could be only 20-30 minutes away, certainly faster than any delivery service.
This all sounds great, right? As most deals with the devil do. And then you discover the curse. See, my husband has discovered something too, something I became aware of only too late.
“How about we order dumplings/tacos/curry/pizza tonight?” I’d ask.
“Eh…you make it so much better,” he said. “Why don’t you just cook?”
Last night I made a green fish curry. The ingredients were local, flavorful and at their peak of freshness, and it was ready in under 30 minutes. Finishing the dish I took a bite, seasoned it to taste, and took one more before plating our dinner.
“Gosh darn it!” I cursed. “It happened again.” My apologies to our local Thai restaurant, and well-played Satan. It looks like I’ll be doing more cooking at home.
Green fish curry with radishes
Serves 4
Meaty white fish delicately poached in a floral, fresh and pleasantly spicy green curry and coconut broth. Mushrooms add meaty richness while radishes lose their pepperiness adding a tender but hearty bite. Finished with lots of wilted, fresh spinach this is everything you want takeout to be and so good you may never go back.
Ingredients:
4 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 lb Lion’s Mane or Maitake mushrooms, sliced
1 lb meaty whitefish like Chilean sea bass or black cod
1/2 cup green curry paste
2 14oz cans coconut cream or coconut milk
10-12 radishes, quartered lengthwise
1/2 lb field spinach, tough stems removed (See tip)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
Directions:
Warm 2 tbs vegetable oil in a 3 quart sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sear on both sides if using Lion’s Mane mushrooms or browned on edges if using Maitake, 3-5 minutes total. Reserve.
Return pan to heat and with 1 additional tbs oil. Add fish and sear on top and bottom, about 2 minutes per side. Reserve.
Return pan to heat with remaining 1 tbs oil. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the solid cap from the coconut cream and melt, stirring into the curry paste. Add liquid part of coconut milk and stir to combine.
Add radishes, cover and cook until pale but still crisp, 8-10 minutes. Add fish and mushrooms, cover and cook until fish is cooked through, time will vary from 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness. Add spinach cover and cook until tender, about 2 minutes longer.
Remove and reserve fish, add cilantro to pan and stir through. Divide curry mixture among four soup plates. Top each with 1/4 of the fish and serve with lime wedges.
TIP: Field spinach is grown-up spinach. Think not baby spinach. It has more substance and will wilt beautifully over heat while baby spinach just melts out. In the grocery store it is often stocked next to greens like kale and collards rather than near the salad greens.
TIP: There’s no need to over cook your fish. If it is done before the radishes are tender or you’ve had time to add your spinach, just reserve it on a plate covered with foil. If it gets cold just simmer it in the curry sauce for a minute or two before serving.
