New Year's Resolutions

First of all, I don't like making resolutions for New Year's.  Making them implies that I am somehow flawed.  Well, in looking at the volume of posts I created in 2011, I suppose there is room for improvement.  Thus, I am going to start 2012 with my earliest grilling session to date, even though it is only one recipe, the Northern African Marinade on page 52.

The Bride requested fish, and I figured that would be an incentive to get back into grilling as I do not enjoy still smelling fish three days after cooking it.  I can't exactly open the windows for ventilation, either.  In case  you aren't from Cincinnati, here is what is going on right now (in Fahrenheit, for those of you abroad):

 I actually forgot the cookbook on the way to work, so I took a guess at the fishmonger, figuring that I probably still had at least one salmon recipe left.  When I got home, salmon in hand, I learned that I really did not.  Well, one recipe is for a different cut of salmon than what I had, and another is for a whole salmon.  Thus, I flipped back to the rub/marinade section to see what I could make.  Most of what was left there were for chicken, pork, or beef.  The only remaining for fish was the Northern African marinade, but I'm moderately confident that the fine citizens of Northern Africa do not encounter much salmon, so I wasn't terribly sure this recipe would match up well with my fish.  Regardless, I forged ahead.

 

While at Kroger, picking up a couple of ingredients for the marinade, I decided to pick up some asparagus as a vegetable.  I knew that I had one or two carrots left over as well in the fridge.  I used my mandolin to slice the carrots into nice planks for grilling.

I used the same marinade for both, but put them in separate bags as fish tends to be somewhat tender, and I wanted to keep the fillet as intact as possible while coating.

I decided a long time ago to always use the indirect method of grilling for salmon, so I was able to cook the fish and the vegetables simultaneously.  When it came to plating, I wanted to be a little fancy.  I began with the carrot planks.

I then placed the asparagus perpendicular to the planks.

Plating was finished by orienting the salmon at a bisecting angle.  In retrospect, I should have made a sauce for this, but hey, I have to get back into the groove of things.  I haven't done much cooking in the last couple of months, so I really should just ease back into it.

The marriage between the marinade and species of fish turned out to be harmonious.  The Bride was especially pleased.  I really didn't pick up on the mint in the recipe, but the brightness from the sherry vinegar broke though, as did the smokiness from the paprika.  The parsley added a gentle bitterness, rounded out by the olive oil.  Through all of this, however, the salmon flavor was preserved and was allowed to be the main attraction.  The crunchiness from the vegetables contrasted beautifully with the flakiness of the fish, adding depth of texture.  In all, a surprising success.  I still believe that this marinade is better suited for white-fleshed fish, but it is good to know just how versatile it can be!