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In A Quandary? Try Recipe Roulette

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

The distinct personalities of salmon and fennel are made for each other in this deceptively simple entree. The fish oils contained in salmon keep the flesh moist and flavorful while roasting.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 10, 2008

My mother-in-law, Barbara, came for a visit last weekend, and I had no clue of what to fix for dinner the night she arrived. She was already familiar with most of my favorite guest-worthy recipes.

Computer options aside, my cooking library includes 13 linear feet of cookbooks sprawled across my kitchen shelves, two bulging boxes of cookbooks in an upstairs closet, a shopping bag full of cooking magazines and a smattering of recipe books on my office desk. In other words, I have resources.

I just needed to pick a recipe, and get moving.

Sometimes, choosing a recipe becomes a game for me.

Take, for example, what I call recipe roulette.

Eyes closed, I capriciously select three cookbooks, randomly open the pages and make whatever's on the page. Since I wasn't sure what I wanted to make for Mom's dinner, I decided to play.

The first blindly chosen cookbook was "Joy of Cooking" by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. My copy dates back to 1964. Over the years, I've referred to this versatile book many times. It answers just about any cooking question you throw at it.

Hmm ... green pea soup. Hard to imagine anything better on a cold winter's day than this beautiful soup swirled with sour cream. And hard to imagine anything less suited to 90- degree, humid, September weather, not to mention I live with a pea hater.

"Let's try this again," I thought.

Next, I opened "The Unwatched Pot: A crockful of recipes for electric slow cooking" to the page listing Duck Calcutta. The recipe calls for onions, a diced orange, sauerkraut, garlic and numerous seasonings. "Add a cut-up, 4- to 5-pound duck, mix all together and pour into cooker," it read.

Nope, I wasn't feeling the duck vibe that day.

"Well, Vanna," I thought. "It's time to move on to cookbook No. 3," which turned out to be "The South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook" by Arthur Agatston. The mystery recipe in it was Roasted Salmon with Fennel and Lemon.

Jackpot!

All of the recipes I've tried from the "South Beach" series were keepers. But most importantly, I knew Barbara loves salmon.

"Although the fennel may be a bit risky," I thought.

People seem to either love or hate the licorice-flavored, celery-like vegetable. The taste can be unsettling to some, unless used with moderation. It has actually grown on me; I find myself experimenting with it more and more in our kitchen.

When buying fennel, look for a bulb that is creamy white and barely tinged with green. The dill-like leaves, which should have no signs of browning, can be chopped and used as an herb.

Like most of the South Beach recipes, the salmon was simple to prepare.

Even though neither of our guests had ever tried fennel before, the meal in question was a whopping success. It was music to my ears when Barbara said over and over how much she enjoyed the dinner.

Sometimes a gamble pays off.

ROASTED SALMON WITH FENNEL AND LEMON

2 (1 1/2-pound) salmon tail-end fillets, about 1-inch thick

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Rinse salmon and pat dry. Using your fingers or a pair of tweezers, remove any small bones from the fillets. Rub oil over the fillets (skin included). Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper.

Place one fillet, skin side down, on a wire rack over a baking pan, and then layer the fennel, lemon and dill across the surface of the fillet. Using kitchen twine, tie the halves of the fish together so they stay in place while cooking.

Roast salmon (on the rack over the baking pan) until the skin appears lightly browned and fish is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove string, transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.

Make-ahead: Salmon can be assembled and tied up to 8 hours in advance; wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Makes 8 (6-ounce) servings.

Source: "The South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook" by Arthur Agatston

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0913. For more of her recipes, visit southshore .tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel.

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