bits and pieces

I want to try making something new, but I’m having a hard time finding a recipe that seems appealing to me. I feel like a lot of what I’ve made recently has been too similar, but I’m not sure what direction to go in. For now, more repeats and some lazy recipes.

On Friday, Fred and I made Asian Salmon-and-Rice Soup as planned (sorry, no photos), and with the right proportions of everything this time. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like how it turned out, and later my stomach agreed with that sentiment (ugh). I think it’s due to the different dashi I used, which didn’t have MSG, but called for adding soy sauce.

When everything was mixed up, the broth was a lot heavier than last time, like greasier somehow. Maybe I used too much oil on the salmon, but I think the soy sauce didn’t help. I think I may try making my own dashi in future, so I can make it just how I want it. Apparently, it’s rather easy to do, based on a few recipes I looked up, so there is that.

On Sunday morning, I made a variation on the Poached Eggs with Smoked Trout and Potato Hash recipe again, taking out the lemon juice, dill, and trout this time. I didn’t feel really like picking out tiny bones from the trout again, so I chopped up a sausage patty and used that instead. Definitely not a direct substitute, but oh well. I was also feeling lazy about the prep work, so I skipped the dill, but I don’t think it was a huge loss. I really like the potato hash a lot, but I need to keep working on my egg-poaching technique. It’s edible as it is, but I want to make sure I’m doing it right.

Tonight, I was feeling a bit lazy, so I tried a recipe from Real Simple magazine that I found online, for Fish Tacos. It’s not so much something you make as it is something you assemble, since all the parts are just used as is. Make fish, put fish in tortilla with lettuce, onions, and sauce, and then eat!

I didn’t use the exact brand of fish they called for in the recipe, but I chose a similar variety of frozen cod at Whole Foods. The combined taste was all right, but I think the tartar sauce was a bit much for me. It’s just too heavy of a sauce for me, and it sort of negated the fresh lettuce and red onion. I think if I make this again, I think I’ll try something else. Maybe salsa cruda (bought ready-made at Whole Foods) or even cheese or something like that.