Mangia Mango for the Halibut (Halibut with Mango Salsa)

Growing up in Winnipeg (which for those of you that don't know is smack dab in the centre of Canada) fresh seafood was limited.  The world seemed a lot smaller then, grocery stores weren't like they are today.  You couldn't walk into Safeway and pick-up fresh prawns, live crab or lobster.  Winnipeg's fresh fish choices were Pickerel (called Walleye in the USA) or Smoked Goldeye.  Once or twice a year, Dominion would get a shipment of frozen pink salmon and mom would always buy one or two. I remember the first time I tasted fresh salmon while on a family vacation to British Columbia and staying with my Aunt B.  I remember my parents eating trays of fresh oysters on that trip, but as a kid there was no way that I would eat one.

While you can buy fresh seafood anywhere in Canada now, I feel lucky to be living in British Columbia where I have so many options on where to purchase fresh seafood.  I have 3 fish mongers within walking distance of our home.  Our local grocery store held a Halibut fare this weekend.  They had a fishing boat on dry dock in their parking lot and offered 10,000 pounds of Halibut for sale.  Needless to say, I purchased some.

J and I love fish/seafood.  In fact, we eat fish an average of twice a week.  We tend to sway towards wild  - never farmed - BC Salmon (the best in the world), Halibut or Prawns.  In my opinion, you can do as much with fish/seafood as you can with chicken/turkey (our other family meal staples).

Since it is spring, I wanted to prepare something colourful.  What could be more colourful and fresh tasting that Mango Salsa.  Here is my interpretation of Halibut with Mango Salsa.

Mango Salsa Ingredients

1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
2 Tablespoons Red Onion, finely diced
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1/2 Red Pepper, finely diced
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 green onion, sliced diagonally
pinch of salt

Gently mix ingredients together, cover and chill until serving.  You don't want to end up with mashed mango!

Halibut

2 3-5 ounce halibut fillets
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Brush halibut fillets with extra virgin olive oil then season with salt and pepper.  Place on a preheated grill pan and grill each side for 3 minutes.  The fish will flake easily and be opaque when done.

Top with a healthy dollop of Mango Salsa when plating.

Note: 

• This recipe serves 2, adjust quantities as required.  
• For extra 'kick', add 1 seeded, finely diced jalapeño pepper to the salsa. 

Balderdash - Vietnamese Grilled Chicken with Vermicelli (Bun Ga Nuong)

My husband J and I were both born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  After we married, we moved to Vancouver, British Columbia.  It's been 20+ years now, and while we are still prairie kids, we have developed a Vancouver palate and thought process.  Our family in Winnipeg have come to appreciate that change in us.

When we're together, the family will often play our version of Balderdash.  For those of you not familiar with the game, the dealer selects a card with a real, but uncommon and very unusual word on it.  The players then each supply their own convincing definition. The dealer will read each player's definition and the real one.  Points are awarded each time you select the correct definition and someone selects yours as correct.  Strangely my brother-in-law N's definitions never seems to be selected - they usually involved a body part and have us rolling on the floor laughing.  My purpose for sharing this story is that our family says that they can always tell my husband's and my definitions because they involve a food or cooking utensil.

I think that my family will find it amusing that my first post is not of a common Canadian dish or something from my own or my in-law's family recipe repertoire.  Instead it is for Bun Ga Nuong.

My husband and I are crazy for authentic Bun Ga Nuong.  Although there are a lot of ingredients, it's such a simple dish, and one in which you truly appreciate the flavor of each ingredient.  The key is using the freshest ingredients that you can find, and the Dipping Sauce called Nuoc Cham.  I confess that we love the Nuoc Cham so much that we just pore it over the entire dish.

Ingredients
Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham, recipe below)
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken (for the best flavor, use a mix of breast and thigh meat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chill powder
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 shallot, finely minced
2 tsp papaya, crushed into a paste
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp grated palm sugar
2 tsp lemongrass puree
1 cup green onion, sliced into 2" pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice, to drizzle over cooked chicken
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (16oz) package vermicelli rice noodles (bun in Vietnamese), cooked and cooled to room temperature
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 tbsp fresh mint, chiffonade
3 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, slighted crushed
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

Trim all fat from the chicken breasts and thighs.  Slice into 2 1/2 inch pieces.  Season with salt and red chilli powder.

In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken meat (or a large ziplock bag), combine garlic, shallot, papaya, baking powder, palm sugar, lemongrass, green onion and soy sauce.  Add the chicken and toss to coat well.  Refrigerate for a 1 hour.

Remove from the refrigerator ahead of cooking to bring it back to room temperature.  Preheat a large non-stick grill pan.  Just prior to adding the meat, brush the pan with oil.  When the pan and oil begin to smoke add the chicken.  Cook 5 minutes (or until a caramelized crust begins to form) and then flip the chicken.  Grill for another 5 minutes.  Finish with a drizzle of lime juice and a sprinkle of black pepper.

In a single serving sized bowl, add a 1/2 cup (or more) of the cooked, cooled vermicelli rice noodles.  Add lettuce, mint, cucumber and carrots as desired.  Top with grilled chicken and sliced jalapeno peppers (optional).  Garnish with a small amount of crushed peanuts.  Serve with Nuoc Cham.

Notes:  Cooking is all about customizing to your own taste and what you have on hand, for example, I didn't have iceberg lettuce and neglected to pick-up any on this morning's shopping run.  In it's place, I used a mixture of romaine, green leaf and kale.  I like bean sprouts, so I garnish with them even though I don't include them in the ingredients above.  Don't skip the papaya.  It is key to tenderizing the chicken.  Excess papaya or lemongrass puree can be frozen in ice-cube trays and stored in the freezer for use at a later date.  You'll find powdered Palm Sugar in your local market, but it will likely be insanely priced.  If you are lucky to have a T&T or Osaka Market near you, they will carry a hard, hockey puck-like Palm Sugar at a fraction of the price.  I use the hockey puck type and grate it with a microplane. 

Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) 
4 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
5 tbsp boiling water
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice,with pulp
4 tsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp red Thai Chili pepper, finely chopped (or less as desired)

In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in boiling water.  Let cool to room temperature.  Add rice vinegar and lime juice.  Mix in garlic and chill pepper.

Inspired by The Noodle Guy.