SOMETHING FISHY WENT ON!

When I was planning the meal for some friends who were coming over for dinner last night, it was one of those freaky very hot days for April.  Had already decided to cook fish and remembered something I had done last year just for Alan and I that I mentally earmarked as a good dinner party dish.

GREEK STYLE MAHI MAHI was what I decided on. Only problem was that there was no Mahi Mahi to be found.  We have a pretty good fish monger in New Canaan and he had some Scottish salmon which had apparently flown in the night before! It worked really well and looked very pretty too.  Served this with TOASTED ORZO WITH SAFFRON AND FENNEL, as suggested in the fish recipe.  It was really good, little tricky to make as you do not drain once cooked, so you have to get the amount of water exactly right.  My quantities were different, so I calculated the amount of water, used a bit less and kept additional water just off the boil in the kettle.  I did need to add some more water and it all worked out fine.  Val did a delicious green salad to go with, which had a lemony dressing.  Her new trick was to add thinly sliced brussel sprouts which added some great crunch.

 Another delightful and delicious evening, around my table with friends.

Just the two of us....

Saturday night dinner after a busy day so not a lot of time. As has become a habit, grabbed the latest Gourmet mag to browse while watching Joseph's soccer game. We had decided it was going to be a fish night and found Greek Style Mahimahi, 'active time 15min start to finish 30min', perfect! Could not get Mahimahi but Striped Sea Bass proved a great substitute. It was delicious and I will definitely do it again, little different from most fish dishes I usually do. Suggested accompaniment was an Orzo and fennel dish Did not want to do orzo but it reminded me of a dish Charlotte had suggested a while ago which is oven roasted Fennel, potato and onion. Very simple, you cut all three into about half inch slices, toss with some oil, add a herb if you fancy and have some around and roast for about half an hour in a 425 ish oven. It is a great combination, I like to use thin skinned potatoes that do not need peeling, like yukon golds. I always like to have something green on the plate so I added some baby courgettes for the last 10 minutes. A basic tomato salad was included with the fish recipe and that was it for us - yum!