This detoxifying tempura will be sure to jazz up any dinner party! Garlic scapes arrive in late spring and are similar to asparagus in texture but pack a distinct garlic taste that’s slightly milder than the bulbs. They’re great pickled, on the grill, or turned into a wonderful pesto.
The key to ensuring cauliflower is baked evenly is to make sure florets are cut in even, bite-sized pieces.
Per serving:
In food processor, make pesto combining garlic scapes, grated Parmesan, pistachios, basil, and mint, and pulse into a rustic, chunky paste. Slowly add olive oil and whirl in until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to tightly covered container in refrigerator.
Trim stem and leaves from cauliflower. Cut cauliflower into bite-size florets. Chop stem and leaves.
In saucepan, sauteu0301 garlic over medium heat until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add chopped cauliflower stem and leaves and a few of the florets, reserving remaining florets for oven-baked cauliflower tempura. Continue to sauteu0301 until cauliflower has begun to soften. Add milk, harissa, and bay leaf; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until mixture is very soft. Remove bay leaf. Transfer mixture to blender and pureu0301e until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if you wish. Set aside while making breaded tempura coating for remaining florets.
Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Using three separate bowls, place flour in one; eggs with a splash of water in another, whisking to blend; and bread crumbs stirred with oil in the third. Dust each cauliflower floret with flour, then dip in egg wash and roll into bread crumbs. Place in single layer on rack over parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently dab with oil or lightly spray each floret with a little oil to lightly coat. You want your florets to be even-sized and to air fry them for crispness. If you have a convection oven, or an actual air fryer, follow cooking directions specific to them. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Timing will depend on how you are baking them.
To serve, place a ladle of cauliflower pureu0301e in centre of plate and swirl. Place a couple of roasted cauliflower florets on top. Drizzle a little Mint Scape Pesto around dish and garnish with a few small mint and basil leaves and some radish slices, if you wish. Repeat.
These mildly spiced salmon tacos served with sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds will bring a party together. Make a small quantity of salmon go further when you pair it with a fresh red cabbage slaw featuring citrus and cilantro. Drizzled with some bright lime yogurt, the flavours come together perfectly. Sustainability status Wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are considered among the most sustainable, as the fishery is subject to limited harvests. With salmon stocks in decline, supporting managed fisheries such as these can help maintain populations into the future. That may also mean eating salmon less often than we do now. Salmon is a favourite Salmon is the most popular variety of fish in Canada and the second most popular in the US.
B12-rich mussels are a very good and economical source of protein and iron. Steamed mussels are a classic way to enjoy seafood—and so is this rich, aromatic broth of tomato, fennel, and saffron. Be sure to allow saffron to fully infuse to get the full flavour benefit, and finish off the dish with the fragrant fennel fronds. Sustainability status Farmed mussels are considered highly sustainable due to their low impacts on the environment. They are easy to harvest, require no fertilizer or fresh water, and don’t need to be fed externally, as they get all their nutritional requirements from their marine environment. Mussel prep Selection: Look for mussels with shiny, tightly closed shells that smell of the sea. If shells are slightly open, give them a tap. Live mussels will close immediately. Storage: Keep mussels in the fridge in a shallow pan laid on top of ice. Keep them out of water and cover with a damp cloth. Ideally, consume on the day you buy them, but within two days. They need to breathe, so never keep them in a sealed plastic bag. Cleanup: In addition to being sustainable, farmed mussels tend to require less cleaning than wild mussels. Most of the fibrous “beards” that mussels use to grip solid surfaces will have been removed before sale. But if a few remain, they’re easily dispatched: grasp the beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward the hinge of the mussel and give it a tug. Afterward, give mussels a quick rinse and scrub away any areas of mud or seaweed, which, with farmed mussels, will require minimal work.
The delicate flavour of shrimp is highlighted with just a touch of lemon and a hint of mustard, while radish and celery give some fresh crunch to this dish. Eat it in lettuce cups, on top of greens, or served on whole grain bread for a filling snack. Sustainability status Both wild and farmed shrimp can be sustainable depending on where they’re caught and how they’re raised. See our article “Sea Change” for more information about choosing ethical shrimp.
Steaming fish in parchment-paper packets, also known as cooking en papillote , is a classic technique that allows you to cook all your vegetables and fish at the same time in a quick, easy, and convenient way. Flavours of lemon, garlic, and spicy dried chili make this a simple, yet showstopping meal. Sustainability status Wild-caught Pacific halibut has Ocean Wise and Marine Stewardship Council certifications and is fished using longlines, which is a more selective method of fishing that results in less bycatch. Prep party Involve family or guests in the prep and have everyone make their own packet. Once you’ve mastered the technique, it’s easy to change up the ingredients. Make sure you select vegetables that will cook at the same rate as the fish.