Another Lesson In Cooking For One

I went back to the fish markets yesterday, despite the nasty weather.  I did not return to the market that sold me the fishy scallops.  It should be noted that when buying fresh seafood one unsatisfactory product does not necessarily speak poorly of the place (sometimes the fish just isn't good), but Astoria teems with options, so I explored mine.  

Actually, the fish market I went to had fillets of tuna already wrapped in cellophane for easy purchase.  The fillets were large--nine to ten ounces apiece--and they were also exactly what one looks for in a piece of tuna.  They were pinkish red with no discoloration and the sign said they had been caught that day.  

These things are important when it comes to tuna in particular, because most people don't cook tuna all the way through.  If you're going to buy it for your own use, then, you have to make sure the product is really top rate.  

I stopped by my favorite vegetable stand for some scallions and green beans.  Back home, I combined a few tablespoons of sesame oil, soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, ground ginger, sesame seeds, fresh lime juice, some baby bok choy, and one sliced scallion in a tupperware container.  If you're wondering why I keep wasabi and pickled ginger in my house, well, I don't.  I saved the leftover wasabi balls and condiments from the previous night's sushi, figuring I'd use it eventually.  

I cut my tuna steak in half (the recommended portion size for a piece of tuna is four to six ounces) and coated it with the marinade with my hands.  I then put the fish in the tupperware, closed it, and left it in the refrigerator for the rest of the day.  

Which meant that, hours later, when I returned from a rigorous workout at the gym, the fish was ready to go.  I heated a frying pan and wilted the bok choy for a few minutes before getting the fish on the heat.  On a very high flame, I seared both steaks, one minute on each side.  I ate the steak over brown rice with green beans that I had steamed.  For extra flavor, I added tamari to my rice.  

For me, tuna is the perfect substitute for a grilled steak.  It is substantial in a way that some fragile white fish are not and it offers a comparable mouthfeel to meat.  Seared rare, it's almost as good as a rib eye.  Almost.  

The fish was very fresh and the bright, spicy marinade proved the perfect counterpoint for dense the meat.  Perhaps the best part is that last night's leftovers will be today's lunch, not bad for seven bucks at the local fish market. 

I'm No Harold McGee

But man, do I work hard with what I have.  

On Monday, I walked down to one of the fish markets on 30th Avenue, looking for bay scallops.  The first market I happened upon was selling the baby scallops, for a paltry $5.99/lb.  Yes, you read that right.  I paid a scant $3.00 for my half pound of bays.  

Next door, I hit up the vegetable market, allowing myself to succumb to whatever looked fresh.  That afternoon, it was baby bok choy, tiny yukon gold potatoes, green beans, fresh shitake mushrooms, and one hearty leek.  

At home, I made foil packets and chopped the veggies (minus the green beans, which I steamed separately, and the potatoes, which I boiled until fork-tender) and tossed them with toasted sesame oil, salt, pepper, ground ginger, tamari, olive oil, and rice wine vinegar.  I sliced the cooked potatoes and added them to the mix.  Finally, I seasoned the scallops, divided them between two packets, and added them to the veggies with a healthy pour of sake.  I sealed the pouches and put them in a 400 degree oven for just under 30 minutes.  

Here's the thing: the veggies steamed perfectly and the scallops were cooked through and just short of turning rubbery.  And the veggies tasted good, though I should have added more salt at the start.  But the scallops?  They were terrible.  Inedible.  So fishy that I couldn't understand why I hadn't noticed it before I'd cooked them.  

Bay scallops are generally sweeter than divers, but these reeked of bad and still salt water.  I had to throw the half pound away to salvage the vegetables, which, now lacking protein, didn't provide as satisfying a meal as I'd originally hoped.  

Well.  You can't win them all.  Last night, I opted for foods that were already in my refrigerator.  I mixed ground chicken (leftover from last week's stuffed peppers) with worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, minced onion, and minced garlic and formed them into two patties.  I cut two russet potatoes, skin-on, into thick fries and tossed them with olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh-ground pepper.  I put the patties and the fries on a baking sheet and in a 400 degree oven and left them for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, I sauteed wide rings of Spanish onion in a little olive oil, allowing them to char on the bottom.  Then, I added ketchup, Frank's hot sauce, and molasses.  Cooks beware: tomato products burn on high heat, but this was what I was looking for, a variation on a barbecue sauce replete with the burnt taste of actual barbecue.  

I flipped the chicken burgers and fries and kept them in another 10 minutes or so, long enough for the juice to run clear from the burgers' center (you can't cook ground chicken to medium-rare; it has to be cooked through).  I ate the burger atop a whole-wheat English muffin with those ketchupy onions and a half-sour pickle. 

I'm not blaming myself for the fiasco that was scallops-gone-bad.  I honestly believe it was quality of product that marked this dish's failure.  Next time, I'll hit up a different fish market.  As for the chicken burgers, I'll keep that fly-by-night recipe for later low-fat use.