But wait, he's a butcher, no?

I know, I know...years later she reappears!
Well, I have some pretty delicious stuff to discuss today, so it may be worth it.

The butcher and I have been trying to make fish. We have made seared tuna, which was amazing! We make shrimps  and scallops all the time - because that is the fish that he was OK with at the beginning. The other fish, I was told, was out of the running at the time because (and I could not make this up if I tried) it was "too fishy"...

But- it's gotten better! One of my all-time favorite brunch foods is bagels and lox - is there anything better?

I have recently found that I love any fish when it's smoked, not just salmon!

We made this salad a while back with some smoked trout that we found at the Jean Talon market, it was as fresh as it gets!

Excited, we went home to make an AMAZING salad that you should all try! I promise, even if you're iffy on fish this salad will be a hit!

What you will need:

2 smoked trout filets
1 bag of fresh mesclun greens
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup of fresh Feta
1 english cucumber
Lemon juice (fresh or other)
Capers

Prepare the salad as usual.
Add the crumbled smoked trout
Cube the feta and add
Squeeze fresh lemon juice on the whole bowl  until everything is lightly covered
Mix the salad
Add the capers (to taste)
Add cracked black pepper

You will notice I did not add salt nor vinegar, the fish and feta are quite salty and you will not need the extra kick of flavour.
The lemon juice and pepper adds balance.
I would say you could try an arugula with this, the peppery leaves will balance nicely with the saltier tones.

Now...grab a fork and enjoy! Delicious!!

Shrimp & Rice

In a fit of stubborness, I have tried to get the butcher to go meatless for two nights for every week of Lent. Now, this may sound mean, but it's only a night, not the day. He works at a butcher shop! He can eat meat all day and then come home to salad, no? Sadly, that's easier said than done.

We have at our avail one of the best fresh produce markets in Montreal, Jean Talon market, a 2 minute walk from our place. As with all markets, you will find amazing produce that was freshly picked that day, and grown by local farmers in the region. Not only is it delicious, but it's so nice to know you're supporting local farmers while you shop!



In any case, one successful attempt was my shrimp and rice dish.
Super simple, delicious and...meatless!

What you'll need:

1 package of frozen shrimp (or you can buy them fresh in the quantity you require)
11/2 cups of rice
1 cup frozen spinach
2 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
Olive Oil
White wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Thaw the shrimp
Place a pot on the stove to boil the water for the rice (I am not going to tell you how to cook rice, I am sure you can do that on your own)


Coat a frying pan with olive oil
Once smoking, add the onion
When you see it's getting translucent, add the spinach
Add salt & pepper to taste (if you want a little more bite, you can add garlic, or paprika)
As the spinach wilts and shrinks, add the shrimp
Once they're pink and they have a bit of "bounce" to the touch, they're ready
Turn off the heat and add in the diced tomatoes
Spoon onto the rice, or, like we do- put the rice in a large bowl and toss in the shrimps so that all the sauce from the pan gets in there and coats the rice...




Delcious!