Baked cod and vegetables

I love fish, but it seems I'm always preparing it the same way -- pan fried or broiled. I found this recipe and immediately wanted to try it.

mise en place

It combines fish and loads of vegetables, and the method was very straightforward.

fish is rinsed, patted dry, and ready to go

The recipe did not disappoint. I added whatever vegetables I had on hand (I added half a head of shredded cabbage and used canned, peeled tomatoes) and it was very tasty.

cook the veggies first

I will definitely make this again. It's a good option for a dinner party -- you can do all the prep work before your guests arrive, then stick the whole thing in the oven!

Salmon with mustard dill sauce

I love salmon. It's healthy, easy to make, cooks up fast, and you can prepare it a million different ways (at least). Pair up a piece of salmon with some steamed vegetables to make the perfect mid-week meal.

Mustard Dill Sauce
(adapted from a chow life)

1/2 cup course-ground mustard
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup olive oil
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup chopped, fresh dill

Mix all ingredients and allow flavors to mingle at least an hour. In the meantime, I broiled the salmon after seasoning with salt and pepper.

**This sauce was very tasty, but next time, I'll add some lemon zest and replace the heavy cream with yogurt to make it a bit lighter. Also, this makes a lot of sauce - if you are making a one pound piece of salmon, you can reduce this by at least half.

Pan-seared scallops

Scallops are interesting shellfish - they are the only bivalve that swims. Scallops don't attach to rocks or bury themselves like other mollusks; instead they lie free on the ocean floor. They escape predators by using two central muscles to close their shells together, force water out one end and propel themselves through the water. The largest of those muscles, the adductor, serves as the main protein storage component for the scallop. Proteins (or amino acids, particularly glycine) are broken down into glucose, giving the scallop its signature sweet taste. The scallops we purchase and eat are really just the large, central adductor muscle of the scallop. The smaller, tough little muscle that is sometimes attached to scallops is the muscle that holds the shells together. This little muscle should be removed before cooking.

We typically eat 2 different species of scallop. "Sea scallops" (species Pecten) are larger and harvested from deep, cold ocean water year-round. "Bay scallops" (species Argopecten) are smaller and are dredged or gathered by hand closer to shore during a defined season.

Most scallops, following harvest and shucking, are treated with a polyphosphate solution for better preservation. These "wet packed" scallops lose some flavor and contain a lot of liquid. Be sure to drain the scallops thoroughly on paper towels before cooking. Alternatively, you can purchase "dry packed" scallops which have not been treated with any solutions. They can be more difficult to find and are more expensive, but are worth the effort.

Scallops are popular across the world, but particularly in New England, where they are often served fried or broiled with butter and breadcrumbs. However, I love the sweet taste and chewy texture of scallops so much that I prefer a simpler preparation. Pan-searing is a quick and easy method that allows the true taste of the scallop to shine.

I rounded off dish with couscous and spinach sauteed with garlic. After searing the scallops, I added a bit of butter and white wine to make a pan sauce that I drizzled over the dish.