by Jay del Corro

Today, we’re making a Thai style spicy mango salad. To go with it, I’m cooking up a mouth-watering pan-fried halibut from my friends at Dor-Bel Fine Foods. Dor-Bel is the only retailer in Alberta that sells sustainable seafood carrying the Oceanwise brand. This mango salad is very simple to prepare and is a prime example of the flavours that are typical to Thai cuisine.

For the mango salad, you will need:

• 1 green mango (firm, not ripe)
• a slice of watermelon
• 2-5 thai chilies (adjust to your tolerance)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown)
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• ¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

For the halibut:

• 2 (8 oz) portions halibut fillet
• 1 thai chili, finely minced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt, to season

Start by drizzling some extra virgin olive oil on both sides of the watermelon. Put on a grill on high heat and grill them til they have those nice marks. Watermelon tastes incredible when grilled. The surface sugars caramelize and take on a honey flavour that will complement the other flavours in the salad. When the watermelon is done, cut into cubes and set aside.

Peel the mango and cut it into julienne. No fancy tools needed, just make parallel cuts into the fruit by hacking it with a knife and shave the strips off into a large mixing bowl. If you have a mortar and pestle, pound the Thai chilies to release the oils and fragrance. Alternatively, you can use a knife handle, mallet or a rolling pin. Add the chilies to the mango, then add the fish sauce. Toss lightly to combine then the sugar. The sugar will balance out the flavour of the fish sauce and chili. To that, add the shallot, cilantro and green onion. Finally, add the juice of 1 lime and the watermelon and toss everything together until combined. Set aside in the fridge and let’s cook the halibut.

On a cutting board, evenly sprinkle on 1 or 2 chopped chilies then drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil. Add a touch of kosher salt, then put the halibut on the board. Flip them over to get the seasoning all over both sides.

From here, you can either pop them on the grill or panfry in a hot skillet with a couple tablespoons of oil (I prefer pan-frying because I like to get that nice crust). Fish takes very little time to cook, so you’ll only need to cook until the meat is golden brown.

To finish, simply plate the fish and put the mango salad right on top. Serve right away and enjoy!

If you don’t have halibut, you can use any kind of meaty fish that’s not too fatty like catfish or red snapper. My halibut today was donated by the fine folks at Dor-Bel Fine Foods, who are partners with the Oceanwise organization. Oceanwise is a non-profit organization that researches and compiles information on fish and shellfish stocks in an effort to educate retailers and restaurants on what seafood to buy or avoid.

This simple fried fish goes well with the spicy, sour and sweet Thai flavours of the mango salad. Take this recipe, make it yours and have fun in the kitchen.

Do you like seafood? If so, what is your favourite kind?

by Heather Johansen

By nature, I am a planner so when it comes to cooking, I always plan for leftovers. I work full
time in an office downtown and bringing in my own lunch helps me avoid eating questionable
food court fare, saves me some money and allows me to make the healthiest choices. I often like
to have breakfast ready to go as well. Simply heating something up saves me time in the morning
so I don’t have to do much thinking at 6:00 am before I’ve had coffee! Preparing a frittata on
Sunday morning is a perfect solution.

A frittata is similar to an omelette. The cooking process starts on the stovetop but then it’s baked
in the oven until set. It is completely customizable; you can add as much vegetables or cheese as
you want. You can even add fruits, like apples or berries, beans, lentils, meat or chopped nuts.
It’s an easy dish that lends itself to experimentation. Frittatas are good any time of the day…
breakfast, lunch or dinner!

For this week’s frittata, I used a few shortcuts to make my morning prep a little bit easier. I
purchased a delicious black olive tapenade from Angela’s Olives. I was able to sample the
chunky paste at their booth and thought the simple mixture of black olives, sundried tomatoes
and garlic created such a huge flavour. The savoury saltiness would pair perfectly with eggs. I
could have taken the time to roast my own artichokes & red peppers but instead, I used jarred red
peppers and bought some freshly roasted artichokes from Community Natural Foods’ Chinook
Station location. The artichokes are simply roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with fresh parsley.
The goat cheese is optional here but its creamy texture is a nice complement to the vegetables.
I used Noble Meadows goat cheese, available at the Broxburn booth, because it is one of my
absolute favourites.

On to the recipe! This frittata would be a great addition to a Sunday brunch but works well as a
quick weeknight dinner. It heats up wonderfully and its Mediterranean flavour will be enjoyed
by all.

Black Olive, Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata
Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 leek, chopped (white & light green parts only)
• ¼ c black olive tapenade + more for serving
• ½ c roasted artichoke hearts
• ½ c jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
• ¼ c soft goat cheese
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup egg whites (or 2 additional whole eggs)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Arugula & cherry tomatoes, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Heat olive oil in an oven proof skillet on medium heat (I use a cast iron skillet for frittatas).
Swirl the oil to coat the bottom and sides. Sauté the leek for 4 minutes, until lightly browned and
softened. Add the artichoke hearts and sauté for 1 more minute. Turn heat to medium-low.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, ¼ cup of tapenade and roasted red pepper. Pour the egg
mixture into the skillet. Mix it with the leek & artichokes using a rubber spatula, then dollop the
goat cheese around. Allow the eggs to set on the bottom (1-2 minutes) then transfer to the oven.

Bake for 12 minutes, and then finish the frittata under the broiler for 4 minutes. Test, using a
fork or toothpick, to ensure there are no liquid portions remaining. Allow the frittata to cool for
at least 10 minutes before cutting it into four or six equal pieces. Top each piece with ~1 tbsp of
tapenade and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.

Serve with a simple arugula salad, dressed with olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper and
cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy!

This week at Kingsland Farmers Market was a busy one with the grand opening weekend of Hold the Mustard, Calgary’s newest destination for gourmet hot dogs. With 8 kinds of hot dogs and sausages and 37 different toppings, the combinations are endless.

Congratulations, Margaret!