mrjeffmccarthy.com

Kate hit up Trader Joe’s last week and returned with fish.  She found some frozen Sockeye Salmon, which we had early in the week; and also Mahi-Mahi, aka Dolphin Fish.  I find Dorado tasteless and bland; seeing the frozen filets hinted no different.  They appeared as they probably were going to taste.  Perfect rectangles of an impossible gray that defied metaphor.  I knew they would need a rich sauce, and a spicy side.  I had a deli cup of clarified lobster butter (thanks Chef,) begging for hollandaise. Our sausage guy had hooked me up with some smoked Chorizo awhile back, I stumbled upon that in the freezer searching for fat.  A deli cup of rice pilaf from the fridge smelled good.  Dinner was upon us!!  I sliced the Chorizo and rendered it on a silpat the oven.  Conviently, I had cooked bacon on this same pan for breakfast; I had a ton of delicious grease to cook with.  When the sausage was hot and oozing fat, I removed them form the pan and replaced them with halved pearl onions which then roasted, filling the house with a sweet and spicy smell.  I knew shellfish and chorizo were money together, and figured since mahi doesn’t really taste like anything, the lobster hollandaise and smoked sausage could lift up this lackluster fish.  I knocked together the sauce; volumized yolks, whisked in fat, seasoned with salt, pepper, vinegar.  I heated up the rice in the pot that I warmed the lobster butter in, much to my fiancee’s chagrin.  I reheated my sausage bits with the almost-done onions.  The fish hit a screaming hot pan with a searing sizzle and when flipped hit the oven.  After waiting four minutes I threw in two empty plates.  Steaming food hit warm plates 3 minutes later.  Hollandaise oozed.  Lips smacked.  Hunger: at bay once more.