Posted by on Oct 23, 2015 in Kitchen Basics, Quickies | 2 comments

This meal feels fancy, looks fancy and tastes fancy. However, no actual fancies were injured during the making of this meal. The beans take about 15 minutes to put together and look great; the mackerel takes about the same time (cooking included). It’s the perfect mid-week mini-celebration. (We even used the forks that we can’t put in the dishwasher.) And definitely good enough for company. Unless your company includes Meryl Streep, in which case you might want to bake a pie. Or buy one at the farmers’ market.

These recipes were featured in recent weeks on the blog. Because we love them, they’re easy to prepare and they look great together, I decided to put them together for dinner. The ‘flow chart’ below is how my little mind thinks whenever I am in the kitchen. What can I get going while something else is already going? It’s just common sense but can turn cooking from a hated obligation to a little Zen meditation. To get going you’ll need:

Crunchy-Lemon Mackerel

String Beans “Garlic-Dine”

  • Put on a big pot of water for the beans; Heat the oven to 450° F
  • Trim the ends of beans and ready a colander in the sink
  • Peel and slice the garlic
  • Fry the garlic chips and drain them on paper towel
  • Stir the beans into the boiling water
  • While the beans are cooking, measure the orange and lemon juices into a glass jar with a lid; make the panko topping
  • Make the lemon-mustard rub for the mackerel and brush or spoon it over the fish; pat the panko coating on to the fish and pop the fish in the oven
  • Drain the beans and return them to the pot to keep warm; pour the cooled garlic oil into the jar with the citrus juice; season with salt and pepper and shake
  • Transfer the mackerel to plates; toss the beans with the dressing and add to the plate
  • Scatter the garlic chips over the beans; if a few fall onto the fish that’s nice too