Cookstory: January 9, 2013: Gettin' Jiggy with the Omega-3s

Evening

Baked Sole Fillets with Herbs and Bread Crumbs.
It wasn't all that long ago that I learned a two-part fact about the human body that rather astounded me:

1. We need Omega-3 fatty acids to survive.
2. The body does not have the ability to create any Omega-3 fatty acids.

Part of my amazement has to do with the fact that I am by no means a scientist or particularly knowledgeable about the body. But I am fascinated at the complexity of the human machine, at the fact that it can sustain itself, that it is so surprisingly durable. So it shocks me that evolution would lead us to a place where we have no ability to manufacture an element that is required for us to live.

If nothing else, it points out with clarity and humility that—and the touchy-feely, left-coastness of this next statement is not lost on me, so get ready—rather than consider ourselves the "dominant" species, we should instead look upon ourselves as just another piece of this world that must work in harmony with the planet. I mean, here are these building blocks to our survival, and we rely on the lowly fish to supply it to us. Gee, maybe we should, um, take care of their habitat. Or something.

This family gets its Omega-3s largely from two fish: salmon and tilapia. Oh, and shrimp—I love cooking with shrimp. (Except they really can't hold the spatula with their little feet. Ha! But I kid the shrimp. I love you guys.) I'm not sure how much Omega-3 is present in shellfish. You'd think I'd do some research on these posts, you know?

I could eat salmon every day, especially when it's prepared my favorite way: cooked up in a skillet after marinating it in a teriyaki mixture. The salmon, not the skillet. Alas, we're not really in the position to afford salmon every day; and I'm guessing that the "too much of a good thing" maxim probably applies here the same way we know it applies to tuna.

As to tilapia: how much more safe, more vanilla can I go? I mean, tilapia is delicious, but that's because it's only as good as the way it's dressed, spiced, or however you prepare it. Tilapia is the tofu of seafood: it is a blank slate, ready to take on the characteristics of whatever you add to it, rather than daring to be something itself. It isn't the least bit fishy smelling ... but that's because it's barely fish, in the gastronomic sense. I don't mean to slag it so much. I really love eating it. But I also love it because it's so easy to make, and it's really hard to fuck up a tilapia dish.

All of which is to say: one of my goals this year is to find more options for fish, more interesting recipes, more windows to the Omega-3s. Ergo, this recipe, which is from (surprise!) America's Test Kitchen. I happened to rewatch a television episode that included this recipe, and I figured that this was as good a place to start as any.

I paired it with leftover mashed potatoes and parsnips
from the seitan dish the other night. Thank goodness
for the sweetness in those mashed veggies, bringing the
much needed flavor to the plate.

The sole fillets at Whole Foods were disappointing: very puny. But the fishmonger was kind enough to search through the collection on display and find eight of the bigger pieces he had. It was still only 1.3 pounds of fish. Preparation was enjoyable in that zen sense, because I had so much herb-chopping to do, and prepping the fillets and rolling them into their little "packets" was pretty fun.

The recipe calls for fresh tarragon but also mentions that you can substitute basil if you'd prefer. I did prefer that, only for economy: I can't think of another recipe I have that requires tarragon, but I know I can use that basil. So out with the tarragon, in with the basil ... and I suspect that was my big mistake. The finished dish was disappointing. Laura liked it, but I kept feeling like something was missing. I suspect that the basil, in combination with the parsley and chives, simply disappeared. The more bold taste of tarragon (think something along the lines of anise and fennel) would have been useful here to cut through the dish's overemphasis on savory compounds with some sweet undertones.

So the sole dish just felt like it was one sweet ingredient away from being spectacular ... but the lack of that ingredient made it barely mediocre for me. I suppose what I should do is try the dish again with the tarragon, but the truth is I wasn't all that crazy about the baked cod, period. (I love it in fish and chips.) It was a very fishy smelling fish, at least compared to tilapia. (Perhaps it wasn't as fresh as I assumed?) And there have to be some other really spectacular fish dishes out there. So my quest shall continue.