Mustard-Roasted Snapper

I suffer from Goldilocks syndrome whenever I make seafood. It's either underdone or overdone, never just right. That is, until I stumbled upon Ina Garten's Mustard-Roasted Fish Recipe. I've never roasted snapper or any fish before and I was fully prepared to eat a rubber tire but to my surprise, the fish came out just right. The creamy sauce that covered the snapper served as a protective shield to keep the moisture in without overcooking it. The dijon and whole grain mustard combo cut through the rich sauce so nicely. I must caution though, the flavorful sauce is a little intense from the mustard and the creme fraiche so pair it with something that won't fight the flavors or the delicate texture of this dish. I served it with quinoa & roasted broccoli and it made for one quick and easy meal! You could even say it was a snap!

On the flip side, today's seafood dishes landed on the overdone side. I decided to make dinner for my mom, sister & brother-in-law since they've been so busy taking care of the twins. Sous Chef Lough and I made Mussels in White Wine, Garlic Bread, Roasted Asparagus, and  Lemon, Butter, Caper Scallops over a bed of lemon pepper pappardelle (available at Trader Joe's). In my attempt to time all of the dishes to finish at the exact same time, I ended up overcooking the scallops. Even so, the family was appreciative of the break from all the chinese food they've been eating. And it was very gratifying to know that even though I cant change diapers, I can provide a pretty delicious meal.

mussels

one of my all time favorite dishes to eat is steamed mussels with pommes frites. i love using the mussel shells as a clamp to pluck out the juicy morsels of meat. Plouf in San Francisco, CA makes some of the BEST mussels with pommes frites with 5 different sauces to choose from. I usually take the remaining sauce and pour it over my pommes frites. so disgustingly delicious i'm salivating as i write this...

on a recent episode of barefoot contessa, ina garten made Mussels in White Wine. I idolize ina, she makes everything look so easy and delicious. i looked up the recipe and noticed a few ingredients that i typically avoid, fresh herbs and saffron.

fresh herbs intimidate me, i don't really know how it enhances dishes so i typically just dont use them, opting for dried herbs. i avoid saffron because it's the most expensive spice in the world!

i wholeheartedly trusted ina and went to buy all of her suggested ingredients, even the saffron which i found for $6.99 at whole foods! sure there were only about 15 threads but atleast they didn't only sell them in bulk size for $20.

i'm so glad i followed her recipe exactly, it was actually fun to pull off the thyme leaves from the stems. instead of the pommes frites, i made a garlic parmesan bread and toasted it in the oven at 300 F for 10 minutes. we finished this bowl of mussels in under 15 minutes and soaked up all of the liquids with the bread. i'd definitely make this again! i'll try a squeeze of lemon next time to really accentuate the different flavors.

bon appetit!

for this recipe, i chose a crisp pinot grigio.
told you i only cook with wine i'd drink...

...and a close up so you can see the yummy goodness in each of the shells

mussel facts:

• mussels are only in season in months that contain the letter r (january, february, march, april, september, october, november, december)
• if buying live mussels, you should eat them the same day
  
• if you will not be eating mussels the same day you cook them, make sure you take them out of the bag so they can breathe and place them in the refrigerator with a damp towel over them. 
• when i asked the whole foods guy if i should pour the mussels into a bowl of water, he practically hit me with the bag of mussels and said, "NO! THEY'LL DIE!" who knew? i thought they lived in the water!