When I want to do something nice for myself, I eat fish. More specifically, I eat salmon. This hefty, fatty fish feels so wholesome but also like a special treat, simultaneously very healthful and a little luxurious.
Salmon can get pricey, though, so I tend to stretch it out with inexpensive sides — rice (always), some crisp cucumbers and something sour (kimchi?) to balance out the richness of the fish. Basically, I’m aiming for Kay Chun’s sesame salmon bowls.
This one-pot meal inspired by chirashi (Japanese rice and raw fish bowls) is built on rice that has been cooked in seasoned, vinegared water to give it that distinctive sushi rice flavor. Cucumbers and shredded cabbage add crunch; some avocado slices and a soy-sesame-oil vinaigrette provide extra umami richness. Will I add a sprinkle of furikake or some sheets of seasoned nori? Maybe some pickled ginger because I love pickled ginger? Absolutely — if you’re going to make yourself a nice dinner, make it as nice as you like.
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Sesame Salmon Bowls
If your fish isn’t orange and oily but it’s instead firm and flaky, here’s Zainab Shah’s sheet-pan fish tikka with spinach. Emily Weinstein included this fast dinner in our Weeknight 100 list last year, writing that “the star of this smart recipe is vibrant tikka marinade, which flavors both fish and greens.” And if fish isn’t your thing, here’s a helpful note from Kelsey, a reader: “I know this is exactly the kind of thing you’re NOT supposed to say in the comments, but I used tofu instead of fish, and it turned out great.” (By the way, you can listen to Emily talk about her new “Easy Weeknight Dinners” cookbook on this week’s episode of “The Wirecutter Show.”)
Here’s a way to be nice to yourself: Outsource dinner to a friendly robot. We have lots of recipes for slow cookers, the newest of which is Sarah DiGregorio’s slow-cooker chicken and dumplings. Cornmeal and buttermilk give the fluffy dumplings a little sweetness and tang; boneless, skinless chicken thighs (as opposed to a cut-up whole chicken) make the dish even more effortless.
As the saying (sort of) goes, if the weather is gray and cloudy, there’s a solid chance of meatballs. Kay’s vegetarian meatballs, seasoned with Parmesan, ricotta, fennel seeds and oregano, can be baked with a crispy crumb topping or par-baked and simmered in marinara sans topping. If you prefer a meat meatball, here’s Melissa Clark’s five-star recipe for meatballs with any meat, and Sam Sifton and Suzanne Goin’s beloved lamb meatballs in spiced tomato sauce.
To serve alongside: grilled, marinated Jimmy Nardello peppers, a new recipe from Alexa Weibel that makes the most of those savory but sweet peppers. Because I am grill-less, I asked Lex how to prepare these indoors: “Roast them at 450 degrees, turning halfway through, until they’re charred and slumped — same technique, just a little more time.”
And I know we’re entering that part of the year when pie overload becomes a real possibility, but I really love pie. Samantha Seneviratne’s buttermilk pie is here for when you don’t really have anything to fill a pie but still want a dessert with a crisp, tender crust and a soft interior. As with all our classic pie recipes, you’ll want to scroll through the comments for variations, tips and tricks. Readers mention swapping the lemon for cinnamon, nutmeg or coconut extract, all of which sound very nice.
The post This Sesame Salmon Bowl Feels Like a Treat appeared first on New York Times.
