MERRICK'S MENU
If you know the Festival of Fishing, then you know that the Hunter’s Call challenged us to collect the ingredients for Merrick’s Menu. While the reality is that these recipes are simply proteins…without an ounce of fruity, spicy or salty goodness, I figured these recipes sounded like something that could be created for all pirates who want to imagine Merrick’s Menu in their own galleys.
And actually taking waaayyy less time to prepare!
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Pork Merrick
The first recipe, well, it’s surf and turf…not much to see here, snag a pork chop, brine it for several hours in your favorite salty sweet brine, and grill it alongside a nice (Pondie) salmon filet. And done!
The other two recipes required a little more thought:
Rolling diced devilfish
This recipe calls for two types of Devilfish, and while orange roughy is a dead ringer for devilfish, both tuna and yellowtail fight like hell when they’re on the line, so, I say, close enough! Let’s get dicing!
Ingredients
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1/2 lb sushi grade tuna – diced
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½ lb sushi grade yellowtail - diced
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1 ripe mango – finely chopped
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2 ripe medium avocados – Chopped
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Black sesame seeds
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2 tsp Tajin
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Dash of salt and lime juice
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How to:
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Dice up the avocado, put in small bowl and toss with a dash of salt and lime juice, lightly mashing it. Mince up the mango, add to a separate small bowl, toss together with two teaspoons of Tajin, set aside.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the coconut oil, mirin, soy sauce, lime juice, aminos, chili oil, ginger and chives, set aside.
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Making sure your fish is cold, select a glass or marble cutting board to slice and dice your fish on. Do not use wood (bacteria) and do not use plastic (micro plastics). Add to the marinade bowl and toss together. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.
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In a circular mold (which I made out of two cookie cutters taped together since my Merchant Alliance rep is a slacker!) simply use a little vegetable oil to grease the inside and place on the dish you will be serving on.
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Add the avocado mash first, pressing down a bit. Then layer the mango mixture on top of the avocado and then top off with the fish mixture. Carefully remove the ring and finish with a touch of chili oil and sesame seeds. This recipe should make two – three inch wide servings.
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Serves 2-4
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Total time: 15 minutes
Dressing
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1 tbsp coconut oil
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1 tbsp mirin
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1 tbsp soy sauce
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1 tbsp lime juice
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1 tsp coconut aminos
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1 tsp chili oil
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½ tsp fresh ginger finely minced
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1 tbsp chives
Fricassee of thieves
Ingredients
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2-4 Salmon Steaks
1-2” thick (1/2lb per steak)
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1 leek
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¼ cup chopped parsley
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5-6 full sprigs of fresh dill
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1 tbsp coconut oil
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1 tbsp vegan butter
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1 cup fish stock
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½ cup cream of coconut
How to:
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Start with two or four nice sized (Pondie) salmon steaks…the ones that look like snake and have pesky bones in them. Wash them, pat them dry and set aside.
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Now take the cucumber (Snake) and use a peeler, peel off some of the skin, but not all. Cut it lengthwise and with a spoon, scoop out the seeds and watery bits. Then cut into thin slices. Cut the white onion into thin slices. Add both to a colander along with the salt. Let stand for 20 minutes to drain.
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In the meantime, in a small food processor blend the garlic, cream of coconut, rice wine vinegar, dill, sour cream and mayonnaise. Add to a medium bowl along with the cucumber and onion, toss together, add pepper to taste, cover and refrigerate.
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Pre-heat oven to 350°F (177C). Place a 3-1/2 quart cast iron pan or braiser (a pan with an over proof lid) over med-high heat and add the coconut oil and vegan butter, allow to melt and blend. When hot, sear the salmon steaks for 4 minutes per side.
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Remove and set aside, add the leek to the pan and sauté until lightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley and dill, give it a good toss. Add the cream of coconut and stock and bring to a light boil. Turn the heat off and nestle the salmon steaks on top of the mixture, making sure the liquid only comes up a bit of the way on the salmon. Cover the pan, place it in the oven.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes (thicker steak should be 20). Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with the cucumber (snake) relish and rice.
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Serves 2-4
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Prep and Cooking time: 1 hour
Cucumber Relish
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1 English cucumber
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¼ white onion
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¼ tsp salt
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¼ cup cream of coconut
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¼ cup sour cream
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2 tbsp mayonnaise
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2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
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¼ cup dill
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1 garlic clove
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Pepper to taste
