I had an “Ah ha! Ho ho! Hee hee!” moment just last week as I cruised through the aisles of the local grocery, desperate for a quick meal but not ready to totally compromise on quality. Standing at the meat counter I was eyeing the salmon, debating between the chilean farmed fish for 8.99 per lb and the wild caught at 19.99 per lb. Reason won out and I decided on the affordable since fish is always a hit or miss with the hubby, and then what caught my eye was a nice pile of these suckers at 89 cents each. The guys at the counter are always awesome and ended up throwing in a few extra.
Back at the ranch I had my hubby start-up the grill whilst I prepped the salmon, skin on of course!
Salmon:
On tin foil drizzle liberal amount of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Lay salmon skin side down.
add salt and pepper on top (to taste)
add slices of lemon on top. Fold tin foil mostly closed.
Once the grill was ready, the salmon went on. Couldn’t tell you exactly how long since we usually determine its done-ness by poking at it. Roughly 10 minutes.
Then on went the oysters which required only a minute or so.
This folks was literally the fastest meal we’d every prepared. And all our weariness from the day was usurped by our excitement over this special treat.
Once the oysters come off the grill, all you need are lime wedges and Tapatio sauce and you are good to go. Be sure, as you crack it open with a sturdy knife, to not spill the delicious juices – you’ll not only burn the crap out of your hands but you’ll also miss out on the added tastiness of the brine.
please try to ignore the purple on my thumb; as an art teacher to kids, I bring my work home with me on my clothes and hands!
Now, my hubby is not a fan of fishy stuff, but he loves this. Surprising indeed! And I have encountered all manner of gloppy, slimy, uncooked, fishy horrors during my stint in Korea, but this is nothing like that. It is pure yumminess all the way and you should try it!
Here’s how the salmon turned out:
And because the tin foil was not all the way closed, steam was allowed to escape and the skin was able to get crispy:
Laying the skin down on oil with salt is key to crispness!
And, because I don’t like to do without greens, here’s the simplest greens prep ever:
Steam a nice bunch of collards, turnip, spinach or mustard greens ( I cheat and buy a cleaned and cut bag with a mix of all of those greens at Trader Joe’s). If you use any of those greens it will take only 5 minutes since they cook up super fast. If you use Kale, expect about 20 minutes. Remember that it shrinks down like crazy, so don’t be afraid to steam what looks like a gargantuan amount.
Remove from water, drizzle a teaspoon of light soy sauce and a half teaspoon of sesame oil on top. Gently mix. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top:
Highly recommended: canned beer. It serves two purposes: 1. a yummy pairing with delicious oysters and 2. as a beer-can trap for awful slugs that keep eating our garden veggies.
Die slugs, die!
It really works! Cut the can in half, fill with about an inch of the beer you can’t finish or has gotten too warm to be refreshing anymore.
Okay, okay we’ve talked about slug death, now on to life! Baby bird life!
The joy of the grill is not just the food but the entertainment we get from the birds that visit our little yard. Right now we have a bunch of hungry blue bird babies and two very tired parents who are continually feeding them. It’s truly remarkable how non-stop it is. Approximately every minute one of the parents lands with some grub to put in their gaping mouths. The babies are making quite a racket with their chirping.
It’s a cut-throat brutal world for the birds. There’s always a threat that another bigger bird will come and drag the babies out for a wee snack. Mom and dad are very watchful and are always suspicious of us. We are always hyper aware of the chirping and when we don’t hear it we fear the worst. But so far, so good.
One wonders how the fattened up babies are going to squeeze out of that hole!
It’s nice to know everyone is well fed.
So try out the oyster thing, it will be well worth it and it’s about the easiest thing you could prepare for a meal.
S
sharolyntownsend 
Looks delicious, one day I will be there to taste the fish and oysters while I listen to the blue birds sing. As usual I am one for the finished product rather than the recipe!
Will be happy to serve it up on a platter. Can’t wait for you to visit one of these days!
Lovely meal!
It was indeed! Thank you!
Yummm! Looks delicious and I have never eaten oysters like that( will also like to try this meal when I visit!). Love the bird shots and I just want to say that you write a really enjoyable blog.
Thank you, thank you. I’ll cook the meal, you’ve just got to make it here!