While waiting for my hair color to process at Todd Shrider's Broad Ripple salon,
He Does Hair, I picked up the January 13, 2014 copy of
People magazine and flipped through. It was obviously New Year-oriented, with success stories about weight loss and a 200-calorie fish recipe from celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito.
The January 13, 2014 issue of People magazine was all about weight loss. At the back, look for the Salmon Teriyaki with Grapefruit and Fennel recipe.
I love light, fresh fish recipes, so this one looked perfect for a road test. Since it was snowing outside, it made for an excuse to create a make-believe summer oasis indoors. It was also time for a reunion with fennel. I've avoided fennel since about six years ago. I was on a weekend date to St. Louis that included dinner at Top of the Riverfront, the city's only revolving restaurant that's been around since 1969. I had never been to a revolving restaurant, and it was not a pleasant experience. I ordered a fish dish that included broth that was heavy-handed with the fennel. Not only did I dislike all the fennel, either the movement of the restaurant, the food, or the combination of the two left me dizzy, nauseous, and sick in the restaurant's washroom. No fun, no romance that night!
After reading the recipe, and thinking about fennel (an anise-flavored plant that looks like an onion with dill sprouting out the top), I thought it best to swap the salmon for a firm, flaky white fish. Fresh Market had tilapia for $10.99 per pound, cheaper than salmon and much more affordable than the pretty but pricey grouper for $21.99 per pound. Since this was going to be dinner, I also purchased radishes to add to the fennel and grapefruit salad so it would be slightly more filling and colorful. I wanted to use jicama, but the four jicama left at the Broad Ripple Fresh Market were all moldy. Rick Bayless'
Mexican Kitchen cookbook says that's okay, just cut it off, but I can't justify paying the Fresh Market price for something that's already molding.
I prepped the salad according to the recipe's proportions (combine 2c grapefruit segments and juices, 3c fennel bulb, 1 teaspoon dry wasabi mix), except for the addition of seven thinly sliced radishes. I didn't have a full 3c of fennel, so I scaled down accordingly. I prepped the fish according to the recipe (season fish with salt and pepper, cook about one minute each side in hot pan with olive oil spray, finish with teriyaki sauce), except I added a teaspoonful of butter to the hot pan to get a nice crust on the fish. I also segmented a fresh grapefruit instead of purchasing canned, prepped grapefruit. The overall result was a refreshing, light dinner with all organic fruits and vegetables. If I could have changed any of the preparation, I would have used slightly less dry wasabi. If you don't love wasabi, it's too much.
Sliced fennel, radishes, grapefruit, and dry wasabi in a mixing bowl, waiting to be combined.
As for my relationship with fennel...we're doing better. With the grapefruit and wasabi, it was a subtle flavor and nice crunch. While I was chopping, I ate a slice and was a little unsure. It's a pronounced taste, and given my dislike of licorice, not my favorite flavor. Without the grapefruit and wasabi, I may not have enjoyed the dish.
The finished teriyaki tilapia with grapefruit and fennel (plus radish) salad. This was a dish I enjoyed preparing because it took less than twenty minutes, and enjoyed eating because it was refreshing and light.
I served the entree with a glass of Espiral Vinho Verde, an almost semi-sparkling budget-friendly wine from Trader Joe's, retailing for just $4.49. The effervesce comes in just under one bar of pressure, so technically this wine can't be classified as semi-sparkling. This wine comes from the Minho region of northwest Portugal. The "verde" in the name means green, but not like "green bottle"; it means "young." The wine is on the shelf when it is less than one year old, and it is meant to be consumed immediately. This isn't one to put in your closet for a few years to make it vintage. The first sip is yeasty, but if you stick with it, it'll give way to tart apple, subtle pear, heavy-handed acid, and a hint of citrus. The citrus develops with the first taste of the grapefruit fennel radish salad, creating a pleasant pairing with this dish.
Espiral Vinho Verde, $4.49 at Trader Joe's.
This isn't a wine where you'll be observing any perlage. You'll see big bubbles, but they aren't rising. They'll cling to the glass until you drink about half, and then some will release. But c'mon, it's $4 and it's not champagne. It's an acceptable accompaniment that brings freshness and citrus that blossoms with this particular dish. If you're a wine snob who can't handle the simplicity and that it's from Trader Joe's, that's okay. I've found considerable happiness in my life enjoying both the expensive and indulgent, and the everyday unexpected small treasures!
Bubbles clinging to the side of this glass of Espiral Vinho Verde.
The cost of the radishes, 1.06 lbs. (three filets) of tilapia, fennel, grapefruit, wasabi powder, and teriyaki sauce at Fresh Market was about $28, dividing out to $9.33 per serving. However, by pairing it with a budget-friendly wine, dinner for two comes to a much more sensible $11.58 each, with a serving remaining for lunch the next day.
Overall, I recommend this recipe with the addition of radish or jicama and substitution of white fish. It is refreshing, full of satisfying crunch, and low calorie.
Insider tip: buy fresh tilapia filets at Kroger for about $5 per pound or your local ethnic market for as little as $2 per pound (ask the butcher to slice the filet off the fish for you--this price will probably be whole fish). Fresh Market is close to my work, and during the subzero windchill and snow, I was happy to make only one driving stop between the office and home. If the weather had been better, I'd have driven farther to find a better price.
