Good Fish_ Sustainable Seafood Recipes From the Pacific Coast - Becky Selengut [65]
PAIRING: A sauvignon blanc, such as Efeste “Feral” 2008, Columbia Valley, Washington, or a gin and tonic, naturally.
DANDELION CRACKERS
¾ cup semolina flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus
additional for dusting the
baking sheet
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil, plus additional for
brushing crackers
⅓ cup dandelion petals,
pansies, or nasturtiums47
Cornmeal, for dusting the baking-
sheets (optional)
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
the crackers
MAKES 6 EXTRA-LARGE CRACKERS
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and sugar. Add the water, olive oil, and dandelion petals. In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the dough and mix at medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes. (If the dough doesn’t come together into a loose ball, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.) Alternatively, knead by hand on a floured countertop.
The dough should be just a bit tacky: not too dry, not too sticky to work with. If you need to add a bit more water (or flour) to achieve this, do so.
Shape the dough into a large ball and divide into 6 equal portions. Gently rub each piece with a bit of olive oil, shape into a small ball, and place on a plate. Cover with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place a pizza stone, if you have one, in the oven.
When the dough is ready, flatten the dough balls. Using a rolling pin or a pasta machine, shape them into flat strips. Pull the dough out a bit thinner by hand (the way you might pull pizza dough). You can also leave the cracker dough in long strips or cut it into whatever shape you like at this point.
Set the crackers on baking sheets dusted with flour or cornmeal, poking each with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing. Brush them with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. If you are using a pizza stone, transfer the crackers directly onto it and bake in batches. If you don’t have a pizza stone, bake the crackers on the baking sheets. Bake until deeply golden, about 10 minutes, and let cool before eating. The crackers will crisp as they cool.
arctic char
Arctic char is the smart, well-dressed girl in the corner of the room who’s quiet and subtle and doesn’t hit you over the head with her confidence, yet everyone in the room (especially her) knows she’s got it all going on. Sure, the sexy salmon gets all the attention with her flashy red dress, but that’s so very (yawn) predictable. When I was first introduced to arctic char, I was drawn in by her gorgeous pink and white dots—her playful summer skirt like a party dress from the ‘50s.
Arctic char is a chameleon, both a freshwater fish and a saltwater fish. She keeps you guessing. She’s tough and can survive in deep, frigid lakes. She can sometimes leave you cold but never bored. Arctic char used to be elusive—a rare fish in the wild—but she’s increasingly available down home and local on the farm. Salmon may be sexy, but that char, she’s coy and special and dependable: she’s the marrying kind.
WHAT MAKES THIS A GOOD CHOICE: An elusive and beautiful species that is similar to salmon and trout, arctic char was the dominant species in the Arctic for centuries and a significant food of the Inuit. Arctic char is farmed in land-based closed systems where escape is rare. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch ranks arctic char as a “Best Choice.”
BY ANY OTHER NAME: Arctic char (sometimes spelled “charr”) (Salvelinus alpinus ) is also called iwana and alpine char.
SEASON: Year-round, though 2009 landslides at one of the largest arctic char farms in North America (Washington’s Cascade Aqua Farms) has put the kibosh on a consistent source of locally farmed char until 2011. Supply is anticipated to ratchet back up at that time.