Big fish.

Sorry it's been a while -- I've been on the road (food documentation to come!). This month has been a whirlwind of work, travel, and visitors.

I find cooking to be quite calming and centering during such busy times, so while the blogging has been slow, cooking has continued in full-force. I recently made ambitious plans for a grilled fish dinner. As you may recall, grilling is somewhat new to me, as is cooking fish. When taking on two relatively nerve-wracking challenges, I find it's most helpful to have someone who is either experienced or not afraid to fail (Fortunately my visiting boyfriend was both, respectively).

We made two kinds of fish: a flash-grilled ahi tuna, and a halibut filet. I had to resist all temptation to put the fish on the grill before it was hot enough (we let it get to 450*F before opening the lid), turn the fish before it was ready (no sticking nor tragic flaking here!), and let the fish overcook (overcooked halibut is both easy to do and unfortunate to eat). Both ended up absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. We served them with a beer "flight" from my Arganica box, which went surprisingly well with the fish (which I usually only serve with light wines such as a Sauvignon Blanc).

Ahi tuna steak: marinated with a ginger-soy-mirin glaze (not the same kind of sear as you would get in a pan on the stovetop, but it was delicious and slightly smoky):

Halibut filet: served over chewy, Shanghai-style noodles in a ginger-shallot broth, with baby bok choy:

Beer flight: Hook & Ladder Golden Ale, Flashpoint Pale Ale, Backdraft Brown Ale (pictured in reverse order in the glasses as bottles):

The golden ale was a bit bitter without being hoppy, but it was crisp. The pale ale was actually one of the better ones I'd had in a while, and the brown ale was a bit malty for my taste (but went spectacularly with the savory soy of the tuna marinade). The golden ale was refreshing and complimented the gingery broth for the halibut.