Salt-Roasted Whole Fish Encore: Dorade Royale

After salt-roasting our first whole fish the other week and enjoying the resulting flavorful and tender branzino, we decided to try another fish this way, this time dorade royale. It’s another Mediterranean fish that’s delicate and goes wonderfully with lemon and herb seasonings. Dorade is slightly rounder and shorter than branzino:

Salt-Roasted Whole Fish with Lemon & Herbs

I first tasted branzino, a fish from the Mediterranean, while in Croatia on the Dalmatian coast. Delicate, flavorful and mild, it is one of my favorites. I’ve seen branzino even in U.S. grocery stores; it is sometimes labeled simply as “sea bass,” but if it is from the Mediterranean and small and slender in shape, it is likely branzino. You might also find it under the French name loup de mer or the German wolfsbarsch. We don’t have a huge variety of fresh fish here in Berlin, so when I saw these branzino, I knew what we were having for dinner!

No-Knead Artisan Olive & Herb Bread

Olive lovers, you know how when you buy a loaf of olive bread, there are never enough olives in there? I have a solution: make your own at home! I assure you, it’s not that hard. (And if you don’t like olives, you can still make your own bread with different flavorings of your choice.) For this recipe you do need an oven-proof pot with a tight-sealing lid that will withstand 450 F/ 230 C degree heat. I use my 5.5-quart Le Creuset dutch oven and it works like a charm. You just mix everything together the night before, let the yeast do its magic overnight, then plop it in a preheated pot and cook. It comes out crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, and (my version, at least) loaded with olives and herbs. It’s the only bread recipe you’ll ever need (and never knead)!

Mr. Seasoned Traveler Eggs Benedict with Quick Hollandaise Sauce

I hope everyone’s having a great weekend and, to all celebrating, a Happy Mother’s Day! Today I get to share a recipe courtesy of my husband, who pulled together these wonderfully decadent Eggs Benedict dishes. Though it was a team effort, he took charge of the most challenging part, the poached eggs! I whipped up my shortcut version of hollandaise with an immersion blender — I’m telling you, it’s foolproof and so fast. We toasted some dark whole-grain bread that was the perfect base for these layers of oozing sauce and egg and a sprinkling of fresh chervil. It’s our simplified version of the classic. Enjoy!

Tabouleh-Stuffed Globe Zucchinis with Mint & Sumac Yogurt Sauce

Two things I love about Middle Eastern cuisine are stuffed vegetables and fresh herb-filled salads like tabouleh. When I found some beautiful little globe zucchinis, I thought about combining these two loves into one — zucchinis stuffed with tabouleh. This way, I can have my bowl of tabouleh, and eat it too!

It made for a striking presentation, and was quite simple to prepare. I’m going to try this out sometime at a dinner party; it would be a great accompaniment to grilled meat or kebabs — easy for the host to assemble, and fun for the guests to eat. It might also be good to serve vegetarian guests or as part of a whole vegetarian spread.

Where I Am Now; Tagliatelle with Homemade Garden Pesto

Where I am now, I have a teeny, tiny, little garden I’ve tended all summer long. For me, this is a big accomplishment. For the first summer in seven years, I am not moving across continents and oceans, and I can actually set down roots, literally.

Quick Baked Zucchini with Creme Fraiche, Herbs & Tomatoes

Wondering what to do with all those end-of-summer zucchinis? This dish makes a colorful presentation and is really quick and easy to prepare.