THE FISH THAT WON’T QUIT
AN UNCATERED AFFAIR
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One of the strangest - and best - cookbooks that I’ve discovered on a year-long quest to read and review pretty much everything under the sun is called An Uncatered Affair: Cooking For Friends.
It turned up on the shelves of a culinary bookshop in Maine and it struck me because, despite being self-published, it was impeccably typeset and read incredibly well. Here’s how the store’s catalog listing described it:
A privately printed cookbook, by one of America's leading patrons of the arts, a Smith College alumna, creator of the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, in Chicago's Millennium Park, and recipient of the National Medal of Fine Arts. Fine copy in gilt-stamped red cloth. No dust jacket, as issued. Scarce. [OCLC locates no copies].
This is about as close to a private cookbook as you can find, which is a shame - I’ve made four recipes from it, and they’ve all turned out impeccably well. It should be better known, because it’s terrific.
I’m including one recipe from my original review of the book here, and the two new ones that I just tried recently. They’re all worth making and eating. Just remember to really butter your bundt pan. — James Norton
There aren’t many entrees out there - of any kind - that will yield the kind of bang-to-buck that this one does. It’s tremendously easy to make, as you’re mostly just smearing garlic, herbs, and citrus onto a salmon filet. But it’s light, full of flavor, and remarkably interesting to eat. It’s also easy to repurpose as a salad topping, and it can be dropped into any situation where some flavorful fish would be a welcome guest. I don’t generally go for baked fish, but this is a recipe I’ll make and enjoy on any given weeknight.
GRILLED SALMON WITH CITRUS AND HERBS
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp grate lime zest
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pound salmon filet
Combine all the non-salmon ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Put your salmon filet on a cooking sprayed piece of tinfoil on a sheet pan. Rub the mixture onto the fish evenly. Broil for 6-12 minutes, checking and rotating halfway. Salmon should appear opaque in the center when done. We