Stephencooks

For the July version of the Paper Chef competition, Kevin of Seriously Good decreed the ingredients to be corn, ground coriander and pine nuts, all combined with something celebratory of our nation's independence. It didn't take me long to settle on locally-caught halibut as my symbol of independence, for a number of reasons: the halibut is a predatory ruler of the sea, swimming powerfully where it will in search of food, which is basically whatever other animals it can fit in its mouth. Though the idea of the U.S. as a powerful nation has been perverted and misused by our "leaders" in recent years, there is no denying that strength is necessary if a nation is to become and remain free and independent, so this fish to me is symbolic of American strength and independence. Also, as one of the dwindling list of wild-caught foods in our diet, the halibut represents a connection to our primordial past, when food was hunted or gathered instead of cultivated and processed, which, when I'm in a romantic mood, seems like a time of independence and freedom. (Of course, the unrelenting need to find or kill enough food for the family probably didn't feel much like freedom to our ancient forebears....!) And finally, I chose halibut to honor the fiercely independent and self-reliant American fishermen and women who brave the sea to best the halibut and put this beautiful food on our tables. These strong men and women, almost all of them small independent operators, are living symbols of American independence and determination to me.

With regard to the dish itself, there are lots of things that came to mind for the remaining ingedients in the assignment -- fritters and cakes and puddings and other such preparations -- and the ground coriander suggested Indian cuisine, of which I'm fond, but I wanted the halibut to be a part of the dish, rather than just accompanied by something made from the other ingredients, and at the same time I wanted the halibut to stand forward and not be overwhelmed by strong flavors. The result of this thinking was a the conclusion that the fish should be very simply prepared and then paired with a simple, fresh salsa based on corn, tomato and coriander -- supportive but not competitive with the halibut's flavor. Toasted pine nuts, a regular feature of my cooking, were a welcome topping to this plate.

At the table, Elise deemed the dish "a keeper," and I was very pleased with it myself. As intended, the coriander/corn/tomato salsa complemented but did not overwhelm the fish, and the pine nuts added a pleasantly crunchy taste accent. Overall, we thought it seemed a fittingly celebratory meal for the anniversary of our nation's independence.