Waffle-Cone-Crusted Cod

So I’m not normally a big vanilla-flavored savory-food person, but tonight when I realized I had some cod in the freezer and a couple waffle cones in the bottom of a package that got smashed, an idea emerged. Why not turn the broken ice cream cones into breadcrumbs and use them to make a coating for the fish? Waste not, want not in my house applies beyond utilizing the 5th quarter!

And voila, with a bit of vinagery hot sauce added over the top to cut through the sweetness, a pretty killer dinner ended up on the table.

I made a simple batter and then rolled the battered fish in the crumbs (do season the crumbs with a healthy amount of salt…I definitely had to add salt afterward).

And then the fish got fried in a mix of butter and oil.

Gourmet breakfast, why not start the day out right? Oatmeal toast with wilted radish greens, broken runny eggs, and pan-seared walleye filet. Only took maybe a minute more than my usual toast n eggs since the greens were leftover from the other night!

Nose-to-Tail with No Time?

If you are like me, and love nose-to-tail cooking and eating, but lack the time to prepare so many of these cuts on a regular basis (as most require a decent amount of prep or cooking time), here’s a great quick recipe I invented the other night:

Acquire some radishes with nice greens. rinse the greens well and sauté with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and a few red pepper flakes. Finish off with a sprinkle of vinegar (balsamic for a heavier flavor, rice for lighter) and s & p (easy on the s, though). Slice the radishes while the greens are cooking. Toast some bread of whatever sort you prefer (here I used some little brioche-type rolls sliced into rounds). Spread with commercial white bean spread (Cedar’s is a great brand if it’s available in your area–very few problematic ingredients in it). Top each piece with a few wilted radish leaves, then top each piece with a couple of canned sardines in olive oil. Sprinkle each crostini with a bit of fleur de sel (why you need to go easy on the salt in the greens) and a grind of pepper. Serve with the sliced radishes and a knob of good-quality grassfed butter (and salt the radishes if the butter is unsalted). Voila! Awesome quick meal…or a great appetizer to share.

And if you have not experienced the wonder that is sliced radishes with butter and salt, try it. I was introduced to this from Fergus Henderson’s The Whole Beast cookbook, and it is a revelation. (He actually has some pretty killer non-meat recipes in that book!)