This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging - one of the longest running food blog 'events' on the web. This week it is being hosted by Prof. Kitty from The Cabinet of Prof. Kitty. Weekend Herb Blogging was created by Kalyn and is now organized by Haalo, WHB is now in its 4th successful year of showcasing every week delicious (and often unusal) foods prepared using herbs, fruits and vegetables by bloggers around the world.
More on fennel after after the post . . .
The other day Paul was looking for a quick fish recipe to make for dinner. I had some snapper in the freezer that I had bought for fish tacos but hadn't used. He wanted to use that up so soon he was at work searching for a recipe for snapper. He came upon this one on the food network site. It is by one of our favourite Canadian cooks - Christine Cushing.
I thought that his head would explode when he read over the recipe . . . it combined the fish he wanted to cook with his favourite vegetable - fennel.
SOLD
It was quick and easy to pull together - even though the list of ingredients seems a tad intimidating. The only thing that I had to do was to provide advice with the use of the mandolin when it appeared that Paul was about to shave his thumb into the slaw . . .
We both really enjoyed this recipe. The combination has great fresh flavours – perfect for a summertime meal. Instead of pan-frying, you could also grill the fish. Just rub fish with some of the olive oil before grilling.
Enjoy!
Pacific Snapper with Fennel Slaw
4 x fillets Pacific snapper, each fillet about 6-ounces, skin on (180 grams)
3 tbsp olive oil (45 ml)
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme (15 ml)
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp toasted ground cumin seed (2 ml)
1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander (15 ml)
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (15 ml)
juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to tasteMix cumin, parsley, thyme, coriander and lemon zest together in a bowl. Season the fish with salt and pepper and rub the herb and spice mixture over fish. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to a large non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat. Pan sear fish for 2 minutes per side. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes or until fish is just cooked through.
2 tbsp sherry vinegar (30 ml)
2 tbsp olive oil (30 ml)
1 tbsp lemon juice (15 ml)
1/2 head fennel finely shaved (preferably shaved on mandolin)
1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
1 x carrot, julienned
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (60 mlCombine the sherry vinegar, olive and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the fennel, carrot and red onion. Season with salt, pepper and pinch of sugar. Add parsley and toss.
Now how about that fennel?
The hardy biennial or perennial Foeniculum vulgare (derived from the Latin word “foenum” which means fragrant hay) — commonly known as fennel — is a member of the parsley family.
In its wild state, its bright green stalk with yellow gold flowers grows to four or five feet tall and has smooth feather-like leaves. Cultivated, it needs to be cut back to maintain strength. Indigenous to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, it essentially spread throughout the world. Today, it’s grown mostly in India, China, Egypt and Turkey.
Fennel is known for its beauty as much as for its aroma and flavour. The stalks and stems are eaten as vegetables and have a licorice-like taste but it’s the seeds that are used to spice dishes. Seeds are oval, green or yellow/brown, have a sweet scent and warm, sweet taste. Fennel seeds have been said to be anise-like but they’re sweeter and more aromatic. Seeds are clustered and harvested once the flowers have died and the seeds have dried.
Today, fennel seeds are mostly sourced in India and Egypt and used in curry powder mixes, spice mixes for fish and spice blends from India, Scandinavia, China and the Mediterranean. Fennel seeds are also used in baked good and liqueurs. In India, fennel seeds are used as an after-dinner breath freshener and digestive.
Fennel has symbolized many things in the past. In Ancient Greece, fennel was given the name Marathon because the Battle of Marathon against the Persians took place in a field of fennel. Fennel then, was used to symbolize victory, longevity, strength and courage. In Medieval England, the plant was used to ward off witchcraft and hung on doors to ward off evil spirits. The Puritans called them “The Meeting Seed” since it was chewed during meetings.
In France, India, Iran and Russia, fennel seeds are cultivated specifically for their medicinal properties. The seeds do have a long medicinal history and were originally cultivated by the Ancient Romans who identified at least 22 uses — including to improve eyesight and to relieve jaundice.
As early as the Third Century, Hippocrates prescribed fennel to combat infant colic. And even today fennel is known for relieving gastrointestinal disorders and indigestion since it relieves spasms in the digestive system. It also acts as a diuretic and both a pain and fever-reducer. In Latin America, fennel seeds are believed to boost the production of breast milk in nursing mothers. Fennel seed tea has been used to treat food poisoning, snake and insect bites, to increase urine flow and help with menstruation.
Fennel seeds may be chewed whole or steeped to make tea (use one-half teaspoon of crushed seeds per one cup of boiling water).
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