Fish, A Frying Pan and $9

Howdy all,

I’ve decided to follow up on my previous post in which I shared my technique for cooking a live Dungeness crab, shrimp, squash and salad for $15. For today’s project I chose salmon, sole, yams, and a side salad. Total project cost is about $9. In usual form my focus is on simplicity, price and how to use your frying pan/microwave to cook anything you can dream up.

Instead of writing out a step by step I’ve recorded a video of the process. Additional comments, information, options and directions are included below.

Ingredients/Price:

• .7 pounds of fresh salmon (skin on) – on sale for 5.99 pound – cost approx $4
• .2 pounds of fresh sole – cost $1.00
• 1 lemon – cost $.70
• 1 yam – cost approx $1
• 1 bunch of onion chives – $.60
• 1/4 white onion – $.50
• 1/2 bag pre-mix leftover spring salad – cost $1.25
• Odds and ends herbs/salt/pepper – not priced.
• 1 quick pour of open white wine I had on hand – not priced/necessary.

I tend to have a cavernous appetite and as a result the portions I cook are often fairly large. If you have a small/medium appetite you could easily cut out the sole, or reduce the size of the salmon portion in order to drop the price of the meal. For the super price conscientious you might also substitute lemon juice in a bottle for the real deal. While effecting the taste somewhat (I used half of a whole lemon with the peel on as flavoring) a few drops would still allow for sufficient flavoring. I have not tested this recipe on other types of fish, but it should work with almost any mild fish including trout and tilapia.

Spices – In this recipe the primary flavoring comes from salt, pepper, lemon and onions. However, if you have rosemary, sage, or other spices like those shown in the video feel free to apply them. As you do so, just follow a simple rule – how will this taste with fish, onion, and pepper?

Cooking time – fish cooks extremely fast and tends to be pretty thin. Keep an eye on it. You want it to be moist and flaky, but if you overcook it, it will fall apart and you will end up with more of a soup than a fillet.

I hope this was helpful!