Eat, Drink, and Go!

Sometimes we’re not even cooking anything, just assembling an array of fabulous ingredients and expertly-crafted products to make them sing in perfect harmony. Such was the case the other night when my sis and I went to town on some sashimi and lobster. 

I was dying to try out some new olive oils I got from Calivirgin – their Jalapeño Garlic and the Blood Orange. Oh they did not disappoint!!

We decided to pair the jalapeño garlic oil with the tuna poke. I’m getting misty just thinking about how great it came out. Anyhoo, get some sushi grade tuna (sushi department at Wegmans is where we go). Then dice up the tuna and toss with diced cucumber and sweet onion. 

Then add the jalapeño garlic olive oil and mix around. Dice up some avocado and add the avocado to the bottom of a mold. Press the tuna mixture down into the mold. I don’t have one of the nice ring molds anymore (where it went I don’t know), but a one-cup measuring cup lined with plastic wrap will do. 

Press that down and then flip over onto a plate and remove plastic. We topped it with some chunks of peaches, a little Himalayan sea salt and pepper. 

And in better lighting (lighting is everything)…

This was absolute spectacular. The oil made it just the perfect bit spicy thanks to the hint of jalapeño in there, and the garlic played off of the umami in the tuna like a choreographed pas de duex.  

We paired the blood orange olive oil with the salmon in a very simple slicing of salmon and avocado. 

Then a drizzle of the oil on top and a second drizzle of wasabi mixed with soy sauce. Mmmmmm.  I can’t stress enough how the perfect product – like an oil, salt, glaze or balsamic for instance – can raise a dish to a whole new level. Both of these oils with their delicate infusions of subtle flavors made each of these dishes just fantastic. I love playing with products like these that someone else has already perfected. Just add good, fresh ingredients and you too can wow everyone!! 

And then there was lobster. 

I don’t like to steam them myself, luckily, and kindly enough, most places will steam them for you at no cost. Wegmans steamed it up just perfectly.  And oh was this a nice meaty one!!  My sis whipped up a delicious pea purée with lemon and Truffle that made a gorgeous green base for the deliciously delicate lobster meat. 

This was heavenly.  The threesome of tuna, salmon, and lobster is just incomparable. We paired it with a nice light, crisp Sauvignon Blanc by Clos du Val. 

And of course had a simple cheese plate with some peaches on the side. Can’t do a spread like this without a cheese plate. It works before and after the Seafood delights. What a spread!!