When You Can’t Stand Your Hands Being Sticky When Cooking

Adult life tip.

Do not buy a cabbage unless you have one of the following:

1. A recipe that uses a whole cabbage

2. 200 recipes that use some cabbage

3. A desire to waste an entire half cabbage

writing tip:

if you push buttons on a keyboard, letters will appear on the screen. and with that power you can do anything

I saw ypur post about D&D, did something happen? You kept saying it was a terrible idea and now I'm scared lol

unfortunately yes. @leidensygdom made a really good summary post about it here.

Dragon Salmon

“[...] the Aundair River is famous for the seafood that half-elven anglers bring back to the markets of Fairheaven. The traditional preparation of the enormous salmon that spawn in that river, like much else in Aundair, relies heavily on sauces: in this case a butter and dark wine reduction.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 75

Packed full of healthy minerals, fats, and vitamins, fish is an important part of a healthy and balanced diet. However, the cost of fresh fish can reach astronomical prices in places where it isn't readily available. So, why not make the most of the fish you buy when splurging for it?

The Dragon Salmon from Heroes’ Feast is a great, easy recipe to get anyone started on pan-searing salmon while making it look like it came straight out of a Michelin star kitchen. With a flavour combo to die for, it’s sure to make the mouths water of even the pickiest seafood eaters!

BONUS: See the results section for suggestions on vegetables that will add a colourful flare while plating up!

See below for my notes on the results and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 10 mins               Cook: 25 mins               Overall: 35 mins

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds (1.5 kg) skin-on salmon fillet, pinbones removed if necessary, cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces, and blotted dry*

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. (30 ml) neutral-tasting oil (such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or grapeseed)

2 tbsp. (28 g) unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp. (1 g) minced fresh thyme

⅔ cup (160 ml) fruity, medium-bodied red wine (such as Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône, or Zinfandel)**

½ cup (80 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tbsp. (5 g) minced fresh chives, for garnish

* I’m usually not a believer in organic foods. However, I found using organic salmon for this recipe really increased the flavour.

** Don’t use the cheapest wine for this recipe, you can really taste it. Instead, opt for a 14-16$ bottle. I recommend Bolla Valpolicella.

NOTE: Be careful if using dried thyme instead of fresh thyme since dried spices have a much more concentrated flavour. Use one-third of the amount of fresh thyme called for in the recipe if substituting for dried.

First, preheat the oven to 200℉ (93℃) with the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Next, after blotting the fillets with paper towel, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and lightly massage it in.

TIP: Blotting both sides of the fish helps prevent it from sticking to the pan while it cooks.

Warm oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (I set mine closer to medium) until shimmering.

The general trick with pan-frying fish is to use high heat and to give the fillets enough time to cook on both sides while only flipping them once.

To achieve this, place the salmon fillets flesh-side (pink side) down and cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms of the fillet start to turn opaque (like a golden band around the bottom) and the sides of the fillet have lost their vibrant pink colour, 3 to 4 minutes.

Gently flip the fillets using either tongs or a spatula so they are now skin-side (silver side) down. Again, cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes until the fillets have lost all translucent properties on the inside and the flesh flakes apart when checked with a fork.

NOTE: The timings for my fish really depended on their thickness. It sometimes took me 5 minutes a side to cook!

TIP: A downside of frying fish in a pan is that the oil will splatter as it cooks. To save yourself some clean up time (and your arms and hands), place splatter guards over the skillet to catch most of the flinging oil.

TIP: Pan-frying any kind of fish will cause your house/apartment to smell like fish. To help with this, open your windows before you begin cooking. If available, turn your fumehood on high.

Once the fillets have cooked, transfer them to a heatproof plate or baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Place the fillets in the oven to keep warm while the sauce cooks.

TIP: Like @afinickyguide found, the fillets tended to dry out if left in the oven too long. To keep them moist, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the fillets before putting them in.

TIP: Let this picture be a lesson in why you never want to overcrowd a pan. I couldn’t find the tongs and had to use a spatula to flip and get them out of the pan. Disaster!

Reserve the oil used for cooking in a separate bowl for later. Then, wipe out the skillet.

After, melt 1 tbsp. butter in the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, thyme, and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots soften - about 1 minute.

Heroes’ Feast says to add the wine and the chicken broth then adjust the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer to cook until reduced by two-thirds. However, I’ve found that simmering the sauce on medium-high reduces it too quickly, and simmering on low (as simmering usually works) reduces it too slowly.

Instead, for more consistent results, add the wine and broth and simmer on medium for 6 minutes (for the sauce to reduce by two-thirds). Stir occasionally and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck browned bits. Add the reserved oil halfway through.

TIP: Like @afinickyguide, I found there was barely enough sauce for all four fillets. I recommend doubling the amount of ingredients for the sauce to have enough.

Reduce heat to low and add the remaining 1 tbsp. butter, ¼ tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly while the melts and incorporates into the sauce. Taste the sauce and, if necessary, adjust seasoning with salt.

Pour or spoon sauce over or around the salmon fillets, sprinkle with chives, and serve hot.

TIP: If you don’t like skins on the bottom of your fish, they can be easily taken off after cooking by turning the fillets on their sides before plating and gently prying them away using a fork while a spatula keeps the fillet in place.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Fish is a staple in my house and I’m happy to say that this recipe has replaced our traditional one - it’s truly outstanding! The sauce is a perfect balance of flavours and choosing the right red wine provides excellent body and depth to the meal.

As mentioned earlier, I only have two gripes with this recipe: the fillets can dry out easily if left to warm in the oven too long and that you may need to make double the amount of sauce, depending on your tastes. However, both are easily fixed by tenting the fish with aluminum foil before placing it in the oven and doubling the amount of ingredients for the sauce.

BONUS: For extra flair when serving, plate the fillets with green veggies like broccoli, peas, or green beans for a colourful contrast!

The splashtext “Technoblade Never Dies!” has been added to Minecraft!

ALT

I need a cooking show with these three as the judges. Please.

this dude makes tiktoks of him reloading household objects like they’re fps weapons and they’re so fucking satisfying

being alive is great because there are so many different vegetables you can sauté. but then there are also the horrors

Baked Feta Wrap

I’ll make a better pub night, with chicken and feta! - Me

Who doesn’t love a night with friends after a long week? Whether you’re meeting up with a large group or settling in with a few close friends, it’s always nice to take some time to unwind and catch up. You know what we all don’t love? Expensive prices at bars and pubs. So, why not bring the vibe of pub night home and save some cash!

Popularized on TikTok back in 2020, the original tomato-feta sauce took the app by storm and spawned a whole batch of variations. Although I can’t find it anymore, the most interesting, to me, was from a woman roasting her cheating SO while turning this tasty sauce into a wrap (disguising the elastic as olives? Oof).

So, as midterm season comes to a close (or reaches its penultimate), this recipe is sure to make some great, easy snackables to kick off either a study sesh or a night out. Or, make your friends jealous by bringing it with you to school for an eating-out-style lunch without having to spend the cash!

Cheating SOs dni.

VEGETARIAN? No problem! Check out the results section for how to make this recipe work for you!

(Adapted from Rachael Ray’s recipe and the TikTok mentioned in the intro)

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