Welcome to Prix Fixed, Our New Menu Planning Tips Column

Hello everyone and welcome to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s new column of menu planning tips. Whether you are having a hot date, a big anniversary, or meeting your parents for the first time, we can help you plan an impressive menu that suits your dietary needs and culinary skills. Will there be hacks? You bet your ass will be there.

To start the column and introduce everyone to the format, we’ll start with a request from our own editor-in-chief, Jordan Calhoun :

Dear Claire, I have a date soon and need a dinner that is impressive and in line with my limited skills. I’m fine in the kitchen, but I’m definitely not sure if I can do anything too out of the ordinary that could end up being a huge failure. If I had to evaluate my skills, I would give them C +. As far as dietary restrictions go – I’m Pescatarian, I’m allergic to beans, and I don’t drink alcohol, but my date doesn’t have any restrictions or allergies that I’m aware of. In terms of hardware, I have a gas stove, all the pots and pans I need, but a limited number of oven items – one baking sheet and two pyrex baking dishes. Thanks for your help, I’ll let you know how it goes!

After talking to Jordan about making a fair amount, I know he’s a big fan of salmon and is tired of baking it in the oven. The great thing about salmon is that it can be cooked in many different ways to get great results, but I wanted Jordan to try his hand at poaching milk – or, in this case, half-way poaching – a simple and gentle method. that gently infuses your fillet with aroma while maintaining flavor and tenderness.

As a side dish, we make a naked tomato salad and a store-bought French baguette. Peeling cherry tomatoes may seem a little over the top and tedious – and it is – but it is also easy and impressive, which is what we aim for. Removing the skin from a tomato means it melts rather than bursting in your mouth. Plus, instead of slipping off the smooth skin, our simple little bandage sticks to the exposed pulp, resulting in a simple yet special salad.

Purchases

Okay, before we get to the recipes, let’s take a look at our shopping list:

• 2 x 6-8 oz salmon fillets, skinless or skinless
• 1 pint halved and half
• 1 ear of corn
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 chili of your choice (I used Serrano)
• Small clamshell of fresh thyme (at least 15 sprigs needed)
• Bay leaf
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 lemon
• 1 pint dried cherry tomatoes
• 1 baguette
• Your Favorite Dinner Drink

You will also need some common pantry items. If you don’t have any of these options, just add it to your shopping list:

• Olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar (can be substituted with another vinegar if desired)
• Dijon mustard (you need dijon because of its emulsifying properties )
• Maple syrup or honey
• Table salt (at least 1/4 cup)
• Sugar (at least 2 tablespoons)
• Pepper grinder (do not take pre-ground pepper. It tastes like nothing.)
• Extra Credit: Box of Maldon Flaked Salt. You might be thinking, “Hey, I already have salt,” but this is the final salt that adds flavor, texture and glamor . This will immediately cheer up the dish and make it worthy of a restaurant.

Plan

About an hour and a half before arriving on a date (or the night before), cook a naked – or a nekkid? – tomato salad. To do this, you will need:

• 1 pint dried cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or another vinegar of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 6 sprigs of thyme

Start by peeling small tomatoes. Make a small cross at the bottom (opposite the stem) of each tomato, being careful not to go too deep into the flesh. They should look like this:

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and add ice water to a bowl. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water, working in portions if necessary, and let them hang for 7-10 seconds until the skins begin to peel off. Dip them in a bath of ice water and repeat until you have gone through all the tomatoes.

Now comes the fun part. Peel off the skin gently. You can set them aside if you like to make the tomato salt (although you’ll need a few more skins to make a significant amount). Place the peeled tomatoes in a mixing bowl, then add all remaining ingredients to the jar (or any other small container with a secure lid) and shake until emulsified. If you are unsure how to remove the thyme leaves, cut off the more tender ones at the end, then remove the debris from the woody stem by grasping one end with your non-dominant hand and sliding your fingers down the stem with the other.

Drizzle the tomatoes with enough dressing to coat them (about half of what you did). If you are eating after a few hours or less, cover the salad and let it hang at room temperature. If you plan to serve it the next day, cover it and refrigerate, but remember to remove it one hour before serving.

Now let’s talk about fish. In addition to cooking creamy fillets with a high fat content (fat is a great flavor carrier), we’re going to give them a quick quick cure to remove excess moisture and help them keep their shape during cooking. But first, we will prepare the miz-en-place so that you do not feel in a rush while cooking. By ingredients you will need:

• 2 6-8 ounce salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pint half and half
• 1 ear of corn, kernels removed, ears set aside
• 1 chili, halved
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced and peeled
• 4 sprigs of thyme plus a couple extra for garnish
• 2 green onions and extra greens, cut diagonally for garnish
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 lemon for dressing

Examine the salmon and remove any pin bones by grasping them firmly with tweezers and gently pushing them out. If you are using fillets with skin, cut the skin with long diagonal cuts to prevent the fish from curling during cooking. You can remove the peel, but it contains fatty acids, so I always leave them on. (Plus, I’m very lazy.) Put them aside.

Prepare all other ingredients. Remove the corn kernels , crush and peel the garlic, chop the pepper and half, and rinse the thyme and green onions. Combine 1/4 cup salt with 2 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle just over half of the mixture on all sides of the fillets until they are covered in a sparkling salt and sugar crust. Set aside 15 minutes.

While you wait for the fish to heal, use the pan you plan to fish in – it should be just barely wide enough to hold both fillets so that they remain half and half submerged when poaching. Hold the leftover ear of corn upright in an empty saucepan and scrape it off with a knife blade to extract all that delicious sugar and corn juice. Add half and half the corn kernels and all other ingredients (except salmon and side dishes) to the skillet. Put on medium or low heat. (This is also a good time to put the baguette in the 250-degree oven to heat it up.)

After the 15-minute cure period, rinse the fish, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

Half and half will never “boil”, but foam . Once this happens, reduce the heat to low. Half and half should be steamed, not simmering or bubbling, although you may see a bubble or two from time to time. If you see a film starting to form, don’t worry, just stir things up a bit. Let the corn, onions and herbs steep in half and half for 10 minutes, then insert the fish and cook for 7-10 minutes, until it hardens and begins to flake at the thickest part. If half and half don’t quite cover the fish, don’t panic, just gently flip it over with a spatula after about four minutes.

Once your fish is cooked to the desired firmness and flakiness – and I guess Jordan can handle this since he cooks so much salmon – transfer the fillets to shallow bowls and remove the bay leaves, green onions, thyme, and peppers. … poaching liquid. Pour the corn and cooking liquid into the fish bowls and garnish the fish with green onions, fresh thyme leaves, and lemon zest, then chop some fresh pepper on the fish and divide it in half and half. (Never skip the finish — that’s what makes a meal delicious and complete.) Serve with the Necca tomato salad and crispy French bread, along with a small bowl of this fancy cereal salt.

For a quick tip on menu planning, please send a request to Claire at claire.lower@lifehacker.com. Be sure to include as much information as possible, including any dietary restrictions, protein preferences, budget, and available cooking equipment. Please be aware that processing times can take up to a week, so please submit inquiries in advance.

Updated 5/21/21 at 7:06 PM EST to add information on soaking aromatics.

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