CSA Adventures, Box 13

In this week's box:

• grapefruit, 1 lb. 3 oz.
  
• salad mix, 8 oz.
• asparagus, 12 oz.
• fennel, 1 lb.
• red chard, 10 oz.
• green garlic, 8 oz.
• walnuts, 8 oz.

I'll use the fennel leaves and green parts of the garlic in a baked fish dish adapted from a recipe in Richard Olney's 1994 book Lulu's Provencal Table.

Fish Baked with Herbs
salt
large handful of fennel leaves or other herbs or 1 fennel bulb or 1 onion
2-3 lemons

Buy a fish or piece of fish the right size to almost fill an oval gratin dish. I usually buy a rectangular piece of wild Alaskan halibut or salmon around 2-1/2 pounds.

Salt the fish inside and out.

Cover the bottom of the dish with the fennel leaves. If you're using a whole fish, stuff some in the cavity. You can substitute any aromatic herbs, such as thyme and/or rosemary, or leek or green garlic leaves. You can also substitute thinly sliced onions, fennel bulb, or leeks.

Slice the lemons very thin, ideally around 1/16". I use a Benriner, which you can find at Soko Hardware (1698 Post) or Kamei (525-547 Clement).

Lay the fish on top of the leaves. If you use a whole fish and the tail hangs over, wrap the tail in foil so it doesn't burn. Completely cover the fish with overlapping slices of lemon. Bake at 350 degrees for half an hour. Present as is at the table, but remove the lemons and herbs before serving.