ANOTHER SALLY SUNDAY

Sunday was more relaxed even though we accomplished an extraordinary amount of yard and house work. Laundry, cleaning, weed whacking, deck cleaning, thorough kitchen scrubbing, etc. Sally joined us for dinner and we pulled out one of our all-time favorite recipes, garlic halibut. After a tour of the garden, we all took a walk to Madison Market to pick up a couple of things but mostly to go for a walk. Once back at home we enjoyed some wine, some goofy stories, and a delicious dinner. Accompanying the fish were grilled zucchini, eggplant, leeks, and onions and roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary. Sally brought a tast riesling. J cooked up the halibut on the grill after marinating for about an hour in the following marinade:

• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp peeled, grated ginger
• 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 tbsps sugar
• 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (plus a little for brushing)
• 3 tbsps sake, Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
• 3 tbsps sesame oil (plus a little extra for brushing)
• coarse salt
• ground black pepper

Pound the garlic, ginger, cilantro, and sugar into a paste in a mortar using a pestle. Work in fish sauce, sake, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. We didn't have sake so we replaced it with 1/2 rice vinegar and 1/2 mirin. Spoon the marinade over the fish, covering both sides, and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning once or twice. You can broil the fish or grill it. Either way, cook until it cleanly flakes. This marinade can also be used for shrimp. We had a great time.