Kitchen Therapy | Ahi Tuna, Kale & Couscous

I wanted to have a little bit of lone time to myself, so decided I would commit to Kitchen Therapy tonight and treat myself to a simple, healthful, home cooked meal. 

I decided a fish, grain and veggie would be the outline for my dish tonight and did a quick sweep at the local Trader Joe's, going straight for items that fit those categories and nothing else. I'm like a kid in the candy store when I go to the market, so to avoid spending more than I wanted, I kept my laser focus.

Ingredients: 

1. Yellow Fin (wild caught) in the freezer section

2. Israeli Cous Cous

3. Package of Kale (ready washed, cut) and White Onion, chopped

I'd usually opt to get fresh veggies at the Farmer's Market, but this was an impromptu meal so TJs it was. 

The fish was frozen when I picked it up, but by the time I finished shopping, walked home and started prepping, it had already defrosted quite a bit to room temp. If your fish is still too hard, just run under some warm water for a couple of minutes till it's ready. (Note, don't use HOT water or else you'll inadvertently cook the fish!) 

Marinade:

No measurements or pre-conceived notions here. Just looked in the pantry and found/used what I had: some Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and a blop of Wasabi paste. I cut the filet of yellow fin into 3 pieces and coated the fish in the marinade. Let it sit while you prepare the other items. 

Cous Cous: 

I started with the Cous Cous first, adding a little olive oil to the pan and toasting the little pearls for just a few minutes. With a pretty much 1:1 ratio, I added 1 cup of boiling water to the 1 cup of dry cous cous I had toasted. Cover and let cook about 10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. 

Kale:

Add 1 tbsp of Olive Oil to the pan and then the chopped white onion, about 1/4 cup. Saute until translucent. Add Kale and saute until coated and then add about 1 cup of water and cover. It'll be 5-10 minutes covered, depending on how much Kale you decide to cook. I like to see a lot of green and a little bit of white, so imagine a 4:1 ratio. Lift the lid and cook until the water evaporates. I added some sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. 

Fish:

While this is cooking, go ahead and heat up your grill pan and after about 1 minute, add the fish and sear on all 4 sides. Cook time will depend on how you like your fish. Cooked through turns out to be about 3 minutes on each side. Quick sear about 1 min each. I cooked mine through this time round since I planned to serve as a single filet. If you want to slice it up sashimi style, I'd recommend that shorter cooking time. You can use a regular pan to cook the fish too, but a grill pan gives you those sexy black marks that make you look (and feel) like a pro. 

Timing netted out quite positively for me this day. (That's the kind of science in cooking, timing it so that all the food finishes roughly the same time so you can enjoy a nice, hot meal). 

Have fun with plating. That's part of the Kitchen Therapy too. Creating a meal that not only tastes like something you could order out at a restaurant but also looks like you could've too. I laid a bed of Cous Cous and Kale and place the filet of Yellow Fin right on top. 

A nice, healthful meal for a Thursday night at home. Pair with your favorite glass of wine. Enjoy!