turf and surf.

This is Mara in Bergen, summer 2007, with a bratworst, a freshly opened jar of The Best Mustard in the World, sautéed peppers, and a cold bottle of rosé. To the trained eye, it's obvious that Mara is approaching a state of maximum happiness in this photo. Experts in Marawatching call this stage "pre-Jimmy". I'll have to post a photo of full-blown "Jimmy stage" for comparison's sake.



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I was wandering around in the vast, dimly-lit halls of the Vegetarian Duck archives down on the 3rd floor, when I came across this abandoned recipe languishing in the stacks. I do have a piece of marlin in the freezer that I've been avoiding because I didn't feel like being disappointed, but maybe it's time to see if the below actually generates something edible.

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marlin in tarragon-madeira broth with fennel and pistachios.

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2 marlin filets.
juice of 1 orange.
1 tbsp dried tarragon.
1/2 stick + 1 tbsp butter.
1 cup lobster stock.
1 tiny bottle madeira wine maybe 2/3 cup or so.
1-2 tbsp tabasco sauce.
3 tbsp cream.
olive oil.
1/2 cup pistachios, smashed once.
1 fennel bulb, diced small.

Combine lobster stock, madiera, 1/2 stick butter, and orange juice in a saucepan and reduce for 20 minutes.

Coat marlin with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes in a 200C oven.

Meanwhile, saute fennel over med-low heat in 1 tbsp butter for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Affter 20 minutes, add tarragon, fennel, tabasco, cream, and pistachios to saucepan, and simmer while you broil the fish for 5 minutes to brown.

To serve: ladle some broth into a bowl, place marlin in broth, then with a slotted spoon grab fennel and pistachios and strew over top.

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