A Lemon Inspired meal

I guess nothing screams spring like lemons. This wonderful fruit is vibrant, acidic and versatile. You can use lemons for savory dishes or desserts, hot or cold, heck it's even used as a cleansing tonic. To welcome spring, I decided to create a meal using this flavorful fruit. On the menu is a shrimp, peas and corn orzo, oven-roasted dover sole and lemon cupcakes.

The oven roasted fish was inspired by a dish Ina Garten had made. In her recipe, Ina used swordfish and a sauce that is similar in taste to tartar sauce. I am not a giant fan of swordfish because the meat is a little tough. I wanted something flakey and soft, and that I can prepare and cook quickly. So, I decided on sole. Also, I love the combination of herbs with seafood. Rather than using tartar sauce, I decided to make a herb sauce that would brighten up this dish and give it a fresh flavor.

Ingredients:

10 pieces of sole (you can use any fish of your choice though another good one is cod)

A bunch of Basil leaves plus 1/4 cup chopped basil (enough for fish and sauce)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons cilantro

1 sprig green onion

2 lemons

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Place a piece of basil inside each fillet and roll the fish to seal it. Place the fish on an oven proof baking dish. 

3. Combine the 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, cilantro, green onion and juice of 2 lemons in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper, then pulse to combine. 

4. Spread 3/4 of the sauce over the fish. Reserve the rest to pour over the finished dish. If prepping this dish in advance, keep the fish and sauce separated in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. Spread the sauce right before you place them in the preheated oven.

5. Bake the fish at 400 degrees F for 18 minutes. Then, switch to broil and cook for another 2 minutes. The cooked fish should be firm to the touch and slightly browned on top. Depending on the thickness and choice of fish, adjust the cooking time accordingly. 

Oven roasted dover sole with herb dressing.

Over the weekend, we had dinner at Osteria La Buca in Los Angeles. It came highly recommended by a friend and the family decided to check it out. It was a very satisfying and enjoyable meal. There was one dish that I particularly enjoyed that night- agnolotti with tiger shrimp and peas. Inspired, I came up with my version of pasta with tiger shrimp and peas. 

Shrimp, peas and corn orzo.

Ingredients:

1 cup peas (I used frozen peas and corn)

1 cup corn

16 oz orzo

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Paprika powder

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil

4 lemons

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. In a pot of boiling water seasoned with salt, blanch the peas and corn for 30 seconds. Remove from pot and set aside. 

2. Prepare orzo according to the instructions on the packaging. I cooked the orzo in the same pot that I had previously used to blanch the vegetables. That way, you don't have to wash another pot. 

3. Season the shrimp with paprika, salt and pepper, one tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of one lemon. 

4. Set the oven to "broil" and place the shrimp on the top rack of the oven. The shrimp will cook quickly, about 8-10 minutes. Since all ovens are different, check the shrimp from time to time. When it turns pink and is firm to the touch, it is cooked and can be removed from the oven.

 5. While the orzo and shrimp are cooking, prepare the lemon vinaigrette. Whisk equal amounts of lemon juice and olive oil together. I used the juice of three lemons. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

6. When the orzo is done, drain the liquid and combine the orzo, peas and corn in a nice serving bowl. Toss together with the shrimp, chopped mint and parsley, and vinaigrette. The warm orzo will soak up the lemon vinaigrette. I also added some liquid from the cooked shrimp into the orzo to add more flavor. If your orzo seems dry, simply prepare more lemon vinaigrette. 

Although you can make the fish and orzo on separate occasions, the combination of these two dishes work very well together. I think each dish helps enhance the flavor of the other and it brings on a very light and refreshing taste. 

For dessert, I made lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I used a regular vanilla cupcakes recipe but added some lemon juice for flavor. In conjunction with Easter, I decorated the cupcakes with Easter chocolate eggs and edible green grass. Voila. 

Lemon Cupcake.