colors of spring

A hot day calls for salads! Above, a random barley salad with no real recipe. It entailed going to the vegetable store and buying a bunch of green stuff, then thinking that it needed a little more color so throwing in a red pepper.



Here's some of the green stuff. A bunch of fresh basil, mint, and rosemary. Not pictured: green onions and baby arugula.



Did you see the size of that bunch of basil? That's a lot of basil. Obviously that means I needed to make a caprese salad, even though that was officially way too much.



With all of that salad action, I almost forgot what was supposed to be the main attraction: panko- and dill-crusted bluefish. Recipes (or at least explanations) after the jump:



BARLEY SALAD WITH BABY ARUGULA

Ingredients
SALAD
1 cup pearled barley
2 cups water
1 small red bell pepper, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup scallions, chopped, green and white parts
1/4 cup flat Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 cups baby arugula

DRESSING
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preparation
Combine barley and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover, simmering for 40-45 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes after it is done. While the barley is cooling, prep and combine the vegetables and herbs in a large mixing bowl.

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice and garlic until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine the barley with the vegetables, drizzle with the dressing, and toss well to combine.

CAPRESE SALAD

Ingredients
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
2 small ripe tomatoes
3 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonaded (is that a word?)
extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation
Slice everything! Put it on a plate! Sprinkle with basil! Drizzle! Eat!

PANKO AND DILL CRUSTED BLUEFISH

Ingredients
1 lb bluefish fillet
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp dill (fresh or dried is fine)
1 beaten egg
flour for dredging
salt and pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400º. Rinse the fillet with cold water and pat with paper towels to dry. Combine the flour, salt and pepper on one plate, the beaten egg in another, and the panko and dill in another. Dredge the fillet in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the fillet in the beaten egg, shaking off excess. Finally, coat the fillet in the panko and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.