Buttery Seawater

On Saturday night, Steve and I finally tried Sea rocket Bistro in North Park. Sea Rocket is a farm-to-table restaurant, so everything they feature is locally sourced — my kind of place for sure! We had a great meal — I had the fresh catch pan-seared local yellow tail and Steve had the pork chop, also locally raised. We both had the sautéed greens and smoky mashed potaotes. The addition of a touch of liquid smoke gave the fresh, creamy potatoes a subtle smoky flavor – outstanding! *Mental note to try that at home sometime.

One of the highlights of our evening was one of our appetizers — Fresh Sea Urchin (Uni) from Point Loma. Neither of us had ever tried Sea Urchin before, but were very curious about it. Our waiter described the taste as buttery seawater and told us it would be served in it's shell, spiny exterior still moving a bit because it is so fresh. Our curiosity grew as we awaited the dish.

Much to our delight, it was very light and buttery, just as he had described. Add a new intriguing shellfish to my list of unique foods in the thumbs up column. I'll definitely seek it out again!

Lunch

Wow! Time has really slipped away from me. I can't believe it has been over a month since I last wrote. April and the beginning of May have been quite hectic for me — I have been busy working and designing and dealing with administrative issues for my business.

Busy days often leaving me with little time for lunch. Having a home office helps, but I usually don't have time to prepare much. I do enjoy these two versions of Tuna Salad that I can whip up in a flash with the right staples on hand.

So Cal Tuna

1 can solid white albacore tuna
1 tablespoon good extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a medium or 1 small avocado, diced large
2–3 small vine tomatoes, cut into bite size wedges or
about 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of granulated garlic or garlic salt

Rinse tuna and drain thoroughly in paper towels, squeezing out excess water. Place dry tuna in a medium size bowl, add olive oil and gently break apart with a fork. Add avocado, tomato, salt, pepper and garlic and stir. Let stand for a few minutes and enjoy.

Tuna Caprese

1 can solid white albacore tuna
1 tablespoon good extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a medium ball of fresh mozzarella
2–3 small vine tomatoes, cut into bite size wedges or
about 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 large basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse tuna and drain thoroughly in paper towels, squeezing out excess water. Place dry tuna in a medium size bowl, add olive oil and gently break apart with a fork. Add mozzarella, tomato, salt and pepper and stir. Let stand for a few minutes and enjoy.