Why marinate the fish filet

Tuna steak in marinate

Why marinate the fish filet? Objectively the marinate can only penetrate about 1cm of meat per day, so for a 2-hour preparation, it’s not going very far. But it can still tenderize and fragrance the surface of the fish before pan frying it.

I guess it is that subtle extra in taste and texture that distinguish one dish to another.

Ingredients (for 2 people):
40ml of olive oil
1 lemon
Pinch of thyme and bay leaf

How to marinate a fish filet:
1. Peel the lemon, and cut it into thin slides.  Pour the olive oil, lemon slides, thyme and bay leaf into a large flat plat.

2. Dry the fish filets with kitchen paper before placing them into the plat, and roll the filets over the marinate mix. Keep it cool in the refrigerator (1 hour for thin slides. 2 hours for thick slides) to prevent gems development.

Note: You do not need a lot of oil, just enough to cover partially the filet. Turn the fish filet to the other side every hour to ensure even coverage.

Duck with pineapples

The weather is cold and rainy today, I had absolutely no desire to go out for grocery. Luckily, I have a piece of duck breast and half a pineapple in the refrigerator. It recalls a dish that I had in a Chinese restaurant once: stir-fry duck breast with pineapples, that I have kept a good souvenir.

To make this dish delicious, we need good tastes as well as tender meat texture. Meat marinate is essential. I have also made extra sauce to bring taste to the rice. I have first cooked the surface of the duck to seal the juice inside, and then use small fire at the end to complete the cooking to keep the meat tender.

The pineapples are sweet and sour, they arouse appetite and you’d better prepare more rice than usual. (which I didn’t and my husband and kid went on eating extra cheese, bread and dessert to calm down their appetite)

Ingredients (for 2 adults and a 2.5 year old kid):
400g of duck
1/2 fresh pineapple

Marinate for duck:
2 soup spoon of soya sauce
1/2 tea-spoon of sugar
1 tea-spoon of cornstarch Maizena
1/2 tea-spoon of ginger powder

Sauce:
1 tea-spoon of sugar
1/2 tea-spoon of salt
3-4 soup-spoon of vinegar
1 soup-spoon of white porto
1-2 cup of chicken broth

How to make stir-fry duck with pineapple:

1. First chop the duck into bite-size slides, and marinate them briefly. Stir-fry in high heat with oil for a couple of minutes, just enough for the surface to be cooked. Remove the meat and store it on a separately.

2. Remove the hard parts of the pineapple and cut it into bite-size pieces. Pour them into the same saucepan. Stir-fry them with the sauce mix in high heat. When the sauce is evaporated and reduced into a sauce-like, thicker texture, bring back the duck into the pan. Cover the saucepan and turn down the heat to medium-small fire, cook the whole thing for a few more minutes until the duck is tenderly cooked.

Served with plain steam rice.

Bon appétit!