Carrot-Top Gremolata Pt. 2: 100 Days of Recipes, Day 54

A 'leftover' follow up to my carrot top gremolata on fish recipe - I had some leftovers, and my original plan for them before the gremolata was to make tacos for lunch at the studio. That didn't change, but the tasty gremolata inspired a 'gremolata slaw' of sorts for the tacos. By the way, kind of on the run this morning, so the recipe is in the descriptions. :)

Gremolata Slaw: Carrot tops, kale, carrots, red cabbage,
lime peel, roasted garlic, and salt

I had a tiny bit of the gremolata left, and I used it to start my slaw, adding some thinly sliced red cabbage, kale, more carrot shavings, a bit of lime zest, and roasted garlic. A sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lime juice finished it off, and I had a nice, bright slaw that was the perfect accompaniment to my leftover fish in a taco.

I had some new test plates out of a kiln, so lunch was the perfect time to try them out.

I don't use my copper glaze on food surfaces, so the center of this plate is glazed with
my new black satin matte glaze, with just enough 'crazy green' to make a beautiful frame. 

It's always nice to have enough to share with a friend, and to test another new form and glaze!

The tacos were filled out with Gremolata Slaw, leftover cod, some avocado, and a 'crema' I made by thinning out some hummus with a little hot sauce and a splash of cashew milk.

And like a good recipe should, there was a bit of the slaw leftover, which extended my Carrot-Top love one more day when I blended it with some almost too-ripe avocado to make another condiment to go with sweet potatoes I had roasted with olive oil, salt, turmeric, and smoked paprika. That made another tasty taco lunch, and a chance to try out another test from the last kiln.

A final hurrah for the carrot-top gremolata, now in an 'avocado slaw' with roasted sweet potatoes.
A sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a dash of hot sauce were the only other condiments
in this quick studio lunch, but every bite very tasty!

All in all, very happy to say that carrot tops will no longer be relegated solely to the stock pot!

Carrot Top Gremolata: 100 Days of Recipes, DaysI l 53 & 54

Two days of recipe inspiration comes from the recent episode of the new series "Scraps" (FYI network I believe - I don't get that one, but you can watch it online after it airs). I love the show and how it features great chefs and recipes in general, but even more for how it focuses on using the bits and pieces that usually end up ... well, as scraps! In this episode,  I loved everything that Chefs Joel Gamoran and Jenn Claiborne made, but the Carrot Top gremolata really caught my attention. I love using the leaves and tops of most all vegetables, but for the most part, when I have carrot tops, they usually go into a stock pot. Not this time! I had a lovely piece of cod I wanted to cook up, and the gremolata sounded great to go with it. It didn't end there, tomorrow I will share how I used my leftovers and that same idea for a whole new meal.

I love my new garlic keeper by Hannah McGehee, and it also keeps
my fresh ginger and turmeric! Her larger version (top right) holds the onions.

Chopping up the carrot tops with some lemon peel and garlic, I had a strong smell memory of pulling carrots out of a garden when I was younger - it had a nice, fresh, earthy aroma and I could almost taste the fresh carrot. I knew then it would be a great combination for my fish.

I made a 'bed' of gremolata in my baking dish, topped it with a lightly salted
piece of cod, then more gremolata. I put it in a cold oven and brought it up to 375 degrees.

The result was delicious! Each of the flavors in the gremolata came through and the combination with a beautifully flaky cod was the perfect compliment to a fresh market salad.

It's Easy Being Green! Crazy Green glaze makes a beautiful frame, and deep, lush 
Tenmoku glaze makes a perfect canvas for Tailgate delights: baby greens, radish sprouts, 
snap peas, and kale plus some shredded carrot for a little color.

Roasted Cod with Carrot Top Gremolata

1 large handful of carrot top greens

2 large cloves of garlic, cut into thin strips

pinch of salt

3 strips of lemon peel (try to avoid too much white pith)

Smash the garlic, then sprinkle salt on top. Add the lemon peels and continue to dice finely. Add the carrot tops (I'd say I had a loose cup or so) and continue to finely chop it all together.

For my fish, I laid a bed of most of the gremolata in a handmade baking dish. After lightly salting the cod filet, I placed that on the bed of gremolata, and then sprinkled the rest on top of the fish.

The baking dish went into a cold oven (heat your handmade with the oven!), then I set the temp at 375. Cook time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your filet, but mine was perfectly flaky after about 22 minutes. If you use a more traditional baking pan that doesn't need to be heated with the oven, check it sooner!

I continued the light, fresh flavors on my very green salad, using a light sprinkle of salt and squeeze of lemon for a dressing. Baby greens, snap peas, and a few shreds of carrot have a lovely sweetness, and the radish sprouts have a light, peppery bite to compliment. All together with the cod and gremolata made for happiness in every bite!

And as often happens, I was enjoying this lovely meal and already thinking about what I wanted to do with the leftovers. Stay tuned...