Alright… people. Be honest. Who doesn’t love seafood?
I think I’ve met maybe two people who don’t like it. One is my brother (still judging). The other one doesn’t eat seafood because she’s vegetarian… and also allergic to it. So yeah. That’s fair 😄
My husband eats seafood too...but not a lot. Especially fish. And honestly, I get it. When you grow up with a small lake at home, fish swimming everywhere, and you eat fish ALL. THE. TIME… at some point you’re like: nope, I’m done.
But still...when I cook fish, he eats it. No questions asked. Bless him 😊
The fish vs. the pan drama
A few days ago, I bought two big, beautiful sea bass. Why? Because I have an amazing recipe and I love sea bass.
And then… I remembered something very important.
I DO NOT HAVE A BIG ENOUGH PAN.
I mean, technically I never had one. But the one pan that was big enough for one fish (yes, cooking two fish one by one, forever, while the other one gets cold) was thrown away by my husband.
Why?
Drum roll please… 🥁
Because it was old.
And apparently “not good enough” for cooking food anymore.
Like… steaks.
BUT HE FORGOT TO TELL ME.
So now what?
The fish is already home. Looking at me. Waiting to be cooked.
I’m hungry. I’m annoyed. I’m slowly losing my mind in the kitchen.
Nop…not a chance to do both of them 😒
So I decided:
“You know what? I’ll use my too-small pan. And I’ll improvise.”
I already knew it wouldn’t be perfect… but also not terrible.
So let’s try something new.
I kept the same marinade because...hello...it’s delicious.
I won’t complicate things. This is a very basic fish recipe. Easy. Simple. No stress 😉
You need:
Fish (obviously). I used sea bass.
•Parsley
•Garlic
•Olive oil
•Lemon
•Salt & pepper
Your fish should already be cleaned.
Salt it. Sprinkle a little flour on each side.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan. When it’s hot, put the fish in and fry it for about 5 minutes on each side.
Now… because my fish was basically doing yoga in my pan...head and tail sticking out...I focused on cooking the middle part properly. We do what we can 😅
While that was happening, I blended:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
5 sprigs of parsley
Blend it haaaard 😉
I turned on the oven to 180°C.
Put half of the sauce in a baking tray, placed the fish on top, and covered them with the rest of the sauce.
Garlic everywhere. Heaven.
Also...I’m married, so garlic breath is not a problem 😉😉
Bake the fish for 15 minutes.
Don’t overdo it...you want it juicy, not dry. And you want that yummy crust.
Best side dish with fish?
Buttered potatoes with parsley.
Boil potatoes, add butter and parsley, mix well. Done.
The food was great. REALLY great.
But still… fish is just better when it’s done properly in a pan. Right?
SOOOOOOO…
I went on Amazon and ordered the perfect fish pan.
Let me tell you...I was ridiculously happy when it arrived.
(Yes. This is how you know you’re not young anymore... kitchen utensils bring joy.)
I held it.
I promised to love it.
To cherish it.
To use it forever.
I almost took a selfie with her. 😂😂
What is wrong with me 😅
And then… the fish betrayal 💔
Of course, I went to buy fish again. Sea bass again.
I thought: “You know what? Hofer has pretty good seafood.”
(Hofer = Aldi, for my German friends.)
I bought it. Happy. Excited. Ready to cook.
I opened the fish.
My nose died.
My heart sank.
THE FISH WAS BAD.
LIKE… REALLY BAD.
What if I was sick and couldn’t smell anything?
I would cook it.
Eat it.
And probably end up vomiting all day or in the hospital.
My husband went crazy.
He wanted to go back to the store and demand our money back.
But honestly?
I was just sad.
And I hate doing that...going back, complaining, everyone staring, workers looking stressed… and it’s probably not even their fault.
So we didn’t go.
But I also lost my will to eat.
I’m in my corner. Dramatic. Emotional.
I didn’t cook.
I ordered food.
Now tell me…
What would you do?
Would you:
Bring the fish back and be angry?
Forget the 10 euros and move on?
Still buy fish in that store again?
Let me know ❤️
With love, @tinabrezpike ❤️