Lend Me Your (Little) Ears

Orecchiette is one of our favorite pasta shapes. Its name is a combination in Italian of orecchia (ear) and etta (little) and these little ears have a perfect shape for clinging to whatever amazing sauce you toss them with.

Salmon is an incredible fish year round, but its particularly versatile in the summer. There are dozens of ways to cook it; grilling, poaching, sous-viding, oven roasting. Wanna get fancy? Cook it in parchment.  This fish from Red's Best is incredibly fresh and ready for your favorite recipe (or one of ours, below).

WHAT'S IN THE BAG?

HALF SHARE

Protein and Dairy - Salmon Filets from Red's Best; Feta from Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Kale, Red Long Tropea Onions, Red and Yellow Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Jalapeños from Brookford Farm; Peaches from Kimball Fruit Farm
Grains - Orecchiette from Nella Pasta
Special Treat - Chunky Lola cookies from Flour Bakery

WHOLE SHARE

Protein and Dairy - Sea Scallops and Salmon Filets from Red's Best; Feta from Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies -  Kale, Red Long Tropea Onions, Red and Yellow Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Jalapeños from Brookford Farm; Peaches, Yellow Squash, and Broccoli from Kimball Fruit Farm
Grains - Orecchiette from Nella Pasta
Special Treat - Chunky Lola cookies from Flour Bakery

RECIPES

Salmon and Cherry Tomatoes A simple, bright one-pan recipe for skin-on fish. The skin here becomes perfectly crisp but if you're not a fan, you can easily pull the meat away from it once its cooked.

Smashed Potatoes with Jalapeño The Jalapeños give a welcome bite to this remix on potato salad. Serve it hot or at room temp at your next gathering or barbecue (and invite us!)

Kale and Orecchiette You can really mix the Orecchiette with anything, we're big fans of just butter cheese and Maldon Salt. However, the kale and breadcrumbs make for an elegant presentation without a lot of fuss.

TIPS AND TRICKS 

We asked Red's Best to keep the skin on our Salmon this week because we love its taste. The key to making your Salmon skin extra crispy is to: 1) pat dry and salt prior to cooking; 2) cook on high heat; and 3) keep the Salmon skin in full contact with your pan and the cooking oil.

Peanut, Canola, and Grapeseed oils are neutral-tasting oils that have a relatively high smoke point and are great for pan-frying. Olive oil is recommended for the Salmon and Cherry Tomatoes recipe above because it will mix well with the tomatoes and add great flavor to the dish.

When pan-frying or sauteeing fish, you'll want to cook the presentation side first and flip just once. This ensures that your fish looks beautiful when you're ready to plate. Start cooking your Salmon skin side down. You can actually watch the fillet cook as it transitions from translucent to opaque pink.  When it's halfway cooked, carefully turn your fish using a wide spatula and cook the other side.