Wherever I travel, I find revel in trying foods that are strange, squishy, pungent and putrid. And I eat them with a smile … with the exception of one thing: haggis. The chance to sample this Scottish delight has eluded me for five years.
food
Create a Taste of New Zealand in Your Kitchen
Sometimes, I like to re-create my vacation in my kitchen. This weekend, I felt like making my own slice of New Zealand in the form of a raw fish dish I had at Aggy’s Shack in Queenstown.
I believe Aggy listed it on his menu as “Raw Fish in Coconut Milk.” Think of it as a South Pacific ceviche. I looked up several recipes and decided to use those as the basis for reverse-engineering my own. I found lots of references to kokoda and poisson cru. The second one seemed to mostly use ahi tuna, where Aggy’s creation seemed like a whiter fish.
Here’s my ingredient list:
1.25 lbs fresh opakapaka (a variety of snapper)
the juice of 6 fresh limes
1 finely chopped red pepper
12 ounces light coconut milk
3 chopped scallions
two cloves (not bulbs!) of chopped garlic
half-cup of chopped cilantro
dash of black pepper
1. Remove any skin from the fish and cube it into one-inch pieces
2. Submerge the fish in the lime juice. Refrigerate for three hours or until fish is white.
3. Remove, combine with other ingredients. You can refrigerate it a bit longer, or serve it immediately.
It pairs nicely with wild rice and a salad. A squirt of Sriracha hot chile sauce also adds some nice heat.
I think mine compared pretty favorably to Aggy’s version. If I do it again, I might add a squirt of soy sauce. Of course, there’s no way I’ll be able to equal his steamed green-lipped mussels.
Can You Survive These 5 Foods?
When I travel, I make it a point to find something weird to eat. I’d prefer it not be something I can get just anywhere – I scoured Web sites for a way to get a fresh black sapote fruit here in Arizona, but no dice: I had to chase that all the way to Cape Tribulation in Queensland, Australia.
But I encounter the weirdest purely by accident. Here are a few wild foods that can delight or disgust, depending on your palette.
Dangerous Delectables from Down Under
As you might guess, they’ll eat just about anything in New Zealand – especially it’s #1 pest,
the imported possum. While exploring the South Island of New Zealand, be sure to stop in Pukekura at the Sandfly Cafe. There, you can sample a personal-sized possum pie. Yeah, it’s a big ol’ ratlike marsupial. But, as Naked Bus driver Renee says, “It’s easy to eat!” It really doesn’t taste that different from beef. But you know it’s possum, and that makes it fun.
Australia gets two entries on my list of must-try whacky foods. If you’ve just arrived in Sydney, check out the Australian Heritage Hotel and its excellent restaurant. If you’re up for a liberal and exotic interpretation of a pizza, pick from emu, kangaroo or salt-water crocodile toppings. I chose the croc, and got a chicken-like texture with a briny hint of billabong. I hope your plans take you to Darwin in the Top End – it’s the starting point for awesome adventures into the Kakadu. It’s [...]
Four Places in Tahoe to Go Grubbin’
From tahoe
You can only cram in so much skiing, especially when the slopes are icy. There comes a time each day when you’ll have to troop indoors for a bite. Or sometimes before you board the lift.
I can’t say North Tahoe cuisine titillates the tongue. It’s a lot of Mexican food, steaks and pizza. But there are a few neat little places tucked around, if you know where to look. Let me save you some time driving up and down the winding roads. In no particular order …
FiftyFifty Brewpub – There’s a lot to like about this spot in Truckee. And I’m not just talking about the oak-aged barleywine, which is a rare treat you shouldn’t miss. But you can also get some great entrees. I went for a BLT served with seared ahi tuna. And get this – FiftyFifty offers a side of black beans! Far healthier and tastier than fries or chips, no? I’d like to go back and try a pizza. The service was also excellent.
Tahoe House – Our hostess at the Firelite Lodge pointed this one out to us. We never would’ve found it otherwise, since it’s just off the junction that splits Tahoe City traffic to either Truckee or Homewood. If you head toward Homewood, Tahoe House is just a few hundred feet away. They brew really strong coffee by the cup (no sitting around and getting sour here) and have awesome baked goods. My coffee paired nicely with a smoked ham and gruyere croissant. [...]
