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Tuesday, July 19, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Crispy
chicken,
without
so much
fat, oil
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel-TNS
Chef/Partner Wendy Lopez shows Mediterranean seabass pibil, at Reyes Mezcaleria.
‘It’s a feast’
Make a showstopper by serving a whole fi sh
By AMY DREW THOMPSON • Orlando Sentinel
O
RLANDO, Fla. — A
whole fi sh, says Wendy
Lopez, is a showstopper.
“It’s a special thing,” she
says. “You bring it out and
drop it on the table and there’s
this wow factor — it’s a feast!”
Lopez, whose executive role
at Reyes Mezcaleria recently
expanded to Chef Partner
(likely due in part to show-
stopper dishes like the banana
leaf-wrapped Mediterranean
seabass pibil), says it’s a perfect
feast for your summer table to
boot — lighter and fresher than
the pork with which this deep,
earthy sauce is often paired —
and much easier to cook than its
impressive presentation lets on.
Her move into a partner
role, too, has been sim-
pler than it might seem,
thanks to a cohe-
sive staff , support
from the top and a
family foundation of
hospitality.
“My parents are
restaurant owners,
so I’ve always had that
mentality, treating the
restaurant as though it’s mine
— my money, my staff , holding
myself accountable. And Jason
(Chin, of Good Salt Restau-
rant Group) has always made
us feel like we’re owners and
partners at every level, so it’s
been a simple transition. I feel
important as one moving piece
of the restaurant, but it takes
a million people to run this
place.”
It’s also about good rela-
tionships, says Lopez, which is
something she says also plays
into one’s ease in cooking fi sh
at home.
“Step One is knowing
your fi shmonger,” she notes.
“Whether you shop at Publix
or Lombardi’s or wherever
you choose to go, you should
build a relationship with the
people who work there and get
used to asking questions, ‘Hey,
what’s fresh today? What’s
in season? What would you
recommend?’”
Seafood pros are also
extremely knowledgeable when
it comes to prep and will be
happy to answer questions.
“You can even give them
information about the fl avor
profi le you’re looking for. If
you’re looking to avoid fatty,
don’t get salmon. If you want
light and refreshing, you can
try halibut, grouper or snapper.
They’re also great at pointing
you toward things that are
Florida-local.”
And though the whole-
fi sh look is supremely impres-
sive (and if you ask me, better,
because of that crispy skin and
its insulating properties as the
fl esh cooks inside) you can
always opt to prep the below
recipe with fi lets instead. Either
way, there are lessons about
indigenous Mexican cooking to
be learned.
“Everyone knows
Mexico City, everyone
knows Baja Cali-
fornia, and I like
focusing on areas
that are just as beau-
tiful, that have
made impacts on the
culture.”
See, Fish/Page B2
If you love fried food but
hate the fat and calories that
come with cooking some-
thing in oil, an air fryer
can come to the rescue. It
uses hot air to cook what-
ever protein or veggies you
put in its basket and makes
them surprisingly crisp
— typically without much
mess and in pretty quick
fashion.
This gluten-free version
of salt and pepper chicken,
a popular Taiwanese street
food, is perfect for those
hot days of summer when
you just don’t feel like
standing in front of a stove.
Another plus: There’s a
good chance you have most
of the ingredients on hand,
and it couldn’t be easier to
prepare.
Chunks of boneless
chicken thigh are marinated
in garlic and fresh ginger,
dredged in cornstarch and
then air fried until every
piece is golden-brown and
crispy. It’s then tossed and
coated in a spicy mix of
white pepper, salt and fra-
grant Chinese fi ve spice and
garnished with basil and
chili.
Salt and pepper chicken
is often served as a snack,
but I paired it with steamed
rice and quick-pickled
cucumbers for a light
summer main dish.
AIR FRYER
SALT AND
PEPPER
CHICKEN
For marinade
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, fi nely grated
1 tablespoon fi nely grated ginger
1 teaspoon brown sugar
(or regular sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
For chicken
1 pound boneless skinless chicken
thighs, cut to 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup cornstarch
Oil spray
For spice mix
2 teaspoons white pepper powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon fi ve-spice powder
For optional garnishes
Sliced basil
Lemon wedges
Sliced hot peppers of your choice
Combine marinade ingredients
in a big bowl. Add diced chicken
and mix well. Marinate for at least
30 minutes at room temperature,
or up to overnight in the fridge.
Combine the ingredients for
the spice mix in a small bowl and
stir to mix well. (You will get more
spice mix than you might end up
using, so adjust the seasoning
according to your preference.)
Chef/partner Wendy Lopez shows how to prepare Mediterranean
seabass pibil, at Reyes Mezcaleria.
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel-TNS
See, Chicken/Page B2
OSU Extension’s food safety and preservation hotline open
EO Media Group
CORVALLIS — With canning season
underway, the Food Safety and Preserva-
tion hotline from Oregon State University
Extension Service is now taking calls.
The toll-free hotline, 800-354-7319, runs
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday, until Oct. 7. When the hotline is
closed, callers can leave a message. The
hotline is staff ed by certifi ed Master Food
Preserver volunteers in Lane and Douglas
counties. The volunteers fi elded 1,487 calls
to the hotline in 2021.
Most commonly, hotline callers ask
about preserving salsa, tomatoes and tuna.
OSU Extension off ers publications on each:
Salsa Recipes for Canning, Canning Sea-
food, Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Prod-
ucts and Safely Canning Foods: Pressure
Canners, Pressure Cookers and Electric
Pressure Cookers.
Additional publications and fact sheets
are available on the OSU Extension web-
site — extension.oregonstate.edu/food/
preservation.
Launched in 1980 in Lane County, the
Master Food Preserver program has grown
to include more than 300 Master Food Pre-
servers who must complete an eight-week
course to be certifi ed and start volunteer
shifts on the hotline.
Extension’s Ask an Expert, an online
question-and-answer service, is another way
to get information. Extension experts can
off er information about anything related to
food preservation — from safety concerns
to recipes — and strive to respond within
two business days.
There’s also a free app — Can-
ning Timer & Checklist — that provides
reminders of essential steps in the canning
process.
Additionally, several Extension offi ces
off er free pressure canner dial gauge testing.
Hotline volunteers can provide you with
information specifi c to your county.
OSU Extension Master Food Preservers make
tomatillo/green tomato salsa.
Jeanne Brandt/Contributed Photo