Pan-fried smelt

"Fish (n.pl. fish or fish*es) - an animal that grows the fastest between the time it's caught and the time the fisherman describes it to his friends"

The only fishing I do is at fishmongers' or at a supermarket. I mean it's not like I've never held a rod in my hands, but all these occasions can be counted on fingers of one hand. I understand the "guy thing" in it and to some extent I understand the pleasure of it and the meditation (or whatever it may be called part), but I personally love to eat fish! Thus I only fish, where I'm sure I'll catch it and that is in a store!

The smelt fishing season (as far as I know) is very short and may last as short as a day. Like a lottery - you never know what you may get and how much. And although these little fish do take time to clean, they are still worth it, because it is such a delight!

Tuna tataki with parsley and pistachio pesto

Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography. ~Robert Byrne

There are a few new fishmongers in town that have quite a nice selection of fresh fish and seafood.Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of access to fresh seafood everyday, but it is brought in a few times a week and that is already something to make a seafood lover happy!
You say tuna! And you get my undivided attention. Tuna steak, sashimi, nicoise salad... Oh and tuna tartare! Mmmm! And then there is tataki! Or simply raw with a bit of soy.

Coconut milk chocolate panna cotta

"Never underestimate the power of chocolate!"

I call it quite a harmless dessert. There is no cream in it, it tastes quite rich and yet light. Besides a good chocolate dessert once in a while never hurt anyone. I served this to quite a few people already and everyone asked for more!

Wild mussels in spicy tomato sauce

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces. Just good food from fresh ingredients" ~Julia Child

There was a time when I thought cooking fish or any kind of seafood for that matter was some complicated business, unless it came in a form of frozen fish fingers. That was quite a while ago though. The more I cooked and the more I learned about food, the more comfortable I became with ingredients that came from water. As long as you keep it simple and limit yourself to a number of ingredients, it is nothing but easy and satisfying. With one remark here to make it sound a bit more complicated - as long as you don't overcook it! So a few very simple rules - find a reliable fishmonger and learn to trust your sense of smell and very few simple tricks. Mussels are very easy to prepare. They only need to swim in a bit of sauce, which in my case usually tends to involve a glass of wine and a few other simple ingredients, such as garlic, herbs, tomatoes, salt and pepper. 

Cream of carrot ginger soup

"Soup is just a way of screwing you out of a meal!" -Jay Leno

Potato pancakes with creme fraiche and caviar

"In a big family the first child is kind of like the first pancake. If it's not perfect, that's okay, there are a lot more coming along". Antonin Scalia, American Judge

When I was looking for a quote about pancakes, this one made me laugh, but then I thought - what if there was just one pancake (or child)? Everything must be perfect then! And I have been trying to perfect my pancakes in all kinds of shapes and forms, with a variety of ingredients. I can't say this recipe is perfect - I don't think such a thing exists in cooking. To me personally these turned out really delicious and I absolutely loved the texture.

Banana & oat pancakes

"If I call you "Darling", will you make me pancakes?"

Pancakes are the first thing I learned to cook in this life. Maybe she doesn't even remember, but my Mom taught me. I was so confused when she'd tell me to look at consistency and not count tablespoons. At that early time in my culinary discoveries, I wanted precise measures of everything. But please give some credit - I think I was 4 or 5 at the time. 

Culinary fiction - "That part was true", by Deborah McKinlay

It seems that most of my reading is done while travelling. I usually take at least a few books with me. Of course, it does happen that I don't even get them out of my bag or suitcase and sometimes I need to buy a new one on the way. This was the case last week, when I was travelling home from Barcelona, Spain. I had a few books with me that I took from home. Started reading as soon as the plane took off and couldn't get my hands off until I was finished. Who knows - maybe the hotel, which added a book in Lithuanian to their library will make some guest happy some time.

On my way back, I stopped by the book store at the airport. Came across Deborah McKinlay's "That part was true". To be honest - have not read anything by this author previously, but the back of the cover promised I'd get indulged in a romance, where two people get in relationship through their love for food.

Marinated mackerel

"If people concentrated on really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

There are no words to describe how much I love this dish! My Dad deserves all praises for it. When our family was preparing for last Christmas, my only request for the menu was his marinated mackerel. I know the photos don't do justice and I have not yet found the way how to portray the goodness of this food. I wish you could sense the smell of it through the screen. For today let's focus on the taste!

Chili con carne in dark beer

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives. -Oscar Wilde

Ok, so I've admitted a number of times I am a vegetarian! Which doesn't stop me from cooking meat for other people. To me it's been quite an interesting journey - cooking something that I don't taste along the way. It may be a bit too early to admit, but I do think I'm getting good at determining how the dish is turning out from the scents, texture, the way it looks. And I still remember how it's supposed to look, taste and smell.