Pike to Plate

Ling Cod with Lemon, Chickpeas, and Swiss Chard

This is one of those dishes that causes a silence to fall upon the table. Conversation ceases as you stop for a moment to contemplate all the flavors. Before you know it, the plate is empty. You look up and lock eyes with person across from you. There is a moment when you’re both thinking, “Why is my plate empty already?” Then you both nod your head, sit back, and bask in the glow of an excellent meal. Conversation resumes… until dessert…

🎣 Ling cod sourced from
🥬 Produce sourced from
🌶️ Pimenton de la Vera, chickpeas, and olive oil sourced from
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Couscous-crusted eggplant with almond, chili, and cream cheese filling. Paired with a sweet pepper and tomato concasse and spinach with chickpeas. Recipe sourced from The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook by Denis Cotter

Move over panko, hello couscous. What an amazing way to add some serious crunch!

It was 23 years ago when we took our first real vacation (as in hop on a plane and fly somewhere). That trip took us to Maine. My souvenir from that trip was the “Maine Blueberry Cookbook,” one of those cookbooks put together by community members with family recipes, no fancy photos, and bound by a plastic spiral. One of my favorite recipes from that book is Aunt Bee Lou’s Blueberry Pudding Cake.

On a recent camping trip, we discovered that our campsite was surrounded by huckleberry plants! After picking an entire bowl of berries, I had to retreat because I was losing too much blood to the mosquitoes. Thankfully my haul was enough for Aunt Bee Lou’s wonderful cake!