Pickled Ginger Aioli

Brother had a Halloween party at school last night.  It ended up being a drop off party so I found myself within spitting distance of Central Market and over an hour to myself.  What a gift!  Only since I wasn’t prepared for the shopping excursion, I didn’t have THE list.  Maybe it’s my age, or the fact that I’ve had four children in the last seven years, but my memory is shot.  If I don’t write it down, I simply don’t remember.  My friends often marvel at the fact that I’m so organized and diligent about taking photos of the children.  I’d like to claim that it’s because I’m ‘just that kind of mom’, but the truth is if I do not take frequent photos, download them and sort them into events WITH dates, I will not remember anything.

Given the free-for-all environment in which I found myself at Central Market, I think I did quite well.  Sans list I typically end up over buying and stuff my cart with impulse buys.  Luckily I made a rough meal plan in my mind earlier in the day and therefore had some idea of a course to follow.

I had planned to make salmon one night this week.  But, the fish monger was sampling a delicious opah fish and I sailed right off my charted course.  Opah is commonly referred to as moonfish and is found in the Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian Islands.  I bought three six ounce steaks and roamed the aisles to find some pickled ginger for an aioli sauce to accompany the fish.  I also bought a lemon grass marinade.

The dish turned out delicious.  The dinner, not so much.  Mid afternoon I was reminded by my children that tonight was the annual trick-or-treat party for the alumnae children of a university group I was part of many hallowed nights ago.  So, I prepped the meal, served myself and the children and left Husband a warmed plate.

While I didn’t have time to savor the opah, it was definitely a dish worth repeating.  And, any fish would substitute nicely with the lemon grass marinade and pickled ginger aioli. In fact, I think I would prefer a halibut or sea bass.  Even the more budget friendly tilapia would be nice.

Pickled Ginger Aioli

• 1 c mayonnaise (I used light)
• 1/8 c pickled ginger, drained
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 bunch of cilantro

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended.

This is a great aioli and we’ll use the leftovers on turkey sandwiches later this week.