Most of you know that I gave up meat for lent which later enticed me to become a full fledged pescatarian. It’s all a little unexplainable. All I know is that the absence of something has lead me to work on myself. In other words, just go with it.
Because of my recent lifestyle choice and the sudden change in my diet I searched the bookshelves at Hastings and found the recipe book “500 Fish and Shellfish,” by Anne Hildyard. In it is basically an entire repertoire of seafood dishes. Hence, I have decided to cook my way through the book and share what I’m eating and what I’m cooking, in the special Saturday series “Seafood Saturday.”
Note: I’m no cook. Those of you know me as the girl my mother has warned about being returned the day after she weds because she can’t cook for her husband. So mom, this is for you.
On my first go, I attempted the Fish Soup with Salted Cucumber and Capers. According to Hildyard this soup originates from Russia. Not only am I consuming foods I’ve never ate before like capers, but I’m also diving into cultural waters (literally).
I first cut/diced the onions, carrots, and cucumbers. The book said to grab salted cucumbers, but I couldn’t find any, so I just salted them myself. I then fried all of this in canola oil until soft. In the meantime I prepared the peppercorn, tomato puree, and a single bay leaf.
Once those items were fried, I added the capers, 8 green and black olives respectfully, and the fish stock. While that boiled for about 10 minutes I cut the fish into cube sections,and then later inserted them for about 5 minutes. 
Lastly I served the soup with fresh dill in order to garnish and for zest, sliced lemons.
For my first go at it, this soup was fairly easy to make, it was delicious and very different from my usual tradition of Mexican cuisine. If you have any questions on this recipe let me know. Don’t forget to come back next Saturday.
As always, aleyrojas
